Agitating Problems (1)

Once I'm able to move properly, I get out of the tree house. Hewie left my side right after I confronted her. Well, I suppose it's not that bad. Although I'm still pretty shaken up by what happened.

'I hope she'll explain everything one day. And I hope that the day will come soon. I don't want to live in uncertainty. She's my companion, after all, and I want to trust her.'

Outside of the house, I walk around and explore a bit, curious to see more of the village. I've been here for quite a long time, but I never got to explore it well...

While exploring, a small lake catches my attention. It's a bit confusing as to why there's a lake in the village, but I guess they're elves, so they keep anything from nature untouched as much as they can.

'Now that I think about it, when was the last time that I washed up? The lake is located in a secluded part of the village... I'm sure that they won't mind. It looks clean...'

I look around to make sure that nobody is watching before I shed my clothes and dip into the water, relaxing as I feel the cool water hit my skin. Oh, there's a sign... 'Do not wash clothes, only yourself!'

What a funny thing. I guess that means that this is a bath then. I'm glad that I'm not violating any rules by washing up here.

After washing my body, I lean down to wash my face, cupping some water in my palms. But then, I stop and stare at my reflection.

The water drips down from my palms, and I let it fully escape my hands before I reach up and touch my face. There are white markings under my eyes. They look almost like... feathers.

"I guess that there's still a lot that I don't know about this world, huh?" I mutter to myself while examining the new, strange marks on my face.

Unfortunately, I have to ask Hewie again... I don't really want to, but I don't have a choice if I want to know what this is. I search around me to spot my feathered companion. My eyes land on her as she's resting on a stone, looking like a fluffy ball.

"Hewie... what are those?" I ask her in a soft tone, not wanting to scare her since she seems to be resting. However, my voice also bears clear hesitation in it. Whilst waiting for her answer, I pray that she actually will give me a reply.

"Magic markings." Her voice rings clearly in my head, and her response makes me raise an eyebrow slightly. "Magic markings... on me? I thought that I didn't have any magic?"

I mumble and look at my reflection once more. There's also another small detail. My pupils seem to be more cat-like now for whatever reason... 'I wonder if that's also a side effect of my awakening.'

I finish washing up and then dry myself with a leaf towel that's hanging on a branch. It does mention that it's free to borrow....

Then, I put on my clothes and walk back to the village, feeling refreshed after that bath. My way leads straight to Ellirith as I want to ask her about a few things. 'I'll see if she has any books about this world and the markings.'

Thereafter, getting back to the village main square, I see Merle chatting with some other people who look rather similar to him. 'I guess that's his family. Elves aren't all that different from humans here, huh?'

A small huff can be heard as I turn around to leave, letting him spend some time with his family. 'It must be nice to have more than one family member... Especially if they're all healthy and full of beans. I can't really relate to that. Grandma Pallor isn't in the best state since she's not the youngest anymore.'