Flann awoke to the chirping of birds and the gentle sunlight that shone through the window, illuminating his room. He lay motionless in the soft bed, taking in the feeling of the warm blanket and fluffy mattress. When he had first entered the bed, he felt as if his whole body was being enveloped in feathers, and indeed now he found it difficult to remove himself from it. 

He continued laying there for a while, until he heard the sound of knocking from the door. 

“Flann, it’s me, Clarette. Can I come in?”

Hearing that Clarette had come to wake him up, Flann quickly sat up, excited to see her. 

“Yes… I’m up.”

Clarette opened the door and peeked in, seeing Flann sitting in his bed. She briskly walked over to him, a slight bounce in her steps. 

“Did I wake you?”

“No… I was up,” Flann replied, “but the bed was so comfortable…”

Clarette laughed. “Right? I’m glad you were able to sleep well.” 

Sitting down on the bed, Clarette asked, “Since you don’t seem to know about this village, how about we go sightseeing today?”

Flann tilted his head a little. “...What is ‘sightseeing?’”

“Oh,” Clarette paused, a little surprised he didn’t know the word, “it’s when you walk around and take a look at the different places nearby.”

Flann’s eyes glistened under the soft sunlight, and he nodded his head eagerly. “I want to go… sightseeing!” 

“Alright!” Clarette stood up, brushing her dress down. “Then we’ll have breakfast and then head out to town. But first, you’ll need to change out of your nightwear. Wait while I go get a set!”

She quickly left the room to get him garments more appropriate for outdoor wear, and returned just as hastily. 

“Here! These are my father’s, but they’re from a long time ago so they might fit at least a bit better.” She set the clothes on his bed, and then left to give him some privacy. “I’ll be waiting just outside the door!” 

When Clarette exited and shut the door, Flann was left to inspect the new clothes beside him. He picked them up, glancing at them front to back, slightly confused about how to put them on. Eventually, he compared them to the set he currently had on and was able to wear them without too much difficulty. The new set was indeed a bit baggy on him, but fit enough to not restrict his movements, although again, he found the seams and cuffs uncomfortable, and wriggled around trying to feel them less. When he figured that it was in vain, he finally stopped and headed out of the room to keep Clarette from waiting.

“As I thought, these are still too large for you,” Clarette remarked. “I guess we will also be doing some shopping today!” 

Unsure what she meant, Flann still nodded excitedly, and the two of them headed to the dining room to fill their stomachs before the beginning of their long day. 

***

On their way out of the estate, Flann and Clarette were stopped by Amandine, who happened to notice them heading out.

“Clarette, are you going out to town?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m going to show Flann around,” Clarette responded. “Also, I was thinking it’d be nice if we could get some new clothes for him.”

“Flann… did he remember his name?”

“No, he let me choose a name for him.” Clarette took a glance at Flann’s blood red eyes, which were peering at her innocently. “I thought it was fitting.”

Amandine smiled in return. “Fitting indeed. It is a very nice name.”

“Well,” she continued, “take care while you’re out there.” Taking out a small pouch of coins, she added, “Use these if you need them.” 

Clarette gracefully received the pouch and lightly bowed her head. “We’ll be out then, mother!”

She took Flann’s hand, and the two of them left the house, escorted past the gate by the butler. Looking around, she contemplated a little. “Now then… let’s go shopping for clothes first!”

For much of the morning, Flann was dragged into multiple tailor shops, and tried on so many sets of outfits that he could hardly remember which was which. By the end of it, he was no longer uncomfortable with the seams of his own, because the garments that he tried on were far more elaborate and decorated. Clarette asked for several to be modified to his measurements and sent to the Ruzena estate when they were completed. Satisfied, they moved on from the clothing stores, and visited a small but elegant cafe.

“This store may not be very noticeable from the outside, but it has some of the best tea I’ve ever tasted,” Clarette remarked. “I recommend it to anyone who comes here, so you must try it!”

They entered the storefront, and a small bell on the door chimed with their movement. The young woman at the counter noticed Clarette immediately, and called out to her.

“Young Lady Ruzena! It’s a pleasure to see you again,” she greeted warmly. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been well,” Clarette replied. Noticing that the woman was gazing at Flann with curiosity, she said, “This is a new friend of mine. Since he’s new here, of course, I had to bring him to taste some of your tea!” 

“Oh, you flatter me,” the woman laughed. “Come, take a seat inside.” 

She guided the two of them to a round table by the window, which was bordered by laced curtains. They sat down, and while Clarette ordered a few items from the menu, Flann stared outside at the bustling street and the variety of people walking by. It was bright noon, and the town was alive with individuals working, and others traveling to and fro. Flann was taken by the vibrant and lively view, and continued staring out the window until he heard Clarette’s voice.

“It’s beautiful, right? The people and this city.”

Flann glanced at her for a moment, then looked back out at the street full of buildings and flowering plants and movement. He nodded. “...It’s my first time… seeing so many people.”

Clarette smiled warmly at him, gazing upon him as one does a child. Although she knew that he was close in age to her, his actions and words made him seem significantly younger, like a newborn with no experience of the world. Part of her wondered what he must have been like before he lost his memories, but another felt that his innocence was what made him so uniquely him. 

“From now on, I’m sure you’ll experience all sorts of new things, and maybe recall some too.” Clarette thought back on her own memories throughout the past in this town. “I hope that you’ll come to like our land as much as I do.” 

Flann smiled back in return. “Somehow, I think… I already liked it. It’s very warm.”

A fuzzy feeling spread in Clarette’s heart, and she felt as if she could feel the warmth Flann was talking about. “Is that so?"