Being a village savior apparently came with perks—the most immediate one being that Alexa was no longer allowed to walk. Lyra, deciding that Alexa's "heroic" contribution to the water system had earned her a ride, scooped her up and perched her on her shoulder like a very tiny, very fluffy mascot.
"To Madame Penelope's!" Lyra announced, marching toward a shop draped in colorful silks and hanging vines. "We can't have the Pride of Flora's Rest wandering around in a potato sack."
Alexa buried her face in Lyra's neck, her long white ears draped over the knight's shoulder like a pair of scarves. The attention was overwhelming. Every woman they passed offered a wave, a wink, or a piece of dried fruit.
The interior of the tailor shop smelled of lavender and expensive wool. Madame Penelope, a sharp-eyed woman with four sets of measuring tapes draped over her shoulders like snakes, didn't even look up from her sewing machine at first.
"I told you, Lyra, I won't mend your cape for the third time this week. Buy a new one or stop fighting briar patches," Penelope barked.
"Not for me, Pen," Lyra grinned, gently setting Alexa down on a velvet-covered pedestal. "For her."
The room went dead silent. Penelope's measuring tapes slid off her shoulders and hit the floor. She adjusted her spectacles, leaning in until she was inches away from Alexa's nose. Alexa let out a tiny, panicked "Mew!" and tried to shrink into the pedestal.
"A Bun-kin," Penelope whispered, her professional stoicism crumbling faster than a dry biscuit. "With snow-white fur... and ruby eyes... and droopy ears."
"She's a bit shy," Lyra added helpfully.
"Shy?" Penelope's eyes ignited with a terrifying creative fire. "She is a blank canvas of adorability! She is a masterpiece waiting to happen! Out! Both of you! Except for the little one."
Lyra was shooed out the door before she could protest. Alexa was left alone with the fashion whirlwind. For the next hour, it was a blur of soft fabrics, clicking pins, and Penelope muttering things like, "Too much lace? No, impossible," and "We need something that highlights the twitch of the nose."
Finally, the curtains of the dressing room pulled back.
Alexa stepped out, her tail twitching nervously through a specially designed slit in her new outfit. She was wearing a soft, forest-green dress that reached her knees, layered with a cream-colored pinafore. Around her neck was a small gold bell on a ribbon, and on her feet—finally—were tiny brown leather boots with fur lining.
"Well?" Penelope asked, looking like she was about to faint from pride.
Lyra, who had been waiting outside with Captain Val, turned around and dropped her canteen. The Captain actually had to lean against the wall for support.
"She looks like... a woodland fairy's favorite doll," Lyra managed to choke out.
Alexa looked into the floor-length mirror. She didn't see the sixteen-year-old boy from the rainy street anymore. She saw a tiny, radiant girl who looked like she belonged in a storybook. For the first time, the "shyness" didn't feel like a burden—it felt like it fit. She looked at her reflection, then back at the women, and gave a very small, very hesitant twirl.
Tinkle-tinkle. The little bell around her neck rang softly.
"I... I like the boots," Alexa whispered, looking at her toes. "They're warm."
"They're enchanted, too," Penelope added, wiping a tear from her eye. "They'll never get muddy. Consider it a gift for saving our Moon-lilies."
As they left the shop, Alexa felt a bit more grounded. The world was still huge, and she was still small, but at least she had shoes. However, as they stepped back into the sun, a shadow fell over the market. A massive, winged creature was circling overhead—not a dragon, but a giant, feathered owl-cat, ridden by a woman in scholarly robes.
"Captain!" the rider shouted as the creature landed with a soft thud. "Message from the Capital! There's a rumor of a 'Great mana-pulse' in the outskirts. They think a new source has awakened!"
Alexa felt her heart drop. The bubble. The jumpstart. The Goddess said no systems or glitches, but she didn't say I wouldn't be noticed.
She grabbed the hem of Lyra's cape, her ears flattening against her head. The adventure, it seemed, was just beginning.