My Servant System

We all watched as the Demoness loaded her plate up with the traditional grilled chicken dish that the man had prepared, Anput raising a brow and sharing a glance with her Mother as they both grew more and more amused at her actions, while I just sighed quietly and began to scoop some rice out for myself, deciding to treat this meal similarly to how I ate at the Empire.

The cuisines were able to be prepared similarly enough - instead of pasta, they had rice, and just like with a chicken parmesan I could lather the rice in sauce and layer some meat on top of it to create my own dish.

Then there was the delectable naan that was waiting to be used as the shell for a wrap if I wanted it to become a new dish as well, or I could simply eat it as is and enjoy the fluffy bread on its own, what with its oil infused crust and impeccable flavors from the herbs that it had been baked with.

There were so many combinations with the ingredients on this table, and I was more than aware that grabbing a plate of chili and cumin infused chicken was not the greatest idea for my stomach when the hottest things I had been eating had been crushed pepper and a few other spices...

But, this was a learning moment for the Demoness I loved so dearly, so I remained quiet about what was a rather bold and arguably a terrible idea and instead began to dig in to my own meal, sating my hunger with the fragrant rice and delicious curry, all while the natives to the Sultanate remained quiet as well.

Lady Kio was smiling slightly as she watched Jahi take a big bite of the grilled chicken that had a rather noticeable red tinge to its flesh, while the Sultana passed plates around for the pups, who were all mimicking their Mother as they stared at the Demoness.

Leone too had paused for a moment, but seeing that I had begun to eat she just shrugged and got her own plate together, though she observed how Jahi's blue face darkened a few seconds after that chicken hit her tongue, and how swiftly her eyes began to water as she reached for her glass.

"Ah, bad idea. Here..."

Anput decided to help somewhat with this, the Jackalkin taking Jahi's glass and pouring some lemon juice into it before handing it back, something that Lady Kio found unsatisfying as she sighed and muttered "Should've let her suffer and learn like the rest of us..."

The Demoness didn't hear her though as she started to gulp down her water, trying desperately to wash away the heat that permeated her head and tongue, this new palate choice surprising her body immensely as her cheeks continued to flush, turning her skin purple.

"Does lemon actually work? I never really tried it - since we don't have anything this spicy that I deem worth making - but I had heard that acidic things help alleviate the heat? I know in some places its really popular to have milk afterwards, but..."

"Yeah, it does. Well... I think it does, anyways. It was how I learned to deal with the heat. I know Mother doesn't really believe it does, but Mom was the one who told me to try, so... do with that what you will."

The Sultana nodded after handing a plate to Safa, the warrior adding "It helps enough, the same way that sugar might help or that milk might help. They're all personal preference really, and I find it easier to acquire acidic things then sweet things, and milk... I just don't like milk."

Snorting, Lady Kio rolled her eyes and ignored the way her wife turned towards her, the Dogkin instead taking a bite of her own curry and lathering some of the sauce onto her naan, which she promptly tore apart.

Chewing carefully, she looked at Jahi once more before focusing on her daughter as she asked "So what was your plan coming here? Surely you had an idea on things you wanted to do, places you wanted to go. I know you wanted to come meet your sisters, but that wasn't the only thing you had planned, right?"

Anput was still observing Jahi from the side, the Demoness needing that help as she was given another glass of lemon water to try and help her learn from her mistake, but Anput still replied to her Mother after a few moments.

"Well that was the main reason we came back, yes, but the other main part was the letters concerning the emergence of multiple Fiends within the Sultanate? That was what really got us over here; we still need the experience against them and to continue learning about what we do well and what we need to improve upon.

Besides that, there were a few Dungeons we wanted to take a look at, and inside the city we planned on just visiting some of the places found in the various stories native to the Sultanate. Parks and plazas that were interesting, restaurants and tea houses, even some of the clubs and gambling dens...

And then there was the obvious calling of the arenas too, which would definitely be one time things that we could take advantage of; if we weren't out and about, then the plan was to stay here and take part in the training of the soldiers or just lounge around."

"That's about what we figured... Unlike the Empire, there is little to do outside of the city since everything is just sand, and within it... well, I would like to believe we offer our own array of cultural 'wonders' to partake in, but that is still up for you to explore and determine for yourselves."

The Sultana gave us a nod and reached over to wipe off some of the curry that strained Batul lower lip, the tired pup still yawning even as she slowly and methodically shoveled the curry covered rice into her mouth, her ears twitching and her eyelids continuing to droop as her Mom cleaned her up.

"The benefits of everything outside being just sand always come in the most surprising ways, and currently that benefit is that the Fiends aren't really making any moves. They're just roaming around and getting accustomed to their bodies again, so you can hunt them freely and without worry for now. I have people watching them and reporting on their location every few hours, so they won't leave our sight anytime soon either."

Lady Kio let out a sigh as she watched them from the side, but ever since before I had decided to observe the woman closer to get a better idea on this 'rival' that my Mother had made, and so I was able to see that despite seeming to be against the idea of coddling their children, she was still quite happy with the Sultana's actions...

Even if the words that came out of her mouth were "Batul, stop letting the curry drip onto your chin! You're old enough to know how to eat!", her eyes were still rather warm, but the moment she noticed that I was observing her, she turned towards me and snapped "What?", that warmth leaving her eyes instantly.

"Nothing. Just thinking, Lady Kio. I'm curious about the woman my Mother spent some time with in the Academy."

She snorted and looked away, mild disdain filling her obsidian eyes as she said "Well, don't be. Whatever your Mother can do, I can do better, and she knows it. Better grades, better family, better skills!"

"I believe that would mean you don't have a better personality, Kio... Miss Julie was rather-"

"Hah?!"

Glaring at her wife, Lady Kio sneered at the Sultana and almost snarled as she said "She was rather what?!", which made her wife sigh and remain quiet, letting her simmer in her own anger for the moment.

"Why were you and Mother always... butting heads together? It doesn't really make much sense, especially now. You were both next in line for your respective Packs, yes, but that doesn't mean you needed to harbor animosity towards one another, especially since the Zara and Sera Packs were neutral to one another."

"Bah, what the hells would you know... You were never directly compared to someone else, told that they did this better, that they had higher hopes for this thing... Your stint in the Academy was what, a single semester? You didn't see how harsh it can be, how much is required of you in order to pass. Add onto that the pressure of your Pack as they judge you from afar... of course I disliked the bitch!"

Even as she said that, Lady Kio leaned back in her chair and looked towards the windows, staring out over the city and falling quiet as her dark eyes filled with memories, but just like I had come to expect her mercurial personality caused her to return to being annoyed as she added "Especially not after that day; I owed her for it, even if I hated it, and then I owed her again since she helped me figure out who the hell had drugged me! Just thinking about it pisses me off again!"

Grinding her teeth together, the Dogkin was about to say something else when another servant entered the dining hall, this one female and quite beautiful too, and as soon as she entered she smiled, her expression warming and lighting up as she said "Begum Anput! You've returned!"

Such a proclamation was of course warranting the scrutiny of Leone, Jahi and I, so we turned towards Anput and inspected the expression she wore, the surprise and recognition in her eyes causing us to narrow ours as we wondered how she 'knew' this servant...