This is overdue and for that I apologize, a variation of this note was supposed to go onto the beginning of Chapter Two.
In Chapter Two Kal saw people with very dark skin for the first time and his reactions are intended to be genuine for someone who has never seen a brown- or black-skinned person in their life.
Now... why did I use the term "Very dark skin" and the answer is because when building the world of TRC I decided upon the concept of geographic cultures among the humans, not racial cultures. In essence, humans are humans, the geography where their ancestors lived may have brought about variances in how they look and their social rituals but every human in TRC is simply seen as human, not black/white/yellow/brown/red/purple/green/blue human.
In this context, I sincerely hope that no one found Kal's fleeting train of thought as he sees these desert/savannah dwelling humans for the first time as offensive or derogatory. They were most certainly not written with any malice intended.
-Blu
Chapter 3
Kal slapped the coins down on the bar, "Six nights, breakfast and supper. I'd like a room away from all of the noise," he said pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the dining area behind him.
"As you wish," said the innkeeper sliding the coins off into his other hand before depositing them into a pouch on his belt. "We have a few ladies—"
"I'll let you know if I'm interested," the mage interrupted. The meeting with Toba earlier left him in a bad mood which got progressively worse each time he spoke to an innkeeper with no rooms available. Instead of going toward the slums where the accommodations would be extremely cheap, Kal went the other direction, toward the richer parts of the city.
In his mind, he could see Gerda admonishing him for going to the nicer inns and spending his coin on what he wanted and not what he necessarily needed. He told himself he went with the more expensive places because of safety concerns, but since he was going to set up his tent in his room anyway, it really wouldn't have mattered if he was in one of the cheap rooms near the slums.
"Very good, sir, your room is upstairs and all the way to the right. Will you be eating now?"
Kal looked out the window and saw the daylight was fading fast. Amazed he could get so little done over the course of an entire day, he nodded to the innkeeper then went to find himself an empty table.
His server was one of the women with darker skin and when she brought his food out he was a little disappointed in the stack of thick, soft flatbread surrounded by a bunch of small dishes with different kinds of sauces and relishes. As he was figuring out how to turn this into an actual meal, the woman came back with a bowl containing roasted strips of meat layered atop some cooked vegetables.
"What can I get you to drink?" she asked.
"Ale, please."
A few seconds later she came back with a large mug to find he hadn't touched his food, "Is something wrong?"
He gave her a sheepish grin, "I'm honestly not sure where to start. Am I supposed to eat what is in the small bowls? Do I dump them all into the big one and mix it all up? I've never been to this city before and I don't want to make myself look like an ass by accident."
The woman chuckled, "There isn't any wrong or right way though I haven't seen many just eat the sauces and such by themselves." She gave him a sidelong glance, "Or maybe you were just wanting someone to feed you?"
The mage flushed bright red, "I'm good, I can feed myself."
Ignoring him, she pulled over one of the other chairs and sat down close enough her thigh was pressed against his. "Here," she said with a mischievious smile, "I'll show you how most people eat this." Grabbing one of the flatbreads, she smeared a couple of different sauces from the bowls over it then speared a couple of pieces of meat, layering them in the center before finishing it off with some of the cooked vegetables. Folding it into a tight bundle, she lifted it to his mouth and asked, "Would you like a taste?" her eyes made it clear she wasn't only talking about the food.
The moment was interrupted by the innkeeper calling out to her in an angry tone. Unfortunately, Kal's translation spell only reached so far, but from past experience, he could tell the man was getting on to her for neglecting the other patrons.
Setting his food down with a sigh she leaned in close. "Leave me a couple of silver and tonight you can find out what I enjoy tasting," she whispered as a hand snaked under the table and gripped his cock through his trousers.
"Not tonight, but I'm here for a few days, so I may take you up on that," he said, his voice slightly strained from the pleasant feelings her hand was giving him.
The innkeeper yelled again and she pulled away with a final pat on his prick, "I'll be looking forward to it," she said before rising and going about her duties.
Taking a couple of deep breaths to relax, Kal picked up the rolled-up flatbread and bit into it. As he savored the new flavors, he seriously considered leaving some silver on the table.
---
After the young man went up to his room, another man with a scar on the side of his head waved the waitress over. The woman approached cautiously, the other people in the dining area shied away from the scarred man like sheep ready to bolt from a wild dog and that made her very uneasy.
"Will you be spending the night with him?" he asked.
"No, sir," replied the woman with a slight tremor in her voice. "Though he said he might be interested later."
"By then it will be too late. My thanks, and not a word to anyone that we spoke," he said, placing a silver piece on the table before standing up. Those sitting nearby collectively relaxed as the man left the inn and the woman wondered what kind of trouble the handsome young man had gotten himself into.
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