IDAAFPA) Tilbert (unedited) (Patreon)

Hime walked up to the back of the line just as a wagon pulled up behind her. She looked back to see a lizard like creature that resembled velociraptors from Earth. They were harnessed up and pulling the wagon, and an old man was sitting in the coach’s seat, pulling back on the reins, signaling them to stop. “Woah! Sorry, little lady, these beasts are not well trained yet.” 

The old man called out. The lizard beast looked down at Hime with a bit of curiosity before leaning down and nuzzling up against her. Hime smiled and rubbed its nose, causing it to let out a comforting snort. “You are a good boy.”

“Oh? To think Toto would be so friendly to a stranger. You must be good with animals.” The old man hopped down from the wagon and walked over. He went and got a pail of water he had in the wagon and brought it over. He looked at Hime and asked: “Mind giving him his water? We will be waiting in line for a while, and he seems to like ya.”

“Sure.” Hime had always been an animal lover, but her apartment back on earth did not allow pets. No animal scared her either, but she was quite fond of cats, which she found ironic since she was now a catgirl. 

“Thanks a lot. I will go get his feed. If the line moves, feel free to go ahead.” The old man smiled brightly at how kind Hime seemed to be. As a merchant, he had run into many beast folk but many were not too kind around humans. They would normally stick to their own unless they grew up in a place with lots of humans. 

Toto was happy that Hime was giving it water, so it drank with glee. Hime gently stroked its head while holding the bucket. What she found amazing was that Toto was not rough with the bucket but was making sure to only lean down enough to drink but not to push her arms down. “You are a very, very good boy.”

“What’s this? A cat girl? Why is a beast folk here? Dirtying up the place like this! Get lost!” A man who was obviously drunk came walking up with a stumble in his step. 

“Mack, you can’t just go and say shit like that.” Another man who was with him, who seemed much more sober turned to Hime and bowed his head. “Please forgive him. When he gets drunk, he says stupid things.”

Hime snorted as she said: “They say that those who can not hold their liquor will speak the truth. It is obvious that deep down, he does not like beast folk such as myself. Otherwise, he would not be saying such things.”

“Ugh… he does have some prejudice, but he is not a bad guy.” The man tried to defend his friend. But from the looks of his expression, he was definitely not very happy to have to deal with such a situation.

“What are you doing!?” The old man suddenly yelled out and ran over and stood in front of Hime. “You lot just get moving. Why are you bothering a young girl?”

“We….” The man that was trying to half carry his drunk friend wanted to explain things, but when he saw the old man’s glare, he lowered his head. He did not dare say anymore as he carried his friend towards the gates. 

“Little lady, they didn’t do anything, did they?” The old man asked. He had a very worried expression on his face.

“No, the one who was sober was actually only trying to help his friend but his friend…. Well I guess there is always one or two like that.” Hime smiled at the old man and bowed her head. “Thank you for the concern.”

“You remind me of my granddaughter. She is a bit younger than you and half fox. I do not like it would people discriminate. Luckily this kingdom is quite good on that but there are some people who still dislike beast folk for one reason or another. But it is the same for beast folk as well. But still, I can’t stand anyone trying to cause trouble for a cute girl like yourself. Speaking of which. Did you run into any bandits on the way here? You don’t seem to have anything on you.”

“Ah…” Hime rubbed her nose. She had indeed run into many bandits and robbed them all blind. Whether they were still alive or not was another story. “I didn’t run into anyone. I use what is called space magic.”

“Oh!? Wow, I guess that would do it. You are lucky, then. Space magic is rare, but it is also a blessing, especially for hunters. But be careful. There are some unsavory bunches that will try to swindle you into keeping you by their side. Space magic is highly sought after by many people.” The old man was speaking in a low voice to keep too many from hearing. While he knew the young lady in front of him had already said it out loud, he still wished to keep those who had heard to a minimum. He felt slightly guilty for even bringing it up now.

“Thanks for the warning, but I think I will be fine no matter who comes my way. By the way, my name is Hime.” Hime was always willing to befriend those who were kind to her.

“It’s a pleasure, Hime. My name is Tilbert of the Tilbert Trading House. We specialize in auctions but also have many different kinds of items for sale. Please come check it out when you are free time. I will be at this branch in South Falls City for about a week. I came down to help with setting up for the big auction in a few days.” Tilbert replied. He had really taken a liking to Hime.

“I will be sure to stop by. Maybe even join the auction to see if there is anything good to buy.”