Chapter 106 Olivia
Third Person Point of View
Olivia was born, lived a few months, then almost died the first time she entered the hot desert sun. Only her mother’s attentiveness in caring for her saved her life. They knew they couldn’t live in the desert because of her, so they packed up and left their life behind. It was something that not every family would do, but even though Olivia didn’t look like either of her parents, there was still that familial connection that drove them to do what they had to for their child.
Two noncombat classes with a child travelling alone were delicious bandit bait, but even with no one strong enough to defend them, they managed to make it all the way to the southernmost area of the continent. There, Olivia could go out and be under the sun with only minor symptoms. Her skin didn’t blister in minutes like it would in the north at the very least.
It still meant they lived on a night schedule, with the mother and child sleeping during the day while being awake at night, while the father worked as a temporary guard since there was already a tanner living in the village. Both of her parents put their class development on hold to take care of her; many parents abandon their children for that exact reason, but they didn’t.
It wasn’t good for her to be raised this way, but it was necessary for her to survive. The small, rambunctious child became less energetic and quieter as the years passed, as she kept being told to be quiet by her family to not wake the other villagers up at night. Growing up with a heavy lack of human contact made her act more silly, but an offhand shout by her mother, who didn’t even realize how much it affected her, left her even more withdrawn than before.
Once she reached ten years old, the effects of the sun on her were muted enough for her to go outside for an hour or two a day with only a few side effects. Her father replaced the tanner after he moved to a different village, and her mother took up a job now that Olivia could function during the day without developing blisters, at least while walking between buildings so she could go to school.
The interaction with children her own age helped break her out of her shell and let a small portion of her previous happy-go-lucky self peak through. It was years before she was back to chasing the other boys around to beat them up when they picked on the girls. She could still get sick from being in the sun for too long, but that mostly went away once she unlocked her class and gained a few levels.
She only had to be careful if she ever reset her levels. Her class wasn’t something she or her parents expected. She liked to work with her hands, but she also liked to playfight with the boys, cook, and a half dozen other things more. It just seemed odd that she gained the handyman (or handywoman) class. She didn’t like the name of her class, so she named her business Olivia’s Crafts when she finally built the building herself.
It felt… Surprisingly good to her, and now she might have known why it gave her that class. Creating things was fun, but she would quickly get bored creating the same thing over and over again. With the handyman class, she would have many different jobs. From making chairs and a table to milling the wheat into flour for baking, she did a little bit of everything and was happy.
With their child now considered an adult, and earning her own class, they decided to move back north. They missed it, they missed being around their own people, and Olivia didn’t like them leaving, but they had sacrificed so much for her; she just let them go without saying anything. She cried herself to sleep for weeks after they left, but over time, she grew more self-reliant.
Her profession led her to make her closest and best friend, Delilah. After the cowgirl moved in, she felt that connection with her as well, and they made quick friends with one another. There was always that distance with most other villagers, though, as she still had that faint awkwardness of growing up in darkness with no other children; she missed the subtle gestures and facial expressions people made, often not realizing people were speaking sarcastically.
For some reason, she got along with the farmer; he was just like her. The only difference is that he chose to be antisocial, which made the straightforward nature of his stand out. There was no attempt at polite talk as he got right to what he wanted from her. She really couldn’t believe milling a few herbs was worth as much as they made, but the excitement of the sudden money sparked something in her that even she didn’t notice.
Time kept moving, and every time she saw the farmer, that undescribed feeling grew stronger and stronger, until she suddenly realized what it was: physical attraction. That attraction led her to fucking him and her becoming one of his wives shortly after. Physical attraction became love once she found out she was pregnant. The connection she had with him was so much stronger than with anyone else she had ever had in her entire life.
She grew so quickly, and suddenly the awkwardness felt distant as she got along with her new husband and all his wives almost effortlessly. They all seemed to find her quirky nature endearing; she had saved many of their lives, and in return, was saved by them. She felt no attraction towards women… Until Sarah pushed their friendship beyond what it was, a threesome became them having fun with each other when their husband was busy.
It was the same with all their shared children. The straightforward nature of children made it just as easy for her to understand and connect with them, and since she was one of the least busy parents, she often helped with the babysitting. She felt herself grow stronger, smarter, and more sociable with every day that passed.
Something that she hadn’t noticed, because it never came up, was her appearance. She had pale skin and colorful hair, both traits normally related to nobility. Only after they went to the capital did she finally stand out in a good way; many other noble families often deferring to her over her other family members.
Just because of her appearance, they viewed her as more important than everyone else in their group. Her awkward nature even appeared to be aloofness, as if she was above the nobles who spoke to her. Everyone found it hilarious except her, but for the sake of her family, she put up with it. As they left the capital, she breathed a sigh of relief… Until Cherry said that many of these people would be visiting and might bother her if they spotted her in the village, as their village was most likely going to rapidly expand.
She wasn’t looking forward to it; everything related to nobles seemed like a hassle, but for her family, she would do what she had to. If it got too bad, she’d just focus on her job like normal. No matter where she was, or how rich her family became, people would always need furniture.