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Prince Dream Rose
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It would be fun (and daring!) to go swimming with Elaine, but neither of us have swimsuits. I don’t think Elaine would be comfortable enough to strip down and jump in with me, at least not right now.
And as much as I’d love to spend the rest of the day playing dress-up with my favorite cowzelle monk girl, my shop is, and I quote my angy sheep customer on this, a total pigsty. That needs fixing. Plus I need to see if Samantha and/or Naomi are back from adventuring so I can ask them about charging my lens.
I have errands, which sucks, but at least I have money to run those errands, which is so much better than my situation when I first opened up shop. Hooray!
I gather up my hanging underthings and stuff them in my errand bag and invite Elaine to drop by my shop any time, even after hours, if she wants to be stealthy about it. That’d give me a good excuse to have the door locked for privacy, too. She nods eagerly.
“Can I come over in two days? Saturday night?” she asks. “Sorry to intrude on your weekend…”
“Sure thing!” I say. “I’ve got a date tomorrow, so two days from now is perfect.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Elaine says. “Um, may I ask…?”
“I’m getting flowers from the cutest druid guy with the most adorable eyes and floppiest ears and he smells- uh, he looks great,” I gush. “He’s Celyn. Have you met him?”
“Yes!” Elaine says. “I ran into him on my travels this week. He’s the kindest person in his adventuring party. I’m sure you’ll get along very well.”
I give Elaine a goodbye for now and head out on my errands. I’m all smiles. Things are going GREAT!
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Halfway through my grocery shopping in the small Busalla marketplace, I spy a very tired wizard. I clear my throat and make myself presentable as I can.
“Hello? Miss Stevens?”
Without even looking at me, Samantha lets out a long, tired sigh. “What did she do this time?”
“Wha?” I nervously tug at a strand of hair. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Oh,” Samantha says, straightening up a bit. “Force of habit. Shall we start over?”
“Sure!” I beam. Samantha withers at my sunny disposition, so I tone it down somewhat. “I’m Saiorse MacTavish. Your companion visited my seamstress’s shop about five days ago.”
”A Stich in Time,” Samantha says. “So you’re the one who so thoroughly drained my stipend for the month.”
“Um…” I scratch the back of my neck, hoping I’m not about to get asked for a refund. “Naomi seemed to like her outfit. Did it hold up well?”
“It did,” Samantha says, and now it’s my turn to relax a little. “Your work is exceptional. Honestly, whatever seamstress sorcery you used in making that outfit has kept Naomi calmer, cooler and more comfortable than she has ever been in this climate. I understand why your fee is so exorbitant.”
“Uh… thank you?” I smile. “Um, actually, I was hoping to ask for your help, too, if you don’t mind. I have something that needs some wizardly examination, and a bit of discretion.”
“I can appreciate the value of discretion,” Samantha says, “Unlike some people. You’re wise to come directly to me.”
“I’m willing to pay,” I say quickly.
“No charge for a bit of advice,” Samantha says. “Since she first stopped by your shop, every day at noon exactly, Naomi has asked me to casting illusory swimwear on her, and then disappears for hours. She hasn’t said why, but it’s easy to guess… and now, my afternoons here have been much less stressful. Honestly, I’d have paid you even more than Naomi’s outfit just for that. Anything that keeps Naomi out of trouble in Busalla… It’s the first town she hasn’t been ejected from in a long time. It’s worth the effort to keep things this way. I appreciate your assistance.”
What luck!
“Let’s go back to my shop,” I say. “It’s just a few minutes away.”
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