The look that I give him speaks for itself. A sigh that sounds almost disappointed escapes my lips as I stare at him. 'Is he stupid? I thought that he had some brain cells that still work... Seems like I was mistaken.'

The silence that stretches on between us is awkward, and my expression is self-explanatory.

"So...?" He asks, his voice sounding a bit stiff now. His bright blue eyes lock with mine, and I see the genuine curiosity in their depth.

"Do I look like I'm related to elves in any way, you dumbass?" My face remains blank and unamused, and my voice monotone. I'm kinda fed up with his stupidity.

Ah, I shouldn't call him stupid, though... Brainless is a far better word to describe his thinking in this mess of a situation. My lips curl down into a small scowl as I hear his neck words.

"Not really. Elves and their offspring are blessed with good looks. Although I can't say that you're blessed in any way, buddy. You're a bit... uh... plain and ordinary for elven standards." While speaking, he motions at my whole self.

I can feel my eyebrows furrow and my eye twirch a bit in irritation at his words. Despite my somewhat calm expression, I'm seething with annoyance because of this guy.

"At least my hair doesn't look like wet straw." I retort back with a subtle sneer, taunting him for calling out my looks, allowing my emotions to get the better of me.

"Oh? Well, yours looks like shit, to be honest." He taunts me back with that annoying smirk of him, which earns an unamused scoff from me.

'This conversation is making my head hurt... He's not worth it.' I compose myself after calming myself down, letting this go. 'Although the mood has lightened up a bit. Was that his objective all along?'

My eyes narrow slightly as I briefly glance at him before I look back at Hewie with an uncertain expression plastered on my face. 'Perhaps he saw me while I was talking to Hewie... But he can't see her, can he? So then, he probably sensed the tension...'

A small sigh escapes my lips once more as I gather my thoughts together and stay quiet for a fleeting moment. "So you have your answer." The words leave my mouth after a small pause.

"I guess..." Merle nods at my words and gazes into the distance, his expression turning unreadable. 'Why did he want to know, anyway?' Confusion clearly visible in my expression.

While Merle is lost in thought, I observe as his expression variously changes as he thinks about the disappearance of my shadow and my physical changes.

'Mayhap his powers caused it. But he would change immediately after awakening. So why is it appearing just now? It seems like our strange human is a full package of confusing riddles and unanswered questions!' He smirks at the thought before huffing. I also notice how his lips curl downward ever so slightly in frustration, most likely.

I walk up to him, but he doesn't react, so I tap his shoulder to get his attention. "You alright? You seemed kinda lost for a second there." Worry lingers under my casual tone as I slightly squeeze his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Are you worried about me? How sweet!" He snaps out of his thoughts thanks to my touch and words, and he immediately switches into his playful and teasing personality.

I remove my hand from his shoulder and sigh heavily at his pester. "If you're acting like this, then you must be fine. I don't know why I even bothered..." I mutter the last part with slight annoyance in my tone.

Just then, I feel a nudge right into my rib, followed by a hearty laugh. "Aw, come on! You're no fun, Alaire!" But then, he remembers his original intention of why he started bothering me in the first place.

Suddenly, a hand lands on my own, and I feel how I'm getting dragged by Merle through the village. 'Haa, how amazing...'

I just allow myself to get dragged as we pass by the other residents of Silvailia. Their looks vary, but they're mostly either amused or somewhat understanding. 'I guess they're used to some oddballs acting like this, by the looks of it. I'm not too thrilled to know if there are more people like Merle here...'

Once we're at the armoury, I take a look at the elf, whom I'm meeting for the first time ever since I came here. He looks at me and stops hammering a lump of metal, which seems to be a sword in making, once he seems satisfied with the result.

Then, the elf walks over to me and crosses his arms with a gruff huff. When he's this close, I can see an ore-shaped marking on top of his wrist.

"So, young lad. Did you come here for a new bow and arrows?" The gruff-sounding, older looking elf with unruly brunette hair and calloused and rough hands from presumably years, if not decades, of hard work, asks with a grumpy voice.

The way he looks at me makes me feel as though he's trying to gauge whether or not I'm suited for my weapon. These dark brown eyes are the eyes of a master... 

But to he honest, it's not exactly my choice what sort of weapon I use. Merle chose the bow for me, and Ellirith seemed to roll with it as well, considering how she ordered archer gloves to get tailored.

"Yes, he is." Merle speaks up, which results in me shooting him a slightly reluctant glance. For some reason, archery doesn't really feel as though it's for me. But I can't do anything else as Merle has only taught me how to shoot.

"Would you be kind enough to make him a new weapon, Molaris?" Meanwhile, I only watch the exchange between Merle and the other elf, whose name I just learnt is Molaris. This is kinda intruiging to watch.

Answering myself, my gaze falls back upon Merle standing in front of the slightly taller male elf. I can hear snippets of the conversation, piecing things together, and understand that Merle is trying to strike a deal with the old elf.

"Fine. I'll take it. You give me the materials, and I make the weapon. But the excess is mine." Molaris finally agrees after an almost 5 minute talk. 

Merle only nods and uses his wind powers to bring in some materials. I can see orange-brown coloured wood and raw, dark grey ores flying in a gust of wind.

He hands it to Molaris with a smirk, and the older elf seems satisfied with the quality as he eyes the raw materials, a small but pleased smile forming on his normally grumpy face.

"I hope that the yew will work well," said Merle with an almost smug smirk plastered on his face. Seems like he's proud of the quality himself. 

Molaris only nods and eyes the wood. After a small pause, he speaks up. "Aye, this'll work very well." 

After the whole commotion ends, we exit the smithy. 'Phew, finally... Those two are seriously something. And it was really hot in there.' 

Letting out a small sigh of relief once I hear the cool air hit my skin, my eyes trail up to look at the clear, bright blue skies filled with fluffy white clouds that chase each other around in the vast space. 

Hewie is occupying my shoulder, most likely resting. It seems like she doesn't want to talk about it any further. But I really need the answers! However, I know better than to push boundaries.

It takes almost the whole day for Molaris to finish crafting my new weapon. We visit the smithy again, and Molaris is already standing by the furnace, appreciating his new creation.

He then lifts his gaze from the bow, and he smiles as he hands it to me. "The bow itself should suit you," he says and allows me to try out the bow. 'I wonder how he can be so confident about that statement...' 

"He has a good eye for people. He's always been a sharp wight," Merle explains, and I just nod a bit. 'I see. But this bow is lighter than my previous one.'

My face scrunches up a bit, which Molaris immediately notices. "Don't worry, lad. I can guarantee that 'tis sturdy. Merle sure knows how to collect great materials."

Molaris answers while crossing his arms. "Thank you, sir," I reply and hold the bow, trying how it feels in my hand.