Lily and I return to the village and immediately head toward the inn. I check the request board and find that someone has accepted my request for clothes. I had previously detailed my approximate size, so I had no worries about the clothes fitting, but I'm a bit nervous about their reaction when they figure who made the request. Humans are adaptable, and I've already adapted to being a 'light elf.' Of course, I'm aware that Lily seems to be more paranoid then she needs to be. Most people I've interacted with have been fairly polite. I can only keep my fingers crossed, wait at the designated location, and hope my good luck continues.
"Hey, are you the one that posted the request?" (????)
"Ah, yes. I'm Adam, nice to meet you." (Adam)
"Yeah, I know who you are. Why do you need new clothes? Not only have I never seen clothes like yours before, but you've been wearing the same ones since arriving. That's obviously suspicious! You show up one day with nothing but what's on your back and expect us to believe you traveled all the way here with just that?! For all we know, you could be an outlaw from some distant country trying to hide here! Well, can you refute anything I've said?!" (????)
Hmmm, he brings up valid points. If someone claimed they traveled across a country with nothing but what's on their back, I'd assume they hid their belongings. And, if they said they came from somewhere close, I'd be confused if they had foreign clothes. He seems like the paranoid type, I'll have to choose my words carefully.
"Ah, you're right, that is strange, I'm sorry. I ended up racking up a debt in the previous village and had to sell most of what I had to pay it off. No one was interested in this suit of clothes, so I couldn't sell them. I'm sorry, there's no way for me to prove my story. If you catch me doing anything suspicious, just don't let me get away with it, is that all right?" (Adam)
Hopefully there aren't any holes in my story, I can't think of anything better at the moment.
"Fine. Here's the clothes, you don't need to pay for them. They don't fit me anymore anyways. Just don't forget, I've got an eye on you." (????)
He tosses two suits of clothing on a table next to us, then stalks away. Surprisingly, he seems like a nice guy. I'll have to thank him somehow another time. The more people I create positive relationships with, the less limited my movements in the future will be.
"What's with him?" (Adam)
"I don't know him personally, but I've heard rumors. His name is Caspian. They say he was abused as a child, so he's skeptical of people. He's probably one of the least biased people in this village, not because he isn't extra cautious of light elves, but because he's seen the worst side of humans as well." (Lily)
"I see." (Adam)
Looks like he's a good target to make connections with.
"Oh, now that I have these clothes. Lily, where can I wash myself?" (Adam)
"You just need to give Anna 10 coppers and she'll heat some water up for you and loan you a cloth. Then, you can wash yourself in your room and leave the bucket outside afterwards." (Lily)
I was afraid of that, no bath. Baths are one of my few weaknesses, I love soaking in them while pondering life's little mysteries.
I pay Anna and take the water and cloth up stairs. After entering my room, I start to take my clothes off. Then, I notice something strange.
"What? They look the same, but these aren't my clothes! The tags aren't on here and the material is a little different! And, oh! The pockets are fake!" (Adam)
Strange, very strange. It's obvious I wasn't directly transferred to this world now. Someone tampered with my clothes while I was asleep! But, why? Why would anyone switch my clothes with these other ones? Was there something special about my previous clothes? Weird!
I proceed to wash my body with the cloth, which isn't very satisfying. Then, I put on some of the new clothing and place the bucket and cloth outside my room.
It's too early to go to bed, so I suppose I'll head downstairs.
I stroll downstairs and look around. There's many faces I don't recognize. Also, I see Jeff in the back corner. He seems occupied, and I want to sleep tonight so I won't interrupt him. I go toward the closest wall, then lounge against it and listen intently. Hopefully I can pick something up of interest.
"Hey, did you hear that Archbishop Karter recently arrived nearby in the town of Carleone?" (????)
"What?! I never heard about that! Are you sure about it?" (??)
"I heard it from a very reliable source, Archbishop Karter is in Carleone. I thought it was impossible at first as well, but my source never lies." (????)
"You and your 'sources' I bet it's just some woman's gossip! Still, if the Archbishop is really there, that's probably a bad thing. To send an Archbishop out, the church would need a very good reason. I wonder what could possibly cause someone that important to come out here?" (??)
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a downer! Maybe he's there to bless the local towns' harvests!" (????)
Oooh, I did learn something interesting. If it's true, then this 'Karter' showed up around the same time as me. It could be a coincidence, but it has a good chance of being related. I don't have any other leads anyways, so I should follow this one.
With that, I feel satisfied. So, I decide to return to bed. I head upstairs and collapse.
It's been another busy day today. I hunted, learned body reinforcement magic, procured clothes, bathed and heard a fascinating rumor. With that, I should sleep great! Good night once again, strange new world!