While the two of them were busy preparing for the journey, an atmosphere of curious intimacy lingered in the air. Zelodio, focused on packing various items into the suitcases, would occasionally glance up at Amara, but not just to exchange a word or give her instructions. More than once, his attention settled on her, particularly on one detail that did not escape him: her body, both lithe and yet shapely, the curves that were hard to ignore. It wasn’t about aesthetic admiration, but rather a line of thought that started to form in his mind. Something in his thoughts began to resonate, like a small intuition that was about to emerge.
Eventually, after considering the situation, he decided to speak. With a serious tone, but a hint of curiosity he didn’t try to hide, he said, “The humans here on Vindantia don’t have skin the color of yours, but rather a light tone. If you present yourself like this, you risk someone… noticing you. You’ll need to disguise yourself as an elf. As I told you, elves are one of the few races with skin similar to yours.”
Amara stopped for a moment, reflecting. She wasn’t entirely convinced by the suggestion, but something in Zelodio’s tone told her that she needed to take what he was suggesting seriously. So, with a slightly sarcastic but accepting smile, she replied, “I can pretend to be half-human and half-elf, maybe mixing things up a bit.”
Zelodio looked at her carefully, as if scrutinizing every detail of her appearance with the eye of an expert. Then, with a slight grin of amusement, he added, “Mmm... indeed, your features don’t resemble an elf much, but rather the cross between an elf and a fornigo.”
Amara looked at him, curious, having never heard of that race. “A fornigo?” she asked, trying to understand if he was referring to some other unknown race.
Zelodio nodded. “Yes, fornigos are a race similar to squirrels, but anthropomorphic. With long, furry tails and agile gaits, they are cunning and fast creatures, but not very tall.” He paused briefly, thinking about how he should proceed. Then, with a slightly defiant expression and a spark of inventiveness in his eyes, he continued, “With your features and your skin, you could look like a hybrid of an elf and a fornigo. So, I’ll build you a mechanical fornigo tail, one of the most realistic I’ve ever created. It’ll be perfect.”
Amara raised an eyebrow, skeptical. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but the idea of wearing a mechanical tail, especially one designed to look like an anthropomorphic animal, didn’t excite her at all. “A... mechanical tail?” she repeated incredulously. “I hope it doesn’t look too weird.”
Zelodio smiled with a mix of confidence and amusement. “Don’t worry, it’ll be so realistic that no one will notice the difference.”
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Amara looked at him, still a bit uncertain, but eventually agreed. “Alright, if you think it’ll work, let’s give it a try. But I can’t promise I’ll like it.”
Zelodio nodded and immediately got to work, while Amara, though skeptical, tried to focus on the impending journey.
That night, Zelodio didn’t stop for a moment. He was completely immersed in the work, his mind focused on every single detail of the fornigo tail that would need to fit perfectly on Amara. She, however, didn’t have the energy to keep up and had succumbed to exhaustion. She sat down in one of the chairs near the workshop, where the sound of hammers and machines working couldn’t keep her awake. Her head slowly dropped forward, her hands folding into an involuntary embrace. Soon after, sleep enveloped her, and her body collapsed into a tired but peaceful surrender.
Zelodio, noticing that the girl had fallen asleep, paused his work for a moment and looked at her with a fond smile. He gently covered her with a strikingly purple and green blanket, which, despite its eye-catching appearance, was still comfortable. Then, he returned to his work, immersed in his tools, while the night passed silently, but not for them.
When Amara woke up the next morning, the first rays of light coming through the window found her still in that chair. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, trying to shake off the heaviness of sleep. Stretching, the blanket slipped away, revealing the table in front of her. The sight of the mechanical tail lying on it struck her like an unexpected surprise.
Amara stared at it incredulously, amazed by the realism of the tail. She furrowed her brow, trying to comprehend its craftsmanship. “I can’t believe it’s made of metal... it looks like a real giant squirrel tail.” she thought to herself, a slight sense of wonder for Zelodio’s talent washing over her.
Just then, the sound of footsteps on the spiral staircase distracted her. Zelodio appeared, carrying a tray full of breakfast delicacies. With his usual friendly smile, he wished her, “Good morning, Amara! Did you sleep well?” His eyes shone with an intensity that was both curious and kind, as always.
Amara, still a bit confused from waking up, smiled at him and nodded. “Yes, I slept well. And thanks for the blanket, it was really kind of you…” Her voice softened as she looked at the tray, noticing the care with which Zelodio had prepared breakfast.
“Here, I hope you like it.” he replied, smiling in a way that suggested he enjoyed taking care of her without making a big deal out of it.
After breakfast, Zelodio invited her to try the mechanical tail. Amara picked it up with her hands and made her way to the changing room where she usually changed, but he stopped her. “Wait a moment,” he said, raising a hand in a gesture that brooked no argument. “I need to see how it fits without the skirt, so I can better understand where to attach it to your hips.”
Amara looked at him for a moment, slightly embarrassed, but eventually understood that she wouldn’t have a choice. With a slight blush, she took off the skirt and turned around, offering him her hips. Zelodio watched her carefully, taking the necessary measurements but making no inappropriate comments. He knew well that Amara’s body had generous curves, and he had already taken measurements for clothes that he often sewed for her. But he wanted to make sure the tail wouldn’t cause any problems and that it would fit perfectly with her figure.