Chapter 23: 26. Meal Part 1

Ajax, Shaula and Angelidis walk through the streets of the city for a few minutes. They pass streets that have more people walking around. This area however is filled with mostly young people in groups. Ajax notices that the fashion choices for both men and women are quite varied.

He can see that there are animal-eared men and women nearby. Angelidis had called them ‘beastkin’ earlier. The men are wearing long sleeved shirts and pants. Some are wearing cloth wrappings over their pants, similar to long skirts. The fabrics that men wear are quite colorful. Men also wear colors that might be considered feminine back on Earth like pink or lavender.

The women are all covered from head to toe in beautiful, vibrant dresses. The colors feel fluorescent, unlike what middle aged beastkin women were wearing. Their skirts go below their knees and their sleeves are long, in all cases.

After walking around long enough, Shaula notices that the women here are hiding their breasts. Perhaps they are using corsets to hide their proportions. Maybe, women in this area aren’t eating enough food available and sizes are naturally smaller.

“So, Ajax, Shaula, where are you from?” Angelidis asks this question to them. She noticed their looks of curiosity and novelty as they were walking. They seem to be new to the city which is surprising to her. Poorer people of all races are normally turned away at the gates. Ajax replies.

“Oh, we’re from a pretty far away area, you probably haven’t heard of it. Just a small village in the middle of nowhere called Briboia? We wanted to make some money so we left there and traveled around. We eventually found our way here, haha… We don’t get a lot of news around Briboia about the world, so forgive us if we seem ignorant of what’s going on in the world right now.”

Ajax had been wondering how the two of them would explain not knowing anything. He decided with Shaula to say something like this. This way, whatever questions they need to ask will seem less odd. He smiles slightly. His ability to speak in the language of this world is perfect. One less worry.

Shaula listens to his answer while watching a group of beautiful beastkin women walking and talking nearby. They aren’t very talkative. Much more reserved than girls her age back on Earth. It makes her wonder how women are expected to behave in this society. How different are the cultural values of this place? For example, are women wearing long sleeved dresses to hide their skin? Are their breasts deemphasized for similar reasons?

Back on Earth, young women would dress more provocatively even during late fall. But here, it feels like she’s in an alternate nineteenth century. She doesn’t feel good about being in a society where female bodies are more controlled. Furthermore… not a single woman is wearing pants.

[Ajax, ask her if we stick out, I’m the only girl here wearing pants.] Shaula whispers so quietly that only Ajax’s sharp hearing would pick up on her words. She really would prefer that he handle the talking. She keeps her eyes and ears out for anything important around them. Ajax coughs slightly and raises his voice.

“Ah, Angelidis, I just noticed–”

“Call me Jelli. Angelidis is kinda awkward, you’re not my mother.”

“Right, sure, Jelli. I just noticed that none of the women here are wearing pants. Is Shaula weird for… her pants?”

“Ah, I was wondering why she was wearing pants. Well, don’t worry, it is a bit out of style, but she’s not showing skin, so it's fine.”

“Showing skin? Then, say she was wearing a short skirt…”

“Ah, that’d be a problem. The cops would try to send you off the main streets where people can see you.”

“I… see. You mentioned earlier that you were a sex worker–”

“Sex worker? That’s a nice way to put it… I’ll have to remember that one. Working with sex…” Angelidis had never heard that euphemism before. Her friends normally call their work ‘prostitution’, ‘whoring’ or ‘streetwalking’. The reason there aren’t more considerate terms for her profession is because sex workers do not have advocacy groups here.

Sex workers in this city have no rights. They are regularly murdered and raped, but they can never go to the cops. Confessing to being a streetwalker carries mandatory minimum prison sentences. Ajax continues.

“Yeah, I was actually wondering if you’re safe doing what you do. Does something like that happen very often?”

”Yeah, all the time. Always somebody trying to get a quick payoff or something. Haven’t seen one in a group like that for a couple months though. It was pretty lucky they went after me first. Last time, a group tried to steal from and then rape one of my friends. I had to deal with that group more… forcefully.”

“I-I see.”

“Wow, sorry, I didn’t mean to get so personal with it. It’s just, I get very angry when these guys come around just because we’re women on the street trying to feed ourselves and our families.”

“No, don’t apologize, I’m the one who brought it up.”

[Ask her about how cops behave around them. Should she be telling us so much about her work?] Shaula wonders if it’s alright for Angelidis to get too close to strangers like this.

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“By the way, Jelli, are you safe from the law? Do cops here crack down on women like you? I-I was just wondering if you should be sharing so much with people like us, basically strangers?”

“Haha, don’t worry, Ajax, I can read people pretty well. The minute I saw you I already figured out how many times you’ve lied to your mother in your entiiiiirrrreeee life.”

Ajax freezes up in caution to her proclaimed skills. Maybe this is a power that people in this world can have. He would rather no one peer into his mind so easily. Angelidis laughs at his innocent reaction.

“I’m joking, I’m joking! Don’t look at me like that… Well, honestly, there’s a deal with the local mob, so cops don’t interfere with street walker avenues. No stings, no fines, nothing. Unless they want a taste for themselves. It’s not legal obviously and they still put girls like me in prison every so often, but the previous baron didn’t care to enforce that law and the new baron hasn’t changed things much so far.”

“Wow, that’s fortunate.” Shaula feels a little better about Angelidis’ life. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked because asking might force her to help. Shaula knows that oftentimes on Earth, cops would make the lives of prostitutes and gigolos more difficult.

Cops back home where she lived measure their success by how many citations they’re able to get. They often don’t care at all about the safety of sex workers who are abused, raped or killed. But, it’s obvious that conditions for sex workers are much worse here even if the cops aren’t the issue.

Soon, the three of them find Angelidis’ bar. It looks like a single story house but in its basement there is a wide area where seven people are eating and drinking together. There is a bar counter and a man behind it serving drinks. Behind the bar, there is a kitchen area. Ajax and Shaula find a table with three chairs while Angelidis orders for them.

They speak discreetly.

[So… what do you think so far, Shaula?]

[This place fucking sucks for women, Ajax. Well, I guess it should be expected, there are still places even on Earth like this so it’s just another fucking obstacle.]

[I’m sorry, Shaula.]

[Don’t apologize, Ajax, it’s not your fault. It’s just irritating.] Shaula scowls at her new circumstances. However, she feels slightly exhilarated as well. Back on Earth, she could not do anything to help. Here though, she’s strong. If only she could get back to Earth with these powers still in hand. She could take things into her own hands.

Whatever was wrong with the world, she could finally do something. She wants to get back. She needs to.

“Alright, I’ve brought our food. Here’s some wine and the house special.” Angelidis returns with dark bluish purple drinks in wooden cups as well as what looks like a shawarma wrap. Two of them for her and one for each Ajax and Shaula.

“D-Draconids normally eat more than humans so I got two for me, one each for you… Do you want more? I promise you that you can eat until you’re full!”

“N-No, one is enough, thank you very much, Jelli.” Ajax only offers gratitude for his first real meal in this world. He and Shaula take their meals, large wraps filled with something giving off a fragrant aroma. The wrap bread seems to be pita or something very similar. He and Shaula start eating while watching Angelidis tear into her food like a predator.

Her sharp teeth cut her meal to ribbons.

As they savor their meal, they realize that it is likely vegetarian. Crunchy vegetables and something similar to well seasoned bean mash is what fills the pita. It’s delicious. Similar to Earth, the standard of living may be poor but the food culture has not dulled as a result.

“This is really good, Angelidis! How much does it cost?”

“Mmph?” Angelidis looks up at Ajax while devouring her food. She quickly chews and swallows before answering.

“A glass of wine and the house special is about two copper coins.”

“Hm, alright, I see. Is that cheap for this area?” Ajax asks to better understand the worth of copper coins in this world. Angelidis brushes off his question.

“Yeah, cheap enough. Forget that, I’m paying for it anyway. I do have a question for the two of you. That fight back there was pretty risky for two untrained humans. I want to thank you for helping me in that crucial moment but… why did you get involved?”

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