Wake up call

Mona is suddenly woken up by the sound of rustling followed by the cracks of a fire dying out. At some point in the night she must've passed out, her body was laying flat on a bed mat of some sort, her body wrapped around by a warm sheet made of animal fur. Sitting up quickly, she looks around and finds the old man not too far off. He seemed to be tucking his belongings away, he turns and offers a weak smile towards her direction.

"Mornin missy, howd ya sleep?"

"I.. passed out—"

Mona felt light headed all of a sudden, holding her head while sitting up. She's surprised how she slept like a rock in such a situation.

[My head hurts, what is this..? Last thing I remember was.. eating that stew and then- ah that's right. I fell asleep after listening to his boring nonsense about his life..]

The old man smiles, satisfied with her reaction and response.

"Hit the hay faster then my ol man, should've seen it. We're almost at the village missy, how bout you finish the left over stew I cooked for ya before we start off again."

"Ah- mhm.. yeah, I'll do that."

Mona seemed confused by all this, once again using her magic to read the stars but still nothing. At this point she felt it was just her mind playing tricks on her and that there really wasn't a reason to judge a book by it's cover. After finishing her stew she eventually gets ready, the soreness of her ankles was gone and her body, besides feeling a little drained, was still in a better shape then last night. Fixing her cloak and adjusting the fit of her tights, she nods quietly to herself before continuing her journey.

That said Mona did notice a slight difference, perhaps because it was night time and she couldn't get a proper look but the mans wrinkly dried up skin looked a little healthier this morning?

[Wasn't he using a stick the other night to hold himself upright? Or was I imagining things..]

Old Linel was humming to himself an odd time while Mona continues contemplating until eventually shrugging it off. Unknown to her, a fresh new mark was placed in the spot where it's least conspicuous. With a simple tug of her backside, she unwedge the fabric of her ass cheek before following behind the old man.

It's not long after, the two would come across an opening through the forest. At last she thought, clearly happy with leaving the dark forest behind her. She finds her step carefully until reaching the edges of the forest only that her excitement is quickly drained in almost an instant.

"Welcome lil missy, to the ol village of Crowel."

The first thing Mona noticed is how thick and musty air felt within the area. She also felt an invisible veil of some sort over the village, it also seems to affect Mona as she tries shaking off the feeling creeping through her head.

The village itself has an eerie vibe that was hard to get across her mind, the buildings looked crude and badly constructed with plenty of gaps between wood boards. The land seemed rotten to its core, it's a miracle there was even grass growing in these parts let alone trees. There was also this thick layer of fog that surrounded the entire village, blocking our most of the sunlight. Besides all the terrible structuring and malnourished lands there was also a foul stench in the air much like a slaughterhouse would have if left abandoned for years.

[I finally found it.. that's wonderful. The sooner I can find them the sooner I can return to Mondstadt and leave this forsaken land behind. Ughh but first thing is first, I need a bath.. I wonder if there's even a bath house here.]