On To The Next Job

"M'lady. Are you sure you're well?" Varen checks her temperature again.

"I'm fine, Varen. I assure you I'm not so fragile to get sick that easily." She tells him with I slight pink tint to her cheeks.

"Then why are your cheeks flushed?" He inquires.

"It's just a bit of makeup." She lies, getting up from her finished meal. "I need to change now. We're going to need some things for the next job." She tells him before going out to go to her room. She stops briefly in the hallway to rub her cheeks.

"I'm here to help M'lady get, -" Jinx comes beside her to peer at her face. "Oh~" She chimes with a cat-like grin as Emelda jumps slightly.

"Come on." Emelda hurries on to her room, Jinx giggling behind her.

"You look like you're having a hard time today, M'lady," Jinx comments as Emelda closes the door behind them.

"Varen has been hovering over me since we got back... It's a bit embarrassing." Emelda sighs as she strips to change.

"Ahh. So the attention is too much, huh?" Jinx teases lightly.

"Hush," Emelda grumbles, getting dressed with Jinx's help.

"What? It's cute. You get flustered over such strange things." Jinx muses. "You seemed comfortable in just those coats you returned in. But if someone worries over you, you blush."

"I'm just not used to that." Emelda mumbles.

"And you're used to walking around in only coats?" Jinx raises an eyebrow.

"Of course not!"

"Hehe, and that's why you're odd."

"Even if it's true, must you be so blunt?"

"You do like my honesty, M'lady." Jinx smiles at her.

"Why do I have such a pretty little maid? What a pain." Emelda complains starting out.

"Hehe, flattery won't save you." Jinx follows her out.

"Emee! I got the money!" Raiden's call sounds through the halls.

"Alright. I'll meet you in the foyer." She calls in return.

"Have fun." Jinx hums, leaving her alone to descend the stairs.

Emelda reaches the foyer and pauses. "Oh, Bane, what brings you here?" She asks.

"I'm here to give you my knight services." He grins. "Until I repay my debt, I'll be in your care." He bows.

"Isn't that great? We have a knight now." Raidens beams at Emelda.

"Definitely working up to the Grand Duke title." She agrees before looking at Bane. "Are you sure about this, though?"

"Absolutely." He nods confidently.

"Alright. But there's only five of us, so make sure to pull your weight." She tells him.

"I understand. Just as long as someone teaches me." He agrees.

"Good. Ask Varen if you need any help." She says as Varen joins them.

"I will." Bane agrees.

"Heading to the market then?" Varen asks as he glances at Bane.

"Yeah. The boss won't be holding our hand on this one." Raiden rumbles. "Let's go, Emee." He adds starting out. Emelda gives them a wave as she follows.

"Alright. So how do I wash clothes?" Bane looks at Varen, who huffs as orange builds around his pupils. He knocks on Bane's forehead before his eyes return to normal. "I'm going to wash my clothes." Bane decides wandering off.

"We need to get you a weapon and clothes that won't leave you almost naked if you remove a piece," Raiden says, jingling the bag.

"... Did you have to say it like that?" Emelda asks.

"Yeah. Cause you were." He reminds her. "I thought Bane's face was going to blow."

"Fair enough. It will make moving easier, at least." Emelda looks at the dress. "But dresses are cute." She grumbles.

"You can be cute in a dress when we aren't working." He chuckles in amusement.

"... I'll take it." She breathes. She never got the chance to dress cute in her former world, so she was rather enjoying it.

"Hm? Hey, look. That ghost is back." Raiden points to a familiar merchant.

"I don't know. Feels like we'll get bad mojo this time." Emelda murmurs, looking at the man as he waves to them.

"I don't know what mojo is, but I agree. So let's wave and run away." Raiden responds quietly. They both wave at the merchant before rushing off, leaving the merchant to watch them in shock.

"Alright. We're clear." Emelda comments as they near the market.

"Good. Too many handouts always end badly." He says matter of factly.

"Right? Just gets sketchy at that point." She agrees. They start to browse the market, picking out a few satchels and packs, herbs, and medicine.

"Not really any clothes or weapons in this area," Raiden mutters, looking around.

"Probably have to go to the blacksmith." She points out. "There's probably a tailor in that area, too."

"We passed one on the way to the guild." He nods, taking the lead.

"Think this job will get as crazy as the last one?" She hums.

"No, but I hope so. That was fun." He chuckles.

"It was pretty exciting." She admits with a smile.

"Although, just leaving the kingdom is nice too." Raiden hums.

"That's true.This will be my second time beyond the gates... I wanna explore." She breathes.

"We should do that next time we have free time." He rumbles thoughtfully. "We'll get a map, too." He nods.

"Sounds good." She nods. They walk for a bit, soon being joined by a small group of orphan children.

"Look! It's Lady Emelda!" One chimes.

"Hey, little ones." She runs the tops of their heads.

"Who dat?" A little boy points at Raiden. The other kids take notice of him and scrunch together uneasily.

"This Raiden, he's a friend." Emelda introduces lightly.

"What's going on? Where'd everyone go?" A voice asks from the alley. They look over to the blind boy as he peeks around the corner.

"Oh Rome!" One of the girls squeaked, running over to bring him to Emelda. "It's Emelda, she brought a friend, his name is Raiden."

"Hello, Lady Emelda." Rome reaches up a hand. Emelda takes it as she crouches down.

"You all look well. How's the church?" She asks lightly.

"They're nice." A girl assures.

"But the food never changes." A boy complains.

"They can't afford anything else, Bleaky." The girl huffs.

"I just want cake." Bleaky sighs.

"Hmm. If you guys get a nice donation, would that help?" Raiden asks.

"Mhm. That's when we can have different food." The girl nods.

"Alright then." Raiden nods in thought as if he had just decided on something. Emelda sends him a curious glance.

"Hey Emelda, can you sing us that song? I forgot the words." Bleaky does a motion with his hands since that was what he remembered.

"Sure. Ready?" She smiles as the kids crowd closer. Raiden kneels beside her curiously as she takes Rome's hands in hers to help him do the motion. "The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout~"

Raiden clumsily joins in once he gets the song, and the children echo them with giggling voices. She's not sure why she chose that song to teach them. Maybe it was because she didn't want to forget how she got here.

"Hehe. I like that song." One of the girls giggles.

"What's a spider?" Bleaky asks.

"I'll show you someday. We have to get going now." She releases Rome's hands.

"Have a good day, Lady Emelda," Rome tells her. She smiles and touches his cheeks briefly before continuing with Raiden, the children calling farewells at their backs.

"You plan to donate to the church soon then?" She peers at him.

"With my half from the next job." He nods. She blinks at him before nudging him.

"I've known them longer it should be my half." She points out.

"You can do it next time." He chuckles. "You're better about thinking of things we need, so that's what you can work on with yours." He reminds her.

"Fair enough... But it's strange, we have new things but it doesn't seem to have dented the money from the merchant." She breathes.

"Magic?" He blinks.

"I'm not sure. It's just really strange."

They reach the blacksmith and enter to look at the wares. "Oh. Emelda, how about this armor?" Raiden goes to a spikey suit of armor.

"I'll end up cutting myself on it somehow." She shakes her head. "And I want something I can move in freely."

"But you can move in it freely. You could be dancing and no one could tell because it's so big." He points out with a smirk.

"Hehe. No, Raiden, we're not getting it." She giggles.

"Can I help you two?" A voice makes them notice a man in the corner. He had a medium build, blue eyes, and black messy hair. He had a bit of scruff on his face and a soul patch. He looked bored, cheek on his knuckles holding a hammer.

"Oh, right. Hello. We came to look at weapons." Raiden smiles at him.

"Alright." The man stands, setting down the hammer, and comes over to them. "Hands." He holds out his own to Raiden. The demon blinks before showing his palms. The blacksmith feels his hands before humming and moving away to grab a cutlass from the wall. He brings it to Raiden and puts it in his hands before turning to Emelda.

"Oh! This feels good!" Raiden gasps in amazement, moving the blade around.

"Hands," the blacksmith repeats, stealing Emelda's attention from Raiden.

"Yessir." She murmurs, offering his hands.

"My name is Larc." He tells her, his fingers going over her hands carefully.

"Larc." She echoes with a nod.

"You sure you need a weapon?" He asks her, peering at her face.

"Yes." She responds, blinking in confusion. He hums, feeling her knuckles again before moving away, to go get a pair of leather gauntlets.

"Unfortunately, this is all I have for you." He tells her, putting them on her. She blinks, clenching and unclenching her hands. This did feel right.

"You can tell by feeling someone's hand?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Sorta. It's more like an intuition." He shrugs, glancing at her eyes before dropping his gaze. "Anyway. Come see me soon and I should have something better for you." He says.

"Alright. How much do we owe you?" Emelda asks.

"I'll take 50 coins for the sword." He gestures to the cutlass.

"Alright, and these?" Emelda holds up her fists since she wasn't sure what to call them leather wraps. He makes a face.

"I'm ashamed. That's all I have for you, so they're free." He responds.

"Oh. Thank you." She smiles as Raiden counts out coins. Larc pauses at the sight of the gold.

"I meant silver. I'll take five gold." He tells Raiden hastily. They blink at him.

"There's silver coins?" Emelda huffs.

"No wonder everyone has been so happy when we pay them." Raiden comments to her. Larc puts a hand over his face and sighs.

"I'll show you before you go broke, making everyone else rich." He tells them.

"Larc... You're so nice." Emelda comments with a big smile.

"Right? Let us pay you more." Raiden agrees.

"There's really no need. Now pay attention." He responds in embarrassment, going to get his coins.

After a quick lesson, they leave him with a wave. He watches after them and shakes his head. "What a weird pair." He mutters, turning to collect the coins, pausing when he finds five extra gold coins. "Those two..." He sighs.

He finishes putting up the coins and goes to the forge, looking into the fiery orange glow that briefly reminds him of the woman's eyes. He blinks and gets started with a determined look on his face.

"Clothes..." Emelda hums in thought as they look around.

"There." Raiden points leading the way.

"Hope they have something suitable," Emelda comments as they enter. It was a rather small shop, but the shopkeeper seemed happy to see Emelda, though she sent Raiden an uneasy glance.

"Welcome! What can I help you with?" She inquires to Emelda.

"Do you have adventure wear for women?" Emelda inquires.

"Hm? You're an adventurer?" The woman looks her over before she hums, looking towards a door that probably led to storage. "Come with me. I'm sure we'll have something." She tells Emelda, going to the door. Emelda and Raiden glance at each other before following the woman into the back room.

"We used to do leather wear. But we haven't been able to afford hide in some time." The woman explains moving to a leather corset and skirt.

"So, what about this? I have blouses, skirts, and tights to go along with them. And those boots there." She points around.

"It's adjustable... And I would be able to move better in it." Emelda breathes.

"Plus, it'll be cute." Raiden smiles.

"Right? It's perfect with the tights." She sends him a grin.

"Is this the only outfit you got like this?" Raiden inquires.

"Unfortunately. There hasn't been a demand for this type of women's clothing, but once." The shopkeeper responds, seeming to have relaxed.

"We'll take it," Emelda tells her.

"Oh, if we bring you hide, will that help you out?" Raiden asks her after a thought. The shopkeeper's eyes light up at the offer.

"Like... For free?" She clarifies.

"Not exactly. If you can make more clothes for Emelda, then we can trade for the materials." Raiden bargains.

"I'll do it! I can't wait to tell my husband he's going to be so happy." The shopkeeper grins happily.

"Wait until we bring the materials first." Emelda chuckles.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you. Let me get your measurements." She swiftly goes to grab the equipment.

"You know, I didn't know shopping was so helpful." Raiden comments to Emelda. "I mean..." He rubs his neck as he tries to find the right words.

"I know what you're trying to say," Emelda assures earning his gaze as she smiles at him. "Let's do what we can to make their lives easier." She tells him. He blinks before smiling thoughtfully.

"Thanks, Emee." He tells her, earning a confused look. "When I'm with you, people forget they were told to be afraid of me."

"You do that on your own."

The next day, the pair make their way to meet the merchant, finding the caravan packing already.

"Salazar," Emelda calls, gaining the attention of a short and round man in pastel yellow attire. He rushes to greet her and pauses as he spots Raiden standing with her.

"Y-Youre our escort?" He points between you and Raiden.

"Yessir." Emelda nods, looking down at him.

"Amazing." He breathes, rubbing his face in stress. "Alright, we're nearly ready to go. Pick a carriage to ride in or on." He tells them before hurrying off to finish getting ready.

"He's so..."

"Shhh, Raiden." She whispers scolding.

"He could fit in your pocket!" He snickers.

"Raiden!" She hisses.

"Let's take him home!"

"No, Raiden!" She laughs, nudging him.

"It's Lady Raiden!" A child's call sounds, and they're suddenly surrounded.

"Hello, little ones. What're you up to?" Emelda asks in surprise as a pretty little nun joins them.

"We're going to travel with the caravan to their next town." She answers while doing a motion as she glances at the demon.

"Why, though?" Emelda asks with a blink.

"Our church is going through renovations, and since winter will be here soon, we're temporarily relocating." The Nun explains.

"Can't you stay closer, though?" Emelda frowns lightly.

"No, unfortunately, but the children are optimistic at least." She smiles.

"We're going to get to help Sister Lily's Grandpa with his farm!" One of the children chimes as Rome holds onto Emelda's skirt.

"That's too bad. Well, we'll be traveling with you there." Emelda pats Rome's head.

"Oh? You're going to be our escorts?" Sister Lily blinks in surprise.

"That's right. Now let's get you little ones settled in." Emelda breathes, picking up Rome.

"Right. Come on kids." Lily agrees, leading to an empty carriage and loading up the kids. Emelda joins them while Raiden gets on top of the carriage that would be falling theirs, his tail swishing behind him. He and Emelda share a smile and soon the caravan leaves town.