Women of the Streets
“What do I do? What should I do……?”
Harry hesitated, glancing around nervously until Marcus scowled and barked the order again. With no choice left, he wrapped the bandage tightly around my eyes. The world went pitch black, and all I could hear was the rumble of carriage wheels grinding over cobblestones. Being stripped of control made my blood boil. Damn old man. I’m not letting this slide, not ever.
We finally stopped in the back alley behind some tavern. Marcus gave the all-clear to remove the blindfold. The moment I unwrapped it, a woman stood right in front of me, staring with open curiosity. She wore a black dress that left very little to the imagination and puffed on a pipe, smoke curling around her face as she studied me. She turned to Phelton and pointed at me with a finger tipped in dark purple nail polish.
“Phelton. Who’s this guy?”
“New recruit. Starting today.”
Phelton parked the wagon, tossed a blanket over himself, and stretched out on the driver’s seat like his work was done. Marcus headed inside the tavern with the ledger to settle accounts, while Harry climbed down to unload the crates of liquor, already pulling on his gloves.
The woman in the low-cut dress kept her eyes on me, nipples threatening to slip into view with every breath. “Where are you from?”
“Far away.”
I answered without interest and started helping Harry carry the crates into the storeroom.
“Far away where?” she pressed, following close behind like she wanted to memorize every detail of my face. I understood the impulse. I’d probably stare too if I met an elf for the first time in another world. The smell of her tobacco trailed after me with every step.
“You’re handsome. Like a male elf. Are you an elf too?”
“Human.”
“Your ears say human, but your face is different. Even dark-skinned folks don’t look like that. No double eyelids, skin smooth as glass without a single freckle. Like a statue carved by a master sculptor that suddenly came to life.”
“Like what you see?” Phelton called from the driver’s seat, grinning as he watched us. Clearly enjoying the show, he tossed in his own unhelpful comment. “Ten venni for a whole night.”
“Ten venni? You thinking of selling him as a male whore?”
The ridiculous suggestion made me stop mid-step, crates still in my arms, and turn to glare at Phelton. His face was full of mischief.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but if Marlin really wants him, I might consider it. One night won’t kill anyone.”
Marlin licked her lips and looked me over with bright, predatory eyes—the exact look of a hawk spotting prey. Was she actually planning to devour me?
Marcus returned from settling the accounts just in time to shut the whole thing down before the joke turned serious. He pulled ten venni from his purse, waved it at Marlin, and snapped that it wasn’t nearly enough before shooing her away.
“Crazy bitch. Go sell drinks instead of wasting time trying to ride a man.”
Honestly, as a man, the idea of spending a night with Marlin had been a little tempting. There’s always a thrill to holding a woman. But this time it felt optional, so Marcus breaking it up didn’t bother me much. I wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Three in the morning. Staying awake this late always made me crave a late-night snack. After working up a sweat hauling crates, my stomach was growling like mad. Once the liquor was sold, we headed to a shabby inn in the slums for a quick bite.
“Innkeeper! We’re back. How’ve you been?”
The moment we stepped inside, Phelton grabbed the waiting prostitute and headed straight upstairs. The rest of us sat at a table and waited quietly for food.
“Ahn! Phelton! Yes, right there! Harder! Ahh! Ahhh!”
The walls did nothing to muffle the creaking bed or the woman’s shameless moans. I sat there pretending not to hear, but my mind kept painting vivid pictures anyway. Nancy’s lingering heat still clung to my body, and the sounds from upstairs made it impossible not to imagine what was happening. A strange, restless feeling rose in my chest. I swallowed hard, again and again, until my mouth was full of saliva instead of food.
They say crabs foam at the mouth when excited. Apparently I was doing the same thing. If I’d just gone with Marlin earlier, this wouldn’t be happening. I missed the way Nancy’s mouth had wrapped around me like a snake.
While I was lost in regret, the food finally arrived. Between the upstairs distraction and the pitiful portions—a mug of thin potato soup and a single fist-sized loaf of bread—my appetite vanished. Harry had paid for it out of his own pocket, which only made the meager sight more depressing. Maybe I hadn’t suffered enough yet. Maybe the comfortable life on Earth hadn’t fully left my system.
Across the table, Marcus ate without complaint. I found myself wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t chased Marlin off. She probably would’ve satisfied me and brought back proper tavern food too. Huh. That thought sounded pretty crude. Spending just a few days in this brutal place was already wearing me down, stripping away civilized thoughts and leaving something raw and gangster-like in their place. Right now, I kind of hated Marcus for it.
I wanted the comfort of a woman’s soft breasts. No. Stop. Getting this worked up over missing one night of sex was pathetic. I wasn’t some dog in heat. I had to remember—I wasn’t a lawless bandit. Until a few days ago I’d been an ordinary citizen who followed the rules on Earth. This wasn’t my world, and I couldn’t let their reckless lifestyle rub off on me. Get it together.
“You gonna eat or just sit there staring?”
I looked up and met Marcus’s eyes. He’d caught me lost in thought and didn’t bother hiding his irritation.
“In your country, do you only eat expensive food? Is that why this looks beneath you?”
“…No. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“About you, Marcus.”
“What? Why the hell would you think about me? You my wife or something?”
I stared at him blankly. The absurd question left me unimpressed.
“I was wondering why you’re always so hard on me.”
His expression turned cold. “You’re killing my appetite. Go eat over there.”
I didn’t argue. I picked up my soup and bread, stood, and moved to the next table. The resentment was growing fast. Harry scratched his nose and tried to intervene.
“Captain, that’s too much. Hyun’s one of us. Making him eat alone? He’ll get hurt.”
“Shut up and eat quietly. No point getting attached to someone who’s just going to leave anyway.”
“But still……”
Harry wilted under the rebuke and fell silent. Then he picked up his own bowl and came to sit with me. Marcus let out a bitter laugh.
“Look at these disrespectful brats. Fine. Go ahead and ostracize the old man. Eat together if you want.”
We ignored him and kept eating with our backs turned.
“You must be starving. Here, take this.”
Harry broke his bread in half and offered me a piece. For someone his size, it was a big gesture. I couldn’t accept it.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“No, really. Eat it.”
When I tried to give it back, he refused and lowered his voice, bringing up Marcus.
“The captain’s not a bad person. You should understand. Two years ago he was the kindest man you’d ever meet. Everyone called him the angel grandpa.”
“Really? Hard to believe.”
“It’s true. Back then he took care of every new recruit. Spent his own money on swords, clothes, taught them everything he knew.”
All I’d gotten was a single dagger. The story didn’t match what I’d seen.
“What changed?”
“Well……”
Harry stared at the floor, lips trembling, and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. He was a grown man, not a child. Maybe his heart was just too soft for his size.
“There was this young recruit named Volgins……”
“Yeah.”
“The captain treated him really well. Bought him equipment, personal items, taught him all kinds of skills.”