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This place is boring as all hell. As much as you would also like to try experimenting with your new form in the wilderness, a part of you tells to get accustomed with the neighborhood. You get up and walk out of your crude shack, hands casually held behind your head as you walk down Hogany Village's dirt road.
As you take a tour around town, the Jolota around you pause what they're doing to just...Stare. The fruit merchants take an extra long time to pass along their produce to their customers, groups of the amphibious beings walk slower to avoid bumping into things, the windows of houses and other buildings full of faces look outside, and miscellaneous chatter dies down as everyone's attention is focused on you.
"Mommy, mommy! Look at that weird pink guy!" An even smaller Jolota shouts, its spherical and legless body tugging at its mother's runic blouse, who quickly hushes her child. Their eyes practically burn even more holes into your body. Maybe this was a mistake.
"So you're the outsider everyone's been talking about." A new voice says, you turning around to see who else is trying to bother you today.
It's Marimo, covered in bandages and leaning on wooden crutches. He looks like he went through the wringer, noticing him clutching his side. He's looking at you in a way that gets under the skin.
"Yeah, that's me." You frown, already irked by this guy's attitude. You didn't even do anything yet.
"I don't know why the mayor seems so eager to help out a complete stranger such as yourself." He continues, not dropping the antagonistic inflection in his voice. "Beast slayer or not, that monster was our business to deal with." He storms off, hobbling away and turning his back on you. You would've berated him back, but the judgemental eyes of the crowd make you uneasy. It's clear who's side they're choosing.
"Tch!" You seethe under your breath. You had enough of this, you briskly walk back to your house, fuming. You save their lives and they're just ungrateful like that, getting mad at you for doing something RIGHT for once? You hop back into your bed, angry at the world for continuing to get on your back for every little thing.
...
