Chapter XVII: Girls' Night Out (Pt. I)
After a few hours of deliberation, the four girls came together and decided on one thing: Any tensions left would have to be mostly settled before this journey. If they didn't, they rationalized that it would come out sooner or later at the worst times.
"If this journey requires that we have each other's backs," Yuri stated. "Then that means we cannot hold any long-standing grudges. We should clear the air tonight."
And with that, they decided on a very good plan: Go to a bar, get drunk, and party for the night.
A girls' night out.
It took a lot of convincing for Rulf, Wesley, Malyn and Wolfe to allow this without their supervision, especially in a town that none of them were familiar with; However, the girls subverted these fears by telling them that they could create a little 'reference area' at a little outdoor lounge area, where pints were being served and the boys could relax. If the girls were to run into trouble, they could communicate over two Ceivers they decided to buy at a tech stall (though they were somewhat expensive, much to Wesley's chagrin).
With their fears seemingly assuaged, the boys went off to the lounge area, leaving the four girls to themselves. Things were a bit awkward as no one knew how to proceed.
"Erm…" Yuri muttered, then raised her voice. "I guess it's time to...go have fun?"
Natsuki shrugged. She had been given the Ceiver, though as she assumed she wouldn't need it, she stuffed it in her satchel.
"Sure. What should we do first?"
Sayori rubbed her chin.
"Well, I suppose we can start by looking around and seeing where other people are having fun."
Everyone silently but mutually agreed to that plan, and so they began to wander as a group. Fortunately for them, it was Lasday, as well as approaching evening, which meant that festivities were out and about.
"OOH, look at that!" Natsuki squealed, pointing at a stall they passed by. Just from the look of it, there were several pastries and baked goods available. Natsuki quickly rushed over, looking over the various types of goods laid out.
"I don't recognize any of these types of pastries…" Natsuki muttered as she surveyed the spread. The stall merchant, who was an old, sweet-looking man, smiled as she did so.
"I like your enthusiasm, milady." He said. "You remind me of my wife."
Natsuki looked up at him with embarrassment.
"O-Oh, my bad, sorry I came running up like that…"
The man chuckled and shook his head.
"You did me no harm, little lady. Please, take a look all you want."
And for the first time that Sayori had seen, Natsuki smiled from ear to ear.
"If you insist!"
From there, they went about the markets, the streets, the festivities and the entertainment, enjoying themselves as they delighted in the many activities within the capital.
"Togdamnit!" Wesley cursed as the pint in his hand had accidentally smacked against the side of the outdoor table they were getting seated at. Luckily for him, the contents of the mug managed to spill over Rulf's clothing, much to his displeasure.
"You did that shit on purpose, didn't you?" Rulf hissed as he tried to wipe the sticky contents of ale off his tunic. As they weren't in combat or a formal setting, everyone had elected to switch out their usual attire and replace them with casual tunics.
Wesley cringed. "Sorry, Rulf. You know, your name is kind of hard to say, not gonna lie."
Rulf seemed bemused by that sudden change of topic.
"First you spill ale on me, then you insult me name? You are a fuckin' character…"
Wolfe snickered as he listened to the little exchange, which Rulf's tuned-in ears happened to catch. He turned an unappreciative gaze upon Wolfe.
"What's so funny, short stock?"
The smile left Wolfe's face as Rulf brought up his height, which he had only found out a few days earlier, was a sore point for Wolfe.
"You have some audacity to call me out when you're covered in brew, boy."
"Boy? I'm older than you!"
"SO?"
"Come now, my fellow adventurers." Malyn pleaded. "This is not how we should be conducting ourselves on a day of festivities."
"Conduct these gonads on your chin." Rulf muttered, just quiet enough so that Malyn didn't hear what he said. Of course, Wesley was within earshot.
"Sorry, could you say that louder?" He said with suppressed laughter.
"I have no clue what yer talkin' about, merch male."
Wesley silently groaned in displeasure at that slur. Short for 'merchant male', which was a derogatory term for merchants that would spend their money on pretty girls to hang around them.
"That is a very rude and untrue term to use, Rulf."
"Except it's actually true."
"I do not spoil Sayori! She is a valued business partner, she helps me out a lot-"
"I bet she does help out." Wolfe snickered, jutting his tongue into his cheek as he feigned a rubbing motion with his hand. Rulf burst out laughing as Wesley turned red in the face. Malyn sighed, looking into his mug of ale.
"How crude."
"You know," Rulf began. "I don't know that 'Natsuki' girl much, Malyn, but she's so fuckin' energetic. I mean, Tog, I don't even have that much energy when I'm hyped up."
Malyn chuckled, glad to be on the topic of his partner.
"Though she be little, she be fierce." Malyn quoted.
"Ooh, is that one of Rattlerod's quotes?" Wesley inquired. "Some fine works, that guy writes. I read a few of them, and I gotta say, they make my writing look like a child's."
"Don't think we were gonna switch topics that easily, merch male." Wolfe snickered.
"Togdamnit, will you quit it?!"
"Wow, it's getting a bit late." Sayori noted, seeing the sun set over the horizon.
The girls had spent a good portion of the afternoon exploring the town, going about the festivities, and buying various merchandise off their small 'celebration' budget (Wesley was not happy to be shelling out even more money).
Having gotten their fill of fun and exploration for the day, they came to a rest at the base of a waterfall by the cliffs. Monika walked away from the group for a moment to sit near the waterfall, feeling the droplets hit her skin.
She couldn't lie to herself. While she enjoyed seeing the town and all of its sights, she couldn't rid herself of the nauseating feeling in her stomach from being around the other three. Despite all the fun they were having, she could strongly sense the divide between them that was still persisting.
She couldn't help but snicker cynically. Those bitches had only put on a show of forgiveness for the boys. They still hated every inch of her guts.
Sure, they no longer threw cold stares at her or were trying to attack her, but there was still a strong, shared sense of resentment and hatred among them. Every stall they visited, every event they participated in, every street they walked, they did together.
Except for Monika.
She would stray a good distance behind them, almost as if she wasn't in the group itself. None of the girls bothered to beckon her to come join in the events with them, and she didn't blame them.
But she felt lonely. Even having been freed from existential captivity, even after being given this massive world that had yet to be explored…
She still felt lonely. So...lonely.
And not in the love kind of way. She was completely content in that category with Rulf. In fact, after this 'hangout', she planned on going back to see Rulf, no longer intent on separating herself from him again.
But...she felt as if she was alone. As if she had no friends. Even Wolfe, Malyn and Wesley were merely acquaintances with her, and Wesley was less inclined to speak with her when Sayori undoubtedly told her all about what she, Monika, had done to her.
Monika shook her head in wrath.
I don't need friends, she thought bitterly. I just need my love. I just need Rulf, and I can live the rest of my life in happiness.
Her mind now stuck on this, she scooped a handful of water from the pond that formed from the waterfall's base and drank from it. Clean and natural. She sighed in relief. She was far more ecstatic to have been brought to this world than the modern one. She likely would have hated many more parts of that world than this one.
How lucky she was…
"Hey...Monika."
Monika turned around to see Natsuki talking to her. While all of the girls had ousted her, Natsuki was the one that actually talked to her somewhat, at least in basic interactions and such.
How ironic, Monika thought, considering she had adopted Sayori's role in this world of being the peacemaker.
"Yes?" Monika muttered.
"We're, uh, going to this nearby tavern. If you...wanna come."
Monika could sense the hesitation in her voice, and she felt her own resentment build up.
"Sure." She said, forcing a half-smile.
"...Okay. We'll be there."
Monika nodded lightly as the three went down to the tavern. Her face contorted into a bitter expression.
"Fake fucks."
"The Hekk are they doing over there?" Wolfe wondered aloud.
"What?" Rulf inquired. Wolfe pointed his mug at a large patch of grass behind them, where several people were doing a rhythmic dance. Wesley tilted his head in confusion.
"I haven't seen those dance moves before. Looks foreign."
"Prolly is." Rulf said, taking another swig from his mug. "Capitals are usually, eh, how you say...eh…fuck, what's the word for it? Oh yeah, hubs of diversity. Ya know, cultural diffusion an' all that."
Wesley craned his head back towards Rulf.
"I'm surprised you know all that."
Rulf pulled his head back in offense.
"Why's that, pal? Cuz ya thought I was some two-bit ruffian with little worldly knowledge, that it?"
"Er, no, I didn't say that-"
"Yea, But ya implied it, see? All of yas think I'm some sor' of dimwit, but ya should learn not to underestimate the power of knowledge."
He said this as he tapped his head with one finger.
"Okay," Wolfe interjected. "But why do you dress like you're gonna shank some poor fuck in a back alley for a few cobs?"
Rulf clicked his tongue against his teeth.
"I'm dressed to hide in plain sight, not for show."
"Yeah, but...you stand out with how shady you look."
Rulf's air of confidence faltered.
"...Wait, actually?"
"What I'm surprised about is that you don't know where that type of dancing is from, Wesley." Wolfe surmised. "I woulda thought that, you being a merchant an' all, that you might have an idea where it's from."
Wesley shook his head.
"Nope. I'm not one of those big road merchants. I've only traveled a bit around this country, much less this continent, and sure as shit not around the world."
Meanwhile, Malyn was still focused on the dancing party only a few meters away.
"Mayhaps it would...soothe our bodies...if we went and partook in the dance?" He said in excitement.
"I really don't like how you phrased that sentence, chum." Rulf muttered. "And I'm gonna have to decline that invitation. I'm not a fan of 'dancing'."
"Hear, hear!"
A roar of cheers erupted from the very drunken crowd of tavern-dwellers and staff alike, and many of them drank from the filled mugs in their hands.
Sayori groaned. This was the 5th cheer of tonight. The first time, they had rejoiced over the kingdom's prosperity. The 2nd time was in the name of the benevolent King himself. She could tell they didn't give a shit about what they were cheering about by the third time, it was in the name of the bartender that served them. And this time, it was about the bartender's mutt, Telsa.
She herself had stopped drinking after the second mug. She was starting to get drunk enough already. But even more frightening was how Natsuki and Yuri were still drinking, while joining in with every single cheer and acting like the best of friends. When Sayori considered how they were acting before, in that other world…
She sighed, something she had been doing a lot of recently. This whole predicament was a mixed bag. On one hand, she was going on an exciting adventure across the continent to explore this new world she was brought into alongside a bunch of 'fellow adventurers'. On the other hand, she had to deal with an old nemesis the entire way, the many numerous dangers that would inevitably await them on the road, and to add onto her already-scathing unfamiliarity with this world, she had no earthly idea of their cultures, social/political systems, the countless monsters and beasts she had heard of through rumors and artwork…
To her, none of this seemed like the smart thing to do.
"Aw, Shayori, why are yew sho down in the dumps?"
Sayori felt Natsuki lean on her shoulder, her voice heavily slurred. She was most definitely inebriated by this point.
"Come on, Shayori, cheer up! We got shuch a cool adventure waiting for ush!"
Despite the circumstances, Sayori had to smile. Now that they were in a real world, all of the sights and experiences felt genuine, and now she got to see the fun-loving side of Natsuki that the girl had pushed down for so long.
Meanwhile, Yuri was listening intently to the bartender's story about his adventure into the Gawklands, a huge landmass of erratic, jungle-like landscape that was the biggest region within the Uropan continent. She seemed so deeply captivated by the story (drunkenly) that Sayori wasn't even sure if she was listening to the actual story itself.
She took a quick glance behind her, keeping an eye on Monika, who was sitting at a table in the corner alone, sipping the mug in her hands as she watched the tavern goers. She felt a sickening sense of spiteful satisfaction, knowing that Monika was still alienated from the group.
"Well, it's getting a bit late, we should consider heading out before the sun sets-"
She went silent when, upon looking towards the entrance, she noticed several thuggish-looking individuals come through the door, looking shady as fuck. She felt the hairs on her arms raise.
She could sense a bad situation brewing. She turned quickly to Natsuki and Yuri and began shaking them.
"Hey, we need to leave."
"Whua? Why do we haf to leave, Sayo?" Natsuki mumbled. "I wus jus' gettin' started!"
Sayori looked back towards the hoodlums, who had now garnered the notice of the patrons. Drunken stupors began to wear off as the musk of danger pervaded the atmosphere. Loudmouths fell silent, and the cheers and positive aura surrounding the indoor fire pit were suppressed as everyone took notice of the gangsters coming in.
"Whu've we got 'ere?"
Despite having had no relations with gangsters, Sayori felt as if she had heard this sentence spoken in the past. She decided the best course of action was to wait it out until they left or until she had an opportunity to take the girls and head out the front, when they weren't looking.
Of course, all of that went straight down the drain when one of the gang members peered at her.
"Oy, Hares, look at the group a' dames. They're fackin' beauties, every one of 'em!"
And so, the group made its way towards Sayori's table. She felt her adrenaline shoot up. This was turning from a bad situation into an inescapable one very quickly, and her window of escape was rapidly diminishing. She tried pulling on Yuri and Natsuki towards the back exit of the tavern.
"Come on, guys, we need to go now!"
She felt despair close around her mind as she noticed Yuri had nearly passed out on the counter. There was no way she would be able to carry her quick enough away from the bandits, even with Natsuki's help.
Natsuki herself had sobered up somewhat as she also noticed the developing situation.
"Oh, shit..." She muttered, seeing the dozen or so bandits swaggering towards her and the other girls.
Sayori decided the best course of action would be to simply walk past the gangsters to the front entrance without saying anything. She took Natsuki and Yuri's hands, beckoned with her head at Monika towards the front entrance, and began pulling the two along.
"Ooh, are the lasses stuck up they can't hang around a couple of street boys?"
"Come on, darling, don't leave so early!"
"Damn, that one's got a tight ass."
Sayori gritted her teeth as she ignored the cat calls they were all receiving. She was almost to the exit now.
"Eek!" Yuri suddenly yelped. One particular bandit had grabbed at her ass while they were heading for the door.
Sayori felt her suppressed anger burst out, and in a fit of fury, she turned around and backhanded the gangster that had done the action. The gangster seemed shocked at first, then his expression turned to rage as he launched a punch into her face.
Thwack!
Sayori stumbled and fell to one knee as the blow hit her across the cheek, leaving a large welt in the area where it had hit.
"Grab 'em!"
In a panic, Sayori noticed the other girls were being grabbed by various bandits, even as they put up a fight, which prompted several beatings to ensue. In a moment of desperation, she weaved through the attempted grabs of each and every bandit that tried to tackle her and made a sprint for the door.
She burst through them, huffing and puffing, tears streaming from her eyes.
She had to go find the others. To tell them about this predicament. And quickly.
"Aaaaayy, Solomena!"
After a few minutes, Sayori had finally located the four boys. They were doing some kind of synchronized dance together in a large grassy patch with other people. She wasted no time, sprinting over, tripping on a loose cobblestone, and running up to them, gasping and wheezing.
"Aaaaayy, Solo- Oh shit, Sayori!"
Wesley ran over to her, holding her gently as she fell to her knees. The other three ran over, alarmed to see her beat up as she was.
"What the fuck happened?!"
"Oh, Tog, your face-"
"Where are the other girls?!"
The last question, from Wolfe, prompted Sayori to look up at him, her eyes dilated in fear.
"The...tavern...Oat's Creek…large...gang…" She huffed in between gasps.
Whoosh!
Wolfe was almost lifted off his feet as Malyn's body darted past him, leaving behind a heavy blow-back of wind.
"Wha- Malyn, wait up!"
Wolfe chased after him, as did Rulf, while Wesley swept Sayori up and off her feet.
"I had a feeling we couldn't leave you guys alone." Wesley admitted. "And I'm definitely not going to leave you alone again."
While Sayori was disappointed that she and the others had now scared the guys into not leaving them alone, she was deeply grateful that she was safe once more.
"Let's go beat the shit out of the people who did this to you."