FFXIV Write 2024

14 - Telling

Exploring Tulsa tells me things about this world. Husband says it is only the forty-seventh largest city in this country, so if I keep finding new things in it, it means there are even more new things elsewhere.

We made almost everything we needed in Eorzea, but it seems Earth people do not. Aside from the food stores and the clothing stores, I also saw stores that sold televisions, stores that sold mattresses, stores with strong smells that sold "tobacco," and many others.

Some stores were not as obvious as others in what they sold. A place called Cody's Culture Club looked like a bar or a restaurant on the outside, but did not show a menu; it merely had bright signs that talked about when it was open. It seemed to have windows, but I could not see through them, as if they were covered with something.

If the club wanted to be secretive, I decided to be secretive too. I went around the club to an alley, changed to Ninja, and stealthed. I followed a man into the club through the front door.

What I saw at first made me think of the Beehive in Eulmore, though much dimmer, with low seats laid out facing stages on which people danced. Then I noticed that the people on the stages were all women, that some of them had no clothes, and that some were in the process of taking theirs off, all while dancing or moving around tall poles.

Husband had once mentioned strippers. I suspected I was now seeing them. It explained something he had once said, how he was surprised the people dancing at the Beehive were wearing more clothes than he expected.

Some of the dancing looked very skilled, but unless I wanted to be a stripper it did not seem useful to me. I would not want to dance for the men in the club. I do not know if I would want to dance for Husband like that. Perhaps I will try some time to see what he says.

I slipped out of the club and back to the alley, then left Sneak. I had not looked around enough, though, because when I turned I saw a small boy staring at me with his mouth open. We looked at each other for a moment before he said, "I'm telliiiiiing!"

I turned to look up and down the alley, but saw no adults, so I did not know who he would tell. When I turned back I saw he was looking me up and down, his mouth still open. I realized that, since I was wearing my Ninja armor rather than my Earth-normal overcoat, he had seen my tail.

I squatted down in front of him so that he could clearly see my ears as well. "What will you be telling, little boy?"

His mouth worked a bit before he said, "A cat lady with big knives just appeared outa nowhere!"

I had confused and upset a hyur, even if it was a small one. But children like stories, and tell stories, and adults know they tell stories...I had seen that in the library. I had even told them stories. So I decided to tell a story, of sorts. I stood and changed to Summoner, wearing my Ruby Cotton Robe of Casting. "What will you be telling, little boy?"

"...A cat lady with big knives appeared outa nowhere and changed clothes in front of me!"

I summoned my carbuncle, glamoured to Ifrit. The flaming creature hovered at my shoulder. "What will you be telling, little boy?"

He did not say what he would be telling. He simply ran away. I changed to my Earth normal beret and overcoat and left the alley.

Later, when I was sitting on a bench eating an eclair, I saw the boy again holding a woman's hand. He saw me, pointed at me, and started yelling, "Mom! That's her! That's the cat lady with knives and a big book and a monster made out of fire!"

The woman and I looked at each other. Then she sighed, made herself smile for the boy, and pulled him along, saying something to him I did not hear.

I told Husband about this later.

"Wait, you went to a strip club?"