Robin drove home in a daze... As a matter of fact, she didn't even remember getting out of her truck or going into her house. She slowly made her way into her kitchen before lifting the heavy duffle bag to set on the table. Pulling out her chair, she sat there for a few moments... Although, her silence didn't last long as she was finally pulled back to reality by her eldest child.

Sebastian slowly shuffled into the kitchen to get his 'morning' coffee. He was still too drowsy from sleep to realize his mother was sitting at the table. After he poored himself a cup, he turned, took a sip and stared at the table. His brow crinkled in confusion "Is that my duffle bag?" He thought his black duffle bag was downstairs in his closet.

Robin turned to face her son. "No, I got this from Raven..." Staring at the bag a moment longer, a wide grin spread across her face... Then she full out laughed before standing up and to give her son a hug. "Oh Sebby, this is going to be a fabulous year!"

Sebastian stiffened, looking down at his mother like she finally lost her mind. A moment later he relaxed. "Oh, and how do you know that?"

Robin let him go and stood back. "I'm booked with work for at least another 4 to 5 months! Annnd... Raven paid it all in advance!" Robin approached the table and opened the duffle bag, taking out all of the coin sacks. "She paid 110,000 gold up front!"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. That was a lot of money. He wondered off handedly what she did for work before moving here. He had never met someone his age that made that kind of money. Well... Technically he hadn't met her yet, but still, the point stands. "That's cool, I guess..." This actually works in his favor. With his mom busy, she won't be here all the time to nag at him.

Robin rolled her eyes, but then brightened when she remembered her and Raven's conversation before she left. "That reminds me..." She quickly pulled out the note Raven gave her and handed it to Sebastian. "She needs your help too. The poor girl is having problems with her truck, so I need you to come with me tomorrow morning to take a look at it."

Sebastian glared down at the note, then grit his teeth. "Mom, I told you to stop volunteering me for this shit." He crumpled the note. "You may like to go around helping everybody out, but I don't. I'm too busy with working to take the time to work on people's vehicles."

Robin placed her hands on her hips, and matched his glare with one of her own. "Sebastian, watch your mouth... And for your information, I didn't volunteer you for anything!" Although she did try, Robin turned around and picked up two coin sacks before handing them to her son. "That is for you if you take the job!"

Sebastian's eyes widened "How much is this?"

"20,000 gold pieces..." Robin gave her son a smile of triumph. "Raven insisted on paying for any help. Poor thing doesn't like handouts according to Lewis. That right there is to cover any cost of the parts that the truck may need and whatever is left is for you to keep as payment."

Sebastian was slightly stunned, he quickly straightened out the note he crumpled and looked it over. Everything here would only cost around 2,000 gold max... That included shipping costs. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure how much everything will cost until he looks at it himself but he knew that it would all cost less than 10,000 gold. This was way too much. She might as well just buy a new truck for another 10,000 gold. "What exactly does she need me to do? Just get the parts and put them together?"

Robin gave him a cheeky smile. "Actually, she just needs you to get those parts so she can put them together herself. She quite the little mechanic herself, you know."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that. "If she knows how to work on vehicles than why does she need my help?"

Robin shrugged. "She said she more familiar with Dwarven mechanics than human's. She needs you to help her with the engine."

His curiosity was peaked. 'Dwarven mechanics huh?' Looking down at the note and sacks of gold, Sebastian gave his mother a nod of acceptance. This money would definitely help him in getting the hell out of here much quicker. "Alright, what time do we leave tomorrow?"

Robin squealed with delight before giving her son a hug. "8 am... So make sure you're up and ready."

Sebastian awkwardly hugged his mother back before inching his way towards the door. " Okay, I will."

"Oh Sebby, you're just gonna adore her, I just know it. She such a cute little thing. I know she's your type and-"

Sebastian quickly made his exit, ignoring his mother's chatter. He was intrigued, for sure... But he doubted he would fall head over heels for the girl. He just wasn't the type to do so. He rolled his eyes at the thought of his mother's wishful thinking. He will be bored with the girl by the end of the day, he was sure. No one could keep his interest for very long.

With a sigh, Sebastian walked over to his computer and booted it up. He needed to get these parts ordered.

The next morning, Hrefna found herself exploring the town. It was unusually quiet, too quiet. She wasn't use to it. Narth was always busy, the Jewel City was a city that never slept. So coming here and experiencing this small, quiet town was going to take some getting use to... But if she was honest with herself, she actually liked how peaceful it was.

She also found it odd that there were no monsters lurking about. Earlier she had ventured through the mountains and didn't come across one itty bitty monster... It was weird. She did find the Adventure Guild though but was disappointed that it was closed. Another thing she will have to get use to... No 24 hour shops.

Over all, she had a pretty productive morning though. She had just left Willy's fish shop with a brand new rod and fishing tackle. She had originally meant to stop by yesterday but had gotten distracted. When she had been talking with Robin about everything she wanted done to the farm, they had both obviously agreed that the house needed to be built first. So she had dedicated most of her afternoon to clearing out the small cellar and whatever was salvageable in the house; which took up her entire evening.

Now she was on her way to '2 Willow Lane'... According to Willy, this place was where she could acquire some new clothes. Slowly she looked around and took notice of the small graveyard and realized she was close; she could faintly see the cobblestone road on the other side. When she finally reached the road, she looked up at the house in front of her and realized it was the location she needed... But she hesitated, this was an actual house, not a shop. With a sigh, she walked up to the door and knocked. It only took a moment before a woman with short blue hair excitedly swung the door open.

"Oh, Hi! You must be Raven! Come in, come in!" The blue haired woman excitedly waved her in.

Hrefna hesitated slightly but slowly stepped forward. Looking around, she took notice of the cozy living room and realized she was right, this was a house. "Um, I'm sorry. I must have gotten the wrong place. I'm looking for a clothing shop."

The strange woman laughed. "Oh no, you're in the right place. I don't have enough money saved up for a shop right now so I tailor everything here... I'm Emily by the way." The woman smiled and stuck out her hand. "Willy had called and told me you were coming."

Hrefna gave a nod and politely shook her hand. "I see, I'm Raven. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise! So what kind of clothes are you looking for?" Emily scanned Hrefna up and down, circling her like a hawk. "You have a very unique style... I really like it."

"Uh... Thank you." Hrefna relaxed slightly as she soon followed Emily into her work station. There was fabric everywhere. "I'm not particularly picky. I just need the basics."

Emily's eyes lit up. "Ohhh... You know what! I got the perfect little dress. You would look absolutely adorable in it."

Hrefna's eyes widened before she quickly shook her head. "Oh no, I'm sorry. I should have been more specific, I don't need any dresses... I don't even wear dresses." Hrefna chuckled nervously. "Just need some jeans, a couple tank tops, some long sleeve shirts and a few shorts."

Emily pouted. "But what about the Flower Dance festival? Your going to need a dress for that... Or at least a skirt. It's tradition!"

Hrefna tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Flower Dance... What is that?"

Emily giggled before she swooned slightly. "Oh it's one of my favorite festivals! All the bachelors and bachelorettes dress up and dance the night away with their desired partner. There will be food and music... And it's sooo much fun and sooo romantic!"

Hrefna looked at her oddly before giving a slight nod of understanding. "Honestly, I don't even know if I can make it... I got so much to do on the farm, I should really focus on that right now."

"Oh but you must come!" Emily was not above pleading and giving puppy dog eyes if she had too. "It's tradition! Plus everyone is so excited to meet you. They will be sooo disappointed if you don't."

Hrefna sighed before scratching the back of her head, contemplating her options. Emily could tell she was on the brink of giving in and smiled. "Ok, no dresses... How about instead you pick out one of my skirt outfits." Emily quickly pulled a big rack over and wheeled it in front of Hrefna. "I got short skirts and long ones... Which ever set you pick out, I'll give it to ya half off."

Hrefna tilted her head back and groaned in defeat. Biting her lips while in thought, she contemplated if this was a battle worth fighting. With a sigh, she quickly scanned the rack of outfits. It took her a minute but she finally found one that stood out to her. The long skirt was brown with shimmering bronze threading and a forest green leaf design flowing across the bottom. Picking it up, she looked it over more carefully, taking notice that it had thigh high slits running up each side. The top that went with it was the same color and design as the skirt, but it was a spaghetti strap top.

She normally didn't wear those due to her slave sigil that was on her chest and her prophectic ritual binding that was placed on her back. Granted, most people just thought they were weird tattoos but if a witch or wizard were to see it, they would instantly know what it was and would immediately report their findings to the Miðgarðsormr.

The Miðgarðsormr were the great coven of wizards that lead the Gotoro Empire. Where as, there were multiple coven of witches, there was only one coven of wizards... And they not only ruled over all the covens in Gotoro, but also every coven worldwide. There are very few that are foolish enough to go rogue and defy them.

"I'll take this one." Hrefna sighed and handed the outfit over. It was the only one she liked, all the other sets were too brightly colored, she figured that if she did wear it, she could just change the top.

"Great! Let me get it bagged for you." Emily bounced around her working station, getting everything ready. Once she was done, she turned to face Hrefna again, this time with a sewing tape in her hand. "Alright, let me take your measurements real quick for the other clothes you wanted."

Hrefna gave a nod as she followed Emily's instructions; holding out her arms when needed, turning this way and that... Whatever was asked of her. It didn't take too long before they were done, much to Hrefna's relief.

"Ok, so you wanted jeans, shorts, tank tops, and some long sleeve shirts, right?" Emily asked as she quickly jotted down her measurements and other details of the order.

"Yes... That's correct." Hrefna pulled out her coin pouch. "How much do I owe you?"

Emily hummed in thought as she looked everything over. "That will be 300 gold and your order will be done by Friday."

Hrefna opened her coin pouch and quickly counted everything out before handing it over to Emily. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

Hrefna began to gather all her things, more than ready to leave... She was starving. She looked down at her watch, seeing that it was already 1 pm. She had been gone a lot longer than she expected. Looking over at Emily, she took notice that she was gathering her things as well and when she was ready, they both headed for the door. "What time would you like me to be here on Friday to pick up my order?"

Emily hummed in thought as she opened the door, allowing Hrefna to walk through before following. "Around noon should be fine, my shift at the saloon doesn't start til 2 on Fridays."

Hrefna nodded in understanding as they started to walk down the street. "Is that where your heading to now? I'm heading there as well."

Emily smiled. "Yep, so how are you liking Pelican Town so far? Have you made any friends yet?"

Hrefna slowly shook her head. "Not really, I've only been here two days. As for Pelican Town, it's..." She paused to find the right word. " Different." Hrefna gave a small smile. "It's quiet... In Narth, it's never quiet. So I'm still adjusting."

Emily laughed as she climbed the saloon steps and opened the door. "Yay! This means I get to be your first friend!"

Hrefna raised an eyebrow "Oh?"

"Don't you worry Raven..." Emily slung her arm around Hrefna's shoulders as they walked towards the bar. "I'll show you the ropes and tell you all about the most important gossip!" Emily finished with a wink before releasing her to walk around the bar counter. "Hello Gus!"

Gus turned towards them and gave a huge smile. "Hello Emily, Welcome Raven."

Hrefna shook her head and gave a small laugh as she put her stuff down and chose a bar stool before giving Gus a small wave in greeting.

Emily quickly set down a menu for her to look over. "You want anything to drink?"

Hrefna nodded. "Coffee please... And I don't need a menu. I'll just have a burger."

Emily smiled as she wrote it down before giving the order to Gus. She was only gone a few moments before she came back and set Hrefna's coffee down in front of her. "So, were you a farmer in Narth too?"

Hrefna took a small sip of her drink as she shook her head. "No, but I'm familiar with it. I use to help manage a herb garden when I was a kid."

Emily crossed her arms as she leaned over the counter. "Oh? So what did you do back in Narth if you don't mind me asking?"

Hrefna shrugged. "At first I worked as a mechanic..." It had been rough for her when she first got to Narth. After sneaking on a ship to get out of Gotoro, she had no idea at the time where it was heading. She was 15 with no food, money, or any personal possessions. She lived on the streets for the first 3 weeks before Afi found her and took her in.

She hadn't known it at the time, but he had apparently been keeping an eye on her; watching her as she had been forced to steal food to survive, she had actually been sleeping on the roof of his mechanical shop during the night to try and hide from those who had less than pure thoughts about young teenage girls. It wasn't until he noticed that she had a knack for magic that he finally approached her with an offer... Her spell work for food and a safe place to sleep. Which of course she took. Nothing in Narth was free... There were no 'hand outs' or acts of true kindness. One way or another you were going to pay, whether it be by money, working, with your body, or with your blood. You were going to pay with at least one of those options... Or all of them.

Surprisingly, she actually missed that crazy old Dwarf. Afi was such a hard head, and he barely spoke English but he did teach her a lot. Taught her how to speak Dwarven, how to fix Dwarven hover bikes, how to just all out survive in the hellhole she found herself in. She ended up staying with him til she was 18. After that, she decided to join the Adventure Guild... Much to his distaste. He wasn't fond of adventurers, always thought they were mindless fools that like to race off to get themselves killed. Which he wasn't entirely wrong, but at the time she knew that she needed to learn how to fight and defend herself... Plus it didn't hurt that the pay was pretty lucrative. She would see him from time to time but unfortunately she didn't have the time to say goodbye to him before she left. She hoped the little old man was faring well. "Once I turned 18 I joined the Adventure Guild and been doing work for them ever since."

"Wow, I bet you have had so many cool adventures!" Emily smiled gleefully as she bounced around excitedly. "What's the biggest monster you have ever taken down?"

Hrefna shot her an amused smile as she thought about her question. "Hmmm... That's hard to say. I would have to choose either the Narthotic Death worm or colossal squid."

Emily gasped. "Colossal squid? Aren't those things like 80- 100 meters long?!"

Hrefna nodded. "Usually... Sometimes bigger. The Narthotic death worms are pretty close to that size as well. But I've met some pretty tough opponents in the Adventure Arena as well." Hrefna sat back a little when Gus walked up to set her food down, and decided to join the conversation.

"That's pretty impressive, I've never met anyone who has participated in the A.A before." Gus gave a low whistle. "Have you ever won any tournaments?"

Hrefna gave a nod as she begun to dig into her food. "I've won a couple."

Emily was looking back and forth between them rapidly. "What's the Adventure Arena?"

Gus turned to explain, allowing Hrefna to continue eating. "The A.A is where adventurers from all around the world get together to battle in a tournament. To show off their fighting skills. All Adventurers fall into a ranking system depending on how well they fight. The higher the rank, the more they get paid for the bounties they take on. There are also certain bounties that can only be done by higher rankers. Participating in the A.A. allows Adventurers to gain higher ranks and sponsorships. They can become even more famous than Rockstars."

"Woooow, that's so cool!" Emily turned to look at Hrefna. "Are you famous Raven?"

Hrefna paused, looking back sheepishly and shrugged. "Not so much anymore, I stopped participating in the A.A two years ago."

Gus curiously raised an eyebrow. "What rank are you? Did you participate in solo arenas or team arena?" Gus rubbed his chin in thought. "Perhaps I've heard of you, I got a nephew in Zuzu that is trying to get into Adventuring..."

Hrefna shyly looked down. "I'm Onyx rank and I only did solo arenas. I mostly remained anonymous though... People only knew me by the name Firestone." She started backing out of the A.A once she started getting too much attention. The name 'Firestone' was Afi's last name so she was pretty sure that those who were looking for her wouldn't put two and two together but she didn't really want to chance it... Her 'fame' in Narth was another big reason why she had to leave as well... Staying was becoming too risky.

"That's really impressive Raven. I can't say I've heard of ya but reaching Onyx, especially for someone your age is an accomplishment in of itself." Gus smiled kindly down at her.

"Is Onyx really high?" Emily asked excitedly.

Gus nodded. "Second highest rank. From lowest to highest you got; Bronze, Silver, Iron, Gold, Platinum, Onyx, then finally Diamond. Diamond being 'rockstar' status."

"Wow, well done Raven! Look at you being our little town's very own celebrity." Emily giggled. "Better not tell Sam about this... You're probably more famous than our 'Goblin Destroyers'! Sam will be sooo jealous."

Hrefna tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Goblin Destroyers?"

Emily laughed as she nodded vigorously. "That's Sam, Abi, and Sebastian's rockband... They actually aren't that bad. You should check out their music sometime."

Hrefna gave a small smile before finishing up her burger. "I'll be sure to."