I have but thirty six coins with me. If I were to count their worth in silver coins, the worth would come up to twelve silver pieces. As I start my journey, I might still need to keep hold of my old clothes. I attempted to wash and claim the old clothes from Ingrid, Gudrun and Helja. While none of their clothes were my size, with the right sewing tools, I was able to fit into one of Gudrun’s old clothes. Although, even still, they are a bit oversized.

Her new wool garments were dyed a deep blue–something Gudrun had noticed from Emerys old style. When it came time to clean clothes to give to Emery, Gudrun had insisted Emerys should keep the color as a part of her wardrobe. Her overshirt had been rather large, alongside her pants. But with advice from Helja, she managed to style the breaches with her long white stockings to where it looked intentional. Not that it was among her closest priorities to look decent for a trip in the forest. Her satchel at her side, her old pair of shoes covering her feet(they would have to buy new ones on the trip), and a wooden walking stick held tightly, Emerys found herself smiling when she saw herself in a mirror. 

After the final adjustments, she turned back to her old clothing. With wringing them out in a nearby stream, as well as some soap, she cleaned the tunic of stains which had been there for at least a week. Upon hanging it up on the clothesline, she cast one last glance before turning back to her head covering.

The gentle blue still complemented her wool clothes, and better yet, it kept her gentle brown curls a bit neater as her hair wove itself into a braided bun.

"The scarf is a part of my identity," Emerys said. "I think I will keep it the way it is."

Helja gave her a curious study. “There’s one more thing I wish I could give you, and that would be a chain for your orb. Such a light is so rare, and the fact that you can control it, well--.”

It technically wasn’t hers. But Emerys did not correct her. In her old city, she had been labeled a thief among academics. In the new village, there was something alluring about leaving such a reputation behind. Therefore, she would not tell Helja she had accidentally stolen the stone. At least, not until her choices ran out.

“What about a bow and arrow?” Emerys said. “Gudrun has her sword, and Jarl his ax. I should probably make sure I am armed as well.”

“To be a proper hunter and warrior, you would need a bow and arrow, as well as a knife,” Helja said. “Name your price. I do not part with my weapons without some form of compensation.”

“Well,” Emerys said. “I do have those six silver coins from home. They are super rare, and I am not sure you will find others like them.”

“You could say that regardless of their value in your old world,” Helja said. “How long did it take you to earn those?”

“Well,” Emerys said. She paused, not knowing what to say next. All of her coins had come from Verina, with there being three hundred in the beginning. Twenty coins had gone to Lydia for her appearance in court, and the rest had been given to Jakob for restitution. She would not tell them that, though. Rather, she stated some basic facts to the best of her abilities. “When I worked my job, I would prefer to earn copper pieces. Those were easier to spend in smaller doses. Five copper pieces to a silver piece, like here. And so I would earn about five silver pieces a week from that job. That was average.”

“Oi!” Gudrun said. “Did you seriously spend nearly a week’s worth on my food?”

“I was hungry,” Emerys spoke as if it were a simple fact. “And I didn’t know how else to pay you.”

Gudrun shook her head. “Over here, thirty coins is considered normal, so I guess it’s not too different. But I suppose I should pay you back, no?”

“Well, I don’t need that money anyway,” Emerys said. “I am certain I will find more, and having a weapon is more important right now.”

“I suppose,” Gudrun said.

“Listen, my old job didn’t pay well anyway,” Emerys shrugged. “There’s a reason I stayed with him for far too long. My professor friend made at least three times as much as I did.”

“Who is him?” Gudrun asked.

“It’s not important,” Emerys said. “At least, not right now.”

At that moment, jumping into the river would have been comparable to revealing that information. She’d gotten comfortable, and in a split second, she had revealed something. The urge to apologize for it lasted until Helja gave a polite nod.

“So the weapons,” Helja asked. “How much are you willing to pay for them?”

“In my world, they would be worth so much more than this,” Emerys said. She then inspected the craftmanship of the blade, as well as its sheath. “How much time did it take to forge the knife?”

“Oh, I purchased it while on a hunting trip. Paid at least sixty coins.”

“It doesn’t feel right for me to take it at that price, then,” Emerys said. “I will give you all six of my silver coins for the blade, ten copper coins for the bow and, with two extra for the quiver and the arrows. And then I will give you four copper coins for the sheath. If, by any chance, I happen to make more money on the road, maybe we can revisit those costs.”

“So then we can take the payment in installments.” Helja took her blade back, gave it a long inspection, then she gave it back to Emerys. “Let’s revisit when you come back, but for right now, I will find those prices agreeable.”

Emerys exhaled a long breath. At least she’d been allowed to pay Helja something. “Thank you.”

“Ah, thank yourself,” Helja said. “You know, at forty-three years of age, I know what it’s like to struggle. Although, I don’t know your struggles. Just thank me by helping my husband find our son. Is that good enough?”

“I think so,” Emerys mused.

“When the night becomes a problem once more, maybe you can kill some trolls,” Helja said, giving a wry chuckle. There was a twinkle in her eye as she made the jest, but within her expression lingered a hint of sadness.

Emerys turned back to Gudrun and Jarl. “I suppose we should get some rest before we leave? Or maybe I can cook everyone a nice meal before we go. As a thank you.”

“Save your strength,” Helja said. “You can cook us the nice meal when you come back.”

I spent six silver coins and sixteen copper coins tonight, leaving me with fourteen coins left. On the plus side, I now have a bow, with a quiver of six arrows as well as a hunting knife. Plus, I intend to continue experimenting with my orb, with the hope that there might be usage there which I have yet to uncover. I will talk to both Gudrun and Jarl about taking side quests to refill my funding.