It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light, but the Bat's Lair Inn was actually a decent looking place. There were only a few tables in the small eating area, and it only took a moment for me to spot Kuto-Lulu.
"Hello again," I said, stepping up to the table and pulling out the chair opposite his. "I made it through my registration without any problem, surprisingly."
Kuto-Lulu nodded, his mouth full of what could only be bretzel. "Sounds good," he said after a swallow. "Did you get a room yet?"
I nodded and sat down, my mouth almost watering from the bready aroma of his bretzel. "I got a single room, but they haven't assigned me just yet. I have to go back in an hour."
"Should have said you were here with twelve brothers and sisters. Then you could've had a huge house!" He giggled, making me reasonably sure he was only joking.
"Right, because frauding the republic out of free housing is the best way to start my life here in Bastok." I smirked, settling deeper into the chair, still eyeing up his bretzel. "Anyways, once I get settled in, I can decide what to do with myself. Rashid, the gate guard, said I could seek employment with one of the guilds." I shrugged, adding, "He said it's a way to make a decent living."
Kuto-Lulu nodded, his mouth full of bretzel once again. "But which guild would you join?" he asked after another large swallow. "The ones they have here are the alchemist, smithies and goldsmithing." He shrugged, adding, "Of those, I think goldsmithing sounds the best, but I never had any patience for that kind of work."
I nodded, my resistance finally breaking down. "I guess so. Hey, where do I get a bretzel? That one is killing me with how good it smells."
Kuto-Lulu pointed to the counter by the main door, where a Hume woman stood, looking rather bored. "That's Griselda," he said in a lower tone. "She runs the place here. Don't mess with her; I've seen her throw Galkas out that door."
I laughed, making my way over to the counter where Griselda stood. A sign looking slightly older than me proclaimed all manner of foods for sale for reasonable prices, but right now all I wanted was one of those bretzels.
"One bretzel, please," I said with a smile.
Griselda looked my way, and nodded, saying, "That'll be twenty-six gil, please." I nodded, and pulled some of the meager coins from my belt pounch, counted out twenty-six gil, and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said with a small smile, depositing the coins into a pocket on her apron. She turned back to some shelves, gathering some ingredients. I watched, slightly confused. Was she going to make one from scratch for me?
As it turned out, she was. She combined the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing it up quickly. I saw a large egg, some flour, a knob of butter and some salt all go into the mix. Then, she produced a crystal with an internal red glow, much like the ones I had found.
She concentrated on the crystal, holding it over the bowl of combined ingredients, until suddenly a gout of raw fire was released, surrounding the bowl in a bright nimbus. The flame roared louder, finally culminating in an expanding ring before fading away complately.
Instead of a raw mix of ingredients in the bowl, there were a handful of steaming salted bretzels in a neat stack.
"Here you are," she said, handing one of them to me. "One bretzel."
I nodded my head, fascinated with the display I'd just seen. So much, in fact, that I didn't even register the heat of the bretzel in my hand until I reached the table, where I dropped it with a surprised hiss.
"Hot?" asked Kuto-Lulu, his eyes twinkling with unvoiced laughter.
"You know it is," I replied with a slight flush. "You saw her doing the crystal synthesis." I shook my hand lightly, though I wasn't even feeling any pain. "I had no idea a fire synthesis would be so hot afterward."
Kuto-Lulu cast a sidelong glance at me, his mouth slightly agape. "You've never done a synth before?" he asked, incredulously. "I didn't think there were people left on Vana'diel who had never done a synth." His eyes shined merrily, as he looked me over like some newly-discovered scientific specimen.
"I've done some synthesis before," I said, my cheeks flushing in spite of my best intentions. "Just not with fire. Only with wind, making arrowheads for my brother." I shrugged, then took a massive bite from my bretzel to try and disguise the flush in my cheeks. It really was tasty, with a crispy, salty outside and a doughy inside.
"I see you're a fan," said the Taru. "Having the first bite of a bretzel is like a religious experience, you know." He cocked an eyebrow as a few small giggles slipped out of his mouth.
"It's quite tasty," I said, licking the salt from my fingers. "Better than my Ma used to make, and she did it the old fashioned way, with a brick oven and patience." I chuckled, taking another huge bite from my bretzel. "I bet she's glad she doesn't have to do that anymore," I added, inclining my head toward Griselda.
"You bet yer Hauby," she exclaimed from her post at the counter, breaking into a series of shrill cackles.
"Well, if you want to be any sort of craftsman, you'll have to get used to more than just wind synths. They're using all the elements in almost every guild these days." The Taru shrugged, finishing off his bretzel in a few small bites.
I nodded, taking another, smaller bite of my own bretzel. "I know that," I said once my mouth was free. "I just can't decide which guild to look into. I know I could probably be a good goldsmith, but I just don't know if that's the path for me." I shrugged, nibbling some more on my bretzel.
"You want my advice?" asked Kuto-Lulu. Why did everyone assume that I needed advice? "You should go into goldsmithing. You never know when I might need to know a famous..and rich goldsmith!" He broke into another giggling fit, as I tried to look cross while finishing off my bretzel. As soon as it was gone, I wanted another one, but I could wait until I had a little more gil in my pouch.
"We'll see about that," I said with a short laugh. "I'm a long ways away from being either rich or famous, you know." I chuckled again, looking toward the door. "I suppose I should be heading back to the gate to get my housing assignment. It's probably been more than an hour."
Kuto-Lulu shrugged, saying, "Why should you care? It's not like they're going to give your house away to someone else. Besides, all the housing is the same at first, anyways. You have to make it your own home."
"Is there any furniture?" I inquired, suddenly a bit nervous. It wasn't like I had a lot of gil to spend on furniture, or anything else for that matter.
The Taru shrugged again, saying, "There's usually a cot, and a small chest of drawers for your things. You know, the basic amenities."
I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Good to hear," I said with a smile. "It'll be nice to sleep inside tonight." I stood up, brushing a few errant crumbs from my tunic, and turned toward the door. "You coming?" I asked Kuto-Lulu over my shoulder.
"No thanks," he replied. "I've got some business to take care of in the metalworks district. Why don't we meet up at the main gate later?"
"Sounds good," I replied with a short nod. "I'll do some thinking about a craft while I'm out. Maybe I can come up with an idea that isn't completely ridiculous." I laughed softly, pushing the door open and holding it for the Taru.
Kuto-Lulu nodded to me, turning up the north-bound street. "We can talk about it later. There's no rush, as long as your supply of gil holds out." He giggled, and disappeared into the crowd.
"Holds out.." I muttered, self-consciously patting my thin pouch of gil. Though I knew it could turn into a problem before too long, I had faith that I could make something happen.
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