Violet and Daire both set up the majority of their things in the stable for safekeeping. Trinket was told that it was his duty to guard their belongings but not attack anyone unless they meant him harm.

Trinket slapped his paw to his forehead.

"That's a good boy, Trinket!"

Ruffling his furry face, Daire avoided a slobbery tongue. While Violet had been entranced in her book, Daire taught Trinket tricks and human gestures. Saluting was one of his favorites.

Daire grabbed his backpack along with a rather impressive pile of rabbit skins, intent on selling them.

Violet was still trying to decide whether to switch her outfit or change her hairstyle. She'd already worn her paper sundress for a few days now. It stayed clean magically, nothing stuck to it, it was comfortable, and it was the best dress she had ever made. The principle of wearing it for too many days in a row made her uncomfortable. They were already a little over halfway through the day, so Violet was torn.

On the one hand, switching clothes in the middle of the day felt like needlessly making things complicated. On the other, she planned to go on a tour with Daire and be seen by multiple new people. Making a good first impression was paramount!

She didn't notice Daire leave her at some point in her musing.

Coming up with an interesting idea, Violet took parts of her purple and green outfits and fuzed them with her paper dress. A confusing process if watched or attempted by another.

It was less of a fuzing and more like... absorbing.

The paper dress is magical in nature with reflective and assimilating properties. Previously, the dress played off the golden sunset and the lines in her wings, giving her an ethereal quality. With a bit of effort, she pulled and twisted the colors to become different purple and maroon shades from the naval down. The part covering her chest became vibrant leafy greens. The straps that went over her shoulder stayed their paper-white while reflecting different colors depending on how the light hit. One moment it was gold, then green, then deep purple, then blended into her skin tone. Instead of being eerie or overwhelming, it was magical and hypnotizing.

The entire process took less than ten minutes.

Daire already returned but didn't interrupt; he patiently waited, playing with Trinket.

Violet was looking at her hair, using a reflection in a puddle of water. It was still in a mermaid-waterfall braid. A few strands were poking out, but it was relatively well maintained. Violet decided to keep this hairstyle, smoothing down pieces and reweaving a braid or two.

Violet took one last glance at her reflection and nodded, turning around to see Daire had redone his own hair. It was still in a type of bun, but did it somehow grew longer?

There were two long, ashy brown strands on the sides of his face hanging down. The rest was pulled back into a neat bun. It was neither high nor low. Out from the bun hung the rest of his hair, straightened and glossy.

Violet could have sworn his hair wasn't long enough to do all that before, but maybe she didn't look as closely back then. She was still staring at him when he spoke.

"Seeing you put in so much effort, I thought I should at least try to look nice as well."

Most civilians and ordinary people would not expect travelers to be in impeccable condition, apart from royals, nobles, or wealthy. Daire and Violet couldn't compete with models, but they were neat, clean, and attractive enough to draw eyes.

There was the potential for problems, but they weren't dressing up for those around them. Dressing up made them happy.

"Shall we go find some lunch?"

=

The lunch rush was winding down, and most workers who could afford a lunch break went back to work. The stalls that sold food were still active and had warm food.

Violet was thrilled. A foodies chance at new food! She was flying through the street, taking in all the unique scents.

Roasted rat. Burnt bread. Vegetable soup... Horse dung...

Violet gagged.

"This..."

All the smells that were supposed to make her stomach rumble made her nose wrinkle. Violet looked to Daire to see that he was in a similar position.

"Let's go ask that vendor some questions."

Violet pinched her nose as Daire walked up to the man selling roasted rats. The rats weren't skinned. They were furry, possibly diseased. The man had shoved sticks through the rat's mouth... but it didn't come out the other end. One rat was currently roasting over a fire, charred black. As they arrived, it burst into flames entirely. Violet saw patches of skin and fur melt off.

"Excuse me, sir... Are you selling that rat?"

"Why yes, that'll be 20 coppers."

He slurred his S's like a snake.

Violet didn't understand money, but Daire recoiled as if afraid to catch something extremely contagious.

"20 coppers!? That's an entire day's salary, isn't it? Why in all the nine hells would you sell this horrible excuse of a meal for so much!"

The lanky, whiskered vendor furrowed his brows. He harrumphed.

"If you don't want it, then go find meat elsewhere. I'll have you know that people love these rats. I sell at least three of these a day!"

Daire visibly collected himself, but it seemed he was unable to be polite. Violet remembered Daire's attempt to cook a rabbit on his first try. It had been terrible and went up in flames. Yet Daire learned from his mistakes, getting better and better each time. This person seems to ignore his cooking skills, simply looking for a quick copper.

"I am amazed just anyone can open a stall. Do merchants have no dignity in these days?"

Daire threw his hands up. Violet could tell that he was acting poorly, but the vendor's posture was rigid, shaking, and furious.

"What's the problem with me running a stall? I can catch rats, and I can cook them. What other reason should I have to make easy money?

Daire slowly shook his head, held his fingers to the bridge of his nose, then looking up to the sky as if asking the heavens for answers.

"So it is easy... Come on, Violet, let's check some of the other stalls."

Daire turned to leave, and Violet cast one last glance at the combusted rat, forlorn that their first stop was a bust. As she twisted around, she could hear the vendor whisper.

"A Fairy?"

I'm a Pixie!

Violet didn't correct him out loud. He seemed like a very shady person. His rat-like appearance, the slimy way he spoke, and the fact that he had zero cooking skills... Violet was surprised at how forward Daire was with the vendor but assumed he put on an act for a reason.

Next, they went to check out three different vegetable soup stalls. Daire was more polite with the vendors, actually paying for a single bowl each. They each cost only a few coppers.

Violet had no idea where he got the coin but accepted the meal gladly.

Daire and Violet shared these meals but were disappointed once again. The stock was just grimy water, and the vegetables were soggy without being cooked all the way. They received some bread, but it was so rough and burnt that even soaking it in soup did nothing. Violet ate a single crumb, which scratched the roof of her mouth, causing her to spit the piece of bread back out. Rubbing her tongue against the wound, she felt betrayed.

She came face to face with Daire's serious expression.

"How about we put off sightseeing for now. We should show these people real street cooking."

Violet was still trying to pick the piece of soggy lettuce out from between her teeth. She let out a low whine.

"Please?"

Daire's smile was predatory.

=

Daire was appalled by the cooking industry in Milton. The quality of life must be terrible if people were actually paying an entire's day salary for a burnt rat or eating nothing but vegetable water day after day.

There were actually a few restaurants they had passed, but Daire didn't get that much for selling his rabbit pelts. Daire had seen a gold exchanging hands in one of the restaurants and immediately marked that off his list of options at the moment. While Violet had been getting ready, he had run out to find a tanner. After asking a kind pedestrian for directions, he quickly arrived and negotiated a price of two silver for the lot. No gold.

Daire had no plans to revolutionize this world's cooking. There were countless others out there to do so. Most of the reason for the poor eating habits seems to be the cattle-killing disease. He learned people kept goats for milk and horses for labor, but pigs and chickens seemed to be imported; the shipments sporadic at best.

This was an absolute folly decision in Daire's opinion. How could a merchant not take the opportunity to hit when the market was ripe? Did they all think demand would increase even further? Or did something happen to the pigs and chickens too?

Daire was taking Violet through the bazaar, picking up small bags of ingredients after negotiating suitable prices. Daire had never haggled before in his life but enjoyed it immensely. Imagine just being able to walk into a BestBuy and negotiate a flat-screen tv down from a grand to under seven-hundred fifty. This is what Daire felt as he saved every last copper he could. He thought the merchants would be upset with his haggling, but most looked at him with respect instead. Shaking hands with the furry merchant, he heard Violet's voice.

"Ooh! Can I get a tangerine?"

"A Fairy?"

"Pixie. Tangerine?"

"No, I'm- Oh! Yes, of course. Here, take one; they don't sell that well anyway."

Daire's eyes softened, thanking the beastkin woman. Walking away, he picked it apart and handed a small piece to Violet. Beaming, she bit into it.

"How do you know about tangerines?"

Chewing, sweet juices dripping. Speaking through stuffed cheeks.

"Books!"

Daire laughed, stopping near a merchant; he tossed a couple of coppers and grabbed a toy. His heart light, he placed the pinwheel behind his ear, popping a piece of tangerine into his mouth.

Sweetness.

=

It only took about a half-hour to buy the rest of the necessary ingredients. They then went back to the Rusty Bucket. Saying hello to Trinket and Pebbles, Daire took count of the rabbits he had left.

Starting with 101, he and Violet both ate one yesterday, while Trinket ate ten. He also gave three to Brom and Charlie. That meant he had 86 to work with. If he spread the meat out, that could last him a few days. He still had to feed himself, Violet, and Trinket. Daire wouldn't spend any more money on street food unless it was exceptional and refused to spend up to a gold on an extensive meal when he had a better and more cost-effective option.

Giving Violet the job of taking inventory, Daire asked Trinket to guard the entrance. He was about to craft something complex using magic, and Daire didn't know what kind of flags he would draw if someone witnessed it.

Daire was dreaming about an oven. It still wasn't time for his oven, but he could get a close second.

Spreading his senses out into the ground, searching. He pictured the several kinds of earth, mud, clay, dirt, rock, stone, mulch, and manure within a radius of few dozen yards under his feet.

Underneath where he was currently standing in a section of the stables, about six feet under was a grave.

He felt it earlier. It was old. Not before the town sprung up but at least before the inn was built on this ground. There was a section of nothingness, no color, which Daire interpreted to be bones. Strange enough, the absence of color formed shapes in his mind. The shapes of human bones. And tucked around the bones were dull grey metallics.

Saying a quick prayer for the dead, he dug up the metal. As it emerged out of the ground like the walking dead, he saw it was a crude piece of iron breastplate. An odd item to bury in these times, even more peculiar, it survived when the bones were crumbling.

Daire kicked it around with his foot a bit. The interlocking pieces immediately fell apart into two halves. It didn't crumble, so that was good...

Or maybe crumbling would make this easier.

Daire didn't have the option to go to a smith right now, especially since he couldn't afford a custom made rush job. So he decided to use this iron as both a material and experiment. He couldn't manipulate the iron. He tried, but it wouldn't take no matter how he tackled the problem. Instead... he tried using Fire.

Gathering some scrap wood, he lit a small controlled fire.

Examining it in his mind's eye, he saw it was yellow. Opening his eyes, it looked more orange and red to him. Closing his eyes again, it was definitely yellow. Daire also thought he could smell the color. Opening his eyes, all he sensed was burning wood, but closed? There was no ash scent. It smelled more like cinnamon. Stinging his nose a bit, it was also somehow relaxing and calming—kind of like incense.

Daire realized that the Fire had feelings, too. Simple feelings. Fire wanted to be close; it wanted to help. It wanted to hurt. To not be snuffed out after just awakening. It was tragic.

Daire decided to give it a purpose, if only for a little while. To help and hurt.

For the first time, Daire could feel and manipulate fire with purpose. It moved around his arm like snakes coiling, never touching his clothes. Daire whispered to it that there was something tastier, something it was destined to be close to.

Daire brought it back down his arm and refined it to a point on his finger.

Whispering to it, he told it how to grow stronger, brighter, hotter. It reveled and seemed to burble with emotion. From its original yellow glow, it turned to a pale green before quickly shifting to a vibrant blue that cooed in delight. Its scent shifting to how copper would taste—an almost indescribable experience.

The Fire rejoiced in its new form, asking to quickly be taught more. Daire obliged it described how it would be able to slice. It gave a questioning warble but quickly grew to the idea.

Daire used the blue flame to cut the iron into fragments.

The Fragments were cut into long strips. Daire made sure to cut pieces that bent into smaller pieces until every bit was flat regardless of length.

Satisfied with the amount of iron he had, Daire convinced the Fire that it was hungry, famished, starving, and needing to eat the heat wafting off the metal. It took easily to this motion and quickly gulped up the heat from melted sections of iron, blast cooling in a way only magic can.

It was silent for a while, seemingly full but also starving at the same time.

Somewhere in Daire's subconscious, he was baffled at how easy it was to manipulate the Fire. He simply had to convince it that his goals were what it wanted.

Daire wasn't finished with it though, letting it have a quick moment to rest, Daire used his other hand to arrange the now cool pieces of segmented iron. The parts were crude but would work for what he had planned.

Urging Fire that it could merge, connect, reattach and heal the wounded metal. The Fire remained silent. Daire was worried that it had gone dormant but was relieved that it responded a few moments later by changing its composition. The flame didn't vary in color, but it grew less narrow and more rounded, almost like a pointy raindrop.

Hovering over two segmented sections, he molded them back together nearly seamlessly. Continuing in this motion, he connected each of the pieces, creating a grid formation.

He asked the Fire to eat up the excess heat again.

Now, laying on the ground was a crude net of iron, almost resembling chainmail, but fixed into a level position.

A grill.

Excited, Daire did a little jig. Quickly stopping when he realized the Fire was still lit.

It was an utter shame that Daire would have to build and light a fire each time he wanted to use Fire magic. If he could carry it with him, it would be so much more useful!

Then Daire thought about the red lightning he created back home. Back then, he used some sort of internal fire. Completely unaware of how he did it, he had no choice but to wait until now to figure it out.

Getting a spark of inspiration, Daire turned to the Fire and asked if it would like to stay with him for a while.