Scarlet

It only takes me a few seconds of staring before the smell snaps me out of my brief stupor and I’m immediately searching the bathroom for anything that might clean me. Because the cleaning skill is not doing anything to help besides remove the blood, leaving behind the black guck no matter how many times I try using it.

Fortunately I do manage to find something that is rather clearly labeled in a small storage area behind a mirror near the sink as ‘ascension cleaning solution.’ An aptly named product that I immediately open the top of and pour over my head, surprisingly finding the black guck vanishing without a trace, making me smile.

A smile that fades when I realize the smell is still in my clothes, making me almost puke from how bad it is. But I don’t let it get to me and instead pour some more of the stuff over my bath to clean it before putting it back in the storage thing. Then I strip out of my clothes while running through my suite towards my room where I immediately change into fresh clothes with a sigh. After, of course, putting on a nose plug.

It only takes me burning the smelly clothes after that and taking the nose plug back off to realize that I’d just run through my suite like that without telling Tar to look away or anything.

“Don’t worry, I’m nowhere near you right now and am not seeing anything near you,” Tar says, his voice sounding distant for a second before he asks, “is the smell gone?”

I almost snort at that.

Of course he’d dip because of the smell. Probably should’ve realized this sooner, but I do remember seeing him vanishing the moment he pointed at my missing ears. I was just too distracted to pay attention to it.

And yes, it’s gone.

After a few seconds, he appears in front of me to find me wearing a simple t shirt and pants as I purposefully head to a different bathroom than the one I was just in. The one that currently still smells like fifteen people died and rotted in it.

I should probably tell whoever cleans my suite about that. Because that might be a bit of an unpleasant surprise for them when they next come to do their job.

“You think?” Tar sarcastically says with a snort.

I ignore him as I arrive at another bathroom and immediately focus on the rather large mirror there to see my reflection when I’m not covered in blood and black horror guck.

The very first thing I notice after pulling my long hair back into a ponytail is that I’m, well, without any human ears. Which I am very much not used to seeing.

The next thing I notice is that my hair has grown. Again.

I should probably get a haircut since my hair is now very nearly as long as I am tall. It’s also got a little bit more red in it. But that might just be my memory messing up on me or something.

After taking my attention away from my hair, I notice that my skin actually looks clearer than before. And smoother for some reason.

Am I imagining this?

“No, you’re not,” Tar answers while floating around me. “After reaching Class II, Guardian’s bodies begin to change to what their society generally considers perfect in appearance. Which generally means for Guardians that they become prettier and more beautiful in the case of girls, and more handsome for boys.”

I blink at that.

Wait a second, that really happens? So it’s not just that some of the fae have a penchant for picking good looking Guardians?

Tar looks at me as if I’d just insulted him as he says, “You seriously thought that? Wow. I’m disappointed.”

I frown at that only to shake my head and refocus on my body again.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any taller. A very sad thing.

“That’s what you wanted?” Tar asks, sounding slightly amused. “You don’t care that your curves are more pronounced, your skin is clearer and smoother, or that your chest grew a little bit? None of that matters to you? Not even that your range of movement was expanded slightly so that you can bend your arms and legs just a little more and reach further? Or that your bone marrow was expanded to generate more blood faster?”

No. Why would it? Except for the practical bits of that. Because that could be useful.

Actually, wait. I might have to buy some new clothes now.

Tar snorts.

I focus on my clothes and how well they fit before pursing my lips and shaking my head.

Actually, never mind. It’s not a big enough difference to be too uncomfortable or anything with the type of clothing I normally wear, considering how free it generally is. So I’m not gonna bother. With the exception of my sports bras, which could be a problem.

But I can just wear something else for now and buy more clothes later.

Probably after Belle bribes me to do it.

“You’re… you’re really just going to wait till she bribes you to do it… to get some extra money?” Tar asks, sounding exasperated.

No. Not at all. Why would I need extra money? I have the earnings from winning both tournaments along with the be- err, the credits I’ll be earning from magical crystals I’ll be getting in Class II Fractures.

“You were just about to say the earnings you got from betting on yourself, weren’t you?” Tar asks, his tanuki eyes narrowing slightly as he floats in front of me.

I avert my gaze to the mirror as I state out loud, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tar stares at me for several seconds before sighing and floating around to be next to my shoulder as he says, “Either way, you won’t have to worry about this happening again. It only happens on the ascension to Class II to ‘perfect’ the Guardian’s body, both for appearance and combat. So it won’t be happening in any future ascensions.”

That’s good.

I purse my lips as I focus on my hearing, using the training Tar gave me to adjust the sensitivity a little down to a more reasonable level. But before I manage to do that, I notice something.

“Do I have three hearts now?” I mutter out loud while glancing downwards and patting the spot at the very center of my torso, just at the very top of my stomach where my ribs end.

“Probably,” Tar says with a shrug. “If I had to guess, you’ll likely end up getting a fourth heart when you reach Class III, and a fifth one at Class V.”

Oh. That’s a lot of hearts.

“Yes, that it is,” he says, sounding amused.

Well then.