Ralf hurried alongside Ravina, weaving through the bustling city streets. The cobblestones beneath their feet were worn smooth by countless footsteps, and the air was filled with the scents of freshly baked bread and the subtle aroma of a well established city. As they moved through the throngs of people dressed, Ralf’s anxiety grew. "But the raid—" he began once again, his voice tinged with urgency.

Ravina waved his worries away with a lighthearted laugh, her eyes rolling from the annoying reputation of the child. "It’s not like the dungeon would be closed," she said, her tone dismissive. She tilted her head slightly as she looked from one windowed shop to the next. The guild managed the dungeons and they might close the gates after sunset but once inside you can camp out as much as you wanted. Though the guild did make you tell them how long you planned to stay so they could mark you as dead if needed.

"But the raid," Ralf insisted, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "We need to get with other freelancers to form a party so we can join a group so that we can really get into the depths of the dungeon." He was practically pleading now. “Think of the valuable objects we could find there!”

"That sounds dangerous, and—oh, here!" Ravina suddenly stopped, her gaze catching on a small supply store nestled between two buildings adorned with ornate ironwork. The shop's sign, carved from dark wood, was painted with a needle and thread over what could be a piece of leather but could also be anything else. Below it hung another sign with an open hand and a single star on it that marked the store as a place selling second year student works.

Inside, the smell of tanned hide mingled with the scent of beeswax polish, and the shelves were lined with an array of finely crafted goods—purses, belts, wallets, and bags of various sizes. Though smaller than the canvas bags typical adventurers used, Ravina had an idea for the bad that made such bags unacceptable to her.

"What, lady, leather bags suck for—" Ralf started to protest, but Ravina was already stepping into the store, the bell above the door chiming softly as she entered. The warmth of the shop wrapped around her like a comforting embrace, the walls adorned with displays of intricate stitching and polished buckles. She quickly waved down an employee, her eyes scanning the room with purpose.

"How can I help you, my lady?" the employee asked, approaching with a friendly smile. He wore a neatly pressed waistcoat and a professional smile.

"Yeah, I would like a bag," Ravina said, moving her hands in the air as if to showcase what she wanted as she continued. "Like a toss over the shoulder, something sturdy. Oh, do you have those three-strap bags that you can pull over your shoulder?"

"Three-strap bag?" The employee’s brow furrowed slightly as he thought. "No, but we do have a few fine totes."

Ravina’s lips pursed in thought. "Yeah… What about duffle bags?"

“Um…” The employee rubbed the back of his neck, a frown pulling at his lips. “We have some but there rather… expensive.”

"Oh? How much?" Ravina asked, tilting her head slightly.

The employee scratched his ear, trying to use that to remain silent but Ravina just kept looking at him. Finally he let loose a little air. "They used a lot of leather, and the students really want to make something of themselves. The thing is, they’ve priced it off-market, so…"

"So?" Ravina prompted, raising an eyebrow.

The salesman sighed, glancing toward the back door. "They’re about 90 don apiece." then he waited for her outrage, but instead.

“Ah, I see,” Ravina said with a thoughtful nod.

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The employee relaxed at her nonchalant reply. He also felt a little less tense. Happy he was not being yelled at again for it he continued to assist her. “Yeah… sorry, so about those t—” the employee began, trying to steer the conversation to another bag at a reasonable rate, but…

“Well, I’ll take a few of them then,” Ravina insisted.

“What?” The employee blinked, momentarily thrown off by her sudden decision.

“I mean, I can hope I’ll do it right the first time, but I should have a spare just in case,” Ravina added, tapping her chin as she spoke more to herself then to him.

“I— I see. I’ll get the bags. Ah— there are only the two of them, however,” he replied, his voice faltering slightly.

“Mhmm, that’s fine then. Alright, thank you,” Ravina answered, already mentally planning her next move.

As the employee disappeared into the back, Ralf nudged Ravina with a gentle kick. “Oi, I’m telling you, I won’t be able to carry it.”

“Oh, don’t panic,” Ravina replied, waving off his concern with a flick of her hand. “I plan to enchant the bags for you,” she suggested nonchalantly, as if it were the simplest solution in the world.

“You plan to what?” Ralf’s eyes widened, disbelief creeping into his voice.

“Enchant. I might not have done it before, but I’ve read about it. Besides, how hard could it be?” Ravina shrugged. It was a jest that Ralf couldn't enjoy, after all enchanting was a huge deal and many magicians focused on this one skill that could easily set them all for life. After all, enchanters were about as rare as healers. Even then enchaters were treated hundreds of times better then healers.

“Uh, very,” Ralf shot back, his tone exasperated. “First of all, lady, you can’t enchant anything if you can use attack magic, especially as powerful as what you did back there. It’s like a rule or something. Secondly, the bag needs to be enchanted during the crafting process. You can’t enchant a finished project.”

“And how would you know that?” Ravina asked, her tone dripping with skepticism as she crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, studying him.

“Because I would love a bag, believe me,” Ralf replied with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been trying every way that isn’t buying it straight out. You think I have a few kasse lying around somewhere?”

“Well, there are a few things you don’t know,” Ravina retorted, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Like the reason I want a leather bag having nothing to do with my love for the design. Do you know where leather comes from?”

“Monsters, duh,” Ralf answered, rolling his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well… huh,” Ravina paused, momentarily thrown off by his answer. “I guess that is an answer, but I was looking for animals. But monsters work, I guess. Anyways, animals are living creatures, and the leather is a product of that animal. In that way, leather is a living construct.”

“What? Lady, leather isn’t alive,” Ralf shot back, giving her a look that was a mix of confusion and disbelief.

“Not anymore, but it was,” Ravina countered, her tone taking on a smug edge.

“...”

“And I plan to use that fact to enchant the bags,” she declared, her voice filled with confidence.

“Isn’t canvas made from plants?” Ralf asked

“...”

“...”

“I guess? I don’t know,” Ravina replied, waving her hand dismissively.

“Well, aren’t plants living constructs or whatever?” Ralf pressed

“I mean,” Ravina scoffed. “yeah?”

“Then aren’t canvas bags the same as leather?” he asked

Ravina stared at him for a moment, then pulled out a handful of Geld from her pouch. “Here, go… play or something,” she said, thrusting the coins into his hand. “Meet me in the guild in a few hours.”

“Oh, certainly, my lady,” Ralf replied with a mock bow, his tone dripping with sarcasm before he turned and sprinted off, the coins jingling in his pocket.

“Canvas bags being the same as leather,” Ravina scoffed to herself, shaking her head as she watched him go. “Like that’s true…” Her voice trailed off as she mulled over the idea, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind.