The village didn't have much. There was a generic store that sold everything and anything. But they didn't have anything I needed, so I asked for directions from the old shopkeep.

With some local guidance, I stopped at a building that was really a house, with plain walls, a rickety porch, and the smell of wood smoke coming from its chimney. There wasn't an open sign like the one on Ulyss's bakery, so I knocked twice and stepped back.

There was shuffling from inside, and one of the window shutters swung open, revealing a woman's face. She frowned, closed the shutter, and whispered something to someone inside the room.

I heard a reply, then a long pause, but the voices were too muted to hear much.

Sniffing, I smelled a couple of familiar scents and began to reach for my axe. Just as I placed my fingers atop the stone axe-head, the door opened just enough for the woman from before to peek her head out.

"I've been told to let you in, but wipe your feet first."

I stared down at my decently clean boots. "Alright."

I walked over to what looked like a doormat and made a show of scrubbing the bottom of my boots clean. The woman nodded and pulled the door open, holding out her arm.

"Come in, come in," she greeted. "Find a seat."

I stepped inside and saw Alice wave at me. Beside her were Haldeena and Odenn. I moved to the only open chair in the room and sat down, trying my best to ignore Odenn shrinking into her chair.

Turning to Alice, I cocked my head. "Where's Neyenna?"

"Mother is with Father. They had something to talk about," Haldeena replied before Alice could.

"Oh? Well, what are you three doing here then?"

Alice glanced down and motioned toward her shirt, which still sported several holes, before pointing to Haldeena's head. "I wanted material and offered to let Haldeena come; she wanted to buy a hat. And we're here to acquire some undergarments for Odenn."

If Odenn could become one with the chair, it seemed like she would if she could. Alice was blunt, soft with the child, but straightforward otherwise. I decided not reacting was best and simply nodded.

The seamstress and owner of the house returned to the room, having disappeared down a side room after letting me inside. She stared at me, then flicked her gaze to Odenn, clicked her tongue, and dropped a wide bucket filled with different materials.

They werem't big rolls like I expected, and some of the materials were nothing more than small, palm-sized pieces of thread.

"This is all I have on me. Plenty of traffic, but if anybody wants anything fancy, they can go to the next village over," the seamstress grumbled. "And the damn merchants haven't come through here for the last two weeks. Something fishy going on. They were supposed to bring me a new bolt of linen!"

When she spoke, enough of the thick ringlets of hair spilled out from underneath the surprisingly detailed bonnet and bounced animatedly with her movements.

"Do they come through here every week?" Alice asked.

Her voice had a strange tone, and I glanced over, but she kept her eyes trained on the seamstress.

The older lady huffed and sat beside a table where the materials for a pretty-looking hat with some ribbon were laid out. "Every week, it's the only way we survive after everyone fled the village. They were supposed to come today, but something's delaying them. I'm surprised you guys came from the pass; there hasn't been a caravan through here in a while."

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Her words made me frown, and I glanced toward Odenn, who gripped the edge of her seat.

"There were some complications, but we took care of it. The pass should be safe now," I said, loud enough to draw Odenn out of her thoughts.

Her eyes closed, and her face slackened, but she released the tight grip around the chair.

"Well, that's good. We could use the traffic. Hard to get cloth without going to the capital, and I am too old to be making trips like Ulyss's father. Poor dear practically runs the bakery alone with him gone so often. And what an absent man he is! Leaving her be for two weeks straight. Shame on him!"

I shared a look with Alice, and she shook her head.

The seamstress liked to talk and gossip with anyone and everyone, it seemed. She busied her hands by performing quick stitches into the hat, making it look effortless. Haldeena was obsessed, staring directly at the hat with intense focus. The seamstress raised it up and motioned for her to come forward.

"Put it on, and move your head up and down and then left to right," she instructed.

Haldeena slipped on the half-finished hat and began to shake her head furiously. The seamstress scowled but gently stopped the girl's head and lifted the hat back onto the table, where she took a strange hook and undid a few of the stitches.

"Speaking of Ulyss, I ordered some meat pies for us. I'll pick them up in an hour or so," I told Alice.

"Oh? Nice. Would there be enough for Odenn and Haldeena to join?" Alice asked.

"They're pretty big pies, and I ordered ten, so, sure."

"Boy! You ordered ten! Well, at least the girl is getting business, but she has to be tired. That's a lot of baking today!" the seamstress exclaimed.

"Yeah, sorry, I just smelled something delicious and figured I'd ask for some."

She shook her head and began tying the ribbon around the hat's brim. "Ah well, she'll be tired today, happy tomorrow. I know she's been saving up to buy some new knives in the capital. So, good for her!"

With the seamstress falling into a temporary lull, I got on the floor and started rifling through the different cloths. Black was surprisingly hard to find, but I managed to find a sheet nearly as big as a pillowcase. Bunching it up, I set it aside as Alice narrowed her eyes.

"I'll share," I whispered.

She nodded and stopped her glaring to pull out all the scraps of red fabric she could find, along with anything remotely white enough to match her shirt.

I frowned. "Should we grab something for Devon? I'm pretty sure he still has a massive gash in the back of his shirt."

Alice paused, and I waited, ignoring the tension in her shoulders. Eventually, she sighed and grabbed a thick strip of dark brown fabric.

Why am I even playing peacekeeper? Seriously, why?

The truth was, I relied on Devon and Alice currently and in the future. There was scant few memories of my life before but I could recall a school project involving a couple who just broke up two days prior. That was hell, and tension between people who rely on each other for life and death needed to go.

Not that I'm one to talk…

As we finished picking through the pile, Haldeena came stomping over, her new hat proudly displayed on her head. She beamed at Alice and spun around.

It was a weird mix between a cap and a straw hat, with simple floral-patterned thread mixed in. Completing the look, a bright pink silk ribbon adorned its front, tied in a neat bow.

"It looks good on you," Alice offered. Haldeena giggled and spun around to bow. "Thank you, Mrs. Bellinn."

The seamstress, Bellinn, smiled. "Oh, you paid me more than fairly. Just take good care of that hat. And if you are done using it, pass it on to someone else. Clothes should be worn, not stored!"

The little girl nodded with all the seriousness in the world. "I promise."

Bellinn nodded slowly and leaned to the right, noticing the stack of material we took from the wide basket. "Hmm, I forgot that black one was there. Could have used this a month ago. Good find!"

Turning away from us, she focused on Odenn and stood up. "Well, come along, dear. I'll go take some measurements from you in the next room."

Odenn followed obediently, not saying a word. The seamstress scowled, but she continued walking, leading her to the side room near the entrance.

Once alone, I waited until the sound of a door echoed through the hall and then I leaned back against the chair.

"Do you know what she plans to do once we reach the capital?"

"According to Haldeena, her mother talked about offering her a job as a maid. It'll be clean and safe, to stay within the noble compound," Alice answered.

Well that's good. At least she gets some stability after what happened.

"You think the merchant's delay has something to do with what's going on with the Nexus?"

Alice stopped compiling the fabric scraps and stared at the wall. "Probably not. If it does, we'll find out. It would make it easier to complete this quest if we didn't have to search far from the capital."

That's probably true. We can return to the Warren soon enough. I have a lot to show Astra, at least.

"Hey, I forgot about it, but didn't Devon mention another Grimm at the capital? Any idea who it is?"

She shook her head. "No. It's not uncommon for us to disappear for a time and wander from world to world. Could be anyone; I'm not sure Devon even knows who it is."

"Fair enough," I said with a sigh. After a moment, I grinned. "You're going to love the meat pies. They smelled amazing."

"Oh? You got enough to fill your stomach?"

My smile stretched further. "Definitely."