The discomforting level of apprehension and unfamiliarity resided somewhere in her mind, even during sleep; it was because of those feelings that she began to stir awake, and as soon as the reason behind them became clear, she went from being face-first into the pillow to jolting upright in a matter of seconds.
Right away Kino could tell something was wrong, with the room being a huge contrast in appearances to the one she had checked into the previous night. Before, it had been dimly lit with dark colors, nothing like the blinding splash of white that had taken over. Not to mention the clothes she found herself wearing wasn't the nighttime attire she wore; just as comfy, but she had to wonder where they came from and who put them on her, all without notice. She wasn't a heavy sleeper-- far from it, if anything, because when you could go for as long as weeks in between cities and having to sleep in the middle of a forest, you couldn't afford to be anything but alert.
But the country she came to looked harmless enough, and the innkeepers had been excessively cordial with their hospitality the day prior. It made Kino question what she wandered into this time, if once again first impressions became deceiving.
Though, most importantly, Hermes was absent, and the motorrad couldn't very well move on its own.
Kino slipped one bare foot out from under the bedsheets she was entangled in, ready to get up and find out what was happening when the doorknob to the only exit clicked and turned. Behind it, someone emerged; the woman was dressed in what Kino immediately recognized as a nurse's staff uniform, and she gave a puzzled look. Was this a hospital?
"Oh, Dakota," the nurse began in a pleasantly surprised tone, taking a moment to glance between the clipboard she held and the girl. "You're awake already? Why don't we get you started on the day."
"Where is Hermes?" Kino responded without missing a beat, with sharp words against the nurse's amiable ones. Whether she didn't bother to correct her name or noticed at all, for then, it went visibly unnoticed.
The woman looked at her oddly before inconspicuously eying the clipboard again, knitting her brows in its direction. It was clear the name held little recognition-- perhaps none-- even before she spoke. "I'm sorry, I don't think there's anyone here by that name, and visitors aren't until--"
"My motorrad," Kino interjected. "I arrived at this country with him. He's not very quiet, so I don't think he could be forgotten about so easily."
"There's nothing like that here," the nurse began after a tentative pause, shaking her head. "Come, if you spend some time in the sun room, you'll feel more situated in no time."
"I believe I'm fine now," Kino insisted flatly, holding back on showing her mild annoyance. "If I could have my belongings returned to me, I would like to get going now." She'll just have to find Hermes on her own, if that were the case. If this country had rules and procedures on an outsider's possessions, she would have liked to known ahead of time. But right now... Kino was becoming dubious of its good reputation among a few of the travelers she had spoken to about it.
The nurse then gave her a sympathetic look, forced through as if she had done the simple action far too many times for it to really mean anything anymore. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You may feel so, but we're here to ensure it. We can't do that right now, but until then, shall we continue on with the day?"
Kino eyed her hand, tracing them back to the woman's face. She fell silent until she let out a sigh, something akin to surrendering the battle for the time being. "I'll have to see for myself," she said simply, finally tugging out her other foot from underneath the bedsheets. "If this is how it has to be, then I won't argue the rules. However, when the time comes for me to leave, I would like all my items back. Two nights and three days was for how long I registered to stay here for."
Stepping back, the nurse nodded in the direction of the door, failing to regard any of her words. "Come along, I'll show you the way."
Right away Kino could tell something was wrong, with the room being a huge contrast in appearances to the one she had checked into the previous night. Before, it had been dimly lit with dark colors, nothing like the blinding splash of white that had taken over. Not to mention the clothes she found herself wearing wasn't the nighttime attire she wore; just as comfy, but she had to wonder where they came from and who put them on her, all without notice. She wasn't a heavy sleeper-- far from it, if anything, because when you could go for as long as weeks in between cities and having to sleep in the middle of a forest, you couldn't afford to be anything but alert.
But the country she came to looked harmless enough, and the innkeepers had been excessively cordial with their hospitality the day prior. It made Kino question what she wandered into this time, if once again first impressions became deceiving.
Though, most importantly, Hermes was absent, and the motorrad couldn't very well move on its own.
Kino slipped one bare foot out from under the bedsheets she was entangled in, ready to get up and find out what was happening when the doorknob to the only exit clicked and turned. Behind it, someone emerged; the woman was dressed in what Kino immediately recognized as a nurse's staff uniform, and she gave a puzzled look. Was this a hospital?
"Oh, Dakota," the nurse began in a pleasantly surprised tone, taking a moment to glance between the clipboard she held and the girl. "You're awake already? Why don't we get you started on the day."
"Where is Hermes?" Kino responded without missing a beat, with sharp words against the nurse's amiable ones. Whether she didn't bother to correct her name or noticed at all, for then, it went visibly unnoticed.
The woman looked at her oddly before inconspicuously eying the clipboard again, knitting her brows in its direction. It was clear the name held little recognition-- perhaps none-- even before she spoke. "I'm sorry, I don't think there's anyone here by that name, and visitors aren't until--"
"My motorrad," Kino interjected. "I arrived at this country with him. He's not very quiet, so I don't think he could be forgotten about so easily."
"There's nothing like that here," the nurse began after a tentative pause, shaking her head. "Come, if you spend some time in the sun room, you'll feel more situated in no time."
"I believe I'm fine now," Kino insisted flatly, holding back on showing her mild annoyance. "If I could have my belongings returned to me, I would like to get going now." She'll just have to find Hermes on her own, if that were the case. If this country had rules and procedures on an outsider's possessions, she would have liked to known ahead of time. But right now... Kino was becoming dubious of its good reputation among a few of the travelers she had spoken to about it.
The nurse then gave her a sympathetic look, forced through as if she had done the simple action far too many times for it to really mean anything anymore. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You may feel so, but we're here to ensure it. We can't do that right now, but until then, shall we continue on with the day?"
Kino eyed her hand, tracing them back to the woman's face. She fell silent until she let out a sigh, something akin to surrendering the battle for the time being. "I'll have to see for myself," she said simply, finally tugging out her other foot from underneath the bedsheets. "If this is how it has to be, then I won't argue the rules. However, when the time comes for me to leave, I would like all my items back. Two nights and three days was for how long I registered to stay here for."
Stepping back, the nurse nodded in the direction of the door, failing to regard any of her words. "Come along, I'll show you the way."
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