Smiles

  Today was the day I met up with Atreya.

  After some conversation with Kathyrine, Scarlet, and Nara, it was decided that they would go off on their own today while I hung out with the short hummingbirdkin.

  I found her leaning against a wall in the sparring cssroom, idly staring at the ceiling. As I approached, she saw me and beamed.

  "Hi!" She greeted me brightly. "So, um, I had this really good idea. What if we went out to the city and hung out? I know a ton of good food pces!"

  "Sure, let's do that," I said. "I didn't have any idea of what to do anyway."

  "Awesome," Atreya grinned. "Let's fly." She took off into the air and I followed.

  We flew up and away from the Academy before spiraling down toward the city. We approached a ft area on the outskirts and touched down before setting off into the city.

  "This way there's a really good food stall," Atreya said, pulling me through the crowds.

  The city was full of people of all kinds, from the fuzzy-eared wolfkin, catkin, and foxkin to the feathered birdkin, the scaled reptilian races, and I even saw a blue-skinned Tunakin at one point.

  As we walked, Atreya started telling me about the history of the city. It seemed she was a huge history nerd, and had read a lot about the area.

  The city had apparently started out as a small town that had gotten some attention when a crystal mine was discovered nearby. Many people moved to it for the jobs, and it expanded rapidly.

  Then, several centuries ago, one person decided to start a school in their home. It evolved over the next several decades into a well-known establishment and gained more and more prestige as time went on.

  Then it was sponsored by several noble families and grew immensely, gaining more and more attention. Several members of the different royal families attended and spread the word of how good it was.

  As the school had expanded, so had the town, which had become a city quite quickly. Only around 50 years ago was when it started to really take off, becoming a global hotspot for people of all races to come together. The school was the main part of it, holding the city together at its core.

  "You know a lot about the history of this city," I told Atreya.

  "Yup!" She replied, grinning. "I like history. It's full of so many interesting things! Okay, here we are." She walked up to a stall on the side of the street and greeted the vendor. "Hello, George!"

  "How're ya doin', ss?" The muscly bullkin asked her. "Who's your friend?"

  "This is Evelyn," Atreya expined. "We're on a date through the city and I'm showing her all the good food."

  "Ye are, are ye?" He said with a grin. "Well, I'm mighty proud of my craft if you're showing her here then."

  "Please, your sweets are amazing!" Atreya told him. "Come on, now, do your cool thing!"

  "Alright," George said before turning to me. "Your hand, ss?" I held out my hand and the man examined it, concentrating deeply. Then after a minute or so he pulled back and dug around in his stall.

  "What's he doing?" I whispered to Atreya.

  "You'll see," She whispered back.

  George pulled out a small pastry wrapped in a napkin and handed it to me. "First one's always free," He informed me. "Any others'll cost ya. I hope you enjoy."

  I took the pastry and examined it. It looked like a croissant, except there was a gash down the middle that was filled with a chocote sauce. The whole thing had a red jam drizzle over it.

  I bit into it and almost moaned.

  It tasted so fucking good. Amazing. One of the best things I'd ever tasted in either of my lives.

  "That's amazing," I murmured. "Better than the cooks at home."

  "Ay, that's high praise, I'm guessing," George said. "Where do ya live?"

  "Royal pace," I replied as I finished off the pastry.

  "Royal, eh!?" George excimed. "Well, thank you for the praise then. I've tasted some of their stuff before too, and it's amazing."

  "I told you before," Atreya said. "Your food is the best." Then she handed over three silver coins. "The usual, please."

  "Of course," George said. He pulled out a small waffle coated in sugar dusting and syrup and gave it to Atreya, who gobbled it up in a few seconds.

  "Sho good," She mumbled, leaning back. "Well, I'll be seeing you around, George!"

  "Nice to meet you, ssie," The man said to me. "See ya, little buzzbird."

  I waved as Atreya pulled me along again.

  "Isn't his food the best?" She asked me.

  "It is very good," I replied. "What was that thing he did? With my hand?"

  "He does this cool trick of his," Atreya expined. "He reads the lines and creases of your skin and comes up with a pastry for you based on them. It fits you perfectly each time."

  "It's impressive," I said.

  "Yep," Atreya agreed. "Now come on, there's so much more to see." I ughed and followed along as she pulled me through the streets. I wasn't going to tell her yet, but I already knew that she'd join the others.

  I watched her cute ass shake as she dashed for a moment before shaking away the dirty thoughts. I would have fun the normal way, until tonight. Then I could go crazy.