A jingle sang as Lusya pushed the tailor’s door open. He had a bell attached to the wall just above, such that each time the door opened, it would ring the bell to notify him. She walked into the shop with Ariya and stopped in front of the desk.

“Just a minute!” the tailor called from the back room, his voice muffled by the walls.

This store was segmented, partitioned into a front area for customers and a rear for its proprietor. Not an unusual layout, though some merchants preferred to let patrons see them work. The front area was somewhat small, with a desk right in front of the door and sets of ready-made clothing to either side. There was little in the way of decoration. It was not uncommon for such a shop to lack much personalization, but this was a new extreme. The walls weren’t even painted, leaving them the dull, mottle brown of the stone used to build them. A screen had been put up to form a private changing area, albeit one that almost lacked the space necessary even to change clothes. Lusya had had to go into the back for the measuring, as she had lacked the room to position herself appropriately behind the screen. Occupying the bulk of the floor space, the rear seemed larger than necessary, as if the shop portion of the man’s workspace were an afterthought.

Odd space design aside, however, the tailor had seemed reliable. Multiple people had pointed her here on asking for one, and what she had seen of his work was of good quality. He had conducted himself professionally during their consultation and quoted her a reasonable time and price as well. As they waited, Ariya looked around the shop with idle curiosity.

After some time had passed, she looked up at Lusya with a frown. “It’s been more than a minute.”

“It was an expression,” Lusya replied. “He was not being literal.”

Ariya huffed. “Then he shouldn’t say a minute.”

“Perhaps not.”

Lusya was inclined to agree, but it had not been that long. Maybe two minutes. It was less than another before the tailor peeked his head out from the back.

“Ah, yes, I have your blouse ready,” he said, before disappearing behind the door once more.

A few seconds later, he emerged with a white blouse in hand. He approached the desk and set the blouse down with a smile. The tailor was a tall, wiry man of perhaps thirty with a gaunt, clean-shaven face. At almost seven feet tall, Lusya suspected he had some tiransa in him, but his size did not seem to make his hands any less deft with a needle.

“Feel free to try it on first,” he said. “If it doesn’t fit, I’ll make it right and knock twenty copper off the price.”

It was the type of declaration only a very skilled or very foolish craftsman would make, although he didn’t sound confident. Despite his size, the tailor had a nervous energy about him, almost perpetually shrinking in on himself and rubbing his hands together as he spoke as if the mere act of speaking to others was frightening. Odd for a merchant. If it had been more money, Lusya might have been tempted to deceive him somehow, but the price he had quoted her was one-and-one half silver, and twenty copper off that was not worth the added delay.

She nodded and grabbed the shirt. “I will go try it.”

She did just that. Reasoning that Ariya was accustomed to it and the tailor saw people—including Luysa herself—undressed all the time for measurements, she didn’t bother moving to the changing area, though, last time, he had insisted on doing the measurements in the back. The tailor’s eyes widened in shock and he averted them, blushing, but he did not try to stop her. The blouse was largely identical to the old one, though the fabric was a bit nicer. The white did suit her better than the gray, and it was a good fit. She tucked the gray into one of her pouches and moved about a bit, making sure the new garment wouldn’t impede her.

“That was, uh, bold,” the tailor said. She did not understand the difference in reaction from the last time they had been in this situation. True, he had insisted on privacy before in case someone entered, but he himself had seemed fine. “Also, wow, that was some nice folding.”

“I have had practice.”

“It’s pretty!” Ariya exclaimed.

“Thank you,” the tailor said. He seemed to shed his nerves long enough to allow a hint of smugness before his normal demeanor reasserted itself. “Anyway, I’d say it fits.”

“Indeed,” Lusya replied. “The agreed upon price?”

The tailor nodded. “Yup. Didn’t give me any trouble or anything, so no extra charge. Anything else while you’re here?”

Lusya glanced at Ariya, who smiled back at her. The child had grown a few inches in the six months they had been together. Her four dresses still fit, more or less, but the change was noticeable, and Lusya was not sure how much longer they would last. She supposed they would probably remain usable for the remainder of the journey, but that didn’t mean she was without concern. The clothes might have become uncomfortable, and, if the fit became too noticeably poor, they might draw unnecessary attention. Best to address that while she had the chance.

“How much for four ready-made child dresses?” she asked. “And two sets of undergarments.”

“For me?” Ariya asked in an odd tone that somehow seemed both happy and worried.

The tailor looked her over and pursed his lips. “Ah, girl’s outgrowing her clothes, is she? For you? I’ll throw it all in for two silver.”

“That is acceptable,” Lusya replied.

“But I like my clothes!” Ariya whined. Lusya did not understand why. There was nothing remarkable about them. They were all simple, plain-colored dresses, and three of them had been purchased more or less at random.

“They may not fit you much longer,” Lusya said. “You will soon need new ones, and it is better to acquire them before that time comes.”

Ariya pouted, but nodded. “Yes, Lusya.”

“Good girl.”

The tailor waved over to one of the piles. “Go ahead and take your pick. And bring in the old stuff if you don’t need it and want some extra coin. I’m sure I can find some use of ‘em”

“I will do so,” Lusya said as she moved to the clothes.

She selected what she needed and returned to the desk. She had picked up essentially the same thing as before. Ariya did not need anything fancy. The material was a bit softer than what Ariya wore now, but that was down to the tailor, not Lusya’s selection.

“All right, three and a half silver, please and thank you,” the tailor said.

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Lusya pulled the appropriate coins from her purse and placed them on the table. She had exchanged most of her money to Ketslind’s keltzer currency while in Zentril. It was worth more than eastern coins, and exchanging was more convenient than working out the difference for every transaction. Some merchants didn’t care, but most did. In a city like Zentril, it was almost all of them.

The Talsian arga was often considered the strongest currency in Ysuge, but it was close enough that most merchants, especially in Ketslind, treated the keltzer as equivalent. Like much of Talsia’s power and prestige, they owed their currency’s value in large part to the Sacred Knights being headquartered there at the original Grand Stronghold in Seris. The Knights were independent of the kingdom, but the authority resting there had still done wonders to spread Talsia’s influence throughout the continent. Even many knights not from there would contribute, whether they knew it or not, after spending years in the country. Lusya understood there had been talk of moving the headquarters, possibly even to Zentril, but she had no idea what the current status of such plans were.

“Thank you for your services,” Lusya said as the tailor collected his payment. “I will be back later.”

“My pleasure. See you around.”

Lusya grabbed the dresses and held out her free hand for Ariya to take.

“Come along, Ariya.”

Ariya took her hand with the same glee as always, and Lusya led the way out of the shop.

“I still don’t think I need new clothes,” Ariya grumbled once they were on the street.

“You will,” Lusya replied.

“Are you really gonna sell my old stuff?”

“We do not have room for all of it.”

Ariya sighed and went silent for a moment, looking pensive as she stared straight ahead. “Can I at least keep the dress Mama gave me?”

Lusya blinked. So, Ariya wanted to keep the dress she had been wearing when they had first met. Though she did not speak of her family as often as she once had, Lusya supposed the request was not surprising, considering Ariya’s past propensity for bringing them up, though Lusya could not imagine assigning such sentimental value to clothing. She liked her clothes, but when they were no longer useful, it was time to discard them. But it was not as if she could not understand the concept at all. She might have reacted similarly if asked never to summon Miudofay again.

“I will allow that,” Lusya said She had the storage for it, and she saw no reason to fight Ariya on the matter for now. It was a bit nicer than what Lusya had bought in Gavamir—though Lusya had no idea how Ariya’s family had afforded it—so it would have sold for a bit more, but not by enough to argue about. “But we will discard it if you fully outgrow it.”

Ariya smiled and nodded. “Okay, that sounds fair. So, what are we doing today?”

“I do not know,” Lusya said. “I suggest you enjoy whatever it is. We are leaving tomorrow.”

Ariya let out a loud, screeching groan that drew the eyes of several passersby. Most lost interest in short order upon seeing the source was a fussing child, but a few kept watching, perhaps suspicious of what Lusya was doing with a child obviously not related to her. That was less of an issue in a city as large and diverse as Zentril, where Lusya had seen other groups that did not belong together at first glance, but it did still come up from time to time.

“But it’s so much fun here!”

“We must go,” Lusya said. “We have a duty to fulfill.”

Ariya sighed. “I know.” She giggled. “I wouldn’t have ever come here if you didn’t bring me, so I guess I can’t complain.”

“Indeed,” Lusya replied. “It is unlikely you would have gone farther from home than Whitehill.”

“That would have been lame. The world is so cool.”

This had been a pleasant rest. Zentril was home to many fascinating sights and attractions. Not all of them had interested Lusya, but enough, and Ariya had certainly been energized by it all. But the time to enjoy it was over. Lusya would not delay reviving Father more than was needed.

“Can we go see a play then?” Ariya asked. She looked up at Lusya with wide, pleading eyes. “Please?”

“The only way to do that at the moment is in a theater,” Lusya said, tilting her head and blinking. Traveling troupes often performed in cities during festivals and other special occasions, but there were no such celebrations ongoing at the moment. They may have had other scattered performances, but, in a city this size, the only way to attend one was to stumble upon it. “It will be expensive.”

“I know,” Ariya said, sounding almost guilty. “But I really wanna see one. They sound so fun.”

Ariya’s desire was evident. It was not the first time she had pleaded to see a performance. Smaller towns and villages also received visits from traveling performers, but Ariya had lived in an isolated home in the forest. It was not strange that she had never seen them.

Lusya considered the request. She supposed there was no harm in it. There was plenty of time left in the day to sell Ariya’s old clothing and attend an evening or early night show. They were leaving in the morning, so it would cost them no time, and it would keep Ariya happy.

Money was a concern. Zentril’s theaters were not cheap. Many were renowned around the world and demanded an appropriate price. Lusya was not hurting for money, but between paying for almost a week’s stay at the inn, meals, new clothes, and a play, her funds would be depleted more than she liked, and selling cheap used dresses was not going to make up for it alone. She did still have Ander’s gold coin to exchange, but she wanted to save that for a rainy day, not waste it on leisure. Even out west, it was worth enough to sustain them for months on its own.

“Are you okay?” Ariya asked. “If it’s too much, we don’t have to go.”

“I am fine, and it is fine,” Lusya said. “We will attend a show tonight.”

“Really?” Ariya leaped up into the air, pumping her free hand in a fist. “Woohoo!”

Lusya would need acquire some more money, but that was doable. A city like Zentril held no shortage of opportunity.

#

Lusya strode through one of Zentril’s wealthier districts, eying large homes dripping with ornamentation and aesthetic architectural flourishes as she passed them by, from ornate carvings depicting local legends to columns that didn’t seem to be supporting much of anything. She had already sold Ariya’s old clothes and left Ariya at the inn. Now it was time to replenish her purse a bit. All told, Ariya’s clothing had fetched forty copper. Barely enough for one ticket at one of the cheaper theaters. And if Lusya was going to indulge Ariya anyway, they might as well go for one of the higher end theaters.

This area was not home to nobility, nor to titanic traders who had amassed enough wealth to become nobility in all but name. No, it was those who were affluent but several steps below the likes of them who lived here. A perfect middle ground. They had what she needed, but with less security and eyes on them. Even if they were discovered before she left, their deaths would not be a citywide tragedy.

Unlike the likes of nobles, for these people, these homes were their primary residences. Most nobles and the wealthiest of merchants had their own land somewhere else. Their main homes may have been in a city, just outside one, or in the middle of nowhere, but most were not in Zentril, although Zentril was large enough that it was home to a higher-than-average number of nobles who owned no land or only owned a tiny bit within the city.

Still, those who lived elsewhere had ample reason to keep second homes in Zentril. It served as a convenient place for them to congregate, there were the various attractions and its status as a trade hub, and, of course, the king living here in the early summer.

The fact that none that applied to these citizens of lesser wealth made them a better target, in some ways. True, they had less to their names, but it was still more than enough for her. And it was all here. There was nothing valuable stored at some distant manor in the country.

She just had to find a good opening to get inside. She was sure there would be complications. The need to be at the theater meant she was doing this earlier than she would have liked. Performances were held late into the night, but Lusya wanted to attend one of the earlier ones to ensure Ariya received the proper amount of rest. Any home residents were likely to be up and about. As long as she left no witnesses, however, that was fine. There was nobody in the area she couldn’t kill in an instant. In fact, though she had seen Sacred Knights about, she had yet to encounter anyone who posed a threat. There had been one captain, but even he had not been worth considering. Lusya’s motomancy had continued to grow, and she had left the likes of him behind.

There. That side street was empty. She turned onto it and walked until she was just below the open window of a home with grooved columns supporting the overhanging roof, emulating Odessian architecture. That seemed to be the style in the area, as almost every home had some aspect of Odessian architecture incorporated into it. Although the Odessians had conquered the land that would become Ketslind and Zentril, that land’s modern inhabitants seemed to identify much more with the conquerors than those they had defeated. She glanced around. Still no one on the street. She didn’t see anyone at the windows of this or any other house. No one was looking at her. She made sure to scan for anyone she might not have seen with her sense for Malice, but there was nobody. She was in the clear.

“Lunera,” she intoned. She could have jumped up to the window, but she thought that a bit more conspicuous. Now, it was time to get to work.