ARC 1: Arrival

Chapter 1.09: Sleepwear

The food from the Wildgrass Inn and Tavern was hearty and filling. I was halfway through my refilled Tankard when it hit me that I didn’t particularly feel all that drunk yet. There was a pooling warmth of alcohol creeping through my body, but I only felt a little buzzed. If anything, I felt a little more relaxed with my situation, but not inhibited at all. I reasoned that the extra food in my system was helping me process the alcohol, but by now I should be pretty drunk with how susceptible I normally was to alcohol.

Was this new body just better at drinking? Some sort of Felisian quirk maybe? I’m pondering the thought when I remember a curious fact from earlier. The Wormpetal flower. It was supposedly poisonous, but I don’t recall even feeling the littlest bit sick from the poisonous flower. It was only a theory, but it certainly seemed like my liver was working at least twice as effectively at keeping me from being poisoned than it ever had before.

Astrid was onto her third tankard and I could tell that she was starting to feel the effects of it. It was almost imperceptible, but she was slightly swaying in her seat as she sipped from her tankard. I could see her glances in my direction become less discrete, and I met any I noticed with a gentle smile. As her drink started to empty for the third time, I made the executive decision as both a medical professional and her friend to advise her to take it easy.

She relented easily, much to my surprise. Aliz looked particularly amused at her as I requested Astrid a final glass of water. Aliz told me a bit more about the town and its people as the eating slowed to a halt. I sipped on the last of my mead, listening attentively. Astrid stayed quiet for the most part as she drank her water quietly beside me. I looked her way curiously a couple of times, surprised by her silence. Each time I looked her way, I usually caught her staring at me, lost in thought. When she caught me looking though, she turned away quickly in embarrassment.  I didn’t address it though, she’s likely never met a Felisian if the rest of her party’s reactions are anything to go by.

Aliz was kind enough to talk to me about the local businesses, taking care to describe what the medical care in this town was like. There are a total of three medical ‘professionals’ around town and a couple assistants. The first one she covers is the one that’s a little more similar to my own craft, but the other two are still distinctly magical in nature.

The main medical office is run by a man by the name of Harm. I manage to hold back a laugh and act professional as she continues. Harm is primarily a surgeon of sorts; Aliz explains some of the procedures she’s personally seen him carry out. Bone setting, arrow removal, amputation, cauterization, and even worked as a barber of sorts for the town. I can see that Aliz is glad the conversation had been left for after we’d eaten, though personally I took the information in stride. I bite my tongue as she continues to explain that Harm was practiced in the art of Bloodletting, a practice that I knew as foolish and dangerous with my modern sensibilities. It seems that I’d have to educate the town's local surgeon on some of the worse practices they may have picked up in their time.

The next person that she mentions is someone I would have hesitated to call a ‘Medical Professional’. A local Priest by the name Father Arend, a follower of the Fourth Failure. I press Aliz for details about the Fourth Failure, but she just seems to give me a shrug and tells me to ask them myself. Apparently they follow a god by the name of Neorr, the god of Forgiveness. Father Arend performs blessings and prayers for ‘forgiveness’ when someone catches sickness around the town. Apparently Neorr was a fickle god that bestowed power to Father Arend infrequently so that he could help the townspeople. Magic was a little out of my purview as a doctor, so I didn’t question Aliz too much about the specifics of how he accomplished his particular brand of healing.

The final person she told me about was a Somamancer that worked for her guild, the Sun thorns. Her name was Maylin Winris and she came from the Capital like Vulmer did. More magic stuff, but unlike the mostly faith lead priest’s powers I found myself intrigued by Somamancy. By Aliz’s description, it was a rare talent even amongst talented magic users. It was magic that healed the body directly. Because it was such a rare talent, Aliz wasn’t able to explain to me anything further about the capabilities of a Somamancer. I made a quick note in my journal to find Maylin so I could hopefully learn a bit more about the magical medical treatments of this world.

We were just finishing up our conversation about Maylin when my ear flicked to the side quickly and I can hear some stirring from the seat beside me, Astrid was getting restless. I flicked my tail once in thought, not turning to look at her. According to Aliz earlier, I was sharing a room with Astrid. It would only be right if I brought her back to the room. I wasn’t sure exactly how drunk she was, but we were mostly finished here anyways.

“Thank you so much for all of your help, Aliz. This information will definitely help me in trying to figure out what to look into in town. I should start getting us back to the room though, before the two of us put Astrid to sleep.” I chance a glance back down at Astrid and find her looking at me again. Aliz gives a knowing nod, smirking at Astrid’s slumped form.

“Well, our rooms are next to each other. Let’s head that way.” Aliz says, pushing her seat back and standing up. “You too drunk to walk yet, Astrid?”

Astrid scrambles to a stand, her face lightly flushed from the alcohol. “‘Course not. I’ve had worse.” She retorts, only slightly slurring her words. I don’t manage to hold in the slight giggle, Astrid gives me a look for the offending sound. I give her an apologetic look. I can rather conveniently blame the alcohol for a bit of slipped composure.

Clearing my throat, I stand up myself and gesture to Aliz. “Lead the way.” Aliz gives a quick nod and I step in line next to Astrid just in case she needs any help. Dealing with drunk people is not rare inside hospitals, so I’ve had my fair share of experience with it. That being said, Astrid could definitely hold her liquor pretty well. While she swayed a bit with her steps, she never actually stumbled or ran into anything.

Aliz directs us towards a back hallway, giving a nod to a man behind the counter of the bar as she guides us. He nods back and I make a mental note that he might be the ‘Joshua’ I’d heard about here and there. We walk down the back hallway all the way until the end where Aliz points towards the furthest right door.

“Astrid's room. Mines this one just before it. You’re both pretty small, so there should be plenty of space for the two of you. If for some reason you need me, you’ll know where to find me.” Astrid heads straight for the door and I linger behind.

“Thank you for your help Aliz. I appreciate you helping me feel welcome here in town, I’m definitely glad I’m not still lost in that forest.” Aliz gives me a smile that radiates compassion. I was definitely lucky to run across her group.

“Again, you helped Roarke. Least I can do is help you get settled. I have a feeling that you’ve got some real talent that Deergrave will really benefit from.” Aliz begins to head for her own room. “May Itrixa bless your dreams, Lillian.” The door to Aliz’s door shuts gently behind her and I pull out my journal once more, I jot down the name Itrixa. I hadn’t been very religious in my previous life, but if priests gained power through their faith, it definitely looked as if Gods and Goddesses were real. It might be useful to look into the various beliefs of the area at some point. If this world was going to be my home, I had a lot to learn.

I found myself deep in thought as I pulled open the door to Astrid’s, and more recently my, room. Did I want this place to be my home? Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but I found it hard to miss my old home. I missed a lot of things from the old world. I missed my friends, my family, my coworkers. I missed the woods I frequented on my off days. I missed my spare journals, filled with extra notes about anything and everything I’d learned. I missed the tiny comforts I had in my day to day.

But there were certainly things I didn’t miss. I didn’t miss my tiny apartment that I had barely furnished. I didn’t miss the monotony of city life. I didn’t miss the still massive debt I carried around from countless student loans I had accrued over the course of my student life.

I shook my head of the thoughts; if I followed that line of thinking I was only going to hurt myself more. I picked my head up as I found myself in the room proper and froze in alarm. Astrid was standing on the other side of the room, topless and about to be bottomless. I turn my head quickly, giving her some privacy with a cough. I couldn’t see her reaction because I was facing the wall now, but I could hear her short strangled gasp of surprise. I could also hear the subsequent gentle crash of her tripping and falling onto the bed.

“I, uh, shit, uh, ah…” Astrid curses and mumbles, the alcohol likely not helping her deal with figuring out what to do. I just giggle again at her antics, shoving my hands into my lab coats pockets as I turn the rest of my body away from her. “One sec, I’ve almost- aha! Got it. Okay, you can, um, turn around now. Sorry.”

I turn back around and find her newly clothed in a simple sleep gown. As I looked at the gown I was suddenly struck with the thought that I didn’t have any pajamas or anything to wear myself. I looked at my current outfit carefully, thinking it over. I pull my bag strap over my head and set it gently on the floor beside the small wooden nightstand on the side of the bed I was on. I carefully shrug my lab coat off. The fringe at the bottom of the coat was lightly stained with some dried blood that I had already mentally written off as being able to be cleaned for now. I fold the dirtied coat and place it on top of my bag gingerly. I pull off my shoes and place them beside them; noting that my modern style sneakers likely look out of place compared to the mostly leather boots I’d see the townspeople wearing.

Without bothering to check if Astrid is looking, I gently shimmy out of my soft lounge pants. The shirt I’m wearing is a bit on the longer end and mostly keeps my bottoms covered. I fold the pants and place them with my other belongings before hopping into the bed. I turn to look at Astrid, who’s staring directly at me. She’s a bit more flushed than she had been before and I snicker at her expression.

“Sorry, I don’t have a sleep gown yet. Is this fine by you?” I ask, hoping I hadn’t just made the person who’s room I was invading uncomfortable. She doesn’t verbally answer, but she does shake her head. Sluggishly, she turns to the nightstand on her side of the room and taps a glowing crystal I hadn’t consciously noticed before this. The crystal slowly dims until all of the light fades from the room, blanketing us in darkness. I hadn’t actually gotten a good look at the lanterns out in the streets; were they light giving crystals too? The wall on the outside had regular fire torches, but could that be to ward off predators from the forest?

I’d have to double check the town tomorrow. What was the state of technology in this world if magic was so prevalent? Furthermore, why is medicine lagging so far behind if they do have a considerable base for magic technology? I really needed to find a way to travel to this Capital so I could get an accurate view of the upper end of this world's technology.

As thought’s race across the forefront of my mind, I find myself shifting to lay on my back. That position doesn’t last long as discomfort from my tail causes me to flip onto my side once more. I try to still the flicking of my tail in an attempt not to disturb Astrid.

I don’t succeed. I let out a squeaky sound of shock as I felt her fully embrace my tail in a hug. I didn’t properly have any idea just how sensitive my tail was until that moment. As Astrid sleepily nuzzled my tail, I fought off the tingling sensation traveling down my tail and up into my spine. I gently try to pull the tail from her grip, gasping as I make slow progress. Eventually, I manage to pull the tail away properly, flipping to face my bed partner so that she doesn’t have easy access to the new appendage. I can feel my cheeks filling with embarrassed blush at the foreign sensation travelling through my body. The tail was apparently very sensitive.

Luckily, it seems that Astrid is fast asleep already. I take a couple steadying breaths and laugh inwardly about the situation, today has been a crazy day. Looking at the sleeping face of my new roommate, I smile to myself. She seemed nice so far and I definitely wanted to get to know more about her. It would definitely help my sanity a lot to make a couple good friends. Aliz was great too.

As I finally settled into a restful slumber, I found an idle thought lingering in the last moments of my consciousness. She’s kinda cute when she’s sleeping...

SylkWeaver

A little late due to stressful circumstances yesterday, but it is here!