The mining town was bustling as ever, and Ezra was enjoying the cacophony of miners making a ruckus at one of the local taverns or the sharp calls from travelling merchants with their various wares. If this is what society was like all over the world, the Homunculi would enjoy experiencing the different cultures and just... live. But, before they could do that, they needed to at least get their supposed magic power back. The old tome bounced against their hip inside of their satchel, and they couldn't help but sigh. That tome had continued to elude being opened, despite Ezra's best efforts.

But it could wait. Nan was waiting for them to get home.

As Ezra approached the small cottage where they were currently residing (thanks to Nan's generosity), the Homunculi couldn't help but wonder if this was what is was like to be a part of a family. To come home every night, sit down, and have dinner. To laugh during the good times and to cry during the hard times. There was a simplicity to that life that would always be wanted, but the Homunculi had a feeling that they would never have that life. Almost cursed to wander for eternity, in a way.

But for today, they would enjoy the 'simple' life.

The old door creaked and opened as they tapped the door twice, and a somewhat feeble call from somewhere within the cottage rang out. "Who's there?" The Homunculi laughed slightly as they continued stepping into the home and sliding out of their travelling boots. "It is just Ezra, Nan. I caught two rabbits for you out in the forest!" They responded, and a shuffling could be heard as the woman poked her head into the hall.

Nan was an older soul, perhaps in her sixties or so, who had lived in the town for decades. Despite her age, her stormy grey eyes hid a twinkle of youth and excitement. She was a gentle soul and quick with a laugh, but she was not above putting someone in their place. Even the burliest of the miners knew not to trifle with Nan or they'd get an ear full of curses or a swift smack in the rear. Sometimes both. Her back was hunched from years of hard work, and she was adorned only in a simple brown robe and soft shoes to wander the house in. Her grey hair was thinning, but lacking in any sort of bald spots and wrapped in a small bun. With a large grin (minus a few teeth), the elderly woman quickly beckoned for the Homunculi to join her in the room she had come out from.

"Come, come, child! I will make us supper fer the evenin'!" The old crone cackled, taking Ezra's hand and pulling them along the moment they were within arm's reach. "But first, le' me do yer hair, dear. It's gahtten so messy with ye playin' in tha trees all day! Such a prehtty girl like you shouldn't be so rough." Nan cooed, stopping at her chair and pulling on Ezra's hand to maneuver them to sit on the ground. The Homunculi didn't have the heart to correct Nan about their sex, and even the concept of a gender identity was somewhat foreign to them. But if Nan wanted to treat Ezra like a daughter and open her home to them, the Homunculi wouldn't argue. With a loud sigh of feigned defiance, the Homunculi sat in front of the chair. The old woman hummed softly, pulling on their braid and undoing it with a gentleness that would be reserved for a child from their mother. She hummed, running a brush and an old comb through the off-white locks and eventually reweaving the braid. Nan gave a small 'hmph' of triumph, she gave the Homunculi a small slap upside the head. "And that's fer bein' smart with me on doin' yer hair!" The two shared a small laugh as Ezra quickly rose to their feet from the floor.

"Now, I need ye to git some bread from tha smartarse baker for supper. It'll take me some time ta git it all ready, so go change out of yer messy clothes, put on somethin', and git yer arse inta town before ye git smack'd!" Nan barked, and the Homunculi furrowed their brow and (barely) looked down at the old woman. "But Nan," Ezra argued, "I do not have anything to change into..." The old woman stared at Ezra for a moment, then grinned a most devious grin. "Well, dear, let's see what ol' Nan can do abou' that..."


And that's how Ezra ended up in a dress.

It was a very pretty dress, in the Homunculi's opinion. Far too pretty to be worn by someone like them, but Nan had insisted they wear it once she had seen Ezra in it. It was a long informal dress, extending down to the feet and nearly tripping Ezra a few times. Off-white in color, the dress seemingly hadn't seen sunlight in a while but was still very well kept. The sleeves reached down to just above the wrist, with just enough room to breathe. However, the attention grabbing part to this outfit was the leather corset (which to Nan's immense displeasure, didn't accentuate any of Ezra's 'womanly charms') and the ochre sash tied around their waist. The sash itself was ornate, detailed with golden thread and beautiful designs. The Homunculi had argued against wearing such a fine garment, but the old woman had been adamant about it. "Ta gitcha a nice husband, sometimes ye need a lil' extra oomph!" She had cackled, which had left them somewhat flustered at the woman's brazenness. So out in a dress they went, off to buy bread for a saucy old woman they had begun to live with because being a caretaker for the old woman was honestly much more enjoyable than living in a small room at the inn.

They had quickly left the cottage with the small amount of coin Nan had handed to them but in their rush to escape Nan's embarrassing teasing, they had forgotten to ask where to go to find the proper baker. Glancing around, they placed a hand on the coin pouch wrapped tightly next to the sash and began to walk down the road in search of some form of bakery nearby. As they made their way through the crowd, they noticed a man seated near one of the local food establishments waving at them. Wait, waving at them? Ezra looked very confused at this random stranger trying to flag them down for some unknown reason. With unsure steps, the Homunculi made their way over to the man while studying his appearance. Decently dressed, dark red hair cut somewhat short, and looking somewhat dignified in posture. A noble, maybe?

Finally stepping up next to the man, the Homunculi looked down at the man with minor embarrassment and confusion. "I am sorry, but is there a reason you were flagging me down? I do not believe we have me-" Ezra trailed off, glancing at the book that the man had open next to him. Their purple eyes lit up almost instantaneously in recognition, the symbols a very clear indication of magic study. "Oh, how interesting! You have a book on... healing magic, it looks like. Are you a healer?"