Lingering Glance (Patreon)

Vallen's Revised Introduction Scene

Besides a headless statue of a curvy woman with a thin tunic clinging to her round body, you see Vallen.

*page_break At first glance, you almost didn't recognize her

She's seated on the fountain, draped in a gown of her own. It's flowy but not baggy, and it seems lined with pure white cotton. The waist is cinched by a golden chain, intertwining on her left hip. One side of the chain drops down along the ankle-deep skirt.

Or it would have been if Vallen wasn't hoisting the skirt up to bare her calves and feet so she could play in the fountain water with her toes. Her dress' sleeves are long and drapey, diving into two strands that hang over her forearms.

Since the fountain is in a clearing, the foliage doesn't ward off the rain any longer. All along the fountain's surface, little eruptions explode every time a droplet joins its brethren, making it seem as if it's in a war with itself, a mirror breaking into a thousand pieces.

But Vallen doesn't bother with the soft blue cowl swed to the back of her dress. She tilts her face up toward the sky, her eyes closed against the downpour. Her hair is braided but not in her usual style. Instead, two braids from each side of her head join at the center, and from there, the hair spills freely down her back in a cascade of gold.

When you reach the clearing, stepping on the tiles, Vallen lowers her head, and two round hazel eyes land on you. "You came."