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Go clean the dishes, Elka.

Go sweep the floors, Elka.

Go get me some sugar, Elka.

The young Ice grumbled to herself all the different orders she'd heard throughout the day, her face so screwed up in annoyance that many a person sidled out of her way. She probably looked like she'd deck them one as soon as they opened their mouths. Maybe she would. She certainly didn't feel very forgiving today. Than again, she couldn't remember the last time she hadn't felt so tired and annoyed every day of her existence.

One little boy wasn't watching where he was going. She stopped and scowled worse at him, until he looked up and scurried to one side so she could pass easily. Once beyond his sight, she heaved a big sigh, straightening out her eyebrows so she wasn't as scary looking. She'd give herself wrinkles if she kept at it, her mother always told her. Sounded like Yaeli superstitions to her, but Elka wasn't about to test the theory out, either. She stretched her arms above her head, stopping before a clothing shop with a beautiful dress displayed in the window. One day she'd have the money to afford things like this. For now, she stood gazing at it, her attention completely off the people around her.

Elka heaved a sigh as she continued to stare at the dress. There were such pretty hats behind it, too. Not that she had ever been big on hats, but had she the money for them, she'd have bought at least one. You never knew when you'd need a good hat. All the ones she'd had were left behind in Zena. As well as all her pretty dresses and the accessories that went with them. Each dress had a specific set of jewelry to go with it. Ah, the joys of growing up wealthy.

Though that hardly mattered now. All she had were a total of three dresses and whatever jewelry she had been wearing at the time she left. Stuck in a small room in a noisy inn, it was hard to make the most of her situation.

And it seemed someone was trying to make it worse. The last thing she needed on a day that already was starting off bad was the random opinion from someone else on the street.

Elka turned her head, her eyebrows already tilted down in annoyance. "I don't see how that's your business, but thank you for the suggestion." She turned back to the window, intending to stay at least a few more seconds. If she didn't get the stuff she was asked for quickly, there would be trouble. Than again, there always was trouble.

Even if that might be true, Elka was far too stubborn to let the other woman know. She badly craved some independence, but all she was getting from all sides were people telling her what they thought about everything she was doing or trying to accomplish. Still, instead of giving a ready retort as she normally would have done, she kept her mouth shut, giving the other a tilt upwards of her eyebrows. What she decided to interpret from that expression was up to her. Elka hardly cared. With so many people in the city as there were, it wasn't like they were going to run into each other, again.

With one last look at the dresses in the window, she turned around to head back to the inn. It was less fun looking at pretty things when one couldn't afford them. At least right now. She was determined to make it somehow and than she'd own as many pretty dresses and hats as she desired.

Going around the back of the inn, Elka presented the stuff, holding up the bags. The cook gave her a curt nod to the shelves, where she had barely unloaded them before she was being ushered out onto the main floor with a small apron and notebook shoved into her hands by the owner. Where had she been, the look said, it was closing on the time of day when the inn was most busy. But she was gone before Elka could even begin to defend herself. There was little she could do at the shops if the lines were so long!