After doing his daily routine of washing his socks, underwear and himself Duncan finally made it to his bed. He was doing it almost unconsciously by now. As he wondered what he would be doing tomorrow the comfort of the bed overwhelmed him and he soon dozed off.

Waking up in the morning he felt refreshed like he had not felt in a long time. Duncan could almost hear ‘Edward Grieg’s Morning mood’ start to play as he started to put on his underwear. His mood was soon spoiled as he noticed big holes in his only pair of socks. The underwear was also far from pleasant on his delicate bits.

“I need a tailor, or at least someone who sells socks,” Duncan muttered when he put on not his holy socks but instead socks full of holes.

After he risked getting tetanus from his makeshift toothbrush, he came downstairs and greeted Wazsh who was cooking a few pieces of venison steaks.

“Good morning. I see you are already hard at work,” Duncan said with a smirk.

“Don’t underestimate an appetite of a dwarf,” Wazsh replied after turning around and waving his hand to greet and dismiss him at the same time.

“Do you happen to know of a tailor in the village?” Duncan asked.

“What do you need?” Wazsh asked.

“Socks and underwear, maybe some other things as well,” Duncan replied.

“There is Maryka if she is not in the fields. She does Elland’s clothes. Hmmm, and there is that other guy Genry or something like that. Well, Maryka is three shops further than Timor if I remember correctly. I don’t really know where that other guy is,” Wazsh explained.

“So, Maryka it is,” Duncan replied, waved and left.

As he came to the appointed location, he saw a sign which he identified as ‘Maryka’s Exquisite apparel’. Duncan tried the door and it was open.

When he came inside, he was greeted with a chime. Duncan looked around and there were mannequins mostly without clothes displayed around the shop. There were also some cloth samples on the mostly empty shelves.

Soon a brunette woman with beautiful features, wearing a blue tunic with a wide leather belt, quietly came from a door that was behind the counter startling him when she started to speak, “Good morning. How may I help you sir?”

“Oh. Hello. I wanted to buy some clothes if possible?” Duncan quickly said his voice growing quieter as he noticed her features.

She frowned before responding, “Well, it would be weird if you would want to buy potions or weapons here.”

Duncan was still admiring her small nose and red lips. Her green eyes and her… Pointy ears that stuck out behind her hair that she wore in a bun. He shook his head before responding, “Well, yes. Wazsh recommended you.”

“Did he, now,” she replied her frown deepened before she continued, “I am surprised he even knows this place exists. He must have heard about it from Timor or Elland I guess.”

“Ahhh, sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I am Duncan,” he hastily replied.

She squinted her eyes, “Is your name supposed to somehow impress me?”

Duncan was feeling embarrassed and blushed, “No. It was just an introduction.”

Seeing him blush she took a big breath and her frown lessened before she replied, “I am Maryka the seamstress and before you ask. Yes, I am a half-elf.”

“Ah, yes I have met elves before. I know Elland and Timor,” Duncan quickly replied.

“I see. So, what’s with all the staring at my ears,” she replied raising her voice towards the end.

Duncan tried quickly to fix his statement and replied in haste, “I never met a female elf and so…”

“So what?” she cried out.

Duncan was startled by the volume and he just instinctively replied, “Beautiful.”

“Oh,” she replied quietly. It was Maryka’s turn to blush then.

Duncan turned quietly on his heals and waved. He went for the door at an ever-increasing pace. His heart beating. His palms moist. His cheeks red.

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He had almost made it out when she yelled loudly, “Wait!”

Duncan slowly turned around waiting for a barrage of expletives to come, before she smiling said in a gentle voice, “Didn’t you say you needed clothing?”

“I do,” he said.

“What do you need?” she continued in the same gentle voice.

“Underwear and socks mostly,” he replied.

She frowned before asking, “Are you an adventurer?”

“Yeah. Why? How can you tell?” he replied.

“Ahhh! That explains the stares. It has been such a long time ago, I forgot about it,” Maryka explained before she continued, “That and the need for socks and underwear. Men here mostly don’t wear these items.”

“Ahhh. OK.”

“I wonder how they handle the chaffing and blisters? Douse their balls and feet with low quality healing potions every day,” he contemplated in his head.

Then she interrupted him by saying, “I think I still have some of these items in the storage room. Wait here. I will back soon,” she said and left through the same door she came from.

Duncan wondered in what condition 150 plus year old underwear and socks would be, as Maryka returned. She brought a stack of underwear and several pair of socks.

Setting them down on the counter she asked, “Do you want to try them on? I think I chose your size but I am not sure.”

Duncan blushed vigorously looking for a changing booth. Seeing none he said, “No, that’s OK. How much are they?”

“Six pair of socks and six underwear,” she stopped as she calculated the sum in her head,”2 silver 40 bronze.”

Duncan put his hand on the counter and imagined 40 bronze coins in four stacks of ten and two silver appearing there and they did.

“I guess this is not your first time?” Maryka said.

Duncan blushed before she said with a smile, “I had money spilling all over the shop usually when it came to paying.”

“I did that once too.”, he said as he put his new items in the inventory.

“Do you make pants and T-Shirts too?” he asked.

“I do. But I have none your size at the moment. There has not been any demand for them in a long time and the materials are scarce. If you would like them made come by early tomorrow, since now I have to run to the fields. I am sorry but I am already late.”, she replied, obviously in a rush with time.

“OK. I will try and stop by earlier tomorrow. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Take care,” Duncan replied in a fast pace, obviously not willing to keep her longer than needed.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you too. See you tomorrow,” she said as she came outside right after him and locked the shop, before she started running.

Duncan was looking at her getting smaller in the distance when she turned left in a small gap between Elland’s shop and house.

“Must be a shortcut to the fields,” he muttered before shaking his head, as if to dispel a witch’s spell.

“What am I thinking? She is too old for me anyway,” he reasoned trying to dismiss any ideas in that direction.

“Not that she would go for me anyway. Not in a million years. Not with those cute ears, that cute nose and that smile,” Duncan’s thoughts wondered as his head shook now and then to dismiss them.

“I have more important things to do now! Priorities Duncan. PRIORITIES! Changing my underwear and socks comes first,” he finally nodded and went to Wazsh’s.

“I really would prefer to have them washed first, but they can’t be any worse than those I washed by hand a gazillion times,” he muttered as he got into his room.

He was so smitten before he didn’t even look at the underwear and socks. They were black, grey and white with no fancy decoration or patterns. Two of each. The socks were basically the same uniform color.

Duncan quickly changed the old ones with the new. They were soft and breathable. Not like the ones he pulled off himself that haven’t seen a fabric softener in ages.

“Ahhh. What a difference a day makes?” Duncan mumbled as he enjoyed the new softness on his crotch.

He came downstairs again just as Wazsh came in from the garden.

“What are you so happy about? Did, you find the tailor?” Wazsh asked as he saw Duncan’s cheery disposition.

“Yeah. I have a feeling she doesn’t like you much,” Duncan said.

“What else is new…” Wazsh said and waved his hands before going to the sink to wash them.

“Do you need anything?” Wazsh asked as Duncan was still hanging about when he dried his hands.

Duncan shook his head, “Nah. Just thinking about what to do next.”

“You could go to the mine again and gain some levels.” Wazsh said.

Duncan frowned at that. He felt he was capable of going deeper but he was hesitant. He only had one life. There were no restarts here like Wazsh mentioned at one time.

“Well, I guess if I am careful, I could run before I get into serious trouble,” he said and left.

After walking to the mine, he remembered all the skills he could still learn from the guards in the barracks and changed his plans. There was no rush for the mine. He also needed some supplies before making his way down there again. If nothing else he needed rope.

“I can go tomorrow to the mine after my date with Maryka, I mean appointment,” he mumbled as he made a quick dash towards the barracks.

As last time no one answered the door and he went to the training facility. There he saw one archer in full gear hitting the middle 100-meter target with their arrows. He was aiming at an angle and hitting it repeatedly.

“An expert,” Duncan mumbled as he walked closer.

Suddenly there was a voice behind him as he was about five meters away from the shooter.

“Stop staring at her ass if you know what’s good for you!” the voice said.

Duncan turned around and saw someone sitting on the grass behind a boulder and quickly retorted, “I am not staring at his-- HER…?” before he quickly turned around again and did exactly what he was accused off. There was no way this ass belonged to Gabris or Tyrok he thought, as the owner turned around.

He then noticed two more incriminating factors that this was a woman. The bulges were not big but there.

“Was he staring at my ass?” the owner asked with a raspy voice.

“Yeah, he was. How much should I charge him for it?” the woman sitting by the boulder asked.

Duncan was flustered and he tried to get out of this mess by saying, “I did. But not before you accused me of staring. Then I could not help it.”

The standing woman laughed, “You must be Duncan. I am Shaya. That’s Demira. Captain Bloodhorn warned us you might come around and you finally did.”

“Fuck. I might have been safer in the mine after all,” Duncan thought as he nodded.