Arella followed the monotonous routine of eating her dinner and going to bed.
The next day, she spent half a day decorating the house and another half preparing for her spiritual herb gathering task.
Soon, it was the day of going back to work.
She woke up bright and early, had her breakfast, instructed the cook, and then left for work.
The task this time was no different, scouting for spiritual herbs. Even the forest was familiar to her. This was her second time in this forest. She took her basket and joined the team.
There were only three members today. Arella- a D rank tamer, Anne- an E rank tamer and Devon- an E rank fox beast. Anne was talkative, and Devon was shy. And both were good friends of Arella.
Unlike the ambition and competition in higher ranks, the lower ranks had more solidarity. After all, they were all in the same boat of misery. E and D, both ranks were looked down, and equally frowned upon. So, they had no inhibitions among them.
At first, when Arella joined their team, people used to isolate her. She was from a wealthy background. Even if she was a D rank, she was above them. But gradually, they found that she had no speck of arrogance in her demeanor.
Her clothes were like theirs, having traces of being washed over and over again. She looked weak and delicate but never complained about the tedious walking.
She never blamed or bad mouthed anyone. No one from the upper ranks gave her any privileged treatment. She used public airships to commute.
Anne and Devon were neighbors and had an inseparable nature. Observing Arella for a while, both of them took the initiative to approach her. And they eventually became a team of good friends.
Their task was tedious, but thanks to Anne's chatter and endless gossip, they never felt bored. They even started looking forward to their work days. The most excited among them was Anne because at last, she had found a person who could respond to her talks!
According to Anne, Devon was just like a shadow. Always there, but unresponsive. They were together since childhood. They played together, attended classes together, and even worked together.
Today, seeing the bride was back to work, a smile bloomed on Anne and Devon's face. Probably, they were the only people who were genuinely happy for her. They were aware of the fiasco during her marriage, but nobody said anything about that.
"Oho! Look who's here! I thought you won't be joining back for at least a month! How can you still walk? Should I be changing my thoughts about the manly Major General? Is he not strong enough?" Anne beamed and teased Arella into blushing.
"You and your nonsense! He had an expedition planned. So, he left early." Arella explained while giving a tight hug to Anne.
"Congratulations." Devon's low pitched voice reached both girls.
"Thank you!" Arella happily responded.
"You guys talk. I will go and ask for the pieces of equipment and details for today's task." Devon left in order to give the gossip hungry girls some private time.
"What the hell! He left just after the marriage! Darling, you are a nymph! How could he leave just like that? Is there something wrong? You can always tell me." Anne was talkative but sensitive. She knew what to say in public and what to ask in private.
"No, no! Don't overthink! The expedition was predetermined and couldn't be canceled. There is nothing wrong!" Arella warmed up at her concern.
"Ohh! Now, let me honestly, is he good? Did he make you feel good? Were you able to get out of bed? Did he carry you to wash? Hurry up and spill the beans!" Anne attacked her with her queries.
"Shut up! Why don't you try it with Devon and experience it yourself?" Arella rolled her eyes and teased her instead.
"I wish! But what do I do? Devon is always so quiet. I am not even sure if he likes me or not! He is just like a piece of wood!" Anne huffed and shared her troubles.
"I am sure he does like you. Otherwise, who could bear a chattering clown every day!" Both of them laughed aloud.
"Let's hope so. When we heard the news of you getting married, I checked his expressions. He absolutely showed no signs of sadness. I am so glad!" Anne spoke enthusiastically.
"I have told you multiple times that he doesn't like me! You never believed." Arella knew it since the beginning.
"I know! But you are so pretty, who could resist you?" Anne began her wave of flattering.
"You are pretty too. If you just want to listen to compliments, you can tell me directly. No need to take the roundabout way!" Arella was now used to her ways.
With almond green eyes and black short hair, Anne herself was a beauty. Her face was small but it was her unending chatter that shooed every suitor away. Honestly, if she kept her mouth closed, she would get overwhelmed by suitors! But then, she won't be the Anne that Arella likes.
Anne was pure, innocent, bright, sensitive, confident, and approachable. Sometimes, she envied Anne for being so free. She had no inhibitions. It felt like nothing could chain her spirit, thoughts, and mouth, of course.
"We should head. Nobody will be joining us today. Here are the baskets and step counter. It's just us three. So, let's follow the path of a cone." Devon came back and distributed the pieces of equipment.
Off they went into the forest, following the cone formation.
The person in the middle would walk straight. The person on the right would turn 45 degrees to the right and walk straight, while the person on the left side would turn 45 degrees left and walk forth. After walking 5000 steps, they would then turn back and follow the same trajectory, meeting at the initial point in the end.
Anne took the left, Arella took the right and Devon stayed in the middle.
It was easy. They had a step counter on them. The forest was already cleared of the animals, and they only had to pick up the herbs. It was easy, but it was tiring and time consuming.
She walked farther and farther. The forest was huge. Good thing that the forest was divided into seven equal patches, and they were only asked to complete one patch a day. It was still a lot but acceptable.
On her way, she found blood statis grass, nutritious flowers, medicinal herbs, glowers (glowing flowers, that could be used as substitutes for light), aromatic barks, spices, growth enhancing fruits, and a lot of poisonous plants.
She had different bags for each. Everything had to be picked, even the poisonous ones too. The good thing was she could take any of the finds home, and the bad thing was that the majority of the finds had to be purified, mixed, and kept aside for days before using.
She had a pile of blood statis grass and glowers in her private collection. But other things had to be refined, purified, mixed, and prepared before being used. So, she gave everything else to the leader.
The more she gave, the better her pay. The weight of her bags and the area covered, strictly monitored by the step counter, were the factors required for settling the day's pay.
Arella's legs hurt a little. But it was because of this tiring job that she could maintain an income. It didn't pay handsomely, but it was quite satisfactory. At least, she wouldn't die of hunger and wouldn't have to depend on anybody for sustenance.
By the time the team came back, it was already evening.
Arella didn't want to appear well off. That is why, she had asked the airship to be parked in an isolated place. The pilot was none other than one of her helpers at the house, the cleaner.
When she reached home, she took a bath and then sprawled on the bed till the dinner was ready.
She had dinner and went back to sleep.
A week passed as she followed the same routine: waking up, having breakfast, walking to work, having dinner, and then sleeping.
A week was enough to become accustomed to her new house too. Now, she knew every nook and cranny of her house as the back of her hand. She didn't touch Adrian's drawers, clothes and like. Though nothing was locked, she felt it was akin to prying into his privacy.
She wanted to know him better, not by scouting for information, but, by his own mouth. She wanted to know his likes, dislikes, and his past. But not by a third party. After all, it was his story, and he had a right to share it with her if he liked. Once he returned, she would wait for him to open up and share his story.
The next morning, she followed the same path, had breakfast, and went to work.
Three people, a cone formation. They were already at the edge of the allotted area. A temporary fencing was established to divide the cleared and uncleared forest area.
It was the last day in this forest. 4000 steps were done, and Arella could see the fencing. She sighed at the possibility of completion. She moved forward, but suddenly, a loud shriek penetrated her ears.
It was Anne! She was in danger!