Sinine stretched from under her covers as she blinked against the morning light. Attempting to sit up for a moment she quickly fell back onto the soft pillows with a small grumble. Normally she had no problems starting the day but now, at the end of her vacation she found it hard to leave her bed. She took a moment to look at the ceiling before sitting up a second time and looking through the glass doors that opened into her garden. Dew still stuck to some of the lower panes but was quickly being burnt off by the rising sun foreshadowing the heat to come. 

With some effort she tossed her legs over the edge and set her bare feet on the cold stone floor. The sudden jolt helped to wake her up as she stood and headed to the bathroom to wash her face and wrangle her thick blue hair. It was perhaps her most defining feature, setting her apart from the people of the village as well as the other elves she grew up with. Not that Sinine cared about standing apart. She had always been a little different and her curly blue locks and bright pink eyes complimented that perfectly. 

Despite her initial difficulties she quickly fell back into her usual routine, putting on her uniform and making a small breakfast of bread and fruit. She read from a small book as she ate, disappointed that there would be less time for it now that she was back to work. After finishing her meal and a small cup of tea she laced her boots and stepped out of her small cottage into the warm morning. 

From her doorstep at the top of the hill she could overlook most of the small village. As was typical things were quiet and idyllic just like they had been every morning since she’d first arrived. In fact, in the three years since, she couldn’t remember there ever being any sort of tragedy or misfortune befalling the small community. Sure there had been several funerals and small accidents but the deaths had all been natural and the injured all recovered. It seemed as if the village existed in its own world where true misfortune and disaster could not touch it.  

But while the village had been free of calamity it also seemed free of any sort of change. Just as sinine couldn’t recall anything unfortunate happening she also couldn’t remember anything exciting, either good or bad.  While the peace was welcome and appreciated there was a part of her that felt stifled. Having had a thirst for adventure ever since she was a child, Sinine always felt a little disappointed by the continued mundanity. Though there did seem to be some hopeful news on that front.

The maid had kept up with the goings on at the inn even in her absence and a few days after she left she was told of a new member added to the staff. This was profound as Sinine had been the last addition to an already full roster. Even more surprising was that the new hire was a man, a stranger even, and from the word of the other maids not a bad looking one either. This was of note as the owner was quite possessive of the girls he employed and was suspicious of other men when it came to his business, unless of course they were customers. 

Even so the owner had offered the man the job, and as bouncer no less, something Sinine found quite amusing. The Inn was just as peaceful as the rest of the village and she wondered what there would even be for such a man to do. She pondered this as she made her way down the cobblestone streets, greeting her neighbors with a friendly smile and bow as they tossed salutations of their own.