Tanith and Kaira helped Iris into the inn while Sera followed along as the Guard Captain's glare ensured everyone cleared out of the way. Soon enough the group was in Iris’s room and Sera held a small glass container.

Healing goop.

“Here," she told Iris. "Tanith, out. We got this,” she ordered the man.

He didn’t argue at all and hastily left.

Sera and Kaira exchanged a look and proceeded to work together to help Iris out of her armor and clothes. As they pulled the battered armor off, the ruined set clanking together on the floor, Kaira sighed. “You’re going to need something new. And–”

She stopped as they saw what lay underneath. “Iris…” Sera said softly. “What did you do to yourself?”

Iris winced as they peeled the burnt and torn clothing off. “It was the Ember Rats.” She looked at Kaira. “You need to warn the guard. They literally catch themselves on fire with magic, then if they are in that state when they die, they explode.”

Kaira shook her head in disbelief. “That is… I…” She sighed. “We’re going to have to clear out the sewers to ensure they’re not down there.”

Iris winced again as Sera started applying the goop to the gash in her arm, followed by liberally applying it to her burn wounds. “We’ll need to get more of this. I’ll put in a request with the company. Especially if other adventurers have issues like this.”

“Do you really want to help?” Iris asked the elf merchant.

Sera nodded. “Yes. Tanith and I have discussed it. We’re all in. This is too great of an opportunity to pass up. I have the talking points ready for Lady Arden. You just worry about the adventuring, I’ll worry about the rest. And, with this rat situation, I think you may have further made your case.”

Iris smiled weakly. “I probably shouldn’t have taken this quest on the same day as the ball.”

Kaira shook her head and gently caressed Iris’s cheek. “No, sweetheart, you shouldn’t have,” she admonished softly. “But, your dress is ready and the stylist will meet us there. Let’s get you cleaned up and we’ll go get it together. I have a carriage for us to use for the rest of the day.”

“Thanks, Kaira. Sera, you too. I appreciate you both,” Iris said.

The two women glanced at each other then Sera wiped her hands off and placed one on Iris’s shoulder. “All set. This should be all healed by the time the bath is ready. Still, take it easy. We’ll help.”

Iris’s eyes went wide. “W-What?”

Kaira smirked. “We’re going to bathe you. You’re too injured. Don’t worry, you don’t have anything that we don’t.”

Iris’s eyes darted between the two before settling on Sera. “Aren’t you and Tanith–”

Sera’s eyes went wide. “What?! No! I’m not… No. I mean yes. I do like him, but no I am not… this is not… Ugh!”

Kaira chuckled at the exchange between the two women. “I see your mind is as dirty as you are on the outside,” she said with a smirk. “Don’t worry. It’ll be a proper bath. Mainly because you and I don’t have time for anything else.”

Iris smiled at the two of them, grateful for their support. “Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Kaira waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. Just promise us you won’t take on any more explosive quests before important events.”

Iris chuckled weakly. “I promise. From now on, I’ll stick to quests that won’t leave me injured and smelly.”

Sera huffed. “That’s probably a good thing. You smell like a sewer.”

“I was in some old lady’s basement!” Iris whined.

Kaira grinned. “Well, now you can smell like roses for the ball. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

The three of them made their way to the inn’s baths, where Iris waited for her wounds to heal. It took two of the hourly bells to sound with Sera and Kaira monitoring the status of the healing before they deemed her ready. After one last check on the status of her burns and gash, which was scabbed over, Iris was helped into a large tub of warm, soapy water. Sera and Kaira took turns washing her hair and scrubbing her back, while Iris leaned back with a sigh of relief, the warm water soothing her aching muscles.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

Kaira smiled. “Just wait until you see your dress. It’s going to be stunning.”

Iris’s eyes lit up. “Really? I can’t wait.”

As they finished up, the two women helped Iris get into clothing, the merchant looking over the adventurer as she did, ensuring the wounds were healing. They reapplied a light wrap to the gash on her arm, as that was the only thing not fully healed. After, Sera handed her the small glass jar. “Here. This is the remainder of the… goop that I used on your burns. It looks like everything is mostly healed, but just in case. Your arm will need some more, for sure.”

Thankfully my dress hides the bandage.

Iris took the jar with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Sera. You really are the best.”

Sera blushed. “Oh, stop it,” she said with a wave of her hand.

Kaira ushered Iris toward the door. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

As they stepped out of the inn, Iris couldn’t help but feel happy. It was the first time after a quest, she had someone other than Mocha to be there to help nurse her wounds.

Speaking of her horse, Mocha stood there next to the carriage, waiting for them. The beautiful Jarincían horse stood there, looking resplendent and proud. Her ears swiveled and pointed toward Iris as the horse noticed her, trotting forward and nickering as Iris walked unaided toward her.

“Hey, girl. I’m doing better.”

The horse’s head bounced a few times as she neighed. “How are you always getting so hurt?”

“You know me! I always end up with the worst quests because there's no one else to take them,” Iris explained.

Mocha snorted in response. “You need to be more selective in your quests. Or at least, avoid the ones that involve exploding magic. The entire area shook.”

Iris chuckled. “Yeah, lesson learned. Thanks for being here, girl.”

Mocha nuzzled her face against Iris's shoulder, and the adventurer wrapped her arms around the horse's neck, giving her a hug.

Kaira and Sera walked up to them, and Kaira patted Mocha's mane. “She's a good horse, Iris. You're lucky to have her.”

Iris nodded, looking up at her friend. “I know,” she agreed. “I’m going to go get my dress, girl. I’m okay, I promise. You relax tonight, and I’ll see you after the ball?”

Mocha neighed. “Have fun, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

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Iris laughed. “I’ll try. See you soon, girl.” She turned to Kaira and Sera. “Let's go get this dress, shall we?”

Kaira gestured towards the carriage. “After you, my brave adventurer.”

✦ ✦ ✦

As Iris and Kaira entered Marlena’s shop, they were met with a lively scene. The small space was filled with people, and a young telv woman was engaged in conversation with two well-dressed individuals who appeared to be nobles.

Upon noticing Iris, the young woman interrupted herself. “I'll be with you in just a moment, miss. I just…” Her eyes widened as she recognized Kaira. “I'm sorry, Captain Harken. Marlena told me to direct you straight to the back!”

The two women nodded and made their way to the rear of the shop, passing by a rack filled with dresses in a variety of colors, and Iris couldn’t help but admire the various patterns. Marlena truly knew her craft, and it seemed others had also come to her for her services.

Marlena was in the back of the shop, sitting at a table and carefully hand-sewing intricate details onto another dress. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun as she focused on the task in front of her. The sound of her needle moving in and out of the fabric was the only noise in the room as she concentrated on her work, while faint shimmering of blue mana covered the woman’s hands and tools.

“Hey, Marly, we’re here,” Kaira called out.

Marlena looked up from her work and smiled at the two women. “Hello, my darlings,” she said warmly. “Kaira, I told you not to call me that.”

The guard captain chuckled. “Fine, fine. Are you ready?”

The woman nodded. “Yes. Nessa is in the other room as well and ready to help your date with her hair.”

Iris’s mouth dropped as her head jerked to Kaira. “You told her?”

The elf smirked. “Of course. A beautiful woman asks me to the city’s most exclusive ball? Why wouldn’t I tell one of my oldest friends?”

The seamstress chuckled. “Alright, let’s get you all situated, Iris.”

Iris approached her, a mixture of excitement and nervousness in her voice. “So it’s ready?”

The short seamstress looked up and smiled warmly at Iris. "Yes, my dear. It is finished, and I must say, it has turned out even more beautiful than I had envisioned."

With a flourish, she stood up and went over to a rack in the corner of the room, where the dress hung in all its glory. It was everything Iris had described and more.

She couldn’t help but smile as she saw it.

Kaira and Marlena quickly went to work helping Iris into the dress, carefully pulling it over her head and yanking the various laces tight, causing the adventurer to suck in a breath as she watched herself in the mirror. The seamstress did something with her magic and the fabric started shifting, the dress loosening in some areas while tightening in others as it molded itself perfectly to Iris’s body, becoming almost like a second skin with how comfortable it was. The process took some time but was still significantly quicker and more efficient than removing the dress and performing it all by hand.

As the woman finished, Iris adopted a pose and checked out the woman’s work in the mirror.

The dress was a stunning dark blue color, with intricate beading and embroidery covering the bodice and cascading down the skirt, which ended around her ankles. It was breathtakingly beautiful and she absolutely loved it.

“One second, you two may want to back away,” she said with a smirk.

The two women shared a glance and took several steps backward, and Iris drew mana into herself and used [Mana Conduit] on the dress, altering the spell to be harmless to the touch.

Magic surged and suddenly the dress became a storm, sparks of electricity shined and crackled throughout the dress between the beads and along the fabric creating a dazzling display of magic and power.

Marlena gasped at the sight of the dress coming alive with magic, but quickly composed herself and watched with fascination as Iris manipulated the spell. The seamstress’s eyes shone with pride as her work was turned into a piece of magical art.

Kaira’s eyes widened as she looked at the dress, the sparks of electricity reflecting in her eyes. “Wow, Iris,” she said softly.

She turned toward… her date with a broad smile on her face. “Yes?”

The elf gave her a mischievous smile. “I never knew you were such a show-off.”

Iris chuckled. “What can I say? I like to make an entrance.”

Kaira grinned back at her. “Well, you’ll certainly shock people tonight.”

Marlena cleared her throat. “Ladies, I hate to interrupt, but you two should finish getting ready.”

The guard captain bobbed her head, her eyes remaining on Iris. “She’s right. You still have to get your hair done,” Kaira said before glancing to the side. “I am going to change into my outfit. You’ll be alright with Nessa and Marlena, yes?”

Iris nodded. “Yeah! Hurry up so I can see this surprise look of yours,” she said. Iris then turned toward Marlena. “Thank you, so much! This is amazing and beautiful. I love it.”

The seamstress’s face scrunched up into an amused look. “I’m coming with you! I want to see the end result,” she said with a chuckle. “But thank you. I’m delighted you are pleased, my dear.”

Iris smiled and thanked Marlena once again as she followed the woman to the other room, where Nessa, the hairstylist, and another woman were waiting for her. As she walked, the lightning magic surging through her dress continued to spark and crackle with great eclat. It was as if the dress had come to life, an extension of Iris’s own power.

Nessa, a slender telv with dirty blonde hair, greeted Iris with a warm smile, and together they discussed the hairstyle that would complement the dress followed by the other woman discussing makeup. The hairstylist led Iris to a chair and began her work while the makeup artist moved to the front and performed metaphorical magic on Iris’s face. The two women worked like a duet of ballerinas as one twisted, curled, and pinned Iris’s scarlet locks into a chaotic, but ordered, style that matched the adventurer’s preferred magic, and the other applied understated makeup to accentuate her cheekbones and eyes.

By the time Nessa finished her work, Iris couldn’t believe her eyes. She turned her head back and forth in the mirror as she examined it. The two women stood back as she took in her appearance.

Iris’s scarlet hair was absolutely hypnotizing with its complicated hairstyle where a small fishtail braid was weaved into a chain braid, finished with tucking the ends of her messy updo.

Leave it to women to take so much time to perfect the ‘messy’ look.

“Thank you so much. Both of you,” Iris told the two women as she still took in her elaborate look. “It’s perfect.”

Nessa smiled warmly. “It was my pleasure, Iris. You look beautiful,” she said, and the other woman agreed.

Marlena, who had been watching the entire time, clapped her hands together. “Well, you two are a dream team! Iris, you’re going to turn heads tonight!”

“I agree,” a voice said from behind her. Iris looked up and saw Kaira’s reflection in the mirror.

She gasped and spun around.

“Kaira…” she said softly.

Holy fucking shit.

Kaira’s eyes scanned over Iris’s figure, taking in the sight of the deep blue dress, her gaze lingering where it hugged her curves. “Wow,” Kaira breathed out. “You look absolutely stunning, Iris. The dress suits you perfectly.”

Iris blushed at the compliment, feeling a surge of confidence from her date’s words. “Thanks,” she said softly.

That’s what she thought. Kaira stood there in what she would assume was a nobleman’s outfit but tailored to the woman’s form. She wore a black doublet with silver buttons and sleeves that were adorned with intricate embroidery. The Guard Captain wore a white half-cape that was attached by a polished silver chain. She wore a ceremonial longsword that had a complicated hilt and cross guard. Black breeches and leather boots completed the outfit, giving Kaira a refined and elegant look.

Her hair had been cut and styled, with the sides of her head trimmed short, giving her a bold and daring look that perfectly complemented the more masculine attire.

The woman gave her a smirk, lifting her arms and spinning around. “So, what do you think?”

What did she think? Iris inhaled before letting the breath out slowly. “Eh, you clean up alright.”

Kaira’s eyes widened, making Iris chuckle as she surged to her feet and bounded over to the woman. She leaned in close and whispered into the shorter woman’s ear. “You look beautiful and eye-catching. I’m going to have to beat off other women with a stick,” Iris said playfully.

Kaira laughed and wrapped her arms around Iris, pulling her close. “As if anyone could take their eyes off you tonight,” she said, placing a gentle kiss on Iris’s cheek.

Iris blushed at the words and the gesture. She smiled and pulled back, turning her gaze on the three women that all looked on at the two with varying degrees of amusement.

Iris’s eyes went wide and her eyes darted around looking for her–

“Looking for this?” Kaira asked, holding up the small sack Iris had brought.

Iris nodded. “Perfect! Thank you.” She grabbed the sack and then held it out to Marlena. “Cleaned as promised. There’s a scroll inside that has some rough drawings. Hopefully, you can do something with them.”

The seamstress’s eyes lit up as she looked inside. “This is perfect, thank you. We’ll be in touch regarding our mutual business.”

Iris nodded. “I know I’ve said it a ton, but thank you all. This has been amazing,” she said.

Marlena smiled. “You’re most welcome, now go turn heads, you two.”

Kaira nodded to the woman before offering her arm to Iris. “Shall we?”

Iris took her arm, feeling a surge of excitement and anticipation. Together, they made their way out of Marlena’s shop and to the carriage.

As the two sat down inside, Iris took a deep breath.

Now comes the hard part.

Her only regret about the dress… was that it didn’t allow her to wear her sword.