The Island of Wonder

The shared room in the inn was a mess. Various pieces of cloth lay around on the floor, with piles of accessories, buttons, and other items resting on the table as Nicole was working. She made not only things for the Queen, but also for the slave trader. She spent almost all the money she earned during the first week on the finest materials and tried to make the best use of them. As she finished, ten sets lay in front of her. Nicole relaxed in the chair.

Now, I just have to get a good deal. In the worst case, I am sure someone in the castle will buy them instead.

Inside the trader’s tent, Nicole confidently went forward the same way she and the girls were led the first time. Today, the place wasn’t as dark as before, with torches burning brighter and people here and there.

"Lady Nicole, how can I help you?" She turned to the voice of the same tall Torakai man.

"I brought you the new clothes we talked about."

"Right, right. Let’s go see what you have."

The merchant led her to a room in the back of the tent. It was a long corridor with a door at the other end and the walls were actually cells. As Nicole followed him, she saw that every cell was inhabited by two to three people. When they reached the door, the man unlocked it with a key and stepped forward. The room was luxurious, with a big bed, a table, and other furniture.

"I will bring a few of them to try on the clothes. Please wait for a minute." The slave trader left Nicole alone.

The girl sat on a chair and unpacked the sets of clothes onto the table, noticing a few bottles of Eyekiss left under it, and smirked. I had some doubts, but now I am sure. This guy is wealthy enough to pay me a lot. If I am doing something morally questionable, at least I will be sure to get as much as possible out of him.

Soon, the man was back, followed by two girls and one guy. The merchant approached the clothes displayed on the table. "Those all look great! Try them on." The slaves stepped closer and grabbed the closest ones to them.

"There are seven female and three male ones. I also made most of them flexible enough to fit most body types and still look good."

After a minute, the three slaves stood in a line in front of their owner and Nicole. One of them, whom Nicole guessed to be from the Cow tribe, was wearing a pink, see-through dress. Her giant chest strained against the fabric. The other, a petite Rat woman in her thirties, was in purple lingerie with a golden outline. The last one was a guy around Nicole’s age. Nicole had an issue coming up with male outfits, so he was clad only in a loincloth with symbols made up by the girl on the go when she was making it.

"What do you think? Isn’t this way better than just leaving them naked?" Nicole asked.

The man circled the trio before answering. "I see… I can pay you one Fang for each set."

"What? Only one?!" Nicole tried to act as flabbergasted as she could. "No way! I heard that the Queen has her own harem of slaves. Maybe I should see if she is more interested?" It’s totally not like I already made some for her.

"Lady Nicole, I hope you understand that I am taking risks here. You seem too confident in how much the outfits increase the interest of clients."

"Two Fangs per set, or I am leaving."

"One and a half is all I can do."

Nicole sharply turned to the exit. "One Fang and seventy Tears."

The man glanced at the slaves, who stood in complete silence without moving the whole time.

"One sixty. It’s the middle ground."

She made a step toward the door. "One seventy."

"One sixty-five."

Nicole could hear the man’s voice wavering with nervousness and took another step, but stayed silent.

"Fine, fine. One seventy." The man sighed. "Tsk."

Nicole turned to face him with a smirk. "That’s better. By the way, how many more of those do you want? I was thinking of making the same ten again, since the current clothes will be sold together with the slaves, right?"

"Of course. But give me some time to sell these ones. Then we can see how much more money it brings, so we can adjust the price."

She nodded as he handed her a small leather pouch. "Perfect. I hope we have a good business future."

Hehe, seventy Fangs~ I used around five on the materials, so twelve Fangs earned. Together with what I had saved, I should have something like fifteen… Nice.

Nicole was on her way back when she saw a familiar face among the people browsing the slaver’s tent.

"General, didn’t take you for someone interested in owning slaves."

Nicole’s voice almost made the man jump. The tall Narakai warrior turned to her.

"Oh, Nicole. You misunderstood, kind of. To find new recruits for the army, I often look through slave merchants. If I find a Narakai who agrees to work for the Queen’s army, I am allowed to buy them out."

"Oo, okay." His words made Nicole remember Limia. "Aren’t you afraid those new recruits will escape?"

"No. Obviously, firstly they are trained to be soldiers. And you underestimate the strength of Narakai pride and loyalty to our word. If one of us promises something, we will keep it for as long as possible."

Nicole shrugged. "Well, that’s up to you, I guess. If it works, it works."

"But what are you doing here, though?"

The girl grinned. "I had a different type of deal with the merchant here." She showed the money bag.

The general’s eyes widened for a second as he nodded. "I thought working for the Queen would be enough. But as you said, if it works, it works."

Wait. No, no, no, that’s not what I meant…

Nicole blushed slightly. "Now it was you who misunderstood. I sold him clothes I made. Clothes for the slaves, I mean."

"Oh. Alright. That’s cool too." The man seemed calm.

When was the last time I blushed at all? Why do I even care what he thinks? Once again I forget that whoring is not seen as bad here… Wait, did I start to like him? Nicole gave him a quick once-over. Hm, he is kind of hot. I like strong guys. Well, fuck it. Or rather, him.

"Hey, what do you say about having dinner later today?" the man asked suddenly.

Free food and entertainment? Sign me up. "Why not? Just one thing – I prefer to at least know the names of the guys I am going on dates with."

"Have I really forgotten to name myself? I am sorry, my name is Jerar."

"Nice to meet you, Jerar." Nicole nodded. "Let’s meet in two hours next to your so-called base."

Time passed, and at the arranged hour, Nicole stood by the entrance to the inn where the Narakai soldiers stayed. She was leaning against the wall, flipping a coin in one hand.

"Hi." Jerar approached her. "You look great."

Nicole smirked. She was wearing one of the dresses that was supposed to be meant for the Queen, but in the given time she quickly adjusted the size for herself.

"Thanks. Should we go?"

The man led her to one of the other inns combined with a restaurant. The two sat at a table in a quiet corner.

Man, I haven’t been on a proper date in a while. Might as well relax and play a little. It’s always fun to see how far different guys dare to go.

As they were choosing what to eat from the menu, Nicole dramatically sighed.

"You know, I have no idea what most of these dishes are. Maybe you could pick something for me?" As she spoke, as if nervously, she tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

"Hm? How come you are not familiar with these? Though I will gladly help you out."

"Thank you."

When the orders were placed, Nicole saw his gaze wandering to her missing right eye. "Something wrong?"

"No, no, don’t worry. It’s just the skull on your eyepatch—it contrasts with the dress."

Ugh, I had no time to make something prettier and more fitting.

"I can tell you about it, if you are interested. And answer your previous question about the food. It’s pretty long and may sound unbelievable, though."

"Pray tell." He leaned slightly forward with interest.

As they ate, Nicole told Jerar part of her adventures on the island. She skipped a lot and even changed bits to make herself look more like a girl in distress than it really was. While Jerar listened, he seemed to completely believe her, nodding with empathy here and there.

I wonder how much of it is just an act on his side? Nicole chuckled to herself.

"And that’s why I came to the Bee Queen to ask for help." She concluded her story.

"That’s genuinely impressive. And I would say you are stronger than you think. Not everyone could do all that."

Damn, he saw through it? Though if I think about it, he saw me dodging the attack of his soldier back then. Or maybe it’s just flattery.

Jerar continued. "I hope you succeed with that upcoming raid to save your friend."

"Thanks. You know, it’s really important for me." Nicole slowly, gently placed her hand over his on the table, perfectly playing vulnerability. "Annie really saved me back when I was younger. Now it’s my turn, and I will do anything it takes." She gave him a puppy-eyes look for a second before taking her hand back and sitting straighter. "Let’s change the mood a little. Look what I got." The girl placed a bottle of Eyekiss on the table with a conspiratorial smile.

"Wow, where did you get it? A gift from the Queen herself?"

As if. I can’t say I snatched it from the bastard earlier today.

"Let that be a secret. Do the honors." She pushed the bottle closer toward Jerar.

Half an hour later, the bottle was empty. Jerar turned out to be a heavy drinker, and despite Nicole’s attempts, she got barely one third of the drink.

"You know, this evening is better than any of the ones I had with my ex." He giggled. "She was such a bore."

"Oh, mentioning past relationships on a first date back in my world is considered a bad thing."

"Really?" Jerar licked his lips. "I wonder what life there was like…"

"Maybe I will tell you more in the future."

"Please do! Hm, and what did people there think about a thing called 'moving to a more comfortable place to have a good fuck?'"

Hah, it will never stop being funny how blunt locals are in these matters.

"Depends on the situation and context. But personally, I like the idea."

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