“Speaking of…well, speaking,” Alice glanced down at Evalyn as she locked the door to her room.
“You spoke to me in English back there. It was so sudden and startling that it actually helped calm me down.”
“English…Is that the name of your language?” Evalyn pocketed her room key and clicked her tongue. “I don't know why, but I knew it so readily. As if I’ve spoken it all my life.” She glanced at the mark on her wrist. The one they shared.
“Perhaps it is because of this divine connection. By the way, you are aware that I am speaking to you in the commoner’s tongue of Rothnia, yes?”
“Well I can tell it’s different from English, if that’s what you mean. Normally, the words you're saying wouldn’t make any sense to me. But it’s like they’re being translated or dubbed over in real time inside my head,” Alice replied. Evalyn scratched her chin in thought.
“And what if I were to switch languages? I’m fluent in several.”
Alice paused in the hallway. Again words she shouldn’t comprehend were translated as they passed her ears. The language shift had been sudden, the tonal flow and even the softness of the words changed. And yet there was no disconnect.
“What is that?” Alice spoke, and the same language came from her own lips. Her hands covered her mouth but her eyes sparkled.
“It’s fae-language,” Evalyn replied. “Also known as the language of nature and magic. Since you could even respond to me, I assume you can speak the language of Albagard as well.”
Again she shifted languages as she spoke and the soft, breezy language took on something similar to what Alice might confuse for German. Still, it made sense and she nodded.
“Then I will assume you can understand Cirvanti as well.”
Another change, from harsh to romantic. Alice nodded again, wishing speaking new languages was as easy as this back on Earth. She struggled for years trying to learn Spanish in school and her attempts at Korean had left her best friend in stitches.
Evalyn leaned against the wall for a moment, lost in thought. Finally she nodded as she came to a decision and looked sternly into Alice’s eyes.
“Keep the knowledge about English and the fact that we can share it between us for now,” she said.
“You don’t want to tell Lineah and Callum?”
I thought they were your friends. That you trusted them…
But Evalyn shook her head. “If we tell them it will become a hassle. Librarians have a rule about acquiring all unknown knowledge. And Lineah…” She made a flippant gesture Alice didn’t understand.
“It’s best to keep this our secret,” she said.
They entered the reception hall where Patty and Daryl were sweeping and wiping down tables.
“Patty, go with Alice to the Clothier. She needs uniforms and a few other clothes if the seamstress has any ready-made that will fit.”
Patty dropped the broom with a loud clatter as she bounded over and took Alice’s hand.
“Sure thing! We can go whenever you’re ready! Oh! Unless you’re hungry? We have stew… but maybe-” her big brown eyes turned to Evalyn.
Evalyn, feigning inconvenience, rolled her eyes as she produced a wallet from her vest pocket. She pulled out several colorful paper bills and a handful of coins and passed them to Patty.
The girl grinned and took the money, quickly tucking it away.
“Go to the coffeehouse for breakfast along the way. Take Daryl.”
The boy’s ears perked up and he slowed in his table wiping. Evalyn turned her attention to him.
“But you come back after breakfast. The Captain wants you doing training in the yard with the other Members.”
“Yes, Secretary,” Daryl smiled.
“Thank you!” Patty cheered, and the two of them pulled Alice out of the dim reception hall, into the town beyond.
With Reception quiet once more, Evalyn returned to her desk to finish sorting out the Commissions that had been submitted. Across from her, behind Lineah’s desk, the Hunt board lit up frantically.
Evalyn scowled.
_____________
The coffeehouse, as Eve had called it, reminded Alice a bit of a bar or a tavern rather than the aesthetically cute cafes she was accustomed to visiting. Except, they served coffee rather than beer.
Said coffee- black, bitter, and watered down - tasted so stimulating and familiar that Alice fought against sudden tears.
Patty and Daryl fought over the tray of various breads placed in the middle of their table, and while they were distracted Alice quickly wiped her eyes. Watching them, she smiled and sipped the coffee.
“And another thing! I can’t believe you get to join training drills in the yard without me!” Patty tore apart a buttered roll and yanked out the roll of ham and cheese inside. She handed the meat to Daryl and ate the bread. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Maybe because you still act like a kid,” Daryl replied.
“When have I ever-”
Patty’s voice rose to argue but Daryl held up the meat and cheese innards of her roll and took a bite. Patty’s cheeks reddened and she turned away in a huff. “That’s just because it’s just us here!”
“Well, I’m still older. That could be all there is to it,” Daryl replied.
“It’s so unfair,” Patty grumbled. “I’m so much better than you with a sword too.”
“How long have you guys known each other?” Alice asked. She grabbed a roll from the plate and bit into it. Salty ham and gooey cheese mixed with the warm buttery dough. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine she was back home having breakfast outside a coffee shop on a busy street corner.
The two teens exchanged looks then Daryl shrugged.
“Forever. We grew up in the same village,” he said.
“My Pa was a guard captain there,” Patty added. “So when Daryl was done with farm work he’d come over to my house and my Pa would teach us how to sword-fight using wooden sticks.” Her smile grew wistful as she dropped way too many sugar cubes into her coffee.
“Our village was on the border, like Root hollow, so it got caught up in some kind of territory dispute,” Daryl said. “Quite a few nobles wanted it for farmland, one seriously wealthy family wanted to turn it into a trading hub… and they-” He clenched his jaw tight and stared into his nearly empty cup. Patty’s own wistful expression darkened.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Alice said. “Not if it’s hard.”
They sat in tense silence for a moment then Daryl shook his head.
“One night, our village was overrun with more monsters than anyone had ever seen. Gnolls and drakes and trolls raised the entire village in only a few hours. Some of us managed to escape, but literally the next day we returned to find out our destroyed village had been purchased and cordoned off. House Godwin wanted to turn our village into a trading hub… we can’t be sure it was them who attacked us, but there are rumors these days of a member of their family controlling monsters. And well… they were the ones who immediately swooped in and bought up the destroyed land.”
“My Pa died trying to rally the village guards against the monsters, but all he managed to do was buy a little time for my mom, Daryl, and me to escape. Daryl’s family’s farm was outside the village’s walls so there wasn’t anyone to protect them when the monsters came,” Patty choked back emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. “We stayed together for a while here in Root hollow, but a year later my mom got sick and died. Leaving just me and Daryl. The Guild took us in after that.”
“It’s lucky you two still have each other,” Alice said.
The two teens looked at each other again, and the smiles returned to their faces. A pain throbbed in Alice’s heart, thinking of the people she left behind. She had just finished a phone call with her best friend before she went down into the subway the night she died.
I hope you’re okay, Yuni… She finished sipping on the coffee in her cup, but could no longer taste it.
I’m really sorry I can’t reach you.
______________
Hook and Eye, a cute name for the two story Clothier along the river, stood out among the duller squatter buildings on either side. The building’s bricks were covered in a soft pink stucco, accented with white painted wood shutters, and shingles. Colorful flowers decorated either side of the entrance and in one window stood mannequins wearing the uniforms of the Adventurer’s Guild and the Woodworker’s Guild. In the other hung pretty dresses and elaborate coats that reflected the style of the Capital city (according to Patty).
The interior reminded Alice a lot of the clothes stores back home, minus the fluorescent lighting… the background music… and air conditioning. Instead, the windows were wide open, allowing the spring breeze to blow through, gently rustling the clothes hanging on racks.
The scent of the flowers outside drifted in with the sounds of wagons and boots on the hard stone streets.
A woman in a simple outfit greeted them as she appeared from the back.
“The rumors have been greatly exaggerated I see,” She said as she adjusted her half-moon spectacles. “I was expecting someone near ten feet tall and wondered if we might need to do the fitting outside.”
Patty laughed and led Alice further into the shop. They passed the ready-made clothes on the racks out front and stepped into a curtained off room with a raised platform in the center and a mirror and chair off to the side.
“Please remove your clothes and step up there. You can set them aside. Patty, dear, step out for a moment.”
Patty turned to leave and drew the curtain closed, leaving Alice alone with the Seamstress.
The woman walked around Alice, inspecting her as she stepped onto the platform.
After three days, Alice stood face to face with her reflection since coming to the world and her eyebrows raised.
She looked… different. Like herself, and yet so much more. Something about the aura of her body had changed, it certainly felt slightly otherworldly. The pink in her hair from the previous night had fully faded so her bleached white hair fell around muscles that were more pronounced than she ever managed to get them on her own.
The biggest change was the eyes staring back at her. Once upon a time, Alice had hazel eyes. But two golden, practically glowing irises erased all traces of green and brown that had been there before.
It was as if she were staring at an idealized version of herself. A strange feeling twisted in her stomach.
The seamstress snapped her fingers, pulling Alice’s attention away from the stranger in the mirror.
“Oh. Sorry.”
Alice pulled the rough-spun tunic over her head and immediately the Seamstress invaded her space.
“What is this?”
Her stern eyes grew wide with curiosity at the lacy, decorative bra Alice had on.
“Um…It’s…foreign?”
“Hmm.” The Seamstress grew closer. “It’s fascinating. Nothing like I’ve ever made before. Could I make sketches of it before we finish here today?”
This isn’t some kind of Prime Directive violation is it? Alice hesitated with the hooks then shook that thought from her head.
“Sure you can.”
Unconstrained excitement brightened her face and the Seamstress bounced around the room, readying her supplies as Alice tossed her clothes into the chair.
After taking her measurements and sketching the details of her bra, she called Patty back in.
The teen girl poked her head through the curtain and her eyes immediately fell on Alice’s tattoo. Her eyebrows raised and Alice gave her a sheepish grin.
“The usual order from the Guild is three uniforms for a new recruit, but because of the size I’ll be making two uniforms. The Guild can order a third at half cost, but I can’t do three on the usual budget.”
“I’ll tell ‘em,” Patty said with a nod. “Oh! Secretary Eve also gave us three thousand Alraths to buy her some civilian clothes. If you have any that fit-”
“Th-three thousand!?” The seamstress dropped her pen. Patty laughed.
“I know, right? None of us got that kind of treatment.”
I’m guessing that’s a lot. Alice thought as she stepped off the platform and reached for her clothes.
I really know nothing about anything. Crazy. But still… She smiled to herself as she pulled the tunic over her head. She’s really determined to take care of me… despite her outward reluctance.
Alice and Patty tried on clothes for several hours. As the girl had put it, the opportunity to simply wear clothes outside of the Guild uniform was rare for her so she relished the chance to see the newest trends hanging from her own body.
“Cute right?” She twirled in a rather flattering dress. “It’s so impractical. I love it.”
“Get it,” Alice said. “I’m sure you’ll find a chance to wear it.”
Patty stared at Alice as if she grew a second head.
“No way. Eve gave me this money for YOU,” she said. “I wouldn't dare-”
“But I want you too. I’m going to be wearing a Uniform all the time too aren’t I? Do I really need three thousand… Alraths?... of normal clothes?” Alice put her hands on her hips. “Girls deserve to dress cute when they feel like it.”
Patty groaned, desperate to accept and to argue why she shouldn’t.
“We’ll keep it a secret,” Alice said. Patty finally grinned again. She nodded.
They chose a handful of clothes for Alice and the Seamstress made alterations on the spot. Alterations involved expanding the shoulders, bust, and the lengths of sleeve and pants. The woman worked with impressive speed and precision, but Alice figured it didn’t hurt that shop wasn’t very busy.
Most of the shirts and pants had billowy sleeves that Alice could tighten down with leather cords or leave loose. Additionally, Patty showed Alice how to tie the strings of various undergarments including a stiff fabric halter she could wear similar to a sports bra.
As night fell and the street lamps were lit along the river, Patty paid the Seamstress for their order and stared down at the two large bags sitting between her and Alice.
“We might’ve gone overboard after all,” Patty said. Alice laughed.
Shopping is fun in every world I guess, She thought. She reached for a bag of clothes, expecting the weight to be too much for her to lift, but she picked it up with ease. The weight barely registered.
Seriously. What am I?
She grabbed the other bag and shouldered it easily as well. Patty gave her an admirable gaze.
“We ready?” Alice asked. Patty nodded.
“We have just enough to catch a ride back to the Guild,” she said. “Follow me.”
Together they stepped into the early night of the town and Patty hailed a carriage driver like Alice would hail a taxi.