Surrounded (2)
1476 Words
“Now then... as your bodyguard... you must follow everything I say to the letter, OK?”
“O-OK.”
But beyond protecting her, I have no exact, concrete plan. Guess I'll come up with one as Perrina and I stick together as one as we navigate inside and outside this town.
We leave the adventurer's guild; and before us is the same festive atmosphere as people are now enjoying their grilled lunch.
And speaking of lunch...
Our tummies emit that all-too-familiar sound.
“By golly, I feel like I wanna eat a lot. I want to grow fast so I can be a full-fledged lady!”
“And those five will then leave you alone, right?”
“Y-Yeah... I guess. B-But... I fear for the other women in this town who might be potential victims...”
“Then we'll stop this problem right before it even starts. For now, let's have some grub.”
“Sure!”
There's an eatery here that specializes in grilled treats. And not just these. The establishment also specializes in refreshing drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails that all utilize coconut water.
Then it's on to Jayadewa Native Cuisine Eatery!
But before we can actually enter the eatery, we're greeted with an unusual sign by the doorstep.
“Wanted: Boy Waitress”
The “Boy Waitress” part is stricken off, followed by:
“Gay Waitress”
The “Gay Waitress” part is also stricken off, and is then followed by:
“Ugly Waitress”
Yet again, the “Ugly Waitress” part is stricken off, following up with an angry handwritten rant:
“Come on! You should know that the male form of 'waitress' should be 'waiter'! What kind of a sign maker are you?!”
Below that rant is the usual “Apply Inside”.
Well, what can I say?
But before I can open my mouth to react...
“I-In case you didn't know, Walter... this establishment's owner hired an incompetent sign maker to make this classified ad. Despite calls from customers to replace the sign, the owner insists on keeping it, as a warning to other people not to hire that sign maker.”
“I see.”
Well, that's quite interesting.
This sign should be one of this town's treasures someday. And I mean it.
After our amusing reactions to that unusual sign, we head inside.
The interior of this eatery is designed to evoke the looks of a pre-kingdom kitchen and dining facility.
Every table and chair is made of bamboo and hardwood; and the plates, glasses, spoons, and forks are made with a special kind of hardwood called sapelium. All these eating utensils are finished with a food-safe wax made of beeswax.
There's also the option to do away with all these utensils and engage in what is called a “boodle fight”, where one can scarf on food served atop a clean banana leaf draped on top of the table. With only their bare hands.
Due to health concerns, those who plan to engage in such a “fight” are encouraged to wash their hands before and after a meal, and the banana leaf used must be clean and free of any food contaminants.
Well... I've experienced a boodle fight before, and it was an exhilarating experience.
But I don't want this fair lady I'm protecting to be subject to that, as I'm seeing her to be quite the delicate one.
A waitress (who is, and should be female) then approaches us, handing us this eatery's menu.
“What would you like today, sir and madam?”
I easily reply... “Grilled squid, two cups of rice, and coconut water, please.”
Perrina, whose eyes water at the eatery's many tempting offerings, tells the waitress...
“H-Hold on a sec. I-I just don't know what should I choose.”
A split second later, she reaches an epiphany.
“I-I know! I'll want some grilled pork belly, grilled chicken intestine, grilled potato salad, five cups of rice, and two coconut smoothies!”
My hunch is right! She's indeed the big eater, trying to compensate for her small stature!
The waitress then says...
“Would you want to avail of the boodle fight option?”
“No, please.”
“Alright then. That will be 514 guintos all in all.”
The price is quite hefty, but an adventurer almost never runs out of money.
After I pay the tab...
“Thank you. Your meals will be served in ten minutes.”
While we wait for our meals to be served, I ask her...
“Are you really that obsessed with making yourself grow that quickly?”
“I-if the amount I just I ordered isn't obvious to you, then it's a big yes.”
“You know what, every person has something called metabolism.”
“W-what exactly is that?”
“It's the way the human body absorbs what it eats or drinks. Some people have slow metabolism levels, which means they digest food slowly; while others have fast metabolism levels, which means they absorb what they eat pretty quickly.”
“Oh! I-I didn't know that!”
“I'm telling you this, because my girlfriend back home learned this the hard way.”
“R-really?! Tell me more about her!”
“She's overall an awesome and nice girl. Now to her story.”
One fair Groundday afternoon, Belle and I were dining in a posh restaurant within the capital's Industrial-Financial District.
Supposedly, this is where some members of the royal family dine when they are kind of sick of the usual food being served at the palace.
I ordered my usual meal of sizzling hamburger steak, garlic rice, and brewed iced tea. “Usual” meaning the one I frequently order whenever I'm in the capital.
And Belle? She ordered the same meal as mine... but with the addition of extras such as pork dumplings, a beef rice bowl, chicken fingers, green salad, and two glasses of protein shake!
My only reaction was...
“Can you take all of that, Belle?!”
“No worries. I always assure you that I still look pretty slim even with the mounds of food I eat whenever we dine out. Ever heard of a thing called 'metabolism'?”
“No, I don't.”
“One way to know that is by visiting me one week later. You'll eventually know what I'll mean.”
“...OK.”
She then started to gobble on the food, with the ladylike posture she always had.
As I started to eat my share, too; I wondered if the results would be the same as all our other aftermaths of our fine dining engagements.
“And to the surprise of no one, the result was the same: She was still as slim as ever. Only minute difference I could make out was that her breasts –”
“Sir, ma'am, your meals are ready!”
Before I can finish my sentence, the waitress furnishes the dishes and drinks on our table.
Well, so much for talking about sensitive lady parts... especially my betrothed's.
Seven minutes later, we end up with all plates and glasses empty.
No fiber of meat, no grain of rice, and no drop of the drinks were left unconsumed.
We're satisfied and energized by our lunch.
Since we've already paid our tabs, we should rest for a bit here before deciding our next move.
“Thank you, sir, ma'am! Come again soon!”
The waitress bids us farewell as we leave the eatery with that much-needed energy recharge.
“S-so, Walter, what do we do now?”
“I think... we'll head west.”
“I-into the Gok'hnwaigh Weald?”
“Yeah.”
“I-I just hope they won't follow us.”
From Vetev's western exit...
...it's a straightforward dirt road surrounded by many hardwood trees that the town uses for house parts, furniture, and other non-consumables.
This is Gok'hnwaigh Weald, and the simplicity of this place's layout should buy us precious time to get away from the perceived danger of five men.
Some fifty steps later...
…Perrina's hope is immediately crushed.
I'm sensing fireballs raining from up above, so I command her...
“DODGE!”
The fireballs instantly pulverize a nearby tree... and not us.
We're almost hit by what seems to be magical mortar, clearly lobbed at both of us.
As the smoke clears, a familiar voice greets us.
“Surprise, surprise!”
The leader of the group, Tyrone, declares thus.
“Yes! That's them! They're those creepy dudes I've been talking about!”
Perrina answers to them.
“Oh Perrina our love, how long have we been waiting for you. And nice to see you again, adventurer.”
They're intimidating enough, alright. In both looks and fighting ability.
- Writer
