Shave, Bath, & Frills

Dan could finally relax a little… just a little…

He had been on edge initially, but he was slowly getting accustomed to the bizarre reality of his situation. He washed his face with the water. He felt freshened up instantly. With ease, he shaved his beard while gazing into the mirror, taking extra care not to nick himself. In his past life, he had always been known for his youthful appearance.

The face that stared back at him in the mirror was both familiar and unfamiliar. "Is this really me?" he pondered.

It was rugged, relatively tall, and had a pair of piercing, intense eyes. Memories from his past life were still jumbled in his mind, but there was a sense of fluidity as he traversed from one memory to another.

His name had been Daniel McAlister in his previous life, and for some inexplicable reason, it had remained his name in this strange new world.

Dan pushed aside thoughts of his peaceful 21st-century life, which now felt undeserved and far away.

If he were a normal person, he would have gone insane from the bewildering situation he found himself in. But Dan's peculiar ability to accept and adapt, even when faced with the surreal, kept him from losing his mind.

Shelter, water, electricity, and temporary food supplies – all these challenges had been successfully tackled. The map had proven its worth, guiding Dan to safety and providing the means to survive.

However, Dan couldn't afford to relax just yet. The little bit of laxness that dwelled on him immediately vanished at the thought of sustainability. Not to mention the mission task enforced to him by the System.

The task at hand was to live safely for 30 days.

[The exploration of the new shelter has been completed; please begin the repair of the base and convert it into a secure haven. Restore water and electricity, and establish safety measures to increase the safety factor.]

[Warning: Insufficient living materials; the current supplies will only last for three days. Please search for living materials immediately.]

The system's relentless prompts served as a stark reminder, pulling Dan from the euphoria of his recent success back to the harsh reality of their predicament.

The food problem still loomed large – it hadn't been truly resolved. Ensuring a 'stable' food supply became imperative. Dan had to venture out and search for enough sustenance. However, the reliance was now solely on the satellite map since it lacked any navigation function. Dan had to trust his own observations entirely, aware that venturing too far off course in the wilderness could lead to dire consequences, even death.

If he could sustain themselves for three days, it would provide Dan with an opportunity to clean up the sanitation and restore the base temporarily.

Dan first called Anna to the bathroom. "Anna! Come here and freshen up!" While brushing his teeth, he peered at the open door, waiting for the little girl. He gargled some water and cleaned his orals thoroughly.

"Dad! This place is big! Like very big!" Anna was quite hyper.

"Here, let me help you. You have to freshen up if you want to grow pretty."

"Pretty? What is pretty? Is it food?"

Dan smiled.

Though Anna was small, Dan turned on the water valve and allowed Anna to bathe, even though there was no hot water due to the main power being off.

"Cold!" She cried but with a hint of excitement. "Look, watch me swim!"

"Oi, stay still…" Dan helped the little girl wash, scrubbing her with a loofah he picked up just from the corners.

After the bath, Anna looked much cleaner, her little face now radiant.

The clean water had gone murky from the dirt and grime that covered Anna. The pink hair had become visible after the good bath as she was scrubbed from head to toe. Its pinkness came from a mutation strain, Dan knew credited to his inherited memories.

The little girl struggled as Dan helped her on a set of frilly clothes just perfect for her size.

"This feels weird… It's flowy…" She grimaced.

"You are a girl, you should dress like a girl. I say civilization is not yet dead!" Dan proudly reasoned, feeling proud for his small victory over finding some semblance to his past life.

More than that, he felt overwhelmingly conscious of how Anna was in her raggedy clothes, and how miserable, pathetic, and sad it was. "Go, you look so thin… You remember where the food is, right? Eat, and grow. I require you to eat three times a day from now on."

"B-but…" Anna trembled, her frail physique looking frailer at the minute.

"No buts. You are so young, yet so malnourished. We cannot have that. Understand? Now, go." At Dan's uncompromising tone, Anna relented and ran off. She stopped by the door and stuck her tongue out in protest. "Bleh~!" She spat childishly.

Dan himself took a bath after Anna was done and gone. He of course carefully drained the tub lest some solids get stuck in the drainage.

While enjoying his bath, Dan came upon a philosophical question. What should go first? Shave or Bath? He would not know since it was his first time shaving. It was not like the 'old' Daniel was someone who shaved considering everything.

"Hmmm… Common sense dictates that a bath comes first before a shave, I think… That way, the beard will soften and it will be easier to shave them after a bath… No wonder I nicked myself lots…"

Dan touches his chin, feeling the lack of the scraggly beard except for the very thin stubble that remained from his sloppy shaving.

The short respite of bathing decreased the anxiety knocking at the back of his mind. After taking his sweet time philosophizing shaving, and relaxing in the water, he dries himself with his towel.

Then, he put on a military uniform he had found earlier and wore a pair of military boots from the cabinet. Anna returned carrying something something with her. "I want this," It was a military uniform of the smallest kind that she found from who knew where.

"Sigh…" Dan realized Anna might be the boyish kind. "Fine," He helped Anna with her clothes.

He discarded Anna's frilly clothes, replacing them with the military uniform. It was still too big, so he used a shoelace to cinch it around her waist, rolled up the sleeves, and fashioned it into a makeshift skirt.

"It is so ugly…" Dan's lips twitched in embarrassment. He wanted to be a more responsible father. And he was clearly taking his new 'job' seriously, but Anna could be very unreasonable... well, still reasonable for a child who knew her wants and don'ts.

"It… It was not ugly…"

Although these items were old, in Dan's eyes, they were a significant improvement from the previous tattered rags. "You really could do with frills…"

"No!"

Civilization was dead.

Nah, Dan thought otherwise. It might be better for Anna to wear this. At the very least, it was less eye-catching if compared to the frilly ones.

After completing all the tasks, Dan didn't rest immediately; he knew he had to reinforce their new home first.

Numerous areas in the base needed reinforcing, and some unnecessary passages had to be blocked to ensure the base's safety. Dan made sure to leave a few secure entry and exit points.

The first thing he decided to block was the entrance they had used to get in. It had been damaged during the attack, so he opted to seal it off completely.

Even though Anna was young, she insisted on helping Dan move soil and rocks. Together, they closed up several unnecessary openings. Despite getting a few cuts in the process, Anna remained silent, displaying remarkable strength and determination. After sealing the unnecessary openings, she sat down on the ground and exclaimed excitedly, "Dad, our home is so big!"

Dan smiled, his voice soft as he replied, "Yes, as long as you like it here."

"I love it here, I love it so much!" Anna said with genuine enthusiasm.