Nitya's eyes lit up immediately. "Ah!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of this earlier? I could have you actually taught how to cook, from someone who knows how! I bet there's a chef around here who would be willing to teach you if I paid them." She paused. "Or, at least a chef somewhere."

"Have you cooked them yourself before?" Nitya responded after chewing. "If not, you'll be learning. One of the easiest things to make. And there's a ton you can do with them too, especially if you add in extra ingredients like these."

"I have to admit," she continued, "I'm not much of a cook myself. I should be, given how much I travel, but I can only make pretty basic things. And even those I can screw up." Nitya had a habit of leaving things over the fire for too long.

"That makes things nice and simple, then," Nitya said. A waitress brought their food over. Nitya smiled. It smelled and looked absolutely delectable. "Have you eaten eggs before?" she asked Kai before starting to eat.

"I don't understand how people can like so bitter a taste. Sweet things taste so much better," Nitya responded with a sigh. "I reckon I would only eat sweets if I could live that way." Alas, she could not.

"Do you have any questions about our plan for the day?"

Nitya smiled. "I'm glad. We'll have a hard day of work ahead of us, and there won't be much time for breaks while the market is open. I'd recommend taking a nap at Noontime though. That's what I always do."

The coffee came and Nitya sipped hers lightly. "Of course, coffee should keep you awake until then even if the business doesn't. Let me know if it's too bitter."

Nitya walked downstairs and sat at a table, ordering both of them an egg scramble with peppers and, in traditional Essyrn fashion, onions. She also ordered two coffees, hers with sugar and milk, and Kai's black. If he didn't like it, she figured she could ask them to adjust it.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, after ordering. "Oh, except... for my disturbance, I mean."

Nitya glanced over at Kai. Well, it wasn't like he had enough clothes that it really mattered if he wore the same thing twice in a row. "Breakfast at the inn downstairs. Then we'll go set everything up."

Normally she had to pay to rent a cart to move all of her things, but with two of them, she shouldn't have to. Even if they couldn't carry it all at once, she could leave him at the stall while she went back to grab more. Someone set up nearby would make sure he was left alone, and he would make sure nothing was stolen.

Nitya almost jumped when Kai sat up so quickly. Seemed like she didn't have to worry about him being a heavy sleeper, after all. "Yes, good morning Kai. And I'm not quite sure what won't happen again, unless you mean scaring the heavens out of me by sitting up so quickly." She paused. "I suppose that means if anyone ever comes to rob you in your sleep, they'll be in for a surprise."

Nitya turned around and went to put on her shoes. "I'm Sir Aytin today, just for the record. Men trade, not women. Not in Essyrn. You should get ready, we need to head out soon."

Nitya spent the next couple hours laying on her side and reading her book. It wasn't a particularly interesting book (it spoke of common ways to increase an items price—for instance, dunk jewelry in oil before selling them to make them appear extra shiny), and she hoped it would put her to sleep. But the sun rose, and she was still awake. She closed her book with a sigh, then blew out the candle.

She grabbed a long piece of dark green cloth from her wardrobe. It wasn't anything yet, but after draping it and wrapping it and tying it around her body, it would become her outfit. Nitya looked over at Kai, who still seemed to be sleeping, and then turned away from him. She slipped off her nightgown and started wrapping herself with her loose fabric (starting from behind, so that Kai wouldn't see anything even if he did wake up). Nitya felt a little foolish for acting so modest, especially in Essyrn. In fact, she herself occasionally left her chest exposed in public. But traveling taught her to hide her body, especially when alone with a man.

After getting dressed, she tied her hair into a ponytail. Glancing into the small mirror on the desk, Nitya smiled. Her kohl was still in almost perfect condition. She grabbed a small, black piece of cloth and used it to clean up her eye makeup and remove the remains of all her other makeup.

Today, she was to be a boy. A fairly attractive boy, and almost passable—if it wasn't for her covering of her chest. Of course, not covering her chest would make her gender even more obvious. Nitya put on a bracelets and an anklet then moved over to Kai.

"Time to get up," she declared, not sure what to do if he didn't wake up.

"Shit," Nitya muttered, looking toward Kai. She had forgotten he was even there when she had waken up. Now she needed to give an explanation. "Bad dream," she just replied grumpily. That was a good enough explanation. "Sorry."

She looked out the window. It was still dark. "Sorry," she repeated. "You should go back to sleep." She should too, she knew, but Nitya had little faith in her ability to. Her body hurt—her back especially—and her mind was restless. This dream felt like bad luck. She'd have to see Jamie sooner than she expected. Sighing, Nitya reached over to her bed table and grabbed the matches. She lit one, and then promptly lit the candle on the bed table. "I hope this isn't too light," she said as she grabbed her book to read.

"Goodnight, Kai," Nitya replied after yawning. She curled up and fell asleep immediately. It had been quite a hectic day. She slept soundly, murmuring every once in a while in her sleep, until her dream came back.

Dark clouds swarmed the sky, dripping. Nitya groaned in her sleep. The desert rippled with each drop of rain, each ripple hitting up against each other until the rain grew heavier. She started sporadically kicking. The ripples started growing and the rain kept pouring until there were waves, not ripples. She started swinging with her arms too, groaning a little louder. The little, naked, winged girl stood watching the clouds. Nitya flung the blankets off the bed with her thrashing. The giant waves heading toward the girl until they merged. Her previous moans turned into one quiet word: stop. The girl started to blink. "NO!" Nitya called out, throwing her pillow as hard as she could. The girl blinked. The desert returned to normal, except for the black rainbow over the girl's head. Nitya woke up with a start, sweating, sore, and surprised. She had never had the dreams two nights in a row before.

Nitya removed her golden hair accessory and slipped out of her purple gown. She returned it into the wardrobe before pulling on a thin white nightgown.

"I rise with the sun," Nitya replied softly. "Always have, and I reckon I always will. Traders need to set up their markets early, after all, to secure a spot. I should wake up just fine, but thank you for offering. Ah, you can turn around now by the way." Nitya walked back to her bed and pulled the blanket over her.

"We, you mean," Nitya quickly corrected. "Perhaps we should get some sleep. And I believe you are correct." She stood up and walked to the wardrobe. "But first, I must change. Would you mind closing your eyes?" Unlike Kai, Nitya preferred her modesty. Having seen enough eyes lusting after her body, she had grown sensitive to male eyes.

Nitya stared out the window from her bed as Kai talked. Now, more than ever, she didn't want to make eye contact with him. She wanted to hear what he was saying, but she was afraid of feeling it. She knew that the love with which he spoke was covered in sadness.

Oddly, Nitya found herself saying, "I'll talk." She had never wanted to talk about her siblings before, but now she felt the need. "I didn't know all of them well, especially the elder ones. There was Kaneesh, Yala, and Mani, they were the eldest." Those were the ones that disappeared before she was four. "I never knew them, not really, but I was told they were very protective and kind. Then there was Yeeva and Koi, they would play with me all the time when I was young. They were twins, and they had much straighter hair than the rest of us. Especially me." Nitya loved her curly hair with a passion, but she admired straight hair too. There was something so clean in comparison to her wild curls.

Sighting, she continued, "Anna used to read to me... I don't know how she learned to read, but she would. I would say she was the smartest. She probably taught herself. Then there were Yatvi and Ray, they were the closest to my age. Yatvi... had spirit. Not like your sister, none of us did. But she wanted to make something of herself." Yatvi used to talk about how she would be a concubine, but she would be such a good one she would get the man to make her his wife. If the sisters weren't so scared of their own fate, they may have laughed. Such stories weren't impossible, but they were not the norm. "Ray was timid. I think Ray would have given up on herself if Yatvi wasn't there. And then there's me... just me."

"Anything," Nitya responded, and it was true. She wanted to learn more about Kai, and that urge had only grown stronger throughout the day. "I'll tell you about my sisters too, if that would make you feel more comfortable."

There wasn't much to share about them, though. She barely got to know any of them at all, except for the ones barely older than her.

Nitya closed her book at looked over at Kai. "No apologizing, remember? Life isn't perfect. I know I told you earlier that it is best to always focus on the good, but I suppose that isn't always true. As long as you normally keep a positive outlook, talking about the bad is healthy too." She sat up and moved to the side of her bed, resting her legs off its edge. "Well, that's what I've been told at least."

She sighed. She really didn't feel qualified to be saying this, for she never talked about her own pain. But something told her it was the right thing to do, so Nitya continued, "Tell me more about your sister."

Nitya let Kai pull out her chair, seeing no harm in such a small thing. "Well then, where to next..." They walked out of the cafe and she gazed up at the sun. "Oh!" Nitya said with a start. "I can't believe it, I almost forgot about Noontime. At this point, I suppose it is easiest just to return to the inn."

And so they did. Nitya checked out a new room and, with the help of Kai, moved all of their stuff. He would discover that she had an abundance of clothing, both male and female, as well as heavy boxes full of random trinkets. Nitya spent the remaining rest time reading, offering Kai the chance to do the same if he wanted.

They spent the rest of the day watching street musicians, some of whom Nitya tipped heavily, visiting random stores, and, of course, eventually eating dinner. Fish!

After dinner, the sun went down and was replaced by a shining moon in the glistening night. The two returned back to the new inn room, which was equipped with two beds, and Nitya set back to reading. A few minutes passed, before she quietly said, "You know, I haven't spent a whole day with someone else in years. It's odd, it really is."

"You can always ask for more, I won't give it if I don't want to—or can't," Nitya responded. "And after today, we'll be working. So if you want anything, now is the best time to ask for it.

The waiter came back around and Nitya paid for the food. "Are you done eating?"

"I'm not saying that we're staying there forever. Essyrn is the base of my operations, I always return here. But I've visited almost every major city. If there is somewhere you want to go, and you stay with me, we'll likely go there sooner or later." Nitya finished the rest of her soup. "Do you still want more cold food? We could get some ice cream, if you'd like."

"Just once," Nitya explained. "When I first... left Essyrn, I had no idea where I was going. I just got on the first caravan that would take me, and that one happened to go toward the boats for Yoreiq. I found my way onto a boat and saw a couple of the islands. They were beautiful, and the people were the some of the kindest I have ever met." Her eyes sparkled as she continued, "I've been meaning to return for a number of years now. I would say that they were the people who saved me. And now, well, it seems like a good time to go back, no?"