金瓶梅第2部

The crowd had directed their attention to the end of the table, where a boisterous adventurer was telling a story.

The tall gentleman wore a heavy black-and-white patterned coat, his arms were covered by chainmail, and... he had heavy, ram-like horns on his forehead.

He was a tiefling... and if popular belief was true, there was demon blood in his ancestry. At second glance, his skin was tinged slightly red, as well...

As... initially peculiar as his appearance was, unique bone structure and skin color were not indicative of a person's nature. Such was the case for elves and humans, as well.

...Still, she was glad for their differing heights. A forehead collision with the adventurer would probably put her in the infirmary. Or worse.

Adjacent to the horned man was a half-Elven male, and beside him was a human woman. The elf-blood was lightly armored... though predictably, was equipped far more cheaply than Lord Arod. The woman was simply dressed: braided ponytail, conservative green blouse, soft-fabric trousers with pockets that looked incredibly comfortable and she wanted a pair for herself.

The dragon-blooded guardswoman stood rigidly, keeping vigilance from a corner of the room. At the distance, the dark scales on her forehead made it seem like she was glowering and thinking of more 'accidents' she could cause.

Coraline excused herself from Lucrezia's guidance, taking the empty seat next to the human woman whose clothes she liked. Predictably, Lord Arod sat beside her-- as far as possible from the rowdy tiefling storyteller.

"...So I says to her-- I says, 'if that's any sign of what else is under there, you'd have to pay ME for the service!! ...And guess what she says, Lone!"

"Uh, I dunno," The bronze-skinned boy idly scratched at the scar on his cheek. He was smiling politely, but seemed more confused than excited, "What'd she say?"

"She AGREES to it! With her husband or boyfriend or whatever in the VERY same room! What a CUCK, am I right?!" The tiefling laughed as if he'd just told the funniest story in the world.

From what little Coraline had heard, it really wasn't.

The human-- Mister Lone, she gathered, chuckled half-heartedly in response.

"Mister Ramon," The green-haired youth smiled politely-- a drastic change in temper from what Coraline had seen of him prior, "Perhaps we should change the topic to something more appropriate?"

"Ah, you right, you right," The tiefling nodded, but suddenly turned towards Coraline's end of the table.

"Captain NICK!! Where've you been hidin' these FIIIIINE ladies! You already got Maisie and Olesya! Y'can't keep ALL OF 'EM to yourself!"

"My apologies, good Sir!" The Popoto, Giorgio Castiglioni, yelped in an overly loud voice while holding his wife's hand possessively, "This lovely lady already has a gentleman suitor!!"

"Oh, Giorgio..." Lucrezia pouted, but placed her own hand atop her husband's.

The Captain smiled radiantly, waving his arms and re-assuming his host persona, "Mister Ramon, you wound me! I wouldn't dare deceive the storied guild leader of the BADASS-ASSINS!"

"AHAHA!" Ramon guffawed, flexing his thick arms, "Ah, of course! My reputation PRO-ceeds me, after all!!"

That wasn't... that was opposite-- oh, whatever. Coraline held her tongue, smiling politely. She was probably the only person in the room who noticed or cared.

"OH! HOHO!! The... BADASS-ASSINS!!" Mister Giorgio put his hands together, clapping vigorously and prompting a cascade of light applause from the other passengers.

Coraline applauded slightly louder to make up for Lord Arod's impotence. The last thing she wanted was to have an awkward meal.

"Darling, do you know who those adventurers are?" Lucrezia whispered.

"I haven't a clue, my love." He confided, "But I do like their style!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Ramon stood up and dipped his body in an ostentatious bow.

Coraline was slightly disappointed to see that the adventurer lacked the large bat wings that she heard tieflings were supposed to have.

"And just so you know, Mister Lone--" Ramon looked up with a wicked grin, "You got the muscles to join my guild, if yer lookin'!"

The green-haired noble raised an eyebrow, "And what qualifications does your guild have, Mister Ramon, to be confident in your... recruiting efforts?"

"Well! We got a HEALIN' CLASS!" Ramon cackled, the manner of which was almost... villainous in nature, "Can't find those, no matter how hard ya try!"

Lone pursed his lips as if he was deliberating. "What else you got?"

"My strikingly good looks," Ramon winked.

"Aha... I'll have to pass, Mister Ramon," Lone laughed softly in chagrin.

"Hurr hurr, can't blame a guy for askin'." Ramon smacked the man's back-- a bit too hard, it looked like, "Worst y'can do is say no, am I right? That's my philosophy when it comes to women, too!"

"Capitaine Nikandros..." A solemn and commanding voice came from Lord Arod, slightly tinged with an Alizeaun accent, "I'd like to inquire about the timeliness of the meal."

...Quietly, he added in Elven, "(And I do hope it does not stink of charred flesh and brimstone.)"

The Ancient shot a vindictive glare towards the tiefling at the opposite end of the table... a gesture Coraline was glad Mister Ramon did not notice.

To the north of Alizeau was Bael Turath, a nation that boasted a moderate tiefling population. It seemed that Lord Arod shared his countrymen's general disdain for their neighbors.

"Ah, yes. At once, Lord Highblade," The plump Captain nodded his head like a bouncing ball. "M-maisie! Is dinner almost ready, my dear?"

"It'll be ready when it's ready, Cap'n!" The high-pitched voice of a woman replied from the kitchen. "Just gimme a sec'nd!"

"(Are these the type of creatures you associate with, Sapling?)" Lord Arod asked in a low voice.

"(Lord Highblade, it is considered proper etiquette to entertain their foolishness.)"

Arod pursed his lips, not deigning to reply to Coraline's gentle suggestion.

If he was going to be rude, she would later suggest that he request his meals be served to him privately.

...

Dinner was served shortly after. Surprisingly, it was tailored to passenger preference, even at the low price Coraline had purchased her ticket for.

She was given a lovely salad with crisp croutons, ripened cherry tomatoes, and a light vinaigrette-- no onions. Aside from that was a rich bone broth with soaked potato-flour dumplings...

Oh, the noodle dish was wonderful, too. Its rich sauce tasted of sun-dried tomatoes and it was topped with fresh herbs and a grated, dry cheese.

Lord Arod was served the same meal. Coraline had no idea how, but it looked inexplicably... wealthier.

"Oh, this is GOOOODD!! MAISIE!! Your cooking are good enough to DIE FOR!!!" Ramon shouted across the table, scarfing down his meal like a savage that hadn't eaten in suns. "How 'bout you join my guild?"

"Oh, you!" The dark-haired human woman giggled. Her voice was light and child-like, more appropriate for Lady Lucrezia rather than that of a mature human woman. "I'm flattered, Mista Ramon-- really, I am."

Maisie glanced at Captain Nikandros sitting beside her before looking back at Ramon, "But you folks don't need another healer-- and I have my hands full helpin' out the Cap'n."

"Fair enough," The tiefling shrugged as he consumed another bloody piece of beef steak. "S'really good, though."

Ramon, Lone, and the green-haired youth had similar meals... unsurprising for the two, muscular males, but slightly out of place for the third.

Mister Lone's scholarly companion had a lithe, thin build, much like an elf or half-elf. He could use a bit more bulk...

She was never much attracted to effeminate males without hair on their chests. She'd grown up with elves... so that kind of body-type made her think of her brothers and male cousins.

Mister Ramon had her ideal height... He was top-heavy and muscular, which she liked-- and he had a cute, slightly protruding gut.

However, Coraline preferred a slightly more athletic physique... someone like... Mister Lone, actually.

She once heard... that a man that could take care of himself could take care of her. She didn't need to be protected... but the thought was nice.

"Olesya!" Ramon turned in his seat to address the reticent guardswoman, "How 'bout you come sit and eat with us? If you don't want to pull up a chair, you can sit on my lap!"

The blonde woman bowed her head, her expression unchanging, "My apologies, Mister Ramon. I have already eaten. Please enjoy your meal without worries."

"Oh! Speaking of enjoyin' ourselves, I gotta check somethin' in the kitchen," Chef Maisie bowed, the skirt of her frilly Alizeaun maid outfit flaring at the sides. "I nearly forgot about the dessert! C'mon, Cap'n!"

"Ah, yes! The dessert!" Captain Nikandros stood up to follow, "Please excuse me as well, dear guests. Wouldn't want the ship to burn down-- we've only just departed, after all."

For the briefest of moments, Coraline saw something change in Olesya's face. Recognition? Disgust? Anger? After the micro-expression, the guardswoman returned to her professional mien: cool, calm, and collected.

Whatever it was had caused a visible sign of distress. But whatever it was... was also none of Coraline's business.

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