Fan Club, Bromance and Meat Skewers

Kairo approached a meat skewer stand near the edge of the food market area, noting a sore lack of patrons.

A guard was cooking up a hot-plate load of skewers no one was buying. It was probably because of his butch face riddled with old knife scars, and his burly body looking odd with a white chef's apron over his soft leather armor. He might've been unintentionally scaring customers away.

Henka-guard gave Kairo a hearty punch greeting to his stomach when he saw him. Lyt-guard greeted him through a listless yawn, looking like he was about to drop to the floor and take a nap. The men were doing their guard rounds.

"Ah, now I remember! This is the runt that creamed you!" The chef-guard roared with laughter at Henka-guard's expense, who huffed and brushed it off as beginner's luck.

"Don't look like you have any customer's Nik-guard?" Henka-guard teased the chef.

"My helper just got here." Nik-guard pointed to Kairo.

"Welp. Give me a freebie. I'll send some customers your way." Henka-guard was eyeing the skewers with his mouth watering.

"Pfft. I've got my cash-porkle here. You go do your job and try to earn some real cash for a change." Nik-guard snorted.

"Cash-porkle?" Kairo looked weirdly at him.

"Yeah. Get yah apron on and sell them skewers. If I don't make a profit, I'll have you running the Mage Library at nighttime without your poncy backup." Nik-guard guffawed.

He didn't have to tell Kairo twice, who donned his apron and began running the food booth like he was working a hard shift at the convenience store.

Jan's guards continued their round, spreading the word that the wizard was working Nik's Skewers. It wasn't long until business was booming.

The burly cook's eyes kept rolling with moon-cash signs when people crowded the stand with orders. Most were eager to see the Palace House Wizard working like a commoner.

"Wow, he's fast on his feet," one patron commented.

"This stall is so organized and well stocked!" A noble reported to another with pleasant surprise and amusement.

"Dem skewers are tasty!" A kid said as he chewed hearty bites.

Everyone was highly impressed with Kairo's focus and skills in handling orders, keeping the stall organized and the flow of business moving efficiently.

Kairo had no idea that his fan club was being formed during his shift. Nik-guard was even appointed as club treasurer.

"He's truly as Moon-turn Maiden reported. The average alien heartthrob's dreamy." A young girl fawned over Kairo from afar with love hearts in her eyes.

Other girls began a fan challenge on who could attract Kairo's attention first. But then Genie began walking toward the stall. People made way for him to coolly approach Kairo at the counter. Fangirls were ecstatic to see the rumored Moon-turn Maiden bromance in person.

"Working hard?" Genie greeted Kairo at the counter.

"Well, I'm not hardly working, am I. Wasn't this derby event meant for me? "

"The people want to see you in action that doesn't involve bloodshed." Genie wryly stated.

"I know your brother's request is for my benefit, but Nik-guard has me running everything except the cooking." Kairo groaned. In truth, he didn't mind it, as it felt familiar to his job back on Earth.

"If you work faster, you'll be done already. Stop chatting and keep selling." Nik-guard offhandedly commented, which had the fangirls telling him to hush and watch the show.

"You'll only need to do this until my brother is ready to announce the main race." Genie was ignoring all the noise surrounding him: his attention was only on Kairo.

"Oh, and this is for you. I saved the tastiest looking one. Sort of a thank you for your help. Don't worry, it's part of my payment. Try it, it's not half bad." Kairo handed Genie a fat, long, meat skewer, which had fangirls overexcited and squealing behind them.

Genie diffidently coughed behind his hand and grabbed the skewer, trying hard not to blush. He found the gesture endearing.

This scene of awkward blushes between the men had some girls fainting with cuteness overload.

Genie said his goodbyes and briskly left before the situation got more embarrassing. Kairo chuckled and returned to his work.

When he was clear from the stall, Genie paused with a tender smile to magically store the skewer in his food pouch for later. He resumed his rounds near the player tunnels and staff utility areas close to the Library Auditorium entrance.

His smile dropped when he activated his scoping magic to surveil his area, and slowed at one of the staff utility tunnels when he heard Lady Foster's voice from behind a closed door labeled Janitor. She was in a conversation with another. He dropped his magic and stealthily entered a nearby dark alcove to hide, keeping still as he listened in.

"You'll get your access when you give her what she wants," a high-pitched and paper voice said to the lady.

"My husband won't stand for it and neither will I," Lady Foster firmly stated.

"Lady, it's for your husband and your family's lives that you do this." The other person reminded her. "Do what is asked, and everything will be easy. If not, well, you know the consequences."

Genie clung closer to the shadows when he saw Lady Foster make her exit. Shortly afterward he felt the other person's presence was gone.

If someone had leverage over the head chamberlain and chief of security, the palace could be compromised. He doubted Aldrick-pasha would stand for an extortion like this. For as long as he knew the man, he was loyal to his brother and their country to the tee. So whoever was trying to make Lady Foster do something immoral or even treason, it was certainly because the blackmail was too devastating to ignore.

"It's something I can't ignore," he whispered to himself as he left to pick up the lady's trail, which led him to the entrance of the library auditorium.

His magic detected lingering traces of a Movement Talisman spell near the entrance. He waved his hands about in a flourish over the space as he cast a spell to reopen the teleport and stepped through it.