"Amelinne! Could ye come here a moment?" Eber called from his desk. The red-haired girl had just finished handing out orders to 'The Lumber Boys' - a handful of lumberjacks that showed up around lunchtime to eat like pigs and ogle the girls - and was more than happy to be called away from their leering gazes.

"Yes, sir? What do you need?" Amelinne asked.

"We have that new girl, Pallas, living upstairs. Can ye fetch her for me? I need her to run a few errands before she settles in for the night," Eber replied. He seemed preoccupied with something as he failed to make eye contact or even look in Amelinne's direction.

After a moment's hesitation, Amelinne nodded and said, "Certainly. I'll be just a moment." Amelinne's first impression of Pallas based on the morning's activity was that she was a rowdy girl, unfit for working in a job serving customers.

As if reading Amelinne's mind, Eber blurted out, "Don't worry. She'll be doing cleaning and the like, not servin' customers. Ye'll not need to worry 'bout 'er roughin' up yer regulars!"

Amelinne nodded and proceeded up the stairs to fetch the new girl. There was an... odd noise coming from behind the door. It was high-pitched, but muffled. It sounded almost like... screaming? She hesitated, uncertain what to made of the odd noise. It died off, eventually, after multiple long bursts. Amelinne simply stood by the door, listening to the chatter and din of the customers downstairs, trying to figure out what to do next. After several minutes of silence from behind the door, Amelinne took a chance on knocking.

"Yes?" came a girl's voice from within.

"Miss Pallas? Eber has asked for you to come downstairs at your earliest convenience," Amelinne said cautiously.

The door suddenly burst open and the shorter girl standing within looked up at Amelinne in surprise. The girl was quite lovely, with long dark hair tied back in a braid, large blue eyes peering upward from beneath heavy eyelashes. Her sleeveless burgundy dress fit her small frame well. Were it not for her diminutive size, Amelinne would have sworn this girl to be older than she was. Despite the surprise in her eyes, there was a maturity that belied her years.

"Hi! Um... hello! I'll be right down," the girl said distractedly.

Amelinne stepped away from the door to allow Pallas to follow her down the stairs. As they crossed the great room, she noticed that Eber was drifting off again. It was well known that the old man had an ability to see things beyond what most could perceive, so most people paid it no mind. She waved her hand in front of his eyes to bring him back to reality as she had done so many times since she began working here several years ago.

Eber blinked his eyes as though waking from a dream and focused on Amelinne's face. "Ah, thank ye, Amelinne!"

"You're very welcome, Eber," Amelinne replied courteously. "I shall return to my duties." She began walking toward the kitchen to fetch the next couple lunch orders that were no doubt waiting to be served to customers. She was halfway to the kitchen when she heard Pallas's voice call out from behind her.

"Um, thank you, Amelinne!"

There was a warm innocence to the voice that gave Amelinne pause. She turned her head toward the younger girl and smiled despite herself. 'Maybe I was wrong about her?' she thought. 'Maybe she's not as rowdy as she seemed earlier this morning during the commotion with that mercenary?' She blinked a few times in surprise and continued to the kitchen. Whereupon the cook chased her out for being more of a hindrance than a help.

A couple hours went by and Amelinne had busied herself with bussing tables and sweeping floors to pass the time until the dinner rush. Honestly, there wasn't much that she could do outside of the kitchen other than smile, engage the customers, and clean. Traffic was light, today, which meant there was little to do during the downtime and she found herself drifting toward the windows to gaze longingly outside. While wiping down a table by the front window for the third or fourth time (she wasn't really paying that much attention, if she were to be honest) she heard a voice calling from the register desk.

"Amelinne, I have an errand!" Eber's voice croaked out.

Grateful for the opportunity to do something else for a while, Amelinne dropped her table rag into a nearby bucket and wiped her hands on her apron before striding toward the old man's desk. She tilted her head forward in acknowledgement and asked, "Yes, sir? What do you need?" in her canned response to Eber's summons.

Eber blinked curiously. "Didn't we just do this?"

Stifling a laugh at Eber's expense, Amelinne controlled her expression as best she could. "I have no idea what you mean, sir."

Eber squinted suspiciously, but let the matter drop. "Yes, well, anyway... Ahem." He shuffled the papers on his desk and handed a sealed envelope to Amelinne. "Pallas hasn't yet returned from her first errand to the tailor and I fear she may have become lost or waylaid by one of the local youths. Can ye track her down and pass this letter to her? She'll need it for her second errand at Ol' Mufree's place."

Amelinne's expression soured a bit, but she kept her disappointment in check. "Certainly," she replied.

As if reading the younger girl's thoughts, Eber said, "Don't let her first impression cast ye wrong. That girl is lost and alone and needs some folks to help her find her way. Ye might learn a thing er two from her. Now, hop to it, dinner starts in two hours!"

Face flushed with frustration at the impromptu lecture, Amelinne stuffed the envelope in the pocket of her apron and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, *sir*."

She stalked rather dramatically out the front door and immediately turned to the left. The afternoon sunlight caught her hair and the tresses fairly glowed a warm coppery red as they fluttered out from beneath the white scarf atop her head. Amelinne knew herself to be comely - many of the boys have told her as much on numerous occasions, but she felt their flattery to be empty words driven by carnal desires. Her few friends in the village were already wed with child and holding down homes of their own and she had no desire to join them, yet, so she kept the lads at an arm's length.

And yet, on some level, she felt insecure. When she had looked into Pallas's face this afternoon, she had seen a very different kind of beauty - a regal and defined appearance that served in sharp contrast to Amelinne's own rounder features and coquettish smile. Amelinne's appearance inspired lust. Pallas's appearance inspired awe. Despite that, the girl was so pitifully humble and honest that Amelinne found herself frustrated with her insecurity. Moreso that Pallas was at *least* three years her junior and lacking in the physical maturity that she herself wielded like a weapon against the drunkards at the inn.

In very short order, she found herself in front of the door to the tailor and frowned. Mallory was a nice enough woman. She and her husband were the sole source of local clothing and crafting materials but there was a bit of a severe edge to the woman that she found difficult to tolerate. Worse, that edge seemed to be directed almost exclusively at herself and some of the more attractive young women of the village. Drawing in a deep lungful of air, she pushed the door open to that familiar little jingle of the bell overhead.

What she saw was... confusing. Pallas stood in front of a full-length mirror garbed in a pair of dark brown trousers cinched at her waist, a pair of light brown knee-high boots, and a loose-fitting cream-colored top with 3/4 sleeves. Her hair, which had been neatly braided before, was now bound in a fluffy ponytail at the back of her head by a silvery ribbon. It was a completely different aura from the wide-eyed acolyte Amelinne had seen just a few hours ago. There was something fierce and energetic about the girl compared to the muted energy she had before.

But that was not the confusing part. The confusing part was the reflection in the mirror was in a different pose from Pallas and, upon seeing Amelinne, had reacted in surprise and reverted to the pose Pallas was in... which then reacted in surprise to Amelinne's entrance.

Pallas spun around, her warm brown hair fanning out behind her and she smiled awkwardly. "Hi, Amelinne! I'm sorry I've been gone so long, Mallory wanted me to try on some clothes and I was just seeing how they fit in the mirror and--"

"And your reflection can magically make poses that you're not making," Amelinne said flatly. It was not a question. She folded her arms matter-of-factly and gave Pallas a look that said 'try again.'

Pallas opened her mouth to protest when she was interrupted by the ringing of the bell over the door. Mallory had just stepped back in, her arms laden with garments. The tall woman was startled to find Amelinne just inside the door and nearly dropped her burden of clothing on the floor, but recovered just in time.

"Why, hello, Miss Amelinne! What brings you in, today?" Mallory asked with a flush in her face and a sparkle in her eye.

That was odd. Mallory was usually less... emotive? Amelinne blinked several times in surprise before collecting her wits. "Oh! Yes! I was sent by Eber to fetch Miss Pallas. He stated that she had more errands to run and was concerned that she had been waylaid or delayed," she said, looking meaningfully at Pallas's fidgeting form.

Mallory strode into the room and dropped the arm load of clothes on a relatively clear table and fanned herself. "My goodness! The time really got away from us. Didn't it, Pallas, dear?"

Pallas, apparently grateful for the distraction, nodded vigorously and said, "Mallory and I got carried away. I made a suggestion to *not* wear a skirt and we kinda ran with it." The self assurance Pallas had displayed when facing the mirror was replaced with the sheepish demeanor of a child caught doing something naughty. It was oddly endearing.

"I see. I can't say I understand why a beautiful young lady like yourself would wish to dress in such a mannish fashion," Amelinne began, closing the distance between herself and Pallas. "But it's probably best you don't go about in public like that. Most folk would be appalled by your appearance," she continued, handing the sealed envelope from her apron to Pallas. "Please hurry and wear something more..."

"Girly?" Pallas interjected as she grasped the envelope.

"Well, yes! That is what you are, isn't it?" Amelinne replied, genuinely confused.

Pallas turned and looked at herself in the mirror. "I don't think I look any less feminine like this. In fact, I look adventurous! Like I'm ready to explore the world!" There was a vivacity to her speech that made Amelinne smile, despite herself.

Mallory stepped toward Pallas and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to include the clothes you're wearing when I send a delivery to you at the inn. The rest of Rivergarde may not be ready for it, but I think you're on the verge of launching a new trend!" She then turned her attention to Amelinne. "She'll be just a moment while she changes into..." Mallory trailed off as she rummaged through the pile of clothing on the table behind her and withdrew a simple blue frock with a white apron. "This! This should be just fine for working at the inn." She handed the garment to Pallas who nodded gratefully and trotted back to a small changing room.

Amelinne and Mallory stood awkwardly in the store before Amelinne finally blurted out, "Why are you so nice to her?" gesturing toward the changing room while looking at Mallory.

The older woman thoughtfully tapped her chin for a moment before replying, "She's what I like to think my own daughter would be like, if I had one. Curious and polite, but energetic. I suppose I just have a bit of a soft spot for girls that go against the grain."

Up until now, Amelinne had forgotten that Mallory was barren and that she and her husband had no children of their own. Mallory had taken the neighbor girl, Lucifelle, as an apprentice. That ended quickly, however, when Lucifelle showed signs of being with child and was quickly wed to Kenler of 'The Lumber Boys.' Mallory had no one to take over the store for her when she grew too old to keep it herself and had become withdrawn and taciturn as a result.

"Unlike me," Amelinne said softly. Mallory frowned and looked at Amelinne curiously, but before she could reply, Pallas stepped out from the dressing room.

Still wearing the boots and her hair in a ponytail, the blue frock lent Pallas a childlike innocence. The apron cinched the waist in to project a bit more curve. Amelinne tilted her head curiously at Pallas's near-magical ability to completely redefine her aura with a different outfit and looked back to Mallory, who simply nodded sagely and smiled.

"If Miss Pallas sticks around for a while, I have a project I'd love for her to model for me. But for now, it's simply a joy to have her try on all the outfits I made for..." Mallory's smile faltered a bit, but she picked it back up. "For the daughter I never had." She looked back to Pallas. "It makes me happy to see someone enjoying the clothes I put so much love and work into."

Pallas began to bow, paused, then proceeded to perform an awkward curtsy. "Thank you so much for your time and your generous gifts, Mallory. I'll be happy to swing by and help you out with your project." Pallas took the envelope from the pocket in her apron and looked to Amelinne. "Who is Mufree?"

Amelinne blanched. This child could read? Even she hadn't been taught to read! How had Pallas been taught letters, already? Her face flushed with jealousy and indignation. "He's our next stop," Amelinne replied curtly. "Let's go, time is wasting." She stalked to Pallas, grabbed her free hand, and proceeded to drag the girl toward the door. Or at least, that was what she had intended. Pallas's feet remained rooted firmly in place and the girl yanked Amelinne back hard enough to nearly knock her from her feet. The taller redhead looked back to the smaller brunette with bafflement written plainly on her face. Mallory said nothing, but her eyes were wide as she looked on.

Pallas gently pried Amelinne's fingers from her arm and looked apologetically into her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Amelinne, but I walk my own path at my own pace. Please don't try to force me. I've had enough of that for one lifetime." Her blue eyes seemed to almost glow with preternatural light. "I'll follow if you show the way."

Amelinne stared numbly at her hand for a moment before nodding in silence. With that, the pair left the store and walked across the street to Mufree's General Goods. On the way, Amelinne glanced over her shoulder at Pallas, who cast her gaze around the open street as if studying the sight for the first time. "What are you?" Amelinne asked softly.

"I don't know," Pallas replied, her eyes never ceasing their scan of the environment. "Something more than what I was. But... scared. And alone." At the last part, she glanced back toward Amelinne, who turned her eyes forward to their destination.

Amelinne sighed. 'This girl is definitely trouble,' she thought to herself. 'So why do I want to give her a hug?'