Thank you… thank you for lettingme take care of you too, Mara thought, before sleep claimed her completely.
And in the quiet of the room, with moonlight filtering through the window, Alice continued to stroke her orange hair with infinite tenderness, smiling in the darkness even though no one could see her.
Because at last, after so long, she too felt a little less alone.
…
…
…
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling directly across her face. Along with it came the morning murmur of people in the narrow streets below—a sound that was already starting to feel familiar.
Mara slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze met the ceiling of the room, a sight that just a day ago would have felt completely alien, but which now—after seeing it twice—was beginning to imprint itself in her memory.
That feeling again… what is it?, she thought, as she noticed the same strange, warm, vibrant tingling she had felt the day before, spreading through her body from her chest to the tips of her fingers.
As she woke up a bit more, she realized two things: she was alone in the bed, and once again, completely naked.
But unlike yesterday, today's awakening marked the beginning of something new.
It wasn't the chaos of discovery, but the start of an ordinary day… or almost.
"Heh… déjà vu," she murmured to herself, finding something oddly amusing about reliving the exact same scene in less than twenty-four hours.
Now, with a clearer mind, she confirmed her solitude. Alice seemed to have left during the night, after everything that had happened.
The mattress didn't look sunken, there was no lingering warmth, no sign that someone else had shared the bed.
Then she remembered that Mordred had said she was going to the guild and then to the library to look for Cecilia, planning to come back afterward.
But apparently, they hadn't returned yet, since their backpacks and luggage were still piled up in the corner of the room, covered in a thin layer of dust.
Nothing seemed to have been moved, with one exception: her clothes—the ones Mordred had given her—were now scattered across the floor.
I wonder where they are, she thought with a hint of curiosity rather than worry.
... Well, I guess they'll come back eventually. After all, they left almost everything here.
Mara got out of bed and began gathering the clothes from the floor, then dressed with movements that were already a little more confident than before.
"I guess Alice will be downstairs, taking care of customers like usual," she said quietly as she adjusted her pants.
After giving herself one last look in the mirror—where the orange-haired young woman with sharp eyes confirmed her new self staring back—she decided to leave the room.
When she opened the door, the empty hallway greeted her. But as she approached the stairs, the murmur of voices from downstairs grew louder, mixed with the occasional clink of what sounded like cups.
As she descended the last steps, the scene became clear.
Mordred and Cecilia were sitting at one of the tables in the reception area, chatting calmly while sharing a plate of cookies and drinking what appeared to be tea, judging by the worn porcelain teapot resting between them.
At the sound of her footsteps on the wooden stairs, Mara noticed how Mordred's feline ears swiveled toward her like precise radar dishes, before her whole head turned in her direction, breaking into a wide, carefree smile.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Mordred greeted, raising her voice and waving a hand in the air.
"Don't shout in the reception area," Cecilia scolded gently, giving her partner a light knock on the head with her knuckles.
"Ow! Don't hit me like that, you're hurting me," Mordred protested in such an exaggeratedly pained tone that it was obvious it hadn't hurt at all.
"If you don't want to get hit, then behave. Hmph." Cecilia pouted, pretending to be more annoyed than she really was.
Mara watched the exchange, and without realizing it, a genuine smile spread across her face.
I think I could get used to this, she thought.
And with that warm thought settling in her chest, she walked over to the table to join the two women, ready to face whatever that new day—in that new world—might bring.