I wake up to find myself wrapped in a blanket and a constant pressure at the back of my pounding head.
I reach for it and realize that it's a bandage, luckily my hat seems to still be covering my horn nubs and my other features are sufficiently hidden allowing me to sigh in relief.
I look around the room and stick my head out of the window on the far wall to discover that I'm actually on the second floor of the bakery, with the sun begining to set as the shadows grow longer and longer.
"How did I get here? Wasn't I in the dumpster?" I ask aloud before I hear a creaking noise behind me revealing a young elven woman that seems like a slightly taller version of me.
She had softer facial features, sapphire blue eyes, and a small but noticable bust. She looks slightly shocked to see me up and about, but the majority of her expression is limited to a mild look of disinterest.
"You are up." The girl states while setting aside the change of clothes she had brought in with her as our eyes meet I only feel a wall between me and her emotional state, which I disregard to keep the conversation from stalling.
"Um... Yes? Who are you and why am I in your family's bakery?" I ask in confusion, trying to get a better glimpse at the room I'm in.
"My name is Willow Oldbark. I saw you in my dumpster and thought you could use some help. What's your name and why were you in my dumpster, if I may ask?" Willow asks, with a rather polite and graceful tone to her voice.
"Ummm..." I stall, wondering what I should do and how to handle this peculiar situation.
Noticing the room is relatively well off, looking to at least be middle-class, but not particularly used as I see a bit of dust on the furniture and a couple of boxes in the corner.
"My name is Silver Moonshade... And I was starving... So, I followed the delicious smells to this shop... Where I started to eat the trash you took out earlier, but a couple hoodlums scared me and made me slip and hit my head." I say embarrassedly looking away from her inquisitive gaze with a slight flush, doing my best to seem weak and pitiful, hoping she and her family won't immediately throw me out.
"I see... I brought a spare change of clothes. You can use the shower to wash up and change before coming down." Willow says, disinterestedly making me think my act isn't going to be effective against her as she hands me the clothes and opens a door to reveal a modern bathroom.
"Um... Are your parents alright with you letting a stranger into your home? Also I don't have any money to repay you..." I say trailing off as I twiddle my thumbs afraid of being kicked out of the warmest bed I'd been able to sleep in in both my lives.
Willow pauses for a second before tilting her head in confusion then giving a faint smile and saying, "I've talked with them and they're fine with it. They're out of town on vacation at the moment. They said that you could stay in our guest room if you agreed to help in the kitchen since we're currently short staffed." Willow says matter-of-factly not leaving much for debate, but giving me hope at a change of luck was coming my way with this opportunity for a place to stay and a hopeful job.
"I'm not very skilled in the kitchen but I can promise to try my best!" I say excitedly before going into the bathroom with a skip to my step.
'This is amazing! I found myself a job, a place to stay, and I'll be with such a cute girl! Is this the power of 15 luck and dump stats?! Do I fail upwards?!' I think joyously to myself as I go to get my shower.
"Isn't she just a delicious looking morsel! I can't wait to eat her up!" Willow says with a sultry smile replaces her previous indifferent one as her cheeks flush and little pink hearts fill her eyes as she heads downstairs to prepare the ingredients for making the dough for tomorrow.