They never did go to the tavern that night, much to Shakira’s dismay. Norcross had to meet with this Victoria and everyone else was eager to get clean and go to bed. Cassidy especially. She had a new appreciation for rolling out of bed without dirt in the eye and the ability to smell herself.

She rubbed her hands down her dress. The dress fell to just below her knees, much like the ones she saw last night. It was an A-line in chevron blue and felt unexpectedly loose in areas. She’d lost weight. For once that didn’t feel like a good thing. She looked at herself in her brush’s small flip mirror, trying to see any last specks of dirt she’d missed the night before. She’d had to use her soap for everything, even in place of shampoo. That was a new experience, but at least she was clean. She put her brush away and smoothed out her dress once more. She tried to remember the last time she wore this dress. It was back when she had girlfriends and their hardest problem was overcoming Monday’s hangover at work. She’d just started as a paralegal when… things were different now. The dress felt foreign and she had to make a decision. Would she keep this memory as part of her life, or cut it off completely?

Now that survival wasn’t her primary goal, she had to face a lot of questions about herself. Just like this one but she decided, every time. It was getting increasingly harder but she moved down those stairs in small careful steps, fully aware of the fabric swishing around her legs. She got to the bottom and looked up in trepidation at the people who’d only come to know her through hard living. A dress had no place in travel. They were all staring seated around a table. She sighed. This was her decision. She wouldn’t let this new world kill off everything she used to be. There was no reason to back out now. With some force of will she spoke up.

“Good Morning.” They came back to life. Bertold took a drink from his flask rather than his mug, sitting on the table. Fremont and Edel looked down at their breakfast, refusing to step into what was becoming a situation. Norcross looked to Shakira as if she’d tell him what to say. Shakira’s eyes lit up.

“I’ve never seen that pattern before or those trimmings. Your old world, right?”

Cassidy nodded, much more comfortable now.

“Let me take you to my dressmakers. I bet you could get them patented and earn some nice credits.” She stood up as if she was ready to leave now, thinking about all the feminine bonding she could get done. Ha! A leg up on Norcross there.

Norcross cleared his throat. “That’ll have to wait. I was going to take her to the Adventurer’s remember?” He looked back to Cassidy and hesitated a moment as Sharika sat down in disappointment. “You’ll need your weapon.”

She kept up her brave face and nodded. “That’s no problem. It won’t damage my dress.”

Everyone gave her a queer look at that. But she pretended not to see. She could wear a dress and her weaponry. One didn’t exclude the other. She went back upstairs.

The straps from her bow and quiver slid easily over her dress. Their acrylic design shouldn’t do any wear and tear unless she made this a habit, which she wouldn’t. Once she had free time, she’d buy some decent shirt and pants to wear around the city too as well as a new dagger. She missed having a dagger as a safety net for when her bow failed her. No-to-mention an alchemy shop! She needed to pick up the basic tools and maybe a new recipe or two. She didn’t like the haphazard way she’d been forced to experiment with so far. She chose to forget about the void mastery for now. Go with the familiar over the strange.

Fully equipped, she headed back down stairs. He puppies whining at getting left behind.

Bertold had taken another shot from his flask. Once they’d made it to town, he’d immediately filled it with something stronger than water and this morning he was already feeling the need. That dress with her soft hand and all that fine china slammed him in the face. He always thought there were certain people designed to hit the trails and some designed to stay at home. When Cassidy came down those stairs like some sort of lady all that went up into the air. He was beginning to feel pity for the poor woman who had lost everything rather than reliance on a fellow hunter. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what to feel about Cassidy anymore. She fit none of the boxes he had. She was too strong to be Tier 1 but she was. She was too great a hunter to be a lady but obviously carried the markings of one. And she was too rough and tumble but somehow that still didn’t erase the traces of a kinder life from her. He didn’t know anymore. Did it even matter? He took another swig from his flask and decided, no it didn’t. He’d do his duty as a travel partner and let it end there. When she came back down in that dress he spoke up. “I’ll go with you and Norcross.” He completely missed the temperature in the room drop. “And after he registers you with a recommendation, I’ll take you to the Hunter’s Guild and register you with my recommendation.”

Her eyes lit up. The new, kinder Bertold kept on surprising her. “Oh! Thanks. I’m not sure what that all means but I’m guessing it’ll be a big help.” He just nodded and went back to that flask.

Norcross looked back from Bertold to Cassidy. “We should get heading out then. Beat the morning rush.” She paused for a moment as if something came to mind. “Unless, of course, you need to eat.”

She shook her head. There were too many butterflies over the new experiences. She doubted she’d be able to eat anything, but she did flag down the server to send some meat up to her dogs.

Norcross waited for Cassidy to get close and headed for the door. Bertold slid off his chair to follow them. “That reminds me, we better get your land registered while we’re here so more people like me don’t show up. There. After that all he had to do was sell the goods and his duty would be done. He could get outta there. First Explorer’s request he was taking it.

“Land?” Norcross looked over curiously.

“Yeah.” As always Berthold took the initiative, he didn’t even hesitate any more to see if she wanted to speak. “It’s held by the bones of her ancestors. Be pretty bad if some one else tried to claim it first.”

Norcross gave a little nod before looking to Cassidy. She hadn’t even tried to speak up. He found it peculiar a person who denied a knight’s advice and stayed up four torturous nights was unable to speak for herself. His mind flashed to that image in the dark. The arrow that took the bat down. None of that was done by anyone who suffered timidity. Cassidy ignored his gaze and kept walking. There was a lot she wanted to get done today.

The pathways through the city were long and winding, widening suddenly to make space for merchandise carts and gatherings. She supposed they might be public squares but they were more oblong, as if the snaking street were choking on an egg, than any public square of which she knew. Still, she understood how to navigate cities, even if they weren’t grid based, and had their path marked down mentally for when she headed out on her own. At least the streets were clean. She wasn’t sure how they managed that with their cultural level of advancement. Then again, she should stop judging a magic world by her old world’s standards. They must have some magical equivalent of a sewage system.

It took awhile for them to reach their destination. Plenty of time for Cassidy to return the stares of all the men and women staring at her dress. Apparently, the children didn’t find its style all that unusual, unlike the grown-ups. She noticed most of them wore drab, monochromatic colors or very limited designs. All of her patterned dresses would stand out here. Or maybe it was that and the bow across her back. The rest of the group had seemed thrown by that combination too.

She was busy watching the crowds, in fact, that she bumped into Norcross when he stopped. He reached out to steady her but she’d already taken a step back and was eyeing the business—Adventurers’ Guild. He directed her inside and Bertold followed behind.

The inside was rather orderly. Clerks sat beneath signs claiming their purpose and people lined up according to signs. Papers were posted all along the left wall. Some had clearly been torn off. Benches and tables filled the right 2/3s of the room. Norcoross directed her to a shorter line called “Registrations.” While they waited, he started talking, giving her advice.

“You’re new and only a Tier 1. With no reputation and at the weakest level it’ll be nearly impossible to find a party so if anyone ever does offer, take it. No matter how… unsavory they may appear. There is a strict honor code here and you should be safe with anyone who accepts you.” Bertold was nodding along in agreement so she nodded too.

“Alright. I’ll remember that.” She glanced up again at the signs, wondering how she was able to read them. Did the mana influx do this? Give her magical knowledge of the world? That was silly. What really was going on?

It barely took the space of this conversation before they were at the front of the line and a young man was staring at the bow draped over her dress. Norcross cleared his throat. The man blinked his eyes a few times before getting to work. “What brings you to registrations?”

Norcross took Bertold’s habit of speaking over her and she decided to just let the experts handle it.

“She’s a Tier 1 looking to register with the Guild. I’m here to give her my recommendation.”

“And you would be…” The young man stared up at Norcross questioningly.

It didn’t phase him. “I’m Raylen Norcross.”

The young man froze and blinked a few more times. He looked up into Norcross’ face again before quickly glancing off to the side and coughing. “Do you have any proof—”

Norcross dropped his sealed ring in the middle of the man’s question and waited.

“Right.” The man stared at it like he was watching a snake. Not taking his eyes off the ring he pulled out a sheet of paper and a broach that had a big 1 on it. Hesitantly, he stamped the paper with the ring and, with what must be magic, embossed the bottom of the broach with it. Finally looking up he asked. “Class.”

At this both Bertold and Norcross spoke simultaneously. “Ranger.”

I guess I’d best stop calling myself an archer, Cassidy thought.

The man glanced down again and took a seal from beneath his counter to emboss the top of the broach. He handed to Cassidy. She was still looking it over as Norcross pulled her away and she yelled back, “Thanks!” Before following them out the door.

Norcross paused as they exited and looked her over. She was feeling marginally more confident and met his gaze as he examined her.

“I noticed you never wore armor when we were travelling. I know an accomplished armorer that should make you a decent set for a low price.”

Bertold began to have the distinct feeling he shouldn’t remind them of the Hunter’s Guild and backed up a step or two.

Cassidy thought this over. It was truly her biggest problem from the beginning, one she’d never seemed able to resolve. It barely took a second before she spoke up. “That would be a huge help. Thank you. I was never able to make any back home.”

This earned her a small smile. “No, I imagine not. A lot goes into making any armor passable.”

She nodded along as he spoke and the looked at her dress. “Could you find me a store with some clothes first? I’m guessing my dress won’t cut it for armor measurements.”

He let out a laugh. “There’s one nearby and it should have a room that allows you to change. Let me show you.” He turned and began walking back on the street. Bertold watched them go and decided he’d show Cassidy the Hunter’s Guild when she wasn’t quite so busy.

Cassidy felt Norcross had a different idea of distance than her. It took some 20 minutes to reach this ‘nearby’ store. Blessedly a breeze had kept the heat of the sun from baking them. Trying on clothes while sweaty felt like an insult to the store, even if everything was set up on unvarnished wooden tables. It took a minute to grab pants long enough for her, but once she did it only took a second to grab some random shirt and belt. As she went behind the screen to change, she heard Norcross talk to the owner, but managing tuck this very loose shirt under her belt distracted her. When she got out, she headed to the store keep but Norcross intercepted her.

“It’s taken care of. Let’s head over to the armor.” And he brushed right past her before the words could even get processed into indignation.

She hurried after him out of the shop. All previous intimidation evaporated by outrage.

“What was that?!”

“What was what?” He glanced over at her.

She couldn’t articulate. This was outrageous. She paid her own bills!

Norcross was smart enough to catch on though. “You’re my guest. I’m just showing proper hospitality.”

No way in hell that was ‘proper hospitality.’ No one would be able to afford guests then!

“That doesn’t work with me! I take care of myself.” She nearly jumped in front of him to glare eye to eye. He met her gaze but walked by as if nothing she was saying mattered.

She watched in astonishment. That son of a bitch.

“Norcross!” Some people paused to look at them.

He stopped now and came back saying very calmly, “There’s no reason to shout. Just be polite and accept the hospitality.” Her mouth snapped shut at this. What was even happening? He turned and started walking away. She followed him, preparing for what she saw as an upcoming battle. The armorer.

Norcross led the way through the crowded streets, trying to make room for Cassidy to keep up. He was worried about what would happen if he lost her in these streets. She was an Initiate, didn’t know anything about the world, let alone the city. Could she even make it back on her own? He sent a worried glance backwards only to be met with daggers staring through the back of his head. His concern vanished. She’d be fine. Probably.

Seeing the armorer’s sign up ahead, he picked up the pace. She might need help choosing the appropriate armor and he was sure there’s be a fight when it came to paying.

Cassidy relaxed a little when Norcross turned into a side shop. Bits of armor covered the walls. She couldn’t even begin to identify what most of them were for. She was still staring when Norcross beat her to the owner and spoke up. “She’s a ranger in need of some armor. Any advice?” She glanced over. Norcross and the armorer were grouped together as if in collusion. She didn’t like that one bit, but the armorer stepped forward to point out some pieces on the wall. Cassidy’s eyes followed to find the pieces and settled on one. It was a set of light armor. Mostly a leather jerkin with leather strips to wrap around the legs. Bits of metal ran through them. A metal circle claimed its place right over the heart of its future owner. Studs ran up the arms to cover the back. She frowned, imagining sunlight glint off that metal as she hid in the brush.

“Is there any way to color the metal or at least dull its sheen?”

The store owner laughed. “Of course, I just leave it like this to attract buyers. People like shiny things.” That made her mouth quirk into a smile.

“How much?”

He turned to Norcross then. “For you? I’ll bring it down to 2,500.”

She spoke fast before Norcross could do anything. She had to check her anger when she saw they were about to cut her out just like with the store keep.

“I can cover it. Here.” It didn’t take but a moment for her to call the 2,500 credits out of whatever magical storage the voice left them in. The armorer kept looking between her and Norcross. Her anger grew. She was the one with the money. It was right out in front of them! Why was he even looking to Norcross? It took a few moments, long enough to fan her anger into a fury, but Norcross looked off to the side. His version of backing down it seemed as the armorer stepped forward to take her credits.

“Step on back and I’ll get measurements taken for your own set.” She followed him, still fuming. She ignored how limited her funds had just become. It was hard for her to form an attachment to money when she could just go live in the woods without it. Besides, once Bertold sold their inventory, she should have enough for that dagger and Alchemy equipment.