Isy and I made it to the main street of the town looking for food. It was a bit of a hike from the battlefield and dorms, but apparently, meals weren’t served at the dorms. I had been so busy I had still been snacking on dried traveling rations, but I ran out of those a while ago and just stopped eating after that.
Shops lined both sides of the street selling everything from candy to roast beef. The walkways bustled with people. Not just students, but ordinary people who came and went from stalls here and there like a festival.
“Where do you want to go first?” I asked, hoping she would have some idea, so I could just follow along. It was enough to just take in the change of atmosphere, but it also overloaded my senses.
She seemed so excited, but suddenly her face changed. “No… We have to be responsible now that we are away from home… We can't just buy whatever we want.”
‘What the…’ I covered my ears with my hands, slowly getting used to all the talking voices. “While it's true that we shouldn't spend too much money, that would attract attention. We should buy some things though. Like food… Before I starve…”
“Yes, and first is medicine for you.”
‘Medicine? For what?’ “No, we don't need that, what I really need is food. Healing takes a lot of energy.”
“O-ok then, food first.”
‘It feels weird having people listen to me…’ I was already drooling as she started to lead the way. My nose was being flooded with every kind of scent I could think of from grilled ribs to fresh fruit.
“LOOK! Let's go there!”
“Is that… Pho?”
“Yes, it's so good!”
‘Honestly, anything would be as good as anything else. It’s an Eastern dish, right? From the land past the orc tribes?’ “Sure.” We walked up to the small stand and sat down. There was only room for 8 people to sit at once. The moment we took our seats the man behind the counter began to beam with joy.
“Hello there! Hey, you're the girl who won that bodybuilding contest, right? The Spitfire Dragon. Man, that contest really left some marks on you huh? Well, what will it be, girls?”
‘Spitfire dragon? Left marks on me?’ I looked down. I hadn’t been paying attention, but the old bandages on my arm were red with old blood, and my hands were the same. My veins weren’t glowing anymore, but still painted. ‘It’s not… That bad…’
Isy’s face perked up as soon as she saw the menu. I didn't bother looking at mine though, I would just get whatever she did.
“I'll have the Kraken and bison tendon Pho, a small bowl please.”
“Same… Oh, but a large bowl instead.” I poked my old wounds, and they didn’t hurt that much. ‘I bet I could take these bandages off entirely. Hmm, maybe after I eat.
“I’m surprised you got the same thing I did. A lot of people don’t like eating Kraken.”
I paused. ‘Wait what?’ “Oh… Well… I’m sure it’s fine…” ‘As long as it’s not meat from an undead kraken…’ The image of fighting the rotting monster would have taken away my appetite if it wasn’t so hungry. ‘Even that feels like forever ago now…’
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The chef started to laugh. “I'll give you a drink too, on the house. Some fine Nahsam.
“What is that?” I asked hesitantly as my meal suddenly started to seem a little too exotic…
“It's sugar cane juice mixed with herbal tea.”
“Oh… Thanks.” ‘That doesn’t sound too bad right?’
He brought out the food, the small bowl was the size of a soup bowl which I expected. But mine was bigger than my head. ‘I guess, at least I won't have to order seconds.’
He served the drink as well, it was in a long glass that was narrow, but as tall as my forearm. ‘This really isn’t anything like what I ate back at home…’
“Thank you kindly, sir,” I said with a grin, getting a funny look from Isy before I quickly shut up. The smell was almost intoxicating. ‘It feels so much like a real restaurant I almost thought I was back on earth for a second…’ After a short pause, I started to eat right away. One benefit of being part dragon, I couldn’t burn my mouth very easily anymore. Another perk was that the food didn’t in fact taste minty like Lilly said it would.
We ate until we were stuffed. And then I ate more, and then more… I washed it down with a drink that was surprisingly delicious and helped my stomach handle the meal. The food tasted good admittedly, but I had grown sick of it by the time I was done. I couldn’t complain though, as it gave me the energy to use an ever-so-slight amount of magic to heal my bones and joints from the achiness still lingering in them. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much… My jaw hurts… Honestly, I feel like I could keep going though. The flavor got old, but my stomach doesn’t feel bloated. Weird…
After I finished I pushed my bowl back and the chef peaked over the counter. “Wow. You actually ate all of it, and the broth too, thank you so much, spitfire.”
‘Is it like… A great courtesy in this world to eat everything you order… I hate this culture so much…’ “I appreciate the meal, it was delicious. Thank you.”
He smiled again, taking the bowl and putting it in a pile where he would no doubt wash it later, and with that, we took our leave. Slowly standing up and taking our time as we headed back into the street. ‘So… What now? I’m sure Frostbite is busy… Or sleeping. We do need more marks now that I’m starting a second guild. Even if they fail I want to make up the difference for them. It’s too advantageous to have two guilds, over having only one. Especially going into a war where I’m sure the school will distribute starting resources to each guild.’ I stretched my arms out to the side, slowly bending my fingers, trying to get rid of the last of the acheiness.
“I challenge you to a duel Spitfire Dragon!” A voice came from behind.
We turned around and I yawned. I didn't want to be disrespectful, I was just tired… Honest… I was on only a few hours of sleep, and had just eaten a huge meal… I couldn’t help it… “I'm sorry but can it wait please… I'm kind of in the middle of something.”
“What, but you're wearing your armor, doesn't that mean you're ready to fight?”
I looked over at Isy who had a smug look on her face before turning back. ‘It’s like the only thing I own…’ “Well… it's not that I'm wearing it because I'm ready to fight… It's more like, I don't have any other clothes.” ‘which I guess isn’t technically true, but I don’t want to ruin my dress if some punk like you decides to fight me…’
“O-oh I see… My apologies then.” Luckily he seemed quite bashful and sheathed his blade. “When would be a better time then?”
I was honestly shocked, he seemed reasonable, and almost charming in a way. It took me completely off guard and made me freeze until Isy nudged me. “Uh… Oh, sorry. Let me think…” ‘I guess I could actually just fight him right now… But I already asked him to wait… I can’t just say I was lying and I’m not actually busy… But I can’t put it off for too long either… Or I’ll look scared…’ “Uhm… How about tonight? Outside the girl's dorms? Yeah, that should work. I’ll end up going back there eventually no matter what, and doing it right before I go to sleep will make sure I don’t forget about it.”
His eyes widened, and his response was a bit slow, but he agreed in the end. “Until then!” He shouted before dramatically leaving.
“Ok… bye…” I muttered as he walked away before turning to Isy. “So, Isy… We ate, what’s next? We should probably get you some new clothes that actually fit beside your rogue leathers. And maybe some training weapons for you too… Hm… It’s a shame Frostbite isn’t here too, it looked like she didn’t have anything either, maybe we should buy her some stuff?”
She slowly looked to the side. “Siya… Frostbite is… I mean… I don’t mean anything bad by this… I’m not trying to say I don’t like her… But she’s…”
“The girl that held a knife to your neck? Yeah, that’s her.” ‘I was starting to wonder if she would ever figure it out.’
“Hm…” Her eyebrows pushed together. “When you captured me and forgave me for attacking you, you saw through me, and you said I wasn’t really a bad person… Does that mean it’s the same for her?”
‘I don’t remember saying that exactly. But sure…’ “You could say that. However, in her case, it’s a little different. She’s not a bad person, that’s true… But unlike you, who I found during your first mission… She’s already had to do a bunch of bad things… Are you really not scared of her? I thought you wouldn’t like being around her.”
She let out a soft groan, raising her eyes again and leading the way once more. “Of course, I’m scared of her… But if she isn’t a bad person how could I not like her?”
‘Ah… The mysterious logic of a twelve-year-old girl…’ I sighed, deciding not to bother trying to get it. “Right…”