The beast-folk woman called Mistress Selene could only stare dumbfoundedly at the man wearing strange clothing who had confidently entered her tavern, seated himself comfortably without her permission, and was curiously looking around her place of business.
He was an existence that thoroughly confounded her the moment her whelps had reported about him.
Firstly, he claimed he was not a human, but everything about him, from his scent to his appearance, screamed that he was human—and a wealthy one at that, if she were to go by the quality of his strange clothing.
But there was also a shameless sense of confidence and charm that oozed out of him that reminded her of some of the long-lived races she had encountered.
It could be that he was a mage like the whelps had reported, although she didn't smell the usual stench of magic on him and hadn't gotten a report that a human fitting this description had entered her official territory.
It was like he just appeared from thin air.
Selene watched as the man transformed his clothing into clothing that resembled that of the men living in the slums, exposing shocking red hair, before he gave her a charming smile that made his blood red eyes curve gently.
Mistress Selene almost smiled back, instinctively falling into his pace before she narrowed her eyes and increased her wariness.
She had felt no magic in that stunt that he just pulled, but it was clear that he had used it to change his clothing, and she couldn't explain the slight sense of attraction she felt as she looked at him.
There was just a sense of confidence and ease in the way he carried himself, as if he expected those he spoke to agree with him.
"Mistress Selene? I'd really like to have a cold beer." A slightly low tone called her name as the red-haired young man raised the blood-red brow that stood out on his pale skin.
"What are you doing in my territory using my symbol to waltz around? If the City Peacekeepers sent you, as you can see, we're properly following the rules and living in this disgusting place that you've assigned us to." Mistress Selene growled as she walked behind her bar counter.
"So you can stop testing me with your trick questions. I have no magic tools or hidden inscriptions, so I can't give you a cold beer. You're clearly a wealthy human, so you probably think that the swill we make here is beneath you. We are just struggling to make our daily bread with the pittance you pay us after we slave away at the monster gates. If you dare to impersonate my people again, I'll eliminate you and suffer the consequences." Mistress Selene growled, the silver fur on her ears rising up.
Graham's mind was whirling with all the information Mistress Selene just spewed out, and after she stopped speaking to glare at him, he gave her a neutral smile.
"I guess we're moving straight to business with no drinks. Fine then. Firstly, I'm not from the Peacekeepers or any such organization. I'm not testing you and there are no trick questions."
At her disbelieving snort, Graham shrugged and continued, "I'm a new merchant in town and came to ask why I was attacked when I tried to open my shop to my potential customers."
Graham pointed to the cut on his cheek, "Somebody threw a silver knife at my face with no explanation, and I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again. Especially when I open my shop doors to customers."
"You set up a shop? Here? Why would a human merchant willingly come here?" Mistress Selene asked in complete disbelief.
The human's words made no sense at all.
Well, actually, a system set up shop, so what can I do?
Instead of telling the truth, Graham gave a bashful smile. "A merchant buys and sells to those who need it. In such a saturated market, everyone needs a way to differentiate themselves. This was the only place in Hollowgate City where I could do that, so here I am."
"Hmmmm."
Maybe it was the sincerity in his words?
Although Madame Selene sounded skeptical, she was still listening, and her silver wolf ears had flattened down, so Graham continued calmly.
"As I said, I'm new in town from quite far away. I was attacked by a silver throwing knife and decided to retreat temporarily. Since you seem to be the boss of this area, I came to make a deal with you and find out more about who attacked me and the local climate."
"I didn't hear news of a human moving here. How did you do it without my noticing?" Mistress Selene growled
"Merchant Secret." Graham gave her a playful wink.
"You don't look like a merchant."
"And you look too beautiful to be the big bad boss of the area, and yet here we are. Clearly, looks can be quite deceiving, Mistress Selene."
Graham kept his smile on his face, and Mistress Selene snorted with a slight smile on her red lips, her ears completely smooth.
"Fine, sir merchant. Let's say that I believe you. What are you willing to pay for that information?" Madame Selene suddenly gave him a crafty look as she leaned on the bar counter, resting her particularly large assets on top and staring deep into his eyes.
Naturally, Graham took a look, whistled internally, and looked back into her eyes with a smile of his own.
Very nice.
"I told you I'm a merchant who deals in all sorts of things, so what would you like? Food? Jewelry? Fine clothing? Tools? Something more personal?"
Graham listed the core things that he had noticed were lacking during his walk-through of the slums.
There were many greater issues, like sanitation and buildings, but he figured he would first address issues he could tackle with the 1000 credits his father gave him.
Mistress Selene looked him up and down once more before snorting, "That's information that anyone would give you for free. The Rats and the Racoons had a skirmish today. It's a daily occurrence at this point."
"I see. How can I avoid being involved in these….skirmishes in the future?"
"You claim to be a merchant? What exactly are you selling? If it's valuable, we can discuss."
"Whatever the area needs. You're the boss, so you tell me what to prioritize. I have an extraordinary variety of wares. If you list it, I probably have it or can acquire it and plan to sell it at an affordable rate, even in this area. So let's come to a deal, you and I."
Truthfully, Graham didn't know the currency or even what items were available in the Hollowgate slums, so he wanted this well-informed tavern owner and area boss to give him some information for free.
Mistress Selene looked at him distrustfully before tapping her fingers on the bar counter. "As you well know, the most pressing concern is food and clean drinking water. Because the amount of waste is increasing, even the clean water supply is at risk. We'll start here for now, and if we build trust between us, it can change or even increase."
At the concrete items that he could cheaply acquire, Graham nodded.
"Right, and what can you give me in return?"
"Payment to a certain degree. And protection."
"Rejected." Graham immediately shook his head.
"…what do you mean by that?" Mistress Selene began growling as her ears perked up again.
"The payment is fine, but Protection from you comes with exclusivity and other things, including gaining your enemies. I am a merchant, and as long as people don't cross my moral values, I won't discriminate or turn them away." Graham slowly tapped his fingers on the bar countertop.
"Then what do you want? Rather than protection…well, let's have that discussion when I open my store tomorrow. Would you happen to have the time? I wanted to take a tour to see my new neighborhood before heading to my next appointment. Someone very important is expecting me, you know?"
"Is that right? Then you wouldn't mind if one of my workers takes you around? Getting lost in this area is quite easy, and I wouldn't want to make you late for your appointment. Or for something to happen to you."
At Mistress Selene's devious look, Graham simply smiled, "Sure, that's fine with me. I look forward to it."
Clap- Clap-
Mistress Selene clapped her elegant, pale fingers, and from the door behind her, a tall, husky man dressed in brown leather pants, a greyish long-sleeved blouse with laces around the neck appeared.
His hair was an inky black, and on his ears were rounded instead of the wolf-like ears Graham had seen so far.
"This is Grant. He'll act as your tour guide before taking you back to your store so that you don't renege on our deal."
"Pleasure to meet you, Grant. Isn't that nice? Our names are quite similar. Graham held his hand out for Grant to shake, but the other man ignored it while staring at him with narrowed black eyes.
"Not much of a talker, I see. That's fine. Let's head out." Graham laughed lightly before standing up.
"Mistress Selene, I'll see you later."
He gave Mistress Selene a cheeky wink before stepping out with the large man on his heels.