Dwarf tour

All dwarves present, with the exception of DaVinci, stared in awe as the train pulled up to the station. 

"This is revolutionary! Forget the car, give us this!" Durell stammered. 

"We'll need to build lines over first. These things aren't easy to fly," Machiko smiled as everyone got on board. 

"I was right to bring 30 men. I'll have them lay tracks and link this city n' Buvaria!" 

Noticing Nagako sitting off by herself, Rosa sat down next to her and decided to ask her about herself. 

"What is it? You got something you want from me?" Nagako snarled.

"Yes. I was curious about your history with mayor Fuukuro." 

Nagako's gaze narrowed. "Hate her. Can't stand that a rich idiot like her is more beloved than me. I grew up in this town, went abroad specifically so that I could bring capitol here, but people will just vote for the dumbest of dumb." 

"I understand. Back in high school, there was this complete idiot who ran on a platform of allowing you to bring ero magazines to school, even though it wasn't feasible." 

"And he won easily."

"I- It was close!"

"Doesn't matter. That guy clearly knew how to get votes. Didn't matter if his plan was feasible or not, if there were people that wanted to read ero magazines at school, which is probably the whole male student base plus a handful of females, they'd take that chance and vote for the guy speaking to their wants. That's why I hate Machiko so much. She's unrefined and brash, but resonates with the people unlike me."

"But you've been performing extraordinarily as diplomat!" 

"Maybe to you, but to others, I come off as silver-tongued and ass kissy. Tell me what you thought when you saw me smiling as Durell violently dragged Mizata away by her hair? You wanted to speak up and say it was wrong. And if you had, who knows how much mental gymnastics I'd have to do to try and save things. But if Machiko was there instead of me, she'd have prevented it from ever happening. Unlike me, she speaks from the heart. She has passion for her vision, doesn't let position and status chain her down. She's a free soul. People like folks like that over someone like me that'll do and say anything for the job. You want to get into politics too, huh?"

"My father was a civil service worker... He had a dream of becoming mayor, but ended up being smeared so horribly by his opponents and the media that he killed himself." 

"My condolences." 

"I've also felt an affinity for politics and diplomacy, you know? Crafting policy to better everyone's lives, being entrusted as the representative of a people." 

"I get it. But passion for the job isn't always what people want. They want someone they can resonate with, that thinks like they do even if some scorn it." 

"So we don't stand a chance."

"No, I still got elected councilwoman. You also managed to come on the trip and gain experience. In the future, perhaps you could be one of my peers on the city council, maybe even take my seat if I become mayor. But in the case of the latter, that won't be happening soon. Now that we're  here in this world, we need a stable leader we're familiar with rather than internal discord. My pride screams when I admit it, but all those things Machiko forced upon our town like the fish farm, farmlands, underground bunkers, all that is paying off now that we're here. It might be hard to feel it because everything still feels normal, but it's thanks to those things that things can feel normal and we don't have to go foraging for edibles. I imagine we will start to branch out into this world eventually, but first, we have to make sure our roots are planted, our system is able to sustain us for centuries, and that we have friends. We don't have friends, our odds of survival become dire." 

"And mayor Fuukuro trusted you with that."

"The hate I have for her is one-way. Sure there was one year I went too far during a campaign and tried to use her daughter Mu's descent to delinquency to try and bring her down, but we made up, albeit after I shaved my head in repentance and had to publicly kneel in dougeza for an hour. But she never resented me since, even put up with my bitterness towards her. You're different from me. You're younger and cuter with potential to woo many. You just need experience. Now, it's back to work. Machiko can't show 30 dwarves around this place on her own." 

The train soon came to a stop with Machiko and Nagako leading everyone off towards a nearby mall. 

"Here's where you can spend your coin. Remember, stay in groups and be kind to the staff," Nagako smiled. 

"What are these things?" Steamly asked as he pointed at some capsule machines.

"A lottery of sorts. You put coins in, turn the crank, and you get a toy, but which toy that is remains a mystery." 

Some of the dwarves naturally tried their hands at it, resulting in some small scuffles when one got a rare one and the other didn't. Durell was quick to step in and stop the infighting though. The group then stopped by a supermarket with the dwarves all marveling at some of the food. 

"You keep your food cold? Why's that?" Borferd asked as he picked up a packaged eel. 

"Preservation. We humans like to preserve our food to make them last longer," Machiko smiled. 

"And what is this thing?"

"Eel. I've heard you prefer things charred, but humans don't." 

"It's more the heat we like, but nothing beats munching charred caveguana."

"Then how about you try our meals with some hot sauce."

"You got sauce that makes things taste hot?" 

"Of course we do. Want to try?"

Finding a dining area, the dwarves all set down as Machiko procured the hot sauce and Nagako microwaved some eel. Everyone was served a piece plain, and then a piece with hot sauce. 

"This is hot? Doesn't even register," Borferd scoffed.

"How about this then?" Machiko smirked as she splorted some ghost pepper sauce on the eel. 

Borferd gobbled everything down, but still felt nothing. The others managed to feel a small tingle. 

"Well us dwarves tend to tolerate heat well," Durell laughed. 

"Speaking of heat, I want one of those boxes you stuffed the eel in. We got lava lurms that taste just like those eels you got, but they always cool when ya fish em out of the magma," Steamly stated. 

"Sounds like something we can't eat. But if it's a microwave you want, appliances are on the next floor up," Machiko smiled.