Janelle pulls on her horse's reins and her horse slows down into a nice, easy walk. She groans and glares over at Empress Cy. "Some talent," she mocks.

The Empress huffs and readjusts in her saddle. "Sorry, it was just a pure mix up."

"It'll only take a half an hour to get there, my followers," mocks Michelle. "Rrrright, this was the longest half an hour I've ever been through." She smirks. "Felt more like a hour and half."

Cy glares but still holds her pride. "We're here, right?"

"You did a splendid job, Empress," reassures MomBard.

Red Hope leans towards MomBard. "You sure do back her butt up a lot."

MomBard chuckles and whispers, "If that were you, I'd do the same."

The bard huffs yet she smiles and repositions herself in the saddle. "So, we going in?"

"As long as we don't get lost getting through the gates," teases the artist.

The Empress rolls her eyes. "I hear you, follow me." She squeezes her horse into a walk towards the town. "Hey Red, did you bring the list of supplies we need?"

"Um… I think so." The bard smiles sheepishly and reaches back into her empty saddlebag. She whips out a scroll and unrolls it. She glances up now and again while scanning the scroll. "Yup, got our list right here."

"Great," replies the Empress.

"Oh, Tea wanted me to remind us that we're suppose to get her this coffee called… Starbucks," mentions the Aussie bard.

"Starbucks?" roars the Empress. "Coffee?"

Red Hope snickers to herself. "Yeah, you know that stuff made from beans."

"We have no such thing as coffee around here," declares Cy.

MomBard pipes in now. "Sure we do, they're called Amazon Beans."

"What?" The Empress turns in her saddle, studying her loyal subjects. "I haven't heard of Amazon Beans before."

"Oh yeah, Queen Karena started the business," explains Janelle. "Its great stuff. Helps us bards in the Place stay up late to write."

Michelle rolls her eyes. "I don't need it… I have internal coffee."

"Oooh," whispers the Empress. "Why wasn't I informed?" She raises an eyebrow. "And why isn't it called Amazonbucks coffee huh?"

All the loyal subjects glance between each other, trying to come up with an explanation.

"Well you see, Emp," explains Red Hope, "we just grow the beans outside of the Place." She pauses then further explains, "We don't make the actually coffee… Starbucks does so that's why its called Starbucks coffee." She grins. "But they made a disclaimer saying their coffee is made from Amazon Beans."

Cy nods briskly. "That makes perfect sense." She gazes back forward and notes them coming through the gates now. "We better find some stables to keep our horses in."

"What a brilliant idea," murmurs Michelle.

"I heard that," warns the Empress. She shakes her head without glancing at the artist. "Have you been taking sassy classes from Red?"

Michelle glances at Red Hope.

The bard grins at the artist evilly and snickers. She gazes back at Cy's back. "Yes, she's one of my best students."

"I don't doubt it." Cy stops her horse once in the village. "Dismount, Amazons." She swings one leg over the side of the saddle and prepares to hop off the horse. But she fails horrible since her other foot is still caught in the stirrup. She, literally, falls on her face into the dirt, her left boot still tangling in the stirrup. "Oh damn it," she grumbles into the ground.

The other 'Amazons' explode with laughter at their 'leader'.

The Empress groans and gets up. She jerks her left foot out of the stirrup and whirls around. "Alright, dismount Amazons… just as gracefully as me."

"Nobody is as graceful as you, Empress," taunts Janelle.

"I know," states Cy.

The other Amazons dismount carefully and take their horses reins.

"This way," commands the Empress. She leads them through the crowded town in the direction of the stables.

The other Amazons glance around- amazed at all the stuff. It is like they'd never left the Place before and this is their first time.

"Ooooh," whispers Michelle.

"Woooo," mutters Janelle.

"Wwwwow," murmurs Red Hope.

MomBard sighs contently. "Just marvelous."

"What's all the ahwing and ohwing huh, Amazons? Haven't you ever been out of the Place before?" inquires the Empress.

"Not… lately," replies Red Hope with a mystified tone, she continues studying the local town.

"Here we are." Empress Cy leads her Amazons into the stable and tells them to each go to a stall and untack their horses.

Each loyal subject finds herself a stall and takes their horse in.

"Hey Cy, why do we need to untack our horses if we're only going to be here for a few hours?" yells Michelle down the stable.

"Because… because…" Cy's shoulders drop. "Because I said so."

The artist laughs quietly and continues untacking her horse.

"Red?" whines MomBard from another stall.

Red Hope chuckles because she knows MomBard was having issues with untacking her horse. "Here I come, mom." She finishes with her stallion then jogs over to MomBard's stall. "Problems?" she teases gently.

"Get in here, brat. Help this old woman."

The bard rolls her eyes and gets into the stall. She takes all the tangled up face tack from MomBard. She untangles it and puts it up on a hook. She then continues the process with MomBard carefully watching.

"That's how you do it?" asks MomBard.

"Yup, ain't that hard." Red Hope grins at her friend. "But its hard at first."

"Are we ready?" calls the Empress outside of the stables.

"Here we come," reply the Amazons in unison.

Cy sighs dramatically and puts her hands on her hips. "Let's hurry up, ladies. The sun just doesn't wait for us now."

"Why not?" Janelle pouts.

The leader groans in frustration. "Let's move." She signals her loyal Amazons to follow her towards the market.

"Gee we don't look out of place or anything," jokes Michelle as she notes all the town people flashing the women odd looks.

Janelle grins and pretends to act like the Empress. "No we don't… just blllend with the crowd. Blend… blend, that's right blend, blend."

"Like this?" asks the artist as she holds her head up high, her nose stuck up, and starts strutting her feathers.

"Righty ho," jokes the Aussie bard.

Empress Cy scolds the pair for the joke. "Such youngsters."

Janelle taps her leader on the shoulder. "Mate, I am older than you."

Cy glimpses up and down Janelle's length. "Righty ho, but you need to act your age old woman," she taunts.

The Aussie sticks her tongue out. "Whatever, young is good."

"Damn straight," agrees Michelle.

"Amen," preaches Red Hope.

"Oooh yeah, and I am the youngest of all of you," declares MomBard.

Everybody stops walking and turns to MomBard, the eldest of them.

MomBard sheepishly grins. "Mentally that is."

The Amazons starts walking again after chuckling.

"Red, you have the shopping scroll?"

"Yes, Emp." Red Hope unties the scroll from her side.

"Got your quill too?"

"Naturally." The bard reveals her quill from her hidden pouch. "I'm ready."

The Empress comes into the crowded market place with her followers behind her. "Stay bunched together, Amazons," she orders. "Its easy to get pick pocketed."

"Yeah sure, if we had pockets to get picked," mocks the artist in a quiet voice.

Cy weaves her way through the market, heading to the fruit and vegetable stands. "What we need for fruit and veges. Red?"

"Um… a lot actually," replies the bard.

The Empress stops at a fruit stand first. "Okay, Janelle, get us a paper bag."

"One paper bag coming up." The Aussie bard goes to the end of the stand and grabs a bag from the end of the stand. She whips the bag and opens it. "Here we go." She holds the bag out.

"Okay, Red call out what we need and the quantity. Then Michelle and MomBard, you both get them and put them in the bag."

"No problem, babes," replies MomBard.

"Twenty red apples," starts Red Hope.

MomBard jumps and collects the apples.

"Twenty-five lemons."

Michelle scurries and counts the good lemons out.

"Twenty-five lemons?" yells the Empress. "Why the Hades do we need all those lemons? for Jimminie Cricket's sake."

"To make ice tea," explains the bard. "I need my ice tea since I don't drink that carbonated stuff."

"Right, right." Cy waves her hand. "Keep reading."

"Let's see… fifty oranges." Red Hope peers up to the Empress and whispers, "It is flu season, Vitamin C is good for that."

"I know that," states the Empress. "Keep going."

"Uh… two pounds of almonds."

"What?" yells Michelle. "This is the fruit stand not your nut stand," she jokes, her pun intended.

"Whoops, my bad." Red Hope crosses off the fruits they already had. "Oh, get a stack of bananas."

"Got them." MomBard grabbed a few things of bananas and put them in Janelle's bag.

Red Hope crosses out the bananas. "Do we have apple cider?"

Michelle glances along the stand.

Janelle spots it and nods towards it. "At the end of the stand, Michelle."

"Oh, right." The artist grabs a carton. "Got the apple cider."

The bard glimpses up at Cy. "Well, that's everything from the fruit department."

"Okay, lets go pay for this stuff." The Empress goes to the other end of the stand where there's an employ working. "Hello, we'd like to pay for this stuff."

The man peers up. "Of course." He takes Janelle's bag and weighs it.

"Oh this too." The artist hands over the apple cider.

The man sets that on his tiny desk stand and glances at the weight of the bag. He totals it up on his funky looking machine like thing. "Dinars or charge?"

Empress Cy pulls out her Amazon Visa from its… hidden spot. "Charge please."

"Visa, Master, Warlord's IOU, or Hero's Legacy?"

"Amazon Visa," states the Empress proudly, she hands the card over.

The stand man takes the card and studies it. He notes the feather design with the word, 'Amazon' at the top on the card. Then at the very bottom was the signature of the artist, Michelle Galea. "Very nice card."

"Thank you," replies the artist.

The Empress shoots Michelle a warning look to hush. She glances back at the man. "Was specially made."

The man nods then swipes the card through that funky looking machine like thing.

Empress Cy glances at the bard. "Quill please."

Red Hope gives her leader the quill.

After Cy's receives it and then fumbles at her side. She pulls out a small set of black glasses.

All the Amazons exchange skeptical looks. For Empress Cy now looked twenty years older and very studious.

Cy puts them on with the glasses at the tip of her nose. She reaches back and pulls out a tiny black booklet that was half tucked down her leather skirt. Settling it onto the table, opens it while waiting for the receipt to sign. She studies the total amount of money on the debt Amazon Visa for the Place in the black booklet.

"Here you go." The man places the receipt on the table to sign.

The Empress glances at the total, runs down all the items, totaling them in her head. "Yup." She nods. "Adds up perfectly."

The Amazons all widen their eyes, completely amazed at their leader.

Cy signs the receipt, takes her copy, and subtracts the amount spent with the total in the black booklet. She closes the book, puts it back in its hiding spot.

"Here you are." The man handed back the Amazon Visa.

"Thank you."

"Thank you, have a lovely day, ladies."

"We will," replies the Empress after she slips her card back between her breasts. She turns around with the glasses on. "Ready, Amazons?" She takes her glasses off slowly and slips them back in their pouch at her side.

All the Amazons close their mouths and simply nod.

"Let's go," declares the Empress.

Janelle and Michelle scrabble to get the bag of fruit and apple cider from the counter.

Empress Cy hands the baffled Red Hope her quill back. "Thank you."

"S-s-sure," mutters the bard. She follows after her leader.

MomBard snickers and says to the other Amazons, "See the Empress has some talent."

"Yeah, she can balance a check book," states Red Hope. "Thank Artemis for that at least."

The other Amazons all laugh together.

"Where to next, Red?" inquires the Empress.

"Um… we need to get some…" She blushes. "Leathers for new members."

"Oooh, fun," teases Cy. "Leather shop next."

The group heads to the leather shop, then after that they went back into the market for vegetables, nuts, meats, and pasta like stuff. The entire time the ever, charging Empress Cy took care of the bills. They didn't finish shopping for supplies until that afternoon.