Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 148 - 148 - Hot and fatty

As I leave Jerzy and his brother behind to deal with their own issues however they see fit to do so, I head to the eatery I have spotted before. To be honest, I'm not sure it can be called an eatery in a classical sense. The place doesn't offer any seating after all. It only sells food. Food that can easily be consumed as you go, possibly even without making a mess of yourself if you pay at least a little attention.

The smell alone is already mouthwatering. That's no surprise though. The whole place is a symphony of various aromatic foods, their smells blending together in the best possible ways. It has me wondering if the various stalls and eateries, at times with other shops in between them, have been arranged like this on purpose. It wouldn't be impossible, but it certainly would take quite an eye for details. Or should it be a nose instead? Does that even make sense?

Never mind. I simply get in line with numerous other hopeful and hungry prospective customers. Thankfully the line here really isn't quite as long as some of the others. I hope they don't run out halfway through anyway. I wouldn't throw a tantrum of course, I have the self control necessary to be above behavior like that, but it still would be a devastating blow to my hopes and dreams.

My patience is not in vain and eventually rewarded. It's very generously rewarded, but it's a good thing that I have nimble fingers, as I have to juggle some coin first, paying the two pennies the meal costs me with one of my shillings and getting plenty of change in return.

What I receive in the end is a hearty, folded flatbread. It's still fresh from the oven and quite warm. More importantly though, it's stuffed generously with two kinds of meat, tender lamb and succulent pork if I'm not mistaken, and very familiar mushrooms. That's not even half of it though. There are crisp greens and roasted vegetables in there too, adding balance and making it even more filling.

Overall it's a tasty marvel fitting neatly in my hand. The bread is thick enough to keep the juices from spilling too and most importantly, it's big enough to keep me sated for the rest of the day. They call it a hearthfire pocket. Two pennies is a little much for a single meal, but I certainly won't complain. The smell alone already tells me that it's worth it. Yes, as I take my first bites out of it, while resuming my exploration of the fair, I'm making my first good, real good in fact, experiences with Sezemat's caravan.

I still get slightly fatty fingers, but that's a small price to pay. It's an inconvenience I'm more than willing to put up with. After all, once I'm done eating it just means that I get to lick my fingers clean on top of everything else. I can't help but grin. Does this mean that my meal actually was finger licking good?

There is only one slight downside. I might have to do some more work, of one kind or the other, to have the coin necessary to have meals like this every day while the caravan is in town. Well, it probably would be considered a downside by the people whose purses I'll have to cut.

It's another thought that puts a grin on my face. I better not do any of said purse cutting around here. Sure the place is crowded and plenty of the people making up said crowd carry the kind of coin that would make the effort worthwhile, but I get the feeling that the people running the eateries, stalls and other shops would not appreciate it. It's coin people intend to spend at their businesses after all. And not having any more treats around here because I wear out my welcome through a stupid stunt like that is not an option.

Oh well, maybe I'll focus some more on the adventurous kind of work. With a big group out of town for a while to take care of the wyvern issue there might be a little more work for the rest once again. For now though I take a little more time exploring the stalls and shops. Even though most of the latter are still closed even their shutters are painted with advertisements for the products and services on offer. It's quite convenient.

Most of the things on sale really aren't of that much use to me though. Not at a first glance at least. If I come to think about it some more, the newest fashions, or even last year's, from the various neighboring kingdoms or even just the other towns of the frontier lands, could provide many disguises. It's too bad that I have no place to store such an overabundance of clothes.

Never mind that I can't even begin to afford a complete outfit. Goodness gracious, these are expensive! A few shillings and pennies won't get me far. And that doesn't even touch on the enchanted gear on sale at a few select shops. Unless I get my hands on some gold pound coins all I'll be able to do is some window shopping. While that could, in theory, be fun too, knowing that I can't even begin to afford magic arms or armor is a little frustrating too.

Oh well, it's probably not the last time the caravan will be in town. I really hope so at least. That way I at least have something to look forward to should I ever come into some serious money.

I can't help but chuckle at the thought. Even more so as I stop at the next closed shop, the shutters depicting a veritable spread of items, depicted as if arrayed on shelves, complete with brief descriptions and price tags. It's quite elaborate advertisement. The style makes me wonder if it's been done by the same artist who painted the placards for the theater as well.

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And the things I see at this one shop alone! A bottle that will purify any liquid placed in it, rendering it safe for consumption? This shop has it and it actually costs only few shillings, which makes it one of the more affordable items. A salt shaker that can add an additional spice of your choice in addition to the salt and will never run out? Two gold pounds. I guess that thing is a little fancy. It could take campfire cooking to a whole new level though. Self cleaning cooking implements? Check! A pan in which food will never burn? Double check! And it just goes on and on. Obviously this shop is specialized on food or cooking related items. To be perfectly honest, before stopping here I couldn't have imagined how many of those there might be.

It's similar for most other shops too. Most, but not all, are specialized like this. And I can find things I could really use at just about every single one. Damn, if I brought a pack full of gold coins I probably still wouldn't be able to get even half of these things. It makes me wonder if one Sezemat might earn a share on each sale. It certainly doesn't sound implausible or even unlikely. This is her caravan after all.

I'm certainly starting to see why poor Beldragor might feel inadequate when compared to her. She is running a seriously big business here. I'm impressed. It's not just one field she is covering, potentially even cornering, either. On one hand her caravan might be the single largest provider of advanced arms and armor in the area. On the other hand she covers entertainment and consumer goods, from clothes to enchanted household appliances, too. I'm really impressed!

At long last I leave the labyrinthine market at the opposite end, close to the tent of the circus. Looking back now, I come to realize that the path through the stalls at first spiraled in, only to spiral back out in the opposite direction from the center. Unless one were to cut in between the shops at some point or go through one should it have entrances on both sides, one will have to pass all of them to traverse the place. That too is a clever setup. The kind most people won't even mind, as you at least can't miss anything this way.

I stop short of the big tent. Unlike on the other side of town where the theater is set up, entrance to the tent seems tightly regulated. Sure someone agile and sneaky enough might be able to slip under the tent's tarpaulin someplace that is out of sight, but there is no getting through the main entrance without paying the fee.

Right now though the tent flap at the entrance is closed. Obviously there is no show on right now. A sign not entirely dissimilar to the theater's puts me in the know. There are two shows here every day too. One in the afternoon before sunset. The other starts quite a bit later just shy of midnight. What curious timing. Are the shows the same?

I honestly have no clue and the sign doesn't provide any further information either. I guess I'll have to find out by attending first one and then the other. Not on the same day though. It's a good thing that the caravan looks like it's here to stay, at least for a while. Thus I'm not in a hurry either, which is a good thing too, as good show, just like a good play at the theater, deserves to be enjoyed.

The main question remaining thus is, what shall I enjoy today in the afternoon? A show at the circus? Or the play at the theater? Before I can make up my mind though a familiar voice distracts me. It's my favorite little dragon! Beldragor!

I'd be even more excited if he didn't sound so exhausted. Although my worry in that regard quickly dissipates, as I catch sight of him. He exits one of the bigger wagons standing close to the big tent, as a striking woman, who can't be that much older than me, holds the door open for him.

The woman's looks give me pause. Sure, at a glance she looks not that different from any other elf I have seen so far. There are subtle differences though. Her golden hair is not just a peculiar shade of blonde. It really looks like metallic gold! It's not just her looks either. It's the way she carries herself too. This is someone not wearing the body they are most accustomed too!

And of course that is the exact moment I can feel my [Shrouded Soul] skill inch a little closer to the next level up, without feeling an actual identification skill being used on me. I have no doubt about the person responsible though. She is looking at me, with gleaming, deep blue eyes like living sapphires. Oh, she is very much looking at me. And since it didn't feel like my skill worked, she probably is seeing right through me.

There really isn't much I can do about it anyway, thus I simply nod in greeting and shift my attention to the young dragon at her side. Beldragor doesn't just sound exhausted. He looks exhausted too, although he keeps going, putting up a brave front. The apparent reason for his exhaustion though puts a smile on my lips. He looks like he has overeaten and not just by a little either. I have to fight the urge to break into laughter. It almost seems like Sezemat was worried he might not be eating properly and decided to overcompensate a little. It certainly would fit the picture of the overprotective, doting sister I have so far.

Finally, at long last, Beldragor takes note of me too. He perks up like I'm some kind of anchor he can cling to, his last and only hope to get out of this situation.

"Oh! Viviona! So good to see you! Viviona! This is the great Sezemat!"

He pauses briefly, as if he were just recalling something.

"But you probably aren't here just to exchange pleasantries if I'm not mistaken. Is something up?"

The clue, combined with the pleading look in his eyes is impossible to miss. Well, I guess it's a good thing then, that I have just the topic to get him out of here. I bow to Sezemat in her human guise, then I turn back to Beldragor.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, but you are right. Something has come up. Wiktor told me to spread the word. I already got Jerzy and his brother. Seems there is some wyvern trouble out in the woods. The advnturers' guild is already primed to take care of it, but as you may be able to guess, there are political long term implications to that."

Beldragor blinks in surprise at first, then he groans. He is quickly joined by his older sister in that regard. Neither says anything, but just by the way they roll their eyes I'm pretty sure they know what the issue is.