Vitmori POV

I don't know if it's just me, but walking this capital city's streets feels nostalgic and alien altogether.

The people walking the streets were unique only in that they were far more varied than the last few places we visited. I could see soldiers, guards, mercenaries, and adventurers on the same walkways as day laborers, musicians, sailors, clerics, bankers, mages, and buskers. They all intermingle rather seamlessly in this big melting pot of varying backgrounds and ways of life.

As we walked, I couldn't help but allow my eyes to wander between the people and the various storefronts. The sights felt eerily familiar yet different outright when it came to the fundamental understanding of what things are.

The overall infrastructure was already vastly superior to what I saw back in Sunspot Keep and Lucfan's Rest. There were crystal street lamps on every street corner, with more lamps placed equidistant to each other, filling up the space between each corner, no doubt providing a thorough amount of illumination once the sun goes down.

We occasionally passed what looked to be sewer grates where the sidewalks met the road, along with manhole covers that were placed at the mouths of alleyways instead of in the middle of the streets. These were signs that they definitely had a sewer system, which would be necessary for this city's population, but how advanced is it? Is it just for waste disposal, or do they have a sewage treatment somewhere?

Beyond that, there were lines of wires almost haphazardly strewn around in a sort of organized chaos above our heads; the wires in question came from every building and led to what looked like crude utility posts. Were they power lines? Maybe even landlines? I couldn't wait to find out for myself, even if I could look through Dhalia's memories for the answers now if I wanted to.

On another note, I won't get to do much free running around here, not if the rooftop guards have anything to say about it. Above our heads on the third or even fourth floors of some buildings were guards that were posted just out of sight and watching the flow of traffic as people went about their daily lives. There weren't that many all around, as I had only noticed three in twenty minutes after they just happened to glance at me as I walked past their position.

I wondered whether they just happened to be more observant than most to be able to spot me or if I was just more noticeable than usual. I'll need to actively test those skills things my titles grant me if I want to use them going forward more reliably, not that I needed them before to get around undetected when I wanted to.

Before long, we drew closer to the place Basti asked we meet up at; she had initially just sent me a text describing the place, but then she reached out to me mentally and shared what she was seeing before pulling away again. I was surprised, to say the least, at how much I had missed feeling the sensation of her mind and presence around me.

Coming up to a crossroads, we crossed the street and approached what appeared to be a gated botanical garden with ornate brick and iron fencing that stretched out to both ends of the street and rounded the corners. With a glance around, I could sense that there was some kind of magical barrier or threshold going along the fence line, so there was likely something more protecting this place than a simple brick and iron fence.

Just inside the currently opened gate was what appeared to be a welcoming table or maybe a host station underneath an awning where two blindfolded women sat with surprisingly welcoming smiles.

"Welcome to Sazala's Tranquility Cafe. Do you have a reservation?" A dogkin with mostly human features asked with the usual customer service voice. Despite her black blindfold, I could still sense her eyes on me, so it was see-through and part of the uniform for this place.

"No, but we're the party for Basti; she should be expecting us."

The dogkin bobbed her head intently before standing as she walked around the station and waved us along. "Of course, sir, if you'll follow me." She said before ushering us along.

In the center of the garden cafe was a three-story building; I could see the chimney smoke steadily rising from one corner of the building with what looked to be a mix of guards and servers coming and going from the building as they took the many different paths which lead to the various corners and ends of the gardens.

Leading us down one of these paths, we were soon surrounded by a relatively dense yet seemingly carefully manicured array of brush and foilage that was filled with a mix of unfamiliar and strangely familiar flora until we finally arrived at a somewhat isolated gazebo in a small clearing.

Sitting at one side of a round table covered with a generous spread of treats and meats was a woman I did not recognize, at least at first. She was menacing and gorgeous, a woman with looks that could kill and who looked like she could kill me.

She sat with a composed confidence, her long black tail curled around from the back of her seat and into her lap as she took a generous bite of some deli meat on a piece of bread. She wore a short-sleeved mint green tunic that fit loosely on her despite the considerable musculature of her arms, which subtly flexed with the apparent physical power contained within as she turned to look at our approach and set down what she was eating.

As our eyes met, a rush of familiarity overcame me as I recognized the woman for who she was; it was Basti! Before I knew it, a smile formed on my wooden lips as I stepped away from the group to close the distance.

Basti's ears perked with evident delight when she saw me, a toothy grin taking its place on her face as she was soon working to swallow down what she had in her mouth before getting to her feet, her long tail lashing with anticipation as we met halfway.

We both kind of just... Stood there. My words escaped me while Basti had too much to say and wasn't sure where to start.

The dogkin host broke the silence as she piped up while offering a polite bow of her head. "We hope you enjoy your stay at the Tranquility Cafe; please ring the bell if you need our services." With that, she turned on her heel and headed back down the way we came.

With the dogkin gone, Freyli rushed forward, excitedly calling for Basti as she quickly scaled my back before hopping off my shoulder and onto Basti, who caught Freyli and cradled her to her chest. "Mama, mama! I missed you so much, mama!" She gushed while almost aggressively nuzzling the top of her head against Basti's throat and chin while mrowling as she was just too excited for proper words.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Basti eagerly reciprocated her daughter's affections, an audible rumble emanating from her as she nuzzled her chin against Freyli, all while the white cub steadily made her way up and around Basti's shoulder to lay against her.

Looking around, Basmori seemingly vanished into thin air for whatever reason, though with the minute I was given to gather my thoughts, I was finally able to find my words. "You... Look great. I see you've come into your own while you were out and about... How have you been?"

Basti's ears swiveled towards my voice when she then turned her head to look at me, a small smile still present on her lips as one hand continued to dote on Freyli, scritching her throat and massaging one of her ears. "I have been... Busy." She says simply with a smile still pursed on her lips. "Since leaving your side, I've learned much and seen a lot more. I've experienced the wonderful kindness of strangers and learned to be wary when things seem too easy." She mused, clearly reminiscing on her travels and experiences. "Oh! And food! Oh, I've tried so many different kinds of food." She expressed excitedly as her ears waggled at the mere thought of the foods she'd eaten. "I don't think I can ever go back to plain raw meat after everything I've tasted."

The way she smiled, the sound of her voice, and the look in her eyes. If I didn't already know I don't have a heart in this avatar of mine, I would've sworn it had skipped a beat just now. I haven't felt this way in such a long time... I never thought I would feel like this ever again...

As I watched Basti talk with Legosi and Freyli about some of the foods they've tried these last couple of weeks, I couldn't help but remember all over again that I promised her a date once we had met in the capital. I can still hardly fathom the idea of going out on a date now that I'm faced with the genuine prospect of it, especially at my age. The last time I went out on a date was over half of my lifetime ago; I had slaughtered fifteen zombies and spent four days cleaning and setting up sound traps and trip wires, among other things, to secure an old skating rink for dinner and a movie... But here? In this world, with my lack of experience in these things? I wouldn't even know where to begin.

I must have been too far into my own head as before I knew it, Basti was standing right in front of me, a look of concerned curiosity playing out on her face as her brows scrunched together while examining me. A large hand that I could only imagine was no doubt pleasantly soft and gentle was cradling my wooden cheek. "Vitmori? Are you okay?" She asked, meeting my gaze while I refocused on the moment.

She was... So tall. Nearly as tall as me though, maybe a couple of inches shorter... With that in mind, her ears do make up the difference. It isn't all too often that I get to look someone directly in the eyes without needing to tilt my head down in any way. Though I suppose since coming to this world, I've had to look up on more than one occasion, but even that isn't a common occurrence.

"I'm fine... There's just... A lot on my mind." I answered slowly while offering her a smile and gently patted her forearm to try and ease her mind.

I could tell she wasn't sure what to make of my response, but she decided not to pursue the topic and bobbed her head. “If you say so, Vitmori.” Though she then flashed a toothy smirk as she pulled away. “Before anything else, there’s someone here I need to speak to.” She said simply before making her way over to Wither.

The plague doctor looked up at her with a vaguely confused head tilt as she stepped past him and took a knee before plunging her hand into his shadow and pulling out Basmori by his scruff as he mrowled with surprise.

“Now, what are you doing here, my little shadow?” Basti mused affectionately as she brought him to her chest and lovingly tickled his chin, still quite happy to see him despite the circumstances.

Basmori’s ears just sagged nervously, and I could tell he wasn’t sure if he was actually in trouble or not before murmuring out a mewl in response, saying that he didn’t follow her; he had followed me.

At that, Basti couldn’t help but chuckle as she lifted him off her chest and looked him in the eye. “I suppose you have me there, little one…” She admitted while bringing him close again, cradling him before looking back at me with that lovely smile still on her lips. "Let's take a seat; we have lots to talk about."

"Yeah, let's." With that, I made my way to the table, sitting next to where Basti had been before, pretending to get comfortable.

Both Freyli and Basmori decided to take their own seats as well, Freyli standing on a chair with her paws on the table, though Basmori shifted into a beastkin, much to Basti's surprise as she couldn't help but flash a toothy grin. "Well, look at you, you sure have grown my little shadow."

Basmori flashed a proud little smile, though he was a little sheepish at the fact that he only managed to pull on his pants this time during his shift and proceeded to pull out his shirt before pulling it on and buttoning it up when he found his place beside Freyli.

Legosi, for his part, just walked up and sat on the ground beside the table, being tall enough to eat from it comfortably.

The plague doctors took their own places, looking over the spread and opting to remove their masks while serving themselves a cup of tea and plating food for Legosi as per his requests.

After a few moments had passed, and once everyone seemed pretty settled down, I turned my attention to Basti, admiring the splashes of black that colored her skin like some kind of vitiligo. "So, I take it you have the day off from being Dhalia?"

At that comment, Basti couldn't help but chuckle with utter amusement as she plucked up the piece of bread with meat on it that she had been eating earlier. "I've had a lot of days off lately, yes." She mused while taking a bite, savoring the food before continuing as she swallowed. "Diarosa is a nervous wreck after her extended stay in isolation while she was our prisoner, and since then, she's frequently had night terrors and can't bring herself to leave the manor."

"Really? Was she truly that traumatized?" I know she was a brat despite being a grown woman, but I would've thought she would've had a sturdier stomach, considering the things she's done to Mina and the others.

Basti just flashed her teeth in a mischievously toothy grin. "Well, it probably didn't help that the shadows seemed to move frequently at night, not to mention the whispers." She explained as she then offered a simple shrug before taking yet another bite of her food. "I only needed to do it for a few days before she started jumping at shadows all on her own."

"Hah, that's hysterical." I mused cheerfully enough as I took up a cup of tea, bringing it to my nose and sniffed at it; it smelled vaguely tart or perhaps fruity, though I couldn't place it myself.

Basti seemed delighted by my comment as she finished the meat and bread, washing it down with her tea before setting the cup down. "Then there's Maverick; he's been too busy dealing with all the burned bridges and other fires that keep sprouting up because his trade deals with the Theocracy fell through. It seems some of his affiliates are none too pleased about that fact, and he's been having to throw money around to keep things from falling apart even more." She took the time to get a slice of some other kind of bread before spreading a spoonful of purple preserves over it. "Who he's talking to and where exactly the money is going, I'm still not too sure about due to his affiliates being excessively secretive. Dhalia was more Diarosa's associate than Maverick's, so there was little for me to get involved with regarding his immediate affairs."

"Then it sounds like the Sinners are doing their jobs properly and managed to return to their old posts without being caught..." I considered while smelling the tea again, doing my best to relish what few sensations I could enjoy with my relatively weak sense of smell. "Greed had to kill someone, but none of them have reached out to me for anything, so I can only assume they're doing alright on their own." After another moment, I decided to set the mug down before regarding Basti curiously. "So if you haven't needed to do much as Dhalia, I take it you've been spending your free time as Basti? What have you been up to?"

Basti's ears flicked and waggled with evident delight as she considered the things she'd done the last few weeks. "Well, I've done a bit of exploring and tried lots of foods and drinks... Oh! And I've done a lot of fighting!" She expressed excitedly as she raised a clenched fist.

Fighting? Well, she hasn't killed anyone here, so maybe bar fights or... Something... "What sort of fights have you been getting in?" I just asked while leaning forward and propping my elbows on the table as I settled in to give her my full attention.

Her tail curled and lashed behind her cheerfully as she smiled. "I've mainly been fighting in the daily tournaments, but I've found a few underground circuits with more brutal fights and got signed up for those, too. I usually bet on myself, and I've been making good coin." She said as she suddenly flared out one of her shadowy wings, reaching in and pulling out a rather weighty-looking pouch that she set down with a distinct clattering of coins coming from within it. "People have tried mugging me for my money, too, but I showed them the error of their ways when it came to that." She mentioned with a pleased waggle of her ears.

I couldn't help but share in her smile as I glanced between her and the bag of coin in front of her. "It looks like you've certainly done well for yourself. I was honestly worried how you would take to earnestly being a person; I'm happy to see that those worries were unfounded."

Basti smiled as she idly poked at the pouch with a finger while her tail flicked and swayed behind her. "I was nervous being out on my own again... But just the thought that you would soon be joining my side before long helped spurred me to keep going strong, and now that you're here, we can get started on the right foot with our plans." She exclaimed rather energetically at the end with a light fist thump against the table.

I nodded along at her words with a smile still happily stuck on my lips. "Speaking of plans, I have a lot of stuff I need to fill you in on. I made a few friends and spun quite a few stories, but don't worry, you'll only need to remember the broad strokes."

Basti smirked as her ears flicked at my words, now leaning in on the table with me as she propped her chin on a fist. "Oh really? Do tell."