Shove her face into your muffin.

"Support Spell: Conjure Basic Rations"

"What!?"

Twenty minutes later, several blocks away, in a room at a cheaper inn, Niki stared in shock as a muffin emerged from Shiroe's fingertips in a shower of golden sparkles.

"How!? How did you smuggle that thing out of the Party's Rest!?"

"It was simple, really." Shiroe smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I didn't."

"You see, I had a first level support spell that I hadn't picked yet, and I knew that conjuring bread and water would be a pretty useful ability. But before I could do that, I needed a clear memory of eating food that belongs in this world. A prototype, if you will, for the spell to use."

"Okay, I didn't understand any of that. I'm not a magic-user. And are you saying you're not from this world? That's a pretty crazy--"

"I can create a new muffin every morning from now on."

"Oh my gods!" Niki exclaimed as she snatched up the muffin, "Let's adventure together! I don't even care what world you're from! I will follow you to hell and back--"

"Not so fast, Niki. I'm a man of my word. I told them that I would mass-produce their muffins. I told them they would be eaten all over Tivera. I did not say that they would be baked in an oven or served in a restaurant, although I did heavily imply it. And, in fact, I may actually come back here later when I have some more capital to work with and follow through with the whole deal. But unfortunately for you, I did also say one other thing."

"I told them that you would pay for your muffins."

Niki sank to the floor, staring in disbelief at the muffin crumbs that were on her hands from the muffin she'd just devoured.

"Wh-what are you going to make me do to you?" she stammered, squirming and tossing her hair.

As cute as it was to watch her contemplate selling her body for a muffin, Shiroe had other plans. He placed a finger on her lips. "Shhh. Not that. Sexual **** is frowned upon where I'm from, no matter what your body language suggests." He trailed the fingertip along her chin as he continued. "If you want me to take advantage of you... to use you... to **** you to submit to me, sexually..." and here, he pulled his hand away just before reaching her neck. "... I'm afraid you're just going to have to ask nicely for that privilege."

Niki shuddered as he pulled away. Wait, what? She had to ask... for the privilege... of being taken advantage of? She wondered what kind of sick sexual mindgame this was.

"This sick sexual mindgame is called 'consent.' And if you let it, it can become a very erotic part of your life." Niki hung on his every word.

"But, no," Shiroe said, effortlessly shattering the mood he'd spent two minutes building and Niki had spent two hours reciprocating, "I was thinking you could work off your debt one day at a time with bodyguard duty."

"You want me to work for half a silver a day!?"

Shiroe smiled as she realized how unfair the deal was "No, actually. I just wanted you to--"

"That's awesome!"

"Wait, what?"

"Nobody's ever offered to actually pay me before! And for half a silver a day? I could buy anything with that money! Even a muffin!"

Shiroe rubbed his forehead, trying to decide where to even begin correcting her. "I'm not offering to pay you half a silver per day. I'm not even seriously offering to pay you an overpriced muffin per day. I'm trying to get you to see that your worth is greater than that."

"Why?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Because I see potential in you. Because I don't like that society has written you off as damaged goods. Because I'm going to need help in this world, and if you're it, then I need you to be the best you can possibly be. Because sometimes I get a submissive vibe from you, and there's a part of me that wants to explore that. And the stronger a woman is? The more fun it is to watch her submit."

A tear ran down Niki's bright red cheek. "I-it's not like I..."

"Shhhhhhh. We'll get there, in time. Your heart is a tangled bundle of contradictions. And I like it."