By the time Aurora reached the stream again, her steps had slowed... but her focus had not.
She paused at the edge of the water, while her sharp gaze swept the surroundings. There was only dense greenery all around her and the quiet night with no movement beyond the occasional rustle of leaves.
Still, she wanted to be cautious.
"Navi," she said internally in a calm voice, "alert me if anyone approaches."
The very next second, she heard the familiar mechanical voice in her head.
[Alert system active.]
Aurora gave a small nod in approval, and only then did she focus on the first task.
She scanned the nearby trees and quickly spotted what she needed - a thick, sturdy vine coiled around a trunk. She stepped forward and gripped it firmly before tugging.
It was strong, flexible, and long.
With practiced efficiency, she pulled enough length free and moved between two trees set a short distance apart.
Her fingers worked quickly, looping and tightening the vine around each trunk until it stretched between them like a crude clothesline.
Once done, she stepped back and inspected her work. "This will do."
With the first task taken care of, she moved to the next one and reached for the hide wrapped around her body.
There was no hesitation as she untied it and let it fall away. She gathered the other hides she had brought from the cave and walked toward the shallow edge of the stream.
One by one, she dipped all four hides into the water and pressed them down before securing them in place with stones heavy enough to hold them down.
The current flowed steadily, soaking through the stiff, dirty material.
She watched for a moment, ensuring they were fully submerged. The hides were too dirty to be easily cleaned, so she would let them soak in water while she focused on herself.
She finally stepped into the water, welcoming the cold as she moved deeper until the water reached her waist, then her ribs.
The chill seeped into her skin, washing away the heat and exhaustion clinging to her.
She exhaled slowly before taking out the shampoo from system's space. Her first target was her hair.
The problem was... the hair was a big mess. They were thick, tangled, dirty, and dense. They looked more like a nest than hair.
"…This," she said quietly, "is going to take time."
She pumped a generous amount of shampoo into her palm and began working it into her hair. But nothing happened. There was no foam, no lather... just resistance.
But she already expected this much.
She rinsed her hair and tried again, and once again the shampoo completely disappeared in her hair.
The third time was barely any different, but during fourth time, a faint foam finally began to form.
The small progress gave Aurora's determination the exact kind of boost she needed. She scrubbed her scalp harder and thoroughly. She pulled apart the strands and worked through tangles, ignoring the strain in her arms.
The water around her darkened almost immediately as layers of dirt began loosening before it peeled away.
Aurora continued the process - wash, rinse, and repeat.
By the sixth wash, she finally noticed the texture was changing. The hair felt smoother, cleaner, and instead of dark grey... a really pretty color started to appear.
It was the seventh was that finally revealed the beautiful pastel red color of her hair. It made Aurora pause as she studied the strands in her hand. She wasn't expecting the hair to look... this pretty.
She reached for the shampoo again, needing one more wash just to make sure her hair was actually clean.
This time, the foam came easily - thick, rich, and clean.
By the time she finished, nearly a quarter of the bottle was gone. She didn't comment on that... some battles required sacrifice.
Next came conditioner.
She scooped a generous amount and worked it through the length of her hair, ensuring every strand was coated.
Her hair was really long. It fell well past her waist once straightened. She twisted it carefully and secured it into a high bun atop her head.
Now it was her body's turn.
Aurora glanced down and sighed internally. It was time for another battle.
She reached for the body wash and began. She scrubbed with firm hands, washing away as much dirt as possible before rinsing. Then she poured more body wash and started the process once again.
Using the body scrub, she worked through layers of grime that had clearly built up over time.
After several attempts, the real fair color of her skin finally began to show. It was so much in contrast to the dirty, dark skin she had minutes ago that she had to pause once again and take it in.
She cleaned every inch with clinical precision, ignoring the growing fatigue in her arms.
Once her body was clean, she washed her face thoroughly.
She shaved, brushed her teeth, and made sure every single inch of her was glistening clean.
Once everything was done, she untied her hair and rinsed out the conditioner. The strands fell around her, softer now, smoother, lighter.
Aurora exhaled quietly.
For the first time since waking in this body, she felt... better. Not perfect, but better.
She glanced down at the water that had turned dark and murky. It was clouded with everything she had just washed away.
Fortunately, the current was steady, and within moments, the dirty water was carried away, replaced by fresh, clear flow.
Without wasting any time, she went back to work.
Stepping out of the water, she grabbed a handful of crude, dry grass and made her way to where she had dipped the hides in the stream.
She pulled the first hide from the stream and began scrubbing. The grass acted as a rough brush, scraping away as much dirt and residue as possible.
Her arms protested almost immediately. But she ignored them and kept going. One bynone, she washed all four until they were looking as clean as they could after being washed with just grass and water.
They weren't perfect, but still quite clean and usable.
By the time she finished, her arms were trembling and her breathing had become heavier.
She carried them to the vine line and draped them carefully, allowing the night air to begin drying them.
She did the same with her footwear before stepping back into the stream one last time for a quick rinse.
Clean water washed over her skin, instantly making her feel better.
When she stepped out again, she grabbed one of the bathrobes and wrapped the soft and comfortable fabric around herself before tying it securely.
Then she used a towel to wrap her damp hair.
For a brief moment she simply stood there, enjoying the moment. But then, her stomach growled loudly.