‘Owww.’ Shae had been awake for a short while. Her head throbbed and her body felt wrung out. She couldn’t lift her head up all the way without the throbbing becoming worse, and the light coming in from her window did not help matters. All she wanted to do was get more sleep and hide from the light. Worse yet, there would be even more light as this world had longer days. The only bright spot was it would be a sunny day, and not a miserable rainy one.

‘Small mercies’ Shae thought as she held her head in her hands as she sat bedside. It took her a few minutes to finally get her mind made up and started to soldier on. She was still dressed in her clothes from the night before and there was no time to wash them. She promised herself if she ever went on a trip like this again, more clothes. ‘Definitely, more clothes.’

With her head low, taking small low steps Shae made her way to the inn’s bathing room. While she could do nothing about her clothes, which she hoped she could replace with a college uniform or five, she could clean herself up. She knew getting water into her would start her body on the path of recovery. A warm bath would feel good too on her aches. She must have slept in a weird position last night. Then she thought of how people here healed faster and hoped that would be a thing for hangovers too.

She was almost a prune and ready to get out of the bath when Mel dragged herself into the room. Head down, dark circles under her eyes, hair all over. ‘Wow did I look that bad too?’ Shae thought.

Shae watched Mel, who was oblivious to Shae’s presence for the moment, did much the same thing as Shae herself did. There was running water, so Mel started the water flowing and took hands full of water and drank it down as the tub filled. Then she dropped her robe and sat herself down into her own tub.

There were six oval shaped metal tubs. Much like old fashioned tubs back home. Each had pipes leading to a facet. Those pipes came up through the floor. Shae had learned this inn had installed a water conjuration device. The pipes were run from that too all the necessary areas of the inn that required water. The initial two pipes exiting the device were also enchanted. One had a cold enchantment the other a heat enchantment. It was a semi high-end feature, which was why the adventurers stayed at this particular inn. Mel refused to go without after getting spoiled with it, not that her brother or the twins had protested. It cost double to stay here, but it was worth it for the small luxury.

Mel and Shae were very glad for this feature now. Neither would want be in the older style bathing rooms. They simply had a well, and you had to either haul up the water yourself and carry it to the tub to fill it. Or if it was a slightly updated bathing room, the well was capped, and water was pulled up for you through minor magic. You still had to fill your own tub with cold water, however. Most underground wells that were flowing had very cold water.

Once Mel had leaned back into her own tub Shae said good morning to her. Though she still did not feel it was very good yet.

Mel must have agreed, she held her head and just grunted in reply.

By this point Shae was well pruned and feeling a lot better. She was loving this world’s recovery thing. She had listened to adults go on and on about hangovers. She had to agree with the initial struggles, but here, things got better fast. Felling a lot more chipper remembering she started at the college today, Shae got up and exited the bath. Then she turned and watched counting to thirty. The water she was just sitting in, got sucked into the tub itself like it was drinking it. Then a dim flash and it was all clean. Shae squealed in glee a bit inside. That never got old.

“Have a good bath Mel, See you down at breakfast!” Shae said with enthusiasm, earning her a grumpy “Keep it down” hissed out from Mel.

Shae took up her clothes and sniffed. Well… they were not that bad. Most adventurers wore leathers day in and out. Her clothes smelled like heaven in comparison. So, while not altogether happy, she would make do for today.

She dressed and went down to breakfast.

Kip and the twins were already at it. Two of the men looked a lot more human than the third this morning. Nick looked like Mel had when she entered the bath. Like he was hallway to being zombified. Shae felt bad for him too.

“Morning.” Kip addressed the girl as she approached the table, looking at her like something was missing.

“Morning Kip! Big day!” Shae said with enthusiasm again taking a seat and pouring herself water from the jug on the table.

Kip shook his head a bit. “Constitution of a troll” he muttered.

“What’s that about a troll?” Shae looked to him after taking a drink of her water.

“Nothing, nothing. By the way. I was meaning to ask.” He perked up a bit giving her a bit more attention. “What’s, uhh.”

“Disneyland.” Mic provided.

“Right. Disneyland?” Kipp finished.

Shae felt flush suddenly her mind going blank. While she knew there were spotty times last night, she was not aware of anymore, she was caught off guard by that question.

“Oh, uhh. It’s just a place where I come from that my parents took me.” Shae replied with feigned confidence. Like Disneyland was just a normal thing here.

“Huh. Maybe you could tell us more about it sometime. You made it sound like a pretty fun place last night.” Kip prodded a bit more.

“Well… you see… It’s, how can I put this… It’s, just a place for kinds to run around and have fun with other kids.”

“I see. Makes sense, you did say you were seven. Kids games and such then?”

“Yeah, nothing adults would find too interesting. In fact, most adults just gathered into one spot and looked bored while we had all the fun.” Shae stretched the truth. A lot of adults enjoyed Disneyland too, but not all, so it wasn’t a complete lie.

“Sounds as bad as my head to me right now.” Nick growled out earning him a pat on the shoulder from his brother.

A middle-aged woman interrupted their talk and took Shae’s order for breakfast. After that it was all small talk about Shae’s up coming day, and the few things the others would be up to maybe.

After some time, Mel had come downstairs still looking a bit worse for wear. Even Nick had gone off back to bed.

‘Weird.’ Shae thought. ‘Guess they must have hit it harder than I did. Those desserts were pretty darned good.’

After breakfast Shae was almost skipping along as she and Kip headed to the college.

Mel had complained she must have eaten something bad, looking daggers at Shae’s freshness, and after promised her revenge to her grinning brother. Mel went back up to her room to recover.

They entered the college. The same young lady was behind the desk. When the attendant saw who came in, she went a bit rigid, then quickly got up and went to Nith’s door and knocked.

Kip seeing the odd behavior looked to Shae. “What’s up with her?” he whispered. As they neared the desk.

“She was a bit rude to us last time we were here. Mel kind of told her off.”

“Ahh. Makes sense now.” He chuckled a bit feeling sorry for the girl. He was sure he’d get his own later. ‘Worth it though.’

Nith came out and introduced himself to Kip. Then after a brief chat he sent Kip off and had Shae follow him to her new room. The morning was hers to get acquainted with her things, and to change into her uniform.

Her room was bigger than the inn’s. There was room enough for a bed, a large armoire, that held six uniforms, and a writing desk complete a few sheets of paper and one of those magic ink carbon looking pencils.

She ran her fingers along the desk looking out the two-meter window above where the desk sat. She had a view into the courtyard behind what was made up of the U-shaped college. There was a hedge or maybe a trimmed bush under her window. Beyond that there was a lush green lawn with a few pathways of stone leading here and there. Most originated from a large three-tiered fountain that had water spewing from the top. The area around the fountain was like a park. The fountain itself was circled by a large circular paved area with a few benches spaced about around but set far enough apart from the fountain so you wouldn’t get sprayed unless it was a windy day. The paths ran out from that pad leading to various doors into the college or ended before the parklike manicured open area behind the college. The lawn in between the pathways and around the outside of the fountain’s sitting area was pristine. Shae had never seen grass so full of life and green before. The bushes and trees that gave it a park like feel were also flush with life. Thick green foliage abounded upon them.

A small tear escaped Shae left eye. She wiped it away, then turned and set about changing. Once she was in her blue-on-blue pant suit uniform she put her old clothes into her pack, which she stuffed under her bed after taking out the food stuffs. ‘Going to have to wash them before they smell up my pack though.’

Then Shae sat on the side of her bed and reminisced about the last week or so. It had been a bit of a whirlwind, with little downtime to just relax and think. She was always doing something. Even the walk to town was a thing. You didn’t just fall asleep on the road. There was camp to make, fire to start. Well, nick made that easy. But food to cook and of course a watch to keep. You never knew if an animal or worse would come into your camp at night. There was always something.

Flopping onto her back she let her mind wander about the past, and her desires for the future. How things were different, wilder here. Yet magic could make a difference, like the running water at the inn. Wilder, but not archaic. She looked forward to the wonders she would see and partake in. Then prayed she would be spared from another crazy night like at the village. ‘This protagonist wants an easier life.’

Ending with that thought sleep overtook her.