Clarette Ruzena was taking a stroll along the outskirts of the village, walking by the river whose sound always calmed her, when she noticed a boy half submerged in the river, staring into the water. A little concerned about what he was doing, she approached him, and saw him drop his head into the water. Alarmed, she picked up the sides of her dress and ran towards him, trying to stop him. 

Almost immediately, the boy lifted his head out of the water again, coughing and rubbing his eyes. At the edge of the river, Clarette reached out to the boy, and called to him. 

“Are you alright?”

The boy’s gaze instantly raised to meet hers and he remained where he was, his arms dropping into a slightly protective stance. The figure before him looked similar to him, but he didn’t know how to react to another living being. He stared at her helplessly, and she reached her hand further towards him. 

“Come on, take my hand,” Clarette prompted, “It’s dangerous to be in the river.”

The boy observed her for a moment longer, and then waded his way across the river towards her. A bit nervous, but also curious, he placed his hand in hers, and she helped him out of the river. Clarette looked down at his dripping wet body, and her attention was brought to the scratches all over his body, and the traces of blood on his clothes. 

“You’re hurt!”

Clarette gripped his hand a little tightly, concerned. “What were you trying to do? Are you alright?”

The boy gazed at her with untelling eyes for a moment, and then opened his mouth. She waited for him to speak, and it felt a very long time before a sound finally came out of his mouth.

“...Ah.”

She nodded, encouraging him to go on, wondering if he may have hurt his throat as well.

“I’m..,” the boy continued, slowly, “hun…gry.”

Shocked by his sudden declaration, she almost burst out into laughter, feeling relieved that he wasn’t thinking more insidious thoughts.

Pulling him by the arm, she turned towards the village, headed for her home. “Come with me then. We can clean you up and get you food.”

***

When they finally came to a halt, the boy peered up, finding a large residence surrounded by ornate gates. To him, who was still short in stature, the building seemed amazingly tall and encompassing, and he stood for a moment in awe.

“This way!”

Hearing Clarette’s voice, he was brought out of his marveling, and he quickly followed her to where the gate was opened by an elderly staff member. The butler, who was opening the gate for the young lady of the house as usual after her morning walk, was shocked to see her accompanied by a disheveled adolescent boy, with blood on his clothes no less. 

“Miss, may I ask who this boy is?”

“I met him by the river,” Clarette responded. “He is hungry and injured, so I thought to bring him back to the estate.”

“I see.”

The butler escorted the two of them into the house, and once inside, Clarette sent for her maids to assist the boy in bathing. The maids quickly prepared a bath, and brought the boy to the room, offering to remove his clothes and bring him a new set. When the boy stood still with no response, they decided to help him out with the process.

“Here,” one of the maids instructed, “lift your arms like this.” 

The boy mimicked her position, and when he did, she gently removed his shirt from his body. Although she had seen the dried blood on his shirt, she had not fully prepared to see the wounds on his body. On his chest, above his heart, was a large scar, marred again with two newer cuts. They had begun to clot, but were still quite early in the healing process, and the maid immediately realized that the boy would not be able to soak in the soapy water. She called for another maid to soak towels instead, and they wiped him down before treating and bandaging his wounds. 

Unaware of the pitiful glances that he was getting, the boy simply relished in the feeling of warm towels softly rubbing against his skin, and was obedient when they treated his wounds, despite the stings from the ointment. The new clothes he put on were odd and unfamiliar, a bit stiffer and more strictly shaped than his old set. The hems and cuffs felt strange against his clean skin, and he inadvertently reached a few times to rub against where they came in contact. 

When the maids were finished cleaning him up, they brought in a mirror for him to look into, and he was struck with a very odd sense, looking at his own reflection. It was similar to what he had seen in the river, but this time, it was clearer and more defined. His ruby eyes that stared out under his long, white bangs appeared to him like the blood he had seen flowing from his hand the day before, and he felt a moment of discomfort pass over him. 

Looking at his own self was unfamiliar, and it would take him a while to finally get used to viewing it as himself. 

Knock, knock. 

The boy and the maids turned their attention to the door, where a brief knocking was heard. One of the maids rushed over and opened it a little, finding Clarette standing just outside.

“Hello!” she said brightly. “Have you finished?”

The maid nodded. “Yes, we just finished a while ago. He was quite severely injured, so we wiped him down instead of using the tub.”

“Is it bad?” Clarette’s face was full of concern. “Are there any infections?”

“No, luckily they were fairly clean. We treated and bandaged them, so they should be set to heal now.”

“I see,” Clarette sighed a breath of relief. 

At that moment, the boy walked over and peeked out from behind the maid, hearing Clarette’s voice. The maid opened the door a little more, allowing him to step out of the bathroom. Seeing his appearance, Clarette laughed a little, her soft voice ringing out.

“You look very nice in those clothes. How do you like them?”

The boy was silent for a moment, and then nodded stiffly. At that, Clarette laughed again, surprised by his behavior.

“I’m going to take that as you like them,” she said. “Now then, shall we have lunch?”

As if it was a cue, the boy’s stomach started to growl, and his face bloomed red in a blush as he tried to cover his stomach. Clarette smiled and took his hand, leading him to the dining room from where the scent of a freshly prepared meal could be faintly detected.