The patrol Alphonse mentioned was nowhere in sight as Kirie left the Guild Union building. She didn't need to worry about any advanced appraisals thanks to Alphonse's outfit, but she suspected the patrols would give her even more grief thanks to her being a demihuman. Her stealth and perception were nowhere near Alphonse's level, but she figured avoiding the patrols with the cover of night wouldn't be too difficult.
She arched her back and stretched her arms to the sky as she took in a deep breath from the cool night air. Both moons were prominent in the sky with their crescent shapes emitting dull glows in their half-hearted contest.
The only individuals in the plaza were two people sitting at the edge of the quiet fountain. A younger woman laughed as her partner said something inaudible and shoved her playfully on the shoulder. The woman moved closer, plainly more than was necessary and pressed her fingers together nervously as the conversation descended into silence. The man settled an arm over her shoulders and drew her close.
Kirie didn't see the rest. She knew where this was leading, and she had no desire to witness public displays of affection.
The catgirl made a motion of sticking her finger in her mouth in a sign of disgust, as if she were trying to force out some vomit. She made it about halfway down the stairs when she noticed the man turn the woman's face towards him and started to lean in...
'Ugh, so gross.' Kirie jumped to the other side of the steps theatrically when she'd only made it halfway. She landed with knees bent and a palm towards the ground to brace her fall. She kicked her legs a couple times to work out the stiffness and moved on.
She wondered why people couldn't make out somewhere that was completely remote. Sure, it was getting deeper into evening, but they were in the middle of the plaza that branched off to areas that received some of the most traffic in the city. Kirie could think of plenty more secluded spots. Maybe a high balcony, a cluster of trees in a park or, the best choice by far, the closed-off space known as a room!
Her stomach rumbled in agreement. Kirie realized that the thought of vomiting at the couple's romance actually made her hungrier as she started walking down the road out of the plaza. It was as if she had suddenly lost all the nourishment from her previous meal in the span of seconds.
There was a restaurant a few blocks away leading towards the western area of the middle district. It acted as a butcher shop as well and shared two interconnected buildings. The place stayed open late since the butcher oversaw both businesses and prepared some to-go meat the night before for adventurers in a hurry.
Kirie didn't know exactly what the butcher did to cook such fine slabs of meat, but the cuts had made it a popular place among adventurers.
'I wonder how much extra it costs to put some garlic on.' Kirie found herself salivating at the thought. 'Or maybe mix some beans with it!'
Her stomach rumbled again, and she thought that it might've been loud enough to wake the whole block. It wasn't that she didn't get to eat three large meals a day, but her physical exertion through training and quests demanded that she consume more food.
She glanced around instinctively for any patrols. All was quiet. The silence felt ominous -- almost inscrutable, despite leaving room for someone to pick up any sound that seemed unnatural. She'd never felt this way until she met Alphonse and his ability to sneak up on her without notice. She distinctly recalled the one time in the Mesatend Forest when they saved Sebastian's family and Alphonse seemingly appeared from nowhere among the trees.
It taught her that silence wasn't necessarily the friend she thought it was.
'That guy always gets me thinking such serious things,' she thought.
Kirie stopped in front of a modest building with smoke trailing from its stack. Two windows splashed light on the cobblestone road with the door cracked open slightly to emit the tantalizing smells of fresh meat and prominent spices. The latter was enticing, but most patrons couldn't afford such luxuries.
Kirie stared down at the pouch of coins Alphonse had given her and tossed it up and down a few times to judge the weight. She unwrapped the string and stared inside. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she saw how much silver clinked together. There were at least a dozen silver coins inside, with a gold piece hidden somewhere underneath that bounced to the top when she jiggled the bag around again, as if the extra coins were some optical illusion.
She wondered why Alphonse had given her so much money. She tossed around the idea that perhaps he knew exactly how much he had given her, and it was some sort of test to see if she could exercise restraint. They'd already been over how much it cost for a decent meal at a modest establishment in Forgedalk. A solid slab of meat might cost around two silver. A couple extra copper thrown in might give a customer some generous-sized pieces of garlic. Spices weren't even something to consider. Just adding the extra bit of taste with a few sprinkles cost double the meat itself.
Kirie threw the pouch higher one last time and snatched it out of the air to solidify her confidence. She was a lieutenant of GRIM. There was responsibility with the title, and she resolved to prove that she could exercise monetary responsibility to the point of being considered stingy.
'Well, maybe not that much,' she thought with a light chuckle.
Her stomach rumbled a third time, and she rested a hand over her abdomen as if she were trying to assure it rather than herself. The food was so close.
Kirie pushed open the door. Her eyes adjusted to the light from the closed lanterns mounted on the walls. A few standing tables were set up for those who preferred a more informal setting compared to the connected restaurant next door. Near the front window was a sort of counter top area lined with stools that provided a view of the road. The air behind the far wooden counter was distorted from the heat of some meals being cooked in the back kitchen.
There were only a few patrons this late in the evening. A middle-aged couple sat at the only table with chairs in the back corner and went about eating their meals slowly and methodically. At two of the standing tables pushed together on the far left side of the room were five men drinking from large tankards. They downed their drinks as if they were water and one of them shouted for the waitress on duty to refill their mugs.
The largest of the group stopped drinking as he stared over the rim of his mug. His focus trailed past Kirie for a second before he lowered the mug from his scarred face. He locked on to her and narrowed his eyes as if he'd seen a particularly nasty bit of gunk stuck to the bottom of his boot. The asymmetrical lighting in the room made it seem as if the scars on his cheek glowed while the others morphed together to create a new skin tone on his marred face.
Kirie sensed his gaze on her as she walked the full length of the room to the counter. When she glanced to the side to see if he was still watching, she noticed that all five pairs of eyes stared with plain distaste.
She noted their rough, bronze-shaded armor with purposeful separated sections. Much of the armor seemed to have lost any bit of luster from extended use and lack of maintenance. Two of the men wore layered chestplates that didn't seem melded or nearly as functional as intended. It was forged with an impractical method, which suggested that it may have been a hasty addition mostly for the sake of appearance. The swing of a hammer from a large humanoid monster would shatter portions and leave the wearer with more than just a few cracked ribs. However, she did note that the scarred man's armor was of a higher quality than the others.
Mercenaries. These people were different from adventurers. They took on jobs more suited for protecting and killing targets of the more humanoid variety.
Kirie looked behind the men. A variety of weapons leaned against the wall out of reach: long swords, polearms and maces. No ranged weapons. She didn't see any other smaller weapons on their person.
She didn't observe them for too long in case they interpreted her as hostile.
'Shit.' Kirie forced herself to withhold her usual brusque comments. She knew it would be easier if she wasn't so hungry. It was a terrible idea to put a catgirl in a delicate situation with an empty stomach.
She took in the details of the establishment a second time. 'I guess Alphonse's habits are rubbing off on me.'
The waitress stepped around the counter with a tray full of beer and only gave the catgirl a passing glance. "He'll be with you in a moment," she said simply.
Kirie noted the obvious aversion as the waitress increased her pace before she could respond. There was no hostility from the girl, but Kirie detected the unease as she felt the eyes of the five men continue to bore into her back.
She thought about what Alphonse said back at the Guild Union. She knew that he was just being playful, but at the same time, there was that underlying serious tone to him.
"Try not to kill anyone," he'd said.
He knew how much she loved to fight – the adrenaline, the release of pent-up anger and the singular focus that suppressed the bad tidings roiling the world. But she would never even consider something in the city that would draw attention to them. Such an action was downright irresponsible. They were already in a precarious situation just simply having a guild that broke the conventions established by the larger organizations. Their guild was small, but the majority of their members were demihuman, a race frowned upon by much of the populace, which easily explained the stares from the clearly intoxicated men.
The side of Kirie's mouth twitched with distaste as she heard one of the men mutter something to his comrade. There was little restraint in his voice as he spoke, "Fucking demi...doing in this place?"
The one across from him snatched a mug off the waitress's tray and made a rude shooing motion towards her. "Fuck if I know. Should just stay in the eastern district."
"Stupid," another one added. He shrugged and took a long, drawn-out swig of his beer. "Practically letting monsters wander around. They always give in to their animal instincts."
Kirie rested her hands on the counter to keep her arms from trembling. The anger started to well up inside her as they started purposefully raising their voices. She couldn't believe people actually classified her kind with monsters.
The discussion muted when a big man wearing black overalls and a long white apron appeared from the back room. He gave her a wide grin and raised a finger to indicate that he just needed a moment. He went to a wash basin nearby to clean his hands.
He spoke in a jovial and heavy, baritone voice fitting his build, "Hey there, lil' missy. What can I do for yah?"
Kirie noted the lack of hesitation as he spoke. It wasn't like some of the other citizens in Forgedalk who purposefully paused to collect themselves upon seeing her. She wondered if he had mentally prepared himself in order to display more respect when he came out to greet her. Even such a minute gesture was still appreciated.
"I'm here to order some meals for three people," she said. "I need to take it to the Guild Union."
The big man clapped his hands, rubbed them together enthusiastically and rested them on the counter. "Alright, I can get yah a covered crate to go for that." He paused as he looked Kirie up and down for a moment. "Think I recognize yah. Aren't-"
He was cut off as one of the men at the standing table spoke up, "Must be with that new guild."
"Yah, the weird lot," the one to his left added. He wiped some foam from his thick beard with the back of his wrist and made a motion as if he were swatting a fly. "I hear it's full of demis."
The butcher frowned at their tone, but he immediately composed himself as he turned his attention back to Kirie. "Ah, GRIM. I hear yer people do some fine work." He made a notable shift of his eyes towards the men at the table before continuing, "I got some real fresh ones in the back. Three people, yah say? How hungry are yah?"
Kirie smiled appreciatively at the man's unrestrained personality. Any doubts she might've had about him were gone. He was just a decent individual who didn't care if she was a demihuman. In his eyes, anyone who walked in looking to buy a meal was just another customer.
"We are pretty damn hungry," she said. She considered ordering venison since she hadn't tried it before, but Alphonse had mentioned at one point that he would hunt a deer for them when they were deep in the country sometime. She was curious how it would taste out on the road, especially since he was taught how to hunt back on his own world.
Kirie settled on cuts of beef and pork instead. She also made sure to emphasize again that they were very hungry.
"Now that's what I like to hear!" The big man extended his hand to her. "Name's Bruce Lawry!"
Kirie accepted the gesture and shook hands with him. "Kirie Foirena."
Bruce looked at their joined hands and his grin widened until all his teeth were showing. "Damn, lil' miss, yah got quite the grip. That axe on yer back ain't for show. That's for damn sure!"
Kirie chuckled along with him, but she wasn't quite sure how to take being called "lil' miss." She was taller than most women, and her lean build was something she prided herself on. Then again, Bruce was an absolute monster of a man.
He let out a hearty laugh as he motioned to the serving girl. "We got anymore of that spare garlic from that other order?"
The serving girl looked to Kirie nervously before nodding. "Uh, yes, about a third."
"No point letting it go to waste," Bruce said. He then looked to Kirie and laughed again at her perplexed expression. "Don't worry about it. Free of charge. Just gonna get thrown out at the end of the night anyway."
Kirie noticed one of the men at the table jerk his head up at the comment. He scowled vehemently at the butcher and raised his mug to slam it against the table. The alcohol sloshed over the rim and splashed on his lap. "Don't go spoiling the demi, Bruce. You'll just draw more of them."
Bruce's grin reversed fully at the man's outburst. He rested both of his big arms on the counter and leaned forward to assume a threatening posture. "I won't be so lenient this time, Kent. You cause a scene in my establishment again, and I'll have the guards take you in. I don't care that you're in good graces with the damned council."
Kirie followed the butcher's quick glance to the side and watched as the older couple in the back corner sat up straight. The man ran a hand over his bald head and tapped the table with his finger as he observed the exchange.
One of the other men downed the rest of his mug and nearly missed the table as he lost some of his grip. "Won't do much good anyway." He leaned forward. "Especially with a demi involved."
Kirie tightened her lips into a line to keep herself from responding. She had plenty of retorts building up, but she swallowed them back down like her metaphoric vomit from earlier.
She turned back to the butcher as he spoke in a hushed voice, "I'll move you up the list so you can get out of here," he said.
"Ah, you don't have to do that," Kirie said.
"Don't worry about it. They just spout their shit. Typical lower district mercenaries and all." He gave the mercenaries one last look before stepping back to the kitchen. "Won't be long."
Kirie gave him an appreciative nod and made it a point to stand against the far wall next to a window. The gazes of the mercenaries followed her all the while. One of them licked his lips in a repugnant manner as he examined her figure. The man standing next to him tapped his shoulder and pretended to whisper, "Not bad looking...for a fucking demi."
"You think they go into heat like animals?" another said.
"Probably. They act like animals enough."
Kirie ignored the rest of their slanderous comments. She clenched a fist behind her to hide her displeasure. If it wasn't for Alphonse, Asa and the guild she would've struck first. But life didn't work that way anymore. It wasn't the fighting like at the Submerged Oasis. There were consequences beyond injury and death.
Kirie pushed herself off the wall and decided it might be best to wait outside. If the annoying mercenaries wanted to fight, then she was better off taking it elsewhere. The men might resort to their weapons instead of keeping it down to a scuffle solved with just fists. Kirie was at a disadvantage inside the shop with its ceiling being lower than average. The double-edged axe she wielded was meant for open spaces, and the men, even in their intoxicated states, would at least be somewhat organized. She would be limited to horizontal swings and jabs with the axe's head.
She was about to push the door open when the latest verbal attack wasn't about her, but someone else. She could handle the demeaning comments directed towards her for the guild's sake, but something snapped in her head when she heard them mention Alphonse.
It was the scarred man who spoke. He had been quiet up until that point, satisfied with simply observing her for the most part.
"Isn't the guild leader an outworlder?" he asked.
"Yeah. He's one of those freaks."
The second-largest of the group guffawed and spit some of his beer out. "Guess even his own kind want nothing to do with him. So he's stuck with demis."
The scarred man propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers. He gave Kirie a knowing look as he hid his mouth with his hands.
"Sounds pretty pathetic," he said, each word enunciated carefully and deliberately. "Guess they suit each other then."
Kirie lowered her hand to her side and stared at the door for a few seconds as their words started to process. The conversation behind her died down when they noticed her stand there completely unmoving.
The loud-mouthed one named Kent started to speak, "Oh-ho! Did we touch a nerve? Got a thing for your leader-?"
He cut himself off when Kirie half-turned and glared at him over her shoulder.
Kirie's thin pupils narrowed even further as the animosity spilled from her mouth, "Say that again..."