Fire Emblem: Engaged Gastronomy (Commission - Ch. 2)

It was late in the afternoon and Alear kept lagging behind Chloé because the bloated gut that was now her stomach started to weigh her down. Her head swirled a little too from two mugs of ale they had drank about an hour ago. Amazingly, Alear didn’t feel nauseous like she wanted to throw up. The food they had eaten, hour-after-hour, thankfully didn’t react violently in the sense of making her feel as though acid were tearing her throat apart. Instead, she simply felt swollen, like how a hot-air balloon must feel. The food had digested…it was wind that she was feeling. A great and terrible wind that never ceased to move around within her bowels, and grew only worse with every new food Chloé had her eat.

            How can this girl eat this much and retain that figure? she wondered. I’ve never eaten this much before! I need to rest!

            Chloé had gone so far ahead that the crowd swallowed her up. Alear cried out her name, albeit weakly.

            Chloé finally realized Alear was lagging behind and rushed to her, genuine concern on her face. “Are you alright, Divine Dragon?”

            “Y-yes. Chloé, I think I need to sit down somewhere. I feel…extremely full.”

            Chloé ’s voice went soft with comfort. “Of course, Divine One. Let’s sit somewhere. We can even lie down. There’s a field over yonder where the beer garden is. People lounge on the grass and the hills here.”

            “Let’s go there then.”

            She walked by Alear’s side recognizing now that she had been struggling to catch up. Together, they made their way through some narrow alleyways and reached the outskirts of the port city. The tents serving beer lined up the dirt path leading to the hills beyond. The late afternoon sun rested gloriously on them. A few visitors who may have had too much to drink were lounging on the grass, gazing up at the sky and laughing.

            Alear blushed. She felt somewhat vulnerable thinking herself as one of them, bloated and drunk.

No, I’m not drunk. I just felt a little winded. That’s all.

            They chose a spot on top of one of the smaller hills overlooking the tents and the port. Chloé sighed as she sat down. Alear was amazed to find her holding a mug and several corn dogs.

            “Chloé, where did you get that?”

            Chloé gave her a lopsided look. “On our way here. Why?”

            “You nab food so quickly. You’d make a good thief.”

Alear groaned as she found pleasure in lying down on her back. Her belly wobbled a bit, and she loosened the belt around her skirt hoping that nobody would notice how much she had eaten.

            They basked in the silence for a while. They had been in the thick crowd for so long that Alear had almost forgotten what nature sounded like. The summer air carried the sound of crickets. Since they were close to shore, they also heard the slow beating of the waves. Alear could catch the whiff of sea foam and seaweed.

            “I miss coming here more often,” Chloé said, smacking her lips as she gobbled her second corn dog. Looking at her gorge on more food made Alear feel weird. It must have been the two ales in her, but she blurted, “Chloé, how do you eat so much?”

            Chloé gave her a look again, a little lost for words. “Well. I was always a foodie. My parents hated when I ate too much and when I ate weird things.”

            “Where do you keep it all?”

            Chloé looked down at her body. She too looked bloated, with her skirt started to bulge at the seams and the belt appearing to have tightened its hold. Nevertheless, Chloé was unperturbed. She remained composed despite the visible bloated belly. She shrugged and said, “I’m used to it by now. My body knows how to pack it in.”

            “Did you get in trouble a lot with your parents?”

            “Oh yes. They’d always scold me telling me ‘Chloé, please don’t do that’ and ‘Chloé, please don’t do this!’. They were dreadfully overbearing.” She bit into her third corn dog. She shrugged. “But. I love them.”

            After she finished her final corn dog she drank from her mug. Two gulps later, Chloé did the unthinkable. She leaned back, resting on her hands, and let fly an enormous belch.

“BBBBBUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPP!”

            Alear sat up suddenly with her hand on her sword’s hilt, half-thinking it was the sound of some monster sneaking up on them. Halfway through Chloé ’s belch, Alear gawked at her. She immediately felt too embarrassed to be seen with her, as a passerby gave them looks.

            Chloé sighed at the end of that raucous belch. She patted her stomach and said, “A good belch also helps!” She giggled.

            Alear continued staring at her, once again, at a loss for words.

            Chloé frowned. “What is it, Divine One?”

            “Chloé, I’m just…just surprised is all. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

            “Well, after the sandworm jelly and the ales and the—”

            “No, no, I mean, you didn’t even excuse yourself!”

            “Oh,” Chloé grimaced. “I see. Well. We’re at a festival after all. Surely one is bound to hear a bodily function, especially with so much ale and beer going around. One can’t be apologetic about EVERY single burp, can they? A few must naturally slip out.”

            When Alear didn’t say anything, Chloé asked straight, “Have I offended you, Divine One?”

            “No. I mean. Not exactly.” Alear wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. She wasn’t mad or offended, simply surprised. And, again, feeling that second-hand embarrassment being around her. “You’re a noblewoman and all, so, I had expected otherwise.”

            Instead of bowing to apology, Chloé stood her ground. “I find it so tiring to have to be reminded of what NOBLE people do. It’s all so…namby-pamby.”

            Alear nearly burst out laughing. “Namby-pamby? Chloé, you really are funny. I’ve never met a noblewoman who set aside etiquette.” She shrugged. “Then again, maybe I did in my former life and just don’t remember them.”

            Chloé smiled. “Well, now you have, Divine One. I hope it doesn’t bother you too much.”

            “No. But I will say that it might feel embarrassing to draw attention.”

            “And why’s that? Why should people be embarrassed about something so normal? It’s silly. One should just do as one naturally does. Do what one has to do. Be oneself. No sense stressing in expressing oneself because then you’ll never get anything done. You’ll have to walk around eggshells all the time.”

            Alear was stricken by her words. She had been feeling that way about her soldiers lately – having to walk around eggshells all the time. With a large cast of soldiers from across Elyos, Alear had been mindful about what to say and do. She had to be diplomatic at all times. Any bad slip and she could sour relations.

            But if Chloé could be Chloé and still be in her position, a retainer for Princess Céline, then Alear thought about what that could be like for her.

            “Ready to go now?” Chloé asked.

            Alear shook her head. “I think I need a nap, Chloé.”

            “That makes sense. Unless you want to leave now. But if we leave now, we’ll miss the shows and the festivities at night. Though, I understand if you’re not up for them.”

            “All the better to nap now to stay awake later then.”

            “That sounds reasonable.”

            Chloé burped again, thankfully nowhere near as loud as the first time. She finished her beer, sighed, and stretched out with her back against the grassy knoll.