The building before the twins looked… fine. It was a simple inn nestled between two just as plain looking structures. “Are you sure about this place? The kingdom gave us enough, according to them, to start a whole life… I'm sure we can find somewhere more inviting.”

“It looks clean and not that shady. Think of it this way… the less we spend right away, the more we'll have to invest in things we'll need for our future. Like clothes or things we might be able to use to make more money.” Melantha gave her brother a smirk. “Plus, the fancier places are probably gonna be packed with the other summoned people that are wanting the best that money can buy. This inn seems like it'll be the perfect balance of quality and obscure.”

“If you're sure… I just don't want you to be too uncomfortable if it can be helped.” Mishal actually looked almost worried.

Mel playful bumped into her brother. “I'm fine, Mr. Mother Hen… Promise.” She grabbed his arm and started walking in.

The interior, unsurprisingly, matched the outside quite well. Most of the furniture was varying types of wood, with some decorative aspects around the space being made of cloth or common metals. Immediately the twins noticed, after they went in, that there was a long desk counter near the door that they entered. There was also a stairwell leading to the second floor on one side of the desk and the other side opened up further back to a space that was sprinkled with tables to eat at.

Directly behind the counter, with just enough space for someone to comfortably move around, there was a wall. If someone were to step far enough away from the side with the stairs, one would be able to see that there was what looked like a kitchen area on the other side of said wall. The counter turned at one point to extend back and acted as a small barrier between the cooking and dining areas.

“Welcome to the Stormy Spiderweb. How can I help you?” The bored looking teen barely looked up from the book that they were clearly reading while there wasn't anyone else around.

Mishal chose to be the one to speak on behalf of the twins. “Ah, right… My sister and I were hoping to rent a room for a while.”

“Two silvers a night. Or you can get a discount if you rent by the week; then it will one gold per a week.” The teenager read out the prices in a monotone voice, making it quite evident that they had no set interest in their job.

“Sounds great. Do you have any rooms with two be-”

“We'll take two separate rooms.” Melantha interrupted; not wanting to bunk up with her brother, no matter how close the twins were. “Preferably near each other…? We aren't sure how long exactly… Can we just pay for four weeks now, and then let you know later if we'll need them longer?”

“Oh, um, sure…That'll be eight gold.” Mel started to take out the coinage as the inn attendant listed the price of the rooms. “For an additional six coppers a night, though, dinner is also included.” The teenager added.

Hearing that, she finished counting out the coins and confidently set down eleven gold pieces, three silvers and six coppers on the counter. “Well, if such a cutie is recommending it, I can’t imagine why we shouldn't take you up on the deal…” Mel leaned against the counter slightly as she talked.

The worker handed over two keys with a half smile. “Your rooms are up the stairs and at the end of the hall. Feel free to come get me if you have any trouble finding it… Or even if you don't.” The teen added suggestively towards Mel.

Mel accepted the keys with her own bit of flair. “I'll definitely see you around, Lovely.” She gave a wink before turning to lead her brother upstairs.

They were almost all the way up the stairs before Mishal spoke again. “I thought we were staying here to save money… yet then you got us two rooms.”

Mel rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Living together is one thing, but a girl's gotta have some privacy if we're gonna be staying here a while. Can't have as much fun if I have to worry about you walking in on me.”

 The thought of what she was implying seemed to make Mishal uncomfortable as he quickly changed the topic. “How did you know exactly how much we needed to pay?”

“Because those lessons on the world they had us sit through went over the conversion rate between coins…?” Mel stated, confused by Mishel’s question.

“You weren't even paying attention during those!” Mishal exasperatedly replied. “I'm pretty sure I saw you actually dozing off a few times…”

Mel shrugged as they got to their respective doors across the hall from each other. “I remember the stuff that seemed important.”

Mishal sighed. He honestly should have expected it, considering what he knew of his sister. “We should probably get at least a few more clothes and some other daily supplies. Do you want to rest for a bit and then go out shopping later?”

“I guess we have kinda been going nonstop since being summoned. Will you stop worrying about me so much if I do relax for a while?”

“No promises, but yes.” Mishal agreed.

“Fi~ne… but I want some books when we go shopping if it's within the budget. And some tools for writing.” She unlocked her door and started to go in. “I'm surrounded by attractive muses in this new world and the itch to write is wiggling around in my brain.”

***

Melantha looked at the various jackets and other outwear the shopkeeper was selling. A lot of it looked quite durable, and yet the older man kept trying to recommend the fancier pieces with elaborate embroidery designs. She was having a hard time deciding on what she wanted.

That is until she noticed it: a semi-large overcoat that would go down to mid thigh on her, not quite pitch black but slightly tinted a deep purple, and embroidered around the edges with simple star designs. Mel even remembered the shopkeeper mentioning that all the coats in that area were made with goblin leather, claiming it made the clothes more durable and water resistant.

She picked it up to examine it more closely; making up her mind in the process. Having decided, she turned her focus on her brother. “Mish, you decide on a jacket yet?”

Her brother held up a light blue and tan coat of similar cut. “Just a few minutes ago.”

“Good.” She turned to the shopkeeper who'd clearly been focusing on helping her more than Mishal for some reason. “We'll just take these two for now… Is there a decent book shop around that you would recommend?”

The shopkeeper quickly tallied up how much they owed and took payment before directing them down the street and around a corner to one such shop.

Arriving at the bookshop, Mel supposed it was acceptable. It looked quaint and much smaller than she was used to. Though, considering the overall vibe of the world from what she'd observed, it did make sense that there wouldn't be much demand for owning one's own books, especially with the city also having a publicly accessible library. Most residents likely had other things they'd rather spend their money on.

Still… Mel was only half there for the books. Based on all the fantasy stories she'd read, a book store seemed the most likely place to also sell paper and writing utensils. In that respect, her fiction novels didn't fail her. There was a whole section of shelves stocked with different types of paper, quills and inks. 

Mishal was left standing awkwardly to one side, forgotten, as Melantha poured over the different options like her life depended on it. Trying to keep himself occupied, he started browsing the small selection of books. Maybe he'd come across a local recipe book or something else useful.

He had been so focused on looking at the book titles, that Mishal barely noticed when he almost bumped into another patron of the shop. The walnut haired man looked human enough, yet Mishal got this odd feeling that he seemed out of place for some reason. Perhaps it was the crazy variety of different people he'd seen and interacted with ever since being summoned causing his perception to become weird, but the other man's tanned skin sprinkled with freckles felt almost too natural. The man’s deep hazel eyes felt like they could see into Mishal’s very soul when he turned to look at him.

Mishal opted for a courteous smile to hide his discomfort. The man faintly smiled back before turning back to the shelf he'd been searching. Thinking the other man might mistakenly think Mishal wanted to avoid him and get offended if he suddenly walked to another area, Mish continued looking at the titles beside the man.

It was by pure chance that a title caught Mishal’s eye just as the man was reaching down for a different book. A bracelet that looked like two interwoven branches slid out from under the man's sleeve and off his arm. He appeared so occupied with grabbing the book, that he didn't seem to even notice it coming off.

Mishal had squatted earlier to better read titles on the lower shelves, so he only had to reach out to grab the bangle as it rolled slightly under the shelf. The design looked simple but he could tell it was high quality craftsmanship… It was likely precious to the man, if not also very valuable. He carefully got up, turning to the man, and held out the bracelet.

“Here, you dropped this, Sir.” Hearing his voice, the man turned questioningly.

Then he saw the item in Mishal's hand and that's when something quite peculiar happened. The man got an expression like a deer in headlights, just staring wide-eyed at Mishal. After a second or two, he suddenly started turning very, very… green?