NaNoWriMo Day 3

Below is what I wrote during day 3 of NaNoWriMo.

(Reminder, this is a WIP, there will be spelling and writing errors. | Join me for live writing streams on Twitch. | If you like what you see, consider supporting me on Ko-fi and/or Twitch so that I can continue making more content for you to enjoy. https://linktr.ee/GoldThornGuild)

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"Good morning, beloved," Progenitor said when Liwen woke up the next morning.

"Good morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine. A little nervous but nothing too bad."

"That's good to here. You'll do fine today."

"I hope so. When are we going down?"

"Once you are ready after you finish breakfast. There is no schedule for today other than the celebration this evening, so we can take as long as you need."

"It shouldn't take me that long to get ready. I am nervous but I also really want to go explore the village and forest."

"Eat up and then we can head out. I'll start by introducing you to the village leader and the caretaker of the main house. After meeting them and seeing your room we can explore wherever you want until it is time to return to the square for the celebration. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great."

Liwen ate a quick breakfast and then headed to the door. They hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and opened the door. It was still early in the day, the sun was still rising, and the village was quiet.

"Looks like you are one of the first to finish breakfast," Progenitor said as they walked pass Liwen and down the stairs to the quiet village square, "The streets will be filling up soon enough as everyone starts their days, but for now it looks like we will have them mostly to ourselves."

Liwen hurried down the stairs to stand next to the Progenitor. Their eyes darted around in wonder, trying to soak in everything around them. The Progenitor let them observe for a moment, then began walking across the square.

"Come, the main house is this way. Your new home and family are waiting to meet you."

"Oh, ok," Liwen said slightly nervously as they followed the Progenitor.

The main house was the largest building in the village and sat a short distance from the village square. Like all the buildings in the village it was made of wood, all of which had aged in such a way to give it a soft, warm, homey feel. The Progenitor led the way through the green front door and into a welcoming foyer filled with the soft scent of fresh flowers. The wood floor was worn soft with use and made only the softest creaking sounds as they walked across it.

Two hallways branched to the left and right off the foyer but the Progenitor ignored them and went straight across to one of the two doors across from the entrance. Inside the door was an office. The floors were covered in soft carpets and the walls in bookshelves filled with books and an assortment of other items. At the far end of the room was a large wood desk with neat stacks of paper spread across it. A man was sitting behind the desk, reading through a handful of papers.

"Oh, good morning," the man said warmly as he put the papers down, "You are here earlier than I expected."

"This one was excited to explore as soon as possible," Progenitor said as the man walked around his desk to greet them.

"That's wonderful to hear. Adventurous spirits are right at home here."

"Indeed. Liwen, this is the village leader, Aston. He is in charge of making sure that everything runs smoothly and that everyone is taken care of."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Liwen," Aston said with a smile.

"Yes, um, nice you meet you too," Liwen said.

"Jia is still helping with breakfast but she should be here soon if you want to wait for her. Or you can go explore the house and she will catch up to you when she can."

"What would you like to do, Liwen?" Progenitor asked, "I can show you to your room if you want."

"Sure, that sounds good," Liwen answered.

"Alright, we will see you later, Aston."

"I'll be here all morning, so let me know if there is anything you need," Aston said as he resumed his seat at the desk.

"We will," Progenitor said as they and Liwen left the office.

"I'll let Jia give you the full tour, so for now I'll just take you up to your room," Progenitor said as they led the way up the stairs next to the office.

"Who is Jia?" Liwen asked.

"She is the caretaker of this house and will be the primary person taking care of you until you get settled in. If you have any questions or need anything you can ask her and she will help you."

"Alright."

"This is your room," Progenitor said as they opened one of the doors on the upper floor, "There isn't much in it right now, just the basic things, but I'm sure you will fill it up with your own things and character soon enough. If there is anything that would help this room feel more like home just ask Jia."

The room wasn't massive but even with a bed, desk and chair, wardrobe, and storage chest there was still plenty of space. There was one large window at the back overlooking a garden, a pond, and the edge of the forest. The window was open letting the fresh air into the room.

"Do you like it?" Progenitor asked.

"Yes. Is this really mine?"

"It is yours for as long as you need it. Feel free decorate and rearrange the room however you want to."

Liwen had just finished examining everything in the room when there was a knock on the door and then Jia entered. Jia was a tall woman with vibrant red hair and two dark green eyes.

"Welcome home, Liwen," Jia said as she pulled Liwen into a hug, "We are so glad you are here. I'm Jia and if you need anything at all don't hesitate to ask me. Is the room to your liking? If there is anything you want changed, let me know and I will see to it. We'll get you more clothes and stuff soon, so don't worry about that."

"I probably should have warned you that Jia is a bit energetic," Progenitor chuckled.

"Oh, sorry sweetheart, was that too much?" Jia asked as she let go of Liwen and took a step back.

"It's fine," Liwen answered.

"Good. I want you to be happy and comfortable here with us. Have you seen the rest of the house yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Would you like to? I can give you a tour now and then we can go out into the village to give you that tour and pick up a few things. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Progenitor asked, "Or would you like some time alone with Jia?"

"Um... Could you come?..."

"Gladly. Though I will let Jia take the lead. I'll just tag along as moral support."

"Ok, thank you."

"We will start the tour on this floor," Jia said as she led the way out of the room, "This floor is where all the bedrooms are. Currently there are five people living here full-time and two people who live here whenever they are in the village. The room at the far end belongs to me and my partner, Aston. Next is Edward, then your room, then Lilian. A couple doors down you will find Aleks and Remi's rooms. Their work requires them to travel a lot, so you won't see them much. All the other rooms in this wing are currently empty. The rooms in the other wing, past the stairs, are either guest or storage rooms."

"This floor has all the active rooms," Jia said once they were standing in the foyer, "You are already familiar with Aston's office where he attends to all the administrative business of the village. On the other side of the stairs is the record room where Aston stores all the important village records. In the east wing has the kitchen, dinning room, and sitting room. At the end there is also a storage room that is connected to both the kitchen and the greenhouse out back. The west wing has another sitting room, the library, and two work rooms.

"For the most part, only those living in the house use the east wing but the west wing is open to everyone. The foyer in particular can get quite busy at times if there is a lot of village business for Aston to take care of. It's not exactly a quiet house but you should get used to it before long. The bedrooms are usually a good escape from all the noise and activity too despite being in the same building."

"Is that Liwen!?"

Liwen turned around to see a person with short blond hair skipping towards them.

"Hi, I'm Lilian. It's wonderful to meet you. Before you arrived I was the latest person to awaken in this village, so if you have any questions or need help settling in, don't hesitate to ask me for help."

"Thank you," Liwen said.

"Unfortunately I need to get going if I want to get the day's work done before the celebration tonight, so I'll see you later."

"Lilian manages farming," Jia explained, "Farming is basically the only thing she takes seriously; her playful attitude takes over in almost every other situation. She is relatively new to the job but her strong build and skills in earth-magic are perfect for the position."

"Earth-magic?" Liwen asked.

"Yes. I'll explain magic to you in the coming days. Part of your journey of self-discovery will be to pick what types of magic you want to learn. But more on that later, for now how about we start the tour of the village?"

"Alright."

The trio left the house and Jia led the way from one shop to the next. In every shop Liwen was given some sort of gift from flowers to a pen and journal to a bunch of clothes (thankfully the clothes were sent to the main house so they didn't need to carry them around). Although the village was relatively small, the tour took a long time because they were constantly having to pause as people came up to greet them. A new Calian and the Progenitor were more than people could resist.

By the time they finally got back to the main house Liwen was exhausted. They happily went up to their room as soon as they got back and collapsed onto the bed while they waited for lunch to be prepared.

"You did well," Progenitor said as they sat on the bed and pet Liwen's hair.

"So many people..."

"Yes. You'll get used to it. And in the future they won't flock to you as much as they did today. They were just excited to meet you. Plus I always draw a crowd."

"I feel kind of bad," Liwen said as they moved to look at the Progenitor, "They all love you as much as I do, but I've been monopolizing all your time."

"Don't feel bad, beloved. They all understand; each of them monopolized my time when they were awoken. Some of them even monopolized my time for far longer than you have. So don't worry about it. They don't mind sharing me."

"That's good," Liwen said as they closed their eyes and snuggled closer to the Progenitor.

"Rest now, beloved. You wouldn't want to miss out on the celebration later."

Liwen nodded.

~~~

Liwen spent the rest of the day resting in their room with the Progenitor. Jia brought up lunch and deliveries but otherwise left the two alone so that Liwen wouldn't get overwhelmed or too worn out. Eventually the sound of music and laughter could be heard through the open window.

"Sounds like the celebration has started," Progenitor said as they brushed Liwen's hair.

"I guess so..."

"Are you nervous?"

"Kind of. I've never been to a celebration and there will be a lot of people there..."

"That is true, but I think you will have fun. There will be good food and everyone will be relaxing and having fun together. This is a celebration of your awakening but you won't be the center of attention as much as the celebrating itself will be, so you'll do fine. I'll be there to divert some attention off you as well. It will probably end up being your turn having to share me."

"That's fine. I don't mind."

"But you will still be my priority, so if you need me just ask and I will be there for you. Alright?"

"Got it. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have fun tonight. Don't feel like you need to push yourself or do anything you don't want to do. Just have fun and feel loved."

"I think I can do that."

"I'm sure you can."