Sasha and her mistress found some clothes that would fit her. It didn’t take all that long, as she was of a fairly standard build for women of the city. They didn’t quite match, and the tunic was made for a woman who was… more well endowed than she was, but, she could alter them to get them to a perfect fit.

  Ms. Rithic didn’t have any extra breast bands in the shop, so she would have to go without for the time being, but she did had everything else that she would need to make it through the day.

  “I’ll be in the back working on that order, just make sure to tell any customers that come in that we aren’t taking any large orders until next week.”

  That was the only thing her mistress had said since she’d let her in. But, that wasn’t unusual, earlier was one of the first times Sasha had ever heard her speak that much.

  Ah, but she was getting carried away, she needed to get the tunic into a workable fit, and then get to work. She gently sat the crystal, still wrapped in the sheet she’d been using as a cloak, on a side table in the work area.

  She thought the glow was getting brighter again, but again, she put that from her mind, and sat down in front of the enchanted sewing machine.

  ———

  In a small tailor’s shop, a core sat on a table. It had yet to gather enough mana to properly wake, but the air of this place was extremely thick with it. It sat, drinking in the ambient mana, it had had a minor set back the previous night, when the ambient mana had dropped significantly.

  But now, it had been moved, and there was a nearby enchantment it could leach from. It was on track to fully wake with the week at the latest. It wouldn’t normally use mana to power itself, it was inefficient, and there was a risk of accidental detonation.

  But, the creator had given in instructions, and besides, it was yet to construct a proper body for itself. Ah, what a joy it’s true consciousness would get from being given a body and a task again. It was old, and the creator had said it should rest.

  But it did not like the rest, it wanted to create, to build again. And the creator, the Goddess, had heard its pleas, and she had listened. She had told it to sleep, and then, to awake, and guide the young dragon born it had been given to.

  So that is what it would do. Ah, and the young one is finally clothed again. It could not properly see in this state, but it could sense the mana void created by the young one, and it could sense a thin layer between her torso and the rest of the world now.

  It was good, it had been worried that her flames had done serious damage to her, but it seemed like they hadn’t. It would have to create flame resistant clothing once it was awake and had a body though.

  ———

  Sasha pulled the tunic over her head, and slipped her arms through the sleeves. The fit was still slightly loose in the chest, but when she looked it the mirror, nothing private could be seen.

  She spent a moment making sure the alterations were done properly, and that she still had all of her movements unrestricted. It wasn’t that often that something like that became a problem, but her mistress had at several points had guards come in complaining about the shoulders being too restrictive, especially when worn under armor.

  Luckily, this seemed to have none of those issues. Which was good, because it seemed like the enchantments on the sewing machine were starting to fade. It had stopped twice while she was working, and it hadn’t started again until she’d been almost to the door to tell her mistress that something was wrong.

  But now that she was at least presentable, she did have to get to work. She… didn’t have a home anymore, the tears were dry now, but she had nowhere to go other than here, so, she had to get to work. She had to make sure her mistress knew she was useful enough to hopefully let her stay somewhere in the shop.

  She didn’t want to have to sleep in the streets… She pushed the thought from her head, and gently placed a hand on the crystal her Goddess had given her, before slowly pulling away, and pushed through the door from the back room, into the main room of the shop.

  There were several items on display, most were higher end suits, all of the most popular styles of the aristocracy of the city, all in colors that used rare and expensive dyes.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  It was to draw in customers according to her mistress. When Sasha had first been hired, she’d asked why they didn’t display the more reasonably priced clothes. Ms. Rithic had hit her in the shins twice with her walking stick, and called her an idiot.

  Apparently, that was how a shop like this one died. The nobles would only see the “cheaper” clothing, and assume that was the best that she offered, leading to less affluent customers stopping in, which would in turn lead to less of those same affluent customers telling their friends where they got said clothing.

  It was a cycle, one the generated revenue at a slow, but steady pace. Those with less money would still come in, and they were where the bulk of the profits came from, but those few with large coffers, those who spent what to them was a fortune, with not but a thought.

  They were the ones that kept this shop where it was. Sasha sighed at the economics, wishing that she’d never have learned about them, and stepped behind the counter.

  It didn’t look like there was anyone here yet, so Sasha did a bit of eye shopping. There was a lovely dark red dress in the, admittedly small, women’s section of the displayed clothing. It had an open back, and accentuated the curves of the wooden manikin it was on in just the right way…

  She imagined herself in that dress, and blushed slightly. But she sighed again, and pulled her attention away from the beautiful dress. She couldn’t afford something that nice, and… the less said about her skill with a needle in anything other than small alterations, the better.

  Maybe after this reform her Goddess wanted her to bring about, but no, she still didn’t think she was the ri—

  DING

  Sasha jerked her head up to the front door, and watched as an expensively dressed man walked in. He was… round, for lack of a better word. Where most people on the side of the city she was from were thin, if muscular enough to survive, this man was all fat.

  He was shorter than her by half a foot, and sneered up at her as soon as he laid eyes on her.

  “When did they start letting the rabble in this part of the city. I should have you thrown over the wall for subjecting me to your filthy presence.”

  And he was rude. This was a good thing if nothing else, that meant he was likely a noble of some kind, and likely to spend quite a lot of money.

  “I am so sorry sir, and I do apologize for my disheveled appearance, you see, my house burned down last night. Oh, and welcome to Rithic’s tailors, how may we serve you today.”

  “Hmm, so it speaks. Have your mistress come to speak with me, I doubt you have the mental fortitude to properly relay my wishes.”

  This… was not good. Ms. Rithic had said she was not to be disturbed while working today. The client of that particular job was… important. It had been pressed into her with no amount of subtlety.

  “I’m sorry sir, but I've been given strict instructions not to disturb her today, under any circumstances.”

  “Nonsense, she will see me. No peasant order is more important than mine. Go, get her, NOW!”

  He’d gone from rude, to nearly shouting at her. The fat man’s face was red with the anger that only the nobility could bring to bear. She didn’t think she would be beaten for disobeying, but, it was better to suffer the wrath of her mistress, than potentially being thrown over the wall.

  “One moment, and I’ll see if I can get her. Please remain patient sir.”

  Her smile was slightly strained, but she thought she’d gotten the hang of hiding that by now.

  ———

  Sasha quickly closed the door to the front of the store, and looked around the back room for a moment. She sighed… there was no helping it, she’d had to atleast knock on the door to Ms. Rithic’s personal workspace.

  If the nobleman had a truth detection ring, or something else with a similar enchantment… people had been thrown over for less. So… she knocked on the heavy wooden door in the back of the shop.

  “Mistress, I’m so sorry, but there’s a nobleman in the front of the store, and he says he’ll only talk to you…”

  She didn’t hear anything from the other side for several seconds, before a muffled voice could be heard through the door.

  “Describe him.”

  She paused for a moment, but did as she was told.

  “Umm, he’s on the larger side, but about half a foot shorter than me… he’s balding, and is wearing several rings, and an expensive looking suit.”

  Quite for another few moments, before the door opened just enough for her mistress to squeeze out, cane in hand. There was a strong smell that came with her, but it was dispersed quickly enough once she closed the doors behind herself.

  “Come dear, it’s time we complete that job, even if it’s a bit earlier than expected.”

  ———-

  They walked back to the front room, Sasha following meekly behind her mistress, hands folded behind her back, except for when she closed the door behind them.

  “Ah, lord Doneven, I told your wife that the garments you requested wouldn’t be done until the end of the week.”

  “Ah, yes, you did. Well, I have come to collect early. I know you already have them done, my associates have said you’ve been able to complete similar orders in half the time as you you said it would take for mine.”

  Ms. Rithic smiled a sickly sweet smile, like she’d just bitten into a rotten fruit, but was determined to finish it.

  “Ah, well you see, my lord… you. Are. FAT. And it takes time to make a suit made for a man half your size, fit your… greater frame.”

  Her cane jabbed him three times in the stomach when she’d called him fat, and Sasha had to hold back a gasp. The jabs weren’t soft ones either, as the lord had winced on the third one.

  His face turned red, but before he could say anything, her mistress grabbed her by the hand, and walked her back to the back room.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to get back to. I’ll see your wife Friday.”

  The nobleman spluttered, and almost tried to follow after them, but Sasha closed and locked the door to the back room before he could.

  ———

  Sash sat down on the couch in the back room, and her mistress sat beside her, propping her cane up on her leg, and fidgeting with the tip of it.

  “Mistress, what was that all about?”

  “Hmm, ahh, yes. Well…”

  As she trailed off, the end of the cane popped off, and two small beads fell into the older woman’s hand.

  “I took the opportunity to complete the real contract, we won’t be dealing with the fool again.”

  The former alchemist smiled at her apprentice, and screwed on a different end to her cane, one without a small needle at its end. Sasha nodded, her throat slightly dry.