Tasks at hand

The girl's first stop was the courier company.

As she entered, there was only one other person on the inside: a worried-looking man standing right by the window, looking outside with an aura of general upset surrounding him, being so thick it was almost palpable.

"Hello."

"A-ah! H-hello! Can I help you with something, Miss…?"

Melinda called out, causing the man to flinch and bow his head in surprise as if he hadn't noticed her entering.

"I have a letter to send. I need it delivered to the Diamondium Kingdom. Does this company provide such services?"

The girl asked, pulling down her hood and taking out the letters before checking and selecting one of them, hiding back the other two.

"...!"

Seeing that, the man hurriedly rushed towards the counter in the back and pulled out a large book.

"Of course we do, Miss! Normal delivery takes between two to five weeks, all depending on the exact location you want it delivered and…"

The man's expression did complete one-eighty as he opened the book and began reading out from it with gusto…

"...huh…"

But stopped the moment that Melinda took out a gold coin with the visage of Perseverance and placed it in front of him.

"..."

His silence continued as the girl continued adding the coins, stacking them into a neat pile on top of the counter.

"With our fastest courier using the local teleport to the nearest location to the border with Diamondium kingdom, crossing the border, and getting to the nearest Diamondium kingdom's location with a teleporter, we will be able to deliver your letter within two days from today to any location you desire. And that does count in this abysmal weather we're having at the moment."

The receptionist straightened his back and declared with a dead-serious expression.

"Here is the form. Normally, we require the full name and thumbprint of the client, but we can forgo this process if you wish so."

The man reached under the counter and pulled up a sheet of paper and a pen, placing it in front of the girl but not letting go of it in a meaningful gesture.

"It's okay. I don't mind doing it the proper way. I'm just sending the message back home. As you can see, things are crazy out there, and the last thing I want is my father and brother storming here thinking that something happened to me, so I want it delivered with premium speed."

Melinda chuckled and shook her head, pulling on the form, until the man released it hesitantly, and begining to fill out every single space.

"Miss. Whatever is your reasoning, I swear on the Thorio company's name and my own honor that we provide full confidentiality to our clients."

"No, no. I'm serious. It's okay for someone like the border control to check the content if required. Don't get your company in trouble trying to skip that process or something. It really isn't that kind of message." 

The receptionist didn't seem to believe her assurance, making Melinda laugh as she finished writing down the detailed address of the Fenrioette's mansion as the recipient's address.

"I understand. You can count on us, Miss!"

"That's nice. Likewise, I do count on you."

The receptionist received the filled-out form, the letter, and the payment and bowed down so deeply that his forehead was almost touching the counter. The amused Melinda chuckled and nodded her head. She wiped her ink-covered thumb and pulled up her hood before leaving the building to brave the storm again.

Her next destination - the city hall.

"...!"

That one wasn't nearly as pleasant an experience as the courier company. From the start, someone exiting the building opened the door so suddenly that he nearly hit the girl, who thankfully reacted in time and jumped away, dodging the additional damage that would register for sure.

"Watch your step!"

Instead of apologizing, the man scoffed at her as he rushed out.

"..."

It was only a moment, but Melinda made sure to memorize his face and entered the city hall after nodding to herself with a grim expression.

The inside was chaotic, with many officials running around exasperated, trying to figure out what caused the storm…

…and crying out about the devastating damages to the dock…

"..."

Melinda didn't bother taking down her hood this time and approached the counter with a very troubled receptionist being buried alive with documents as well as notes she was receiving from the other officials.

"Hello. I'm Melinda Fenrioette…"

"I-I-I am very sorry, Miss Fenrioette, all requests from the public have to wait unless they involve a direct threat to lives…! The situation outside requires all the attention of the mayor, other officials, and the local nobles, so…!"

Melinda introduced herself, taking out and picking one letter, but was spoken over by the desperate receptionist forced to handle way too many things at the same time.

"Oh, no, no. I just want to leave this here. If someone will be looking for me, please hand them this."

"...?"

The hooded girl shook her hand and hurriedly took one of the pens from over the counter and wrote her name in bold letter on the envelope before handing both things to the wide-eyed receptionist.

"Please, and thank you."

"...a-alright…?"

Melinda nodded and smiled, with the boldness and confidence of her actions making an impression on the receptionist, who could only nod her head sheepishly upon receiving the letter.

"Alright…!"

Melinda clapped her hands together and smiled before leaving the city hall - this time, her destination was the shop dealing with magic items.

"This isn't a shelter. You either buy something or get out."

...was the rude greeting that Melinda received right as she closed the door of the shop and took down her hood.

"Oh, wow. If Respite's owner didn't recommend this place, I would already leave."

Melinda scoffed, pridefully raising her head and looking down at the bored shopkeeper sitting down with his elbows on the counter, staring at the window to his right.

"...!"

Her aloof words caused an immediate reaction - the shopkeeper stood right up, and a wide smile appeared on his face.

Birds of the feather and so on...