Starting Life From Zero: Far From Home

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sam shrugged as he walked down the road, Steve and Bucky were on either side of him and they had all picked up some kind of candy like concoction from one of the vendors that was selling them outside of the shops, though now that he could smell it clearly he wasn't sure that he wanted to put it in his mouth.

Holding it up near his face to test the scent again, Sam took another whiff before pulling his face away.

Bucky chuckled. "Maybe after the battle over you can ask her out on a little date somewhere in town—I just think it's weird is all."

Steve shrugged. "They're people, just with animal ears. Is it really that weird?"

"It really ain't that weird," Sam said. "Like look, I grew up with Lola Bunny and Gadget was my favorite Rescue Ranger—it isn't like when you two were kids up with the soda jerks and the men singing in barbershops dressed like monorail salesmen," Sam said. "There was sexy animal girls all over our TVs in the eighties and nineties!"

Bucky laughed harder, before pushing another stick of the candy into his mouth.

"How can you eat that shit?" Sam asked.

"You've never had Eastern Bloc candy," Bucky said.

Sam shook his head as they walked along. "You can have mine then, for sure," Sam said handing them over.

"I'm only taking that if you tell us what you said to that Chloe girl," Bucky asked.

"Look, I'm not trying to say I'm one of those weird guys who uses Hentai Body Pillow, but the idea of cat girls is attractive if you think about a cat girl in real life. And we met an attractive, warrior cat girl—she was even muscular," Sam said as he pushed his candy sticks into Bucky's hands, forcing him to take them.

"We're not doing this," Bucky said.

"Bucky likes them muscular girls," Sam said. "I think those Dora Milaje put a little somethin-somethin' on him."

Bucky was shaking his head, he picked up his pace just enough to pull out in front o them. "We're not doing this."

"Oh come on, I'm sure we can find someone around here for you," Sam said.

"What is Hentai?" Bucky asked ignoring Sam.

Steve was content to trail behind both of them, laughing quietly to himself until he heard the question. "Oh, I asked, um Banner about this one time. I think he said it's like a kind of sexual expression artistic movement?"

"That's what Banner said, huh?" Sam asked. Then he leaned closer to Steve. "It's big tiddy Japanese cartoon porn."

"And people put this on pillows? Bucky asked.

Sam held a hand up. "You really don't want to know," he said. "Besides, I saw what you did there and I'm not letting you distract us from your Amazonian woman...thing."

"I've told you, it's not the muscle—it's the dedication it takes to get it. A woman who—" Bucky stopped to turn around and face them, taking another bite of the bitter candy before he spoke. "A woman who will put in the time and work to get toned is attractive," Bucky said. He was obviously trying to still his voice and make himself calmer.

Some of the people around them on the streets were turning to look, though they were an odd trio. Steve looked the most normal for Lugnica; light hair, light eyes, light skin—those were the things the norm here. Sam was dark skinned which, while it existed here and there in the Kingdom was rather rare. And rarer than that were people who were light skinned and had dark hair like Bucky.

At least he had cared enough to cover up the metallic arm.

Sam continued to laugh as the three of them walked in silence after Bucky's miniature rant. They neared a bridge that passed over a small canal far below as they headed into the district where the businesses went from being shops and artisans to being inns and taverns and brothels. Sometimes all three at once.