Serenity wasn't so sure of the situation. Werewolves seemed to be a constant nuisance now and no longer just creatures of myth in children's nightmares. The lady didn't think she would encounter more after James and just assumed he'd be the only one at her heels.
"Well, alright then. However, if there is a problem don't be afraid to send word to Wistvale for an armed guard if it comes down to it."
Before Rebecca came down she answered the barkeep as if she knew it would come up, "Wistvale has an established government now along with a competent armed patrol force. You can contact councilman Grayell directly for assistance."
She dropped her serious pretense and smiled when she heard Becky coming down the steps.
"I'm ready dear one, come, you must show me around the market!"
Without seeking permission Serenity walked out with Becky and headed to the street, following it to the small marketplace she recalled visiting before. Only that time she looked for forward and other supplies, not clothing.
"I didn't ask your father but if you'd like maybe we can get something for you too! I'm sure you'll help me pick up something nice."
Serenity walked side by side the child, perhaps looking like an older sister or even her mother, "Why don't you tell me a little more about your sweetheart?" Serenity asked sincerely with no undertone of concern. She did want to know more about the wolves, but didn't want Becky to know she shared the same concern as her father does. As well as to just tease the girl a little.
His name is Michael, and he's seventeen. He lives with his family outside of town, with the other werewolves. They really are nice, Serenity. I ate dinner with them a few nights ago. They use silverware and everything.
The store was before them, full of merchandise and surprisingly large for this small-ish town.
Maybe. This store doesn't have a lot of things I like...
Several issues went through her mind, all surrounding the werewolves, but also in the mix was the fact that apparently these were tame and capable of human interaction as if they didn't have their savage nature at all. It gave her some hope for James, to perhaps save him and return him to his family or even start their married life anew.
Wanting to keep focus at the situation at hand, Serenity shook these thoughts and looked over the merchandise.
"Aw, there must be something, well, if you find anything you like please let me know."
Serenity's eyes scanned the place for clothing, more specifically hooded cloaks, "Rebecca dear, do you know where they keep cloaks in this market, something I could use to cover myself easily in the rain?"
Becky pulled on her sleeve and pointed over to a stall where a lot of cloaks were hanging up. A few of them were nicer, but others were relatively cheap, in various colors and Serenity could buy them easily. Suddenly Rebecca came running up with a small necklace.
Serenity, look! It's a choker with a pawprint on it. Can I get it? Indeed it was, a blue choker with a charm that had a pawprint on it.
Serenity smiled and nodded her head, "Of course dear, I think it'll look lovely on you. I used to wear one myself on occasion. Michael will surely think so too."
Letting Rebecca carry her new accessory, Serenity found what she believed to be a line with hooded cloaks, exactly what she wanted. There was one that way away from all the others and hung alone on a wall, there was something eerie about it as nothing else was placed near it. It was a dark color, like the shade of night. It would be perfect for traveling the commoner streets at night without being noticed.
"What do you think of this one on me, Rebecca?"
______
From the Greater Merchant Market
Darkness' Embrace. - This cloak swims in shadows and puts off quite an eery aura... - Additional Item. - The user may spend one round performing no action but announcing their intent to cloak. - On the next round, the user will be entirely covered in shadow and will not be recognized as anything but a lump of shadow. - Doing this in an obvious place might not work so well. - $100.
The choker cost 25$, cheap because it was nonmagical. Serenity paid for both the items and Rebecca put on the choker, and hugged her outside the store.
And Serenity spends 125gp, and puts the cloak on herself without the hood.
Perfect fit
Serenity looked down, trying not to frown as much as she wanted to. She truly adored this child, and was hesitant on making any more promises than she needed to.
"Yes...but I don't have to leave right this instant, why don't you show me your room and I can teach you a song like I promised I would last time?"
Rebecca cheered and led Serenity back to the Tavern, babbling about this and that. The bartender rolled his eyes, smiling as Rebecca pulled her bodily up the stairs to her room.
The room itself was a normal teenage girl's room, especially the child of a single father. A little messy, but with a certain kind of order. The definition of organized chaos. She sat on her bed and pointed to a chair at a desk, grinning.
"You scoundrel you..." she said looking over the room, seeing a few things out of place and not at all clean. Still, she wasn't going to rat her out to her father over it.
Serenity took the hint and took a seat at her desk.
"Well, its a song for weary travelers. It gives one strength and resolve to continue onward no matter how hard things may seem. I learned it while I was traveling myself."
She sat herself up straight and cleared her throat a bit and then doing a quick warm up by singing a scale in her throat.
"Remember this song when you're away from your father and home, and pray that it guides you back to a familiar door."
She sang it softly, almost like a lullaby. The melody began soft, but her words weren't incoherent thanks to her strong support. Ever so slightly she would increase in dynamic, but not loud enough to break into her normal singing volume which would be to loud for this tiny room.
It was a simple song in the common tongue, but Serenity treated it like anything in her normal repertoire and performed the song like she was exhaling a breath. The simple melody and intervals flew off easily with full musical expression and context. Her voice seemed to hug Rebecca, holding her like a mother's warm embrace as she sung a quiet promise into her ears.
Rebecca laid on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows as Serenity began, listening intently, dreamily. As the song went on, her eyes seemed to get heavier, more and more, her blinking getting slower and slower. Serenity's lullaby seemed almost magically effective, and by the end of the song her head slid down to the bed, and she fell asleep.
A single tear had rolled down her cheek when she finished singing. She intended for Rebecca to fall asleep during her lesson and felt awful about it, but she couldn't bare to see this child's pleading face when she eventually left.
Serenity walked up to her and helped tuck her into bed, kissing her on the cheek when she was done.
"I'll be back to see you, I promise..."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and proceeded downstairs. The lady only turned to see Rebecca's father briefly before heading straight for the door and to the wagons,
"You have a wonderful daughter, I pray you remain in good health so you may continue to watch over her."
With that she left the tavern and headed for the stables where she will being the long journey home, to the golden city state of Highever.
Serenity didn't count the days, she did at first but eventually she stopped caring. It had been a few years before she arrived to Wistvale, only due to her staying at some places longer than others. The wagons she got on would sometimes pass by familiar towns, and sometimes villages she never seen before or perhaps never noticed.
She thought they were arriving faster than they should have, her journey to its abrupt end at Wistvale being a slow and long one.
In about three weeks time she would see it, even some miles away she could see the grand city on the shore next to the gold rich mountains that made Highever so powerful, and not just gold with other precious metals, but its people who encompassed many talented magic users that made up its military.
The city rested on a mountain itself, if you could see it. It looked as if Highever rose up as high as the snow capped mountains and could touch the sky. Near its peak were the noblest of houses, where she lived, at the base of the mountain were the middle class and its merchants, and down in the nearby plains were the poorest people who were the labor force that fed the rich and helped the city grow.
The city gates opened for her and the wagon, the guards vigilant but unsuspecting. The dark streets seemed foreboding but still welcoming to her, as familiar as they are to her. It was quiet tonight, but there was an air of business. The city never slept.