“Zafira?” a familiar voice says. I turn around and see the woman in scaled armor from the store standing behind me. Her voice makes the feeling I had before click into place. “Kathy?” I reply. She grins. It’s been almost a year since I parted ways with this dragon, who had been living in a human shell against their will. Looking at the amount of frustration she was broadcasting before, combined with the simple fact that the store is still in one piece. She has gotten a lot better at handling her destructive impulses. “It’s great to see you again!” I tell her, mentally nudging Carnelia to greet her as well. She isn’t very thrilled about meeting this psycho again, but still takes control of my body. She just puts in her hairpin and waves at Kathy, before retreating to the back of my mind. As I take the hairpin out, I just shrug at Kathy. “So, what are you doing here?” I ask. She explains she has ordered a mask that makes her look a bit more like herself. But it isn’t ready yet. Looking at the rest of her outfit, I can definitely see it. Her armor already makes her look very reptilian. If she’d wear a good quality mask on top of that, it’d be quite the sight. I suppress a chuckle as I visualize her outfit at a convention in my old world. She’d have an excellent shot at winning the cosplay contest. I tell her she definitely has to show me once she gets it. Which she enthusiastically agrees to. “Would you like to go eat something together? I just want to hop into the store over there first.” She frowns at that, seeming reluctant. But suddenly her eyes light up. “Ah hells, I didn’t tell them where they should send the messenger to. Yeah, let’s go back first. I don’t want to give that vexing clerk an excuse for not notifying me the moment my order finishes.”. I do my best to stay a step behind her and not get in between them as we enter the store. The woman at the registry’s eyes flare open when she spots Kathy. And she chews her out for being back already. I’m once again amazed at Kathy’s newfound self control, as she rudely answers back how they are going to send a messenger if they don’t know where to find her. While I can clearly feel that she wants to rip the woman’s head off instead. Kathy turns towards me, and asks if I’m fine with going for dinner in the well-known steak place: we’ve got beef with you. I nod, and she turns towards the other woman, saying that’s where they’ll be able to find her. After which she walks out of the store again.

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The clerk eyes me cautiously, but asks politely if she can help me with anything. When I tell her I’m looking to order leather armor, her entire demeanor shifts, as she starts what I’m pretty sure is her usual sales pitch. I let her go through the motions. Since my intuition led me here, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up buying or ordering something here. But I would prefer not to get fleeced either. And the memories of my first time shopping outside of my village still leave a powerful impression. A lesson Kathy had already hinted at the first time we had to sell our spoils. But that I only truly understood that day. When she finishes praising their shop and gets to the part where she asks me what I want, I ask if she has samples of the materials they use. Luckily, she has a thick book with pages made of different skins. This will make choosing a lot easier. I calm my mind and sharpen my intuition. Asking the spirits for guidance, I open the book at random, and ask her what skin this is. As she explains that it’s a special skin that is as durable as leather, but extremely soft on the inside. I’m sold right away. And I tell her I’m looking for an outfit that protects as well as leather armor. But that feels like you’re wearing normal light clothes as much as possible. She assures me that using this material they can make me such an outfit. We talk about options and prices for a bit. Sadly, there are no pre-made items, but that’s something I expect after my year of living in this world. She appears surprised when I inquire about the possibility of enchanting their armor afterwards. They don’t have any experience with it, but I’m hoping that it will be possible. My intuition wouldn’t have guided me here if it wasn’t. I have trouble deciding on the style and colors I want. There are almost too many to choose from. I consider retreating into my mind palace to get some more time to think. But I’m actually looking forward to catching up with Kathy. So instead I say that I’ll think over the options, and come and place my order later that day. The sales woman is all smiles as she tells me to take my time, and that they’re open till nightfall. After which, I step outside where Kathy is waiting for me. Together we venture forth towards the inn that is rumored to have the best steak in the region.