Kevin led them out of the landing zone.

“Skyler, come on!” Gemma said this at least five times. He kept getting distracted by their surroundings, the technology and people. But Gemma was ready to have a quiet space, just her and Nellie, where she could think out her next moves. And figure out who to approach to yell at about the whole ‘you’re stuck here’ business. Exploration was secondary.

Out of the landing zone, Kevin got a hold of a horse drawn carriage. After all the high tech stuff, Gemma was surprised to see such a thing. But it was a reminder that there was a System, and magic, and that both were pillars in Travalar. Science did not rule alone.

Gemma pulled Nellie out of her stroller and handed her to Skyler while she folded it up and put it in the back of the carriage.

The driver’s skills made the ride smooth, fast, and, Gemma suspected, that the comfort level had more to do with yet another skill rather than the design of the vehicle.

They rode through the streets until they came to a hotel. Gemma buckled Nellie back into her stroller while Skyler stared at everything, still somewhat stupefied.

“You guys will be able to stay here for a week, and in that time you should find more permanent lodging and, hopefully, a job,” Fiona said, “We’re not doing everything for you. The stipend is more supplementary than enough to live on. We want you to acclimate to life here, and part of that is figuring out how to settle in yourselves.”

Gemma nodded.

“Cool,” Skyler said.

Fiona talked with the women who had soft feathers throughout her hair and then escorted Gemma and Skyler to their respective rooms.

“The keypads are linked to your fingerprints, so you won’t get locked out. We’ll come back at the end of week, and I expect you’ll both have a new place to stay lined up.”

“Okay,” Gemma said, and she turned to Kevin. She was a bit sad they would be parting. Even with the whole freaky alien thing he had going on, Kevin was really sweet.

Gemma went over to Kevin and reached for a hug, “Thanks Kevin, I appreciate all you’ve done for us.”

Kevin patted Gemma’s back, “It’s no problem. If you ever need my help, call me, okay?” Kevin pulled a card out of his pocket with a spare tentacle and handed it to Gemma.

“Nellie, say bye-bye,” Gemma released Kevin and moved next to the stroller.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Ah!” said Nellie, smiling.

“Thanks, you two,” Skyler said.

Fiona and Kevin walked away.

“So,” Skyler turned to Gemma, “What do you say we go shopping?”

“You’re right,” Gemma sighed, “I’ll need to get Nellie milk and I’m getting hungry.”

“And we’ve got to look for dealers to sell our music and books too,” Skyler added.

“That too. I’m going to follow you, unless you go too slow. I’m really drained.”

Skyler smiled, a bit embarrassed. “It’s just so cool. Being here. But yeah, I’ll take the lead if you want.”

“Please do.”

Skyler and Gemma exited the hotel and, as Kevin had done, Skyler waved down a passing carriage.

“We need to go somewhere that we can sell books and music from another world,” Skyler grinned, “We hit a jackpot on some Lost recently.”

The driver nodded and listed a few options. Skyler chose one and they were off.

They arrived at a large storefront called ‘Jacqeline’s.’ Gemma went through the motions of buckling Nellie into her stroller again. Before they stepped into the store, Gemma asked Skyler to refrain from selling a few of her favorite songs. She was thinking she could do something special with them using her Musician class eventually.

Skyler, for all his goofiness, turned into a different person when it came to business.

He drove a hard bargain and instead of selling the rights to the books and music for a flat fee he insisted they both retain the rights to them and receive a percentage for every song or book copy sold. They would make less initially, but if the items grew popular enough, in the long run they would make more.

Gemma signed a several-page -long document, (more paperwork!) and handed her phone to the specialist to retrieve the books and music off of it. Then she also gave them her account details for the money to be deposited into.

She had a new appreciation for Skyler. He was game and street savvy.

While that was being taken care of, Skyler glared at the technology on display that was local to Travalar. Their phones were quite similar to Earths, but had a System interface built into it, and were magic compatible to a certain extent. Skyler started talking to another customer service agent, and Gemma foresaw it was going to take awhile for Skyler to determine what the best gear for them was.

“Skyler,” Gemma tugged his sleeve, and was careful to speak in English, not Universal. She was tired of the way Universal felt in her mouth and wanted Nellie to stay familiarized with English, “I’m going to take Nellie and find a supermarket to get some food. Maybe even order dinner for us all. Do you have any allergies?”

Skyler shook his head, “Nope.”

“Great. I’ll see you soon.”

Gemma pushed Nellie’s carriage outside. It was beginning to grow dark, the grape purple sky darkening to plum color.

On the main street, Gemma realized this area was not the place to be shopping for food. She asked a passerby where to get food, and was directed to go a few streets down.

She made her way down the streets, until the distinct odor of cooking food wafted over, and she knew she was in the right place.

“Okay, Nellie. Let’s see what we can find to eat.”