A little later, Faid stops by to see me. "Allow me to thank you again for buying out Myrna. I'm going back for the day. Perhaps you will buy me out as well. Perhaps I will bid you a teary farewell when you depart the port. Either way, you are a true friend to the feokorn."
Me, "I think most people in my position would have done the same. See you soon, Faid."
She chuckles, and shakes her head, "Perhaps," before she walks back to town.
Bedding Faid
was
a unique pleasure. The ears are cute, the fur provides a different texture, and that tail is heavenly. I.. don't think I'll come to love her, but I would like to sleep with her again a few times. I'm sure the cost for buyout is extraordinary to most, but money isn't a concern to me.
That said, Hana is up tonight, not Faid. I wonder where she got to? Probably chatting with the other girls. Oh, no, there she is in front of the barracks with Myrna. Some of the crew is marching along holding a smaller mattress; I bet it fits perfectly into the space I left. I should check just in case though.
Walking over, Hana waves at me. "Hey, Grey! The Crew bought Myrna the mattress we talked about, and even some sheets and pillows!"
I don't know shit about babies. "Does she need.. a 'crib'? Or something?"
Hana tilts her head, examining my thought. "I don't think so?" Hana turns to Myrna. "How does the baby sleep?"
Myrna seems confused as she answers, "He sleeps in my bed most of the time."
Hana nods, "I thought so. Baby cages don't really exist, Grey."
Oh. Huh. I thought it was the basics of child rearing. "Alright, that works out then. Talk to one of us if you need anything on our travels."
The Crew, apparently finished, leave the barracks. I look at Myrna's room.. Hmm, it's the same as Haji's. I wonder if I should shuffle them around?
Hana, "I would. I think she'd rather room with a small woman, than a large, imposing man with a two handed sword."
Myrna, "Oh, I couldn't possibly-"
Hana, "It's okay! Haji is a nice guy, he'll understand." To me, she says, "I bet the boat has private lodgings. You can rent him a room. If you aren't making Faid a cart, she can room with Myrna. They know each other, so all the better! Though, Amina will need lodgings too."
Me, "Yeah, I like that plan." Sorry, Amina. Well, she's rich, so she'll be fine.
Myrna, "I would be happy to room with someone familiar, but please, I don't need special treatment. You're already doing so much for me."
Me, "Hah. For you, I agree, no special treatment. For the babe? He'll get what he needs, while he is in my care."
Hana, "Don't worry about it. Grey is a softie. You'll be set for the month or two you remain in our care." Seems she's taking care of this, so I let Hana get Myrna settled. "Grey, how about you work on the Amethyst until dinner? Sentral would appreciate it, I'm sure."
Yeah, why not? I was assured Sentral would be loyal, but.. I'd prefer that loyalty because Sentral is happy, rather than because it's forced to be.
I flick the lights on in Sentral's box, walk in, and close the door.
- - -
The missing ingredient for Amethyst, oddly, seems to be iron. Maybe. I'm getting an odd feeling from it, but when I take some spare iron and mix it in the usual way, the result is 'pure' enough for the gemsense, so it's good enough for me.
I'm working on reapplying it to Sentral when someone knocks on the door. When I open the door, it's a little darker, and Hana is standing there. "Dinner time! Second to last in Port. I'm thinking about a local specialty restaurant."
Me, "I'm game. You know where it is?" The color is a bit ugly, but I take the remainder of the Amethyst and fuse it to Sentral's foot before standing up and going to dinner. I'll smooth it out properly later.
She does know, it turns out. She takes us there. The place itself is strangely decorated, lots of large orange circles on its walls. The interior is similar to any other restaurant, but the smell is.. familiar.
Looking at the specialty dish on some customer's table, I can immediately see why. It's something like pizza.
Hana laughs. "I thought you might. Rumor has it that Gestalt, the Hero, introduced this food. His situation was the same as yours, but he was more focused on swords. They're not the most effective weapon in this world, but he apparently insisted on it."
We get seated, and the waiter takes our order. No pepperoni, for shame. We order a half and half, I request meats on mine, while Hana orders various leafy foods.. The waiter walks away.
Me, "You read up on him I assume? I think I recall Wed telling me he fought a bunch of demons or something."
Hana, "He fought about 90 years ago. Most likely he is dead by now, but if he was an apostle, and many assume he was, perhaps he's still out there somewhere."
Me, "Huh, I'm not aware of any longevity in my benefits, but who knows." A saddening thought occurs.
Hana giggles. "Even if you are, I'm sure you'll find a way to keep us going, too. Spinel most likely, or perhaps something else. Even if you can't, it's okay."
Hana talks for a while about inconsequential things. It seems that we might be able to get in to see another play, but probably not.
Looking around, it's an oddly nice restaurant, despite being a pizza joint. Maybe it's considered a classy food, here?
The pizza, though they call it something else, is a bit light on cheese, and heavy on crust. Still, it's still rather nostalgic; I haven't had tomato sauce prepared this way since my past life...How long have I been here? About a month? Heh, I was never much of a cook, so I doubt I'll introduce any new recipes.
Hana, "Twenty nine days today, that I've known you. I haven't looked at your memories close enough to see how long you've been here before you met me, but a few days?" She giggles. "I've been keeping a diary, and today is our twenty-ninth day.."
I smile. "And a very enjoyable twenty nine days it's been." I cast my mind back. "I've put you through a lot, huh? You've always been there for me though. And it would have been much less interesting without you." Hmm. "I feel like you've done a lot for the group, and me. Do I have any affairs you haven't meddled with? Hah, I do appreciate it, though. I'm curious how much of my success so far has been because of you."
Hana giggles. "That's a secret. But nowhere near as much as you think." She looks back at me again. "I want this journey to be a success too, you know. Shall I say the obvious? You know it already." No need, she's thinking it clearly even if I didn't know; 'I love you.'
Haha.. "I love you too, Hanamaya."
