Heart thumping, I hide amongst the dense branches of a neighboring house's tree.
What was that? Was that me?
I should have felt only Obrecht's duplicated emotions, but why...why didn't it feel one-sided? Did I really like it? Me?
The heat in my face rises instead of cooling. Embarrassed of myself, I use both hands to cover my face as I fall backwards of the branch, only to hang upside down by the back of my knees like some sort of human possum.
In between fingers, I peek at my junior, uncomfortable and shy. All the places Obrecht touched still tingles.
"Ah—" I gasp as I accidentally fell down. I somersault midair and land at another branch, squating down with a sigh.
Get it out of your head! Stop thinking, stop thinking!
Slightly distracting myself by counting the ants climbing on the trunk for half an hour, I later hop down the tree with a plan to roam around to cool my head—the ants weren't the least bit helpful.
It may have been highly suspicious of me to quietly walk around in the shadows, but I don't really want to interact much with the Faerie-kind. Maybe it's because of the first meeting, but I don't seem much inclined.
Although, as much as first impressions go, the Lycan-kind sure took care of their first place position.
At the far end of the valley, I head over. There are less people and houses here. I stop walking upon hearing the rushing sounds of what seems to be a waterfall.
Do I go back?
Before I can continue to hesitate, a voice shouts behind me.
"Ah! Tukare! I told you not to leave yet", an androgynous Faerie-kind with a missing arm intimately complained as she walked over, a handle-less basket tuck between her only arm and side.
From the direction she came from, I would assume she's been to the valley's center where a lot of people and stalls gather. The faint scent of other people and food mix with her prominent scent of herbs and stagnant water.
"I haven't even spent a night enjoying the bright stars with you yet and you—Tukare, did you just grow taller?" She leaned over and nudged with me with her arm-less shoulder upon suddenly realizing the small but obvious height difference.
"...Where?"
"Where? Where are we going? Ah, back at home—where else?"
Although she doubtfully looks at me for a second, she composes herself and immediately agrees to something I'm not entirely sure about.
"Why is your voice a bit lower", she trails off, whispering to herself.
Wordlessly, I take the basket from here and walk a few steps before looking back. To be honest, I may look like I'm waiting for her but in actuality, I don't know where to go without her leading me.
Unfortunately, she just stares at me.
Until when are you going to look like a fish on land like that?
"...What?" Unable to withstand such a long stare, I ask.
"Yeah, no, uh, that... This is the first time you've been so kind to me", she finally revitalizes.
Just how bad does Tukare treat this person?
Before I can feel bad for her, her only hand lands on my behind whilst saying, "Are you finally accepting me? Am I allowed to touch you now?"
...My sister had it rough too.
Pushing her forward, I make her walk two meters ahead as I follow. Having a constantly pushy person named Obrecht around has trained my natural responses to be meticulous and calm.
The sound of waterfalls gets louder until we arrive at a tall house with flowing water nearby. It was placed at the end of the valley where the mountain wall loomed over.
"You can just place that here", she says as we enter her house.
"Savella, I'm leaving", an impatient voice speaks up as soon as we pass through the threshold.
"You can't! You promised to stay and accompany me!" She twirls around to face me, denying 'my' approval for leave as if upon reflex. She stills when she belatedly realizes it wasn't me who spoke.
She follows the direction of my gaze to see the real Tukare coming in to the kitchen. Though the house can be classified as tall by Faerie-kind standard, the ground area is still small. There were no rooms on the first floor, with the kitchen and living room right beside each other and directly in sight as we head in. Tukare had just emerged from the staircase.
"There are two Tukares", Savella dumbfoundedly mumbles.
"Are you stupid?" Tukare jabs her words at Savella before her icy expression turns a hundred and eighty degrees when facing me. "Videre, were you looking for me?" Tukare had a 'I'm still number one in your heart after all' glow on her face.
"...Hm", I hum shortly in agreement. "Will you be staying here?"
A hint of dissatisfaction crosses her face. I take a quick glance at Savella, judging for nyself the person that should be labeled as 'the priestess'. Aside from her multitudes of differently-length of necklace—Is she not finding those heavy?—she didn't look like a priestess. Or maybe my standards for a calm, conservative and quiet priestess are just too high nowadays? If I had to describe this person with one word, it's mischievous.
"Aaah!" Savella rudely points a finger at me.
Do you believe I won't bite that finger off?
Tukare takes initiative to talk. Finally, I am officially introduced to the Faerie-kind's priestess, and likewise. Her looks don't make it easy to guess just how old she really is.
"It's very nice to meet you too", Savella says. She opens her mouth but her attention moves my sister, who was massaging her shoulder and circling the arm connected to it. "Does my arm hurt?
Tukare pauses, "...It doesn't."
"Should I do some fine tuning?" Savella looked genuinely concerned, however, Tukare glanced at me before denying her suggestion.
I grasp on to something; an idea. Knowing fully well my inquiries won't be answered by Tukare, I bring the topic up with Savella.
"What do you mean by 'your arm'?"
"Oh? My arm? Isn't she using my—" Savella, who was rummaging through her herbs finally looked up at us, puzzled. She stops talking abruptly at the stern gaze of the person in topic. "—spare hands, no hand, for help! You know, because I make her medicine, medicine to, to, to relieve fatigue! Yeah!"
You are a bad impromptu liar, Savella.
No, all Faerie-kinds are like this. They can't lie, but they can twist the truth. Though Savella could have just kept quiet, she got too flustered to even do that. Meaning, she must not have expected that Tukare would attempt to hide such a fact from someone as close to her as me.
"Is that so", I act as if I buy it, though I already know the answer, apparently.
"How about you eat lunch here?" Savella tries to make up for her blunder.
I give her face by saying yes. Savella cooked up some simple craft, with Tukare surprisingly taking initiative to help in the work. She's usually uninvolved with people. I glance at her arm. But if what I think is true, then she's either helping because she's indebted to this person, or because Savella's important and she's grateful to her that she's willing to. I stay over for a while after eating, volunteering to wash the dishes in exchange for the free meal. Very soon, I start to regret staying.
"You look so alike!" Savella exclaims. "Even the dull look on your faces are alike!" She laughs.
Tukare and I glance at each other, wearing two different but same colored dresses, hair adorned with ribbons. She looks away, the corner of her lip rising. A vein on my forehead rushes to pulse angrily.
Despite losing an arm, this person really isn't pitiful, I think while glaring at the amused Savella. I shouldn't have agreed to this request.
Savella said she wanted to see Tukare in a dress. In a rare act of conspiracy, I agreed by pushing Tukare into the room with two dresses laid carefully on the bed. When I was going to ask about the number of dresses, the door closed.
"Ah sorry, Videre. I forgot! The door's enchanted to not open unless the people passing through are in dresses and skirts!" Savella rightfully said, her voice muffled through the door.
What kind of perverted door is this? No, what kind of perverted owner does this house have, is what I should be asking.