“Hmm,” I sigh as I look through our pantry.

“What’s the problem now?” Shiva asks sounding only mildly curious.

“I could have sworn there was more food here the other evening,” I respond slightly confusedly.

“What is for breakfast?” A voice calls over from the door.

I turn and see Iris standing in the door, and I shrug my shoulders. “I am not sure,” I yawn while stretching.

She blushes for some reason and turns around and heads out the door, but before she is completely gone she calls back, “Well just make whatever you feel like. You are a good cook so it will turn out fine.”

I watch her leave for a moment before turning back to the pantry, “I wonder what that was all about.”

“Now you can’t accept a compliment hmm? Where did I go wrong with you?” Shiva asks in a melodramatic voice

“Oh hush, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Turning back to the pantry I begin to rummage in search of something to make a meal out of before sighing to myself again.

“Maybe your Dargoth ate it?”

“She’s not my Dargoth and she can’t cook,” I respond, shuddering slightly, remembering her first meal, “at all.”

I hear someone walking up behind me and I turn to see Melodiana placing more firewood in the rack. She turns to face me and asks, “What are you looking for?”

I squint at her momentarily before turning away from her with a “Humph.”

“You know if you let you irritation show so easily, everyone will go back to thinking you are in heat again little princess,” Shiva says laughing slightly.

“eh…” I hear Melodiana squeak out from behind me.

“Good,” I tell Shiva as I grab ingredients from the shelves.

“Oh what did the poor girl do to earn your ire?” Shiva asks.

“What is the matter Melodiana?” Iris asks as she moves back into the kitchen, “You seem to be confused.”

“Wh-what?” Melodiana questions as I continue to search through the pantry, “I am not sure.”

“Hmm, well anyway Leyla would like some coffee made, so where is the…pot?” Iris asks hesitating near the end, and I point to the rack over by the oven. There are a few moments of silence before I hear Leyla whisper, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Melodiana whispers back, “I just brought firewood in.”

“Well I was in here not even five minutes ago, and she was fine,” Iris hisses as I begin to make breakfast, “So it had to be something that you did.”

“I wonder if they realize that you can hear them,” Shiva laughs, “And you still haven’t said what she did to irritate you.”

“It is what she hasn’t done,” I grumble.

“… tried apologizing?” Iris asks in a whisper.

“I don’t even know what I would apologize for,” Melodiana quietly sighs.

“Well, have you tried asking what you did wrong?” There are another few moments of silence before I hear Iris whisper, “Well go on and ask her.”

There are footsteps that walk over towards me and stop a few feet short of me followed by only the sounds of my cooking.

…

…

…

…

“Oh stop fidgeting and just ask her,” Iris bursts out breaking the silence.

I look over my shoulder and see Melodiana shifting her weight back and forth.

“Is there something wrong?” She finally manages to ask in a quiet voice.

I turn to face them both, Melodiana looks a bit pale pale and Leyla looks expectant. “It has been well over a week,” I say and they both get a confused look on their faces, and I turn back towards breakfast.

…

…

“I’m sorry,” Melodiana begins sounding as confused as she looked, “But could you explain what you mean.”

Of course she forgot I sigh, “You said that it would be about a week, and you would take me somewhere good, and it has been well over a week now.”

“That is what you are going to torture the poor thing with,” Shiva sighs.

I turn and when I look at Melodiana recognition flashes across her face before she quickly bows and begins to speak, “I am so very sorry. With getting everything in order over the past few days, it just slipped my mind, but I know that she will be open soon if she isn’t already, but she said that I could stop by early if I wished, and if you would like we can go tonight, and I am really very sorry.”

“Aww, just look at her,” Shiva coos, “She is so sincere and honest. I forbid that you torture her any farther about it, and suggest that you take her offer.”

“You forbid it hmm?” I respond to her.

“Explicitly,” she says sternly.

“Fine, just remember that you are responsible for any actions that result from that.”

“And just what are you planning now?” She asks suspiciously.

“Nothing much,” I tell her before addressing Melodiana, “Alright, you can take me after we go shopping.”

She looks up to me relieved before paling slightly and asking, “Shopping?”

“Yes,” I say as I turn back around and check on breakfast, “We need more things, the pantry is nearly empty.”

“But couldn’t Leyla or Iris accompany you?” Melodiana asks in protest.

“Well Leyla is still working on designing my armor, and Iris has training with that old hag today,” I say looking over my shoulder past Melodiana, and Iris nods slightly.

“I don’t think Elsie would appreciate you calling her an old hag,” Iris sighs, “But yes I am training with her today.”

“So you see,” I say quickly to press my advantage, “You are the only person available to help with the shopping…” I pause for a moment and let my shoulders droop slightly.

“Oh here we go,” Shiva sighs.

“Unless you want me to go into town, and have to carry everything by myself,” I continue ignoring Shiva.

“Wa-wait that’s not what I meant,” Melodiana quickly replies.

“Isn’t it though?” I ask sadly, “Or is it that you just don’t want to spend time with me. Is that why you forgot?”

“Really now,” Shiva whispers in my ear, “Are you going to break out the tears for your next act?”

“No, it isn’t,” Melodiana says flustered, “I will gladly accompany you into town.”

“And?” I ask turning around and looking up to her, out of the corner of my eye and can see Iris standing with a look of disbelief on her face.

“And afterword we can go and eat,” she replies quickly. “Now before breakfast I will go gather my things,” she says turning and heading towards the door.

“No armor this time,” I call to her and she nods her head. I turn back around and pull the pot from the fire satisfied that it is done. As I turn back around with the pot in my hands I notice that Iris is now looking at me skeptically so I ask her, “Is there a problem?”

“You might be an awful person,” She sighs, “You know that?”

“Probably worse than you think,” I shrug my shoulders slightly as I place the pot on the counter top before asking her to clarify anyway, “but please elaborate.”

“If you had just asked her for help, after explaining that everyone else has prior engagements, I am certain that she would have agreed to help you,” She complains, and I tilt my head slightly indicating that I am listening so she continues, “But instead you decide to turn it around, and make her seem like the bad one in all of this.”

“I agree she would likely have accepted to help me, especially since she did before.”

Iris asks in an exasperated tone, “Then why go through all of that?”

“Well if she had remembered her promise in the first place we wouldn’t have even had most of that conversation,” I begin, “And most of what followed was just some light teasing.”

“Just some light teasing,” Iris sighs while shaking her head.

“I think you could have been a bit easier on her,” Shiva comments.

“What can I say, old habits die hard,” I smile.

“Don’t you think that it is just a bit mean?” Iris asks and stares at me while biting her lower lip slightly.

Hearing what could only be Leyla approaching the room, I quickly cross the room, and in surprise Iris moves backwards into the wall cornering herself. I step extremely close and press myself up against her before whispering, “You might be right, and I feel awful about how I treated her.” I turn my head up slightly to look at her and she begins to blush slightly.

“Bull shit,” Shiva calls me out.

“I have some more designs for you to look at Lily,” Leyla calls out from in the dining room.

“No wait,” Iris calls out in a slight panic, “Don’t come in here just yet.”

I smile to myself, snuggling in closer to Iris.

“Why not?” Leyla asks before continuing, “I just need to speak with Lily quickly about getting her…”

As she walks through the door, I turn to look at her, while adopting a slightly irritated face, and I can feel Iris heating up next to me.

…

…

…

“What is-” Leyla begins, before getting cut off by Iris shouting at the same time, “It’s not what it looks like.”

“And what is it exactly then?” Leyla asks under her breath.

I step back slightly, not enough for Iris to move away easily and start to speak before Iris can. “Oh it’s not that bad,” I giggle as headily as I can, “besides we have already exchanged rubbing for petting.” I giggle again while reaching up and gently rubbing my finger down Iris’s arm.

“Wait that’s not-” Iris starts, blushing heavily, but gets cut off by Leyla in a reversal of roles as she shouts, “WHAT?”

“And she was so gentle with her soft short strokes,” I sigh, leaning back into the Lamia in front of me before continuing, “But I am considering teaching her about using longer firmer strokes as well.” I twist my head back towards Leyla whose face is now a mixture of emotions, and I ask while fluttering my eyelashes, “What is your opinion on that hmm, long and firm or short and gentle, which feels better?”

Leyla quickly turns and rushes out of the room while wailing, “My baby sister has fallen into the hands of an evil seductress,” followed by a door slamming in the distance.

I quickly move back as Iris moves to follow shouting, “Sister wait, you are misunderstanding some very important facts.”

“I feel better now,” I hum happily to myself as I turn towards breakfast and finish preparing it, and Shiva just sighs in my ear.

“What was that all about?” Melodiana asks as she walks back into the kitchen.

“Oh while I didn’t exactly tell a lie, I certainly didn’t provide the right truth,” I tell her still smiling.

She looks at me quizzically tilting her head sideways before saying, “I do not quite understand, but I am glad to see that you cheered up.”

“Good thing that the last of the crops are up,” Someone in the crowd says and I turn my head in that direction.

“Thank you,” the young woman at the stall says, I quickly look back at her and nod before returning my attention.

“…cold would have been bad,” a different voice says.

“I know it was getting a bit chillier but would that actually be a problem for the crops,” I mutter to myself

“Common Grounds is notorious for its early, and harsh Soltheim,” the young woman that I just paid says.

“Wonderful,” I sigh as I adjust the basket to my other arm, and I turn and begin to make my way through the crowd.

“For as much as you complain you are likely the only person that can swim through a semi frozen lake and make it out,” Shiva mentions vaguely, as she is experiencing the area around us.

“That’s only because I am contracted to you,” I say as I shudder at the memory, “And just because I can survive the cold doesn’t mean that I have to enjoy it, and I nearly drowned in that lake.”

“This is such a lively city,” she says ignoring me, “So many new people, and sights, and smells. Oh is this where you bought your nightshirt?” She asks and immediately continues before I can answer her, “We should go there.”

“We have to go back and meet Melodiana at Crystal’s.”

“Please,” Shiva begs, “I’m sure that she won’t mind if we take a just little bit longer.”

“And just what am I supposed to tell her, the voice in my head wanted to go to the tailor?” I ask sighing to myself.

“Please?”

“…”

“You get to go get dinner later, so please?”

“You say that like I am able to leave you behind,” I tell her and then the temperature around me begins to steadily drop, “So now you are going to pout, are you actually a Spirit from the second era or a child?”

…

“Do you feel that cold breeze?” someone asks.

…

“Someone most have stepped on my grave,” a different voice says.

…

“Alright fine,” I cave as it gets colder, “Just stop that.”

“You’re the best contractor ever,” Shiva exclaims joyfully.