Reika desired something thick but flexible. So, with the captain's permission, I tested my Material Reclamation on some bamboo the crew was hoping to trade to the coastal cities on the eastern continent. Breaking the bamboo down repeatedly, I created a rayon that, when blended with cotton, made a slightly stretchy fabric that was still well insulated. I manipulated this fabric into a pair of burgundy breeches and a sage shirt. With this, she could flex her bearish muscles to her heart's content without risking destroying her clothing. But, to my displeasure, she ignored my recommendation of a cape to complete the ensemble.

Callin was one of the harder nuts to crack as the quiet man refused to accept any updated clothing. Until Reika informed him of how often his wife has claimed to love a man in a doublet. Then Callin was a completely different man. So I crafted him a blue doublet with matching pants and a white shirt to wear beneath. After I handed him his new attire, he respectfully folded the doublet and put it with his belongings. He told me he wanted to keep it pristine for when he reunited with his family.

Lucky was the only member who took me up on my offer for a cape, and I soon discovered why this was such an unfavorable choice. The poor man caught his cape in something new every turn, jump, or stumble. Watching it the first couple of times, I laughed with the rest. However, after the fourth or fifth, I felt guilty and made the executive decision to repurpose it into a tippet instead. Lucky didn't seem too pleased with my decision, but the longer I interacted with the man, the more I doubted his decision-making abilities.

I offered Nev a wardrobe update with the rest of the crew, but their answer led to confusion.

"I don't wear your kind of clothes."

"What?" I asked, staring at their cloth-covered chest.

"Oh, this?" They asked, gesturing towards their shirt.

They pulled back the fuzzy green cloth around their naval, revealing a perfectly toned midsection.

"Your whole outfit is made out of moss?!" I replied.

"Well, no, the lower part is bark."

They peeled back an invisible seam on their breeches, catching the attention of Lucky and Reika. I blushed, throwing my hands up to stop them from going further.

"Okay, okay, I believe you!" I sputtered out while lifting my hands in protest.

Nev shrugged and sealed their pants. At the same time, Lucky and Reika scoffed at being denied a show.

Once I had gotten past my partner's distaste for modern fashion, I decided to work on my wardrobe. First, obviously, a cape crafted from the scarlet fire retardant material Lucky informed me was referred to as salamander's foot. I doubted his accuracy in its label, but it was all I had to go on for now. Next, a sage tunic perfectly fitted to my frame, tucked into a pair of leather breeches. Then, after my aesthetic was finally fleshed out, I decided to plan out more of my personal defenses.

After a couple of butchered swings with a sword borrowed from Captain Sprin, my suspicions were confirmed; I was unfit to wield a sword. Even after hours of practice and guidance from a surprisingly vocal Callin, I decided I'd be better off without a weapon, at least a more traditional one.

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Using my abilities, I assembled leather strips no longer than a foot and fastened them to my belt. Finally, I crafted some small pouches and filled them with scraps gathered from Mekland's forge, which I slipped onto a belt around my waist.

"Safe travels, friend," Sprin said while clutching Nev's arm.

"And to you, Captain." They replied.

"Whenever you need to travel to Tricehaven, visit me at my home in Freesport. I'll ensure the misses knows to take good care of you."

"Tricehaven?" I asked, receiving puzzled glances in response.

"Ha! Good one Mercy," Nev said, slapping my back.

Sprin and his crew let out a pity laugh before Callin took us to the coast on their tender. Our beloved captain was a wanted man throughout most of these port cities. But, unlike when we left the city of Thaxton, we would have to be ferried away from the city for the crew's safety. After Callin dropped us on the shore, we received a nod from the solemn man.

We headed down a trail paved only through foot traffic before Nev suddenly stopped.

"What the hell was that?" They asked.

"Huh?"

"That thing about not knowing Thricehaven. Before we left the ship."

"Oh, that, it was a joke. You said so yourself." I lied. "Not my best."

"You're lying." They said confidently before staring me down. "How is it you listed fourteen different shirt options for Callin to choose between but didn't know the country you were traveling from?"

"I'm uh, just a tailor. Directions were never my strong suit." I tried my hardest to avert their gaze.

After a long period of Nev staring me down, they finally broke their gaze, walking off trail to a stump. They lifted their hand, and the stump tilted slightly out of the ground as Nev sat a piece of parchment across.

"We're here." They stated, pointing out a spot on the parchment.

I glanced over at the map they presented and saw a continent shaped like a thick S. Their finger pointed to the top left bend.

"And Duclrois is here." Their finger dropped to the middle of the thick S.

"Of course, of course." I pretended it was a reminder and received a skeptical look from Nev.

Birds called overhead as Nev and I strolled through the forest. They pestered me for hours for information, and I ran out of ways to dodge their questions.

"So, you're from Salinel?" They asked.

"Yes."

"What did you do in Salinel?"

"A... tailor, businessman. I had a couple of different interests."

"And was it being a tailor or a businessman that led to a sizable bounty on your head?"

"Neither! Er-both..."

"Right..." They replied, clearly unconvinced.

"Were you born in Salinel?"

"Kind of, yes."

"Okay. What do y-"

"Wait, it's my turn to ask a question. Unless this is an interrogation."

They stopped to consider my offer, watching an eagle flying through the treeline overhead. Then nodded in consent.

"The forest I found you in, had you always lived there?"

"The Luxe? No, my friends guided me there. I'm from a small village west of Salinel. Reeceton it was called. They didn't like my friends, and everyone thought I was going mad. So I left."

There was an intense silence as even the birds overhead stopped singing.

"And the clothes thing?"

"I thought we were alternating questions?"

"You're right, my apologies."

"Back in the Luxe woods, you said you had to burn down half of Salinel to save a friend. How does that make any sense?"

"I'm not strong if you haven't been able to tell," I replied. "All I can do are some tricks. This one just happened to get a little out of hand."

"You say you're not strong." They replied. "But I don't think I've ever met someone who burned down half of a city because they swung their sword incorrectly, let alone half of the strongest city in Thricehaven."

"I suppose. But prep time is essential. I needed a particular fabric, hours to prepare, and at least a dozen-shit what is that!?"

I was overcome suddenly by a mass of violent feathers and talons. Strong gusts of wind struck my face as I used both arms to keep an angry beak from plucking out my eyes. Each swing of my arm threw it back for only a moment before it lunged back toward me.