Things are about to get hairy. I'm about to give Yui the greenlight to go wild, but an elf with a goatee orders his guards to stand down and fall back. His crimson eyes show like moons against the canvas of night. He jerks back, hand on his chest as though someone offended him.
"How rude of me to not introduce myself to new faces. I am Owyn Medir, the Emir of Ash'tar, fifth in line to be Sultan of Amarinth. You must be the famed bruiser of Cynderace I heard so much about? And the newly appointed guild leader herself. Yui, is it? Such delectable foreign names to roll off the tongue." Owyn clasps both hands over his chest and bows. He smiles, revealing pristine white teeth that hurts to look at. Among the row of white is a single gold incisor on his upper jaw. "The journey here must have been taxing. All the more reason to make your stay at my palace instead of with the rabble."
There are two things I can't stand when it comes to meeting new people— grandstanding and long-ass rambling. This Owyn guy checked off both marks in the first minute of meeting him. The more he talks, the more pissed I get.
We're waiting in awkward silence until I lean over to Kain and ask, "You gonna say something or just let him talk over you?"
Kain clears his throat before speaking. "W-We shall accept your hospitality. As allies within the United Kingdoms of Dysentia, it would be a dishonor to decline the Emir's invitation."
"Of course, it would. We shall have a feast tonight to celebrate your coming, and to welcome your friends." Owyn says, smirking as though he'd won over Kain's humility.
A part of me wants to smack Kain up the head.
I gave him a chance to decline, but he decided to take Owyn's bait instead of spitting on it. I don't know what kind of guy this Emir is, but he doesn't show the same type of modesty Kain has when offering hospitality.
My gut churns at the idea of going along with it.
The Emir's palace sits along the opposite side of the riverbank, accessible by a single bridge that connects it to the rest of the city. It is the largest building in Ash'tar, boasting six floors and nearly a hundred rooms.
His palace services dignitaries from around the world, not just in Dysentia— at least, that's what Owyn tells us, bragging the whole way here.
Every hallway is painted like a mural, with depictions of bipedal humanoids waging battles against impossibly large creatures. The ground at our feet is just as colorful, each step of the way is paved in vibrant tiles or rugs that stretch from end to end.
We're led into an open-roof room with mats spaced out evenly from each other. There are no chairs, no tables, only cushions surrounding a sandpit. Owyn takes the most luxurious spot in front of the pit with a cushion as large as himself. We all pick our own seat, but Kain is the only one who sits next to the Emir.
"Why the hell is Kain letting the elf push him around?" I whisper to Mildred.
"Cynderace and Ash'tar have a long-standing exclusive trade agreement. King Allo values this city as the entrance to the rest of Amarinth's economy. Such politics bore me, but my dear Kain threads a needle when it comes to Emir Owyn Medir." Mildred explains.
Owyn claps three times. "Food, drinks— and of course, entertainment!"
The beastling attendant by the door nods for people outside to bring in food. Trays upon trays of food are delivered to us by dark elf and beastling women in sparse clothing. They wear thin dresses, light enough to be seen through.
The food they bring is no less extravagant. Enormous slabs of meat, fruits that I don't recognize from this world, drinks that are no doubt alcoholic and will give Frey a bad time if Yui drinks any.
Yui stares at the alcoholic beverages and then to me as if asking for permission.
"Fine," I say, sighing. "Just don't drink too much or you'll trouble Frey."
"Yay! Now that I've got Anego's permission…" Yui pushes aside her chalice and grabs the entire carafe instead. "Frey, let's go shot for shot!"
"I don't know what that means, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Frey groans.
Kawa waters at the mouth and forgoes her manners to start digging in like the wolf she is.
As soon as the food is dropped off to us, the women take their place in the sandpit and dance. They sway and twirl, bend their legs and arms in ways I didn't think possible. All the while, not a single grain of sand is kicked up.
Loraine is enamoured by the sight of them.
"And I thought you only had eyes for me." I tease her.
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A childish giggle erupts from her lips. "Believe it or not, I'm imagining you in those outfits dancing for me."
My heart skips a beat.
For one, I don't know how to dance, and I wouldn't be caught dead wearing what they wear.
But… if it's for Loraine, I might not mind…
"C-Can you dance like that?" I ask, holding a cup up to my mouth trying not to let my eagerness show.
"The Amari style of dancing isn't unfamiliar to me. I was taught how to when I was a child. Would you… like to see me dance?" she asks back, tempting the very core of my heart.
"Perhaps you would like to dance for us as well, my lady?" Owyn sudden says across the sandpit.
The fluffy feeling in my chest is replaced by a sickening urge to barf.
Kain tries to get him to sit back down. "Owyn, you shouldn't—"
"Nonsense! As Emir, I have a duty to get to know my guests. Especially one as beautiful as you." He says, clearly directing the compliment towards Loraine.
Emir Owyn abandons his seat next to Kain to come closer to us. The stench of alcohol and mint is heavy in his breath.
Loraine is put off, and tries to scoot closer to me as he takes the empty seat on her other side. "Thank you, Emir Owyn. But surely you wish to dine next to Prince Kain instead?"
"Do not be so difficult. I am to be the next sultan, you know? Yes, I can see it. Your slender shoulders, the curves on your hips…" The moment his hand touches Loraine's arm, I snap.
I'm already standing. Hand clutching his wrist with enough force to crush bone. Owyn staggers back, but he's unable to get away. The guards reach for their swords and the entertainers have stopped dancing.
"Lady Micchi!" Kain jumps from his seat in a panic.
"Oh, my. For what offense have I caused to warrant such aggression?" Owyn has the audacity to ask.
I pull him close enough to see my angry reflection in his eyes. "Before you make any assumptions, this ain't a warning. It's a fucking threat. You could be sultan or king, and it won't mean shit to me— you don't touch my woman."
The guards creep closer to me until someone knocks against the doorframe on their way in. "Hey, hey. What's with all the racket? Owyn, you dog. Drinking without me?"
A nostalgic voice I haven't heard in a long time sends a shiver up my spine— a woman with a light Russian accent staining the fluent Japanese speech flowing from her mouth. I shove the Emir out of the way and see Yui gaping at the door. Kawa makes a low growl, her lips pulled revealing her fangs at the new guest.
"Now aren't you two a sight for sore eyes! I know you two— Chika's juniors, right? Yui… and Michiru? No, I think you go by Micchi!" she shouts across the room.
A tall caucasian woman, grinning from ear to ear calls our names with bold familiarity. Dirty blonde hair swept behind her head, a cluster of strands cutting across her face, blue eyes as deep as the ocean, and more distinctly are the two Chinese dragon tattoos running up the length of her chiseled arms.
I know her. Yui knows her.
It takes everything I have to utter the name, "Anya… Aoshima?"
"Aw, man. You're supposed to state my name and title. Coming to a new place rob ya of your manners?" Anya yawns, shaking her head. She then beats two fists together causing a shockwave to ripple across the room like the roar of a dragon. "Third pillar of the Four Queens of Japan, the Dragon of Tohoku."