Elian's Pajamas: Comforts

   I pitch my tent and get ready for bed; it's been a hot, sweaty day of adventure, as is typical for summer. But finally, the sun is setting, and the Earth is cooling down.

   The first thing I do is change into my comfy pajamas. I had night clothes back in Magefort, but they were plain and boring. My new pajamas are bright orange with yellow stars, complete with a hoodie with a cute little crown on top! Magefort's stupid traditions can't hold me back anymore!

   I make a campfire (easy to do in the summer heat) and roast some marshmallows, making s'mores and getting my fingers sticky with chocolate. After eating my fill of sweets, I thoroughly put out the fire (safety first!) before flopping on my back and staring at the sky, watching the stars come out. I dig my fingers into the dirt and take a deep breath of the natural, wild air.

   I'm really an adventurer now.

   It was a shock at first, leaving the city I'd lived in all my life. It was hard, getting dirty, foraging food, living without all those wonderful city conveniences. Sometimes I wanted to return to the city... N-not Magefort! A different city! A very different city! Like Avangard!

   Avangard... it was the first big city I'd set foot in after leaving. Well, I'm not sure if it's exactly a 'city', but it was nice. Clean, civilized, safe, it would be a nice place to live. But ironically, it was the helpful, high-tech constructs that pushed me to keep adventuring. There are so many amazing things to discover. Staying comfy and safe in a city just won't satisfy me, not anymore. If I need to shed that comfort to get what I want, so be it.

   And now, I'm really an adventurer! I get dirty, I fight monsters, I live by my own rules! Though, uh, I do still prefer being clean. But most importantly, I do what I want; if I want to learn Enchantment magic, I'm free to study it as I please. If I want to delve into a dungeon, no one can stop me. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, and do whatever I want. Without Magefort's traditions and values holding me back, I'm freer than ever.

   And right now, that where is my sleeping bag, the what is sleep, and the when is right now. I get up and brush the dirt off, heading into my tent and crawling into my sleeping bag. It's so soft and warm and cozy and warm and warm and-

   I don't like summer. I sigh and crawl out of my sleeping bag. It's night! Why is it still so warm! Ugh, with these pajamas and the sleeping bag, it's too hot to sleep. On nights like this, I either have to wait for it to cool down, or just sleep on top of my sleeping bag. Not great. I wanna be in my sleeping bag! It's so big and heavy and poofy! But what am I supposed to do? Take off my pajamas and sleep in the nude?

   ... Wait why don't I do that? I had always dismissed the thought as ridiculous before, but... why not? The sleeping bag will keep me warm (maybe even too warm still), and I'm covered in fur so it's not even indecent. Heck, there's not even anyone around to see anyway! So why do I feel like... Oh jeez, I guess I still have a few Magefort traditions left in me.

   I shed my pajamas and pack them away, until I'm left in nothing but my fur. Already, I feel cooler without them. I crawl into my sleeping bag once more, and WOW, the soft, heavy coziness of the bag feels even better on my bare fur! It's still too warm, but not uncomfortably so. Gosh, this feels so nice! I can't believe I've been missing out on this my whole life!

   ... Sometimes, you have to shed familiar comforts to get what you want. Those comforts can be nice, but if you let them hold you back, you'll miss out on so much. And when they stop being comfortable, when they start making things worse, you need to let them go.

   That said, I'm looking forward to putting my pajamas back on next fall, and taking a nice hot bath at the next big city I stop at.