Finally clean

Trying to wash her hair while not using shampoo or conditioner? Unsurprisingly hard. She kind of wanted to cut her hair just for that reason alone. Actually, she would have cut it already if it wasn't a disgrace for a woman to have her hair short in this world. And she couldn't oppose their society just to be comfortable so soon. For all their talk about this being a peaceful world, from Astra's memories, this was a strong ate the weak kind of world. Maybe not something so extreme, but, yeah.

With a sigh, she looked at her wrists and was happy to find there was a trace of cyan in the diamond tattoos now. Without feeling too guilty about the magic she was expending, she pressed both wrists together in a clap-like motion and grabbed the soap that came out. When she looked at her pulse, she was happy to find out that the color hadn't receded.

Thanks to the soap, that she used for both her skin and hair, she was able to feel like a person again. And thanks to her magic she could be able to dry herself easily enough. She was about to come out when she glimpsed her reflection on the river's surface. It was the first time she, Alula, saw this body's form. She already knew her skin color and hair color but aside from that, she couldn't find any memories of Astra looking at herself on a mirror, mostly because mirrors weren't something anyone could just buy.

Her eyes seemed brown or hazel, she wasn't sure as the water didn't work as a great mirror. But she could see her face was diamond-shaped with a small, turned-up nose that compared to her Nubian nose, felt slightly weird to her fingers. Her eyes were similar to her own in the past: deep-set, giving her a sleepy feeling. That meant she will probably need eyeliner to make her look awake, damn.

She touched her slightly gaunt cheeks, caused by the lack of food, and her full lips, even if they were currently chapped and slightly bloody, she could tell they were once pretty. Her eyebrows were finely defined but still needed a good trim to be up to her standards. She then tried smiling and was surprised to find a dimple on one cheek, making her smile look a bit crooked but still cute. Also, ouch, her lips were bleeding again.

Her hands then traveled to her thin, long neck, before finally ending on her fleshy mounds that were slightly pointy, though that was mostly because of the cold.

Her frame was thin but that was probably due to the malnutrition, which she was determined to change. Her previous form was slim, true, but at least had some meat in it. Now, she was no more than bones and skin.

With a sigh, she finished her inspection and cleaned her clothes. She wasn't body shy, but still remained somewhat wary of her surroundings. She was in the middle of the forest, after all. So, she made sure to change while inside the water and even if she went out with her dress sticking to her like a second skin, she could still dry both herself and the clothes.

Which she did with an ease that surprised her, though shouldn't, considering managing liquid had always been something she excelled at and needed more of ambient mana than internal. It was more than simply 'controlling', but of closing one's eyes and being able to feel it. She was that lucky in her previous place, as she had studied her affinity near a lake. And it seems that her weird luck has followed her somehow, as Valand was known for its rivers and humid climate, perfect for a Water Elemental.

She hummed as she did a couple of small experiments with the water nearby, nothing too extraneous. In the end, she concluded that this world had more mana in its environment, which explained why magic was as known as it was and the great number of magic users that habited it. In fact, when she was in her astral projection, she noted that even the men that she had been sold to had magic, though it was a minimal quantity, completely devoid of being able to be used because they never practiced. After all, a magic core was like a muscle, without being put in use, it atrophied.

Putting her shoes, she was about to return to their camp when she realized that maybe it was a good idea to fish something and not eat all of their provisions. And by fishing she meant, dragging fishes out of the water. Only four medium-sized, though. She cleaned them there, near the river, as to throw the inside to the river. That way it may feed other animals.

When she reached the camp, she was happy to see a warm fire. Amycus looked up from where he kept concentrating on the leaf, and after seeing her clean appearance, he nodded approvingly.

"You really took your time, Master."

Now it was her turn to smirk at him and send his stinky ass out to the river. "Now's your turn, Amy. Go and wash, you smelly kid. In the meantime, I will clean."

He scrunched his nose but nodded, not without adding, "When I'm back, can you give me some tips about the leaf?"

She had previously said she would not help him, for calling her stinky. However, seeing his determined eyes, how could she say no? She wasn't that heartless.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Though a really good help would be to try and concentrate on the water while you wash. Try to just concentrate on how it flows. It'll give you an idea of how to dry the leaf."

That said, his eyes lit up and he went slightly faster to the river. She shook her head with a smile and proceed to fried the fishes, hoping this peace will last.

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