Navigating the city is easier than I'd thought it would be, even though it's extremely crowded and walking through people is no longer an option. Easy as I remembered it from the game.
The main roads and avenues of Viacruz are arranged like a wheel and axle, with statues of the Gods literally pointing to where things relevant to their domains are located and marking the entrances into new districts. At the main gate, a six yard tall bronze pixie - the goddess Thorne, Fae Warden of the Wild - takes aim with her bow at the rose gardens and the olive and orange orchards to the northwest. Meanwhile, a thirty-foot tall feline woman in Egyptian linen, the Witness of the First and Last Breath named Ubasdjet, points her jar of milk northeasterly - towards grazing grounds for cows and sheep. Just inside, the form of the Dragon King Under the Mountain named Delvar rests his scaly head in his clawed hand, his other hand offering a way down the Bankwalls; Jae-Eun in her silk dangui robes sits in his lap, his tail curling protectively around her, as her open palm invited one and all to stroll down Peppercorn Street and stop at every stall on the way to the statue of the Black Cat of the Cauldron, Flamma in the adventurer's square in the literal center of town.
I was definitely wowed by this the first time I got to the city during my first playthrough and I feel a similar sense of awe right here and now, now where and when I'm physically present as I never was, feeling the judders of a horse-drawn cart that's probably also full of silk and sugar. I smell cinnamon and pepper and chocolate and caramel, and sweat, and...
And horseshit.
There's probably a reason the game didn't try to mess with the olfactory component that much, in retrospect.
(It could, Neurohelms are some bullshit, but turns out there are several good reasons it didn't hitting my nostrils right now.)
The locals look upon our motley crew with... there's really no unified response. They're all different people, why wouldn't they see us differently? But there's still that undercurrent of awe, and fear, at the out of town freaks that make their living by fighting things like owlbears and dragons and flesh-eating manavoric slimes.
In my case, with fists and feet as often as my glaive.
I curl up around myself tighter, hands on my knees. I don't want to inspire fear or awe. I...
I don't know what I want from these people, but it's not that.
The cart drops us off at Cauldron Square, under the statue of Flamma - mixing whatever it is she's mixing in the fountain at the center of town with her broomhandle. And after Sekhmet tips the driver a silver piece I start scanning for the statue of the water-goddess Meredar above the skyline.
Once I spot her in her elemental splendor, we walk down the street that leads in that direction. Signs denote it with the anchor holy symbol and as the "River Alameda" - river modifying a road lined with grass and trees.
It's as I remembered it.
The Alameda opens up to the Lavish Arcades, a name that always made Hikaru chuckle - a series of bathhouses and salons in a set of Romanesque buildings with archways, watched on either side by Meredar with her coral horns and her net and trident, and her two guard Capricorns.
I always liked the Capricorn raid.
We approach the bathhouse, entering behind Alesha, and that's when I see the signs with spears and distaves.
Of course they're segregated.
Why can nothing be simple? The moment I thought it would be simple... But no. I take a deep breath and think.
No one here knows. No one here knows I'm not... that I wasn't born female on Earth.
They'll just see Deedee, who was assigned female at character creation with the click of a checkbox. No one will know or need to as long as I don't act like a creep. I have practice at that.
Unfortunately.
Let's just say I'm not the person I was at 16, God forbid. And it's not like anyone else who lives past 32 likes who they were at 16, either.
Square breaths, here. In two, hold two, out two, hold two.
I feel Hikaru's hand on my back and exhale despite myself. See Sekhmet's ears pointing at me, and see their one raised eyebrow, before she turns from conversation to the clerk to the party.
"Okay. Complication," they say.
"Love those," I mutter, getting a grunt of agreement from Ace.
"There are separate, smaller baths for the Adventurers. Locals don't wanna be gawked at, Adventurers don't want it either, I guess. More expensive, too," she says. "Not much, Hikaru was on the money about our money, but this is going to run us a rook for each bath and we'll need at least two separate bathrooms."
"Segregated, too," Hikaru says, sighing. "I'll pay for my own."
Alesha nods. "I can go with Ace or Sekhmet."
Ah.
Alesha does know who I was IRL, so not going with me does make sense.
Hurts more than I expected to hear her say it, though.
"That's - that's fine, I can get my own -" Ace stammers.
"I can pay for and get my own bath too," I mutter. "Rooks are the silver ones, right? Crow on the front, tower on the back?"
Sekhmet tilts their head at me, thinking for a moment.
And then rolls her eyes and grabs my wrist. I'm too surprised to say anything, though I might have squeaked.
"Nah, fuck that," they say. "Let's not spend more than we have to. Ace and Leesh, me and Deeds, and Hikaru makes three silvers and I don't think we'll find better. Come on."
I'm too grateful to put up even token protests as Sekhmet puts the coins on the counter and drags me off to our bathchamber.
