She wished she had an iPod. That\u2019s what Erin thought when she woke up in her small bed on the second floor of Miss Agnes\u2019 inn. It was probably because she\u2019d made the mistake of thinking about home yesterday.<\/p>\n
Ryoka had her iPhone. She\u2019d kept it even though she\u2019d gone to a whole new world. Whereas Erin hadn\u2019t. True, she didn\u2019t usually bring her phone on bathroom breaks, but if she ever got back she\u2019d take one everywhere she went. And she\u2019d bring an emergency backpack of everything\u2014<\/p>\n
If she ever went back. Erin slapped her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing good happened when she thought about home. The only thing that ever happened was\u2014well, weeping and moping and crippling desperation. That\u2019s why Erin had stopped thinking about it on purpose, starting all those days ago when she\u2019d cried herself to sleep in a broken inn in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n
She was here, and she had to survive. Erin got up and dressed herself blearily. She couldn\u2019t smile\u2014she felt weighed down by heavy thoughts. And she felt even more tired when she remembered her new employee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do I do? What did you do, stupid Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gently thumped her head against a wall. Someone grunted in the next room and Erin winced.<\/p>\n
\u201cOops.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no going back. She could only do what was right. And what was right was\u2014<\/p>\n
Erin came down the stairs with a determined smile on her face. She\u2019d find something Jasi could do. She\u2019d help her succeed as a [Barmaid]\u2014or do something else. Because even if Erin couldn\u2019t help everyone, she would never leave the Drake and her brother alone. If she did, she wouldn\u2019t be Erin Solstice.<\/p>\n
And yet\u2014not everyone was like her. That was why Erin\u2019s smiled twisted the instant she walked down into the common room of the inn and saw what was happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Erin, my dear!\u201d<\/p>\n
Miss Agnes looked up from the table where she was sitting with Jasi. Across the room, Erin saw Safry cleaning the tables before the day started and the one or two early guests waiting for breakfast. Erin looked around the room as she descended the steps. Grev was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Agnes. And Jasi. What\u2019s happening? And where\u2019s Grev?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jasi gave Erin a warm, but\u2014uncomfortable\u2014smile. She was sitting somewhat tensely in front of Miss Agnes, and Erin could tell the other [Innkeeper] was\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Miss Agnes didn\u2019t seem to notice the edge in Erin\u2019s tone. She smiled at Erin, beamed, rather, like she always did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I was just having a chat with Jasi about her future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer future? What do you mean, Miss Agnes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I was thinking about it all night. And I had a chat with Jerom\u2014you did a wonderful thing, helping Jasi and Grev. But although I\u2019m sure she\u2019d be a wonderful [Barmaid], I thought we could explore all her options. After all, Jasi\u2019s so young\u2014I wouldn\u2019t want her to level up in a class that didn\u2019t fit her perfectly, would I?\u201d<\/p>\n
For two seconds, because she\u2019d had a bad time waking up and because she\u2019d been hanging out with Ryoka too long, Erin thought about punching Miss Agnes in the face. But she suppressed that instinct at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see. You want to help Jasi find a job. Another job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I was just thinking how nice it would be if she could find a class she really liked. Being a [Barmaid] isn\u2019t for everyone, and if we can find something that suits her better\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Miss Agnes met Erin\u2019s eyes innocently. But the message was clear. And it was infuriating to Erin.<\/p>\n
Jasi hadn\u2019t even been here one whole day, and Miss Agnes had decided that her inn was not for the Drake. And better yet\u2014she\u2019d talked it over with Mister Jerom, her husband, had she? Erin had visited the sick [Innkeeper] and she knew any conversation Agnes had with him was completely one-sided. She probably just chattered on to him as he groaned in bed and coughed up phlegm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019ve been helping Jasi since you woke up? That was kind of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I had time. And I was waiting for you to be up so we could start with breakfast\u2014you really have a talent for cooking, my dear!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean a Skill. Where\u2019s Grev?\u201d<\/p>\n
Normally Erin met most things with a good attitude. But this morning she wasn\u2019t in the mood for niceness. Agnes blinked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. I sent him outside to play. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be back when he\u2019s hungry. Young boys always live by their stomachs.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how would Miss Agnes know that? She\u2019d<\/em> never had a kid. Of course, Erin hadn\u2019t ever had one either, but there was just something about the other innkeeper that was rubbing Erin the wrong way today.<\/p>\n It was just that she\u2019d decided to kick Jasi out. The Drake clearly understood what the [Innkeeper]\u2019s intentions were, no matter how much she smiled, and she looked justifiably upset. Erin glanced across the room and saw Safry glance at her and then quickly away. Safry knew what was going on. Did Maran? Had this been agreed on by all three women or just Agnes?<\/p>\n Who knew? Erin could only move forwards, and so she smiled at Agnes and Jasi.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019d love to help with that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut breakfast\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Miss Agnes coughed delicately and Erin frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can wait. Or better yet, this can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s no trouble my dear. I\u2019m perfectly willing to help young Jasi out while you cook.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin gritted her teeth. There was an\u2026air about Agnes. It was almost written on her face \u2018let\u2019s help the children find what they\u2019re good at so I won\u2019t have to deal with them!\u2019\u00a0 It made her upset, and even angrier that Agnes was deliberately sending Erin into the kitchen to cook.<\/p>\n She wanted to object. Erin opened her mouth, but the problem was\u2014Agnes was right. Erin needed to make breakfast for the hungry masses who\u2019d soon be coming here for her good cooking. And yet\u2014she didn\u2019t want to leave Jasi alone with Agnes.<\/p>\n But was it really a problem? Erin thought about that for a moment. It wasn\u2019t as if Agnes was kicking Jasi out this moment. She was going to work with Jasi\u2014even if it was selfish. Would it be that bad to let her help?<\/p>\n Well\u2026yes and no. Agnes would certainly help because it meant Jasi and Grev would be out of her hair. But she\u2019d probably not look for the best class to suit them\u2014she\u2019d probably compromise instantly and choose whatever they were good at without exploring all the options.<\/p>\n But she would help. It just meant Erin would have to make sure Agnes didn\u2019t rush things along. And it meant that Miss Agnes wasn\u2019t the person Erin had thought she was.<\/p>\n She was just a woman. Good to her friends and family, but no better than that. It wasn\u2019t a crushing realization, but it just made Erin\u2019s heart hurt a bit.<\/p>\n She let none of that show on her face as she smiled at Agnes.<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea. I\u2019ll make breakfast, and then come back and help Jasi. I hope you\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh? Are you planning on making something special today?\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes smiled at Erin. Erin smiled back.<\/p>\n \u201cMm. I think I\u2019ll make some crepes and French toast. And bacon.\u201d<\/p>\n Miss Agnes hesitated. Erin had chosen one of the most popular breakfasts for today\u2014mainly because it was a new form of cooking. It certainly brought in customers, but it was a very work-intensive meal for the staff to serve, as customers would regularly order second or even third helpings.<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Well, Maran isn\u2019t here today\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem! You and Jasi can help if Safry needs it. That\u2019s why she\u2019s here, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014well\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin walked into the kitchen. There she deliberately cooked the best crepes she could and made sure the sizzle<\/em> and smell of cooking bacon would wake up even the most reluctant sleeper. She derived no small amount of pleasure from making Agnes\u2019 inn the most profitable and busy building in the city that morning, and felt not a bit bad as Agnes, Safry, and Jasi hurried to fill orders.<\/p>\n It was all about food. Food was one of the things that was popular in any world. Erin reflected on that as she flipped a crepe into the air and onto a plate. She put it aside to cool, and then changed her mind and speared a piece of it with a fork and popped it into her mouth, ignoring the heat. Breakfast for Erin was usually in the middle of her cooking process.<\/p>\n \u201cFive more crepes, Miss Erin!\u201d<\/p>\n Safry poked her head into the kitchen, looking distressed. Erin could hear the voices in the common room, lots of them.<\/p>\n \u201cComing up!\u201d<\/p>\n She poured and flipped, barely paying attention to what she was doing. Crepes. Now, weren\u2019t crepes interesting?<\/p>\n The people of this world knew about pancakes, but crepes were new to them. But why did they pull in huge crowds even a week after Erin had introduced them to Celum? The answer was simple: they were new.<\/p>\n Yes, crepes had all the ingredients of a pancake except for baking powder. But it was what you did with the crepes\u2014folding them and pouring syrup over them, or filling them with whipped cream or other savory and sweet things that made them so special. In that way, an old thing seemed practically brand new, and people flocked to the Frenzied Hare to try this wonderful food Erin made.<\/p>\n By now, Erin knew other inns and restaurants across the city were copying her recipe. It was human nature\u2014and Drake and Gnoll nature as well. In time, she knew crepes would lose their hold over the stomachs of people and they\u2019d just become one more item in a menu. But right now they were hot.<\/p>\n \u201cLiterally. Safry! Crepes are done!\u201d<\/p>\n Because they were new. Erin let Safry take the plates as she placed some bacon on a plate next to eggs. People liked new things. Like her hamburgers. When they first came to Liscor, it was like they were the greatest food in the world. Because no one had tried them before. As soon as everyone started copying her recipe, hamburgers became, well, hamburgers. Some people loved them and they were tasty, but no one was lining up for them.<\/p>\n But new food was fun. That was the point. New things<\/em> were fun. Erin remembered the impromptu concert she\u2019d held outside her inn and smiled. Music from her world was so new and amazing to the citizens of Liscor she\u2019d pulled in the gold coins with a rake.<\/p>\n Because it was new. Because it wasn\u2019t stale and mundane and boring. That was the key. Erin still remembered her despondency from yesterday\u2014in truth, it was still bugging her a bit, although the Jasi and Grev situation had distracted her. Music and food were two things people in this world could appreciate, same as in Erin\u2019s. But\u2014<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t enough. It still wasn\u2019t enough. Erin could see someone like Agnes listening to the latest hot song of the year being played on the lute\u2014or delighting over some new recipe and selling it at her inn. But was that all she\u2019d ever do? Just stuff her face and listen to a new tune now and then?<\/p>\n No. That was so boring <\/em>it hurt. There had to be more to life! People weren\u2019t machines\u2014Erin refused to believe that leveling up like machines every day and working without any fun was how this world should be.<\/p>\n That was why when she walked back out of the kitchen and saw that the inn had mostly cleared, Erin was determined to find Jasi a job that wouldn\u2019t crush the Drake\u2019s soul. She\u2019d already accepted that Jasi wouldn\u2019t be a [Barmaid]\u2014at least not at Agnes\u2019 inn. If the woman didn\u2019t want her here, then that was that.<\/p>\n But Erin could always bring Jasi to Liscor. It wasn\u2019t the best option, but Erin kept it as a reserve idea. She walked over to the exhausted Agnes, who\u2019d taken a seat at the table to rest her legs, and smiled brightly.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright! Breakfast\u2019s done. Let\u2019s find Jasi a cool class.\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes only smiled weakly at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Very good, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did one find a class? It was such an odd question to Erin\u2014was it like getting a job in her world, or did someone just decide to become a [Thief] and start stealing things?<\/p>\n As it turned out, people in this world decided on classes in a very sensible manner. Once Miss Agnes had recovered, Erin found herself sitting at the table with her and Jasi as the older woman quizzed the Drake on her likes and dislikes.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you sew? I should say\u2014have you tried needlework? What about cooking? I hear your kind has a variety of\u2026interesting treats.\u201d<\/p>\n Likes, dislikes, and most importantly natural talent or aptitude went into choosing a class. Which made sense. No one wanted to be stuck with a class they were bad at, or one they hated. Jasi had taken the [Washer] class out of desperation, so Agnes and Erin\u2019s job was to find something she\u2019d like and be good at, and hopefully, earn enough to support herself and Grev with.<\/p>\n The problem was, Jasi didn\u2019t seem to have any outstanding talents.<\/p>\n \u201cI poke my scales more often than the cloth with needles. I would have sewn if I could\u2014mending clothes earns a bit more coin than washing. But I couldn\u2019t do it. The same goes for cooking\u2014I can make a few things, but kneading dough is hard with claws.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOoh. Yeah. That wouldn\u2019t be so easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Miss Agnes frowned slightly in vexation at Jasi, and partly at Erin. She was clearly irritable from having to play [Barmaid] so early.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you ever thought about a combat class, dear? I know that\u2019s a long shot, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi shook her head immediately, shuddering at the thought. Agnes nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, those classes are out, then.\u201d<\/p>\n The older woman sighed. Jasi looked anxiously at her and Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cI really don\u2019t mind trying to learn to sew or cook. Or\u2014I thought I could even learn a class like [Butcher] or [Receptionist]. I\u2019m not picky. I\u2019d try anything if I had the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the spirit!\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes immediately brightened up at Jasi\u2019s words.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could try you out in all of those professions. I have friends in various classes\u2014it wouldn\u2019t be too hard to talk them into giving you an apprenticeship. Why, in a day or two you\u2019d probably find something you really shine at.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi nodded obediently, looking grateful for the opportunity, but Erin frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWilling doesn\u2019t mean she likes<\/em> it, Miss Agnes. Jasi should find a job\u2014a class that suits her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, well, we don\u2019t all know what we\u2019ll be good at.\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes smiled blandly at Erin. There was definitely a current of tension running between the two [Innkeepers] now, or so Erin felt. No\u2014she wasn\u2019t imagining it. She was annoyed at Agnes, and the same held true of the other woman. They were clashing over the issue of Jasi, and it was making Erin uncharacteristically upset.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a few days of feeling things out would do young Jasi some good, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt helped me. I didn\u2019t know I\u2019d be an [Innkeeper] when I was young. But when I met Jerom, well, things have a way of working themselves out. We don\u2019t all get to choose what class we level in, now do we? You told me you earned your [Innkeeper] class by accident as well. Maybe Jasi will find her class as she tries things out.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin narrowed her eyes. Being an [Innkeeper] certainly hadn\u2019t been her choice, but she\u2019d been forced into it out of the need to survive, and because she\u2019d liked it.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. I think we should consider more classes. There are tons more than just\u2026those ones you mentioned.\u201d<\/p>\n Miss Agnes lost her smile. She sounded exasperated as she spread her hands out on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cThe girl\u2014the Drake\u2014doesn\u2019t have any particular skills, Erin. Why not let her work a few odd jobs? She seemed to be doing well for herself as a [Washer] before you came along.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi shrunk back in her seat, but Erin didn\u2019t bat an eye at the criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you mean she was alive, yeah, she was. But I had to buy a healing potion for her hands. That\u2019s not doing okay, Miss Agnes.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman wavered. She glanced around the mostly empty room and realized their argument had attracted a few casual eyes. Safry immediately turned and started bussing a few more tables. Miss Agnes eyed the new customers and changed the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got more customers, I see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin folded her arms. Miss Agnes waffled on, glancing meaningfully at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cLate morning breakfasters, I\u2019ll warrant. There\u2019s always one or two\u2026a good [Innkeeper] prepares for them, but I suppose it was<\/em> quite a crowd that came in this morning. But here we are, and I know they\u2019re hungry. It would be a shame to turn them away, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n A scowl was the only reply she got. Erin sat in her chair, unwilling to move. She glanced at the customers, and then smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you<\/em> cook for them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2014well, I don\u2019t have any Skills in cooking like you do, Erin dear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is<\/em> your inn. And I\u2019m tired. So\u2014you cook. Or you could turn them away. But I think I\u2019m going to help Jasi some more.\u201d<\/p>\n So saying, Erin turned her back on Agnes and looked at Jasi. After a few seconds she heard Agnes walk briskly away.<\/p>\n \u201cSafry! Ask our customers what they\u2019d like to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled at Jasi, who looked somewhat pale.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to be a bother, Miss Erin, I really don\u2019t. I\u2019d be more than happy to apprentice at any job for a while. If I got a few levels\u2014why, I\u2019d probably be able to make do from there.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman sitting across from her smiled and shook her head slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true. But I want to find something that you<\/em> like to do, not something that you have to do. Agnes is wrong. You should try and find something you want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi paused.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time this morning, Erin gave her a genuine smile.<\/p>\n \u201cCall me Erin. Just Erin. Now, have you ever tried running around? I have a friend who does that all the time, and she says the pay is good\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An hour later, Erin had to admit that perhaps Jasi didn\u2019t<\/em> have any particular class that seemed to suit her. At least, not one that could be easily discerned. She and Jasi had gone through a huge list of classes, hindered by Miss Agnes\u2019 occasional comment, but Jasi either hadn\u2019t tried the class before or didn\u2019t feel inclined to try it.<\/p>\n Some jobs the Drake could tell weren\u2019t for her. [Farmer], [Soldier], [Thief]\u2026those were easy. Others might have been likely, but they were impossible to tell, like [Guardswoman]. How would you even tell? Jasi had never lifted a sword before. And she hadn\u2019t had a chance to try out any of the other professions in the city.<\/p>\n She\u2019d been poor all her life. And that, Erin was quickly discovering, was a limiting factor.<\/p>\n Despondently, Erin slumped over at her table, staring at Jasi\u2019s helpless expression. The inn was mostly empty. Agnes\u2019 cooking had a way of driving away even fairly hungry patrons, and besides, it was that time of day when inns didn\u2019t really matter, in between breakfast and lunch. If people wanted a snack they\u2019d find a stall outside. And few people were drinking this early in the day.<\/p>\n Erin could use a drink. She hadn\u2019t known how hard<\/em> this would be. Well, she had\u2014but knowing wasn\u2019t the same as experiencing it. She felt like she was hitting her head against an invisible brick wall, but she had no idea how to stop running into it.<\/p>\n \u201cI dunno. I guess we could do the internship-apprentice thing, but that\u2019s so slow.<\/em> Are you sure you don\u2019t want to try being an [Alchemist]? I could go bother Octavia right now if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one thing I am<\/em> sure about, Miss. [Alchemists] are far too strange for me. I don\u2019t want to melt my tail off or\u2014or grow mushrooms out of my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi shuddered at the thought. Erin sighed and then cast her eyes around the inn.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think, Wesle? Would Jasi be a good [Guardswoman]?\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle looked up guiltily as he tucked into a crepe Erin had made. He straightened up in his chair, glancing at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI ah, don\u2019t know, Erin. Guarding isn\u2019t as hard here as it is in a Drake city, it\u2019s true, but we do require all our recruits to be able to use a sword. Plus, there\u2019s always a bit of fighting when we have to quiet drunks. If Miss Jasi was assigned to gatekeeping duty I could see her doing well\u2014but even then, she\u2019d have to help fight whenever a monster attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded gloomily.<\/p>\n \u201cThought so. How\u2019s the crepe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, wonderful, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle blushed a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very grateful. But ah, I am <\/em>on duty. I\u2019d better just eat this quickly and go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMm. Thanks for bringing Grev here.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned her head and regarded the nervous young boy sitting at a table with a crepe of his own. Wesle had brought Grev into the Frenzied Hare about an hour after breakfast had ended. Now the [Guardsman] looked over at Grev sternly, giving him a hard look.<\/p>\n \u201cI hardly believed him when he said he lived here, Miss Erin. But he kept insisting that you\u2019d given him and his\u2026sister a place here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he was telling the truth. Which is sorta rare for him, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Grev hunched over in his seat. He\u2019d been caught by Wesle for lingering a bit too near a shopkeeper\u2019s outdoor stall. Now he sat with the disapproving eyes of Jasi, Erin, and Wesle on him, clearly wishing he could be anywhere else.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry about that, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi was as apologetic as she\u2019d been with Erin, and clearly unable to do anything to stop Grev. She was a big sister, not a mother, and she was even more nervous now that Grev had clearly not learned his lesson from yesterday.<\/p>\n Wesle nodded to her, trying to look dignified and failing to with bits of crepe on his weak mustache.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll overlook this today, but you should know your brother is on the thinnest of ice, Miss Jasi. If he keeps sneaking off again\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Safry was passing by Erin with a used plate and utensils. Erin snatched the plate out of her hands and hurled one of the utensils in one motion. The spoon passed by Grev\u2019s nose and bounced off one wall. He shouted in surprise and alarm, freezing as he tried to edge towards the door.<\/p>\n \u201cSit down.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s glare magically sent Grev\u2019s bottom back in the chair. He trembled as she waved the fork at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve caused enough trouble for your sister. Try and run off and I\u2019ll throw the plate at you next time. And if that doesn\u2019t work, I\u2019ll take this fork and shove it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin paused. She glanced at Safry and Miss Agnes, both of whom were watching her with gaping mouths.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle coughed delicately.<\/p>\n \u201cWas that [Unerring Throw], Miss Erin? It\u2019s rare to see an [Innkeeper] with a combat Skill like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin just shrugged. She had a lot of odd Skills, or so she\u2019d gathered. Probably because she\u2019d actually had to fight for her life. They weren\u2019t that useful in day-to-day life, but they were certainly handy when she wanted to terrorize young boys.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were we? Oh yeah. Jasi\u2019s class. Um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sighed. Then she looked at Grev. He stared at her, white-faced.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about him? Can\u2019t Grev get a class instead of running around and stealing things?\u201d<\/p>\n Agnes snorted. She\u2019d kept out of the discussion, but she eyed Grev skeptically now.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boy\u2019s at the right age to be apprenticed to someone. But with his past misdeeds\u2014I doubt anyone would want to take a risk on him. I\u2019d advise Miss Jasi to say her goodbyes while she can\u2014if the young thief hasn\u2019t changed his ways after so many warnings, he won\u2019t now.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi\u2019s scales turned pale and Grev looked palely down at his empty plate. Erin glared at Miss Agnes.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you have anything you can do, Miss Agnes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot at the moment, Miss Erin. I have no customers, as you may have noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why don\u2019t you leave your inn to me for a while?\u201d<\/p>\n The woman paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said, why don\u2019t you leave? I\u2019m perfectly capable of managing it, and I think you could use a break.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2014this is my <\/em>inn.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin raised an eyebrow. She was royally annoyed with Miss Agnes\u2019 attitude. How could she be so uncaring? So Erin took a page out of Ryoka\u2019s book of meanness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your inn, but I\u2019m a better [Innkeeper]. You can take a break and leave things to me. You and Safry, for that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Both women gaped at Erin. But the young woman just flapped her hands at them.<\/p>\n \u201cShoo, shoo.\u201d<\/p>\n Miss Agnes was staring hard at Erin, but she was<\/em> the lower-level [Innkeeper], and Erin had stared down far more frightening things than a middle-aged woman with empathy issues. In the end, Miss Agnes haughtily adjusted her dress, not meeting Erin\u2019s stare.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014suppose I could use some time to relax. Very well. Safry, you have the day off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Miss Agnes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe I\u2019ll\u2026go shopping. I\u2019m sure Jerom would love a new decoration. Yes, I\u2019ll do that. Thank you, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n She walked out of the inn. Safry hesitated, and then followed her as Erin stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cMnn.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stuck out her tongue after Miss Agnes and Safry had left. She felt bad but not-bad at the same time. It was the first time she\u2019d ever been so mean to them, but\u2014they\u2019d been real jerks!<\/p>\n She turned and saw Wesle staring at her with a piece of crepe dangling from a fork. Jasi and Grev were also giving her fish-eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? They were being rude.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi gulped. She looked at the door Miss Agnes hadn\u2019t even bothered to fully close and shook her head, her scales pale around her face. She looked at Erin, mystified and gratified and upset.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re being so kind to us, Mis\u2014Erin. Too kind. I don\u2019t know why you\u2019re going so far for people like Grev and me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s because I can.\u201d<\/p>\n The smile Erin gave her was just that. A smile. But it made the Drake cry, and prompted Wesle to offer her a handkerchief. Grev sat in his chair, looking upset and confused, but soon enough Erin had another crepe in front of everyone, and a slightly alcoholic drink for the adults and milk for Grev. She sat down and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let\u2019s try again. Properly this time. Jasi needs a new job. Not necessarily a class. Grev needs to stop stealing, and Wesle probably needs to get back to work, but he\u2019s helping us. How can we make things right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The best idea they\u2019d had was for Erin to sponsor Jasi as an apprentice at a bunch of different jobs. Erin put her head in her hands and groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish Ryoka were here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019d know what to do. She\u2019s got lots of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle looked confused. He was sitting at the table with Erin and Jasi while Grev practiced the art of trying not to puke. Erin\u2019s solution to his restlessness had been to feed him to the point of bursting. Now he was sitting at his table, unable to even finish his last bite of hash browns drizzled with cheese.<\/p>\n Jasi was staring at the half-empty mug in her hands. She\u2019d been growing more and more quietly depressed throughout the discussion. Now she looked up, confused.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA City Runner. She\u2019s my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how could she help? I\u2019ve seen Miss Ryoka come into the city quite often, but I don\u2019t see how she\u2019d help here. She seemed rather\u2014quiet every time I tried to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shook her head at Wesle.<\/p>\n \u201cI know she\u2019s a jerk sometimes. But she\u2019s smart. And she studied a lot of weird stuff in school. Did you know she told me that we could probably build a greenhouse right next to my inn? She said we don\u2019t even need any glass to make it, which is really weird, right? I was going to ask Klbkch about it, but then I ended up here.\u201d<\/p>\n Almost none of what Erin had said made sense to either Wesle or Jasi. They just blinked at her, confused. She sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cNever mind. Are there any classes we haven\u2019t considered?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNone, Miss.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi looked gloomy.<\/p>\n \u201cI really do appreciate you helping, I do. But I don\u2019t think I have any special talents. I\u2019d be happy with a steady job, I really would.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but that\u2019s so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The [Innkeeper]\u2019s voice trailed off helplessly in the face of Jasi\u2019s resignation. They\u2019d tossed out every class they could think of, but none had seemed right for Jasi. But there were plenty of \u2018possible\u2019 options and \u2018okay\u2019 options. But nothing felt right<\/em>.<\/p>\n In truth, it was Erin who was truly dissatisfied with Jasi and Grev\u2019s opportunities. [Seamstress]? [Barber]? [Cook]? [Blacksmith]? All these jobs sounded\u2026boring. Erin knew they were all important jobs that someone had to do, but if she had a choice, those would be far from her first ones.<\/p>\n At least [Runner] sounded marginally interesting. But\u2014hadn\u2019t Ryoka told Erin how much it sucked to be a Street Runner? And Erin was sure the other girl had complained at length about running countless miles to deliver some useless item for only a few silver coins. Unless you were a Courier, being a Runner sounded sort of boring too.<\/p>\n There it was again. Boring. Erin kept thinking the word. She sighed loudly again.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t\u2014I know we could find you a decent job, Jasi. But that\u2019s not what you should want, y\u2019know?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi exchanged a glance with Wesle.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Miss Erin. What do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin didn\u2019t really know herself. She tried to explain as she slumped lower in her seat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026we\u2019re talking about your future here. And you\u2019re happy to get an okay job, I get that. But\u2014don\u2019t you want to be rich or famous? Don\u2019t you have anything you want to do, anything special?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked hopefully at Jasi, but just got a confused shake of the head in return.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I\u2019ve ever wanted was to keep myself fed and clothed, Miss Erin. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake had no idea how depressed that made Erin. How could she not<\/em> want to do something special? But Jasi had been poor. Her dreams were real and urgent.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never wanted to be famous? Or live an exciting life?\u201d<\/p>\n When she\u2019d been younger, Erin had dreamed of being a astronaut. Then, when she\u2019d been slightly older she\u2019d wanted to be a legendary chess player, someone who could beat even a computer in chess. And then\u2026she\u2019d wanted to be a chess commentator, someone with a huge following or even a YouTube channel. Her dreams weren\u2019t huge, true\u2014most people didn\u2019t even know chess commentary was an actual job. But they were big to Erin.<\/p>\n Jasi didn\u2019t even have her own hopes and dreams. Erin looked at Grev.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you want to be someone special?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n The young boy looked confused and slightly scared as Erin pointed at him. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you. If you could have any class\u2014do anything\u2014what would you do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d\u2014I\u2019d be a famous adventurer! A Gold-rank\u2014no, a Named Adventurer! And I\u2019d have a flaming sword and slay Dragons.\u201d<\/p>\n Grev\u2019s face immediately lit up, but Jasi only shook her head, looking upset.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Miss Erin. Don\u2019t encourage Grev.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glared at Jasi, making the Drake shrink back.<\/p>\n \u201cDreams are good! Important! If you could do anything, what would you do, Jasi?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake hesitated, and bit at her lip. Reluctantly, she replied.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose if I could I\u2019d like to learn a craft and start a small business for myself\u2014but even that\u2019s a far-off dream, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t quite deserve the dead gaze Erin gave her. Jasi just shrugged helplessly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all I can think of. If I could have anything\u2014I guess I\u2019d wish to be rich? Rich enough that I never have to work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? That\u2019s boring too!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin threw her hands up helplessly. Why were Jasi\u2019s ambitions so small?<\/em> Why was she so upset? But it was just\u2014<\/p>\n Boring. The same word again.<\/p>\n \u201cWesle!\u201d<\/p>\n The man jumped.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your dream?\u201d<\/p>\n He hesitated and turned slightly red. But the look in Erin\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t give him any wiggle room. Clearing his throat several times, Wesle blushingly replied.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be an adventurer too. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n His hand fell back on his sword hilt helplessly. Wesle squeezed his eyes for a second.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t be one. I\u2019m not a born fighter like they are, Miss Erin. I can handle myself, but I\u2019m not brave enough to go searching for evil to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle closed his eyes. He stared past Erin, at something in the distance. His voice softened, and his hand clenched around the mug on this table.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I could, I should have liked to have been a [Knight]. I would have loved to fight monsters and defend people by slaying creatures. And\u2014yes, wielding a flaming sword. Or one that can cut through steel, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes refocused, and he coughed, turning beet-red. He looked afraid, as if he was sure the others in the room would laugh at him. But no one did.<\/p>\n Instead, his words made Jasi take a breath. She stared out the window, hesitating, and then spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I could? If I had nothing to worry about? Maybe, maybe I\u2019d travel to Liscor. To other cities. I\u2019d like to know what Drakes\u2014my people are like. I\u2019d like to see what lies beyond Celum\u2019s walls.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019d never left the city? But there were people like that too. Even back home, Erin remembered people, old people, who\u2019d never even left their home state. They\u2019d never flown on a plane or bothered to drive more than a hundred miles from where they were born and would die. She\u2019d never understood that, but then, Erin had travelled to other continents to play chess in tournaments when she was young.<\/p>\n Some days, it felt like Erin really was in a different world. Only, she was walking among aliens that wore human faces. She met people with small dreams, who were as small as insects. Sometimes. But then Erin looked deep into their souls and saw something familiar. Something she\u2019d seen in a mirror when she was young.<\/p>\n Hope. Dreams.<\/p>\n Passion.<\/p>\n The man and Drake sitting at her table were very different, but they had the same look in their eyes. It wasn\u2019t what Erin saw in Agnes\u2019 pitying gaze, or Safry\u2019s shrug. There was still something in Wesle\u2019s expression, and Jasi\u2019s eyes when she stared at the window. They had a spark there, of something real and alive<\/em>. But it was fading, and Erin saw it flickering in Jasi\u2019s resigned smile and the way Wesle shook his head when he talked about his past dreams.<\/p>\n They had hopes. They had ambitions. But it was buried so deep that they\u2019d nearly forgotten about them. Erin touched her aching chest. And yet, what could you do? Octavia\u2019s words echoed in her mind. If you weren\u2019t willing to risk everything, what could you do?<\/p>\n Being an adventurer was a calling for the few, the insane and the brave and the desperate. But what else could people do if they didn\u2019t want to work their entire lives? Octavia was right. There was no other way to live. Either you took a risk and died or became famous or\u2014you worked hard and kept your head down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not right.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Erin said. She sat at the table and clenched her hands. This wasn\u2019t right. This was how the world was\u2014how this world was. And she knew it was probably how the world had been, back in her world for thousands of years. But\u2014<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t right. There was more to life. She knew that. She lived, she had lived in a world where anyone could be anything. That was what she\u2019d been taught as a child. And maybe it wasn\u2019t totally true, but it was that idea which people associated with her home country, with being an American. It was about equality, but it was also about hope.<\/p>\n Hope, and the faith that you could realize your dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked up. Jasi and Wesle were looking at her. So was Grev.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been very quiet. Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am. It\u2019s just\u2014your world\u2014your city\u2014sort of sucks, guys.\u201d<\/p>\n To Erin\u2019s surprise, both Jasi and Wesle immediately frowned at her comment.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Celum isn\u2019t perfect but\u2014it\u2019s just as good as Liscor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRespectfully, Miss Erin, Celum is quite a good city to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at the force of their replies. Even Jasi was defending Celum. Why? Wesle\u2019s normally amiable face looked quite upset as he stared challengingly at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes you feel your home is that much better than Celum?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere I come from\u2014in the place where I used to be, people didn\u2019t have so\u2014so few options.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin tried to explain to the indignant guardsman and Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have plenty of options!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. Anyone can make something of themselves in Celum.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014no, you guys don\u2019t get it! Here you can only have boring jobs. Or\u2014or be an adventurer and maybe die. But back home, people could be someone. They could be stars, celebrities!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCelebrities?\u201d<\/p>\n The word was completely foreign to the two. Erin nodded energetically, suddenly able to put words to the sense of absence she\u2019d been feeling recently.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah! Back home\u2014even a girl or guy from a far off village could go to the big city and make their dreams come true. It was hard and risky, but they could take a chance. They could try and fulfill their dreams! If you wanted to, you could go there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n The word came out of Erin\u2019s childhood.<\/p>\n \u201cHollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n The word burned in the silence. And suddenly, Erin remembered. She remembered movies and dreams and childhood. Yes, how could she have forgotten? But Wesle and Jasi didn\u2019t get it. They just looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that? Some kind of tree?\u201d<\/p>\n How could you explain Hollywood to people who hadn\u2019t even seen a movie? Erin grabbed at words and failed to find anything that would help. Hollywood was\u2014it was movies! It was the silver screen, the place where hopes and stories became reality. Now things were different of course\u2014there was Youtube and the internet. And you heard all kinds of bad things about Hollywood. Sexism, racism, jerkism…<\/p>\n But when Erin had been small, Hollywood had been the place where magic was made in her world. It had been the place where movies came from, a wondrous, far-off land. But how to describe it?<\/p>\n \u201cBroadway!<\/em> Plays! That\u2019s what it\u2019s like!\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle\u2019s chair scooted back as Erin suddenly shouted. Yes, that was it! She turned excitedly to the scared Drake and human.<\/p>\n \u201cHaven\u2019t you seen a play before? Hollywood is like a play except\u2014better!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared hopefully at the other two. They had to have seen a play before. That was\u2014even in this world, they\u2019d be common, right? Right? But her jaw dropped as the two shook their head slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019ve never seen one, Miss Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither have I.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The bug-eyed stare Erin was giving them made Jasi and Wesle feel uncomfortable. The guardsman cleared his throat nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you mean a tumbling routine\u2014I always catch those every time a festival happens. And of course I like to listen to stories in taverns if there\u2019s a [Storyteller] travelling by.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI like to read books. We had one when I was young. It was worn, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin put her hands underneath the table and flipped <\/em>it.<\/em> It was the only thing that she could do, the only thing that could give vent to her emotions. The mugs, the drinks, plates and silverware all went flying. Jasi screamed and Wesle cried out in shock. As pottery crashed and broke on the floor, there was silence.<\/p>\n And standing, trembling, pointing at them, Erin. She stood on her chair, practically vibrating with passion.<\/p>\n \u201cNo! That isn\u2019t a play! Plays are more than stupid tumbling, more than just a book! They\u2019re full of\u2014of romance! Drama! Love! Action! Intrigue and betrayal and hope and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin waved her hands around wildly while Jasi, Wesle, and Grev all stared at her. Grev was already edging towards the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re telling me none of you have ever <\/em>seen a play before?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe table\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi squeaked as Erin rounded on her.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014no I haven\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever? Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere aren\u2019t many people with that sort of class, Miss Erin! I mean, who would take a class like that on a whim? There are [Bards], Miss Erin. And\u2014oh, maybe in large cities there are performances like that, but it\u2019s not a job anyone can just learn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a play?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked incredulously at Grev. But the boy had piped up, staring at Erin with curious eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know? It\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s people telling a story. They pretend to be characters and they act out something funny or tragic. It\u2019s like a book, but in real life!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. Watch people pretend to be people in a story?\u201d<\/p>\n Grev\u2019s little nose wrinkled in disgust.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019d want to see that?\u201d<\/p>\n He flinched when Erin stared at him with wrath in her eyes. Wesle carefully raised a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw a performance like that once.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded, eyeing the broken plates and spilled drink on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a wandering group of performers. They were telling everyone how a group of Gold-rank adventurers slew an entire nest of Griffons that had been preying on a town. It was a reenactment, and they had a fake Griffin creature they burned\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not it either!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin jumped off the chair and kicked it. She hopped around shouting in agony as Grev hid under the table. Jasi was petrified and Wesle had a hand on his sword as if he feared he\u2019d had to defend himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not it at all!\u201d<\/p>\n When Erin had calmed down a bit, she tried again. She couldn\u2019t believe they didn\u2019t know. She had to tell them. The knowledge was burning a hole in her chest, trying to get out.<\/p>\n \u201cPlays are\u2014more than just reenactments, Wesle. They\u2019re a story, a moment. If they\u2019re boring they\u2019re good\u2014they should make you laugh and cry and believe<\/em> what you\u2019re seeing is real. Some of the most famous characters in history came from plays!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike who?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin didn\u2019t have to think.<\/p>\n \u201cRomeo and Juliet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho? I mean, what did they do?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi stared at Erin. Erin stared back. And then the girl leapt onto a table.<\/p>\n \u201cO Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?<\/em> Who doesn\u2019t know of the star-crossed lovers? Romeo of House Montague and Juliet of House Capulet! They, the two forbidden scions of each house dare the wrath of their families to find romance. Even if it means death, they would be together. At any cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi\u2019s sharp teeth glinted as she gaped up at Erin. Wesle\u2019s lips were parted in surprise. Erin bowed to them, flourishing on the table as if she were on stage.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo households, both alike in dignity,<\/p>\n In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,<\/p>\n From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,<\/p>\n Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n She stared down at the staring faces, full of anger and emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cThat <\/em>is the story of Romeo and Juliet.\u201d<\/p>\n Only slack faces greeted Erin. She blinked, realized what had happened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa. Did I do that?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did<\/em> she do that? As Erin helped right the table and clean up the mess\u2014the others were too shaken to do more than sit\u2014she wondered what had happened.<\/p>\n She was no actor. Erin wasn\u2019t even that good at acting. But in that moment, she\u2019d perfectly recalled the opening lines of Romeo and Juliet, word for word! How? She didn\u2019t have a perfect memory\u2014she\u2019d never even read the play! She\u2019d just seen it performed once!<\/p>\n But wait a minute. Erin frowned as she mopped up the spilled drink and got rid of the broken pottery in a few seconds of brisk cleaning. She had Skills, didn\u2019t she? Not just [Advanced Cleaning].<\/p>\n She was a Level 6 [Singer]. And she had that skill\u2014[Perfect Recall]. It didn\u2019t actually let Erin remember everything, it only worked for songs. Songs\u2026and plays as it turned out. Yes, now that Erin concentrated, she found it was true! She could remember plays, entire passages out of books\u2014anything that Erin considered artistic, really.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never heard anything like it.\u201d<\/p>\n That was what Wesle kept repeating when Erin was done with cleaning up her accident. He sat at a table, staring at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat strange way of speaking was that? It sounded grand and yet\u2014it rhymed. I\u2019ve never heard anything like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sat at another table, trying to explain. Now she had all the attention on the room on her\u2014not just attention, but fierce interest. It was like the crepes, like the new music all over again. Erin felt it. Here was something new, and it captivated the people of this world.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a play. Some of them rhyme. It\u2019s called iambic pentameter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what\u2019s that? Iambic…? Is it a Skill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s a way of speaking. Anyone can do it. It\u2019s\u2014well, it\u2019s just a style. But it sounds good, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Jasi and Wesle nodded in agreement. Erin smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a play. Actually, that\u2019s not even it. What I just said, I\u2019d say to the crowd before the actual play started. To understand a real play\u2014you\u2019d have to see it done with multiple actors on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I could see that. It sounds\u2014interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin wished she could see that too. To see a movie, or a play\u2014even one of the classics from her world like The Wizard of Oz would be\u2026<\/p>\n Impossible. She sighed. But then Erin sat up. She stared at the female Drake sitting in front of her, eyes alight with interest, and the human male sitting next to her, fuzzy lipped and full of life.<\/p>\n And Erin had an obvious idea. She smiled widely, and looked at the two while Grev peeked at her from the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, why not? Would you two like to put on a play by yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUs?\u201d<\/p>\n The two exchanged a glance. But Erin knew that they would say \u2018yes\u2019 before they even nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a play. A new thing for this world, or maybe an ordinary thing made new. It was supposed to be grand and special. But\u2014as Erin sat at her table, she realized that recreating a play wasn\u2019t exactly the same as making crepes or playing a song on an iPhone.<\/p>\n What did she have? She had a perfect recall of the play Romeo and Juliet. That was a plus. And she had three willing people who wanted to experience a play. Another big plus. And they even had a place to practice. All of this should theoretically translate into a play.<\/p>\n But they\u2019d hit upon a problem. And it was a rather big one. Wesle sighed as he pointed his sword at Grev from the center of the room. Grev held the scabbard in his hands, pretending it was a sword of his own. Both looked awkward, and were visibly hesitating.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t hesitate! Just say your lines!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin called out to them from her director\u2019s seat. She\u2019d pushed back all the tables to the walls to give them room to perform in, and she was sitting with Jasi at a table. But the two actors still looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I understand how it should go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI explained it to you. Just give it a shot!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin called out encouragingly to Wesle as he hesitated. He frowned, nodding and mouthing his lines silently. Grev held his scabbard up, doing the same thing.<\/p>\n They were reenacting a fight scene between Romeo and Paris, because Grev had wanted to try acting as well. Of course, Paris wasn\u2019t supposed to be a little boy, but it was as close as Erin could do. And it was a dramatic scene! They were fighting right before Paris was slain and Romeo killed himself. It should have been a powerful moment that needed no direction.<\/p>\n But\u2014<\/p>\n But Erin had begun to realize the error in using Romeo and Juliet as her introduction to plays. It hadn\u2019t seemed like a mistake before, but it was becoming more and more obvious to her as time wore on.<\/p>\n At first glance, Shakespeare made sense. He was a famous guy\u2014his works were classic! And yet\u2014Erin had to admit, the language the famous Bard of Avalon used was\u2026difficult at best.<\/p>\n \u201cGo for it, Grev!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay!\u201d<\/p>\n The boy spoke awkwardly, trying to force the lines of iambic pentameter into natural cadence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCondemned villain, I do apprehend thee:<\/p>\n Obey, and go with me; for thou must die.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed his scabbard at Wesle. The man took a step back and took a deep breath. Wesle cleared his throat and began reciting Romeo\u2019s lines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI must indeed, and therefore came I hither.<\/p>\n Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man.<\/p>\n Fly hence and leave me. Think upon these gone.<\/p>\n Let them affright thee. I beseech thee, youth\u2014I say, isn\u2019t this rather long?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erin groaned and beside her, Jasi covered her face.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it\u2019s long, say the lines! You\u2019re supposed to!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t remember them all!\u201d<\/p>\n Grev sighed and lowered his tired arm as Wesle walked over to consult with Erin. She sighed too. This wasn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n Romeo and Juliet. A timeless play, or so the critics said. Except that time was dragging on here and everyone was clearly growing more and more tired of the play as they fumbled on.<\/p>\n Erin blamed Shakespeare, or more accurately, his dialogue. It was impressive, yes. A woven script filled with a craftsman\u2019s trickery with words. Even more impressive, it was in iambic pentameter, making each meter and verse doubly significant.<\/p>\n And that was the problem. It was dense<\/em>. Now that Erin was recalling the full script, she realized how complex it was! Soliloquies, monologues, clever asides and tricks of dialogue\u2026not to mention all the side characters!<\/p>\n For an audience who liked wit and humor, for an audience of Shakespeare\u2019s time, it was great stuff, Erin had no doubt. But it wasn\u2019t a story that captivated her heart\u2014or her reluctant actor\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cTry again. You\u2019re supposed to be enraged, in the middle of passion!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can barely remember what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle groaned. He tried again.<\/p>\n \u201cGood gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no. It\u2019s too awkward. You sound like you\u2019re just reciting the words, not acting.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle threw up his hands, out of words. He stalked over to Grev and snatched his scabbard back. Erin ruffled her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cArgh. Maybe\u2014let\u2019s try a Romeo and Juliet scene. I went over the play with you guys\u2014you know<\/em> how important their meeting on the balcony is. Let\u2019s do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasi nodded and stood up. Reluctantly, Wesle walked over to the other side of the room, and bowed his head.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t liking this. That made Erin concerned. She went over to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHey. Are you not enjoying it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014don\u2019t know, Miss Solstice. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle just shrugged, looking both annoyed and disheartened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you spoke the lines of the play I got chills, I truly did. But trying to make it into an actual play, to act it out\u2014it\u2019s a different thing entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded. Her audience had listened to her go quickly through the entire play of Romeo and Juliet, drinking in the story like sponges. They\u2019d even memorized entire lines of the play by rote\u2014something Erin had thought was impossible! Apparently when you didn\u2019t have a computer or iPhone handy, your ability to remember things you\u2019d heard was a lot better.<\/p>\n They\u2019d liked the play. But they didn\u2019t like acting. Or rather, Wesle didn\u2019t. Grev liked the mock swordfight and he\u2019d hit Wesle several times with the scabbard, and Jasi had liked playing Juliet. But it was just play-acting, not the real thing.<\/p>\n Erin thought Wesle was trying for the real thing, but he couldn\u2019t figure it out. She\u2019d tried to show him, but acting wasn\u2019t something he\u2019d ever witnessed. All she could give him was her advice, and she had very little of that.<\/p>\n \u201cJust do your best.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle clenched his fists as Jasi murmured her lines and practiced looking elegant. She really did seem to love the idea of the role.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Is it that you can\u2019t figure out how to move?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s\u2014I know it sounds silly, Erin, but I\u2019m just not Romeo. I can\u2019t be this grand hero in love. I\u2019m just\u2014Wesle. Just a [Guardsman], not a young [Lord].\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle\u2019s shoulders slumped. Erin looked at him, and understood a bit. She touched his shoulder and pulled him around.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you\u2019re not Romeo. But no one\u2019s Romeo when they play him, Wesle. They become him.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at her, frustrated, helpless.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated. She looked at Jasi, who was watching her anxiously, and at Grev. How could she explain acting to people who lived such small lives? Who didn\u2019t have dreams? Who were beaten down by this stupid world and system they lived under?<\/p>\n Well\u2026how else? Erin suddenly knew what to say. She looked back as Wesle, looked him right in the eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHaven\u2019t you ever\u2014ever<\/em> wanted to be someone else? To be someone you\u2019re not?\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle hesitated, opened his mouth. Closed it. Grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen that\u2019s what you do. You don\u2019t want to be someone else. For a little while, but a few moments\u2014you become <\/em>them. This is you, on stage, living out your dream.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at Jasi, pointed at the stage, the empty bit of ground they\u2019d cleared.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is your one chance. Forget about me, forget about the people watching you\u2014you\u2019re Romeo right now, a young nobleman who only has eyes for Juliet. You\u2019re not Wesle. Wesle has a fuzzy mustache and he\u2019s just a [Guardsman]. You\u2019re Romeo. And you\u2019re in love.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle stared at Erin, and she wondered if she\u2019d failed. But then without a word he walked towards Jasi. The Drake was ready, and she called out even as Wesle strode towards her, back straight.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night so stumblest on my counsel?\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle walked towards Jasi, and then knelt before her. Erin had thought that was appropriate for Romeo. He looked only a bit awkward as he stared up at Jasi imploringly. Still fake. But he was trying.<\/p>\n \u201cBy a name I know not how to tell thee who I am\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle stumbled over his words and bit his tongue. Erin winced. The language was just too hard! She was about to jump in, to tell him it was alright, when she saw something change.<\/p>\n The [Guardsman] kneeling in front of Jasi as the Drake tried to pretend she had a dress suddenly paused. He stopped, hesitated as he thought of his next lines, and then tossed away the script he had memorized. He rose, and took Jasi\u2019s hand in his own. Startled, the Drake looked at him, but Wesle\u2019s face was serious, his eyes intent on hers.<\/p>\n \u201cMy name, my very nature, dear [Lady], I hate myself\u2014because it is an enemy to you. Had I my name and race written down, I would tear up like parchment.\u201d<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t what Romeo was supposed to say! And yet\u2014it was exactly what he was supposed to say! Erin held her breath delighted, as Jasi paused. She was thinking too, and suddenly there was a glint in her eyes. She pulled her hand free, staring haughtily at Wesle.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve not spoken a hundred words, but I already know that you are no Drake. Art thou not Romeo, a Human?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He looked ashamed, and retreated a step before he bowed his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI would be neither of those things, fair [Lady], if you dislike them. For you\u2014I would be anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly, he advanced on her, trying to put an arm around her waist. Jasi pulled back, but then stepped forwards. She grabbed Wesle\u2019s shirt, and he yelped a bit in surprise.<\/p>\n Romeo and Juliet stood together, youthful, full of passion. Juliet, tail thrashing the ground, pulled Romeo closer to her, her eyes alight with passion.<\/p>\n \u201cTempt not a desperate Drake, Human.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin covered her mouth, whispering the words to herself in shocked glee.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s<\/em> not in the script!\u201d<\/p>\n But this was more than the script. Erin watched Wesle pull back, full of\u2014of condescending hauteur, but also deep interest. They exchanged more lines, and then Romeo knelt, catching at Juliet\u2019s hand again.<\/p>\n \u201cI fear your hand is too noble for mine to ever touch. But I have two blushing balms to offer you, my lips\u2014to smooth your rough scales with a tender kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n Juliet laughed, pulling back and mocking him with her own words.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel you do your hands too much discredit, sir. For after all, balms touch even [Queens] and [Ladies] \u2013 and if two hands should touch, well that too is like a kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n Filled with consternation, Romeo stood up again, gesturing helplessly at Juliet\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not [Queens] and [Ladies] have lips to kiss with?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course they do. But balm is not meant for lips.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed at him, but Romeo was too caught up. He approached, and caught hold of her shoulders, speaking urgently.<\/p>\n \u201cThen let us have lips do what hands do! Please, grant me this\u2014answer my request, or let my hope become despair.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as close as they were, Juliet found the wherewithal to turn her head away and up. Her tail twined about a chair leg, gripping it tightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid [Ladies] have no hopes to give. Only laws to make.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen do not move as I act out my hope\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The audience\u2019s jaws dropped as Romeo kissed Juliet once in passion. He whispered the words as she stared at him in shock and something more.<\/p>\n \u201cNow then, the crime of my assaulting a [Lady] rests on your lips, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled, tremulously, still holding on to a [Lady]\u2019s dignity even in this moment.<\/p>\n \u201cOh? My lips bear your crimes now, do they?\u201d<\/p>\n Romeo\u2019s voice was rough.<\/p>\n \u201cYour lips would turn an honest man to crime with their sweetness. Give me my crime back.\u201d<\/p>\n They kissed again. Only this time, Juliet met Romeo halfway. It was a passionate kiss\u2014and frankly, one that Erin thought Grev should not be watching.<\/p>\n On stage, Erin watched as Wesle and Jasi locked lips, and then continued the scene, slightly breathless but still in character. She had no idea if this was an act or if they\u2019d be jumping each other soon.<\/p>\n No\u2014this was part of the act. They were lost in the characters. And even as Erin watched, Romeo and Juliet came to life before her eyes, not Capulet and Montague, but Human and Drake, caught in forbidden interspecies love.<\/p>\n Erin held her breath as the two continued to act. Her eyes were locked on the performance, trying to capture every second of it before it slipped away. This wasn\u2019t an [Immortal Moment]. Time didn\u2019t stop here; because this wasn\u2019t her scene. She was only part of the audience, a witness to the drama.<\/p>\n How could people act like this so naturally? Maybe it was because they had nothing to cling to. There was no ego in the way they held each other, only two lost lovers daring fate to be together.<\/p>\n The two who stood on the small stage in the inn were playing out roles bigger than themselves. For a little while, they were not Wesle the low-level [Guardsman] and Jasi the impoverished Drake working as a [Washer]. They were Romeo and Juliet, and their story was legend.<\/p>\n So Erin sat and watched the play continue. Grev jumped in, all faulty lines and overenthusiastic acting, and she had to fill in multiple roles herself. It was far from a good play, but for those living each scene, it was special in itself. It was new. It was unique. It was\u2026<\/p>\n A bit of culture. A timeless story, travelling from one world to the other. It wasn\u2019t perfect\u2014it wasn\u2019t accurate to the script and it certainly wasn\u2019t in iambic pentameter. But the spirit was there. It was in every line of dialogue, delivered with clumsy passion and all of each actor\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n It was the stage. And it had come to Celum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Several hours later, Erin realized the play had to be performed. Even after Wesle and Jasi had collapsed tiredly into the chairs\u2014that was just the start.<\/p>\n They needed actors, a set, and audience! When Erin suggested a live performance both man and Drake froze, but they said yes. She had a feeling they would have said yes even if it meant playing all the parts themselves.<\/p>\n But they wouldn\u2019t be alone. Erin was sure of that. Grev had applauded the play\u2014Grev, the boy who could barely sit in one place for long. And the story was compelling; it was a story for<\/em> this world, especially given the real and pressing animosity between Drakes and Humans.<\/p>\n And it would be told. Erin was certain of that. She would make it happen.<\/p>\n The first thing they needed was a place to practice. And happily, they had the inn. They just needed to make sure they wouldn\u2019t be interrupted, namely by Miss Agnes, who had come back full of affronted pride to help manage the lunch crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cLunch? Who has time for lunch!?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin closed the door in Agnes\u2019 face, only opening it again when the woman hammered on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just close the inn! Think of all the coin we\u2019d lose!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo bad! Today the inn\u2019s closed! You said you had things to do, right? Well\u2014do them!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you! This is my inn and I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin opened the door and grabbed Miss Agnes\u2019 hand. She pulled Agnes nose-to-nose with her. The woman stared into Erin\u2019s intense, almost magic gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cGet lost! We\u2019re making art <\/em>here!\u201d<\/p>\n She ran. Erin had no time for her. She was too busy coordinating the play with the others.<\/p>\n \u201cWho would want to act? We need male actors and female ones. And costumes! And a set! I mean, we can do without, but it looks better that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere aren\u2019t any Drakes in the city, are there? We\u2019d need some to play the Capulets\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo wait\u2014there is one! The [Baker], Mister Hess who lives on Springbottom street! I could see him\u2014explain\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about other actors?\u201d<\/p>\n Wesle was stroking his mustache furiously, on an adrenaline high from the performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go to the Watch House. I\u2019m sure there are plenty of men and women who\u2019d love to try this. But how can I explain it to them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo together!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was practically bouncing with excitement. She\u2019d grabbed her bag of coins and she was excitedly pushing gold ones into Grev\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n \u201cYou two can do a scene from the play for them. And tell people we\u2019ll perform it here! Tonight! Admission is free, and they can buy food and drink!\u201d<\/p>\n She gave up on counting coins and dumped a handful of them in to Grev\u2019s hands. The young boy stared at the glittering pile, poleaxed.<\/p>\n \u201cI want costumes, Grev! Clothing for rich people, [Lords] and [Ladies]! And swords!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I can borrow weapons from the Watch House.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, no swords! But get me clothing! And curtains! I want big, red ones! Doesn\u2019t matter if you have to get them to sew it together\u2014it\u2019s going to hang up there and we\u2019ll pull them aside for each scene!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about ah, what did you call them? Props?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProps!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pulled Grev back as he eagerly ran for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cGet me\u2026yeah, get a [Carpenter] and a [Painter] to make some backgrounds! No, wait, I\u2019ll do it! They can draw a city, and a garden and\u2014!\u201d<\/p>\n The girl ran out of the inn. Grev led her to a [Painter]\u2019s store\u2014a man who decorated houses and created art for the nobility. She kicked down the door when he refused to open it. He screamed for the Watch, but they were all busy. Busy auditioning for a play.<\/p>\n And when Erin dragged the poor man to meet the best [Carpenter] in town, news was spreading. How could it not? Here was something interesting, and people were talking about it in the streets. Not too many people of course\u2014word could only spread so fast by word of mouth, and Celum was a big city. There was always something happening.<\/p>\n And yet, the word \u2018play\u2019 had a magic of its own. It spread from person to person, from the Watch House to the bakery where the [Baker] suddenly took a day off for some strange reason. It attracted attention\u2014especially when they saw that new, young [Innkeeper] ran into Stitchworks, and dragged the [Alchemist] out, kicking and screaming.<\/p>\n Something was clearly happening. People began asking questions. What was a play? Was it like a street performance? No? Then what was it? How did it go? Would it cost anything? When was it happening?<\/p>\n What would it be like?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That night, a crowd of people gathered in the Frenzied Hare. It wasn\u2019t a huge amount of people\u2014at least, not in terms of the city\u2019s full population. But it packed two thirds of the room until there was only a little bit of space for the two put-upon [Barmaids] and one [Innkeeper] to circulate the room, passing out drinks and food.<\/p>\n Behind the red curtain that had been hastily stitched together, Erin ran over the play with her actors. They were all new, and they\u2019d barely had time to practice more than once or twice. For any other director, this might have been their worst nightmare.<\/p>\n But to Erin, it was just a lovely dream. The people in front of her might still be memorizing their lines, but they had more passion in their toenails than she\u2019d seen from some actors on stage. She gave them what tips she could, and trusted them to do the rest. Even someone who hadn\u2019t acted in more than one or two school plays like Erin could pass along some important advice.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways be looking at the audience. Even if you\u2019re facing one another\u2014do it so the audience can see your entire body. Like this.\u201d<\/p>\n She demonstrated, and the gathered cast watched her nervously. Some asked questions, others shook with stage fright. The [Baker] passed out, but by the time the curtains drew back, he was ready to go, if vibrating with fright.<\/p>\n The play began. Erin was in agony as she alternated between cooking\u2014throwing together the most mass-producible meals she could of soups and breads, sending Maran running to buy more food to sell at outrageous prices to her guests\u2014while hurrying back out to watch the magic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTwo species, both alike in dignity,<\/p>\n In fair Celum, where we lay our scene,<\/p>\n From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,<\/p>\n Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grev stood in the center of the stage, declaiming to the audience. He was white with fright, but his words made the listeners murmur in interest. Erin bit at her fingernails with glee as the actors came out.<\/p>\n The story of Romeo and Juliet was simple. Complex, and simple. At the heart of it was a love affair. But in the first scenes, the play started with a brawl between the two families, or in this case, the two races. Drakes, or rather, people dressed as Drakes and one actual Drake drew real swords and dueled with angry Humans. Actual blood was spilled, but fortunately, not much.<\/p>\n Erin was too busy shoving hot bowls of soup at Miss Agnes\u2014and spilling some on the woman\u2014to see the fight. But she heard the shout as the fighting ceased.<\/p>\n \u201cSwords! Lay down your unlawful swords!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The actors paused and reluctantly tossed their blades on the ground. A huge man\u2014the actual Watch Captain of Celum himself strode onto the stage with actual [Guardsman] at his back. He was practically bursting with outrage as he roared at the audience who flinched back from him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou men, you beasts! <\/em>Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace! These brawls by old Capulet, and Montague have thrice disturb’d the quiet of our streets. If ever you disturb our homes again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace! Go now! On pain of death, all men depart!\u201d<\/p>\n The play continued as the lead actor, Romeo, played by Wesle, was introduced. He went to a ball at the house of a famous Drake [Lord] and there laid eyes on the lovely Juliet, played by Jasi for the first time.<\/p>\n Erin watched the audience\u2019s expressions. She\u2019d wondered whether they\u2019d like a Drake and Human romance, but despite being from another world and never having seen a play before, they were Humans. Forbidden love captured their hearts and minds and they fell in love with Juliet the moment she took the stage. They sighed and cheered as Romeo and Juliet hit it off.<\/p>\n But then\u2014from the love scene on the balcony, tragedy! Romeo\u2019s friend Mercutio was slain on stage as the audience cried out in shock and horror. In a rage, Romeo confronted the Drake named Tybalt, sword in hand.<\/p>\n Wesle pointed a sword at the Drake\u2019s, full of fury and rage.<\/p>\n \u201cTurn hellhound, turn!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin had liberally used other famous lines from Shakespeare\u2019s plays to add to the drama. The Drake playing Tybalt sneered at Wesle, raising his own sword with a flourish. Undeterred, Romeo advanced, holding his sword with wrath and rage.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn mercy and peace. Fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! Mercutio\u2019s body is not yet cold\u2014waiting for you or I to give it company in the grave!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou fool.\u201d<\/p>\n Tybalt sneered at Romeo, lifting his own sword with a dismissive flick of the tail.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are no [Duelist], and my own levels number over twenty one. Thou<\/em>, wretched boy, that didst consort him here shalt with him hence.\u201d<\/p>\n Adapted for this world, and mixed with the language of the Bard himself. Erin watched at the two dueled, and then saw how Juliet found herself trapped in a marriage against her will, while she yearned to be with her true love, Romeo. Her only option was to pretend to die so she could join Romeo in exile.<\/p>\n Thus, Jasi as Juliet implored the dark-skinned girl holding glowing potions to brew her a potion to reunite her with her love. A plea, as it turned out, that Octavia playing Octavia was only too willing to grant.<\/p>\n The Stitch Girl dominated the stage, playing to her audience hard as she mixed harmless liquids together to create a spectacular reaction for the awed crowd. She held the completed glowing red liquid towards Juliet, chattering away.<\/p>\n \u201cA potion to feign death isn\u2019t hard to brew. But this is very costly. Fortunately for you, Octavia\u2019s Stitchworks offers substantial discounts to all customers, and my new line of potions which I\u2019ve marked down nearly 50%\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the potion, you heartless [Alchemist]!\u201d<\/p>\n Juliet snatched the bottle away from Octavia, cutting the surprise monologue short. Octavia sniffed, affronted.<\/p>\n \u201cWell excuse me<\/em> for trying to do business.\u201d<\/p>\n That got a laugh, and then the story continued. At the end, Juliet wept over Romeo\u2019s corpse, too slow, and too late to prevent her love from dying.<\/p>\n As the sounds of her pursuers reached her ears, Juliet stood in despair, holding the dagger in her hands. Erin heard people in the audience shouting at her not to do anything, but it was too late. Oblivious to the crowd, Juliet stared down at the pointed blade.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYea, noise? Then I\u2019ll be brief. O happy dagger,<\/p>\n This is thy sheath. There rust and let me die.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The dagger plunged into her chest, and the red potion Octavia had made spurted forwards. The crowd was on their feet, but the play continued before they could rush the stage.<\/p>\n In the end, after all the lamentation was done, the Watch Captain stood in front of the audience, head bowed, standing in front of the grieving parents of the slain lovers. He spoke to the crowd, his deep voice and sorrowful eyes finding each person in the crowd.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA glooming peace this morning with it brings;<\/p>\n The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:<\/p>\n Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;<\/p>\n Some shall be pardon’d, and some punished:<\/p>\n For never was a story of more woe<\/p>\n Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And after that\u2014there was nothing. Erin had never seen a speechless crowd, but when they regained their voices there was only sound and cheering. The cast had to come out to bow, had to shake hands and even perform some scenes over again, such was the enthusiasm in the room.<\/p>\n Erin missed all of it. Halfway through the play the audience had forgotten to eat, so spellbound they\u2019d been. But with the thrilling conclusion their hunger came back in force. She cooked like there was no tomorrow, even though it was tomorrow by the time she was done.<\/p>\n And when it was over? When the last actor staggered out of the inn and Erin had hugged Jasi and watched Agnes collapse onto a table, the bag of coins she\u2019d earned held blissfully on her chest. When she\u2019d seen Wesle walk away, his step full of confidence and\u2014and hope?<\/p>\n She went back up to her room, walking slowly. Erin\u2019s head was full of cotton; her arms and legs were lead. She lay back in her bed, too tired to undress or clean her teeth. The curtain call was upon her, but she delayed the ending for one moment to stare up at the ceiling.<\/p>\n In the darkness, Erin smiled. She spoke to the night.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. This isn\u2019t boring at all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [Innkeeper Level 29!]<\/p>\n [Skill \u2013 Crowd Control Obtained!]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" She wished she had an iPod. That\u2019s what Erin thought when she woke up in her small bed on the second floor of Miss Agnes\u2019 inn. It was probably because she\u2019d made the mistake of thinking about home yesterday. Ryoka had her iPhone. She\u2019d kept it even though she\u2019d gone to a whole new world. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693083,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693132],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-3022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-3","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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