90th of Fall, 517 AV
Baiya dabbed at her forehead with her lifted shirt, trying her best to keep the sweat from stinging her eyes. It wasn't even that hot, luckily. She just hadn't been prepared for the amount of work moving was. Even her pockets weighed down by her toothbrush and comb had become heavy after a bell of walking. Though she had her family there to help carry, in other ways they were less than helpful, and she was quietly glad to have them out of the way. All she needed now was a quick breath and some time to herself to catch up and adjust. Grabbing her waterskin, Baiya stood to have a stroll around the house before unpacking.
The house had come with certain amenities already. The bedroom held a bed nestled into its frame with a chamber pot tucked beneath away from sight. A chest sat at the foot of the bed, stuck partially ajar by an off-hinge top. In the main room, an hearth was placed atop pale grey stones that matched the walls. Behind it, a small wooden table stood just a little lopsided on one leg, with a single chair pulled up to it. And that was it. The single wooden door was the only entrance, and though there was a window in each room the house did not boast skyglass ceilings of any kind like some others in the city. It was not reinforced or braced against the weather but left wind whistling by. It was a simple house- much simpler than she had thought while scoping it out in the first place.
Besides the furnishings offered, Baiya had brought along only a few miscellaneous items, and only one bag of possessions. Her parents had gotten her a washbasin at the Azure, and a small mirror to help her with her cosmetics, but besides that she had only an extra pair of clothes and a few basics. She hoped it would be enough to make it feel like home, but dumping her items on the floor started to make the house feel very big all off a sudden. Less enthusiastic than when she has started, Baiya set to the task of organizing.
Stay positive. She encouraged herself. Look! All this space to yourself! But even as she thought it, she began to feel very discouraged indeed.
Though she tried to busy herself with things such as folding her clothes in new ways and placing the washbasin in numerous different spots, nothing could properly distract her from the facts. Her house was empty, and more than that, abundantly lonely. Halfway through trying to reset her mirror above the washbasin, she abruptly sat down on the floor. Though she felt self-conscious about the act and mentally chastised herself for acting so childish, she could not help but pull her knees up to her chest and wrap her arms around herself. The doubt quickly set in.
If I can't do this for one day, how will I ever do anything on my own? Am I doomed to be dependent my whole life, living in a rats' nest with so many other siblings and nothing for myself? What am I supposed to do?
By the time the tears had spilled over, Baiya had gotten to her feet and stripped off her clothes, dropping them to the floor in a messy pile. She needed to escape, just for a moment, and feeling the wind in her fur was nothing if not therapeutic.
Throwing open the window while her thumbs were still strong, Baiya quickly placed one foot on the sill and pulled herself up to the window where she quickly transformed. Upon feeling the gentle breeze brush through her fur, she poked her long fingers out the window and grabbed ahold of the small cracks in the walls, pulling herself upwards and onwards.
