Bare Necessities

          "Ugh, whatever. Now, I need supplies, a coat to hang, and a place to hang it for like a week or so. I assume this here gold can go a long way?"

Alyx nodded her head, still not too happy I'd doubted the integrity of her beau if her pursed lips were any indication. "Yes, of course. What you're carrying is a few years of earnings for a particularly lucky farmer. If rationed aptly, that much gold could allow a single person to live for quite a while. A traveler could survive on that for a year or two if they don't need any important pieces of gear or a large amount of supplies." 

This got me thinking, I do have pretty much everything I need to travel, save for food. Though even that can just be found on the trail. … Eh who am I kidding, having fresh restaurant food on demand seems cool, and it's something I've always wanted to do. Chilling on top of a boulder and gazing at the night sky in the middle of the wilderness while I eat hot food made by professional hands sounds like pure bliss.

So with my decision made, I ask my guide for the best food in town as well as where the inn is. She tells me that the town, as small as it is, only has a handful of establishments that sell food and only one inn - which turns out to be the very building we'd just left - and all of them are on this main road. So you, quite literally, can't miss them. "Alright, I'll start my restaurant collection tour after I get a room later today then. For now, can you show me to the best blacksmith in town?" 

Apparently, she wasn't expecting what I said, as she fixed me with a rather confused look. "What? There's no need for trail food when I can store actual food and keep it fresh, right? I'll be supplying the plates and utensils as well, so it's all good." The confusion on her face deepened. I guess that wasn't the problem? What's her deal?

"Uhm, Miss Xerin... h-have I displeased you in any way?" Huh? why would she think- ooooh, is it that? She thinks she has to host me as some sort of apology for bringing me here? "No, not at all Alyx." I said with a small chuckle. "As a matter of fact, I'm incredibly grateful to you and it would trouble me if I had to ask more of my benefactor." That was a lie.

Of course I'm grateful to her, don't get me wrong, but I really just want a private space to work on my own things undisturbed. Call me misanthropic, but I really did prefer solitude. I enjoy teasing and playing around with people as much as the next person, but having some time and a dedicated space to myself to decompress and sift through the minutiae of the day is something I need. Fortunately, she seemed to accept my explanation and didn't bring it up again, though she did seem a little sad. Though, I was willing to bet that it was the loss of an interesting research subject more than anything else. 

Anyway, she answered my initial request for a blacksmith with a nod and lead me further into the city. Now, as I had said previously, I really did have most everything I needed to travel: a tent, a sleeping bag, and a tinder box being the mainstays. There were a few things I had on Scarmiel that wouldn't work here due to the local nanite deficiency, which was kind of annoying. The lures and repellants I had painstakingly prepared were useless now, save for the resources they were made from, along with a few other 'game-like' items that only worked because of the nature of my "original" world.

The things I did need were the small items and other things one might not expect to bring camping. Mainly, I was looking for cooking supplies; Pots, pans, a knife set, a cooking spit, I wanted a full suite of things ready to prepare whatever food I came across in my travels. Heck, I'm even on the look-out for a portable oven, though an impromptu one could be made rather easily, that's labor time that could go to baking bread in the morning.

Not only the 'silly stuff', as Alyx had called it when I told her what I needed, I also need some way to defend myself while I'm on the road or hunting dangerous beasts. Currently, all I have is a basic wooden longbow, a single iron arrow (no longer 'enchanted'), and a similarly useless and very ornate staff. So, with these needs in mind, Alyx led me to one of the only blacksmiths in town and the only one that sold weapons. They apparently made everything from spoons to splint-mail but were the more expensive option due to their skill level. Which is exactly why I chose them. A craftsman with enough pride to know their worth, but not so proud that they didn't make 'mundane' items was exactly the kind of person I liked. It's even how I ran my own crafting businesses, once upon a time.

Reaching the smithy, I stepped inside before Alyx and immediately started to look around. Less than a blacksmith's shop, the place looked more like a general store. The interior was separated fairly evenly down the middle, one side full of metal works, the other filled with any sort of cloth and leather item the common man might need. I decided to look through the metal side first, as I knew what I needed.

I quickly picked out a bundle of iron arrows, a skinning knife, a basic set of cooking knives, some cookware, and a bunch of wooden plates and cutlery to go with it. Sadly, I couldn't find anything more advanced than a cooking spit, but that was a good find on it's own anyway. As I had an idea about the weapon I wanted, I declined to choose one for the moment and approached the counter with my choices nearly overflowing from my arms. After setting them all down, I saw a person seated on the counter looking at me with a peculiar gaze and Alyx standing near her.

The first few things I noticed were the neon blue hair, the vibrant pink eyes, and the long pointed ears. The next thing was that she was gorgeous. Even compared to the designer faces I had seen in the past. And finally: she was small. Like, really small. She was generously 120 cm tall. Though, she more than made up for it everywhere else. She was rather thickset, with proportionally large hips, defined muscles and an impressive bust for her size. She was also lightly tanned, from her time in the forge, presumably. She obviously wasn't this galaxies brand of "Human" and my best guess was dwarf. Though I definitely won't be taking the bet and saying it outright, thank you very much.

She was currently seated on the counter that was about a head shorter than she was, trying to puzzle out where my third head was I think. "Hi!" I greeted her excitably, still lost in the sauce of prepping for my 'Fantasy Adventure' regardless of her beauty. The look she gave me changed from perplexed to amused. She hopped from the counter and landed in front of me, the top of her head level with my shoulders. "Claudia. Nice to meetcha. Didn't think an Adept'd be so excited to be in my humble shop. Or that she'd be so cute." She held out her calloused hand and threw me a saucy, exaggerated wink.

Normally, I'd have laughed off the forwardness of the shapely woman but the light tan and the light freckling on her face, combined with her rich, smoky voice and unique accent, checked a few too many boxes for me to not shoot my shot. With a slight blush, I gave her a grin, took her hand, and matched the strength she showed, making her raise a brow in genuine interest now. "Xerin," I introduced myself and gestured to the assorted items I'd placed on the counter. "Business first, pleasure later?" I suggested with a raised brow and a suggestive wink of my own. I wasn't too good with the whole flirting thing, but I hoped that I got the message across.

Claudia nodded and stepped behind the counter. The floor was apparently raised behind it, as the counter only went up to her waist now, instead of her shoulders. "Right, equippin' a new kitchen then? Can't say I've heard of any new homes put up, though?" She was separating and inspecting all the items I had placed, organizing them into neat piles that looked ready to box up. "No, no. I'll be travelling soon and want to be prepared for anything (I might want to eat)." I answered, nodding sagely. She gave me an odd look and glanced at the items piled between us. "Er... rather lot to walk 'round with, yeah?" 

"Hehe, that won't be a problem." I say as I disappear a pot then place it back on the counter in the same breath. Yes, I'm pretty smug about my soul-pocket. The thing's got practically infinite space, time doesn't pass within it, and it took me a very long time to puzzle out. Claudia just shrugged her shoulders and muttered something under her breath about mages, before pulling out an abacus. 

'Oooh! How authentic!' was my only thought as she played with the 'outdated' calculator. After fiddling with the esoteric tool for a few seconds she spoke again, "That'll be 2 gold 84 silver, lass. I can throw in a couple boxes for half a silver apiece as well. If ya need it." I shook my head and got to the main thing I'd wanted to talk about. "I'd also like to ask about maybe renting your forge for a day or two? Starting tomorrow around noon, if possible?" I said as I handed her a gold and stored my new items. 

Her eyes trailed up and down my body, lingering on the taut fabric of the robe on my arms and abdomen, before finally speaking. "Aye, for a couple gold, that'd be fine. We'll keep track of any material you use and you'll need to buy it from us of course. Though, the mornin' would work better for the both of us, I reckon." She punctuated her sentence with another wink, a real one this time, as she handed back my change. "My~, is that an invitation Miss Claudia?" I couldn't help but play at being coy, and batted my eyelashes at her.

She replied with a chuckle, seeing through my playfulness, and leaned over the counter to hook the neck of my robe. She pulled me close, until our noses were just shy from touching, scarlet coloring both of our faces. "I'll be in the back fillin' out some orders, Nadia'll be out in a minute to help you with anythin' you might need in the meantime." She let me go but I didn't back away, and instead licked my lips while looking at hers. She chuckled again and sauntered off, catching me staring as she left.

Not 10 seconds later did another small woman come out, though she was practically the perfect opposite of Claudia. She was dainty and thin, though she had the same exaggerated curve to her chest and hip. With bright pink hair, ice blue eyes, pale skin, and a face that looked just like Claudia's, the small woman was equally gorgeous in her own way.

She fixed me with a rather cold look and walked towards me brusquely.  "I'm Nadia, Claudia's sister and the tailor." She said as she reached me, her voice as rich as her sister's and as icy as her eyes. She threw a glance at Alyx, but ultimately ignored her - to which the wizard reacted with a roll of her eyes. "You're Xerin, I presume?" She held out a dainty, manicured hand, much smaller than her sister's. I could only nod dumbly and shake her hand as I observed the cold beauty before me. 'Is this a trope? I'm living a trope right now, aren't I?' She let go of my hand and frowned lightly at my blank stare. "Did you have need of a tailor?"

"Ah!" I jumped, coming out of my musings of a 4th wall, and nodded my head quickly, "I'm looking for clothing that could be resized easily. I realize this may be difficult, or impossible even, but I need something I can move around in easily that I can alter to fit if I were, say, 30~40 percent taller and proportionally larger as well. If not, then just your cheapest boots and gloves a well as a large cloak, for now." This brought a puzzled look from Alyx, and an appraising eye from Nadia.

She grimaced slightly when she saw what I was currently wearing. A plain black robe that was a smidge tight on me, with wooden sandals and basic footwraps was all I had for the moment. "Hmmm, you're in need of all types of clothes aren't you? I'm afraid I don't have anything that could be easily resized so drastically aside from robes, and those aren't the easiest to move around in. I assume you'll be fighting or hunting in these clothes?" I just answered with a nod, prompting her to continue. "In that case, I do have some material that stretches rather well and is suitably tough. It could be made into a simple shirt and pants, but it would conform to your body completely if you were to 'grow', as you said."

Hmmm, that does give me an idea actually. Couldn't I make my own clothing out of something like Kevlar? But I don't have any plastics or polymers... Hm... what was that material again? It was in, like, everything back home. It was carbon I think, just in a specific pattern which made it extremely strong and stretchy. Hmm... Ah! That's right! It was graphene! I should be able to make a boatload of graphene and have my nanites alter it whenever I grow! I can thread it with carbon nanotubes as well! Heck, I can probably just make a jumpsuit out of both and tie it to my system to have it grow with me. That's perfect! …Though I would need a lot of elemental carbon. I do have all the carbon I need on me and more, but it seems wasteful for the suit to be just carbon. Plus, something tells me it'll better as an additive rather than a base.

"Mhm. On second thought, I've just had a great idea. If possible, can I buy some of that stretchy material you said you had? Also, a large thick cloak, as well as some cheap boots, gloves and a long belt, please." Nadia tilted her head at me, still with a blank expression, but ultimately complied with my request. She lead me over to where the bolts of cloth and thread were, pointing out a specific roll that was pitch black with a bit of a shine to it. "This is fel'gar wing processed into sheets. Technically it's a leather, but it handles more like a fine cloth. It has the unique property of being extremely stretchy, durable, and breathable. It's as tough as wyvern leather but thrice as flexible and a fraction of the weight."

Yep, this is perfect to use as a base for the carbon to bond to. I can make a nice comfortable jumpsuit that I can resize and remove at will that has good tensile strength and won't hinder my movement at all. "Right, I'll need... let's say 3 square meters of this. Actually, let's do 4. Much better to have some leeway." Nadia nodded sagely at my decision and pulled on the wrapped fabric. She deftly rolled the correct length onto another rod and turned to look at me, scissors in hand. "It is very difficult to work and quite rare, so 1 square meter adds a little more than 2 gold when doing commissions with it. As you're just buying the leather, I can sell it for 6 gold instead. I assume you have that much?"

The raised eyebrow paired with the wickedly sharp scissors made her look quite dangerous, so I simply held out my hand and summoned the 6 coins straight from the bag they were in. Seeing the gold, she nodded and cut the cloth perfectly. She handed me the roll, which I promptly stored, and took the coins from my hand before going to another section and grabbing some brown leather boots, a pair of similarly colored gloves, a thick belt that was too big for me, and a bundled, forest green cloak. 

She simply handed me the items with a curt, "65 silver." Remembering what her sister had said - and hoping I wasn't set up to fail by the muscular woman - I grinned and decided to play with her a bit. So, I stored the items and brought out a gold coin at the same time. I cupped her small hand in mine and placed the coins within it, not letting go once I did. I pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Keep the change, beautiful." She quickly pulled back, not before I noticed her ears going beet red, with the same expressionless face.

"Thank you," her voice was still as monotone as before, but a measure more tense. I smiled even brighter, praying I was reading the signs right, and winked at her. "Anytime~." Her eyes widened slightly and she looked away. She only nodded her head and stiffly turned around, her ears still red and twitching slightly as she walked to the door in the back. 

"Oh, Nadia~?" She tensed and turned around, her ears twitching even more as she looked at me blankly. "What time does your shop close? If possible, I'd love to treat you and your sister to a meal. To show my thanks, of course~." This time, her face and neck flushed completely, though her voice maintained it's steady tone "D-Dusk..." she answered in a small voice and bolted before I could say more.

Hmm, seems I was right, how cute~

It was rather amusing messing with the pink haired beauty and, if my guess was correct, she wasn't nearly as put together as her attitude made it seem. It'll be fun to pick apart that façade and turn her into a blushing mess. Though, I wonder how her sister will figure into it? Based on what she said before she left, she enjoyed teasing her sister as much as I did. I shook my head to clear it of sin, and looked to Alyx to see if she had any further plans, or sights to show me. Though, judging by the pinched look on her face, it seems she felt wronged in some way - though I couldn't fathom how.

"Well, I suppose you won't need accommodation for the night then?" I was thankful for my new tan, as it made it much harder to see the rosy hue of my cheeks as I chuckled and nodded at the insinuation. She sighed and shook her head, before speaking once more, "I'm glad you've obtained what you need. Now, I have a few errands left in town and work that must be done. I'll remain in town for another hour or so but should be back in my home before midday, if you'll have need of me." Saying so, she bowed her head to me and left the store calmly.

Hmmm, strange. I'd've thought she would insist upon escorting me around town at the very least. Well, whatever. If she was upset with me flirting with cute twins, then that was her problem. It's not like I got mad when she was making googly eyes at that Guild guy. With a shrug, I stepped out onto the street and started to wander around.