Walking out onto the street, I felt strangely happy as I headed for the restaurant.

"Bye Renn! Visit again someday!"

Turning, I grinned and waved happily at Promilla and the dozen others who were waving at me from the windows and open doorway. I hadn't met all of them, but I felt like I had come close. It had only taken an hour or so with Promilla for the rest to approach, sitting and joining our conversation. By the end, nearly three hours later, they had needed to move and shuffle some of the chairs and couches because not everyone had a place to sit as to join.

I had enjoyed the moment immensely. Not only had their way of life been something I had never envisioned before, they all had been widely different people. There had been fallen nobles, former slaves, wives, those with faith and those without. Their little brothel had almost felt something like our Society.

It was a place where many different people were gathered, and all looked out for one another. Held together by a single, common thing. Their work.

After spending time with them, and realizing most of them were as normal as anyone else, I realized a couple things. Things that made me feel a little… more privileged than I thought myself to be, at least.

"Welcome back!" Sivra happily greeted me as I approached the table they sat at. They had some plates of food, but most of it was eaten and gone. I picked up the cup that Vim had obviously been nursing this whole time and took a long drink before sitting down next to him.

"Well, least she didn't join them," Vim said calmly as I took a seat.

"He was worried when a bunch of them started gathering around you," Sivra said with a smirk.

I grinned at that and glanced behind me, to the brothel in the distance. From here I could barely make out the silhouettes of people beyond the window. Vim's sight was better than mine, so he had likely been able to see me and the group talk this whole time. Likely the reason he hadn't come in to save and rescue me even after I spent hours longer in there than I had originally planned.

"I had fun. You should have come with me Sivra, they were neat and nice. They remind me a lot of many of our members, especially those like Oplar," I said.

"Oplar…?" Vim mumbled, but I ignored him as I took another drink. It was a little warm, likely since he had indeed been nursing it for hours. It was moments like this that I wished Vim was a little more normal. Would it kill him to keep his food and drink more fresh, so that when I stole some it was still edible?

"I'm good. Vim and I spent some time talking so it was fine," Sivra said with a smile.

Oh? I glanced at Vim, who was looking away. Not in shame or anything but instead at one of the workers of this restaurant. Vim waved the young lad down once he glanced our way, and he hurried over.

I stayed quiet as Vim ordered more drinks and some more food. The lad frowned as he took the order, writing it down with a broken pencil, and I noticed the way he tried to not look at me as he hurried away once finished.

"Why'd he not look at me?" I asked once the boy entered into the building.

"He's under the impression we're doing something weird," Vim said simply.

"Weird?" I asked and glanced at Sivra who looked down and blushed. What? "What is it?" I asked, smiling. So they had their own neat moments while I was gone, did they?

"It's my fault… I struggled to order and stumbled and rambled, and asked Vim for help and the boy laughed and I think he misunderstood, and…!" Sivra began to ramble, quietly, as she lowered her head and blushed even harder.

Oh. I see. "Did you tease her Vim? In front of the boy?" I asked, understanding clearly.

"Well…" Vim shifted, and I laughed a little. So he had! Poor Sivra. Poor boy too, since it seemed he had been a victim as well!

Smiling happily, I gestured gently at Sivra. "It's terrible isn't it! His teasing is so painful because of how calm and natural he is when he does it. Makes you question yourself for a moment, only to doubt if he really meant or not, then you try to think of something to say in return and by then it's too late so all you can do is groan and accept it," I complained, feeling her pain.

Sivra nodded, though looked a little odd as she did. She was now staring at me as if I was saying something profound, but I had only been trying to make her feel more comfortable and not as embarrassed.

"So how'd your little visit to the brothel go, Renn? Can I tease you about it yet?" Vim then asked.

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"Hm? It went great! I'm sorry I spent longer with them than I should have, but they were very willing to talk and I was having fun, so…" I lightly apologized, even though I would have done it again had I been given the opportunity.

Vim didn't seem to mind as he nodded. "I'm glad you had fun, you don't seem to have any tear stains so I assume it all went well and you didn't fall in love with any of them at least, right?" he asked.

Giggling at him, I waved a finger. "On the contrary! I found several of them to be very lovely! In fact I plan to tell Kaley all about them next time I see her, she'd probably not just fit right in with them but absolutely love it there," I said.

Vim paused, groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Please don't," he mumbled.

Woops. He looked actually worried about that. Maybe I shouldn't then.

"Kaley?" Sivra asked.

"A member who is uh… very outgoing when it comes to physical relationships," I said carefully.

"Oh. She sells herself too?" she asked, with a tone that told me she had not said such a thing with the intent to be rude.

"No. She just likes sharing her bed," Vim specified.

"Ah… I don't understand that. Though maybe it's because I've never done it," Sivra said as she shrugged.

Perking up, I glanced at Vim and smiled. He ignored me, intentionally, as I happily felt closer to Sivra even though she likely had no idea as to why.

"Well… as long as you got whatever answer you were searching for, Renn. That's all that matters," Vim said.

"Rather than answers… I just now understand a little better, I think. They don't see what they do as something wrong or weird. To them it's as normal as baking bread, or making clothes. Though they are a little more mature and aware of things, such as the girl who first sat and talked to me originally, Promilla, first assumed I was more trouble than I was worth. She thought I was some weird powerful noble from another country, someone dangerous," I said.

"Well duh? You're dressed like a mercenary, but look and act like a wealthy noble. It's your personality. You're weird to normal people, so they believe you to be someone who lives a distant life from them as to explain it. Most assume either mercenary or noble, or some form of them, since that's the only things such people can think of," Vim said.

"Weird? Am I weird Sivra?" I asked, making sure to ask as innocently as I could as to tease Vim.

Instead of teasing Vim, it was Sivra who startled and blushed. "Whuh…!? Uh! Um…!" she began to panic, and I instantly felt bad.

I had not meant to tease her at all! "Sorry, sorry," I apologized and glanced at Vim, to glare at him. "Look what you did!" I said to him.

"Yeah that's about the face she made when I teased her earlier. Made that boy drop a whole platter too, was a mess," Vim said with a sigh.

Groaning, I further regretted missing it.

"Please…!" Sivra covered her face, blushing ear to ear, so I kept my giggles at bay as to spare her.

"Still, I enjoyed it. I had worried they would be depressed, and make me depressed too, but instead I felt like they were all actually happy. It was like a game to them. I watched customers come in, and they all played games and made bets as to pick who took who if the customer didn't specify one by name. It made the whole place feel… like what they were doing wasn't personal at all, and just another part of a life. They sold themselves just as calmly as I would work at the bank in Lumen, or something," I said.

"Some would argue that bank is more evil than that brothel, so that makes sense," Vim said.

Hmph. "You do seem to hate money, what with the way you never haggle or care if you spend it all," I said.

"Metal is metal. I care more about the blood that stains it," he said.

Oh my. It was obvious Vim had just been playing along with my teasing, but that had been quite a statement.

So much of one in fact that Sivra, who had been blushing and mumbling under her breath, now was staring at Vim and I with a rather stunned expression.

Smiling at her, I gestured at Vim. "So? How was your conversations, then? Other than the teasing?" I asked.

"She's decided to go meet the family she was to be married into. As to properly apologize to them," Vim explained gently.

Looking to Sivra, I happily smiled and nodded. "Yeah?"

"Yes… Vim's made it clear I don't need to, and that he's willing to talk to them for me… but that's wrong, I think. What if they worry if I don't at least tell them myself? I know I would, so…" Sivra shrugged gently, smilingly softly as she did.

How wonderful…! "That's great, Sivra. It's not far from here, right Vim? So it's not like it would take us long to do so, plus it lets Vim check on them too so it's many birds with a single stone!" I said happily.

Vim nodded, and was about to say more but the young boy from earlier emerged from the building. He carried over a platter to our table, putting down food and cups with silent haste.

"Thanks!" I thanked the boy as I went to grab one of the plates. It had a delicious looking slice of meat upon it.

"Enjoy…" the boy spoke stiffly and turned and left. He was waved over by another table and seemed relieved to be so.

I wonder how Vim had teased them. I almost wished I had been here to see it.

"You'll have to pay Vim," I said as I went to cutting up the meat as to eat it.

"Huh? Why? What happened to all the money he gave you?" Sivra asked.

"She spent all my money at that brothel. This is why you're smart for avoiding marriage, Sivra, because this is all it gets you," Vim said with a happy tone as pointed blandly at me, and then he went to re-arranging some of the plates and cups. His tone told me he had expected my doing so.

Since I had a bite of food in my mouth, I wasn't able to respond quickly enough, but Sivra had me covered.

"At least she didn't actually taste the goods she bought?" she suggested as she too reached out for a piece of food.

Vim sighed. "That just makes it worse."

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