"Okay, go ahead and put these into your bag and buy them." Dorris tells me, helping me put everything in the bag that holds a lot of things. What should I call it? What was it called again? Oh right! Spatial bags!

  "Thanks for helping me fit those in there." I say, flashing a smile.

  "No trouble at all. Make sure you come back. Oh! And you should smile more, you have such a lovely smile." she tells me, leading to my cheeks going pink.

  "I will keep that in mind, thank you." I reply. It seems genuine coming from her, not creepy like when some of the guys back in the Noble District said it.

  I make my way up to the counter and set my bag down. The person standing behind the counter lifts it, testing it's weight. They then pull out all of the clothes one by one, folding them as he goes.

  "Looks like you bought quite a bit, Miss." he says to me. Miss instead of My Lady. I think I prefer Miss to be honest. Less snooty. I don't want to be a snooty Bard, it doesn't make sense.

  "I did have a lot that I needed to buy." I say, looking down a bit. Oh no, that is shy. I can't act shy. Who has ever heard of a shy Bard? I guess maybe I am cut from a different cloth. Is it a shiny cloth, a gloomy cloth, an invisible cloth, or something that is technically a cloth but really isn't one? Oh shoot, I can't allow myself to become that distracted. I lightly shake my head from side to side. The clerk behind the desk gives me a look.

  "A bit tired" I say, and give a small laugh.

  "Well alright, it does look as though you have done a good bit of shopping, so I am not surprised if you are feeling a little bit tired. There are two different types of shoppers. The ones that get tired from too much shopping and the kind that feel energized from it."

  I nod to him lightly. I know those people. A lot of Nobles have people come to their homes and show them their wares. They look through it for hours, trying things on, posing, moving around in it to make sure the fit and movement is good. They often also need many people around them to tell them how pretty they are, and how good the clothes look. And because they are Nobles and have plenty of money to spend. Many of them don't even look at the price tage. I guess I fell into that category, but not always by choice. My mom had liked to dress me up and show me off, as though I was a possession and not a person. Perhaps to her, I was.

  "Okay, since these are off the rack and not specially tailored it will be 20 gold." he says. Am I supposed to haggle? I don't want to, they have been so kind. And 20 gold for all of the items that I bought? That feels too cheap.

  I must have looked surprised so he tells me, "We gave you a discount as a first time customer, and being a friend of our loyal customers. We are hoping that your satisfaction brings you back. I'm sure that we would love to tailor make you some items."

  "Oh! Okay, thank you!" I say, feeling a little excited. I will most certainly be coming back here!.

  The clerk gives me a big grin, puts everything back in the bag and hands it over to me. "Please enjoy. And I hope to hear you play some music some time."

  "I am sure that you will eventually." I say, feeling confident for no reason what-so-ever.

  "I look forward to it." he tells me.

  "All done?" I hear Rona ask me.

  "Yes!" I tell her, feeling satisfied with my purchases.

  "It seems that your song brought us a little bit of good luck after all. Me being a loyal customer did get you a discount in the end after all."

  "Where to next?" Jake asks me.

  "I would like to buy some light armor then hygiene supplies." I say.

  "I think that we should start with the hygiene supplies as that will take less time." Rona says to me. I nod my head in agreement. She has not led me astray thus far.

  We leave the clothing shop and walk two doors down to Sundries and Stuff. I can't help myself, I like the name.

  "Shall we?" Rona says as she pulls the door open for me.

  "Why thank you." I say to her, flashing her a bright smile.

  As I walk into the store I am assailed by a multitude of smells. Some good, some odd, and some too strong to determine if the smell is good or not. I look around and see bottle of liquids and containers of powder. There is a small make-up section that has a multitude of items. I should grab some but I never learned to put make-up on myself, though I have watched carefully so I might be able to.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Knowing what I needed I had Rona take me around the store. We grabbed things to help fight body odor, liquids to wash my hair and body, a hair brush, and hair ribbons to pull my hair up when wanted, so often.

  "I want some make-up but I am not entirely sure how to use it. Can you help me grab some basics?" I ask.

  Rona nodded excitedly. "Yes, let me grab you some things and I will teach you how to use it."

  "Thanks." I tell her, genuinely grateful for her kindness. I feel like we have been friends forever, even though I just met her.

  Rona grabs me a few liquids and powders and we finish purchasing all of the hygiene items I was needing. Surprisingly it only cost 1 gold coin. Well, we did grab a few items to help bring it to a gold coin. Rona tells me that as long as I have the money I should treat myself. Apparently self care is extremely important for any and all Classes.

  "Now to have a bit more fun!" Alex says, flashing me a bright grin. "And I can help with this one as I am a squishy mage. Let's go get some light armor!"

  I look at Jake and see him hopping from foot to foot in excitement. It seems like he has been wanting to be more involved in this shopping excersion. I think that is wonderful, he seems like he is going to be a fun person to be in a Party with. I think. I have never been an Adventurer before. I haven't fought monsters yet, so I guess I don't know the right personality to have with me. But Jake still seems like fun.

  "Please, lead the way. This is going to be my first set of any form of armor." I tell him honestly.

  "Oh this is going to be so much more fun than I was already expecting. I can't wait to see what you end up going with. I don't recommend cloaks though. Monsters can hook their claws in and use it to pull you close to them. I've seen it happen." he says, and I see a look of sorrow come across across his face.

  "I will keep that in mind. I am open to any and all suggestions." I tell him. "And do many people try to wear capes?"

  "It seems like some Bards like to use them as a fashion statement. They feel that it is good and performative. Draw the eyes of people. However, the flashiness also draws the eyes of monsters." Jake tells me. What kind of Class did I get assigned to?!

  "No capes. Very good. I don't even think that I am the type to want to wear a cape." I admit. "I don't know what kinds of things I want to wear. I've also heard that it doesn't matter how much of your body it covers, the type of armor still gives defense, or whatever bonuses are on it?" I ask, which leads to both Rona and Jake laughing at me. In a good humored nature of course.

  "That is true." Rona says, wiping her eyes. "It all depends on how the system classifies it. You can also learn enchantments to change the weight of armor pieces, so pieces that look like they should be one type of armor can be a totally different type."

  "I still think that is so insane." Rona says, shaking her head. "You will see what I mean." she says as we stop in front of the light armor store. I think that it is facinating that there are different stores for the different types of armor.

  "Welcome to the armor for the squishy!" Jake says, causing me to laugh lightly.

  "Okay, let's look around and see what you like. Are you interested in wearing any form of a wizards robe?" he asks me.

  "No thank you. I don't think that is the right armor for me." I tell him, blushing a little bit by saying no to something right off the bat.

  "A lady who knows what they want. I think that is a good trait." Jake says.

  "It is a very good trait. Now, you can flirt with the Shop Keepers and flash some skin for a discount, but that will cause you to have a certain type of reputation." Rona says, warning me.

  "Well. That is good to know." I say, nodding.

  "Let's start basic, with things most people wear. Shall we start by looking at boots?" Jake asks me.

  "Oh, that sounds like a good idea!" I say. I was told that I need to get some boots. I don't mind the thought of all of the foot wear I wear to be armor. I also like the way that boots look. I can always get fancy boots with heals, but that sounds inconvenient.

  I follow Rona and Jake over to the boots and shoes section. I see a lot of very soft looking shoes. I pick some up and feel that they are made of some sort or cloth or felt, with fur lining and decorations. They look cute, but not sturdy.

  "Are those the kind of Footwear you are wanting?" Rona asks me.

  "Not reallty, I just thought that they looked soft." I admit, and set them back down.

  "You never know what kinds of things you are going to enjoy wearing." Jake says slyly. "You should try on things even if you think you won't like them."

  "Now then, you should get your feet measured so that we can have some fun. Were you also given your measurements?" Jake asks.

  "I made sure that I grabbed them. Lyra seems to have enough on her mind as is. Foot measurements are on there."Rona says, waving a paper.

  "Alright, now you sit here and we will bring things over for you to try." Rona says with a bit of a sinister smile.

  "Oh, okay." I say and take a seat. "Should I remove my riding boots then?" I ask.

  "Yes. I hope your feet don't smell too bad." Jake teases.

  "I apologize if they do." I say, and remove my shoes. Luckily they aren't sweaty and they don't stink. I inwardly give a sigh of relief.

  "Alright now try them on!" Rona says, and hands me the shoes that I had just set back down. I look down at my feet and give a confused look.

  "Are you sure that these aren't slippers?" I ask them. I stand up and take a few steps. I do not feel supported in these. How can I run around where there are monsters if I am in slippers?

  Jake snorts and Rona gives a nice laugh. "They aren't, but they don't seem to suit you very well."

  I pull off the "shoes" and set them down where they were. I wait in anticipation to see what they give me next.

  "Try these." Jake says, and hands me an extremely pair of flashy boots. They are bright red with gold lacing, and pink gems. It hurts my eyes to look at them.

  I glare at Jake and pull them on. They are stiff and uncomfortable and I feel like a utter fool just having them on my feet. I stand up and give a few steps, then kick one leg up behind me in a pose. Jake and Rona laugh uproariously and I can't help but join them.

  "Okay, okay, you can take them off!" Rona says, wiping tears from her eyes.

  I quickly pull off the offending boots. I am then handed some that look like a mixture between chain mail and fur. I can't help but feel that these are going to be much too heavy.

  I slip the boots on and they actually feel quite comfortable. I stand up and take a few steps.

  "A bit too heavy, but I like the fit." I tell Rona and Jake. They nod to each other and I sit back down, ready for the next shoe. I wonder how those shoes had even been classified as light armor.

  "Okay, enough silliness for the footwear. Let's have you try some that I think will actually suit you." Rona says. She puts a few pairs of boots in front of me. One is calf length and made of leather. They ware brown and look simple. I slip them on and smile. I stand up and walk around. They hug and support my feet perfectly. I have never had a pair of boots that were this comfortable. Maybe it's because Mother always had me wearing heels.

  "It's like these were made for me." I say in awe.

  "Great. Put those to the side. Try these next."

  The next ones that I try on are ankle boots. They are black with white fur around the ankle. It feels as though it gives extra padding so that the ankles don't chafe. I stand and walk around. These are also comfortable, but I don't like them as much. I do however set them with the other boots. A girl can't have too many options and they look like they will do well in colder regions.

  The last pair of boots are white and black and go over my knees a little. I like the way that they look already. I take a few steps in them and smile. I thought them going over my knee would hurt, but it is white cloth that hugs my knee. I feel comfortable and supported. I don't think I need three pairs of shoes though.

  "Don't worry about getting all three. I will buy you this one." Rona says, picking up the ankle boots.

  "You don't have to do that." I say, putting my hands up close to my chest and waving them. I don't know why I did that with my hands, but I did.

  "Too bad. I am buying them for you as a sign of our blossoming friendship. And that's that!" she says. I wonder if she is feeling bad for me because it is obvious that I used to be a Noble, and was thus used to a different lifestyle.

  "I want to have you as well equipped as I can. I need you to help protect my Jake." Rona says, pulling Jake to her side."

  They are so very adorable with one another. I think of how Nobles would react to the public display of affection and realize that they would simply act stupidly. With jealousy or disgust. Maybe I never should have been a Noble in the first place as I simply see them as heartwarmingly cute.

  'What next?" I ask.

  "Let's go look at some gloves." Jake states.