She sat up in bed and stretched. Colors were just starting to leak into the room from the window, indicating it was just before dawn. She slid out of her bed and went downstairs. Tentacles appeared in the fireplaces and began starting a fire so she could cook breakfast.

She went to her pantry and took one of the many cuts of bacon she had stacked on the shelves. She ate several pounds of the stuff each morning, so she had to make sure she had plenty on hand. She also took a few eggs to fry up. She didn’t aways eat them, but Elaine liked them, so she made sure to have them ready for when she woke up.

She walked over to her table where the tentacles had placed a cutting block and a knife for her to slice the bacon up. The bacon was wrapped in thin cloth that she pulled off the meat and set aside. It was useful for boiling puddings, so she kept it around. Her knife was dwarven made and sharp as a razor. It made quick work of the bacon.

She set it aside as well and walked over to the fireplace, taking her long-handled cooking pan which hung from the wall next to it and placing it over the fire. It was massive, far larger than a single woman, or two of them, would ever need. She’d bought it from a man who told her it had belonged to his great grandmother, and after she had passed, no one in his extended family needed such a large pan, so he decided to sell it.

How could I say no to that? It’s perfectly seasoned, and I can fit two pounds of bacon on it at once.

She laid the strips of thickly sliced bacon on the pan, filling its surface completely. They started to sizzle soon after, filling the room with a wonderful smell.

The stairs creaked as her friend staggered down them. She looked over to find a wild-haired Elaine still in her shift rubbing her eyes as she walked.

She kind of looks like one of those zombies she raises.

“Want some eggs?” Anna asked.

Elaine mumbled what Anna knew what a yes before she plopped on one of the plush chairs she’d bought when she moved in.

I still can’t believe Gwen just left my house empty like that! I mean, I know she got married and wanted to live with her husband, but still! At least the dwarves took care of the place until I got back.

She flipped the bacon with her fingers. She had the tools to do it properly, but she didn’t see the point when it was just the two of them. A tentacle held out a plate for her to put the cooked bacon on, and she cracked about six eggs into the greasy pan.

They bubbled and sizzled the moment they touched the hot surface. Some ground salt and island pepper were sprinkled over them before a tentacle flipped them over after flattening its tip out. A few more moments and the tentacle scooped the eggs onto the plate. She took the plate from the tentacle and walked over to the table, placing it on the big table in the middle of her room.

Elaine got up, shuffled over to the table, and sat down. Anna sat across from her, and the tentacles placed a plate in front of both of them along with a fork. Elaine pulled some of the eggs onto her plate along with a few pieces of bacon.

They both started to eat in a manner that would do wild dogs proud, and within a few moments, the eggs were gone, and so was most of the bacon. Each of them took a piece of the remaining bacon and started to munch.

“Got any plans?” Elaine asked.

“Just going to walk around the market until I find something fun,” Anna replied.

“I think I’ll join you,” Elaine said.

Anna nodded as she had an entire piece of bacon in her mouth and had been told more times than she cared to think about not to talk while she was eating. They finished the rest of the bacon soon after.

They got up from the table and headed upstairs to get dressed, leaving the still summoned tentacles to get the dishes ready for her to clean. Once they got into their room, Elaine slipped behind the curtain that she’d insisted on putting up when she moved in.

I still don’t get why. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked thousands of times already.

Elaine had told her it was for privacy, which even after having it explained to her on many occasions, she still didn’t really grasp the concept. She shrugged and then went over to her dresser, pulling the top drawer open. Inside were her city dresses. They were nothing more than plain long-sleeved ankle-length affairs, the kind of dress that common women around the city would wear. She found that wearing the same kind of clothing as everyone else caused people to treat you like you were one of them and not an outsider.

And Thokri always says that outsiders pay more.

She put on the dress then closed the drawer and headed back over to her bed. On the wall next to it hung her various belts. She picked the long thin leather one that went with this style of dress. She tossed it over her shoulder and reached down to open the small chest that sat below. The chest was filled to the brim with pouches, purses, and bags of all shapes.

She rummaged around until she found a matching coin purse and belt bag. Lyreen always pestered her about having things that matched, so she tried to make sure she did in the city. Once she had picked one, she closed the chest and then went over to a small cabinet and opened it.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The cabinet was filled with knives, each one hanging on a set of hooks with its sheath hanging next to it. She owned dozens of knives, and each one was different. Most were dwarven made, but she had a few human and elven ones mixed in. After a moment of looking, she turned her head to the curtain Elaine was currently hiding behind.

“What knife should I wear?” she asked.

“What color is your dress?” Elaine asked.

“Dark green,” Anna replied.

“The elven one with the silver handle,” Elaine said.

“Thanks,” Anna replied.

She took the knife and sheath from their hooks. The knife had a four-inch curved blade and was made from a silvery metal the elf who sold it to her called star steel. Thokri had tasted it and just said bah when she’d had him look it over, so she wasn’t sure what it really was. The handle was three inches and was also curved though in the opposite direction.

I’ll never tell Thokri, but I think it’s nicer than any of my dwarven knives.

She put it in its sheath, then slid it along with the coin purse and belt bag onto her belt, and then wrapped it around her tiny waist. She slid the silver belt end through the buckle and pulled it tight before making a loop, pulling the end through it, and letting the extra leather dangle down.

Once the belt was on, she moved everything around until it was where she wanted it to be. She closed her knife cabinet and went to sit on her bed while she waited for Elaine to finish getting ready to leave. The necromancer didn’t emerge for ten more minutes, and when she did, it was in the same black dress that she always wore.

Matching must be easy when all you have to do is wear black and be creepy.

She took her cleaning ring from her alchemy table before heading down the stairs and over to the neatly stacked dishes. The tentacles lifted each one for her to wave her hand over before placing it back where it belonged. Once she finished, she sent the tentacles back to her dreams and then put her hands over her head to stretch, something she did when she finished working. She turned to find Elaine smirking at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Come on,” Elaine replied.

The sun hasn’t come all the way up, and she’s already being weird.

She followed Elaine out of the house and onto the street. The front of her house smelled sweet. A butterfly floated by her face before landing on one of the many flowers that grew in the garden boxes that sat in front of her windows. She smiled for a moment before she noticed that Elaine had already walked away. She scampered after the woman, not wanting to be left behind.

The city was bathed in the orange light of dawn and grew brighter as they walked towards the market. The ever-present crowds grew thicker as the day started, and when they reached the market, the streets were swarming with people.

They passed most of the stalls. Most were selling things that had no interest to either of them. When they reached the huge open part of the market filled with row after row of merchants, they stopped and looked around.

“Got anything you want to look at?” Anna asked.

“I need some enchanting ink, and I’m almost out of blank books,” Elaine replied.

“Okay,” Anna said.

They walked into the sprawling market towards where she thought they might find the things that Elaine was looking for.

So, we can probably find the ink where I get my drawing stuff from, but I’m not sure about blank books. Oh, I know, we can check the stalls that sell books! They might have some!

When they reached the stall where she bought most of her drawing and letter writing supplies, the merchant smiled warmly at her.

“It’s good to see you again, Anna,” he said.

“It’s good to see you too, Harold. Have you been alright?” Anna asked.

“Oh, yes. That tea you told me about helped,” he replied.

“I’m glad,” Anna said.

“So, what can I do for you today?” he asked.

“Do you have any enchanting ink?” she asked.

“I do. Are you taking up scroll making?” he asked.

“No, it’s for my friend here,” Anna replied.

Harold looked over at Elaine and stared for a moment.

“I need fine black if you have any,” she said.

“I do, miss,” he said.

He reached behind his counter and pulled out a clear glass inkwell and set it on the counter. Sparks of white mana seeped from the cork sealing the top.

“How much?” Elaine asked.

“One silver,” Harold replied.

Elaine took a silver from her coin purse and handed it to Harold who handed her the ink well.

“If you bring me back the well, I will sell you the next one for fifty copper,” he said.

“I’ll make sure I do,” Elaine replied.

She said goodbye to Harold, and they headed for the booksellers. There were never many people in this part of the market. While reading wasn’t rare in the city, it wasn’t commonplace either. She usually came to find potion books or when Lyreen wanted another story book and didn’t want to take Voekeer.

They walked down the row looking at the stalls when she spotted one with a tiny man wearing adventurer’s clothing standing behind it. His head was quite large compared to the rest of his body, mostly due to the back of his skull being longer than other races. He was balding, but what remained of his hair was thin and wispy and was mostly located on the sides and back of his head. His ears were slightly pointed like an elf’s were, but no where near as long. His nose was large and came to a point, sticking out a few inches from his face. Below his massive nose was an equally massive mustache. It was the largest mustache she’d ever seen, even larger than the city dwarves at the capital’s had been.

She looked up at his eyes, which were big and orange, and noticed that he was looking at her as well. He grinned at her and waved for her to come over to his stall. She wandered over, and he bowed when she stopped in front of his rather ostentatious stall.

“Never in all my travels have I seen a person quite like you, miss. May I have your name?” he asked.

“I’m Anna! What’s your name?” she asked.

“Findwick Fizzlebock, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he replied.

She looked around at his stall and noticed that all of the books were the same, so she picked one up to look at the cover.

The Life and Times of the Amazing Explorer Findwick Fizzlebock written by Findwick Fizzlebock.

Below the ornate title was a picture of the man standing behind the stall. She looked up at him, and he smiled.

“You’ll never find a more daring tale,” he said.

She opened and glanced at a few pages before closing it.

“How much?” she asked.

“For you a silver, and I’ll even sign it!” he replied.

She took out a sliver and handed it to him. He took the book first and opened it. Then taking a sparkling quill from one of the many pockets on his shirt, he wrote his name in a flourish on the inside cover. He closed the book again and handed it back, finally taking the silver from her and then bowing slightly to her.

“I hope you enjoy it, my dear,” he said.

“I will,” Anna replied.

She walked away from the stall and towards Elaine who was picking around in the stall across from Findwick’s.