Arvönnr Interlude 2

Arvönnr, Central Square

The town was subdued. The majority of the lost lives may have been from Svartalfar caravaneers, but that did not mean that nobody in the town cared. Also, it was not like the people of Arvönnr got out of the battle scot free either.

Isaac had walked past the apothecary earlier. The store was closed, but he had seen people through the display window. It was that middle-aged woman crying at the wreck of the carriage behind them, and the little Pouha girl. The doe-eared little girl was the sole survivor of the Griffon’s strike at the carriage. They were both dressed in black mourning clothes and appeared to have just returned from the Funeral service held by the Thane’s Hand.

Still, the mood of the town was slowly shifting to something lighter. The civilians had been mourned, but the slain warriors had yet to be celebrated. This was Maðrgard, and they believed very firmly in Valhalla. Those that perished in the valiant defense of the innocent would surely be accepted by the Valkyr into the warrior’s paradise! Tomorrow was the Victory Feast, where they would toast them and display the symbol of their triumph.

Most of the shops were already open after midday, which was a good thing for the adventurers in town.

Since Kat had logged off the previous in-game night to deal with RL matters, they went to attend the service and arranged to meet up later. After receiving the allotted rewards (including 10 glorious gold coins per person) for the successful kill of a powerful Griffon, Isaac, Kat and Riselda bumped into Nyakka and her two friends outside the Thane’s Hearth-Hall. Upon hearing that they were going to buy new everythings for Riselda, Nyakka practically invited herself to the shopping expedition while Bara-thon and Narghel seemed to vanish into thin air.

Isaac could not shake the feeling that he had been abandoned to a terrible fate.

As such, he had to follow the girls as they led a charge straight to a tailor’s store. Before he could say anything, Kat had immediately turned her attention on him. He was subjected to a whirlwind of various shirts and pants until he was dizzy from it all.

When they were finally satisfied, they left the orders with the bored-looking girl minding the store and dove right back into fray, dragging a frightened Riselda with them.

They were in the changing stalls. The sounds coming from them were a mystery. Isaac could not tell if they were having fun or going through a horrific experience. It could very well be both!

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Nyakka: “Mou, they’re practically rags at this point, meow~”

Riselda: “I don’t have much choice. The Griffon destroyed everything else…”

Kat: “That’s why we’re here in the first place! Now strip!”

Riselda: “Eep!!”

Kat: “Stop wriggling about, Ri-ri!”

Nyakka: “Ahaha-! I like that nickname! Ri-tan? Or Ri-ri-chan, I guess!”

Riselda: “S-S-Stop! I can do it my- Nyaaaa---!!”

Nyakka: “Oi, Kat-chan, be gentle when you handle the tail. It hurts if you pull too hard, y’know.”

Kat: “It does? Sorry ‘bout that. “

Riselda: “T-Tis’ forgiven. Just d-don- HYYYEEeeeeee---! W-Watch your fingers!”

Nyakka: “She just poked you in the side…Oh? Could it be? You’re ticklish there~!”

Kat: “Eh? So you bind them, huh? Doesn’t it constrict your breathing?”

*rustle*

Riselda: “W-Wait!”

Kat & Nyakka: “Geh!!?”

Nyakka: “…Ahaha. This…This is…”

Kat: “…I’m jealous.”

Riselda: “W-What are you doing? Nyaaaaaa---?!”

Kat: “I. AM. JEALOUS!”

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Isaac shuddered. He had decided he urgently needed explore the rest of the store at that point and left.

Given that Myth/Real had a fantasy backstory, the store’s layout was surprisingly modern. Racks of clothing, a person manning the counter, changing rooms… All of them were familiar sights. However, some things were clearly fantastical, like that enchanted loom/sewing machine combo in the display stand that wove clothes by itself. Isaac was instantly intrigued by such a thing, but there was a sign on it forbidding would-be enchanters from prying it open to have a look. There was a sign nailed to the machine, begging customers to refrain from taking the thing apart so that they could examine the insides.

Isaac could see the signs of old damage on seams of the clothes-maker pieces. He felt the exasperation of the loom’s owner(s).

The storekeeper, a young human girl with blonde hair and a perpetually unimpressed expression, walked over to the machine with bolts of cloth in her arms. Swiftly touching hidden controls, she brought the machine to a halt, switched out the empty bolts with fresh ones and twiddled around with those controls again to start it up.

“…What?” The girl said, casting a flat look over at Isaac. She finally got tired of his staring.

“What is this thing?” Isaac asked, gesturing at the machine.

The storekeeper gave a lazy one-armed shrug and said, “Dark Elf Auto-Loom. Me Ma and Pa got it. There’s newer models, but this one went fer cheap.” She gave him a half-lidded glare. “No touchin’ the machine, or I’ll freeze yer man-parts off.” She summoned and dismissed a tiny icicle briefly before trudging back to the counter.

Isaac shivered. Chilly!

“He~ey, Isaac! Look over here!” Kat’s voice rang out from behind him.

He turned around. His brain screeched to a halt.

He had never seen Riselda wear anything other than neck-to-ankle dresses. As she mentioned before, she dressed extremely modestly to divert attention and protect herself from Malcolm’s unwanted advances. Even her travelling outfit was utterly practical.

Kat and Nyakka had intervened directly. The outfit Riselda was wearing now was much more daring and more fitting for the ‘fantasy medieval’ than ‘historically accurate medieval’. It followed the lines of her (curvy!) body closely, but not tightly. Her dark green skirt reached below her knees, but was thinner than the voluminous versions she used to wear. It was slit up to the hips on either side, revealing a little more than the ripped dress she had been wearing. Under the skirt, she wore stockings and a new pair of long boots. They were stylish, but thankfully, the heels were low and comfortable.

The leather bodice she wore now had straps and buckles instead of lace, and was made of studded leather. It was actually more protective than the old one, being the same practical cut. She had put on bracers that reached to her elbow, with puffy sleeves that tucked into them. Holes had been cut to show her shoulders. Her blouse was white and partially undone to let a tasteful amount of cleavage peek out, along with a folded pair of small glasses hanging in the valley from a string around her neck.

(Of course, as Kat and Nyakka had found out, Riselda was quite busty indeed. She had hidden this fact by binding them quite tightly.)

Riselda could not meet Isaac’s eyes. She looked down and away, her cheeks flushed bashfully red and clutching one arm behind her back. Her body was turned slightly away.

“Breathe, Isaac! Breathe!”

Isaac abruptly realized he was out of air and took a huge, gasping breath. He coughed as his body punished him for the lack of oxygen in his lungs.

Kat and Nyakka burst into a giggling fit and linked arms with a paralysed Riselda to drag her away. “This one’s a keeper!” Nyakka declared.

Isaac stared as they re-entered the changing rooms, fully realizing just how doomed he was.

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The girls spent an agonizingly long time with their clothes shopping. Kat and Nyakka were not just buying for Riselda, but also themselves. Apparently, they wanted to look their best for the Feast later on. Nyakka also let slip that she was nearly arrested for indecent exposure by the town guard and was practically ordered to cover up. Add to the fact that the Auto-Loom could basically create custom-fit clothing incredibly quickly…

Isaac imagined that dealing with this every day might very well be the source of the storekeeper’s unmotivated attitude.

When they were (finally) done, Kat had stowed her heavy suit of loricae armor in her inventory and was wearing an elegant red and white dress with golden embroidery done in Maðr fashion.

Nyakka had opted for a rather clinging one-piece bodysuit that left her arms and much of her legs bare. The storekeeper did give her quite an odd look when she told her what she wanted, but it was made with little fuss in the end. Amusingly enough, she wore her usual chest belt at the exact same place, only over the suit.

Riselda had changed out of the outfit she had worn first. Apparently, that was going to be her adventuring set from now on. She admitted it was very much easier to move in than everything she had worn previously. For the Victory Feast, Riselda had put her foot down and was going in a simple dress she picked out herself. She still looked great in it, in Isaac’s opinion.

After some quiet discussion, they decided that any enchantments could be applied by Isaac instead of paying for service. Apart from just paying for the cost of the necessary reagents and nothing more, Isaac could also train his [Runecarving] skill.

Just before they left the shop, Kat and Nyakka blocked his way.

“Um…Is there something wrong?” Isaac asked, confused.

“Yep.” Kat confirmed. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Isaac’s eyes widened. He opened up his [Inventory] and gave it a quick look through. “No, I have my new clothes right here. All my belongings are accounted for.” He reported.

Nyakka’s fist flashed out and bopped him on the head. “Wrong! Don’t you know you’re being rude to Riselda, myah?”

Kat nodded firmly. “That’s right! Everyone here has an [Inventory] except her! Shouldn’t you offer to help her carry her stuff?”

Riselda, her arms full of parcels, shook her head weakly. “I-It’s all right! I can carry these myself. No need to trouble-”

“No, it’s not all right! Shouldn’t [Good Friends] help each other?” Kat declared passionately. “[Friends] must always remember to [Share each other’s burdens]!”

Isaac was thunderstruck. “Is…Is that so? I’m sorry! I wasn’t aware of this…!”

Kat nodded sagely. “That’s right! What’s more, it’s a time-honored tradition that [Guys must carry their Girl Friends’ shopping]! It’s a [Teamwork Exercise] to deepen the bonds of their friendship! You’ll get closer to one another!”

Riselda could only protest weakly. “No need! I-“

Nyakka cut her off. “It’s true! It’s true! That’s how we Star-people do it! In fact, the guy can’t use their inventory. This is to test their [Resolve]! It’s necessary for Isaac here…to become an adult and a [Gentleman]!”

(These two girls had synchronized perfectly to [Lie with Straight faces].)

Isaac’s eyes sparkled. “So…that’s the proper way, is it?” He said to himself. He turned to Riselda, honest and eager. “I’m sorry for being so rude, Riselda. Please, let me carry your bags!”

--[Puppy] Title activated!--

Riselda locked eyes with Isaac. Her willpower collapsed immediately!

“F-Fine.” She muttered, holding her parcels out for Isaac to take.

After the group left, the storekeeper could only shake her head. “That poor man didn’t stand a chance, did he? Meh, serves him right for being gullible…”