Amber put on her robe and pulled up the hood. She knew that she didn't have a whole lot of time before Ena would return with news of Nova, but she couldn't resist this opportunity. Just as the crowd cleared off, she got a hold of one of the staff and asked them to bring a mortar and pestle to her room and add the cost to her bill. She picked up her little fox and dropped him off to their hotel room before slipping out of the hotel from the back door.
She could hear the noise of people chattering about the bet and guessing who would win. The sound of their footsteps and talking faded as they walked off towards the clinic.
As soon as most of the crowd headed towards the clinic, she slipped past the stragglers and headed in the opposite direction. She remembered seeing some decorative vines on her walk over here and faintly remembered that these were strictly considered for decorative purposes only, but she knew that they were just what she needed.
The darkness of the night helped to disguise her movements as she walked down the street in the opposite direction of the increasing crowd. Apparently news traveled fast in this small city, it was a good thing to remember for the future when she wanted to spread gossip purposefully. For now, it was best to make a way for herself when the opportunity presents itself. She needed a great deal more money than she had in order to make a good life for herself out of this trashy cannon fodder existence.
She quickly walked down the street and saw the potted plant with the vines that had large orange balls hanging from them decoratively. She stealthily grabbed hold of a few of the balls and pulled them off of the vine. Then she stuffed them into the pocket of her robe and walked back over towards the restaurant.
Once she was in the restaurant, she walked over to the clear tube and entered it. A blue light scanned over her body and then the doors closed.
"Are you headed to your room?" A monotone woman's voice asked.
"Yes," Amber said.
Very well," the body-less voice said.
Then the clear platform under her feet rose up and she was shot to the third floor. She felt mildly motion sick and wobbled, but her feet didn't stumble. She looked down and noticed that the platform had morphed slightly to hold onto her feet securely. A shock of concern traveled across her back at the sudden feeling of being trapped. If she was being entirely honest with herself, she would admit that she was claustrophobic, because of some incidents in her past life. However, when confronted with these past memories, she would inevitably push them aside and form a black spot in her consciousness. There were a few shady spots in her memories that she didn't explore. At this point in time, she didn't suppose that exploring them was actually needed anymore, because she'd already started a new life.
The wall of the glass tube opened up and the platform carried her to her room. The platform released her feet and she stepped off. Then it traveled up to the ceiling and zoomed back to the clear tube. Such a strange mixture of advanced technology due to the use of magic and antiquated technology in this world. It was fascinating and something that she'd have to explore further, as soon as she had her more pressing issues squared away.
Amber slipped into the room. Her little fox lifted his head to look at her. When she dropped him off to the room earlier, she put some of the medicine that she made on his injury. He seemed to be healing up well, but appeared to be listless still.
"You have a nice rest and I'll take care of everything from here, you did well." She petted his head and he let out a cute little sigh. "After everything settles down a little bit, I'll work on helping you to become stronger. You'll need to work hard too."
"Meww," the little fox squeaks cutely.
"I don't believe that I've given you a name yet. How about Wyn?"
"Pew," the little fox said.
"Nola?"
"Pew."
"Finn?"
"Meww," said the fox and rubbed up against Amber's hand.
"Finn it is then. I have to do a couple of things, but I'll try to be back before morning. You stay here quietly and don't leave the room for anything. I've named you, so you're part of my family now. Don't cause me unnecessary hardships. Being with me isn't a free ride though, you'll have to work hard to grow up well," said Amber.
"Meww!" said the fox enthusiastically while looking up into her eyes.
This was definitely not a typical fox by any means. It was clear to see that she'd found an unusual creature, but she still didn't know the extent of her unusual find.
Amber heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, she saw a young girl with strawberry blonde hair and dark brown eyes, with a dusting of freckles on her face. She was wearing a light blue dress, a white apron, and little black shoes. She had a polite smile on her face that occasionally slipped into a strained expression as she held out a black bag towards Amber. It was obviously difficult for her to carry but she was trying not to show it.
"I've brought your requested item, my Lady," the girl said.
Amber took the bag.
The little girl gave a polite bow and then rushed off in the direction she came on foot. Apparently the staff didn't use the floating panels. Amber securely closed the door to her room and locked it, before walking over to the small round dining table next to her balcony. She pulled out a large light green and white marble pestle and mortar out of the bag and set it down on the table. She pulled the ripe tomatoes out of her pocket and set them down next to it. Yes, the decorative items she'd spotted earlier were tomatoes. In this world they believe that tomatoes are deathly poisonous and so they are only used for decorative purposes.
Amber pulled the stems off the tomatoes and started to process them in the mortar that was as large as her head, or two cubes wide in this world's form of measurement. She ground the tomatoes into a juicy mess and removed the skin. Then she put in some of the healing herb paste and another pot of mana water. After she got home, she'd have to restock her supplies. She mixed the paste and the water in with the tomato juice and it changed into a delicious scent. Her mouth watered, but she resisted the urge to eat it. That was something to consider for the future though. She could probably make some very delicious food by adding mana water to it.
She walked over to the side table next to the big bed and picked up a large empty picture next to the water basin. She took it over to the round table and poured the tomato mixture into it. Then she threw a cloth over it, put a water glass into her pocket and walked back over to the glass tube. As she stepped into the tube, she saw another girl and a guy around her age walk in after her. They glanced at her curiously and frowned at the cloth covering something in her hand, but she kept her head down. They soon ignored her presence and continued their gossip.