“The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.”

  Charlie Chaplin, English Actor

  “It’s… um… ten gold per night Scholar,” stuttered the innkeeper, unable to take her eyes off Milly’s face. “It includes a simple breakfast but… I’m sorry, we’ve never had a Scholar stay here before. We’re just a simple establishment, serving the maintenance workers and farmers. We don’t have access to the luxuries you should be afforded. Are you certain you don’t want to stay at of the inns at the Academy?”

  “As long as Coco and Jinora can stay with me in the room, whatever you have will be fine,” Milly replied. She didn’t understand why the woman seemed so concerned about the state of her inn. Except for its worn marble floor and the fractured shutter on the eastern window, the inn was pleasant.

  Certainly better than my apartment back home or the floor of a cubicle. And miles better than sleeping on the street. I’m sure I could get better accommodations further into the city, but I want to keep a low profile. Besides… I don’t know, anything more is too much for me. I’m really not comfortable with luxury.

  “Your pets? I… I guess so, scholar. What… what are they?”

  She tore her gaze from Milly’s face and glanced over at Coco and Jinora, who were exploring the empty tables in the inn’s tavern. As far as Milly could tell, there were no other patrons at the inn. Though, if the black orb worked the same here as at Research Station Omega, one could pop into existence at any moment.

  “My friends,” Milly corrected, and the innkeeper looked abashed.

  “Friends. Of course, Scholar. Of course they can stay here. I wouldn’t deny you anything. Do you friends need… um… beds or…”

  The innkeeper trailed off, having no clue what the creatures might require. The thin, mousey woman with thick glasses and a bright pink braid that grew to the small of her back flinched each time Milly grew close, as though Milly would bite.

  “We’ll make do with what’s in the room,” Milly said chipperly, trying to set the woman at ease. “You have a lovely place here. Do you run it by yourself?”

  “I… my mate and our two sons… they run it with me. They’re just…”

  The woman hesitated, not knowing how to finish her sentence.

  Her family haven’t appeared yet, and Cizen’s orb shields that knowledge from her. But whatever Cizen did to manipulate their memories requires a few seconds to adjust when they realize something is wrong.

  “My mate and my sons are visiting family,” the woman finally answered, as the conflict resolved itself in her mind. “I’m working here alone until they get back.”

  “At least it isn’t that busy,” Milly said, looking at the empty tables. “Easier to manage alone.”

  “It… should be busier than this…” the innkeeper trailed off, another conflict forming in her head. “The maintenance workers usually fill my tavern after their shift…”

  “I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Milly said quickly, trying to divert the conversation.

  If I keep pointing out the errors in her world, I’m going to give this poor woman an aneurysm.

  “Yes… that sounds right,” the innkeeper agreed, though she didn’t sound completely convinced.

  “I’m Milly,” Milly said abruptly, before the innkeeper’s mind drifted again. “Could you show us to our room. We’ve had a long trip.”

  “Oh… oh! Yes, Scholar Milly. Yes, of course I can,” the innkeeper said, embarrassed. “Right this way.”

  She led them up the marble stairs and down the narrow hallway to the room at the end. The innkeeper handed Milly a key.

  “It’s… a pretty basic room. I hope you aren’t disappointed,” the innkeeper said as she opened the door and led them inside.

  The room was not what Milly expected. The four-post bed was easily twice the size of any she had seen before, able to easily accommodate an Oriane even larger than Apoi. The mattress looked soft, and it was covered with colorful, fluffy blankets and pillows. There was an old hardwood desk in the corner, alongside matching dressers and end tables. An archway led to a small balcony that overlooked the sunset-lit ocean waters, and twin arched windows, their shutters thrown open, filled the room with a pleasant evening breeze. Across from the bed was an ensuite bathroom, complete with a bathtub with its own view of the ocean.

  “It’s… it’s beautiful,” Milly breathed with astonishment. It was the most luxurious bedroom she’d ever seen.

  “It’s nothing special,” the innkeeper said, pulling her pink braid nervously. “It pales in comparison to the inns at the Academy, or those in the academic district. The breeze sometimes smells like fish, and my son was supposed to give it another coat of paint and… are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to stay in a place more suited to someone of your caliber?”

  Milly shook her head, taking it all in. Coco waddled past her and climbed up onto the bed, bouncing playfully in the blankets. Jinora flew over to the balcony and stared out at the ocean with a sense of contentment.

  “It’ll do just fine,” Milly whispered gratefully.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I… alright,” the innkeeper said softly, deciding not to argue any further with her special guest. “My name is Citron. If you need anything – anything at all – I’ll be downstairs.”

  “Thanks Citron,” Milly said as the woman tentatively closed the door behind her and fled down the hall with a tiny squeak. “I guess Geta and Apoi were right about the class rift in this city. I hadn’t expected it to be so pronounced.”

  But that divide is not your concern, Milly. They think you are a scholar, so use that to your advantage.

  Milly headed out to the balcony and leaned against the rail next to Jinora. They faced east, towards the balloon platform and the street of merchants that ran in front of the inn. A tall, orange-haired Oriane glanced up at her from the street below and Milly waved. The man, startled at her appearance, practically ran down the road until he was out of sight.

  Okay… maybe I need to do something to hide my face. I can’t keep a low profile if I freak everyone out. There’s an illusion talent web, but the magic seems like such a waste of a talent point. Besides, I’d need to level up again, and I don’t know if there’s anything to fight on this island. There must be an easier way.

  Her eyes fell on the tailor across the street, its elderly owner occupied pulling the racks of clothing inside her store before she closed for the day. Despite passing a dozen shops between the balloon platform and the Waterside Inn, the tailor was the only shop actually in operation.

  “Stay here you two,” Milly said. “I’m going to pop across the street.”

  Milly thought they might protest, but Coco simply gave her a content little bark from her spot on the bed and Jinora waved a dismissive foreleg at her. Apparently neither one was in a hurry to leave the luxury they’d stumbled into.

  With a quick glance down the street to make sure no one was watching, Milly vaulted over the balcony and landed on the street below, ready to shop.

  * * *

  “My dear, you aren’t the first scholar who’d had to hide the unfortunate results of her experiments,” Edna, the tailor, said in a motherly tone. “I designed an entire new wardrobe for one woman who’d burned off her left arm and breast. Now that was a challenge.”

  Edna was a touch shorter than Milly, with short white hair cut into a bob and deep wrinkles under her eyes. She circled methodically around Milly, studying her gown, witch’s hat, gothic boots and myriad of mismatched accessories. She gave a slight tsk of disapproval when she saw Milly’s Collar of the Victor – the centipede shaped collar she’d received from defeating The Crushing Wave. “You’re a bit of a fashion disaster, aren’t you?”

  Milly didn’t know how to explain her wardrobe. She missed her simple black hoodie. There were no fashion choices in her old life. Just the black hoodie, its bagginess expertly covering her many imperfections.

  She felt Edna’s finger trace across the back of her gown where it’d been ripped open by the harpy. It had been quickly repaired at Research Station Omega, but the threads were already coming loose.

  “This won’t do at all. I won’t have you leaving here looking like some misused ragdoll. Take it off. I’ll fix it while we figure out how to hide your face.”

  “I… what?” Milly stammered, staring at the old Oriane. She sounded like a grandmother who was used to getting her way.

  “Your dress. Off with it. Don’t be so shy, dear. I’ve got seven daughters and thirteen granddaughters. You haven’t got anything I haven’t seen before,” Edna said dismissively, already grabbing her sewing materials from her workbench.

  Milly glanced around the tiny shop. Between the racks of clothes and piles of fabric lining the walls, there was hardly room to stand. There was no change room, but Edna, impatiently, slid a curtain across the entrance of her shop for privacy.

  Milly removed her boots and slipped the gown off her shoulders and down her chest, feeling exposed. She flushed as she slipped the gown over her ankles, until she was standing there in nothing but her ratty, well-worn black bra and panties. They were the same ones she’d worn when they’d arrived in the God Contest, and they had been old even then.

  Edna gently snatched the gown from Milly’s hands and gave another disapproving tsk at the state of Milly’s undergarments. “Do you have a mate, deary?” she asked casually, pulling out sewing tape to take Milly’s measurements.

  “Y… yes,” Milly stuttered. “Her name is Cally. I haven’t… seen her for a while.”

  “Pretty girl?”

  “The most beautiful woman in the world,” Milly said without hesitation.

  “Well, Scholar Milly, your undergarments are one passionate coupling away from disintegrating in your lover’s hand. I know you researchers can neglect self-care, but this just won’t do. We’ll need to pick out new undergarments as well.”

  “But…” Milly began to protest, but the woman held up a stern finger.

  “No buts,” Edna scolded, as she continued to circle around Milly’s body. Edna counted under her breath as she poked a finger at Milly’s growing collection of scars.

  The patchwork of burns that covered her arm, the price of her victory over Red Fang.

  The eight tiny scars across the tips of her fingers from desperately holding on to the Dragon of Endless Shadows scales.

  The cut across her back from shoulder to hip, from her fight with the harpy – the same one that had torn her gown.

  And the twin scars across her wrists – the constant reminder of her lowest point in life – earned long before the God Contest.

  The Scarred Witch. How many more scars will I have by the time this is all over?

  “Life hasn’t been easy on you, has it?” Edna asked sympathetically, then poked her belly. “What’s this one?”

  “Umm… my belly button,” Milly said awkwardly.

  “And these dark spots?”

  “My moles,” Milly replied. She’d almost forgotten that the Orianes were a different species, with bodies just this side of flawless. Milly hoped Edna wasn’t growing suspicious.

  “More deformities from your research?”

  “Umm… sort of. I joined up with the Explorers of the Archipelago last year,” Milly said, hoping the lie would be enough. Bestian had told her of his days with the Explorers. While those who discovered new islands were celebrated as heroes, far more ended up disfigured or dead. It was a dangerous profession – one clouded in mystery as the Explorers were known to keep their secrets close to their chests.

  Which made it was the perfect cover story for Milly.

  Edna gazed up at her with a look of disappointment. “You joined those madmen when you have a mate waiting for you back home? You ought to appreciate the treasures you have at your fingertips, rather than chasing after a fool’s dream of adventure and fame.”

  That’s all I want – to return to my treasures back home. If I could leave the danger behind, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I can’t, can I? None of us can.

  Edna finished her measurements and clicked her teeth as she considered Milly’s problem.

  “Very well. I think a thin veil sewed into the rim of your hat will hide your facial disfigurement well enough. Such veils are popular with young women your age to keep off the sun, so you won’t look out of place. Head over to that shelf and pick out a color of fabric while I repair your dress. Once you’ve done that, look through the second drawer of that dresser over there for undergarments. And I implore you, stay away from anything as plain and boring as all this.”

  Edna gestured to Milly’s current state of dress, and Milly felt embarrassed.

  “Find something sensual for your lover. Trust me. My mate and I were together for fifty years before he passed, and a good set of seducing garments will keep that heat alive.”

  Milly laughed at the grandmother’s cheekiness and decided to follow her advice. She headed over to the fabric shelf while Edna sat at her workbench to repair the gown.

  Something to seduce Cally? Why not?

  The Non-Canonical Aftermath: