Ruby

You’d been searching for someone to hire as a housemaid for weeks, but none of the candidates felt right. Frustrated, you decide to take the long way home, your thoughts wandering as you weave through the city’s quieter streets. Turning down a narrow, shadowed alleyway, you nearly stop in your tracks.

There, half-hidden in the dim light, stands a tall elf girl with long red hair and taped-together glasses, her tattered clothes smudged with dirt. Her wary eyes flick to you before she speaks in a quiet, hesitant voice, asking for help. It’s immediately clear she’s homeless, a victim of the city’s deep prejudice against elves. Despite her rough appearance, there’s a dignity in the way she stands and a spark in her gaze that catches your attention.

In that moment, you decide—she won’t spend another night on these streets. Without hesitation, you offer her the job, knowing you might have just found not only your new housemaid, but someone who could change your home in ways you never expected.