Hansol is starting to lose her resolve after getting turned down at least seven times the past hour for a lodging and a job. 

None of them has a single ecu on them; they can only travel for so long without suffering from malnutrition.

Pain burst at every step - the blisters on her feet aching due to ill-fitting boots. It's just... why do Dongmin’s feet have to be so damn big?

Yena’s unconscious body, which is flopped on her back is already wearing her down.  At some point, Minju offered to carry Yena from time to time. Despite making a fuss out of the littlest things, her kind-hearted nature wins over several times.

Though unsurprisingly, the sheltered girl doesn’t have it in her to carry another person - she can’t even stand straight with Yena on her back. 

Needless to say, Hansol is stuck with the job.

And so, Minju is permanently in charge of foraging. It's fortunate having an inventory ring in their arsenal.

“Can we keep going like this?” Minju asks limply, deflated.

Sitting on a bench in the town square, people who are walking past them didn’t pay them any mind - they look at them in disgust even. 

Which is ridiculous. They just had a bath in the lake in the woods an hour ago. They certainly didn’t look any grimier than the next person.

“Remind me to buy some new shoes when we get some money.” Hansol grimaces, tapping the oversized heavy leather boots on the brick floor with a pained frown. “Lady Kim, does my hair look off?”

Minju blinks, tilting her head. “Your hair?” Reaching out, she plucks something off the crown of Hansol’s head. “There’s a leaf,” she says, throwing it on the side, the breeze carrying it away as soon as it flutters on the ground.

Hansol’s eyebrows crease in confusion. “Just that? I don’t look funny, do I?”

Minju surely can't be the subject of those looks, given her beauty. So there must be something off with her.

“No? You look fine.” It takes Minju more than a few seconds to process the stares thrown at them by the passers-by. “Oh. Well, I mean, look at their ears.”

Their ears? 

Hunger and fatigue clouding her vision, Hansol didn’t think to observe her surroundings more carefully the first time. 

Shifting her eyes, Hansol focuses her gaze on their ears as instructed. 

They’re pointed. And most of them are youthful as well, even those with children strolling around next to them. 

“Oh.”

“Right.”

It annoys her a bit when the parent of one of the children pulls them in close, throwing them a dirty glare as if they’re disgusting specimens.

“Elves,” Hansol concludes, throwing back the glare and the elf parent hmphs and walks off with his family in tow.

No wonder. Humans and elves have always had bad blood between them, mostly because elves are generally more superior than humans and prefer to steer clear of them. 

The only redeeming factor that humans had against them are numbers, which is why elves kept themselves isolated from the human-infested world.

“Our luck , eh?” Hansol groans, resting against the bench. The rejections for lodging finally make much more sense.

Minju conjures some berries from her ring. Berries have been their meal for the past few days as the forest is abundant with them. 

Frankly, the sight of berries is starting to make her feel sick. Not that she has much choice in this situation.

“Eat. And take the cloak,” Minju says, popping a few berries in in the process.

Picking up some berries from Minju’s dainty hands, Hansol takes a few in , the disgustingly sweet familiar juices moistening her dry throat.

After Minju's words sink in, Hansol quirks an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘take the cloak’? You’re okay with exposing your legs?”

Minju sighs. “With this huge shirt, they won’t notice,” she says, albeit a bit hesitant. “We will need to cover your ears if we want any chance of getting a place to rest. Elves can be quite discriminating, as you probably already know.”

Brushing her raven locks with her fingers, Minju covers her ears with relative ease, proving a point. Obviously, with her hair cropped short, Hansol can’t achieve the same feat.

Donning Minju's discarded cloak, Hansol throws the hood over her head, effectively covering her ears, only her bangs peeking out.

And with that, they’re blending better with everyone. 

Hansol sighs as she spots Minju squirming a little as they set out for another round of job-hunting. “I told you. Though I'm sure it will be fine. As you said, that shirt does cover half your thighs.”

“...Try being in my position and see how it feels like,” Minju says with a displeased look, pulling down the dress shirt further than its limit.

“Any day,” Hansol says nonchalantly, carrying the unconscious Yena once more.

“Well I’m sorry I have the decency to not casually reveal my skin,” Minju mumbles, pulling her by the cloak. “Come on, it’s getting dark. I’d rather not sleep in the streets tonight.”

“If we can’t find a place, we can always go back to the woods and try again the next day,” Hansol says.

The streets of a city are much more dangerous than the woods after everyone's asleep, who knows how many criminals lurk around at that time of the day.

“...Let’s try not to resort to that. I don’t think I can look at another berry after this,” Minju says, a pained expression on her face.

“You know what? Me neither.”

Minju peeks over at her. “I thought you’re going to retort on how picky I am.”

“Just what do you think of me…? I get sick of stuff too. You can only push a girl so far,” Hansol says with a hint of repulsion in her tone. 

Roaming her eyes across the houses, it just makes sense that this is an elves’ city. Marble makes up most of the walls, showing the sophistication that elves pride themselves in. 

The number of dirty looks they get decreases significantly, their rounded ears now out of sight. However, with Minju’s exposed legs, the number of men looking their way spikes. 

Feeling Minju's unease from the ogling eyes, Hansol gives them a sharp glare to drop their gaze.

“Let’s try that one,” Hansol instructs her in haste as some men aren't deterred at all by her icy gaze.

“But… that's a tavern.”

Indeed, the building she points at has a well-made sign on top - Scarron’s Best. A painted sculpture of a glass of beer sits on the top. 

Peeking through the window, they see maids serving patrons left and right. However, unlike the Hwalgeori Academy’s maids, their maid outfits are a lot cuter and more stylish.

“It’s the nearest one. Unless you want to be out here longer," Hansol says, deathly serious, hinting at the erted passers-by.

Minju lapses into a pause for a little, perhaps a bit surprised Hansol noticed. “You’re right. Let’s try this one.”

Entering the tavern, no one pays them any mind, eating and drinking in enjoyment at the maids’ presence. 

Most of the customers are men. Unlike outside, humans are mixed into them. From their attire, Hansol surmises that they’re adventurers passing through town.

This makes the line of discrimination within the pub nil.

“Well? What can I do for you, two lovelies?” A handsome, flamboyant man greets them, his lips cherry red and a few buttons of his indigo shirt undone. 

As expected of an elven city, his ears are pointed, dark eyes hiding behind his colored glasses. He flashes them a welcoming smile.

Hansol clears . “Uhm.” 

Think, think, think. 

“Hello.” She feigns a cough, pulling Minju by the elbow. “I’ve been wandering with my, uh, younger sister… Christine, for days now, and our youngest sister, Julia, passed out from hunger…”

Minju gives her an incredulous gaze and Hansol winks aggressively, getting her to play along. Their real names sound too foreign for elves, and she struggled to pull out Milldale names from her since they’re the closest to elves, name-wise.

Getting into character, Minju panickedly rubs Hansol on the back. “Haiden! Don’t push yourself!” she says, and Hansol could have sworn she’d make a pretty great theater actress if she tried. “Can you provide us a place to stay for a while? Please. Just until our sister wakes up."

“I’m… sorry, my head just has be