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When Zerrex got up the next morning, he shook his head and then rose blearily with a yawn from the mattress, Cherry laying beside him. She cracked open one eye tiredly, then stretched out a bit, causing the rifle she'd been cradling against her body to tap lightly against the wall as she mumbled: "Thfuckinliesreun."

The Drakkaren didn't bother to say anything in return, glancing up at the lantern on the ceiling that had indeed apparently turned itself on... but he hadn't thought just the flash of the light turning on would disturb both himself and Cherry - who slept like a hungover frat boy when she was off duty - enough to wake them up. A pause and a glance around let him know what had... someone had been here.

He frowned a bit, reaching up to rub at his tousled white hair, shirtless body flexing as he walked over to the desk in the corner, Cherry rolling over on top of her rifle and snuggling it like a kid with a teddy bear, mumbling and attempting to go back to sleep. But then her eyes snapped open and she became instantly alert, sitting up in bed and raising her rifle as the door leading out of their room and into the main hall quietly snicked closed.

Both she and Zerrex traded a stupefied look: how the hell had they missed someone in the room? Then the male Drakkaren, naked but for his boxers, ran to the door, threw it open and stepped outside, looking back and forth down the hallway... but whoever it was had already vanished, and he snarled a bit before stepping back and slamming the door bad-temperedly, cursing under his breath before turning around and putting up a hand to touch his forehead. They looked like idiots...

Cherry was beating the barrel of the gun lightly against her own skull with an angry mutter, then she finally threw the gun down on the bed and jumped up, naked, but for once not bothering to try seducing Zerrex or showing off her body, as she headed over to the desk and then looked down at what had been placed on it scathingly. Zerrex slowly walked over as well, then he sighed a bit as the female finally looked up at him with an expression both self-infuriated and almost scared: "How the fuck did they slip past us? How the bloody fuck did they walk right through the room, lights on, without us seeing them?"

"I have no clue." Zerrex said quietly, then he looked down at the large breakfast platter and jug of what looked like milk sitting complacently on the desk for a few moments, before shaking his head slowly. Hash browns, buttered bread, what looked like a massive bowl filled with blood-red soup with three spoons - a Drakkai specialty, and the custom was for all members of the family to share the one large bowl - and strips of filleted fish that had been roasted and buttered as well. It looked... and smelled... like Heaven, and since none of them had really remembered to eat yesterday, it was so tempting... but then he looked at Cherry and said softly: "We aren't touching this. We're going to go out today and we'll stop at a café in town"

"Fuck no." Cherry shook her head slowly, her eyes intense with agreement. Soup and milk were two of the easiest things in the world to poison... fish itself could contain all sorts of natural toxins... and the butter spread on the bread could have all manner of filth mixed in to sicken them. Even the hash browns were suspect... and then the naked female glanced at the other objects left behind, sitting neatly folded on the long writing desk beside the silver tray of food. "What about those? They could be soaked in pesticides or any other kind of toxic shit... but that's more dangerous to mammals than us, right?"

Zerrex nodded, looking at the clothes that had been left behind for them with a bit of a frown. "Yeah. It's one of the 'claims to power' of the Hez'Ranna, as well. Another reason they say we're superior, because our scales give us a bit more natural armor and protection to damage... even though mammal fur keeps them warm and we're a bit more sensitive to cold and stuff."

Cherry snorted at this. "I ain't never minded the cold. That sounds like egalitarian bullshit to me... those fuckheads who wanna bring pros and cons to everyone so we're all equals and stupid shit like that."

"Me neither." The Drakkaren said softly, then he shook his head a bit as he walked over to his suitcase, digging through it and producing a pair of rarely-worn blue jeans. He made a bit of a face, then began to pull these on. "But we'll be safe, anyway. Toxic exposure through skin isn't a method used by the Hez'Ranna military, but whoever this is, might not be operating following normal Hez'Ranna tradition or assassination procedure."

The female nodded, then she went over to her own suitcase, picking out a g-string, pair of leather pants, and black tight bikini top for herself. As she began to change, Zerrex finished doing up the fly of his jeans and went through the door at the back of the room to go and check on Cindy, who had slept alone in the safety of the back... but now the Drakkaren was nervous, because whoever it was had snuck right past them...

He entered her room quietly, and found her just waking up, yawning and stretching... but thankfully there was no clothing, and no sign that anyone had been inside. He flicked the switch to turn on the lantern, and Cindy mumbled and covered her face before half-sliding off onto the floor, dressed in a puffy nightshirt. "Daddy, fuck. It's... God, has to be early..."

"Sometime in the morning, yeah." Zerrex replied softly, then he paused and glanced over her as she stood up, and Cindy looked back at him blearily for a few moments before blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, seeming to sense that something was wrong. Before she could ask, however, Zerrex merely shook his head and continued: "Just meet us out in the main room once you're dressed, and wear something more casual today. We're going to go out on the town right away... and I'll answer your questions on the way out."

Twenty minutes later found the group walking through the gate, and Lone toddling behind... the twins Mist and Shine had almost insisted on going, but Zerrex had said he'd much prefer them to guard his room, carefully emphasizing his words with a look. The two had taken a hint and left off their requests, and instead ordered one of the other slaves to fetch the reptile a map and give it to him on the way out: Zerrex had been surprised when instead of a paper map, he'd been handed a GPS with a fairly user-friendly layout and control system, and he'd thanked the Iuratus who'd given him this before looking up the closest market.

A large square wasn't too far away from here, and the three had walked along, Zerrex still bare-chested and combat boots gently tapping against the ground, Cherry's heavy motorcycle boots kicking up dust as she looked back and forth at all the fellow reptiles milling around and the sheer number of people already wandering around outside on the streets with awe, and Cindy's sandals - she'd taken them when Mist had offered her a pair - making light tocks with every step on the warm cobblestones. Lone was bare pawed and still in the hide tunic, and he couldn't feel happier as he wandered behind Zerrex with a warm smile. He and Kraven had spent the night together, and slept in the same bed, him curled in his arms... and sure, the wolf had been mighty interested in Zerrex, but he'd also confessed he felt a deep affection for the little "checker wolf" that had come to the harem as well.

He liked it here... and strangely, he liked even the style of the world, the rulership of the Drakkai, and even the fact he was in bare feet and with a red tag dangling around his neck that declared him a slave permitted a day pass outside in Uroboros. It was something he thought he could get more than used to... and he also admittedly liked the fact that people were staring at Zerrex and even him with amazement and whispers, and how the Drakkaren walked tall with his head up, the huge revolver holstered at his leg but the reptile fearless... and he felt so inspired by him, so amazed and enthralled.

Sure, last night he'd maybe given everything to Kraven... but he felt pretty dumb about that now. Kraven was nothing compared to Zerrex... and Lone suddenly ran up beside the big lizard and smiled happily up at him as they walked down the street, loving the way that everyone made a path for Zerrex, and he said happily up to him: "Thanks for taking me along on this, Zerrex... I'm... really enjoying myself and I just wanted to let you know that... this place seems really really good and I'm glad everyone's respecting you and treating you with the dignity you deserve, because you really do deserve it."

Zerrex felt absurdly touched... but also a bit irritated with the wolf. After all, it wasn't like he was here on vacation... and when he glanced up, he could see Cherry smiling at Lone's back, as if pleased with the obvious effort he was making... but Cindy glaring daggers and had both fists clenched and her jaw tight. A rare thing, for Cherry to be okay but Cindy angry... and so the Drakkaren quickly nodded and then glanced up, pointing at the open front of a small wooden building that was scrunched against a much-larger stone tower. "That looks like a good place."

With that, the reptile quickly hurried across the street towards it, glancing over the setup: the wooden building was a separate business from the one behind it, but had a large courtyard with fancy wooden fencing around it and a dozen or so tables inside, five or so of these currently filled with Drakkai. There was a large cloth roof overtop that extended all the way over the dining area to protect more from the sun than any other weather issues, and Zerrex could see several tall Drakkai and what looked like a horse running back and forth inside the wooden shack, preparing food and serving it up. There was a menu written in the symbolic language of Hez'Ranna beside the long, open window along the entire upper front of the wooden building, but Zerrex thought he'd have no problem ordering as he walked into the enclosure with the others following close behind, absently putting a hand on Lone's shoulder as the wolf caught several looks of surprise - and even glares - from the others currently dining.

Cindy and Cherry followed behind, the former still looking pissed-off enough to attract the other's attention... and she coughed before leaning up to whisper something to the younger femme, throwing a muscular arm around her waist. Whatever she said, it seemed to pacify Cindy a bit, and she nodded as they walked over to one of the round tables instead of a serving counter, sitting down at one of the corners of the outdoor café. Zerrex glanced over, and Cherry made a simple hand gesture to him, and he nodded: it was an old code for "I'll follow you," or "I'll copy your actions," but in this case just meant that they'd have whatever Zerrex decided to get.

He looked at the menu uselessly for a few moments as Lone looked around with a bit of a wince, and then one of the taller Drakkaren came forwards towards the counter with a pad of paper, clad only in a short hide kilt. He paused as he looked at Lone, then back up to Zerrex, before saying something in Hez'Rannan. The Boss blinked, remembered where he was, then he shook his head and said clearly: "I come from Ire... I'm afraid I don't speak your language."

The Drakkaren looked nonplussed in return now, then he threw up his arms and turned back towards what the white-haired reptile realized now was simply a surprisingly-large kitchen, yelling something in his native tongue. One of the other reptiles perked up from where he was stirring a steaming pot on a stove, and he rose his other hand absently before changing places with the first lizard, heading up to the counter and smiling warmly.

"Hey, you're from Ire, huh?" he said curiously, and Zerrex smiled slightly as he recognized the accent. "Well, as it happens, I'm from-"

"New Tears City." Zerrex finished, and the other Drakkaren grinned a bit in pleased surprise. "I've heard that accent before... you're from the Greek District, aren't you?"

"Born and raised in marbletown, yeah." The Drakkaren laughed a bit and nodded, smiling in return as his eyes roved over Zerrex, taking in his body, and then he glanced at Lone with an amused look. "Explains why you brought a slave into here... not a lot of people would risk it. Uroboros has very strict rules regarding the treatment and position of mammals and other furred creatures in regards to our own scalekind, you know... and your friend can eat here - I'll mention to the bosses that he ain't from 'round here, but the 'civilized' world - but he'll have to sit on the floor."

Lone blinked and opened his mouth, perhaps to protest, but Zerrex nudged him with his elbow and glanced down at him, muttering: "Be glad you get to eat at all. In some places around here, they cut up pelts and serve them as delicacies or entrees, or even full meals if they're a bigger species."

The wolf paled and immediately snapped his muzzle shut, and the Drakkaren couldn't help a bit of an amused smile before he turned his attention back to the Drakkai behind the counter, who wasn't bothering to suppress his own grin of entertainment. Then he tapped on the pad and tilted his head, smiling slightly. "My guess is you guys don't know what's on the menu, huh? Well, no worries there, I got it covered for ya. How about lochaber soup and our Cradle Coast seafood platter? It's delicious, pal, I guarantee you and your lady friends will love it, really. And we got everything from berry wines made on site in the brewery behind us to jungle tea."

Zerrex couldn't help but smile a bit at the Drakkaren's youthful vigor, and then he nodded. "Sounds good to me. And if they serve it here, I'd like to order a vampire's delight, too. And to drink, a bottle of rose petal wine and a pot of green tea."

"Damn. I bet your family came from here, just like me, huh?" The Drakkaren smiled warmly at the Boss, nodding respectfully as he wrote down the order. "That's a hell of a delicacy, and the way Montez prepares it, I guarantee you'll love it. I'll bring it over to you once it's prepared, and a pet bowl for you, too, wolf. Sorry about the whole deal, but the rules here are pretty strict."

"It's okay. So long as you don't lead me out back to the slaughterhouse." Lone replied faintly, forcing a bit of a smile as he glanced back and forth, and the Drakkaren laughed and nodded before turning back into the kitchens with a loud call, ripping the paper he'd written the order from off the pad and using a tack to pin it to a large board on the back wall before going about his duty to prepare the meal. Zerrex watched for a few moments, then he nodded down to Lone and gently lead him over to the table.

He paused as he pulled out his chair, then he lightly took the cushion off the seat and tossed it down, and Lone gave a faint smile and nod of appreciation to the reptile as he sat on it with a wince: the floor here was red marble, and perfectly smooth but for the pebbles and dust tracked in by the others, but his romps with Kraven through the night had left both ends of him rather sore. And he couldn't deny the envy he felt for the reptiles now, and part of him was beginning to think that maybe this whole Drakkai culture thing wasn't so great and cute after all.

Cherry and Cindy looked over at Zerrex questioningly, and the reptile leaned forwards on his arms and shrugged a bit. "I ordered us a seafood platter and a vampire's delight you and I can share, Cherry." A pause, and a glance at Cindy as he smiled. "You can try a bite too if you want, but it might be a bit nasty for you."

The muscular female grinned widely, leaning back in the comfortable wood chair as the Boss's daughter looked at him flatly, tapping her fingers on the table and asking mildly: "What the hell's a vampire's delight?"

Zerrex began to open his mouth to explain, but then Cherry quickly straightened and waved her hand rapidly back and forth with a wide grin: "Ooh, ooh! Let me explain, lemme explain!" Then she smiled cheerfully as the male looked at her with his mouth half-agape and one hand raised in a gesture, before he simply glared and let his hand drop flat to the table as she turned to Cindy and said cheerfully: "It's an engorged cattle liver, filled with blood. Then they cause it to bloat up by adding some spices to it that give the blood this really fuckin' nice flavor, like, kinda like sweet and sour shit, 'cept a bit more bitter 'cause of the coppery taste of blood, yeah? And then when they cook it, they just sear the outsides lightly and serve it like that. Fuckin' squirts everywhere, it's a Hez'Ranna delicacy that Cap'n Ra... er... Zerrex introduced me to back in the Goth Legion."

She paused, then looked over at Zerrex and smiled warmly: an expression that was almost scary on her face because it made her seem almost benevolent. "Thanks for getting that, Boss. I haven't had one of those in forever."

"Me neither. I'm looking forwards to it." The Boss replied with a soft laugh, then he paused at Cindy's look of mixed horror and disgust. "What?"

"That's like. The sickest thing I've ever heard." she mumbled, then dropped her head on her arms and snorted. "Seafood better not be sushi. Ugh."

"It doesn't sound so bad to me." Lone piped up meekly, but when he smiled, he still looked a bit unsure of himself. "I mean, you know... hamburger is good, right? So... I'm sure... this stuff'd be great..."

He broke off, and there was a slight, awkward silence for a few moments before the Drakkaren from earlier approached their table holding a plain ceramic platter, and Zerrex smiled as he set it down and distributed three sparkling glass wine goblets, and three plain white china mugs to his fellow Drakkai. Then he coughed and tapped the top of the first bottle of wine on his tray, saying pleasantly: "I forgot... but we have two types of rose petal in stock. This is the classic homebrewed version, which has a bit more of a spicy taste to it, and this one is a new blend that we just got in about a month ago, made from satin roses instead of the cherry blossoms from the trees native to here, shipped in from a brewery in the Cradle of Life instead of made here in Uroboros."

The same-named female blinked and looked up at this, then exchanged a look with Zerrex before she made a face and said quickly: "Let's go with the sakura stuff."

The Drakkaren tilted his head towards her oddly, but then he shrugged and nodded, placing the slightly-larger black bottle of wine down; on it was one of the strange, long-branched cherry trees that Zerrex had seen near the airstrip, and he couldn't help but smile a bit as Cherry frowned and stared at the bottle as if trying to decipher what the symbolic language of the Hez'Ranna Drakkai said. He knew she didn't believe in coincidence... so she was undoubtedly trying to figure out what she'd take as some omen or clue from the future. It was a habit that came with her strange precognitive abilities... and with that sort of power she possessed, Zerrex really didn't blame her for being extra careful and a touch superstitious.

Then the male from Tears City stepped back and walked around to Lone, kneeling down before him and placing a metal dish and an aged clay cup on the ground for him, muttering as he leaned down close: "Sorry, but it's policy and the culture. On the bright side, you at least get to eat the same stuff."

Lone nodded, but he was flushed with humiliation, looking down at the bowl, then up at Zerrex... but the Drakkaren only looked at him impassively for a few moments before glancing up and returning to conversation with his friends... no, his family. Something Lone never had been and never would be a part of... and it just made him flush darker, feeling self-loathing growing in his gut as he sat there on the ground.

He could hear his heart throbbing dully in his ears, and he almost felt like crying as he continued to look at the bowl and the shitty little clay cup he'd been given, before glancing up and glaring angrily after the Drakkaren who'd served him, feeling a sudden bitter wish that he could just... lash out, teach him a lesson, and show all this stupid assholes that he was really equal, or even better... that right now he was playing a part out of respect for Zerrex, and no more. But if this kept happening, it wasn't a part he would play forever... and the way Zerrex had just looked away had cut him deep, hurt his heart like he hadn't ever expected it to, and he realized what an idiot he'd been.

All these years, Zerrex had always played him, played with him even like an unevolved cat with a mouse, always reigning him in, taking control, and staying in power... and every time Lone started to get even the smallest taste of real power, the reptile would rip it away from him without hesitation or warning. And now here we was, playing pet to the... the fucking jerk... I bet he just loves this, the wolf thought miserably. Me finally forced to get down and act like an unevolved dog... I'm no fucking dog, I'm a fucking wolf, I'm a noble, I'm important... and I've gone and done so much and tried so... so damn hard all these years! Shouldn't that count for something... shouldn't that have done something? I've accepted I've been wrong in the past, tried so hard to be good, or whatever he wanted...

As Lone continued to think his silent monologue and sink into sulking, self-loathing, and self-pity, Zerrex sighed internally with another glance at the wolf. He had warned Lone that the culture would be different, emphasized again and again that he'd be seen as a slave... had the wolf not understood that he was serious, or what that actually meant? He somehow doubted it from what Lone was behaving like now... and he was beginning to think that Lone had perhaps thought they were almost going on a pleasure vacation, or that this whole thing to get Marina back was more of a noble quest than anything else... and Lone still didn't seem to understand that Zerrex was no hero, and that noble quests weren't about chivalry, honor, and goodness... they were about blood, and loss, and death, and tears.

The wolf didn't understand that being a hero wasn't something that made anyone happy, unless they were the egoistic, cowardly kind of hero who sat back and let others do the work, or did one good deed a year. And maybe it was cruel of him to think, but the term hero was bandied around too loosely these days... another reason why he respected the Dragokkaren. Those who fell in battle here, or died doing their job as police or soldiers or other workers, weren't seen as heroes unless they did something that truly did stand out above all others... they were seen as noble and honorable, but in the end, people who had sacrificed themselves knowingly. They were respected, but they were not heroes, and didn't want to be. They didn't want the praise, or admiration, or anything else... they knew humility, and they didn't need to get pats on the head for their good deeds. In fact, they were offended by that... whereas so many people in the civilized world were called a 'hero' for calling the cops on their brother for dealing pot, or carrying an unevolved pet kitten down out of a tree.

No. Heroes were like those twelve Dragokkaren from the far past, who had killed hundreds of interloping pelts with just their hunting hooks, and who had sacrificed everything for a slim chance of rescuing their people. A hero was someone who forced themselves past just the job, their own limits, gave up their health, bled, cried, and died not for their country, not because they were supposed to do it, and especially not because it was good or right... but because no one else would or could do it. Zerrex had learned that when you were a hero, the true reward was a pile of dead friends... a handful of betrayals... and a bath in blood of ally and foe alike after you spent every moment twisting your body through a nightmarish hell without end.

Zerrex never wanted to be a hero, and would never see himself as one... because he didn't think they existed. He was an antihero, true... a force of darkness that did deeds that could be seen as good or right, with many a flaw in his character... but he'd never met his opposite number. He'd never met anyone who could save the princess and the castle and all the army from the raging draconic monster, or a priest who could stand up to a demon and vampires and the devil himself, or someone who courageously walked the path of right and virtue and saved all the people and the world when it needed saving. There was no such thing as a true hero, because someone's hero would eternally be someone else's villain... and no 'hero' could save the world and every innocent life in it, or even all the lives that were important to him. Death, after all, couldn't be slain by just any idiot with a sword who thought he was doing the right thing.

The Drakkaren mused quietly as he sat back, looking up at the cloth ceiling above, then he glanced back down as Cherry called his name and snapped her fingers, offering the bottle with the other hand. Zerrex nodded and held out his glass, and she poured him a cup of the light pink wine, and Zerrex swirled it slowly with a soft 'thanks,' then smiling as their waiter and cook came back and place an old metal kettle with black metal profiles of Dragokkaren parading around the body. He took a sip of the sweet wine, as Cherry poured Cindy a cup as well before filling her own glass, then she took her own sip, paused as the Drakkaren from New Tears walked away, looked up at Zerrex blandly, and said mildly: "I can't taste any alcohol."

"It's called rose petal wine because it's made out of the petals from the cherry trees, you ass." Zerrex responded with a slightly entertained smile, and Cherry looked at the bottle with something like horror as he continued: "The petals have their own distinct flavor... so they just ground them up and add some water and some other stuff, and mix it all into a kind of light drink. Besides which, the whisky they drink here could end up knocking even us both on our asses."

"I really like this, actually." Cindy said with a surprised smile, then she looked over at her father warmly. "Can we pick up a bottle of this later, and maybe give some to Marina to try once we get her back... I... I think she'd really like this too."

Then she fell silent, and Cherry and Zerrex both looked at her with soft compassion that was almost foreign for the two long-hardened reptiles, watching Cindy simply staring down into her goblet for a few moments before Zerrex finally said quietly, with all the conviction of his heart despite the fear of failure that had wormed its way into his mind: "We'll get her back."

"I know." she whispered quietly in return, and then she swallowed thickly before taking a deep drink of her wine and putting the glass aside, reaching for the hot teakettle to pour herself a glass. She looked around for the cream and sugar, then stood and coughed as she saw a small basket on a table nearby filled with the stuff: their table just hadn't had their own refilled with anything but napkins. "I'm going to go grab some stuff for the tea."

Then she headed quickly over to one of the other empty tables, and Cherry leaned on the table, swirling her wine in the glass with an expression that was somehow both intense and mellow. Zerrex meanwhile, glanced down at Lone and smiled a bit as the wolf looked up at him with a bit of an unhappy frown. "Hey... you want some rose petal wine or some green tea?"

"Wine, I guess, if it's okay for me to have." Lone muttered, then he held up his cup with his ears flattened back, looking more like a sulking child than anything else, and Zerrex sighed inwardly. The fact was, the wolf didn't seem to realize that a lot of the time, slaves would end up being forced to wait outside the enclosure, tied up like unevolved horses to a fencepost or line, and they'd be fed a special nutrient-enriched slop instead of real food in most households. Zerrex thought that even some of the Iuratus like the twins like ate the tasteless sludge at least once a day for a meal.

The Drakkaren resisted saying anything, though... or slapping him, even though that would likely just get amused looks from the Drakkai sitting at the other tables. Instead, he filled the clay cup with the drink, then put the bottle back in the center of the table, sitting back in the chair and glancing around the busy streets, simply enjoying the outside air as best he could as Cindy came back, wiping lightly at her eyes and dropping a few handfuls of packets into the basket at their table, and Cherry studied the other female for a few moments before shrugging and looking skywards, as if she could see through the cloth rooftop.

Over the next ten minutes, a few people left the café, and a few more came inside, including a group of Hez'Ranna military who were all arguing and laughing with each other. They were all dressed in different uniforms, two in the plain black outfits favored by the Hellabos military, one in the crested shirt and thick vest of Hezrow, and two others in uniforms of mixed olive drab and light black, wearing high combat boots and fingerless gloves that had long leather coverings that went all the way up the forearm, until they locked around the upper arm by means of a heavy clasp, the uniform shirts sleeves puffing out slightly at this point as well. These, he guessed, were from the personal army of the other royal families... and Zerrex shrugged before glancing up as a military transport went by, the covered back loaded with soldiers in light green uniforms with the same color caps on, and the Drakkaren felt a smile twitch at his muzzle. And I was just wondering if there was a normal military around here, or if the three Royal Families just commanded their personal armies around. But I guess the soldiers who are devoted to the Royals just protect Hez'Ranna and their own family... those guys that just went by must the Hez'Ranna General Military, who do the same stuff all the soldiers in the 'civilized' world do.

Then the reptile paused before snorting amusedly. He was getting way too comfortable with the whole 'civilized world' slang term... it was just too easy to fall into. Then he paused and glanced up as the Drakkaren from Ire approached them again with a smile and another huge, round metal platter, this one covered with the food the Boss had ordered. The waiter and cook set it down in the middle of the table, carefully nudging the basket aside, then stepped back and bowed politely. "Please let me know if there's anything else I can do or get for you."

"Another bottle of wine'd be great." Cherry immediately said loudly, then she reached out and snagged the plate that had a huge slab of bloody, almost-raw-looking meat before Zerrex could grab it, winking as she put it down in front of her and licked her muzzle hungrily: Lone peered up over the terror with something like horror as Cindy slid her chair away from Cherry, and the Boss merely looked irritably at her as he crossed his arms, watching as Cherry picked up feynah fork: a wooden-handled, short knife with a long serrated edge, and then an extra curving spike coming from the flat side of the blade in an L, forming a kind the fork portion. That and the large wooden spoons currently placed around the massive ceramic soup bowl where the only pieces of cutlery generally used in Hez'Ranna.

"Cherry, if you eat that whole thing, I'm gonna rip your liver out and have that for brunch instead." Zerrex said warningly, but Cherry merely snorted and rolled her eyes as the New Tears Drakkaren winced and quickly jogged away to snag another bottle of rose petal wine.

Then she looked up challengingly at Zerrex, saying teasingly: "You have to catch me first, bitch." And with that, she stabbed the feynah into the edge of the bloated, thick-red meat... and was rewarded with a loud squelch and a large spurt of blood that blasted up and splattered over her muzzle, dripping slowly down her face as she blinked several times, then let out a childish yell and began to rub at her eyes madly. "Oh my fuck! Fucking fuck but the fucking spices burn like shit! Ow ow ow ow ow, fuck fuck fuck, it fucking burns!"

Cindy winced and quickly grabbed a handful of napkins, jumping up and off her seat as Zerrex simply laughed madly at the agonized female, who was now flapping her arms as Cindy made a face and seized Cherry's skull with one hand to stop her from frantically twisting her muzzle back and forth and bouncing in her chair. Then the younger female muttered something about toddlers as she carefully wiped the spiced blood from Cherry's features, and the muscular female blinked several times, her eyes puffed up and reddened, and then she took the napkins from Cindy when she offered them and began to rub convulsively at her eyes with it, whining loudly: "The fucking spray was the same color as the meat, so I couldn't see it! Fuck a nun in the ass, but that was shitty and it hurt... and you shut up!" she added in an angry shout, glaring and pointing at Zerrex.

The white-haired reptile only continued to cackle, however, grinning widely and hugging himself as he rocked back and forth on the chair, Lone attempting to crawl under the table to hide with his ears laid back: Cherry was pissed off and blind, and Zerrex was hysterical with laughter. The situation, in short, seemed like the end of the world for the wolf. "I warned you not to take it, bitch! And... oh Gods, I can't even breathe..." A pause, and then Zerrex forced himself to stop laughing for a moment as he looked over at Cherry and asked seriously: "How did you like that hot spicy load all over your face?"

Cherry glared at him angrily for a few more moments... and then she snorted, and the two reptiles went off into another gale of laughter together as Lone peered up over the table and Cindy looked back and forth, nonplussed. Then she sighed and dropped a head in her hand as the Drakkaren came back with another bottle of rose petal wine, looking confusedly back and forth, but Cindy merely waved him away as she uncorked the bottle with his hand and took a deep drink from the neck, wishing idly for once that it was actual alcohol. She'd never gotten drunk in her life, but anything to escape the creeping embarrassment of babysitting the two Drakkaren in public... especially since they were attracting stares from the other tables, and Cherry's face was still dripping with spiced blood.

After the two calmed down, however, the meal went surprisingly well: Cherry gobbled down half the liver - Cindy trying not to watch the blood dribbling down the female's chin and the greedy expression on the muscular female's face as she leaned over the plate - then, despite her earlier remarks, offered the other half to Zerrex, who declined and said she would enjoy it more. Cherry had smiled at him, then eaten another quarter of it before offering it again, and Zerrex had accepted the food and eaten the rest of the liver, offering Cindy a piece, but the green-scaled Drakkaren had paled and leaned far away from the blood-dripping piece of meat, and he'd shrugged before popping it in his mouth and chewing with relish.

Lone, of course, had sulked and felt hurt he hadn't been offered any... even though it looked like one of the most horrible tasting things that ever existed and he wouldn't put it in his mouth to save his life. He also hated how he had to eat out of the bowl on the ground like an unevolved animal... not realizing that Zerrex had given up his own spoon so that the wolf wouldn't have to shove his muzzle into the mess. Instead, the reptile was taking turns with Cindy between eating the deliciously filleted-and-buttered strips of fish and using the spoon to eat the soup from the bowl. And Cindy had to admit, even though the red broth looked rather congealed, it was delicious... there were little balls of perfectly seasoned meat floating in it, along with all sorts of local herbs, vegetable bits, and it was sharp without being more than mildly spicy.

The wolf also found a love-hate relationship with how Zerrex was feeding him every now and then out of his hand, like he was a tamed beast, passing him bits of shrimp and seafood from the platter. It embarrassed him... but part of him liked it, felt that in private it would almost be... romantic, in fact.

Once they were done eating, the three lounged about, as Lone continued to idly scoop up the last bits of soup in his bowl, not really wanting to admit that it was actually pretty good and instead trying to think of something else to complain about or point out. Then he glanced up at Zerrex and held up his clay cup, asking plainly: "Can I have some more of that wine stuff?"

The reptile glanced up, winced at the expressions on the face of a few soldiers, and then the fact they muttered something to their compatriots sitting around the table, before he sighed and nodded, pouring the wolf a cup of the rose petal stuff. Lone mumbled something that was probably a 'thank you,' with a self-absorbed sigh, then he sipped at it idly as he slumped a bit on the ground. Then Zerrex glanced up and exchanged a silent look with Cherry, and the female face turned serious as she looked out towards the huddling group of private military, and she cursed under her breath. "Too-friendlies. Great."

"What?" Cindy asked, looking back and forth and blinking, then she glanced down at her cup as Zerrex filled her mug with green tea, before refilling his own. She frowned a bit as she finished the last sip of rose petal in her goblet, and then looked up at her father curiously. "Why'd you do that?"

"Precaution. Hot tea is more distracting to get thrown in your face than cold rosewater." Zerrex responded mildly, glancing over at the military unit as they leaned in a bit closer, and then one tossed them a glance, caught Zerrex's eyes, and quickly looked back into the huddle. Cherry had been right in calling them too-friendlies... allies who didn't recognize that just being on the same side, living in the same country, didn't mean they had all the same information. Especially between the royal families, as Zerrex knew that the monarchs had their disputes just like anyone else... and that they all had different jobs and controlled different sections of Hez'Ranna. And if a too-zealous general like the prick Fayvin who'd showed up yesterday learned, for instance, that the far right top corner of the Hellabos estate usually had a sniper sitting pretty there, he might make mention of it in passing conversation to some less-moral individuals who could attack the manse from the right with full knowledge of the defenses waiting for them.

Zerrex's guess was that the soldiers there likely thought he and the others were either some stupid goodwill organization or charity group attempting to free the slaves or some crap like that, and that's why Lone was being allowed in the enclosure and being fed so well. It made the reptile wince a bit as he weighed the available options... and then he glanced down to Lone and murmured: "You should clean my boots and Cherry's, polish them under the table. Make a show of it, because-"

But before he could finish, Lone looked up at Zerrex in shock, then his face twisted into an insulted, hurt expression as he scowled and replied in a loud, angry voice: "What the fuck are you asking me to do, Zerrex? I'm not going to do that! I'm not going to... to degrade myself for you! You can all just... fuck you all!"

And Zerrex winced at this, then held up a hand as Lone stood with tears in his eyes, snuffling and rubbing at his face as he turned away and began to head off... and Zerrex reached up to grab his shoulder, but Lone shrugged it off, and the reptile cursed internally: the wolf had just flipped out, hadn't paused to listen to the rest of the reason, and now he was just making it look worse as he headed towards the way in and out of the enclosure... and then the Drakkaren muttered under his breath as the soldiers stood up and surrounded the wolf, the huge Dragokkaren all grinning down at him.

Lone bumped into the one in front, and then fell over onto his rear, blinking and looking up through his teary eyes at the soldier in green and gloves... and then he felt his ears flatten and tail curl up between his legs as he laughed and said something to the others that Lone was pretty sure meant: 'he touched me, so let's squish him.' And finally, it clicked for the wolf that this wasn't his culture, his world, as those five huge soldiers tightened their circle around him, and that he likely had no way out, when a soft voice called out: "Hey. Get away from the idiot."

The soldiers looked up, temporarily distracted, and Zerrex stood ready: he had never dealt with Hez'Ranna military before, and he knew that the penalty for assaulting a private military officer in this country could mean death. But still he stood tall, Cherry slightly behind him and cracking her knuckles threateningly as she scowled, then the taller male reptile crossed his arms and continued easily: "He's not from around here, and he didn't think this would be much more than a pleasure cruise. So why don't you guys just get off him and go away, huh?"

The other Dragokkaren looked at each other, then one of them in a Hellabos outfit said in a blocky, thick voice: "We no like him. You get off plane, you think you important. We more important, we not like outsiders. Fuck you, traitor. Pelt inside, scale outside."

"I don't have a problem with you abusing pelts, I just don't want you abusing him, because he bruises about as easily as a ripe fruit." Zerrex replied evenly, then he reached up and touched his forehead as the Dragokkaren looked at each other in confusion, realizing that his metaphor had been lost on them. Great. First time... ever... that I actually think of a good line, and it gets wasted. Just great. "Look. Just back off. Or me and my friend here will break your faces."

"We five... you two, and stupid." The Dragokkaren replied boldly, crossing his arms, then he paused and looked past Zerrex with a wide grin towards Cindy, who was standing tense at the table, with the Tears City Drakkaren close by her, watching. In fact, all eyes were on them, and then the Dragokkaren added in a triumphant voice: "And girl back there scared, we beat you, and take her to be slave for boss's harem."

"You will not lay a finger on her." Zerrex breathed softly, his eyes flashing... and then he glanced back and forth, noting that two of the soldiers had snuck around to the side while the assumed boss of the little band had been talking. They were bracketed from either side, and there were still three Dragokkaren in front of them, too... messy odds.

"Fuck you, we fuck her good!" snarled the badly-speaking Dragokkaren, then he made a swift cutting motion with two fingers and barked a quick command, and the military on either side suddenly charged towards them. Zerrex snarled, then he felt Cherry tap his back and he nodded with a snort before dropping to a kneel, slamming his palms down into the ground.

Immediately, Cherry grabbed his shoulders, then boosted herself up and kicked both legs out to either side with a grunt, and both charging soldiers grunted in pain, one of them grabbing his kidney and the other's eyes bulging as his hands seized his crotch. Then, before either could recover, Cherry's muscles flexed as she forced her body to go into a handstand on Zerrex's shoulders, one foot snapping by the muzzle of the first Dragokkaren and making him blink, her legs still almost horizontal before she twisted at the waist, then spun her body by bringing each hand to the other shoulder of the strong male beneath her and lashing out with both legs, smashing in both muzzles of the offending reptiles and knocking them sprawling.

Then, as a third soldier ran forwards, Zerrex reached up, seized Cherry's arms, and the female straightened her legs outwards and back like a board, and then let herself be swung down and forwards. Her heels slammed across the muzzle of the next charging soldier before she bent her legs slightly to skid back along the tile floor, the soldier falling to his fours in a burst of blood from his nose, and then the muscular female grunted and kicked hard upwards with both legs as Zerrex hauled back on her arms at the same time, and she ended up flipping in a wide arc completely over the tall male Drakkaren, her feet smashing the enemy under the chin at the same time and knocking him down in a flat, unconscious heap, blood spilling out of his maw as he twitched a few times on the ground.

She landed on his back, arms around her neck, then she slid down and stepped back dizzily, grinning stupidly as she rubbed at one shoulder idly. Zerrex, meanwhile, met the eyes of the other two coldly... the supposed leader and the other Dragokkaren, who was standing and holding Lone up by the ruff of the neck, the wolf curled up meekly and sobbing.

The two looked at each other for a few moments, then the Drakkaren snarled angrily, feeling something in him beginning to snap under all the stress he'd been under lately and walking forwards, hands in tight fists... before the wannabe boss ran forwards, the Dragokkaren's uniform tight against his muscular body, his hand clenched into a fist, arm cocked back, and then he swung in with a hard right hook that smashed into Zerrex's face as the Drakkaren didn't even bother to make an effort to guard himself.

His head twisted from the force of the blow, and the leather of the gloves tore against his scales, his hair falling over his face... and then he turned his head back, his snarl turning into a horrible sharkish grin as his emerald eyes looked coldly up into those of the Dragokkaren, who was gaping stupidly and trembling violently as he stared down at his opponent in horror-

Zerrex cocked his arm back, then swung and leaned forwards, stepping into the wide, arcing punch as he shoved most of his strength into the single strike, and the Dragokkaren was sent crashing onto his back, skidding a good ten feet over the tile floor before his body curled up and he went into a tight roll, knocking a chair flying on his way and then smashing through the fencing that enclosed the dining area, and then finally bouncing a few times as he reached the street. Then he came to a stop in cloud of yellow dust, his body sprawled out and twitching, blood dripping from his unconscious maw.

Then Zerrex straightened and brushed his hair out of his face, rubbing idly at the bruise on his cheek, before his emerald irises travelled to the last standing soldier. The Dragokkaren in the Hellabos uniform trembled violently, and then he looked down at the wolf he was holding and dropped Lone as if he'd turned into a giant spider, stepping back and holding up his hands in surrender. He looked back and forth, for some kind of support, babbling in Hez'Rannan, and then he hit the broken chair that his friend had toppled over on his roll out of the enclosure and fell backwards onto his ass.

He yelped, then turned around and clawed at the ground uselessly for a few moments before scrambling away, tossing a terrified look over his shoulder as he fled. Zerrex snorted quietly at this, then he walked over to where Lone was still crying on the ground in a curled up mess, and he nudged him lightly with one boot. "Hey. Get up."

"I'm... s-sorry..." Lone babbled, then he simply began to cry harder and curled up tighter, and Zerrex sighed before shaking his head slowly. He glanced around at the many stares he was getting, before finally giving Lone another gentle boot, then deciding it would be best to just... let him work out his emotions on his own and turning back to Cherry with a single shake of his head, the two heading back towards the table as Cindy stared at them.

She stood up quickly and ran over, and they embraced tightly as she pressed into his chest before whispering softly: "I was scared, Daddy... they all looked pretty hardcore."

"They do hit a lot harder than people from back home." Zerrex said musingly, and winced a bit as Cindy leaned back and looked up at him worriedly, touching his cheek gently, and he gently grasped her wrist and pulled her hand away. "Hey, hey, watch it. That's frigging tender right now."

"Sir?" the Tears City Drakkaren walked up to them hesitantly, holding a large bottle of rose petal wine and smiling faintly, but looking a bit upset nonetheless. "I'm afraid I have to ask you and your party to leave, boss's orders... we just can't have the Hez'Ranna military showing up here to do an investigation and... it's best that you guys clear out before some other soldiers show up." A pause, and then he offered the bottle. "But... take this, and the meal's on the house, since you guys never got around to dessert before them assholes started up with makin' such a clamor."

Cindy smiled a bit at him and nodded, but Cherry grabbed the bottle before the daughter of Zerrex could, and instead grinned slightly as she looked at him. "Shoulda known any joint serving a drink with my name'd end up with us getting into some sort of fuckaree. Thanks kid. We'll get lost now, and take the little crying bitch with us, too, so you got less mess to clean up."

With that, she turned away and walked cheerily off, and Zerrex snorted, rolling his eyes before nodding politely to the Drakkaren, his arm tight around his daughter and hers wrapped around him in return, head against his shoulder and her eyes closed as she trusted him to guide her feet for her. Lone, meanwhile, was still sobbing... but now he was tightly holding Cherry's hand and being guided gently out by her, as he sniffled and rubbed at his face with the other, hating himself, his actions, and of course, the whole goddamn culture and country that he'd journeyed into. He wished already that he'd never come here... and why did I do it in the first place? Just so I could get closer to Zerrex? Now he just hates me again, even more... he had to save my ass just like he always used to before, and I just attract trouble and cause problems for everyone around here... I hate myself... I hate what I do to him and everyone else around me...

The wolf yanked his hand free of Cherry's and dropped his gaze, looking miserable, and Cherry blinked and looked at him mildly for a few moments before snorting and shrugging, then instead turning her attention to Zerrex as they left the enclosed café and started down the street, tossing devilish looks back and forth at Drakkai who quickly got out of their way as she asked mildly: "So where're we gonna head off to now?"

Zerrex paused, then he reached into his pocket with his free hand and produced the GPS he'd been given, glancing down at it and pressing a few buttons on it to bring up a map of the area. He mused as he glanced over the location names, then he laughed quietly. "Let's keep on going towards the market, and we'll see what information we can dig out there. There's a square only a few blocks down from here."

Cindy and Cherry both nodded, and the three Drakkai walked onwards as Lone dragged behind, keeping his head bowed as he wiped at his eyes, trembling quietly every so often but trying to remain calm and quiet in the background. He didn't want to cause any more trouble, so instead figured it'd be best to keep at a fair distance from everyone else and not push his luck any further than he already had.

A short while later found them pushing into a massive cobblestone square, filled with people and surrounded by towering business buildings of yellow stone and heavy wood. Zerrex noted, however, that the alleyways between buildings were all carefully sealed off by boards of heavy wood, and the streets leading in were guarded by heavy wooden gates that were currently propped wide open, to allow people to pass in and out. Placed at these gates, however, were armed military in plain uniform, but with thick riot gear on as well: vests, shinguards, and helmets made of fiberglass plating and softer mesh fabric that would stop a bullet without much trouble.

They passed through into the market, and Zerrex glanced over the many wooden stalls that filled the area, all of them with a dealer seated inside and peddling all manner of goods and services. The shops were pressed end-to-end for the most part, leaving only a few paths open for travel through the area.

The Boss turned his attention to a stall he saw a few spaces down, then he began to walk towards it, Cindy still resting easily against his side and Cherry loitering after them, tapping the bottle of rose petal wine against her leg as she tossed short looks over her shoulder to make sure that Lone was still following along behind them and hadn't gone and gotten himself into any more trouble. But at least here there were plenty of other slave scurrying around as well, all with tags fluttering around their necks and many of them carrying large wicker baskets filled with goods or lugging along large carts filled with wooden boxes and burlap bags.

Meanwhile, Zerrex had stopped in front of a stall that was loaded with newspapers and other magazines, most of them in the cryptographs of the Hez'Ranna, and Cindy finally let go of him and wandered idly over to another nearby shop that was filled with beautiful flowers. Zerrex smiled after her, then he turned his attention back to the inside of the shop as the owner looked at him curiously, asking carefully: "I'm looking for some news..."

"In a language you can read, yes? Praise Separ, but we get a lot of you outsiders here." The shop owner replied in a clipped voice with a grin, and Zerrex gave a surprised start as the young Drakkaren hopped up, the little red fez he wore falling askew but staying firmly standing tall on his head from the string tied around his neck. "You have no idea how often we get this. Every outsider who comes to Uroboros ends up coming here."

"Uh. Yeah." Zerrex said slowly, glancing over the Drakkai with a cough, then reaching up to rub the back of his head as he recognized the white robe he wore as a religious garment... but the scarf he had around his neck wasn't any sacred cloth, but instead a rainbow-colored and cartoon-character covered dollar-store kid's wear. Combined with the fez on his head, and the silver chain he wore around his neck with the name "Becca" dangling from it - Oh Gods, I hope his name isn't Becca. Why do I always get the weirdos... - in large metal letters... "So do you have a paper?"

"I want your pants." 'Becca' said casually, and Zerrex stared at him for a few moments as the Drakkaren shrugged and grinned, winking as he shoved his arms out to the side like a magician about to do a trick, and revealing the variety of rings he wore on his hands - from plastic knobs to platinum and diamonds, he was adorned with everything. And then he pulled up both his sleeves as Zerrex stared, and the reptile saw everything from a black magic charm used to summon Satan made of what looked like dried flesh to about four different styles of broken watches. Topping it all off? Above the demonic sign was a 'Mr. Happy's Kid's Hour' collector's bracelet.

Then Becca let his robes drop back down over his arms, and he cleared his throat loudly, crossing his arms and looking at Zerrex primly. "Now, mister outsider, as you can see, I am a collector of things from other cultures. I still, however, am lacking a pair of those strange blue army pants so many of you people wear... they sell for around a hundred gold coins around here, and that's the same as the payment I make on this shop to the tax collector, you know, just so I can set up here every month.

"So I'll make you a deal. You give me your pants, and I'll give you all the information you want..." A pause, and Becca's eyes glinted as he grinned and leaned in, putting one hand down on the counter of the stall and beckoning with another finger. Zerrex winced, already knowing he was going to regret this, but he sighed inwardly and leaned down towards the shop owner, who then muttered into his ear: "And that includes anything you might be curious about going on here, mister royal monarch Narrius."

Zerrex twitched back, looking shocked, and Becca grinned... before squealing as Zerrex seized him by the neck and dragged him close, a twitch going off in his eye as he glared down into his eyes, and the Drakkaren's arms flailed as the Boss said flatly: "My name... is Zerrex."

With that, he tossed Becca backwards, and he fell with a rattling bang, knocking over his chair and a stack of magazines that was also loaded with other useless junk, and then the Drakkaren leaned into the shop and glared down at the eccentric Drakkaren... but then he glanced down the aisle formed by the shops at the patrolling soldiers who had paused to watch him, one of them half-reaching for a radio... and he sighed before glaring and pointing at Becca, enunciating carefully: "If you screw with me, I'm going to beat the crap out of you, got it? But fine, I'm going to go... change out of these, and you can have my goddamn pants."

"Glad we could make a deal, jerk." Becca spat, glaring up at him, and then he fell backwards as Zerrex rose a fist threateningly, raising his hands and flapping them back and forth. "I surrender, holy god in a toaster, but you have a short fuse! How the hell else was I gonna get a big-time player like you to pay attention to me, though?"

"You coulda asked." Zerrex muttered, then he straightened and looked over at Cherry, who was leaning on the wall of the shop next door and grinning at him widely. He felt another twitch go off in his eye, then snapped: "What do you want?"

But Cherry only continued to grin cheerfully for a few moments, then she winked and gestured with a tilt of her muzzle towards the next aisle over. "Think clothes are down that way, Boss. Come on, let's go have some fun."

Zerrex mumbled under his breath, checking first where Cindy was, and confirming that she and Lone were wandering down through the other shops together, before he sighed and nodded, and the two Drakkaren walked around to the next corridor of shops... and Zerrex's jaw dropped as he shook his head rapidly. "Oh no, screw this, I'm just going to kick his ass and-"

"Get caught by those frigging MPs." Cherry snorted laughter, grabbing one of his muscular biceps and half-dragging Zerrex down the row of what was mostly clothing stores, the reptile grinning cheerfully around as she watched people glancing over various articles of clothes... and a few shamelessly stripping out of their loincloths or tunics to try on something else. The Boss blushed deeply as Cherry insistently pulled him along the shops, then paused and coughed, stopping in front of one that was selling loincloths like the Iuratus back at the manse had been wearing. "I think you'd look great in these."

"My penis hangs lower than some of those." Zerrex muttered under his breath, then he checked his pocket for his wallet and sighed, glancing inside: he'd traded all of the pocket money he'd had on him for Hez'Rannan funds, and it hadn't come out to much at all. "Look, I've got... seven gold coins, and like, thirty two silver ones or something."

Cherry nodded, then coughed as she peered around the various clothing stores. "Too bad there ain't no price tags."

This made the male groan and roll his eyes, then he mumbled and turned towards another stall that was selling what looked like long tunics. Then Zerrex winced as he saw the money trade hands for one that would be large enough to cover him - fifteen or so gold coins. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he turned back to the loincloths, and the female running the store - wearing one of her own brand, but also with a long cloth strip wrapped around her breasts and various gold piercings and ornaments on her body - smiled at him... and Zerrex got the impression she was undressing him with his eyes. He mumbled, roved over the stock as Cherry floated around with a cheerful grin behind him, and then he finally pointed at one of the loincloths hanging at a back on the rack, asking dejectedly: "How much?"

The Drakkaren merely stared at him in confusion... then shrugged and took it down, before putting it on the counter and tilting her head as she said something in her own language. Zerrex mumbled under his breath again, then he cleared his throat and said: "I don't speak Hez'Rannan... how many coins... money... do you want for that?"

Again, the female merely looked at him, frowning, and Cherry snorted laughter behind him. "Yeah, Boss. That's great. Tell her you don't understand her language... in your own, which she obviously doesn't friggin' get."

Zerrex threw an elbow hard back into the female's collarbone, between her breasts, and Cherry fell over with a squawk as Zerrex attempted to smile as the shopkeeper stared at him. Then he pulled out his wallet, bit his tongue, and then put a gold coin on the counter and a silver coin. The girl looked down at this, then back up at him with a dry 'are you joking?' expression, and Zerrex tapped the gold coin before raising a hand and holding out all five digits, trying to question with his eyes.

She looked at him, looked down at the coin, looked back up, frowned... and then something clicked in her mind and she got the pantomime, looking amusedly at the reptile, but then quickly shaking her head, before holding up both her hands, and all her fingers extended. Zerrex stared at her, then he mumbled under his breath before taking all the money he had from his wallet, putting it all the counter, and then shrugging to indicate he had no more. The female looked over him, frowned a bit, then she shook her head quickly and crossed her arms stubbornly. But as Zerrex began to turn away, she made a bit of a face, then made an opening motion. Zerrex stared at her, and she did it again, at waist level, and the reptile blinked as Cherry piped up from behind him: "I think she wants you to take off your pants."

"Why the hell does everyone want my freaking pants..." Zerrex muttered under his breath, but then he sighed and nodded, reaching down and undoing his fly and pushing his pants down, blushing a bit as he began to step out of his jeans... and the female said something quickly in Hez'Rannan and pointed at his boxers. Zerrex stared at her disbelievingly as she gestured again and said something else... and then he reached down, grasping the fabric of his boxers and coughing as he said disbelievingly: "You'll give me the loincloth... if I give you my underwear as well as the money?"

She didn't understand the speech, but obviously the look and the motion, and she grinned widely and nodded firmly, clapping her hands together twice. And Cherry fell over, cackling, as Zerrex blushed darker, mumbling under his breath as tried to ignore the casual glances of people as he stripped naked, and the way the shopkeeper kept leaning forwards to peer curiously at his crotch as Cherry sat on the ground with her bottle of rose petal wine, still laughing like an idiot.

Then, standing nude and embarrassed, he handed over his boxers... was vaguely creeped out - or perhaps the word was 'horrified' - when she stuck her muzzle in them and inhaled... and then she smiled brightly at him as she hung them up on a rack and took the money off the counter before finally handing over the loincloth. Zerrex grumbled under his breath as he quickly slid them on, Cherry sitting with his jeans on her head and her combat boots tied together to dangle around her neck, then she grumbled and rolled her eyes as Zerrex finally stood in his new outfit. "Oh sure, it was so much because you had to get the deluxe version that covers your ass and your goody bits. That's just a frigging diaper with a sash and big strip of cloth hanging down from it."

"Bite me." Zerrex muttered irritably, rubbing at his abdominals and feeling ridiculously self-conscious as he turned and began to head back towards the eccentric Becca, unable to stop from looking down at himself. The cloth squeezed tight against his body, and he thought it was almost more like a rather uncomfortable white speedo or pair of short-shorts with a long cloth strip trimmed in blue hanging from the front than a diaper, at least... and then he paused and glanced over his shoulder as Cherry walked along beside him, before gaping as he watched the girl selling his boxers for what looked like a bag of gold coins. Cherry followed his gaze, then grinned and slapped him on the back as she watched a Dragokkaren strip down and hop into them, and the girl counting out the gold coins he'd just given up onto the counter.

"You got played hard." she said earnestly, and he mumbled under his breath before taking the jeans and walking back into the next aisle up, stomping down the passage to Becca's shop.

He threw his jeans at the eccentric Drakkaren's face, and they hit him square in the muzzle, causing him to blink before he grinned cheerfully and hugged them against his chest, looking up at the reptile with a beaming expression. "Well, sir, thank you so much for your great generosity! And let me say, you do look quite handsome in that traditional sash-"

"Tell me how you know about me or I'm going to punch you in the face." Zerrex said flatly, raising a fist threateningly, and Becca coughed and dropped into his chair, paling beneath his reddish scales like a misbehaving student.

"I have a source inside Hellabos's guest manse, Kraven, a member of the pelt harem who likes to claim he's an Iuratus when he's just a shipped-in slave from Pang, an island near here. He runs laundry chores in the morning, and he told me about you this morning. Said you were impossible to miss because of the fur growing out of your head." he said meekly, and Zerrex nodded slowly before sighing and reaching up to rub a growing headache he felt. Then Becca coughed and looked back and forth before leaning closer.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking, then shook his head and said quietly: "But if you're any smart, you've noticed the military... not out of the normal, no, but there's been an increase in general military patrols throughout the city. They're searching for a murderer... and this just might be interesting to you, because the murderer's been targeting royal families."

Zerrex blinked, and Cherry also turned serious before she looked back and forth, then began to wander idly back and forth in front of the shop, carefully scoping out the other stall owners and the people passing back and forth along the hall. The Boss leaned forwards a bit more towards Becca as he straightened and began to fold up his jeans, looking down as he continued on with the information. "Three members of the Hezrow and one of Hezanna has been killed... and yeah, I guess you've likely heard that bull about the royal hunt? Well, my sources from the ruling council that advises all three royal families tells me there's been no traditional hunt this year, but instead the royal families have gone into hiding. I hear you scared the shit out of High General Fayvin yesterday too, huh?"

The Boss nodded; Becca was obviously nervous as hell telling him all this, and Zerrex guessed the penalty for getting all this information however he had was probably something like life imprisonment or death. The Drakkaren gave a small glance up at him and a weak grin at the ivory-haired lizard's confirmation, however. "Good. Fuckin' elitist bastard. Kills pelts for no reason and only uses Drakkaren slaves, believes in Dragokkaren superiority above all. But yeah... he was spouting some bull about Hellabos being behind this shit, but that don't make sense either... 'cause ain't no one heard any word from any of his kids for a few weeks now, either. They disappeared from where they were stationed as diplomats... and then the murders of the royal family started."

The Drakkaren felt a sudden wave of sympathy for Hellabos, understanding now why he'd rushed them to the Estate, greeted them with a full troop of soldiers... and shown such hurriedness in getting Marina back for them. He'd lost his own children... and now he was probably afraid that the same people who were targeting the monarchs of Hez'Ranna were also after Zerrex and his family. He nodded slowly, and then asked: "What happened with the first murders? And has there been any recently?"

Becca started to open his mouth, but then Cherry shouted cheerfully and rose a hand, swaying on the spot as if a bit drunk: "Hey, ain't you one of the bodyguards of Hellabos? And you got some big burly guys there with you, too, babe!"

"Feaga!" Becca hissed, which Zerrex guessed was probably Hez'Rannan for 'shit,' and then he quickly snagged a newspaper from nearby and forced a smile on, tilting it down as Zerrex looked to the side to see the Blind Girl, accompanied by the two tattooed elites they'd seen when they'd first arrived. "Oh, miss, what a surprise. I was just reading the local news to... Zerrex, was your name? He is an outsider, but I take it you-"

"Shut up." One of the elites said coldly, and Becca shrunk back before the huge Dragokkaren turned his eyes to Zerrex, looking almost contemptible as he said in the same hard voice: "You and the rest of the outsiders are wanted back at the manse, for an audience with Lord Hellabos, sir. The girl and the pack-dog are already on their way there with another escort team. Please follow me, Lord Zerrex."

And the last definitely wasn't a request; it was a cold order. Zerrex and Cherry exchanged a frown, and then the reptile nodded slowly as Cherry snarled a bit but kept silent as the Blind Girl seemed to gaze over them with her patronizing smile, and the group turned and headed out of the market and back down the streets towards the elegant manse.