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Anita was nervous as they made their way back to Melody’s store. The coffee and pastries churred uncomfortably in her stomach. She didn’t know how this sort of thing was supposed to go.

“Um, Brenda?” Anita looked up at the mature woman right beside her. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“Asking Melody if she knows anyone who would be interested in using Pruzonia to grow or harvest their raw material? I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Brenda replied, a sincere smile on her face.

“I mean, having me ask,” Anita clarified, toying with the hem of her shirt. “I don’t know anything about this kind of thing.”

Brenda’s smile never faltered. “If you’re not ready to try, I could do the talking. But, since it was your idea, I think you should be the one to spearhead it. I’m sure you can handle it.”

“It’s not like it’s life or ****,” Aeolia chimed in. “So no pressure. We’ve still got to figure out what we can actually do back in Pruzonia.”

“I’m sure an area for grazing wouldn’t be too hard of a thing to set up,” Teri said.

“V-Verida says there are large patches of flat grassland not far from the world tree,” Kiera reported, her fingers fidgeting in front of her. “B-but she’s not sure if we can grow something like cotton. N-not without looking into how it’s grown.”

“We certainly have bitten off quite a lot.” Brenda laughed. “But I think it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“Verida says she doesn’t mind if this takes a while,” Kiera informed them. “S-she knows it’s going to be a lot of work to get everything off the g-ground.”

That didn’t sit well with Anita. That she got to freely move about while Verida, someone so much more powerful and important than her, was stuck.

‘I have to try to help!’ she thought, her nerves fading behind a wave of determination. She liked helping and this was the biggest thing she could help with. It was so important she could barely wrap her mind around it, but she could do this. And if things didn’t work out, there had to be other ways to help.

Filled with new courage, Anita’s steps sped up slightly, putting her firmly in the lead of the group as they walked the final few yards towards the store with her head held high, a grin on her lips.

Anita proudly led the others into Melody’s store, where the proprietor was tidying up a shelf near the back.

“Oh, back so soon?” Melody asked when she turned to see who was approaching her, a smile on her face. “I hope it's because you liked our service and selection so much you needed a second look.”

“We have a proposition for you!” Anita loudly announced, putting her hands on her hips in what she hoped was a confident pose. Then, glancing back at Brenda, asked in a whisper, “That was the right word, right?”

Brenda had to stifle a chuckle and nodded. “Yes, it was.”

Melody didn’t seem too phased by Anita’s proclamation and said, “Oh? Can’t say I expected something like this today. Just what sort of thing do you propose?”

Anita’s grin faltered a bit as it was time to step up and her nerves began to tick up, but she quelled them with a deep breath. She tried to recall how Vivian had handled Nadiya and said, “We, I mean, our group, has, um, come into some land and are looking for people who could make use of it. And we thought you might know some people who would appreciate the chance to get access to, um, some land to grow, er, cotton or raise sheep.”

“Oh, definitely didn’t expect that kind of proposition,” Melody exclaimed. “Usually, it’s my specific talents in mental magics that people are interested in. Give me a minute to see if I have anyone in my contacts that might fit.”

Melody dashed back to presumably her office, and Anita felt her confidence begin to wane and she started to fidget as Melody retreated.

“Hey,” Teri spoke up, catching Anita’s attention. “You did great there.”

“I did?” Anita asked, perking up.

“I’d say you knocked it out of the park,” Brenda chimed in, pulling Anita into a sideways hug, squeezing the gnoshroom against her breasts. “A bit stuttery, but that’s to be expected since it was your first time trying this sort of thing. You told Melody what our desire was and got it out without stumbling too much.”

“Kind of felt like it was too easy,” Anita muttered.

“To be fair, we’ve already met her,” Aeolia remarked as she flew about the nearby displays. “And being, you know, a mental mage, she’s got a read on us. So she knows we’re not trying to pull a fast one.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Anita said, feeling a bit less antsy.

“How about we browse while we wait?” Brenda suggested. “I’m sure there are things you’d like that Melody didn’t pick before.”

Seeing no reason to object, Anita obliged. But what caught her eye wasn’t the clothing on the mannequins or tables, but a figure walking towards the store she saw through the windows. She was an elegant and tall woman, slim in stature and dressed in a black dress with a long flowing skirt. A white apron sat atop the dress and white frills billowed out from the hem of the skirt, nearly obscuring her sensible black flats.

“Wow, today’s just full of surprises,” Aeolia remarked as the woman neared the entrance. “Didn’t think we’d see a maid today.”

“Maid?” Anita asked, enamored as the lady gracefully entered the store.

“It’s a sort of servant job,” Brenda explained, a contemplative expression on her face. “Old fashioned, at least on the non-magic side. Though, I suppose the rich probably still have them. They do things like cleaning, serve meals and generally run a household.”

“Guess that means doing the shopping too,” Aeolia commented as the maid made her way to the counter. At the same time, Melody stepped back onto the sales floor, a pleasant smile on her face.

“Ah, Miss Stein, impeccable timing as always,” Melody said, as she deftly reached under the counter and pulled out a small stack of white boxes, neatly held closed with black ribbons. “Finished up your order just an hour ago.”

“I can set my mistress' clocks to your promptness, Miss Melody,” Miss Stein replied with a sincere smile as she took the packages. “And I’m sure she will find your selections as impeccable as always.”

“We aim to please,” Melody said, bowing her head slightly. “Hope the rest of your day is pleasant.”

The maid curtsied then turned on her heel, swiftly marching out of the store, her skirt swishing about her ankles as she went. Anita watched as she departed, focused on each graceful step and how she held her head high like she was one hundred percent assured of her place in life.

“Okay, sorry about that.” Melody’s voice brought Anita back to reality. “Should have told you I was expecting a customer pick up before I went back to grab some of my suppliers’ contact info.”

“Can’t expect you to stop helping others just because we came in and made a request,” Brenda said. “We aren’t big shots.”

“Yet,” Aeolia added with a grin. “So you have someone we can approach?”

“Two actually,” Melody answered, revealing two business cards. “These guys are the most likely to bite. Don’t want to waste your time with the ones that are going to dither and drag their feet before saying, ‘No, thank you.’”

“Sounds like those ones are more interested in keeping us tied up,” Teri remarked.

“Sometimes you can’t choose who you work with,” Melody said as she handed the cards to Anita. “Now, can’t say they’ll be able to get someone to meet with you immediately but they shouldn’t leave you hanging.”

“Thank you,” Anita said as she looked at the cards. One was entirely a photograph of a field of cotton plants, the other was more a stylized depiction of grazing sheep. On the back of each was the contact information for their organization.

‘That’s stuff for Vivian to figure out,’ she thought as she carefully slipped the cards into her pocket.

“Now, is there anything else I can help you with?” Melody asked, a twinkle in her eyes. “Perhaps some more shopping? Anything new catch your eye after walking the mall a bit?”

“Sadly, I think we’re a bit short on time,” Brenda answered before Anita could speak up. As much as she wanted to protest, she knew that they had more important things to do and she didn’t want to be the sole reason they lingered at one store.

“Yeah, we’ve got to meet back up with John and the others,” Anita said, then on impulse, struck out her hand. “Good businessing with you.”

Melody’s smile widened ever so slightly and she shook Anita’s hand. “I hope we can keep doing business in the future.”

“So do we,” Teri spoke up as they all started to leave.

“H-have a nice day,” Kiera added, her face going very red the moment she finished speaking. The bluenette let out an embarrassed whine and hurriedly moved out of the store, burying her face in her hands. “Why did I say it like that!?”

“Got caught up in the retail feel?” Aeolia offered as she gently patted the distressed girl’s back.

“Was there something wrong with what Kiera said?” Anita wondered aloud.

“That kind of parting phase is most often used by a worker as the customer leaves,” Brenda explained. “It’s not usually used by someone leaving a business.”

“Oh,” Anita sighed before she began to pat Kiera’s head. “It’s okay. I’m sure Melody didn’t mind it.”

Kiera let out another whine.

“There’s nothing to feel bad about, John,” Vivian said after he explained what had transpired once he and Senka had returned to Beth, Estelle and her outside of the jewelry store. “Without proof, getting their phone number was the best realistic option.”

“I know,” John sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Just, kind of feels like I’m making you do all the heavy lifting with this thing.”

A soft smile worked its way onto Vivian’s face. “Business is my thing, remember? You don’t go into a game expecting things to just be handed to you, right? I expect things to require effort and struggle to make work for us.”

A bashful look took over John’s expression and he shuffled a bit. “Guess that’s a good comparison. I’d get frustrated if things just fell into my lap without there being at least some level of challenge.”

“I told you Vivian would understand,” Senka remarked smugly.

“Yeah, yeah,” John sighed good naturedly. “You’re a regular Jiminy Cricket.”

“I do suppose a good amount of your subconscious did help mold me,” Senka laughed.

“Guess that explains the hornyness,” Beth joked.

“Most likely,” Senka shot back without missing a beat.

“It’s not all that fun when you don’t at least pretend to be offended,” Beth complained, though Vivian could tell there was no real heat to her words.

Senka laughed at Beth’s faux despair and pulled her into a side hug, pressing the shorter girl’s head into her breasts. “I’ll keep that in mind for later, princess.”

“‘Princess’?” Estelle echoed. “I wouldn’t have pegged that as a term of endearment for you. Must be some story behind it.”

The grin forming on Estelle’s face made it evidently clear that the witch wanted to know and Beth, ever the bold, rose to the taunt.

“Oh, you know, John and everyone had to free me from the tower my sister locked me in,” she explained from her place, glued to Senka’s side.

“Okay, can’t tell if you’re being serious or not,” Estelle admitted. “And given the weird stuff that’s happened since I’ve met you, it would not surprise me if that’s exactly how things went down.”

“Well, less a tower and more a small horde of angry rodent things,” John recalled with a bemused smile. “Then I wooed her over french fries and pizza.”

“Don’t forget the mayo,” Beth jibed. “Never forget the mayo.”

“Or that after we braved a tree infested temple,” Senka chimed in, a wistful smile on her face.

Vivian noticed that Estelle’s countenance faltered a bit, and it wasn’t hard for her to figure out what might be going through her head.

‘How can I be a part of this relationship when so much has happened before? Will I always be a few steps behind everyone else?’ was the approximation Vivian imagined was going through the witch’s head and she wanted to assure Estelle that she wasn’t going to be some minor partner in this admittedly odd and disorganised relationship knot.

“We certainly have had some interesting adventures,” Vivian said, an idea forming. “And we’re probably going to have to go on one to scout out places that will fit our needs. On that note, got any gadgets that could help with that, Estelle?”

“What?” the witch asked, surprised by Vivian’s question. “Um, well, I have a few things that could help. The ley line scanner could be useful for tracking down intersection points. Areas with those would likely have a better chance of either having something interesting growing there or have charged minerals. Oh, the Sky-Eye could scout! It’s a drone like the Auction uses, but I’ve retooled the sensors to be more attuned for subtle magical signatures. I’ve been able to detect a low output yield at about one hundred meters.”

Vivian smiled at Estelle’s upbeat rattling off of the various gadgets she had access to that could help them and, once Estelle paused in her explanations, said, “Sounds like you have a lot of useful tools. But since we’ve got a lot riding on all this, an experienced hand should be running those things. You in?”

Estelle blinked, then a side smile broke out on her face. “Of course I’m in! I’ve wanted to explore more of Pruzonia, but never had the time. Now I can look for interesting things while also helping you guys! It’s perfect! We might need a cart or something to drag everything with us.”

“I can just have my inventory empty,” John suggested. “Huh. You know, we’ve never tested if I have a size limit to what I can carry. We know I can keep my swords in there so it’d be a big limit if there is one.”

“Well, nothing is much bigger than a sword, so we won’t be figuring it out with my stuff,” Estelle remarked. “Oh, but maybe if we find anything we can test it then.”

With happier conversations going, Vivian smiled as they ventured back to the rest of their group. It was time for them to regroup and make plans.