Blinding rays of dawn broke through a small part in the clouds. It flowed through a slightly agape window, raindrops leaving trails on its glossy surface. The smell of rain had already been washed away by morning gusts, leaving only their dew on the sharp blades of soft green grass. A man fluttered his eyes awake, sunshine illuminating only his face. It felt endearing, like a mother waking her child for the morning. Yet, he covered the sun with a hand, one of his fingers bandaged.
'What positions a window like that? Nobody wants to wake up early!'
Reluctantly, Quies sat up on his bed, his sheets and blanket now ruffled. At least the sun wasn't in his face anymore. He lowered his sun covering hand and inspected the bandaged finger. He bit down a little harder than he needed, so the wound was rather large. He picked at the edge of the cloth, and eventually decided to peel it off to inspect his finger. He gripped the dry cloth and began unfurling it.
When he had fully removed the bandage, he was surprised by what he saw of the wound. What once was a deep perforation had turned into a shallow indent. There was no blood visible.
'I guess that's what happens when I focus my blood on my finger. Had I done it in my sleep too?'
After his discovery, Quies spent some time getting used to that feeling and ironing his will. As he laid on the soft bed, he did the same thing he did in the bathroom. He mostly focused on his injured finger, hoping to see some progress by morning, however he also experimented with other parts and organs of his body.
Knock Knock
Quies jerked his head towards the door.
'Who is that'
A muffled voice answered his thoughts from behind the wooden barrier.
"It's Valerie. Meet me right outside in about… 10? Ah, but what if he just woke up… 20 minutes. Yeah, 20 minutes, right outside of the inn."
Quies stared at the door, unsure of how to respond.
"...o-okay!"
There was no response.
'And here I was thinking I could sleep in for an extra hour or two…'
***
25 minutes later, Quies was seated to the right of the steps leading towards the inn's entrance doors. He had been here for roughly 10 minutes now.
'Knowing her I probably would've had time to clean up a little better.'
His once scruffy sable hair was now light and smooth, styled in a messy middle part that flowed. The inn had not included a shaver as a part of bathroom amenities, so he still had a beard, but it wasn't as messy as before. His maroon tunic caught the light breezes. It had replaced the torn up rags he wore before.
"Hey! Right on time!"
He heard hasty steps and turned his head to look. Valerie had shown up.
"Yup. Punctual as… always."
Her jasper hair caught the wind as she walked out of the entrance. She wore a different attire this time, with a very evident black theme. She wore a thick matte coat that went to her knees, its sleeves scrunched towards her elbow to make space for glossy black vambraces. Underneath the coat was a plackart and cuirass that resembled dark steel. It looked more like an outer layer of skin rather than a clunky piece of armor. Baggy pants extended down from her waist, with metal greaves bridging the gap between her knees and sabatons.
"You look ready for something, Valerie."
She took a seat next to Quies, leaving more than enough space for passerbies to enter and exit the Inn.
"Ah, about that. That's mostly what this little conversation will be about."
She leaned back on the steps.
"Maestro Evengarde Rest has given me another task to complete."
'Huh… so that's his name.'
"I'll be going away for a few days, maybe a little over a week. I should've booked you for at least a week or two at the inn. Hey, you could sharpen up your fighting over at the training facility!"
"Isn't that why you brought me here in the first place?"
"Huh? When did I say that?"
Valerie stared at Quies with a plain look on her face. She waved a hand, dismissing the statement.
"Whatever. Doesn't really matter now."
She turned away from Quies, but paused halfway through. She noticed his bandaged finger. Her sight remained on his bleeding finger for a few more moments, and then returned to Quies. Her carefree demeanor had disappeared.
"Quies… what happened to your finger?"
He kept his gaze away from her eyes.
"I… accidentally cut it when I was trying to uhh… trim my beard."
Valerie adjusted her focus to his beard. He didn't want Valerie to know that he had tried experimenting with his attunement.
"You're lying. I can tell because, one, you still have the exact same beard as you did yesterday. Two, the Inn doesn't come with a shaver or any sort of trimming device."
'Ah, I'm not too good at lying aren't I?'
"Why do you even need to know why I have a bandage on my finger? Also, how did you know about that second part? You don't need to even shave!"
Valerie's cheeks blushed a barely noticeable red, contrasting her stoic face.
"You don't need to know..."
She sat on the steps with Quies for a long period of time. She had probably already guessed that he was experimenting with his forbidden attunement during the night, evident from his noticeable eye bags and of course, the bandage. After an uncomfortable silence, Valerie sighed in resignation.
"Looks like I'll have to delay that little chore he assigned me…" She whispered under her breath. Her gaze moved back towards Quies.
"Ignore everything I just said. You see that bridge over there?"
She pointed forward and to the right towards an adjacent landmass. The isle of vigil was located high atop mountains, with large chasms separating it into different sections. That's why there was a bridge connecting the inn towards the landmass with the temple, as well as a bridge connecting the temple to the landmass Valerie was pointing towards.
"Meet me there somewhat around dusk. My plans have changed quite a bit."
She lowered her hand but kept her gaze on the adjacent landmass.
"I'm sorry to say this Quies, but you're probably going to have to get your hands dirty these next couple of days. The training room is open for sparring. I know that a couple of hours worth of sword fighting won't get you versed all too well, but it's better than nothing."
Suddenly, she took Quies' hand and put a handful of shiny silver-like coins. They made a satisfying sound as they were being poured into his hand, making Quies smile just a bit.
"Alright, that should be enough for now. The banker might get suspicious if I pull out any more money. Well, maybe not. I have a… uhh… complicated history with my purchases."
She stood up and began descending the short staircase of the Inn. As she landed on the soft grass in front of the Inn, she made a final remark.
"Oh, there's also a barber off to the right of the temple. Maybe check him out!"