Using a few cantrips the clerks were able to get Dem's measurements, and quickly tailor some clothing to fit him. The tall clerk had given him lots of advice about what would look good on him. He gratefully accepted all of it. The clothing he was left to try on was.. also rather tight, clearly meant to show off his tall figure. He never considered himself handsome. He had always been a little taller than the rest of the boys from the hamlets, and he was even taller than some of the boys from the settlement despite their better diets. His dark hair was fairly straight, and was usually hacked short, so it hung no lower than his ears. Long hair would get caught on something in the Wilds. His eyes were a dark blue, uncommon he knew, but other than that he always been fairly unremarkable. His face was neither the wispy, fine-boned thinness of the other boys from the hamlets, nor the stocky square of the boys from the settlement, but some combination of both.

Finally looking at himself in the mirror, wearing a very smart set of new clothes, he realized he was changed, but.. not by much?

He was a tad taller, more muscular certainly, but his face hadn’t changed much. It was more.. symmetrical? Maybe his cheek bones were a bit higher? His nose a bit more straight? His eyes were the same, though they seemed to flash brighter occasionally. His hair was getting a little long. He wondered why such small changes had merited people noticing him more.

He considered what Caius had said, that he had a glamor spell on him of some kind. Such spells were used by Classes that relied on illusions or personal appearance, not Tamers. He wasn’t going to charm a beast with his blue eyes, that was for sure. It had to be something to do with his new Class, but what it meant, was a mystery. Was this an ‘improvement’ made on him by the grimoire or a passive spell that his Path would fuel all the time? Some Classes had passive spells working all the time, like fire resistance for a fire-based offensive spell-castor, or spells that gave more durability and toughness for a front line fighter Class.

Either way, he looked good enough, he thought. Greer would tease him, but she would be silenced by the beastcore he intended to sell her. Selling the ape core to a non-tower middle-man, had probably cost him five silver standards or more, but it was worth it to buy these clothes and make an impression on the people was meeting. He hoped Ina liked the clothing he'd bought her, they had been more expensive than even his clothes. He had used up nearly half of all the silver he had on just clothes. He day-dreamed a little about what Ina would look like in something other than ragged strips of his cloak. Perhaps this would count as a gift? His thoughts led down a particular track.. but he stopped himself. Red shame lit his face, which he quickly repressed. He reminded himself that it didn’t matter what other people thought, not that they knew what he'd been up to anyway.

He paid for the clothes and left the store, mentally preparing himself for potentially meeting his new employers and dealing with Greer. It was possible they had been delayed in reaching the settlement and he would be left waiting, but that would be helpful in a way. He could use the time to consult with the grimoire and maybe.. spend some time with Ina? He didn’t know if she could return his feelings quite the same way a human would, her mind clearly worked differently. His emotions were more like a river, moving constantly, but her emotions were more like a lake with an undercurrent. He didn’t know what this meant exactly in terms of a difference in their mentality, but his conversations with her had definitely been more.. calm than they should have been. Perhaps, her confidence as a predator let her shrug off things that he or another human would worry about constantly.

He made his way towards the tower, the time of rest was nearly over, and the sounds of the settlement were increasing. The illusionary facades of a many of the most expensive shops began to spring to life. Like the clothing shop he was just in, most of these shops had people buying at all times of the cycle, and so settlement shop clerks worked in shifts to make sure someone was always around to make sales and help customers. There weren’t many people on the streets, but he still turned some heads as he went by. He would needed to get used to being looked at more. There wasn’t much he could do about it.

He entered through his usual side door and found the appropriate office space. Noticing Greer wasn’t at her desk, he sat down to wait in one of the many rickety wooden chairs that littered the place. He thought about what she would say, and what she might be doing. She might very well be sleeping still, or meeting with his new employers.

In the end, he didn’t wait long before she entered from a door in the back of the large office. She sat down at her desk with a sigh and began looking around the room. Dem began to walk towards her, her eyes only resting on him briefly before moving on, and then suddenly coming back to him.

“Dem? You came back at just the right time, the party is here! Wait, you.. you look different?” Her voice was higher than he remembered.

“I am fine, just got a lot of training in while I was gone. I advanced a lot.” Dem did his best to sound calm.

“I see. You didn’t eat anything rare did you? If you found something good, you shouldn’t have eaten it, you should have sold it to me so that I could ha… I mean so I could resell it of course.” He had never seen her so flustered before. It was nice to be on the offensive with her for once. Her eyes kept avoiding his gaze, she would hardly look at him.

“You definitely ate something good! Look at those clothes too! Now you’ve got your Class, you’re spending your silver on such frivolous items?” She lectured him about money for another short while, before finally realizing there was business to be done.

“Your employers are here! They are upstairs. I will take you up to see them in a short while, but first you must tell me what happened.” She was starting to sound more like her usual self, someone who valued money before anything else.

His smile broaden when he remember what business he had with her, “Nothing, just a lot training and some good hunting. That reminds me, I need to sell a beastcore to you before we go up.”

“Alright, lets see what you’ve got.” She said in a low voice, raising her eyebrow at him and smiling.

He pulled out the beastcore and set it down on her desk confidently.

Her face turned seriously quickly, and she furiously cast a number of cantrips on it he couldn’t identify.

“This is a elder snake-beast core? Its one of the better cores I’ve seen below the calamity level. It is worth..” She consulted a chart on her desk.

“Nearly two gold standards, minus my fee of course, I think.” She didn’t sound completely confident.

“You think?”

“I will get the resident beastcore expert to evaluate it. Something like this may have a special property or use, that would increase its price. The evaluation fee will come out of your portion, of course.” She said all of this with a slight smile.

“A fee, I see. Of course there would be a fee.” His voice held no surprise.

“Can you tell me what beast this came from?”

“An elder viper-wyrm.” He said cautiously

“Those are nasty aren’t they? How did you kill it?” her voice once again going high.

“We just played a little trick, and Ina made short work of it.” His voice sounded confident, he thought.

“That is impressive. You are sure you didn’t eat any interesting looking fruit or some important part of the snake beast?” She looked at him suspiciously.

“No, Greer, I did not. Can we meet my employers now?” He tried to keep his voice neutral.

“I’m no longer ma’am am I? Where is the polite the Demneh I once knew. He was a good boy. Fine, we will go up. I hope you’re more respectful to these ladies than you’ve been to me this cycle. They will not take disrespect as kindly as I do, even if you are a bit more handsome.”

She launched into another lecture as they walked toward the spelled lifting platform that would bring them up the tower. He had been on some of the lower tower floors before to meet his amateur adventurer clients in the past, but he thought they would be going much higher up this time.

***

As they rode the lift up, they were alone. She moved closer to him slightly, grabbing on to his upper bicep.

“Dem, I.. I think I can get a place for your parents in the settlement after you finish this job.” Her voice was a little off its usual confidence.

She was starting some sort of negotiation. She knew what he wanted, what most people in the hamlets wanted. Safety. She wouldn’t mention something she he wanted unless she had something she needed him to do or something she wanted.

“That would be great Greer, ma’am, but what would I need to do for you to negotiate on my behalf?” His voice was a little wary.

She knew, as he did, that if he went to a landlord in the settlement, they would charge him more. People didn’t want to live next to anyone who had lived in the hamlets. The bias against people living outside the walls was pretty much absolute. The people of the settlements worked hard so as to never be sent out into the hamlets. Having a living reminder of what might happen to them, as a neighbor, would be painful, maybe even insulting.

“Well, you see. I could find them a nice little place, just the right size for two, but you would have to live elsewhere. I.. have decent home, and just so happen to have an extra room I could rent to you, once you get back of course.” Her faced was bit flushed when she said this, her eyes gazing moving up and down his body.

He choked a little, nearly coughing out loud, when he realized what this was about. His Path or Class or whatever, had done something more serious to him than he had thought if he could melt the heart of the single greatest money-grubber he knew. Though, looking at her face, it wasn’t her heart that drew her to him.

She wasn’t unattractive, and certainly when he was younger he was flattered she paid attention to him. He actually had little fantasies about her when he hit puberty, but of course had quickly rejected those fantasies, and adopted the professional, haggling mindset she had taught him. A mindset she no longer possessed apparently.

She noticed him hesitating and decided to continue her pitch. Her hand on his arm slid further down, caressing him lightly.

“Dem, I had been waiting until you were a bit older and were able to afford it, before I offered. Living in the settlement isn’t cheap, as you know. Now you have the potential to earn enough to take care of yourself and your parents. So what do you think?”

The lift had ended at the floor she had intended, but she pulled him into an alcove in the deserted hallway right outside the lift. They sat on a small bench, less than a span from each other. They weren’t at the top of the tower, but much further up than he had ever been before.

He considered her proposal. Was this always her intention? Did this she mean that she had been grooming him? He felt a little disgusted with himself for considering it. He wouldn’t be the first young person from the hamlets to trade security for their body. He had never thought it would happen to him though.

If she weren’t touching him so casually, he would have assumed there was something else she wanted from him, but she had never touched him before, and certainly not like this. Ten cycles ago, he might have taken her up on her offer after only a little consideration for his dignity. His parents came first, and if it meant entertaining an older woman, to keep them safe, he would have done it. Problematically, things had changed. He needed to speak with Ina and figure out what was going on with him before he could live in the settlement, even if only occasionally. Greer clearly expected him to keep working, so he couldn’t just give up his life and become her pet? Her kept man? Her house boy?

How should he respond? Something about this situation felt like an opportunity beyond just what she was offering. There was an opportunity for his Path here, he felt it. How could be dominate? He decided to lean into the situation, and hope he didn’t come off as too awkward. Greer could really help him, and he had to take this offer seriously, but his Path was pushing him to.. play.. with the situation a bit.

He turned towards her, looking her in the eye. Her eyes held a slightly worried, yet calculating look in them. She seemed to be expecting something of a counter-offer. Everything was a negotiation with her, even trying to woo a younger man.

He positioned his body towards he, allow his arm to brush against her bust. The softness of he had ‘accidentally’ touched almost making him blush. A blush would have given the game away, but he had kept himself in check. He was running on instinct and quick thinking. It was a kind of rush.

“Greer, are you.. What would you like me to do for you in return? Nothing is free in the settlement.” His voice was the best approximation of husky as he could make it. He decided to play coy for little while.

He spoke again quickly, not letting her get a word in, “Perhaps some gardening? Some light chores around your home? Or do you have a beast you need me to tame?” He said all of this as suggestively as possible. That last line had almost made him laugh, but he kept his performance going without letting it show.

“Dem.. I..” Her voice was a bit breathless, her face entirely red.

Was this actually working? Something about toying with her, trying to get her to reveal her desires completely, was advancing his Path. This was unbelievable. Demneh, the most awkward boy from the hamlets, had to woo women to advance. The absurdity of it was astounding.

He waited for her reply, figuring the time waiting would push her over the edge. To his surprise, her response was more powerful than he would have guessed. She kissed him, hard, on the lips, her tongue almost immediately delving into his mouth.

Perhaps his flirting had not been a good idea. This was not what he was expecting. The kissing was good? He supposed she must be a good kisser, though he had no experience to judge go by. Ina didn’t not kiss him, and could not kiss him, in the same way. He was a bit confused. Perhaps this was a sort of counter-attack on her part.

He closed his arms around her shoulders, drawing her closer, pressing her flesh to his. He slowly broke off the kiss, and whispered in her ear in a husky tone.

“Greer, Why don’t we get the business at hand done, and then when I get back we can.. ‘negotiate’ more? In the meantime…” He began to stroke her back, tracing her spine. She shivered in response.

“I hope you can begin to find a place for my parents.”

She spoke, her voice shaky, “I will work on it while you’re gone.”

“Good. Good. Work hard, and I will work hard for you.” The implication clear, as he brushed his lips along the outer edge of her ear lobe. Ina loved it when he had done something similar.

“There is someone coming down the hall in a moment, do you want them to see us like this?” He teased her one last time.

“No, no, we shouldn’t be caught here like this.” Her vision seemed to clear a bit and she got a hold of herself. He slowly unwrapped his arms and drew back, giving her his best smile.

She mumbled to him, “I don’t know what came over me..when did you get so..” Her confusion was obvious, but he couldn’t afford to tell her anything. They had know each other a long time, but he had never met anyone so interested in money as her. His secrets could be worth a huge sum to the right person.

“I will do as you ask, just come back. I will be looking forward to it.” She had started to sound professional again, thankfully.

This had been, perhaps, the best negotiation he had ever had with her. If she could get a place set aside for his parents, getting documentation for his parents as citizens of the settlement would just be a matter of more money and a little paperwork. He could already legally reside in the settlement as a freelancer for the Guild, but he would never do so without his parents. Greer had helped him with the paperwork for being a freelancer, for a fee of course.

“I look forward to it too.” He gave her a peck on the cheek, to seal the deal.

“Shall we go meet them?” He kept his tone light.

“Y-yes. They are resting in a lounge, they will stay her another half cycle to get some sleep before setting out.”

He stood, helping Greer to stand, as her legs were a bit unsteady. He smoothed his ruffled clothes, her hands had been busy while she was kissing him. Her reaction couldn’t be just from his amateur kissing ability. What caused this effect? What had he become? Where would it lead?