Winter Date 1, Part 2: Mushrooms and Manuscripts

Winter

“What’s with this weird menu?” Mona asks.

“Well,” Winter smirks, “it’s in Elvish. If I didn’t make a reservation and tell them it was for the Hotel, the staff here would not even speak Common. I have a couple of approaches, if you want help.”

“Oooh, so this is a ‘we are at a snooty French restaurant, so OF COURSE the menu is in French’ situation.”

Winter shrugs, “Not sure who the French are, but if that works for you?”

That starts a bit of conversation until Lote returns to take drink orders. “Would the Mistress like some Mirutelumbe?”

“Ahhh...” Mona looks a bit out of her depth.

Winter hops in, “It is an acquired taste, Mistress. Perhaps a small glass to sample?”

Mona nods, then, when she finishes staring at the waitress’s sashaying ass, bumbles, “What did we just order?”

“About that choice of approach, I would like you to make a decision. Option One, you tell me what you would like and trust that I can order for you. Option Two, I translate but expect you to at least try things without complaint. It is much easier to do the former than the latter.”

“Option One? I need to be braver and I think I will be able to handle this better not knowing what it is.”

Lote returns with the goblets, setting them down just so. Winter takes a sip of his. Earthy, peaty, with just a hint of sweetness. Not as good as the Mushroom Wine Mama Skye makes, but pretty good. Mona sputters a little, “Wow, that was unexpected. What is that?”

“Drow Mushroom Wine.”

Mona freezes. Craig strikes again, huh?

“I am not going to get you drunk, Mona. That is the only alcohol for the night. I have no desire to repeat last week’s first date. I am just sharing my people’s culture with you.”

“So, your people make booze out of mushrooms?”

“My people spent several thousand years living underground. Drow agriculture is very different than yours.”

“I like mushrooms. Just never thought to make them into booze before.”

“Well, a world without sunlight will make you get creative.”

Mona thinks on that. She sips her glass, making a face at it. Winter, who got his taste in alcohol from Mama Queen, savors the wine. Don’t forget, you need to perform. No – what would Mama Mattie call it? – whiskey dick tonight.

When Lote returns with slices of toasted trillimac, heavily slattered with seasoned Underdark rothe butter, Winter orders for them both: a fresh filet of rothe that fits Mona’s diet and some braised thuldur for himself. Both get mushroom sides that barely count as vegetables fitting Mona’s diet for dinner, but he can’t do much about authentic dark green veggies here.

Mona looks happy about “bread,” at least until she bites into it and see that it is grey inside. Winter grabs a slice himself and, after a bite, notes, “It’s a mushroom we cultivate. Works a lot like bread culinarily.”

Mona smiles, “I bet you are going to tell me that a rothe is another mushroom?”

“Actually, they are small oxen creatures that we raise for things like butter. Looks like a musk ox from your world?”

Mona gives a quizzical look. “What do they eat?”

“Mushrooms. Lichens.”

“And you ordered?”

“Imagine training a kimono dragon to serve as a mule. Some of that.”

“Okay, I am stealing a bite of that. Never tried giant lizard before. Or any lizard, for that matter. What do they eat?”

“Whatever they can get their jaws around.”

“So, mushrooms?” Mona asks, eating her slice of buttered mushroom.

“Among other things.”

Mona sits on the idea for a few moments. Winter lets her mull the idea. She does look pretty in the candlelight. Eventually, Mona breaks the quiet, “So, I guess this is as close to a ‘sit down and talk to a near stranger’ date as I have ever had. Can you tell me what life here was like? And, maybe, how much of mine do you know?”

“My moms were the ones with the dossiers on you and yours, Mona. They didn’t know which potential Master would agree, so they didn’t clue us kids in about you. But... if you want to talk childhoods...”

Thus begins a really good conversation over dinner. Winter shares a lot about his life here. Home schooling with his moms. Pool time with his bunny-sisters. Tossing fish to his mermaid-sisters when they were feeling playful. Doing everything with his twin sister.

Mona shares, too. School and then after-school tutoring for hours. The pressure to succeed at everything all the time. Feeling inadequate to her older brother. Bearing the constant shame of her parents.

“And this lizard stuff is really good!” Mona declares, tears streaking her mascara.

“Hey, I am sorry. If I knew...”

“Winter, don’t... don’t apologize for my parents. They meant well, but I am just not good enough...”

“Nope, Mistress. None of that. I am not apologizing for your parents’ behavior; I am apologizing for upsetting you. You want me to fix up your makeup?”

Mona casts Prestidigitation to clean her face, then dries her eyes with her napkin. “I am totally finding more uses for magic every hour.”

“As well you should. You need us to call this early or...”

“That wouldn’t be fair to you. What’s next on the agenda?”

“That depends. I had sophisticated adult options and I had dumb fun options. Which are you feeling?”

“Dumb fun?”

Winter nods. Dumb fun it is. Be nice to spend one last time with the gang before the game makes that too hard.

Gaia

Jenny gave Gaia a bit of time to deal with Tina before she starts her lesson. Kevin is walking with her. The store at least looks fun. Tina poses cutely as she notices them walk in, “Hi, cuties! I hope you are less grumpy than Tegan. What can I do for you?”

“The fun aphrodisiac transformation, please. Oh, and I guess the stat one?”

Tina pouts a little, “Sorry, cutie, but you can’t afford both. Here are your current options.”

Tina summons a card with a wink, and Gaia checks out her transformation prices:

• Rapid Return to Nature – 136 BP
• A Different Kind of Burning – 136 BP
• Great Stat Unification – 120 BP
• Conservationalist – 240 BP

Gaia also pouts. I don’t remember what those other two do, but the fun one is more than I have right now. I COULD afford it in a couple of days, if I skip the “being responsible with the numbers” dealie.

“Oh, and while you are here Kevin, your options.”

Tina hands a card to Kevin and he quickly reads his choices. Gaia, of course, reads over his shoulder:

• Silk and Spiders – 173 BP
• Liquid Stitches – 260 BP
• Give ‘em the Horns – 520 BP
• Shoulda Been a Cowboy – 520 BP

“Aww, man. The one that lets you enjoy Winter riding you more is unfairly expensive.”

Kevin, for his part, shrugs, “If Tegan told us right, then prices are based on how popular the option was in the poll. Something had to get last place. This is just good to know, just in case. Now, get the stat stabilizing boost, then we should get out of Tina’s hair.”

“Hah! Pun!” Gaia blurts out, “You know? Hare? ‘Cause she’s a bunny girl?”

Kevin slaps his forehead. “Sorry. Still, let’s buy it and go.”

“But I’m so close to the fun one! Can’t I wait on the boring one?”

Tina adds, “Yeah, she IS close to the fun one!”

Kevin sighs, his big shoulders slumped, “Fine. You get the stat one right now, and I’ll pay for your date. That way, you have most of the round to save up for the pervy aphrodisiac one. Deal?”

“Deal! Pleasure doing business with you.”

Gaia: -120 BP

Gaia feels a little stronger as the transformation sets in. It’s hard to describe. Tina flashes up the illusion to remind Gaia what she just purchased.

The Great Stat Unification – Gaia’s statistics change based on the archetype of animal she shifts into. This is a giant pain for everyone involved, so let’s fix that. Now, Gaia’s stats will be consistent, getting the highest modifier for each stat from her four archetypes (Shifter).

As the two leave, Gaia asks, “So, Kevin, what did you need my help with?”

Kevin looks nervous and mutters his answer, getting his phone out to do some texting. Gaia gives a big, stupid grin. Oh, this is going to be fun!

Tessa

The cat-girl’s eyes open wide as the two of them enter the Hotel library. “Is being in here a privilege or are we going to be punished?”

Tessa can see why Gaia and Mona start petting Mineko when she says a heart-breaking thing. It is an easy temptation to give into; the girl purrs and seems to forget the last few minutes. Unfortunately, her long-term mental health requires facing the hard task of pushing the cat beyond her own rearing.

“No, Mineko. The library is open for all. Why would you think you would be punished?”

The cat cocks her head, as Tessa has often observed her doing. “[Books] are for owners. Slaves should not touch them.”

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that first word.”

The cat-girl looks sad, her twin tails giving the ground a low sweep, “I do not know what they are called in Common. I only know what words I would need for serving an Owner that does not speak Sylvan.”

“Well, then you were poorly prepared to be with Mona.”

The desperation in Mineko’s voice is heart-wrenching. She almost yowls, “Please, teach me to serve Owner-Mona better! I need to be a good slave!”

Tessa sits down at a reading nook chair. It is plush, overstuffed, with a small table between an identical chair. Mineko kneels on the floor instead of taking a proper seat. Again, Tessa yearns for the girl. Why does she insist on making this hard?

“The first thing you need to realize, Mineko, is that Mona does not want you as a slave. Where we are from, slavery is amoral and illegal. Do you understand?”

Another look of confusion between Tessa’s legs. “You mean our existence will be a crime when we go back to Owner-Mona’s household?”

Tessa leans forward, lifting Mineko’s head to look into her eyes. They are watery with unshed tears. “No, Mineko. I’m saying that you are not a slave and Mona does not want you as a slave, outside of probably some bedroom antics. She wants you to be a person, not just a pet. Do you understand?”

“I understand the words, but not the – how do you say? – [sentiment]. I’m a slave. I only want to be the best slave for Owner-Mona I can be. The idea that I could be a person is... [preposterous].”

Okay, I see that her limited vocabulary is a problem. I need a way to translate her Sylvan. Comprehend Languages will work in letting me understand, but won’t help her learn. “Can you read or write?”

Mineko did not understand the question. After explaining it, the cat-girl replies, “No. Why would a slave need to do that?”

“I presume you know magic, how to invent things, and how to maintain your armor as an artificer. How did you learn all of that without being able to read?”

The explanation is brutal, but should have been expected. A combination of practical demonstrations and excessive punishments for failure. Poor girl. Well, that is a starting point.

Tessa gets up and starts to scour the library for picture books, preferably non-perverted picture books. Between the inter-dimensional nature of this library and the sexual nature of this show, it takes some doing (and several texts to her sister), but some books are found and placed on the little table in the reading nook.

Mineko is pretty big for sitting in Tessa’s lap, but that seems to be the only way to get her to stop kneeling. When the cat-girl closes her eyes to not look at the pages, Tessa says, “You are going to learn to read for Mona,” in the sternest teacher voice the sea elf can muster.

“Yes, ma’am!” Mineko complies.

Tessa feels a little bit guilty about that, but they start to read through the first book. I will make it up to you, Mineko, once you are ready to accept that you can be more than what your abusers taught you to be.