Arin immediately realized that he'd been wrong.
Almost as soon as he stepped past the unmanned gates and into the village, the first thing he noticed was the low hum of life. It wasn't loud, and certainly not distinct enough to have been noticeable from a distance. Even so, he was surprised by how a weathered boundary wall had apparently been enough to dampen the soft buzz of quiet normalcy.
Even just from the entrance, he could see a few villagers milling about in the warm hue of the low sun. Golden light sifted through the gaps between a few scattered trees and some smaller buildings by the edge of the settlement, creating soft shadows that cloaked some of them from sight.
Other villagers were lounging underneath thatch canopies, just low enough to have been concealed by the boundary wall. They reclined in a content stupor, with only a few occasionally stirring to add to the low murmurs of conversation.
A plump woman holding a covered basket emerged from behind a building nearby, her curious gaze landing on Arin. She didn't stop to talk, however, and only nodded quietly in greeting as she walked past. She continued on in the direction of a distant group of men, who stood tending to a herd of cattle under the canopy of a large tree.
Even as Arin marveled at how shades and shadows had managed to conceal so many people from his aerial view, he heard muffled laughter to his left. Turning to look, he saw a pair of children emerge from their hiding place underneath a large cart. They were pointing at him, whispering to each other, when a third child ran over and tapped their shoulders. What ensued was a chase, presumably as part of some sort of game of tag.
As Arin watched them disappear into the distance, he suddenly felt the tension in his shoulders loosen. He hadn't even realized how on edge he'd been. It struck him just how stupidly paranoid he'd become after spending less than a day in this world.
If it went on like this, he might end up cowering in fear every time a bored coworker approached him to ask about his lunch order, back in his own world. No thanks.
For a moment, he simply stood there, taking in the sights and breathing in the scent of cut grass and faint wood smoke.
Nearest to the gate were two older gentlemen, who also sat relaxing in the shade of thatch. One of them finally caught Arin's eye and gave him a large, friendly smile.
'Ah, a traveler!' he exclaimed in a jovial voice. 'Welcome! Welcome to Lullwater!'
The man next to him stirred, cracking his eyes open to take a look at Arin.
'A handsome traveler,' he observed drily. 'What brings such a strapping young man to these decrepit hovels?'
The first man turned to his friend, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he laughed. 'Hey, now. There's no better hovel for miles!' he retorted playfully. As he turned back to Arin, he added, 'Even so, it's quite rare for an outsider to come our way. Are you here on some business, young traveler?'
'Ah, no. Good evening,' Arin greeted hastily. 'I'm A – Rin. I'm Rin. I've just been… walking, for a while. I saw your village from a distance, and was wondering if I could spend the night here. It's getting quite late, and I'm not too keen on braving the woods in the nighttime.'
Not that he'd be willing to brave them in daylight either. Encountering one demented lake was more than enough of an adventure for him. Oh well.
The jovial man straightened up eagerly. 'But of course!' he said. 'As I mentioned, visitors from elsewhere are rare. Any number of families in Lullwater would be willing to put you up for the night, in exchange for some stories of your travels! I assure you; our hospitality will not be lacking!'
As Arin smiled politely, wondering how he'd share stories from a world he knew nothing of, the man's friend piped up to add, 'I could also name a number of unwed women who'd fight each other to house you, if that's more to your taste.'
Arin felt his face heat up as the jovial man guffawed at his friend's words. He was saved from having to think of a response by a reproachful voice that called out from behind his back.
'Grandfather!'
He turned around to see an incredibly beautiful, apple-cheeked young lady. She had come up behind him at some point, and was glaring at the older man who had last spoken. Her eyebrows were drawn into a delicate frown, and as she pursed her pink lips, shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.
'Why must you tease the poor man so, grandfather?' she asked in a pleasantly lilting voice.
'Hm? I only spoke the truth,' the man said, shrugging grumpily. 'Take a look at him, Layla.'
His jolly friend broke out into laughter once again.
'Oh, please don't encourage him, Sir Garan!' The young lady huffed in exasperation. She then turned to meet Arin's gaze. After a moment's pause, she smiled at him. The dimples on her cheeks deepened prettily.
'Do accept my apologies for their behavior, traveler,' she said. 'Our village is small, visitors are rare, and the days are slow. I hope you won't disdain them for taking this chance to joke around with a newcomer.'
'N-no, of course not!' Arin stammered, feeling his face heat up even more, for some reason. 'Uh, good evening. I'm Rin.'
'And as you've already heard, I am Layla,' the woman said. 'Not that I would've chosen to have myself introduced in such a manner, of course,' she added, glaring past him at her reclining grandfather.
The elderly man steadfastly ignored her.
Layla sighed, vexed. Then, turning her gaze towards Arin again, she smiled once more. 'Walk with me, Rin,' she said. 'I did overhear that you were looking for a place to spend the night. My family would be more than willing to offer you a warm bed.'
Arin mirrored her friendly expression. 'In that case, you have my gratitude. Thank you, Layla.' As he smiled, he felt his cheeks stretch a little uncomfortably. Rin, clearly, was not in the habit of emoting joy.
Arin took a moment to nod politely at the two older gentlemen. He then strode after Layla as she led him deeper into the village. As he walked away, he could hear snippets of something the quieter gentleman was muttering to his friend.
'…knows what she wants… my granddaughter, after all…'
Arin couldn't help but duck his head in embarrassment, even as the jovial old man's booming laughter followed after him, carried by the cooling evening air.