This was it.

This was the big day. Fiona got up early, before the sun was even up, and pushed the heavy cat off her covers, where he growled a little before grabbing her still-warm spot on the bed covers. He curled up tightly with a small huff, and a wiggle of whiskers.

In the meantime, she looked at one of the two outfits she'd picked out–a super flirty shirt, jacket, skirt, and stockings. Or another shirt, a little more formal looking, and the tawny brown jacket that she liked, plus the green tie and vest, and a pair of leggings.

“What do you think, Tucker? A little window into the business assets, or proper businesswoman?” She looked down at herself; she was shapely enough to fill out a dress, but she frowned at the idea. “Nah. Let's save that for another day. Cute tie and vest, it is!”

A few minutes later, she was dressed and locked up for the day. Grannie was already attending to the fall flowers, and doing a little tidy work. “I'm off Gemma, I need to go slay sales instead of monsters now!” she called out cheerily.

Gemma laughed even as she wiped a bit of dirt off her hands. “You've got this dear, don't let that beardless wonder get you by the ears!”

“Wouldn't dream of it–oh Tucker, mind the mud!” She sighed as the large cat nuzzled up against Gemma, purring and trying to get back scratches, to which Gemma obliged. “No, you giant goober, she's gotta work, and so do I!”

The cat gave her a pouty look before yawning and plopping down by Gemma’s feet, with his tail lazily swaying back and forth. Gemma took that as her cue and gave him a scratch on the head. “Guess we know who's boss, surprisingly it's not Fiona,” she called out teasingly. “I'll drop by later today. Are you all set?”

“As good as we’re going to be. See ya then!” With the chill air filling her lungs and invigorating her, she headed off to the shop. Hopefully people didn't show up too early. She had put a posting in a few of the papers, but she didn't know how many people read them. If she was lucky, it would be a modest crowd.

Surprisingly, she came across Darla, who was bringing a cart up the road loaded with coffee and equipment, having just left her little kiosk. A short woman with cute brown hair in a ponytail was working the booth–she’d seen her a few times, and Darla was beaming.

“Morning, Darla! Where are you headed off to?” Fiona asked, sounding surprised.

“With your opening? I figured I'd park my mobile stand nearby, and see if I could drum up some business. Someone was telling me, they heard about the opening.” Darla stopped and flexed her arms, and the cold didn’t seem to bother her, even with her wearing her trademark collared shirt and apron, plus a black tie. Ties were a fashion for women it seemed, in Fiefdala--and totally underrated, back at home.

"So, how'd they hear about it?" Fiona inquired.

“They heard it from his wife, from her friend, who knows a guy–short version, the word’s out,” Darla continued. “I mean, you are the hero of Fiefdala. So, people are curious.”

“Nah, I'm not the hero, just the girl who beat up a dragon. Also, how big do you think this crowd could be?”

“Dunno. I just know I was willing to put the part-time girl in the shop for a bit. Blake, I'll be back in a while, if there's a crisis, give my relay a buzz!” she called out over her shoulder.

Darla was all lean muscle, and moved that cart as if it weighed nothing to her. Her assistant affirmed her in the distance, and they made their way down the hill, to the lakeside streets.

“Well, I suppose this is a plus. A big crowd, big sales, will set a good precedent." Fiona loved watching the morning fog drifting off the still-warm lake, the way it seemed to steam up endlessly. The mist draped a few of the islands in a foggy mist that shone in the sun, still low on the horizon. “Thanks for coming along, by the way!”

“Hah, I'm here for business, Fi. You're a bonus of good company,” Darla replied as she steered the cart at the bottom of the hill, and turned to the lake walk. The mist clung to the shoreline, shining brightly as the sun went a little higher, and a few more crisp leaves came down. “Hey uh, how many are you expecting?”

“Oh, I dunno. A few dozen to start maybe. Why do you–oh holy Fates.”

Fiona stopped to stare at the crowd assembled by the front door. A few people from the adventurers guild, in their blue and tan uniforms, were busy adding a few decorations. But there were dozens of people waiting, from nobles finely dressed in well-tailored suits and dresses, to a few street kids running around, with parents scolding them to slow down.

“Uh. Well. I might have overdone it, for once,” she stated with a blank gaze in the direction of that spectacle. She checked her arcane relay–they weren’t due to open for over an hour, and this kind of crowd was here? “Uh, hey dear, guess you might be busy. A hot cup of darkling-fired coffee on a cool autumn morning, might strike the fancy of this crowd.”

Darla cracked her knuckles in response, and offered a toothy grin. “Oh, it is business time. Fi, you go handle the crowd, they’re here for your shop. And make sure to have a speech ready. I’ll bring you a coffee when the crowd thins a bit.”

“Aw, you don’t need to–”

“Girl, I need my cinnamon-flavored elves sharp on their senses!” Darla scolded, even as she smirked. “Go knock 'em dead, Fiona! I mean, not literally, it’s a figure of speech! We darklings are hard! I mean, we play hard! Wait, that wasn’t any better!” Darla sputtered as she tried to get the saying right, and was now blushing a very beautiful plum purple.

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“Uh-huh. I do love it when tough girls have a soft side,” Fiona retorted slyly, which spawned more stammering. “Alright dearie, I’ve gotta set up shop with Bonnie and Greg, have fun!”

“Will do! Alright boys, it’s chilly as all hells out here, who wants some coffee, fresh from the stand?” Darla asked with confidence, and a few people in the crowd broke off, clutching their coats tightly against their frames.

Fiona in the meantime was busy trying to count the crowd. At least a hundred? A hundred and twenty? She used to be good at estimating mass numbers, and more were likely to turn up. She grabbed her notes and gave them a quick read before people realized she was headed their way. Fiona skipped along in the meantime toward the crowd, before stuffing the notes away. One man recognized her–a regular at McFly’s place, and pointed her out.

“Hey, there’s the girl of the hour!” the gray-bearded man in a leather jacket called out, with his signature salt-and-pepper hair. “Fiona, aren’t you supposed to be slaying monsters?”

“I was. I put the monster hunters out of business, so now I sell stuff!” she replied cheerily, and the crowd parted for her with a bunch of friendly waves and cheers. She spotted Bonnie already inside, setting up, and Greg helping her. Bonnie was wearing a sleek green dress that appeared a bit more modest, with intricate windings around her digitigrade legs. Jake was also inside, helping with his height advantage. She opened the lock and took a deep breath.

This was going to be a busy day.

“Holy hells, Fiona. Do you see the crowd?” Bonnie gasped, even as she worked to put a little more decor and flair at her station. “I thought this was going to be low-key? Clearly, I was way off the mark!”

“Who cares? Big crowds, big sales! And remember, ten percent of what we make gets tossed back to the guild, for all the work they’ve done for us!” she stated while unpacking her bag and going over the proceedings. “Jake seriously, your guys are the best. Why do we have a builders guild, when we’ve got you?”

“Ah, we do small stuff,” he replied nonchalantly. “You want cathedrals, summer retreats for Greybeard, or orphanages for underappreciated youth, you go to them.”

“Well, whatever happens, you guys have made this possible, in a way that even I couldn’t have pulled it together in record time.” She fixed her hair in front of a small vanity behind the counter, and checked the till, to make sure there was enough change. She had a list of a hundred different things to go through.

Inventory was key. She ran through the items one more time and looked at the appraised values. Some, she figured, she could sell for a little bit more. “Greg, that little vase that refills with water from a stored water elemental, five or six hundred?”

“Six-fifty,” he corrected. “I evaluate based on the novelty of having a potable water supply, or a nice water flow for a Koi pond. Hmm. I’d like one of those, actually.”

“You like fish?”

“I like the concept of having a small pond to appreciate the beauty of life,” he proposed. “Besides, Koi could outlive me, if properly taken care of.”

“You know, I’m convinced you’re some lost nobility or something,” Fiona proposed while licking her lips and applying just a tad bit of makeup. She didn’t need it, but it was still a routine. She heard the ring of the door, and she saw Jarl and Laura come in, with a hefty set of wrapped packages and trays. Even Jarl was smiling–then again, with that many teeth, she understood why he wore the perpetual stern and stoic look. Even a smile could be unnerving to the wrong crowd.

“Fiona, wow, look at this place!” Laura breathed, and carefully set down a pack of food she’d been balancing on her tail, and Jarl did the same, toe claws clicking on the hardwood floor. “My goodness, How are you planning on utilizing this place? It’s so big!”

“Room to expand,” she explained with a smile. “At some point, I’ll run out of dragon loot to sell. Oh goodness, you don’t need to carry all that, let me help!”

A few minutes later, they were all set up to accommodate the influx of guests, and Fiona glanced at the items up on display; Bonnie was going through a checklist, too. This day was as big for her as it was for Fiona–to show that she could bring her enchantment skills to the forefront for the masses. She muttered incantations softly, and her workstation came to life with arcane power, in a hiss of steam and a whine of arcane conduits surging with light, and then, a high-pitched hum.

“Good to go here. I put in my own advertisements, but, let’s see where this goes,” Bonnie announced with a smile, and walked over to the rest of them. “Hey, you know something, the past several months have been a blast, Fi. Let’s make this count.”

“Oh, we will. Greg, you ready, too?"

He nodded stiffly. "I've learned to trust you on the more eclectic things, Fiona. We've got this."

There was no time for jittery nerves or too much coffee. She was a woman on a mission to succeed. She had to show her friends that they chose right, when they believed in her. “Jake, let’s get this party started, shall we? Let’s unlock the door and let them in…oh wait.” She pulled out her small wind-up wristwatch and checked the time. “One minute.”

One minute felt like an eternity, and as she looked outside at the brisk cool air and the deep blue sky, she wondered how she could approach running a business with this level of zeal. Was it her past failures? Was it to put a giant egg in Barry's face? Was it to prove something to herself?

All she knew was that the small icon on her wrist, the jeweled heart, felt a little empty. And hopefully, by running this place right, it would be a little fuller. She adjusted her shirt one last time, and tied back her hair to be stylish and pragmatic. “Alright guys, it’s time. Let’s send them in.”

As the doors parted, she prepared herself for the fortunes ahead–and not the treasury kind, either.