Lunch with the fox

We sit in the booth, our table covered with luxurious dishes, and each with a glass of fine wine.

Kaelin shovels food into her mouth like she hasn't eaten in forever. I can at least tell she has never eaten food this good before. Her pace is quite impressive, but in no way diminishes her beauty.

I am not far behind either. The air battle this morning made me forget how hungry I was, but as soon as Kaelin mentioned buying herself lunch, my stomach started growling, so I joined her in shovelling food into myself like a pig.

There are at least 12 plates of differing food on the table. Delicious grilled fish with steamed vegetables, Red meat with some kind of potato, and gravy. Bone broth soup with large chunks of rustic bread to soak it all up, and sweet desserts like cake and some kind of cream.

Between mouthfuls of food, Kaelin shoots me glances and smiles, before she has finally filled her stomach enough to slow down her desperate inhalation of food and talk.

'When I asked for a few coins so I could get lunch, I never expected all this! It would take me so many trips to the dungeon to be able to eat like this normally!'

'Well, of course. I said this would be our first date! A gentleman should make an effort the first time around, no?'

Apart from being the first person I have been able to have an actual conversation with since coming to this world, my cultured side has also made quite an appearance in her company. 

'Hehehe, I never agreed to it being a date, but you're right about a gentleman needing to make a good impression.' She blushes slightly when she answers my question. 

'And how am I doing so far?'

'Hummmm, a lady needs to keep a few secrets, right? Well, anyway, thanks for taking me out instead of just throwing me some coins.'

'No worries. Do you mind if I ask how much you make in the dungeon on a normal day?'

'Usually between 5 and 10 gp. Nobody wants to dive in with me, so I can't go to the lower floors. I would need to dive for a full 3 days just to afford a single meal from this place.'

'I see. Does that have something to do with why so many people here keep giving you the stink eye?'

'Yeah. Most people in this region of Solkara really dislike beastkin, and the people who come from outside are never here for the dungeon, so I usually end up diving alone. But that can be dangerous.'

I see how it is. It seems diving deep into the dungeon requires teammates, but none of the locals like her enough to team up. People who come from outside the city are mostly skyfarers, so the dungeon isn't really interesting to them.

'Why don't the people of the city like beastkin? And in that case, why do you stay?'

'Around 10 years ago, this city and the two nearest to it were terrorised by a gang of beastkin pirates. They killed a lot of people and kidnapped others.

I was a member of their crew at the time, not through choice mind you those fuc.... scumbags basically enslaved me to work on their ship after they found me stowed away.

When they raided the port here, I escaped into the city, and they never found me. I heard that they were eventually defeated, but the people of the city still dislike me.

One day I would like to leave this city, but tickets on passenger ships are really expensive, so I make my living soloing the dungeon and giving tours to travellers from outside.'

If what she says is true, then most likely, she is treated like an outcast here.

If she knows the dungeon well, I can probably hire her to take me in and help me level up. I am confident in my ability to fight air-to-air, but in hand-to-hand combat, I am nothing but a level 1 scrub. I will judge her based on how things go on her tour today.

'Well, I don't really have any issue with beastkin, so at least for today, we can just enjoy ourselves and visit the places I need. You are still willing to show me around, right?'

'Of course! A deal is a deal! Where do you want to go? I will take you there!'

'Firstly, I need some basic supplies for my ship for long journeys. Preserved food and the like.

Secondly, I want to add a new weapons system to my ship. My run-in with pirates this morning made it clear that I should upgrade my firepower a little.

Thirdly, I would like to get my hands on some combat gear, a sword, armour, etc. Do you know of places I can do all of those things?'

'Yes, I do, I can take you to all of those places. The closest place to here would be the shop for weapons and armour. For supplies and ship upgrades, there are quite a few places close to the port.'

Between the two of us, we manage to finish a surprising amount of food and a bottle of wine.

I call over the waiter so I can pay the bill, and it comes to around 600 gp, less than a tenth of a per cent of the money available to me, so I am not sweating the cost.

We leave the restaurant, and I follow Kaelin down the street. Her curvaceous form and her wagging tail catch my attention more than once as we walk down the street. She clearly sees me looking, but her only reaction is to blush slightly and start pointing out more of the city's landmarks.

Eventually, she stops outside of a fairly run-down-looking storefront. There is no sign, absolutely no indication that the store could be good.

'Is this the place? We passed like 4 other weapon shops on the way here, is this place really that good?'

'It's the best place! I always come here to service my revolvers when I can. Adventurers in this city avoid the fancy-looking stores because they are for the tourists who want a shiny blade or an ornate gun. If you want something practical for combat, this is the place to come!'