Mantrin Imperial Guard - 004 Homestead

Chapter 10: The Search

Raeth and Le'tan

That's weird. What's that smell? Wait, I'm...

It was as if his mind told him that something was off and at the same time realizing that it wasn't. Peeking through lidded eyes, observing an environment that looked and smelled familiar, Raeth began to recall that he spent the night in a room and in a bed that used to be his own.

He woke up on his side facing the window, the covers pulled over his entire body, leaving only his head exposed. The first rays of the early morning sun crept into the room through the half-closed curtains, lighting up the fine dust particles floating in the air. The smell of clean bedding was still vaguely there and due to the house's climate control system, the air in his old bedroom was kept at an optimal temperature and humidity for comfortable sleep.

A soft groan escaped his mouth as he rolled on his back, then pushed himself up on his fists to a seated position, his long legs stretched on the mattress. The bed was long enough for his feet to remain covered, if he hadn't pulled the covers up as far as he did. Staring at his toes as he wiggled them, his gaze moved to the shelves which held a few personal belongings from his youth and to the modestly-sized wooden closet.

He had opened it the previous day in search of a hanger to find out that his old clothes were still there, neatly piled in small stacks. Like many others of his kind, he never cared much for what he wore at the time, so his possessions in this category had been few.

The shirt and pants of his red uniform hung on that clothing hanger at the top edge of the closet, ready to be used again. Resting his gaze on it, he let his mind go over today's planning. He would be lying to himself if he said he was looking forward to it. First he was going to put on the uniform, not sure if it would make a difference, in an attempt to gather as much information about the surrounding area as possible at the city hall. Yimeh had promised to take him there and it was also where he would meet up with Le'tan.

He had talked to him the evening before and even though Le'tan had expressed his concern, he had been more than willing to help. The escalating situation took its toll on everyone, including his friend's family with whom he stayed. They too had dealt with acts of racism and even violence which had left them with a traumatized child. Something had to be done.

Tossing the covers off of his nude body while yawning, he made his way to the bathroom on the same floor. Judging by the closed door of his parents' bedroom they were still asleep. It was the early morning. The time of sunrise, or lii'saa, for those who spoke Preidogian.

With the room having only a small window he flicked the wall switch to turn on the spotlights above the large white marblelike countertop, to set his eyes on a bathroom that featured a number of elements that a sizable number of houses on both Solbrecht and Sogowa Prime lacked, especially those outside the urban areas. In fact, some homes designed by and for his kind lacked a bathroom entirely if there was a large source of clean water nearby, such as a lake or a river.

It was a modern bathroom adapted for members of his species, meaning everything would feel oversized for most others. From the large mirror, placed above the broad ceramic washbasin embedded into the counter in which he greeted his own reflection, to the shower space which was hidden from view by a thick sheet of opaque glass. Finally, a toilet with a wide seat featuring two shallow bowl-shaped notches on both sides, with enough space behind the seat and a plateau to rest the tail on.

Both the floor and walls were tiled with large rectangular pieces in a light tan color with a fine-grained pattern. Two identical light wooden cabinets flanked the mirror, the shelves holding a number of personal hygiene products.