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Alfina couldn't help herself! Every time she passed a reflective surface, she would take a moment to peek at it. Not that she really needed it though. Her hair was long enough to see as she walked. She couldn't stop touching it since she had woken up that morning. That morning.. she had discovered her hair was different. It was vibrant. It was beautiful!

Not that she had disliked the hair she'd been born with, but this was so fresh and rich. Her skin had shifted undertones to match the hair, her whole body freshened up with warmth. It had surprised and concerned her at first, but she had quickly fallen in love with it.

It was too bad that others in town didn't seem as pleased with their changes. In fact, she'd heard far too much talk of families disowning loved ones thinking they'd been possessed by the dead...
[quote="Sabra Knight heart quote]

Alfina was torn between wanting to figure out why she had changed, and also wanting to simply enjoy the changes in blissful ignorance. What if it was something bad? She was no scholar. It wasn't likely that she would figure out anything that those more learned could not. She was no priestess, and wouldn't be able to decipher any clues from those teachings. She should just leave it to-

"Oh!" She felt herself start to fall from the unexpected push. She reached out without thinking to grab at anything to stabilize herself, and her fingers tangled with the sleeve of the very stranger that had bumped her. She pulled herself against him with a small gasp when she finally found her feet and felt her cheeks heat up as she looked up into such strangely colored eyes. "Oh- I- sorry!"

She tore her gaze away from those fascinatingly bright eyes and took a step back. "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you." Thank goodness it seemed at least one other person wasn't running around in a panic. A hand unconsciously rose to once again fiddle with the strands of her hair in a self-soothing manner. The other's reassurances certainly put her at ease as well, and she allowed a smile to rise. "It certainly is a bit of a mess out here," she agreed. "It'll probably be a while before it calms down at all, too. I came out this morning hoping for a peaceful walk before work. Perhaps I should have taken the long route through the woods instead."

While she wasn't quite as superstitious as many Yaeli, she still very much took notice of things that were strange and out of place. Alfina's gaze shifted away to stop herself from staring again. Curious and wary she may be, but impolite she would not! "Actually, it was just the quiet I wanted. I was affected, and it was irritating last night," she tugged her hair again as a silent indicator, "but now I feel.. I feel good, actually." A tiny smile flickered briefly.

She looked up with interest at the offer of the store, and away again. "I'm sure you're right. Herbalists must be scouring the woods by now for such herbs. The bookstore is probably the best option for a peaceful spot." She dared to peek up at those odd eyes again. "I don't want to disturb you if that's where you were going though."

She blinked with a pause before her cheeks heated up with bashful amusement. "Well, no, I suppose you can't, really. I guess I just thought.." She chewed her lip for a bashful moment. Her self esteem had been faltering as of late, but to think she might not be wanted that much.. The man didn't seem to think anything wrong with sharing space with her, and a smile rose again. "I guess I was just being silly."

The yelling made Alfina look up and flinch away. She would definitely rather not be out here where things were so volatile. "I-I don't mind sharing space at all," she assured. The offered hand surprised her, but she felt herself relax and gently set her hand onto his. "My name's Alfina. If I may, what do you think of your changes? If you had any, of course." She couldn't help a quick peek at his strange eyes again. Was that new to him?

She couldn't help the self-consciously apologetic turn of her bashful smile. So it was true! He was a hybrid! Of course, that didn't excuse her bouts of staring. "You're not wrong. We do tend to be adverse to anything, or anyone, that is different. ..Different is not always bad though." After all, there was a lot more 'different' hanging around on Yeal these days. The natives were just going to have to get used to it.

Her free hand rose to curl the end of a lock of her hair again. "My hair changed, and my skin. They're both warmer tones than before. I think that's it." With a little skip in her step to hurry into the shop, Alfina took a deep breath and sighed with relief. As expected, the shop was calmer than the ruckus outside. "Much better."

Alfina nodded while keeping her eyes shyly down. She liked to think she took after her father a little in that regard. She wasn't inclined to explore the outside world as he did, but she was willing to accept it when the outside world came to her; within reason of course. Perhaps that was thinking too much of herself though... "I think most of us are getting better about different. There's still far to go though."

A surprised and pleased flush colored her cheeks at the compliment. Considering her concerns for how her family and associates would react to her changes, it was especially comforting to hear. Even if Erebus had never seen her before the changes... "E-enjoy your reading," she stuttered out. "And, thank you."

Having come with no intentions outside of finding a quiet place to think, Alfina let out a slow breath. Maybe a nice book would be worth looking at in one of those cozy chairs?