After spending entirely too much time trying to find a pair of shoes that would fit Pallas's small feet, Berna and Pallas were finally leaving the church to see the mayor. They exited through a simple wooden door off the kitchen, avoiding the rest of the church in the process. Outside the kitchen door, a bare-earth walkway wound around the building through a clearing of thick grass and flowers. At the edge of the clearing was a wooded area that seemed to continue into the distance.

Pallas took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. The air was crisp and clean and reminded her of being a young child traveling up to Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the late summer. It was obvious that there weren't many people here, even without seeing anything more than the field behind the church. It just didn't smell like people.

Her assumptions were confirmed when the pair rounded the corner, putting the rest of the village into view. 'Rustic' seemed somehow inadequate. The tranquil scene seemed like something straight out of a video game. Pallas half-expected to see a bard complaining about an elf's advances on the comely maiden at the general store. 

The core of the village seemed to consist of a main road that traveled through its center lined by small buildings on either side with the church at one end and a much larger house on the other, likely the mayor's. Halfway between the two was a simple two-floored structure with an attached stable which Pallas presumed to be an inn. Farther in the distance, past the mayor's house, other houses dotted the landscape surrounded by farm fields.

The residents of the village seemed to be going about the business of their day. The hammering of the smith echoed down the road. Here and there, other people were engaged in conversation or travelling from one location to another, some carrying products and packages while others were unladen. 

Pallas found herself shrinking behind Berna's larger body, trying to make herself as invisible as possible. She wasn't sure why, but there was something unnerving about strangers seeing her in this body. Berna seemed to take no heed as they walked boldly down the main street on a straight path to the larger house on the other end.

Sure enough, the villagers took notice of the strange girl walking behind the Second Priestess. It made sense that she would stand out in a village this small. Everyone had likely known each other their entire lives. Pallas frowned, realizing how much this village had in common with her hometown, Forest Springs. While Forest Springs was certainly larger and more urbanized (they had a McDonald's AND a Subway!) it wasn't significantly so. Perhaps it was this similarity that was putting her on edge?

The eyes of the passers-by seemed to bore into her as she walked by, and Pallas realized why she felt so ill-at-ease. The women looked on with curiosity or envy. The men seemed to be eyeing her appreciatively. It was those looks, the ones from the men, that were making her uncomfortable. She was vulnerable.

Is this how every girl felt, going out in public? Was every young woman scrutinized as a sexual object at such a young age? A heavy pit of revulsion settled in her stomach and she found herself clenching her fists in a combination of indignant anger and fear. It wasn't long before she was returning the stares with glares of her own, her disgust plain upon her face.

They arrived at the mayor's home in relatively short order. Berna knocked heavily on its green-painted surface before stepping backwards. The door swung open wide, revealing a slim, matronly woman in a striped blue dress, an apron, and a red scarf covering the bun of gray hair on her head. Her face bore the fine lines of age around her eyes and mouth, but she had the expression of a person who smiled more often than frowned. 

"Why, hello Berna! What brings you to our step this fine day?" the woman asked in a polite but cheerful tone.

"Good morning, Marin! I've brought our little water faerie to see Mayor Rusk and introduce herself," Berna replied similarly. Pallas wasn't sure, but there seemed to be some sort of tension in the air between the women. Whatever it was, she didn't want to be in the middle of it. "Come, child, introduce yourself to the mayor's wife," Berna said, pushing Pallas out from her shadow.

Pallas stepped forward and smiled uncertainly, bowing her head slightly and clasping her hands together in front of herself. "Um... hello. My name is Pallas," she said as confidently as she could manage.

"My, aren't you darling? As you've heard, my name is Marin. Marin Rusk. But you should address me as Madam Rusk." She smiled again with a mask of propriety. "Walfrey is in the study, going over some paperwork. I imagine he should be grateful for the distraction of a lovely young lady."

Pallas felt her face flush at the reference to herself as "lovely." There was something altogether demeaning about the continued focus on her appearance and she was beginning to question Athena's decision in shaping her body with its current form. 'She's a goddess of wisdom. I'm sure she had some reason or foresight for giving me this body...' Pallas thought. 

The mayor's wife invited them inside and guided the pair down a short hallway to a spacious study. The walls were lined with low bookshelves packed with innumerable tomes. On top were various plants separated by carved wooden figures of people and animals. On the far wall was a large stained-glass window with two smaller clear windows on either side, revealing a garden of flowers and fruit trees outside.

At a broad, ornately-carved wooden desk stained a deep golden-brown sat a heavy-set, balding man who appeared to be in his early fifties. Atop his broad nose sat a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and his lips were pressed into a thin line of concentration. As the group entered the room, he looked up from the stacks of papers and journals on his desk and his focused expression melted into one of happy surprise.

"Why hello, Priestess Berna!" the mayor said excitedly. "Hello and welcome! Don't mind me, please, please, take a seat!" he said, gesturing to the pair of leather-bound armchairs facing his desk. "And who do we have with you, today? Is this our mystery girl from the river?" 

"I'll fetch some tea for you all," Madam Rusk said flatly as she left the room. 

Pallas looked back and forth between Berna and the mayor's wife but couldn't piece together the odd relationship they seemed to have. Instead she turned her attention to Mayor Rusk and his twinkling, eager eyes. Despite his last question being about Pallas, she couldn't help but notice that his gaze was fixed on Berna.

Oh.

"Yes, this is the young lady that Nallus found washed up on the shore. She finally woke up last night, so I decided it would be best to bring her here to discuss her situation with you," Berna explained as the two of them took their seats. As they did so, Berna gave Pallas a sidelong glance and frowned. Pallas had seated herself with her knees apart, spreading the skirt of her dress wide. Berna gently nudged the closest knee toward the other, closing the gap.

"Oh? Well then. Hello, young miss. My name is Walfrey Rusk. I'm the mayor of Rivergarde. What can you tell me about yourself?" the mayor asked, seeming only now to truly see her.

Pallas hesitated. 'How much should I reveal? They're going to think I'm crazy if I tell them the truth.' Her mind was racing as she tried to piece together a believable narrative. She bit her lip nervously.

"I'm sorry, dear, it must have been quite an experience. Let's start with your name, shall we? Can you tell me your name?" Mayor Rusk said, his tone softening.

"My name is Pallas," she replied simply. 

"Just Pallas? No family name?" His eyes shifted to Berna and back to Pallas. "What else can you tell me about yourself?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Pallas admitted. "My memories only really begin when I woke up in the dorm of the church last night." It wasn't technically a lie so much as a half-truth, but it still made Pallas feel a bit guilty about being dishonest.

"Oh, I see!" Mayor Rusk said. "Well, that presents a bit of a problem, doesn't it?"

Madam Rusk returned to the room with a platter bearing a teapot and several cups as well as a small plate of scones. She carefully placed the platter on a spot that her husband had hastily cleared on the desk then moved around to the other side to stand next to the mayor. While there was another chair near the back wall, she made no move to sit down. Pallas couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated.

Apparently oblivious to any sort of awkwardness or posturing, Berna reached forward to pour tea into the cups, taking one for herself and passing another to Pallas. Mayor Rusk took the third, however his wife left the remaining cup on the platter, choosing instead to focus her attention on Pallas.

"All eyes on me, huh?" Pallas said, boldly taking the first sip of tea.

"You have to imagine, you've stirred quite a commotion here in Rivergarde. We're a small community and our only visitors are traveling merchants and travelers passing by on their way to the castle city," the mayor began. "So to find a young woman washed up on the river without so much as a scrap of clothing? Well, that sort of thing simply doesn't happen." He leaned back in his chair, blowing on his tea before taking a cautious drink.

"It leaves me in a difficult position. We can try and find someone in the village that can take you in, but you'll need to earn your way. We're not in a hard way, but I doubt anyone can afford another mouth to feed without some sort of compensation." He took another long sip of his tea, staring thoughtfully at the piles of papers on his desk. "We don't know what sort of risk you present, however."

Pallas frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, risk?"

"You could be a runaway noble. You could be a fugitive. You could be a truant servant. We don't know anything about you, so we don't know what sort of danger could be entailed in harboring you in our homes," Mayor Rusk went on, placing his cup down on his desk and taking a scone.

Pallas looked at Madam Rusk whose eyes studied her with a mild curiosity. She then turned to look at Berna, who was making a show of appreciating her tea but mostly avoiding Pallas's gaze. She finally turned her attention back to the mayor who had already devoured half his scone and was washing it down with tea.

"I understand," she said defeatedly. "So... I should leave?"

"No, no, my dear. I just want you to comprehend the situation that we are in," Mayor Rusk said reassuringly. "Can you swear to us that you have no ill intentions?"

Pallas took a calming breath before replying, "Yeah, I swear. I have no family around here and I haven't done anything wrong. It's kinda like I was just born a few days ago. Before that, I have no memory of this world or anyone in it."

All three of the adults in the room regarded Pallas with perplexed expressions, so Pallas felt the need to continue. "I know it might be hard, but I'm asking you to believe me."

Berna was the first to respond. "I believe you, Pallas." Mayor Rusk and his wife widened their eyes in surprise.

"You do?" Pallas asked.

"There is an innocence, a naivete about you. You seem ignorant of everyday things we take for granted. And you seem out of sorts with yourself, as if you've never used your body before." Berna seemed as if she were about to say something else, but stopped herself. Instead, she simply restated, "I believe you."

The mayor smiled as he wiped the crumbs of his scone off his face. "Well, if the Second Priestess of Listern vouches for you, then that shall be enough for me," he stated in a satisfied tone. Madam Rusk frowned but said nothing. "But what shall we do with you in the meantime? What sort of work can you do?"

Pallas wasn't sure how to answer that, and admitted as much. "I don't know how much I don't know. The only work I can recall involved taking care of plants and flowers."

Berna laughed. "You really are like a faerie, aren't you?"

Mayor Rusk stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Berna, why don't you take Pallas to the inn and see if Eber has a room she can use for a while. In the meantime, I'll call a village meeting tonight and we can have an open discussion regarding Miss Pallas's options. I'm sure, if nothing else, the local lads might be interested in marrying her!" he added with a chuckle.

Something about that made Pallas's skin crawl. She had no desire to be a housewife or a brood-mother to a farmhand's children. A somewhat disturbing thought occurred to her. 'Oh gods. I can actually get pregnant.'

Berna finished her tea and placed the cup down on the platter. "Yes, I think that might be best. It wouldn't hurt for Pallas to become acquainted with some of the other villagers, at any rate."

"So, I won't be staying at the church, anymore?" Pallas asked.

"No, dear. You have to undergo training and a pilgrimage to become a true Acolyte of Listern in order to be permitted to stay in the church. We took you in because you needed the help, but now that you've recovered, it's best you stay where you can work and learn from the other members of the community," Berna replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. She stood up and ran a gentle hand over the back of Pallas's head. "Come now, child, we mustn't take any more of the mayor's time."

Pallas stood, placing her empty tea cup down on the platter. She nodded graciously to the mayor and his wife before allowing Berna to lead her back to the door with Madam Rusk following behind. 

Once outside, Berna turned to Madam Rusk and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we can see each other again, soon!" Madam Rusk responded with a fake smile and closed the door.

Pallas and Berna began to walk toward the inn in the center of the village, setting a brisk pace. Once they were out of earshot of the Mayor's home, Berna said something that made Pallas stumble in surprise. 

"What a bitch."