Origin Seeker

Chapter 60: Let’s Dance

Dream walked out with Luna and Iris. 

Outside the building, a carriage was parked. Dream walked over to the driver.

"Good evening sir. Sorry for the wait." (Dream)

"Oh! No problem at all, young man. To the place we discussed?" (Driver)

"Yes, please."

Dream and the driver nodded to each other. He then opened the door to the carriage, making way for the girls.

"Mi'ladies."

The girls were a bit surprised by his demeanor but still stepped into the carriage. Dream followed behind them.

The carriage was basically a box on wheels. Though the interior was nothing stiff. It was equipped with a comfortable seat on both sides which could fit 5 people well. There were also windows allowing them to see outside.

After they got in the driver began moving, heading towards the high-class areas. One thing to note was that it wasn't driven by animal, but mana. Each of the wheels, as well as the carriage, was enchanted. 

"So, we're going to a fancy restaurant?" (Iris)

Iris broke the silence as they moved. Dream nodded.

"We are. The one I picked out supposedly has good meats. And as carnivorous as we are, I thought it would be the better choice."

"Ooo that sounds good. Is it expensive?"

"You let me worry about that. All you two need to worry about is having a great night."

Song: Starboy - The Weeknd

They continued their idle chat until they began reaching the high-class area. 

The streets were brighter, the carriages were plentiful, and the people were fancier and powerful. They could hear music coming from nearby buildings purposefully sounding it for everyone to hear. In general, it was much more lively than where they lived. 

Luna and Iris stared out the windows of the carriage, looking at all the tall buildings and taking in the festive atmosphere. Their excitement grew as they saw how much fun they could have.

"We're here."

The driver stopped the carriage in front of a building. Dream nodded and paid the fare plus tip. The three climbed out and the driver went on his way.

"This place is big!" (Iris)

The girls craned their necks to see the top of the building. It was easily a dozen stories tall. Up until now, they had only seen building like their home with 6 floors.

"Shall we enter? I already have a reservation." (Dream)

"Reservation?"

"Well, if you just show up without prior notice, then you'll have to wait a while to only get a table on the bottom floors. So you make a reservation. Come on, I believe I got us a good table."

Dream walked to the doors, opening it for the girls. They walked in and were greeted with the noises of people talking, utensils clanging, and music playing. 

Dream walked in after them and found the host.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I have a reservation for three. The name is Dream."

"Let me see..."

The host brought out a list, looking through it for a bit before finding Dream's name.

"Ah! Yes, your table will be on the 10th floor. The host there will seat you."

"Thank you. Ladies?"

"..?"

Dream put up his hands, his left towards Luna and his right towards Iris. They stood there for a confused second until Sophia whispered in their heads. They realized and walked over, taking his hands.

Once they did that, they instantly garnered the attention of many on the first floor, including the host. They could hear whispers being passed around.

"Both of them? That kid must be rich."

"Those girls are stunning. I wonder what family they come from."

"The boy isn't so bad looking either..."

"We're on a date, why are you drooling at them?"

Many girlfriends began smacking their googling boyfriends, while all the single people were enjoying the view. Dream and the girls chuckled and walked up the stairs.

A couple of minutes later, they finally got to the tenth floor.

"Ahh! Jeez! I hate stairs! It's always a pain in the ass to walk up so damn many. When will this world invent elevators?" (Dream)

"Oh I'm sorry, are you tired or something? And It's not like you didn't use magic for half of it. Plus there are elevators. Stop complaining, lazy boy." (Iris)

"Uh, guys..." (Luna)

Dream and Iris looked towards Luna after she got their attention. They shortly noticed everyone on the floor looking at them from their tables.

"Oh... Sorry."

"Can I help you?"

A host came up to them, having noticed their arrival along with everyone else in the room.

"Oh, we have a reservation. The name is Dream."

The host took out a much shorter list and quickly found Dream's name. 

"Yes, follow me, Dream."

"Thanks."

The three followed the host who led them to a table. It was a cushioned corner seat that faced out the windows of the building. It was easily one of the best seats in the room, giving them a full view of the night city. The three sat down while keeping their eyes on the magnificent sight.

"Here are your menus. A waiter will be with you shortly."

"Thank you."

The host left. The three tore their eyes away from the view and looked at their menus.

"They have lots of meat. And sandwiches!" (Iris)

"They do. Get whatever you want, though I suggest you get the big meals instead of a bunch of small meals. Like here, there's steaks and slabs of meat. Those are like a pound each. And...they even sell 2 pounders? How gluttonous are the people in this world?"

"Food is one of the only ways for people to get their energy back, other than rest. So It doesn't surprise me." (Luna)

"I guess. But still. Oh! Here's the 3rd class meats section. I'm definitely getting me some of that."

"Really? Where?"

The three excitedly looked through the options. Iris especially. She had the highest expectations for the food, whether it was portion sizes or taste. She was the glutton of the group after all. Not that the other two didn't eat a lot, but they couldn't eat whole animals at a time.

Soon, a waitress came and took their order. Dream ordered a 3rd class meat burger, or at least what looked like a burger, and some bread. Luna got herself some 3rd class meat strips. And Iris... Well she had a list.

"I'll have the same burger as him. Make it three actually. Then I'll have two of this 3-pound class 3 steak. Some of those meat strips would be good as well. And these sandwiches, 4 of those. They look smaller. I'll also have 5 or 6 of those bread loaves. And there are fruits? I'll have a plate of those. And... I think that's it."

"..."

The waitress stared after jotting down everything. How could this girl eat so much? She looked towards Dream for confirmation.

"...She'll have all of that. Is that fine?" (Dream)

"Y-Yes. That's no problem. Anything else?" (Waitress)

"No, thank you."

The waitress nodded and head off with the long list of orders. Iris' face reddened a bit, realizing her lack of shame.

"S-Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I meant it when I said get whatever. It'll be funny when our table is filled with plates though."

"Hehe, Iris is a glutton."

"Shut up! I like good food! Hmph!"

Dream and Luna laughed. 

"You guys want drinks?" (Dream)

"Coke please!" (Iris)

"I'll have root beer." (Luna)

Dream summoned out the sodas and poured them glasses. He got himself a glass of Baja blast. 

The three drank and chat while waiting for their food. Surprisingly though, food service is faster in this world as it was only 10-15 minutes before the first batch of food came.

The waitress came with a tray that had three plates on it.

"Here you go. All the other dishes will come out as they're made."

"Thank you."

They received their plates and began eating after the waitress left. Dream picked up his burger and bit into it.

"....MMmmmm..."

Dream closed his eyes and savored the heavenly taste of class 3 meat. It was so much better than the class 2 meat Elaina cooked. Was it the seasoning? The texture? Or was it really just the mana? It honestly wasn't much different than eating regular meat, other than it being cooked extremely well. The cook probably had a high level. And apparently mana enhanced the taste of things. Or did it just stimulate the taste buds more?

The girls reacted almost exactly the same way as Dream. Even Iris slowed down to savor it. Which says a lot considering she usually scarfs everything down like a wolf.

'Wait, are foxes wolves?'

[Foxes are related to wolves.]

Ah, that explains it. He blamed Iris a little less.

"Here you go! Second batch."

Everyone snapped out of their reverie after hearing the waitress come back with three more plates. The plates were set down.

Seeing that, Iris quickly wolfed down her food and moved onto the next plates. She couldn't wait to taste everything.

Dream and Luna just watched her while slowly enjoying their food. Though they also had to make sure it didn't get mistakenly caught in the gluttonous maws of Iris. They pulled their plates in closer.

Just as Iris finished her last plate out of four, the next batch came. Then the next batch, then the next. Iris joyfully ate every single one. The waitress was also baffled more and more after each round. Every time she came back, the several pounds of meat were gone!

Half an hour later, at the table was a tall stack of plates and a very satisfied fox.

"Oh! My mana went up. So did my strength." (Iris)

"Gaining attributes by eating dinner. I'm pretty sure that's more of a cheat than me." (Dream)

"Both of you are cheats. Do they have any dessert here?" (Luna)

"Not sure. But I know I do. Want some root beer floats?" (Dream)

"Yes please!" (Iris)

Dream whipped up a literal bucket filled with ice cream and root beer. He brought out big spoons and they dug in.

Needless to say, this got them many weird looks. Though they weren't paying attention to that. What they were paying attention to, was their taste.

"...Is it just me or does this not taste as good? What'd you do Dream?" (Iris)

"I didn't do anything. And ya I'm getting that too. It's like it has less taste." (Dream)

"Could it be because of the class 3 meat?" (Luna)

"Overstimulation? It's a possibility. Though that really sucks. Anything we eat won't have taste unless it's saturated with class 3 mana? What kind of crap is that?"

The three had ugly looks as they thought of the consequences brought by this. The waitress, who had been walking over, overheard them and spoke up.

"There's no need to worry." (Waitress)

"There's not?"

"The effects of eating mana filled food will fade within an hour or so. It happens to everyone. Though if you eat these foods very frequently, your taste will begin to change and lower class foods won't taste good anymore."

"I see. Thanks for the heads up. Where do I pay?" (Dream)

"Come with me please."

The waitress led Dream away. A few minutes later, he came right back.

"Alright. You guys ready to go?"

"Sure."

Dream got rid of the bucket and walked off with the girls, exiting the shop on the first floor.

"So what now? Home?" (Iris)

"Home? Of course not! The night is just getting started. The city is positively bustling and we're in the middle of it!"

Song: Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

The girls looked around them, seeing all the activity. Hundreds of people in nice clothes walking every which way. Carriages driving up and down the roads. Lights hanging from the building lighting up the area, but not so much as to block out the gentle darkness of the night. There were even bands playing on the sides of the streets, getting donations from the passerby's. Excitement, happiness, joy. They felt it all. Though they also noticed something peculiar.

The majority of people walking the streets were couples walking up against each other with linked arms. The aura of romance was heavy and contagious, but blissful. Even the girls couldn't keep their hearts from beating in expectation, infected by the wonderous atmosphere.

Sensing their change in attitude, Dream smiled. 

"That's the spirit. Now, let's go for a walk."

He put up his hands once again to the girls. Though this time they didn't just grab his hand. Such a thing wouldn't fit the atmosphere.

They grabbed his arm, one hand slipping into his grasp and the other around his elbow. Both got in nice and close as if laying claim to each arm. Dream could feel their bodies pressing up against his. The best parts too. Obviously, the people in question knew exactly what they were doing. Luna stroked his arm while looking up at him provocatively.

"Is there something wrong Dream?" (Luna)

"...No. Come on. I'm in the mood for dancing, so why don't we?"

"Dancing? We don't know how to dance..." (Iris)

"That's alright. Learn as we go, right?"

"No! Not right! I don't want to dance like an idiot in front of people!" (Iris)

Haha, don't worry! I'll be dancing right there with you. So it won't look totally bad. Now, follow me!"

"No!"

Dream began dragging Iris along, all while Luna laughed at her sister's impending doom. It wasn't like she knew how to dance, just that she wasn't as self-conscious as Iris. So she had less to worry about.

After catching a lot of attention while walking down the street, Iris finally stopped resisting and they arrived at a tavern. This was one of the places Dream came across while exploring. 

As they approached the door, they could hear music, cheering, talking, and all-around rowdiness coming from inside. They could already tell that it was a far cry from the civil atmosphere of the restaurant. Dream didn't stand around and walked into the place with the girls in tow.

After going through the door, they saw that the tavern looked just like a tavern should. Wooden tables and chairs, a stage with a band playing music, pretty waitresses, and lots of alcohol being passed around. There was also a dance floor where many couples were doing their thing. Apparently grinding wasn't something exclusive to Earth.

The girls were surprised as they looked around. They had never been in such a crazy place. So many different things were going on, and it seemed like chaos. It was a new experience for them.

Dream tugged them along after a bit and walked over to a table near the dance floor. One of the perks about it being chaotic was that they attracted less attention. They sat down and watched everyone on the dance floor.

"Ugh, I can't believe we're doing this." (Iris)

"Better believe it. And it looks like they're finishing soon too."

They watched as everyone came to a halt, along with the song. Some people clapped and others left the floor to rest. The band began playing their next song, and as they started, Dream was intrigued. It wasn't the kind of music he was used to, but still something you could dance to. Lights flashed over the dark dance floor, which seemed to have a veil separating the light from the outside. It was basically this world's version of a rave. And Dream could feel mana being passed around the floor, originating from the stage and trying to affect him along with everyone here.

'Sophia, correct me if I'm wrong, but is the music infused with mana?'

[It is. It's nothing malicious though. From what I can see, those musicians have skills that let them give an effect to their music. It works similarly to your [Mystify], just not as good.]

'Interesting. I've never seen such an application of mana. Well, collect whatever data you can. It's time for me to make my move.'

[Hehe, have fun.]

Dream stood up and wiped anything unrelated to having fun from his mind. He walked in front of the 'unlucky' Iris and put out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

"No."

"That's unfortunate. For you at least."

Dream's magic lifted Iris from her seat, bringing her into his arms. He walked onto the floor with her and made his way into the crowd. It reminded him of his high school dances. Luna giggled as she could feel her sister's nervousness.

After pushing their way past many people enchanted by the music, they found a gap, and Dream brought Iris up to him. 

"Let's dance."