Chapter 12: Chapter 11 – Clothing, Shopping, Clothing Shopping

"Never, ever ask a woman when they will be ready when they're powdering their nose, and never volunteer to keep them company when they go shopping, that's how you keep a happy marriage while staying sane." - Wise Words of Broudsh Bonespear, Patriarch of the Goblin Tribe of Bonespear to his male descendants.

Nothing of note happened during the trip to Jonkver, and Cal reached the city together with Joyce's group a mere hour or two past noon. She showed the carcasses as proof of subjugation in the local guild, which also went without issue, other than a minor ruckus when the clerk asked for her identification tag for record purposes.

 

They didn't get Black-tagged adventurers often in a small, relatively unimportant town like Jonkver after all.

 

Before she bid her farewells, Cal made sure to ask the clerk on some local stores which he could have recommended for the quality of their products, because at that point she realized an annoying, if minor issue.

 

The Al-Shan Archipelago had much cooler climate compared to Alcidea - something she hadn't notice that much back in Serda or Hoststadt where they were still close enough to the sea that the sea breeze helped cool things down -, and as she went further inland she found that the summer heat somewhat stifled her, even with her relatively light clothing. Thus she deemed it necessary to procure some clothing better suited for the Alcidean summer climate.

 

Fortunately, the third clothing store she tried out of the ones the guild clerk recommended had what she wanted in suitable size - the first had none in stock, while the second had none in her size -, so she bought five whole sets of clothing made of a smooth, finespun weave, light and cool, fitting material for summer wear.

 

When she returned to the rather expensive inn where she booked a room for the night - money she brought plenty of, and after three days in the wilderness she really could use a proper bath -, she went back to her room after she requested the bath to be prepared as soon as possible.

 

Not ten minutes passed before someone knocked on her door. She opened it to find a trio of the inn's staff, one carried a large wooden tub, while the other two carried buckets of steaming water. They set down the tub and promptly filled it with still-scalding water, and bowed to give their thanks when she tossed them a silver coin each as a tip.

 

Once they left, she stripped off her clothes, and unbraided her long hair. As she inspected her most recent injuries, she noticed that the scabs had dried on the wounds on her shoulder and side, likely they would have peeled off in a day or two, while compared to this morning, the injury on her stomach no longer looked like an open wound, and had scabbed over as well. She first carefully cleansed the area around the injuries with a cloth dipped in the scalding water, as she took care not to disturb the scabs too much, before she roughly washed the rest of her body with the cloth.

 

Reasonably cleaned, she stepped into the tub and lowered herself into the scalding water. Cal had to flex herself somewhat in order for someone of her height to fit into the tub, but she managed a tight fit, even if not a really comfortable one. She released a relaxed sigh as she allowed the heat of the water seep into her body and let it work its magic for a while.

 

Fifteen minutes later the water had turned lukewarm, and she got up, as she now knelt on the tub while she deftly and gently washed her long hair, carefully massaged a cleansing powdery soap into it before she washed it in the water again.

 

She toweled herself dry with a thick woolen cloth before she stepped out of the tub, and decided that at this point her injuries look healed enough they should not result in many questions when exposed.

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The shorts she bought barely covered half her thighs in length, and a little too large at the waist, an issue easily remedied with the belt from the formalwear she got saddled with. She was quite fond of the belt, it was highly durable - Sea Wyrm leather were more typically used for high quality leather armor - and simple enough for her tastes. The shorts came in a few colors, but she chose the light gray one to wear for now.

 

Cal wrapped her chest with a long strip of white silk to conform with the local modesty standards - back home she wouldn't bother -, she then put on a sleeveless, many-pocketed cloth vest of the same color, leaving the vest open at the front. Thus dressed, she gathered her long hair and meticulously arranged it back into a tight braid, anchored by a spearhead at the end - less a fashion statement and more a little 'surprise' she has claimed quite a few lives with.

 

Her hair braided properly, she left her room and notified the innkeeper that he could fetch the tub, and that she would not be back until nightfall, before she left the inn. The first floor of the inn served as a tavern, and even in the young hours of the evening were relatively crowded. A few of the patrons turned to look as she walked past, attracted by her revealing outfit, and one even gave an appreciative whistle as she walked past.

 

Not a single one allowed their hands to wander, however, the multitude of scars - some clearly very fresh - and the toned muscles of the slender body more than enough warning to them that to get handsy might have had consequences they would not like at all.

 

Even if it attracted more attention, the new outfit definitely fit better for the summer heat.

 

Cal chose to first look for farmers still who were still in the market as they sold their produce, as she hoped to restock her supply of dried herbs and spices. Quite a few still hawked their wares, and she left satisfied with what she could find, as she gnawed on a ripe apple one vendor gave her as a bonus after she bought out his stock of dried basil leaves.

 

The crisp, sweet fruit was much to her liking, a new experience since the fruit does not grow in the archipelago, and to have it imported would be far too costly merely for fruit, since the week-long journey meant it needed to be brought in a stasis-capable storage to survive the trip in any reasonable shape, and merchants always had better uses for space in those.

 

Cal munched on a small basket of tangy raspberries when she met Joyce, as she had agreed to trade more stories with the younger woman in exchange for a good dinner spot.

 

The eatery Joyce chose proved that a meal had not needed to be complicated in order to be satisfying. The large platter of bread, various cuts of preserved and cooked meats, and pickled vegetables served for each of them was simply accompanied by a pot of molten cheese for them to be dipped in, kept hot by a brazier set into the center of the table.

 

The two women traded stories about their elders and enjoyed their meal until the night fell around them.

 

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