The map would need to be updated… again.

I sat alone at a table, staring at the rather busy marketplace. Hundreds of people were coming and going, and most weren’t locals at all. Large portions of the people in town carried the obvious rugged bags of travelers, or pulled along their carts and wagons that were loaded with goods.

A part of me could remember this place. A small few family’s large settlement. A place I usually never bothered with, because I always expected it to disappear. People tried making new towns all the time. Very few if any ever actually succeeded.

Well this one seemed to have done so.

What had been a few scattered buildings was now an actual town. There were two brick roads, meeting in the middle and forming a large circular marketplace. The square was full of inns, taverns, restaurants, markets… a church, with a large bell tower… and even a barber.

Add the hustle and bustle to the expanding houses and buildings being built along the dirt roads that verged off the stone ones, I wondered how long ago this place had become an actual town. Years surely, based off the stonework… but hadn’t I just been through here less than ten years ago? It hadn’t been anything like this then.

Humans were fast when the money was flowing.

“Sir! You really need to try this, it’s got just a hint of honey in it!” a cup appeared out of nowhere, being placed onto my table.

Staring at the golden swirl inside, I forced a small smile to the young woman who was beaming me a huge smile, and doing her best to seem as unimposing as possible. Which was hard, since her breasts were about to spill out from her tight shirt.

“Sure. Thanks,” I accepted her forceful offer, and she nodded quickly with a giggle.

“Here!” a man at another table drew her attention, and she actually glared at him for a tiny moment.

“I’ll be back!” she said happily and hurried away to serve the other table.

I shouldn’t have sat here.

But it wasn’t my fault. No one had even been here when I had. The girl hadn’t even been working then either. She had just arrived a few minutes ago, and started taking orders.

How was I supposed to know these bunches of tables and chairs were for the restaurant across the square? Ridiculous. At least put up a sign.

The young girl took the man’s order, and the woman’s who was with him too, and I heard the obvious distaste and annoyance in the waitress’s voice. She was actually upset at them. For making her work… or well, for making her work away from me.

What was with the people lately?

I understood it when men, and even sometimes women, stared at Renn. Or tried to impress her or draw her eyes… although most of the time none of them tried too hard since I stood next to her at all times… but…

But me?

Usually I was ignored through and through.

Though she seemed far more forceful than I liked, at least she wasn’t a strange old man with bad breath.

Glancing at the church, I sighed and hoped Renn would emerge soon. I wasn’t ready to start worrying about her, she’d only been in there for about half an hour… but her presence would save me from the soon to come onslaught of the waitress.

My eyes wandered to the silver gleaming weapons resting against the table.

That was the reason, wasn’t it?

A boring, average looking man suddenly becomes much more interesting the moment he’s seen carrying the tools of war.

Sighing softly, I picked up the slop she had left on my table and took a small sip.

Immediately regretting it, I lowered it slowly and wondered how anyone paid and actually ordered this junk. She had said there was honey in it? Sure… maybe a single spoonful. A spoon of honey tossed into old ale that had been sitting in a rotted rain barrel for months, likely.

That was the problem with the east. No one here knew how to make good food or drink.

Funny, that I’d say the religious west was more knowledgeable about booze than the pagans in the east.

Or not, depending on how you looked at it…

“Well? How about food? They’re cooking a huge slab of meat right now and I bet it’d be tasty with some bread, a nice midday sandwich!” the waitress began speaking before even reaching my table. She smiled at me, speaking quickly… and even bit her tongue half way through her spiel.

She blushed a little, and I realized she wasn’t playing at all. This wasn’t her trying to get me to order more food. She was genuinely attracted to me.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Had to be the weapons.

“What kind of meat is it?” I asked. Renn didn’t seem to like the leaner meats.

“Just a cow, we usually serve pigs and chickens so I’m not sure why we have it,” she shrugged.

Probably a dairy cow if it was not a common food source. Someone probably sold it to them, since it wasn’t milking anymore. “Sure. How about half a dozen sandwiches to start?” I ordered. Dairy meat was soft and tender, usually. Renn would like it, even with bland bread.

“Half a dozen? I don’t get off until later…” she stepped away for a moment, and then stopped as she went into thought.

“For me and my companion. She’ll be here in a moment, I’m sure,” I told her.

The waitress stared at me, and then went beat-red in the face. Without a single word she hurried away, nearly running across the open square in-between people and wagons to get to her restaurant.

Watching her go, I sighed and shook my head at her.

“I’m a companion am I?”

Turning, I watched as Renn slowly stepped out from behind me. She slowly sat down across from me, pulling her chair closer to the table as to glare at me.

“How’d it go?” I asked.

Although annoyed by that waitress, it seemed she had done something right. I had not noticed Renn leaving the church at all.

Renn glared at me for a long moment, and I wondered if maybe something had happened. She didn’t look hurt or… as if she had been found out. I also didn’t smell blood or her tears either.

“Well, you were right. This is becoming, or already is, a crossroads city,” Renn finally said.

“Figured. Glad to hear it from the higher ups of society, at least,” I said and waved a paltry thank you to the church across the street.

Renn’s glare narrowed at me, and then she sighed. She reached across the table and grabbed the cup of nasty ale from me.

“That’s nasty,” I warned her.

“You drank it earlier,” she said as she sniffed it.

“Which is how I found out it’s nasty,” I warned again.

Renn ignored my warnings and took a very tiny sip. The kind that told me she probably couldn’t taste anything anyway. Yet still she flinched and squirmed for a moment, and then slowly put the cup back in front of me.

“You know… you’re the only one who doubts me sometimes,” I said.

“I wanted to see for myself. It is nasty. Tastes like fish water,” she complained.

“That’s rude to fish,” I said and went to take another drink.

Renn watched with an odd look as I took a deep drink.

“Well… while you were flirting with large breasted women, I found out that this city is under the domain of a count. A count from Lumen. He made an agreement with the church. Half of the taxes in the town go to the church, the other half to him. He pays for the city stuff, and the church helped build this square and the stone buildings,” Renn explained a very common method the church used to expand its influence.

“Typical,” I said.

“Seems… fair? The church spends a bunch of money which helps the town solidify and grow. This count gets paid, but uses that money to also expand and take care of the city. It allows both the church and the nation’s nobles to have vested interest. Allowing them to work together instead of fighting over it,” Renn said.

“If neither weren’t greedy abusers, it’d work, sure,” I said.

Renn frowned but didn’t seem willing to argue with me any further.

“I guess there’s a lot of trade here in this region. They tax the merchants who enter. Based off the number of carts who pass by. They’ll eventually charge per head and the weight of the cargo, I guess,” Renn added.

“Foolish methods. But everyone always has plans and goals and schemes,” I said.

“You’re the one who wanted me to find out,” she said.

“And you did it. Thank you,” I said with a tilt of my now half empty cup.

She didn’t seem to appreciate my thanks, and then looked past me. Over my shoulder.

“I’m going to go buy something I can actually swallow before our food gets here. I’ll be right back,” she said as she stood from her seat.

Renn hurried away, and I turned in my seat to watch as she crossed the square and entered a tavern.

While she was in there I swallowed the rest of my dirty tasting ale.

It did taste like it had at one time had fish in it. Renn had a way to describe stuff.

“Still, a count?” I wondered as I glanced around. There were plenty of large stone buildings… but none seemed like a noble’s residence. Maybe this count wasn’t as wealthy, or maybe they didn’t have a residence here at all. Maybe they sent one of their underlings to oversee the town.

Though honestly it didn’t matter much. Another town. Nothing new. Humans ever expanded. Always multiplying.

“To think they used to struggle just to breed,” I said softly.

The waitress from earlier emerged from her business, carrying a small crate. She smiled as she made her way to the tables, stepping around people and carts as she hurried.

She stopped before my table first, and went to putting plates upon it. Each plate had two large sandwiches, packed with meat, cheese and even lettuce.

“So uh… I’m taking it you’re not interested?” she asked softly as she put another plate in front of me. She had even leaned down a little, to get closer.

“He’s not.”

The waitress stood up straight as Renn put several mugs down onto the table.

“I see! Sorry! Let me know if you want anything else!” the waitress took the news in stride, without a flinch as she put one last plate onto the table and then stepped away to deliver the other table’s food.

Without a word Renn sat back down.

“What’d you get?” I asked as I reached out for one of the mugs she brought back.

Renn shifted a bit, and for the tiniest moment I thought she’d smack my hand away… yet she remained seated and didn’t stop me. Taking one of the mugs, I noticed the familiar red juice within.

The berry drink she liked. Without any alcohol within it.

“Surprised they had this,” I said as I took a drink.

“It wasn’t cheap. Five of those coins, that your friendly old man paid you,” she said with a small smirk.

“So as you drink, thank my good looks for the delight,” I said as I raised the mug to her.

Renn’s brows furrowed in annoyance… and then she reached out for her own mug as a smile formed on her face.

She raised the mug in toast alongside me, but had to stifle a few laughs before she was able to take a drink.