Chapter Ten:
It's Rude to Stare
When I awoke, I was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. There was a gentle warmth to the air, as if my weeks trek through the frigid mountains meant nothing to this place. Trying to sit up, I was met with a strong weight resting over my entire body. I couldn't even raise my head, restricted to looking side to side.
An annoyed sigh came from outside my field of vision followed by a voice. The language felt melodic; sharp and yet gentle. Naturally, I understood none of it.
“U-um... I'm sorry, but I can't understand you.” I can only respond sheepishly.
A rhythmic tapping followed by a scratching noise was the only response for a short time.
“Human language, empirical dialect, yes?”
The voice was distinctly feminine. It was also cold, detached... and confident? She held all the power here, and she knew it.
“That's right...” I stammered.
More rhythmic tapping.
“Uh, why can't I move?”
“Hmm,” she replied nonchalantly. “You're bound in place. Wouldn't want any complications.”
“Right... why am I being bound?”
“You were found in what appeared to be an attempt to illegally cross the border. You also were carrying a bracelet of invisibility and a deathblight dagger. That isn't to mention a large sum of other magical items. Thief, assassin, fugitive? It's best to treat things like this cautiously.”
Well, when you put it that way it does seem a bit suspicious.
“You're lucky grandmother is more generous than most. Anyone else would likely have left you to bleed out and die. Or finished things right there, just to be sure.”
She finally walked into view, and I blushed. A soft blue fabric gripped salaciously to her well curved body. Her skin pale and hair as white as freshly fallen snow. Two long, furred ears poked out from the top of her head.
Wait, she she's a beast-kin? I thought elves hated beast-kin!
A blush grew over her face, and she pressed her ears down with her hands. Ah... she seems to be a bit bashful about it. Any signs of cuteness were immediately replaced by annoyance as she reached down and delivered a flick to my forehead with an audible thud. My vision swam and my head felt like it had been hit by a heavy stone. How much force did she have in that finger?
“It's rude to stare.” She griped.
“S-sorry, I just didn't expect...”
“Tsk.” She clicked her tongue and turned away, revealing a long tail. It slinked out of a triangle cut in her... well I would approximate them as trousers, though that would be a vulgar description considering the beauty of the design and cloth. She turned around and narrowed her eyes at me. Ah, right. From her perspective, she caught me either looking at her tail that she is likely as sensitive about as her ears or caught me looking at her butt.
“Umm, I was just appreciating the style of clothing. I swear! We don't have anything that fancy where I'm from.”
“I'm sure, you cheeky brat.” She stalked up to where I lay and grabbed me by the chin. “I will say your sense of fashion leaves much to be desired, but if you are so shameless going to ogle me then you can't complain if I do the same.”
What proceeded was a lot less lewd than one might imagine from her words. She peeled my eyelids open looking at them from various angles, then scribbled in a little book. Taking notes, I suppose? Paper was considered quite the commodity in Himal Point, though I hear the wealthier in proper cities would keep journals of their work and thoughts. Would that mean she is wealthy? Or does this country have a different standard of wealth? Where even am I?
She pulled back my lips with the back of her writing instrument to examine my teeth, like someone examining a horse they might buy. I'm being sized up and documented by a beast-kin in what I thought would be the southern region of a country of elves. She moved on to poking around my ears.
“I, uh, I'm not the first human you've seen right?” broaching the subject gently. I hope. This is one bear I really don't want to poke.
“Human?” She raised an eyebrow and scribbled more in her journal.
That was... certainly a response I wasn't expecting. Apparently bored by my face, she left my field of view and could feel some scratching her and there on my torso. Appearing just in the bottom right of the view, she seems to be examining where I was bit by the monster before. It's strange that it doesn't hurt at all, but I can't twist my head down to get a good look.
“Say, are you a man?” She poked my nipple with the back end of her instrument.
“Ah!” I was assaulted by an uncomfortable sensation as my weeks long chafing parts tightened up. “Yes! I am a man, stop prodding me in weird places!” I can feel the heat rush to my face.
“Hmm. I heard human men were supposed to be gruff and savage, like a beast-kin with monkey ears. You seem like a soft boy, even by elven standards.”
Soft boy? My body hair might have fallen out, but I've still got plenty of muscle and machismo. I get the feeling I really shouldn't have stared at her ears; she is harboring a bit of a grudge.
“Well, let's just double check.” She says while loosening my pants and starts pulling them down.
“Wait! Stop, let's think about this!” My face getting hotter by the moment.
Suddenly I hear the opening of a door. The silence is audible.
An unfamiliar voice speaks out with a stern tone what I assumed was elvish and my assaulter responded with a mollified tone. A shuffling of feet proceeds the sound of a closing door. A stunning figure enters my view. Soft skin compliments her sharp facial features, giving her a regal yet welcoming visage. Icy blue eyes meet mine, and hair as white as fresh snow gently flows down her back. Long, pointed, not at all furry ears poke out from her hair.
I hold back a sigh of relief. Finally, an elf.
“I must apologize for my granddaughter treating you so roughly. I will properly chastise her later. For now, I imagine we both have questions that need answering.”
Long live the evil plan! The author also of course, health should always come first.
I just found this and now I'm sad for catching up.
Looking forward to the next Chapter.
Personal blame is for chumps