Three Witches Boutique
 

It was a day like any other for most people. The weather, a rather sunny day, matched the season. People walked outside, chatting with each other or on cell phones, or simply wandering around by themselves. Birds were chirping, fish were swimming, and Lina was bored out of her mind. Little Lina, her sisters would joke, just because of her height.

It didn't matter that she was the most mature of the bunch, nor that she worked twice as hard as they did when it came to running the store. All that seemed to matter was them teasing or tormenting her in one way or another. It was bad enough that because of her short stature and young appearance, she looked just past the age of sixteen, customers didn't take her seriously. But after all the years she had spent manning the front while her sister's played, she just wanted a little respect. Just taking a look at her though would allow anyone to understand why most people treated her like a girl, and not like the woman she was.

Perhaps about 5'3", she had bright pink hair that fell almost down to her waist in cotton candy colored waves. Her current clothing did not show off her current figure, covered in layers of black. A black beanie with a skull on the side, a long sleeved black shirt covered by a horizontally striped black and white shirt with big, baggy black pants with chains down the side and combat boots on her feet. She looked like a girly-girl trying to act tough and dark, but she just liked black.

Letting out a small sigh she looked around the store, nothing catching her interest because she had seen it all before. It was rare for them to get anything new, mostly because they almost never got any customers. Today was supposed to be the end of her shift, but unless she used the emergency method or a customer walked in she'd probably be stuck there. If only someone would walk through the door and find something they had to have, then she could definitely leave and go on her next adventure for sure. She didn't even care if she had to babysit someone, it was better than being stuck behind a desk for a century.

A day like any.

Yet unlike any, as well - unlike any for Clancy. The young boy made his way through the city, a slender, short figure among the thronging masses of humanity. A single young man of caramel skin coloring and a unique phenomenon in his eyes, the right was a vibrant red, the left an electric blue. His white, close-cropped bobbed hair, sure to stand out in a smaller town, drew little attention from these busy persons going about their lives in the town.

Clancy melted in with the crowds, allowing the flow to shift him around. He could feel a source of something unusual but was not too bothered by it. He simply strolled, hands in the pockets of his grey trousers, his green pack full of medical supplies bounced at his hip.

"What's this?"

He looked up. A boutique, a little store... it had a charming front, charming by his standards, and it was drawing him in somehow, exciting him - he wanted to go in there.

He hadn't gotten this far among humans by ignoring magical impulses, but he proceeded with caution as he opened the door of the shop. He entered and an eclectic mix of items and novelties met his eyes, and he looked around wonderingly even as he let the door shut behind him.

"Hello?" he called.

She had started to zone out, thinking of all the different worlds she had been to. There was even one world where they thought of her as a goddess. They thought that way about her sisters as well, but she ignored that part and just enjoyed the thought of people actually listening to her and taking her advice. And then she heard the chime and a voice and nearly fell out of her seat in surprise. Hastily getting out of her chair she went over to the entrance with the biggest smile imaginable on her face.

"Hello, and welcome to the Three Witches Boutique. My name is Lina and if you need any help I'm right here. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" It was something rehearsed many times over, repeated again and again and while she hated the words her excitement for what was going to happen overpowered the boredom of repetition.

There was also the smug part of her that new Rina would be back any second and she'd be able to rub it in her sister's face that she was going to be working the desk for the next shift. After all the times she'd had to put in overtime because of Rina's irresponsibility, she certainly felt joy when it came to making her sister do something. Best part was, it was the powers doing it not her so Rina couldn't yell at her about it without seeming like a fool.

While he couldn't see it, there was a shift as soon as he entered the store. A backroom opened up with a starry image on it, the night sky filled with constellations real and fake. It was completely still, but there was a presence of power that could be felt if someone was highly enough attuned to that sort of thing.

Clancy blinked. The clerk had almost assaulted him in her efforts to provide service - or maybe he was just shy. As she rattled off the normal speech of the typical sales clerk, he looked around because he felt a shift in the air, definitely something unnatural. Something magical. He felt the back of his neck itching, a sure sign that supernatural happenings were abound in this area.

He blinked, and stopped staring about, in case it was rude, and instead focused on the small girl in front of him. She was shorter than his 167 centimetres, and with bright pink hair and all black clothes she made a dazzling contrast. He blinked a second time at the small girl. She looked very young.

"Hello," he said, in a slight Irish brogue. "I'm not looking for much in particular, I just came in for looks- "

He looked about quickly. "What exactly do you sell here?" he asked. The place seemed to have all sorts of knick-knacks available for perusing, and maybe some had magical or medical properties...or both. And if there were such items in the store, he'd like to have them as they would be perfect for a doctor-in-training. Even a pixie doctor.

He shook his head self-consciously and remembered that his pale hair covered his pointed ears. Three Witches Boutique...maybe I'm not the only nonhuman in the city. The idea could well be true if the sensations he felt from this store were anything to go by.

Definitely a curious sort. She knew enough from her experiences to be able to tell what he was hiding, but she'd let it go. There was no way for him to know what exactly he had stepped into, at least not yet. But there was definitely promising circumstances if he was already attuned to magic in general. Less freaking out when they started their journey.

"Well, we sell... I suppose whatever we have. We don't exactly have a genre to our inventory," her tone was a little less excitable, more informative and knowledgeable, and definitely less rehearsed, "We're somewhat like a pawn shop in the fact that we sell what people bring to us. But we are different in that we do not accept normal currency."

If he was a human or some other species that did not pay attention or appreciate magic she would have waited until they found an item, as they always did, that they just had to have. But she could be a little more open when someone already knew that science and logic could not explain everything. Still, she wouldn't explain everything. That took away some of the fun. And she wanted as much fun as she could before her sister showed up. That would be any moment now and she was and was not looking forward to it at the same time.

He listened as Lina's speech became more professional and less mechanic. If they had an assortment of items it was certainly worth looking around, and he noted her use of the word "we" as opposed to "I" which meant that she worked for or with other persons in running this store.

He considered. If she was or worked for a witch, the "other currency" could be almost anything. It could be service, items or supplies, power or energy...he'd find out what they meant, first. Then he could shop. The magical energy was apparent in the shop, the more he looked for it, but he avoided probing too far with his senses to avoid offending anyone or anything.

"How exactly do you mean, other currency?" he asked after she was finished talking. "And, as for what I could be looking for...I'm a doctor. Well, one in training," he amended. "I'm also interested in antiques... particularly old clocks and sundials. I know that's kind of an odd set of requests," he added with a sheepish smile.

"Well, very simply, we don't accept it. This is a trade shop. You choose something you like and, depending on what that item is, you bring it to us. It's a little quirk to make sure we always have the same number of items worth at least the same value," she wasn't going to explain how he was going to get what she wanted though. That was for check out, otherwise she might scare him away and that would be no good whatsoever.

"We do have some interesting books on old style remedies, though depending on where you are they could be completely irrelevant. Very interesting reading about them and the different diseases though. As for clocks and sundials, we have a very nice collection near the south wall," she pointed towards it, "And some tell different types of time. And everyone is allowed to have more than one interest, I like a great many things myself that have nothing to do with each other. In fa-"

"Powers damn it!" came a voice from the very back, the curtains flipping back as Rina entered the store, "I can't believe it. I was in the middle of a simply fabulous party when I felt that annoying little tug and it forced me to come here."

She stomped her way to the front room where the voice could be matched to a face. The only thing Rina had in common with her sister was that her hair color was not one generally seen among humans naturally. It was a dark blue, cut in a straight bob except for a thin tail that trailed down her back. And completely unlike her sister, her choice of dress was almost completely white. In a Greek toga with gold colored rope tying things in place, as well as sandals that tied their way up to her knees, she certainly looked the part of an amazon with a thin, toned frame and a bit more heft to her chest than her sister. She was easily taller than the two other people in the room and enjoyed that fact.

"Rina, we have a customer so please go to your station," Lina wasn't going to talk about how things worked in front of a first timer, though Rina might ruin things.

"...A customer? You have a customer? Powers damn it why do you always get them?" Rina huffed.

"Maybe because you always stick me here during your shift. Now please, I'll show him around and help him find something. You know what'll happen if you don't."

"At least tell me there's something to drink under the desk," Rina let out an overly dramatic sigh.

"There is, but no drinking until we're done."

"You can't-"

"I can, and I am if you don't go there right now. Remember the rules."

Rina glared at her sister, "Fine, Little Lina, I'll go to my spot."

With Rina gone Lina could turn her attention back to her customer, "Sorry about that, my sister isn't always fond of working here."

Clancy blinked. Other currency...That sounded like it could be dangerous.

On the other hand he could get some interesting books, and the city didn't interest very much. He nodded. "That sounds fair, I s'pose," he finally replied. "The books sound interesting, I'll take a look at them."

His eyes widened and he blinked as the second woman entered the room, ranting. She was much taller than him, and fairly attractive, though not of interest to him. Most of all, she was intimidating, and he took a small step back. When Lina apologized for her, he realized they must be sisters despite the difference in appearance. That was interesting. Three witches.

"It's fine," he said in a hasty way - as long as he did not have to interact with the scary Rina, he didn't mind what she did. "Can you show me to the books? I am interested in seeing those."

He would have to be careful. Very careful. He didn't want to make any promises until he knew what he was signing away. But something told him this girl would not just tell him anything. So he decided to start casual.

"How long have you worked here?" he asked.

"Oh, longer then I can remember," she chuckled, "Follow me."

She started walking towards the books. This was definitely a clever one, no doubts about that. That would make this all the more fun. As she walked through different aisles, some never seeming to end, she saw a few items that made her smile.

There was the small skulls of the Crinuan people, a sword that could only be handled by someone with four arms, powders and perfumes of all different scents and, of course, her favorite. It was an incomplete suit of armor, missing the chest plate. There was no explanation, reason, or why as to the missing piece, but she liked it and her smile grew as they walked by it.

"The books are very interesting, I also have some translation guides. Some are written in very interesting languages, but you can still tell what they're about from the descriptive images that show up very often."

He fell in line behind the woman. She was not an average girl, that was for sure, maybe not a girl at all. Longer than she can remember...There was much more to the eye in this little shop. Of that he was certain.

Clancy glanced about as they passed various shelves filled with all manner of antiquities and items. Some of the items were mundane enough, or seemed so. Others clearly reeked of magical or mystical properties, which was intriguing. That humans could walk among such things with little to no knowledge was astounding.

He stared as they passed an incomplete suit of armor. He continued looking down aisles that they passed, noticing some more esoteric items in the darker shelves...

"Where do you get your merchandise? Some of it seems so unique." He asked because he was uncomfortable with the silence. Nervously, he fidgeted with his bag of medical supplies. Some of the vials inside clinked, and his eyes widened. Some of the vials contained very valuable items, he reached inside to ensure that they had not broken. A tiny sigh of relief escape his lips as he felt the cool, smooth glass, unharmed.

"Well, that is the point I suppose," she chuckled softly, "Our merchandise doesn't come from any one supplier like normal stores do. We're a trade shop, so if you want something you have to give us something in return. Sometimes we have specific things we want, other times we just want something of similar value. It means that when you find something you want, you better take it because chances are it's the only one we have."

One of the things she disliked about the store was that she could not actually use any of the items in it, neither could her sisters. Sure, she could pick up a book and read it if she stood close enough to the shelf, but if she tried bringing it over to the counter for a sit down it would completely reject the idea and pull back to the shelf. She had to get her things on adventures, or from her sisters. She much preferred the latter because whenever she asked Rina for a change of clothes or a good book she came back with things that looked like dental floss and cheap romance novels.

Finally, she stopped at their book collection, "Here we go. I'm not sure how many of these you'll be able to read on your own so I can stay here if you want and help translate a bit if there's something you would like to look at."

Clancy nodded, in reply. He closed his eyes momentarily. He knew how his own magic worked at least.

Opening his heterochromic eyes again, he reached for the first book he happened to focus on - an old tome of Celtic origins, specializing in arcane remedies and Druid magics. He smiled. Of course he would have picked the book closest to his own origins.

He wondered what a witch was doing working in a store. He'd never had much contact with witches, honestly. But being in a store run by at least two was more than he could have expected. It intrigued him - what did they have to gain? Of course, his "payment" would answer that question should he decide to buy the book.

He looked down at the old, bound tome. Carefully he opened it. The pages were stiff, probably parchment or something similar. He caught sights of words in Gaelic - he smiled. Clancy liked this book already. He turned to a page and began reading, and his eyes widened slightly - it was a book that taught the treatment of magical maladies and curses, not just herbal remedies and fancy nonsense designed to gull credibly humans!

"This is...this is fantastic..." he said aloud, checking the index. These were remedies, spells, and tricks that were forbidden to one of his level...He gave a gleeful little shudder. The idea was intoxicating...

But he couldn't violate the rules of his people, especially if he wanted to be a doctor. A doctor working in the human world. And besides, this "other currency" stuck in the back of his mind...

Just for fun, he thought. "What would you want in return for this?" he asked aloud.
Just for fun.

It was interesting watching him. For some reason it was very rare for someone to choose a book that they couldn't read themselves, so it did not surprise her when he was clearly able to understand the material he was reading. She was curious, however, as to what made it so fascinating. From what she could tell it was just a normal book on medicine and treatments, but the way his eyes lit up made her wonder if there was possibly more to it than that. He could, however, just be extremely interested in the topic. That was more likely the case.

She was brought out of her thought though by his question. Without word, she expertly took the book from his hands and looked at it. It was in very good condition, with a sturdy cover and binding. Opening it she took a quick look inside to see how badly the pages were worn. Most everything was legible, though a few images were a bit faded with time and all the pages were there. It was a very fine book indeed, especially if he wanted it.

It was strange that customers found what they wanted on the first go. Sometimes she had had to wait hours, not that the customer was aware of time in the shop, to pass before an item had been made. The fact that he had chosen it on his first go meant that it suited him very well and would suit his purposes as well. It could also be guessed, at least, that he was decently sure of himself, or at least thought of himself in that light. Whatever the reason was, it caused Lina to smile very widely at the idea of an adventure or two with him. It would certainly be an interesting thing.

Closing the book, but not handing it back to him, she looked up with an excited grin on her face, borderlining a smirk, "I can certainly say that whatever you'll get for us will be at least somewhat difficult. All the most interesting things are afterall. Don't worry though, I'll be there to help you find it. I'll just put this behind the counter," she was already heading there without giving him a chance to say otherwise, "Gather a few things and we'll be on our way."

Clancy blinked as the witch took the book from him and moved toward the counter. Gather a few things? He tugged at his bag of medical supplies. That was all he needed. But just the same, he replied, "I will, yeah," and moved a little slowly to follow her. He wasn't sure what this meant, where they were going, but it wasn't as if he had any ties down in this town.

Somewhat difficult?

He didn't want to be making any promises that he couldn't keep and he knew that witches could be very terrible indeed in retribution to those who had wronged them. If he failed to pay for the book.

"How exactly are you going to have me pay for this?" he asked aloud. Suddenly he felt a little concerned.

Lina didn't hear him, a little too caught up in her own world. As she handed the book to Lina she went into a corner room and started gathering a few things. She grabbed her bag from a shelf and started shoving things into it. Some changes of clothes, food, medicine, a spell or two, and a few special things that would greatly help them in case of an emergency. And she wasn't thinking about a normal emergency.

Meanwhile, Rina was grumbling behind the desk but laughed under her breath when she saw his concern, "Oh little boy, are you scared of a little adventure?" she cooed in a mocking tone. "You will follow my dear, sister, and when you find something she likes then you can come back and return for the book. Your cost if you fail? Well, try for the doors, they will not open." There was a large smirk on Rina's face.

It was true though, once he had decided on an object for purchase there was only one way out of the shop and it most certainly was not the front. If he paid careful attention he might hear the wind rustling from the back, but only if he paid a good deal of attention.

Clancy looked at the other witch, his eyes were large in his narrow, girlish face. Maybe it had been a mistake in coming here. Maybe he should have ignored the magic emanating from this little shop. He looked back at the doors, and though he could see the people walking by and the small estate cars driving the door was firmly shut.

He had enough sense not to run and try to open the door.

He turned to face Lina and Rina again. Adventure?

"Where will we be going?" he asked in a calm voice even though he was very concerned. He placed his hand on his bag of medical and magic supplies for comfort. He felt the beginnings of a flutter at his back, but didn't want his wings to show just yet.

"Now I can't answer that. We never know where we're going until we get there," Rina chuckled as she thought about some of her fun adventures, "I'd bet you that book that my big sis comes out here with more stuff than she should. She always did over prepare. Have fun, and I hope you don't end up in a pit of fire." There was humor in her voice, but also a slight bit of seriousness. No one ever died when they first entered a world. The magic just worked that way. That didn't mean they couldn't die afterwards though, oh, that could definitely happen.

In the back Lina had decided her purse just wasn't good enough, as she did every time, and had grabbed a large packpack instead. Filling it up enough so it at least looked filled. There was more in it then appeared though. Having a few magic items were handy, and backpacks were easier to carry around. Once she was done she left the side room.

"Ready to go?" she asked, practically hopping up and down in excitement.

"Calm down Little Lina," Rina rolled her eyes, "He doesn't even understand what's going on."

"Best way to know is to go, so let's go."

"All I need is what I have in my bag," he replied. "But you have to tell me exactly where we are going and what we are doing first." Idly he patted his bag. It had everything he needed. Knitting materials, medicinal items, some magical items to work spells with, some food, and a few other handy things...

He didn't object to going to a different world and he could certainly handle himself. But he didn't want to get roped into something against his will. "I haven't even said I'll buy the book," he said, weakly. Clancy blinked. "What do you even do as witches?" he asked. Normally true to his nature, he was very cagey. Normally he just wormed information out of people, easily as you please. But this wasn't the time for wordplay.

He looked around at the store, seeing it in a new light. And at the very back...in the very back, he thought he could feel a world of magical possibilities open up...

When he said the word "witches" Lina blinked at him for a moment, a blank expression on her face before she remembered what the shop was sometimes called depending on what realm the door was in. And then she burst out laughing.

"We're not witches," she said through her laughter, "Oh powers forbid that we ever be demoted that like."

Rina, on the other hand, was not taking the jab so lightly, "To call us something so... one dimensional, really. We've been around much too long for." When she said one dimensional, she didn't mean a flat character. Some realms didn't have witches. They existed throughout. Why, they could even change their form to accomodate with whoever entered the shop to make them more welcome. Witches indeed.

Lina finally calmed down but was still smiling, "Oh, we're not witches. We're Shop Keepers, much more powerful when we like. And I can't tell you where we're going, I don't know," she let out a shrug. "We never get to choose where we go, or what we'll get before we get there. But that's the fun of it in my opinion. You see that back curtain over there?" she pointed to the back of the store where the starry patterned curtain was covering a large opening, "Well, we walk through there and wherever it spits us out is where we go. From then we play it by the ear until we either find something or find that world's entrance to the shop. Oh please don't back out, I haven't had a customer in forever and it's a lot of fun."

If she had had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously then with excitement. If someone looked close enough they might even see the illusion of one, but Clancy could probably see how genuine her excitement was just by the wideness of her eyes and that little sparkle she had in them.

Rina, meanwhile, was grumbling and holding back her urge to punch the boy for his insult. She may be easy-going about some things, but to be called a common witch was not one of them. So she clenched her fists, bit her lip and sat down behind the counter, trying not to smack him.

Clancy looked from between the two. Not witches? Well.

"Shop Keepers?" he repeated. The way she said it implied that it was more than just an normal clerk. He was a little bemused by her laughter. The other one - Rina - just seemed pissed at the words, but he hadn't meant them as an insult so they shouldn't be taken as one. He gave a tiny shrug.

"Then what do you do as Shop Keepers?" He looked around again. "Maybe I should be more precise. What kind of powers do you have? I'm not running off without knowing what I'm getting into, though by the sounds of it, you don't know much where we're going either, like."

Lina seemed very excited. Maybe she was fairly powerful. Clancy was good at medicine and magic but he wasn't going to tangle with something big. He'd dealt too much with things like that when he ran with his demon best friend...He considered. If anything, he could always rely on his pixie powers, though he didn't like to bother with that.

"I will go, yeah," he said at last, walking to stand next to Lina.

"Thank the Powers," Lina let out a sigh of relief. There was a reason she hadn't told him everything from the beginning, people did tend to get scared off every once in a while and then Rina would have run off in the blink of an eye, leaving her to man the shop by herself again. "I guess it's only fair to tell you, hmmm... how do I describe this, well let's see..."

"We're gods," Rina said bluntly.

"Well, only of this shop," Lina corrected. "While we're in here we're all powerful. When we leave, that's when things get tricky. One thing we can always do is shapeshift, to an extent, and pray."

"How often has praying ever helped you sister dear?" Rina's eyes narrowed at her Lina.

"More than you because I still have faith in the Powers. And right now I'm the one in charge so, as an order, shut up Rina."

Rina glared at her sister, but now she was completely incapable of talking until her sister allowed her to again or Lina left.

"There we go, much beter. Anyways, the rest of our powers, well, it depends where we are. We can never bend the rules of what world we're in, though we do sometimes gain powers while we're there. We're like clay I suppose, you can mash us up and fit us in into the corners to fill things in, but we'll still be us. It's a tad more complicated, but there's too much history to talk about right now. So grab my hand and we'll get going. I'm all packed for anything, no matter where we end up," she held out her hand to him.

Clancy blinked.

Gods.

Of all the things he thought he'd might encounter he hadn't expected to deal with higher powers. Of course, when he'd been in the Library...But that was different.

It wasn't really when he thought about it. The Librarian was the God of her Library, and while she was in the Library it was her domain. It was the same for these...women in front of him. He stepped back a little. Gods? He didn't know if he wanted to tangle with that.

Playing with fire...

But he couldn't back out now. The other one, Rina, had said so. He lifted his hand somewhat, hesitating - he didn't know if this was a good idea - then

"Fine, yeah," he said, and took Lina's hand. He felt the world around him beginning to move and as his hair whipped about his head he wondered if he hadn't made a very very bad mistake.

It could only get more interesting from here.

"Great," Lina said as she quickly pulled him to the back curtain. By then it seemed almost angry, the tails of it flying up and a whooshing noise could be heard from it. Oh, this was going to be a harsh trip. "Hold on tight," she said before quickly running in and dragging him along.

Just like always, it seemed like they were floating at first in black nothingness. The wind was gone and there was nothing supporting them. Then, suddenly, they began to drop. Blinks of light passed them as they quickly descended, Lina's hair flying upwards and her hat flying off. "Damn it," she mumbled under her breath, "I really like that one."

Still, she clung to his hand with an iron grip, making sure he'd stay with her if it killed her. Her first couple times she had lost a person or two, but that was a long long time ago. Now she knew what she was doing and nothing could stop her. Except for the ground.

What was once black now turned to pure white for one brief moment before they were laying on their backs in a grove. Around them were tall trees filled with strange, pungent fruits, strange animal noises and a green sun high in the sky. She knew this place. "Powers damn it!"

Clancy slapped his hand to his face to hold his glasses in place, but it was too late. They flew off. "Hey!" he said.

Lina was holding on to his hand, very tightly. He could almost feel his bones grinding together.

Lights flashed before his eyes and he felt an odd sensation in his stomach. Were they moving through time? Through space? Did Lina even know? He dared not to open his mouth, he was afraid he would be sick. It was with relief that suddenly he felt the hard ground against his back, after a flash of white light. He sat up to see a unique - maybe jungle? - set of trees and plants about him. He sniffed and the air was strong. "Where-" he began to ask when Lina let out an exclamation. It didn't seem to be a happy one.

"Where are we?" he asked. He looked up - the sky was different. A green sun. Impressive. He wondered if the area was dangerous.

Lina stood up and brushed herself off, a displeased look on her face as she did so. She wasn't furious or scared though, mostly annoyed. She'd been here before. In fact, all of her sisters had been here before and they even ended up causing a bit of a dispute between the different tribes. She hoped that was done with, but the fact that they were there meant that their goal probably had something to do with fixing the dispute, however far it had progressed.

"We are in the land of Kapor. Somewhat primitive, interesting animals, strong smelling food, and people who think a flash light is magic. It looks like the Powers want us to fix the mess my sisters and I caused when we came around here the first couple times," she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Bringing peace to a warring area was not what I was expecting with adventure, but it could be something else. Hopefully."

"A warring setting...?" Clancy murmured to himself. This may be an opportunity to study primitive medicine...but he didn't like the sound of Lina's words. He was no arbitrator or peace-maker, and by his own nature he was pacifist. Except...

He stood too. "So you and your sisters caused a mess here? How exactly did you do that?" He sniffed the air - it was strong. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to meeting these people. The last time he'd met persons who thought modern technology was magic, they'd thought he was a god-vessel because of his wings - and they'd wanted to eat him, to absorb his power into themselves. He shivered, and wiped some sweat from his forehead. It was also very hot, here.

She let out a little groan as she sat back down to get comfortable. This was a story she hated but knew she would have to tell it for them to do anything, "The story is about a flashlight, a telescope, and an idiot. You met my sister Rina. Well, she was the first to visit this world. She stumbled into the tribe, a very large one, that occupies this land. When the sun went down she pulled out a flashlight and they were all astonished. They wasted no time calling her the Goddess of the Sun. She enjoyed it and was worshipped until I came along. While I went near the village, I stayed away after my sister had told me about the mess she had caused, though she thought it was wonderful.

"I was fascinated by the stars and the moon here, so I set up a telescope and took notes. Some of the tribesmen came and, in turn, thought I had the power of the Moon because of it. I had powers to them and suddenly there was a second goddess to worship. Some people were fine with worshipping both of us, but soon things started to... fall apart. Then it was Mina's turn to step in.

"She told them what we really were, are, whatever and got her own bunch of followers who were pacifists. The main trouble came when Mina was back at running the shop and Rina and I came here together. We started arguing and when everyone saw how little we got along they realized they could only like one of us. So they started fighting over us and I doubt it's changed since, though I don't know how much time has passed since then."

Clancy rolled his eyes. It was too close to things that had happened to him and his demon friend when they were traveling, though admittedly they had tried to limit inter-dimensional travel. It was too much energy to laugh in this heat though so he just gave a weak little smile.

He pulled off his heavy cotton overshirt and shoved it in his bag. "So you think the...Powers...sent you here to sort out the warring factions that you caused? Where do I play into all of this? I'm not much of a fighter."

He remained standing, and walked over to the nearest tree, placing his hand on the bark. It came away with some sap on it, and he sniffed experimentally. He wasn't dumb enough to lick it. At least not yet. But he did wonder what was done for food in this land.

"It is a theory. It could be completely incorrect if enough time has passed as well. Civilizations change over time, so they could have as well but right now I'm going with what I know and that... well, that's pointing to something with the three tribes. What you'll do... well, like you said you're not a fighter. You like medical books..." she sat there pensively, thinking of the different possibilities, "You'll probably save someone's life. Lives are important after all. Our best bet is to try and find people and pray that they're part of Mina's worshippers. Those are the most sensible of the bunch."

She took her backpack off and started digging through it, "Do you have any food allergies?" she asked as she brought out a bottle of water and a few other things that could be used to help with cooking.

Clancy listened as Lina filled him in. "I see," he said after she was done talking. But when she began to bring the food out, he backed away, hastily. "Er, you don't have any lemons in there, do you?" He sniffed the air.

He looked around. He was used to finding food on his own. But in the world he just came from, not this one - still, he could probably tell what was poisonous and what wasn't.

He sat down again, a good distance from Lina in case she did have lemons. He wondered if they shouldn't be looking for these people, or a less open place to stop and eat. He wondered why a god even needed to eat. He hoped she didn't eat lemons. "I'm dreadfully allergic to lemons. Terribly. I mean fatally, like."

"...So that's what you are," she chuckled, "I could tell you weren't a human but it's been so long since I've dealt with the human world that I forgot about the different types of beings there. Don't worry, lemons don't keep for one and they're a little too tart for my taste. You also won't find any here, their range of food is completely different than yours. I have some dried fruits, not lemons though, if you'd like. And we could just stick to a light snack for the moment if you're stomach is still settling."

She continued bringing out a few things, some chips, dried fruits and veggies, even a little candy while she put away her lighter and one of the pans. She wished she had a bottomless bag, instead she just had a cheap imitation of one that could hold about a room's worth of supplies ever since that customer had decided that the bag was their pick of choice. She couldn't blame the, of course, she just wished they could find another one. And she knew that finding a bottomless bag in this place was very unlikely.

"I'm not as arrogant as the rest of my kind," Clancy added belatedly. He wasn't really surprised that Rina knew what he was. He felt an anxious fluttering at his back again. Wings.

He flinched as she put the pan away. Was it made of iron? He'd have to have a long talk with her about items made of iron, if she had them on her person. But for now she was putting it away.

Clancy glanced at the pack curiously. Rina was pulling out and putting away what appeared to be a lot for a normal sized pack. He really didn't need much food right then, but he took a few dried apricots to be polite. "I'm grateful for the food," he added, inclining his head. But he was still eyeing that pack. It seemed to have a spell similar to the one he had put on his bag - the area inside would be a lot larger than an initial glance might indicate. It was ever so complicated to find things, sometimes, but convenient for storing and carrying loads of things.

"Is that pack special?" he asked curiously. He wondered if she'd applied the spell herself - or maybe since she was a god, just thought the pack into existence.

She stopped packing things up and looked at him for a moment, "So you noticed, did you? Not surprised. You're aware of magic to begin with so one of these things should set off your radar if your attention is up." She let out a small chuckle, "Yes, this bag holds about a room's worth of contents in it. It's very nice but I used to have a better one. One of those endless galaxy bags where it's just an empty void with as much as you want in it. Best part was you just had to picture what you wanted and you could pick it ou. This... works similar but the limit is annoying and if I'm tired I tend to pull out the wrong things." She let out a small sigh.

Grabbing a bag of chips she opened it up and started to munch. She had known he wasn't human despite his trying to hide it, but now that she knew what he actually was it made things a lot easier. She knew a good deal of his kind, not in that world, but in a few others were magic was more powerful. Interesting beings, and the adventure could definitely be fun. Being a medic was somewhat useful. Not to her, unfortunately, but if someone they met was injured he would be able to help. The only difference between the mortals here and typical humans was that these beings had two hearts so it shouldn't be too hard to adapt some medical techniques.

Clancy stood up again. They had to find these people and fast-like, so he could get his book. Lina seemed nice enough, but inter-dimensional travel was dangerous. Even for him. Especially for him.

He looked about, leaving Lina to sit and munch while he made his way a few meters east, though he didn't know if such directions still applied in this world. He looked out of the trees. Squinted. A small encampment, with a thin ribbon of smoke curling in the atmosphere, could just barely be made out over a stretch of landscape covered in the strange occasional plant. The sun was hot and he judged it to be about afternoon in this world.

Walking back to Lina, he glanced about. The plants around were fascinating, and he could tell some would have healing and restorative properties. Rina came into sight, her bright pink hair shocking against the softer greens, browns and purples of the surrounding plants.

"Alright, Miss Lina," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "I've found people. What should we do?"

She chuckled as he wandered off, hoping he wouldn't go too far. Things weren't too bad in this world, no more dangerous than the rainforest on Earth, though that had varying levels of danger depending on how well you knew the area and respected the forest. And then he came back, and... what?

"You found people, already?" she asked, a bit surprised. That was... fast. Usually they'd have to wander before finding people but now... this was surprising. Maybe they were needed more than she had originally thought. "I think... our next order of business is to cautiously approach. And I do mean cautiously. We don't want them knowing we're about until we know who's side they're on. We have a 2/3's chance of them helping us, but that doesn't mean the odds are in our favor. The Powers have a way of making things difficult for us."

She packed up what little was out of her backpack before standing up and putting it on. Oh yes, the Powers most certainly liked to screw with her and she must think they were just bored after so much nothing. They could screw with her and her sisters without much consequences, so they enjoyed it to the fullest.

Clancy watched Lina pack up. The more he heard about these powers, the less he wanted anything to do with them. If such "Powers" liked to cause trouble for Lina, why have anything to do with them at all?

"Can I ask a question?" he asked, hesitantly. Then he rushed on: "If you and your sisters are gods, then why do you have to do things for these Powers? I mean, what exactly are they?"

It sounded like something he didn't want to be stuck with, to him. But the fickle Finger of fate often liked to poke him in the eye, so he had to deal with whatever lot he was given. He adjusted his bag and prepared to follow Lina, still waiting for an answer.