Agitating Problems (5)

"Hm, it's nothing much. I'm just curious about your lineage a bit. Do you have any connection to elves in any way?" He asks and smacks my back in a friendly manner, awaiting my response.

The look that I give him speaks for itself. A sigh that sounds almost disappointed escapes my lips as I stare at him. 'Is he stupid? I thought that he had some brain cells that still work... Seems like I was mistaken.'

The silence that stretches on between us is awkward, and my expression is self-explanatory.

"So...?" He asks, his voice sounding a bit stiff now. His bright blue eyes lock with mine, and I see the genuine curiosity in their depth.

"Do I look like I'm related to elves in any way, you dumbass?" My face remains blank and unamused, and my voice monotone. I'm kinda fed up with his stupidity.

Ah, I shouldn't call him stupid, though... Brainless is a far better word to describe his thinking in this mess of a situation. My lips curl down into a small scowl as I hear his neck words.

"Not really. Elves and their offspring are blessed with good looks. Although I can't say that you're blessed in any way, buddy. You're a bit... uh... plain and ordinary for elven standards." While speaking, he motions at my whole self.

I can feel my eyebrows furrow and my eye twirch a bit in irritation at his words. Despite my somewhat calm expression, I'm seething with annoyance because of this guy.

"At least my hair doesn't look like wet straw." I retort back with a subtle sneer, taunting him for calling out my looks, allowing my emotions to get the better of me.

"Oh? Well, yours looks like shit, to be honest." He taunts me back with that annoying smirk of him, which earns an unamused scoff from me.

'This conversation is making my head hurt... He's not worth it.' I compose myself after calming myself down, letting this go. 'Although the mood has lightened up a bit. Was that his objective all along?'

My eyes narrow slightly as I briefly glance at him before I look back at Hewie with an uncertain expression plastered on my face. 'Perhaps he saw me while I was talking to Hewie... But he can't see her, can he? So then, he probably sensed the tension...'

A small sigh escapes my lips once more as I gather my thoughts together and stay quiet for a fleeting moment. "So you have your answer." The words leave my mouth after a small pause.

"I guess..." Merle nods at my words and gazes into the distance, his expression turning unreadable. 'Why did he want to know, anyway?' Confusion clearly visible in my expression.

'So he's not related to elves in any way. Then it's impossible that the Life Tree gave him abilities. How can a human receive the power of the Life Tree? Unless he was given a blessing. That's out of question, though. He hasn't seen it yet. Or has he?'

While Merle is lost in thought, I observe as his expression variously changes as he thinks about the disappearance of my shadow and my physical changes.

'Mayhap his powers caused it. But he would change immediately after awakening. So why is it appearing just now? It seems like our strange human is a full package of confusing riddles and unanswered questions!' He smirks at the thought before huffing. I also notice how his lips curl downward ever so slightly in frustration, most likely.

I walk up to him, but he doesn't react, so I tap his shoulder to get his attention. "You alright? You seemed kinda lost for a second there." Worry lingers under my casual tone as I slightly squeeze his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Are you worried about me? How sweet!" He snaps out of his thoughts thanks to my touch and words, and he immediately switches into his playful and teasing personality.

I remove my hand from his shoulder and sigh heavily at his pester. "If you're acting like this, then you must be fine. I don't know why I even bothered..." I mutter the last part with slight annoyance in my tone.

Just then, I feel a nudge right into my rib, followed by a hearty laugh. "Aw, come on! You're no fun, Alaire!" But then, he remembers his original intention of why he started bothering me in the first place.

Suddenly, a hand lands on my own, and I feel how I'm getting dragged by Merle through the village. 'Haa, how amazing...'

I just allow myself to get dragged as we pass by the other residents of Silvailia. Their looks vary, but they're mostly either amused or somewhat understanding. 'I guess they're used to some oddballs acting like this, by the looks of it. I'm not too thrilled to know if there are more people like Merle here...'