Lee walked down through the small village of Breye while taking in the sights. It was still early in the morning, but he saw that the people who called Breye home were already up and about.

The small wooden stalls he spotted on his way into the village were now occupied. Men and woman had set up their stalls with small trinkets, food, or crafts. They sat behind their stalls, chatting with their neighbors, waiting for a customer. 

He got some curious looks as he wandered past. It made him feel a little out of place, but after walking for another ten or so feet, he saw that their eyes trailed behind him, not at him. Peeking over his shoulder, he spotted Kooco waddling after him. 

“Kooco, you’re free to tag along as I go about my healing. But, I have some questions i’ve wanted to ask you.” 

Lee turned forward again, noticing the stares directly at him. He slumped his shoulders and sighed. 

Yeah, speaking bird would make me stand out for sure.

Kooco shuffled a little faster to walk side by side. Once caught up, she looked up at Lee with her large oval eyes and tilted her head. 

“Ask away, friend Lee Barnes. Kooco likes sharing!”

Nodding with a slight smile as he scanned everyone around him with his skill Medical Attention, Lee started asking his questions. 

“I’m sorry if this is offensive, but what… are you? Your race?”

Kooco flittered her wings as she preened. Her eyes quirked up into crescents. 

“Kooco is a mighty Beastkin!”

Lee waited a moment for her to continue, but that was all she had to say. 

“Well, you’re the first i’ve met. Are there a lot of Beastkin around? Do you have any specialties as a people?”

Kooco appeared to be extremely happy to share about her people. Her yellow feathers shook minutely as she vibrated with energy. 

“There are lots! Well, not around here… But there are lots! Kooco is avian Beastkin, but there are many others! Countless! All unified under nature! You will like them, i’m sure!” 

She gazed at Lee again and asked a question of her own. 

“Friend Lee Barnes, how do you speak the tongue of nature if you’ve never met Beastkin?” 

Lee stopped to browse one of the stands filled with an assortment of vegetables. They were all foreign to him. He tried to use Identify to gather more information about a bright red cucumber-esque vegetable but didn’t get much in return. 

He decided to tell Kooco about his ability to speak other languages, as he didn’t want her to feel some kind of attachment to him about speaking her language when he basically cheated his way into it. 

“I have an ability that lets me speak the language whoever I’m speaking to knows. To me, it sounds like we’re speaking my home language.” 

Kooco nodded, not seeming put off that he never actually learned her language. 

“Kooco has two abilities! I will share one because my friend Lee Barnes shared his. Kooco can always know where someone is! Only one person at a time, though…” 

Lee gave Kooco a big smile and patted her head. She didn’t seem to mind it at all, and he liked her feathers' silky smooth feel. 

“That’s a great ability. I assume you have it on Meriah?” 

Kooco shook her head as she sorted the feathers that Lee had just messed up and gestured that it was not on Meriah. 

“No. It’s a secret!” 

She smiled as Lee spotted an older woman around her forties carrying a heavy, rough-looking brown sack. His Medical Attention skill told him she had 99% of her health. He waved at her as he approached. 

The woman noticed him, dropped her large sack to the ground, and rotated her shoulder as it appeared to bother her. 

“Hello, sorry to bother you, but I’m a traveling healer and noticed you could use some of my help…”

Before he could continue, he saw the woman glance away nervously and before looking back at him with a forced smile. 

“I’m fine. Thank you for the offer, sir.” 

She leaned to grab her sack and continue, but Lee spoke hurriedly before she could complete the action. 

“Ah. It’s free, ma’am. No cost, no strings attached.” 

The woman paused and looked skeptical. Lee spoke again. 

“I don’t know how healers do things here in Thexis, as I just arrived in the kingdom, but it’s truly free for something simple like a minor shoulder injury.” 

Lee used the diagnosis half of his skill and saw precisely what was wrong. 

Cautiously, the woman set down her sack again and looked Lee up and down. Eventually, she nodded.

“If it’s free…” 

Lee held a hand out, and the woman gently placed her hard-working, callous hand on his. 

Lee just held her hand, no bright life mana announcing any special magics. After he witnessed the Diagnosis screen disappear, and her HP go back to 100%, he let go. It didn’t take any time at all; it only took a second or two.

The woman's face, turning the small amount of time, went from cautious to confused. Lee retracted his hand and smiled.

“All done. Easy as that.” 

Kooco jumped forward and inspected the woman from head to toe before turning back to Lee with a tilted head. 

The woman slowly bent over to pick up her sack but midway through paused and looked in shock at Lee. She began bending her knees experimentally and rotated her shoulder again. She even lifted her arm and rubbed her hand over the back of her bicep. She murmured quietly to herself before looking at Lee with a smile. 

“Thank you. Why, I feel young again!” 

She tossed her large sack over her shoulder and released another large smile. 

“If you know anybody else who might need a small bit of healing, let them know I’m going be around for a few days. More severe injuries require payment, however.” Lee said.

She nodded, still with her smile, as she continued on her way down the street. Lee and Kooco watched as she experimentally dipped low in her strides, testing her knees. Lee let out a small chuckle as Kooco spoke. 

“Where was the magic, friend Lee Barnes? I sensed no mana.” 

Lee looked down at Kooco’s innocent stare and shrugged his shoulders. He had an innocent look of his own as he grinned at her.

“Must have been a miracle?” 

Kooco narrowed her eyes mockingly as she chirped once. 

“Very well! Keep your secrets, then! All is well!” 

Lee felt the air stir around him unnaturally for but a moment. With his Mana Sense, he sensed mana being sent through the air itself, back toward the way they came. 

“What’s that spell Kooco?”

Kooco gave a childish harumph as she roosted on the ground. 

“I sent a message to Meriah.” 

That caught Lee’s interest. Kooco shifted a little bit in happiness at the impressed look from Lee. 

“You’ll have to teach me that one. That’s a handy spell. Most of my spells are for… damage or defense.” 

Kooco sent Lee an interested look herself. 

“Does friend Lee Barnes fight a lot?” 

Lee saw the shape of Meriah walking down the street towards them as he nodded and replied. 

“I’m afraid I did my fair share of fighting. Hopefully, there won't be much more.” 

—-------------------------------

The next few hours were filled with Lee bothering a few people on the street about healing. Only one other person in this small village had any physical injuries, a slightly scuffed knee on a child. It was quickly taken care of, and the boy's father took him back to his home. 

Meriah arrived earlier and didn’t say much. She just had a one-sided small talk with Kooco, which Lee translated for. 

Seeing as there wasn’t much healing needed in such a small village, Lee wanted to explore a bit. There weren’t too many shops around, mostly just stalls set up with goods. He, Meriah, and Kooco stopped at a stall selling some meat on a stick for lunch. He wasn’t sure if Kooco ate meat initially, but she devoured it by tearing it off the stick with blatant aggression. It was, honestly, kind of cute. 

Lee started to wander on the dirt road to inspect the farms when Meriah spoke from behind. 

“Hey. Uh, we should head back to the village head’s home. Let everyone know how were doing.” 

Lee paused in his steps and turned her way. 

They hadn’t informed Jeremy or the others at all throughout the day, so it was maybe a valid concern. But Lee was his own person. He wasn’t going to report his every waking moment to them because he was an outsider. Also, why would they go to the village head’s home?

“Why are they at the village head’s home?” 

Meriah looked confused at the question; then realization dawned on her face. She pushed her glasses up and awkwardly spoke. 

“Lee, uh, that’s where we’re staying.” 

Now, it was Lee’s turn to look confused. Then, he frowned and spoke with seriousness. 

“The home we’re staying in is his? We kicked him out of his own home?” 

Meriah meekly nodded. 

Lee frowned at the ground. If he had known they kicked Robert out of his own home for a few days, he would have just camped out. This wasn’t something he was comfortable with. Robert probably had no choice in the matter either, possibly having been forced to sleep with an acquaintance or family. This was not going to continue. 

“Yes. Let’s go back. We have to go grab our things.” 

Lee speed walked past the nervous Meriah and oblivious Kooco as he made his way back to the village head, Robert’s, home.