“Nana, are you ok?”
Aria could not help but wave in front of her face because she seems lost in her mind.
“A-ah. I apologize. It is just that you reminded me of my great grandmother. She was just like you. Normally we would not take any of the captured enemies as a slave.”
Her gaze wanders around the floor as her complexion turns paler. Turns out Nana is not in good health. Fearing that his mother will collapse alone in the house, Naki has decided to take one this raiding session despite the opposition from his mother.
“You can leave the pouch that you carry here. I will wait for you downstairs after you change.”
Once the footsteps can no longer be heard, Aria slowly slips out of the dress. Every movement is painful since her body has bruises and small wounds. She cursed herself for not wearing more practical clothing as she is changing to the tube clothing. The reddish floral pattern with spider-like pattern makes her look more striking. She explored the attic and sat down near the area that has a slit that let some sunlight in.
“Let's see if I bring my hair tie.”
She opens her bag and flips it upside down. All the contents dropped like rain to the wooden floor. She took one small pouch that contained her make up kit.
“I am glad that this bag is waterproof. W-wait a minute. My phone is supposed to have a water resistance feature. I should have put my phone in my bag instead of my pocket that day.”
She took her phone from the slightly damp bag and wiped it with the fabric that was given by Nana. To her surprise, the screen lit up after several attempts of pressing the start button.
“Yoshhh!”
She exclaimed as at least she has something from her previous world that still works. The screen shows the selfie of her grandmother on Aria’s birthday. No words could describe the joy in her heart to see her grandmother’s picture once again.
“I need to conserve the battery as at the moment I don’t have any means to charge it.”
She put the phone in the waterproof pouch and sealed it before tying her hair in a messy bun. She managed to fix her appearance to be more presentable with the help of the mirror inside of the compact powder set.
She took some safety pins to secure the tube clothing.
“Ouch! This pin always pokes me. I rather get poked than having to show the world my bosom.”
The dim room makes it hard for her to be precise. She misses having a full-length mirror and electricity.
‘Ah. Things that you take for granted in the modern world.’
She thought to herself while sorting the items back to the backpack and hid them among the jars. Aria could not help but raise both of her hands to the air for she is happy that she did not remove a pack of disposable panties and tampons from the previous trip.
“Thank you old Aria for your laziness to sort your bag.”
She mutters to herself before changing into new panties. She folds her dress and her undergarments neatly before she goes downstairs.
“Wow. You look like a princess coming down from the sky. I was right to give you this sarong. Let’s go to the river for a bath and get to know other people.”
Nana gasped in awe and grabbed Aria’s forearm. If it weren't for hair colors and height, then no one would deny that both of them look like a mother-daughter duo.
The moment the main door was open, both of them greeted by a large space shared by the whole longhouse. Despite already seeing the long corridor when she was carried by Naki, yet it still managed to make Aria’s jaw drop to the floor. Previously she was deeply bothered by the fact that she might be in danger thus she could not enjoy the view.
As they walked further out, the ceiling section facing Nana’s main door was filled with human skulls hanging as decoration. She gulped as she had never seen a ceiling fully covered by human skulls. Aria recalled her grandfather’s longhouse only had a net full of human skulls that were adorned like a chandelier. Yet it was not as terrifying as this view that her eyes were feasting on.
Nana’s family must be known for their strength since men normally get recognition by how many enemies they have defeated in battle. Hopefully, Aria’s assumption is correct if this is the same tribe as hers then they are not practicing cannibalism.
“I hope the skulls do not strike fear in your heart. They would not disturb you as we have done the necessary ritual to keep the souls from getting enraged.”
She grabs Aria’s and hastens her steps to the side door that was located at the end of the longhouse. Turns out Nana’s house is the only one that has that enormous collection of skulls compared to the others.
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