Author's note: this is from Treva's point of view

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Kosta stood up and walked into the bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard the water running.

Kosta called for me to come and pointed at the big container on the floor. "Get in and take a bath. What's the condition of your clothes?"

He looked curiously at the dirty cover that was around me. I was clutching it until now.

The moment the cover opened up, Kosta's eyes nearly bulged in shock before he swiftly turned his back to me.

"Why are you naked?" His voice was much higher than before.

"I'm not.", I said while looking at the triangle-shaped cloth that covered my private area.

He let out a long exhale. "I assume that's normal at the place where you grew up."

"Yes."

Without turning to face me, Kosta waved toward the container that was nearly full of water. "Get in the tub. Use the green soap. I will get you something to wear."

He left the bathroom in awkward steps so that his back is turned toward me.

The soap smelled citrusy, and I was grateful for the offering of garments because I had difficulty suppressing my shivers.

The water was a bit chilly, but it was not unbearable.

Kosta later explained that the canister at the roof is filled with rainwater, and when there are a few dry days, a tanker from the city will refill it. The water in the canister is getting warmed by the sun during the day, so if I take a bath in the early evening, I will get the most heat.

Kosta gave me a white shirt that was loose for me, and pants that had a string at the waist. By the time I exited the bathroom, the sofa had a pillow and a blanket on it, and I knew how to use the toilet.

"I will see you in the morning.", Kosta said and disappeared into the room that was next to the bathroom.

I laid on the sofa and marveled the softness it provided. The pillow smelled of lavender and I drifted off to sleep within seconds.

…

Metallic clattering got my attention and my eyes snapped open.

I nearly screamed in panic at the unfamiliar surroundings, but I managed to stop myself when I saw Kosta in the kitchen.

Everything was bright and it told me that Sun was up again. Serina told me that Sun comes up every morning and goes down every evening, and I thought that she was joking because, at the Lost Isles, we only have night.

I was grateful for the daytime because it concealed the glowing of my skin, so I was not standing out. I looked like a very-very white-skinned person.

I pushed myself in a seated position and Kosta shot me a quick glance.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, but workers will come soon, and if I don't eat now, I will be hungry until lunchtime. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

He called me to sit at the table and join him for breakfast.

There were rusks, cheese, honey, boiled eggs, and herbal tea.

During the meal, Kosta brought up the topic of me going to Genoa.

"The fastest way to go is to take a plane and fly. But the ticket is expensive. A lot of money. And you will need travel documents."

I was dejected because when he dismissed flying as an option, it reminded me that my magic is sealed. I can't fly. Otherwise, I would ask him for a map and to point where I should go, and I would be on my way. Like this, I'm stuck. And there was that word, 'money', again.

"There must be another option, right?"

He hummed in confirmation. "You can take a boat and train combination, or a boat and a bus. With those, you just need to buy a ticket and you can go. But you still need money."

"How do I get money?"

"You earn it.", he said like it's a totally normal thing and I stared at him blankly.

"How about this…", Kosta said and rubbed his chin. "You need money, and I need workers. You work here and harvest olives with other workers, and you can sleep on that sofa, and it will come with three meals a day."

I didn't like this. "For how long?"

"In about one month from now, I will have a shipment of olives sent to Catanzaro which is a port in Italy, and I will buy you a ticket to Genoa. We can later agree if the ticket is for a train or a bus."

One month. I could do that.

However, tales about men tricking and imprisoning harpies were making me uneasy. What if this is his way to make me stay until I lower my guard and he chains me? What if he wants to sell me on a market as a slave?

But I slept here last night, and he didn't do anything. He even fed me, twice.

Is he one of the good guys that Serina mentioned?

I know it sounds silly that I think of Serina at this point, but Archousa and Manteio didn't teach us many things about the outside world. They said how everyone is out to get us, and top warriors who went on missions were prohibited from talking about their encounters. My best source of information about this realm was Serina, and we spent many hours talking.

Serina also told me that no one does anything without a reason.

Does Kosta really want to help me in exchange for harvesting olives?

"You already have workers, so I must ask, why are you offering me this deal?"

Kosta's eyebrows shot up. "Good question. How I see it, I will get a worker for a good price. I'm going to Italy anyway with my boat, so taking you there won't cost me extra, just how you sleeping on this sofa won't impact me. The cost of your labor is the food you will eat and a travel ticket from Catanzaro to Genoa, which is not much, but for you is priceless because you have no money, no documents, and my boat will take you across the Italian border without a passport."

Everything he said made sense, but… "How do I know you will not trick me?"

Kosta shrugged. "I'm not forcing you to take the offer. The workers will come soon, and you are welcome to talk to them and ask them about me. Many of them worked for me last year, and some are coming here longer. I pay my workers fairly and I don't push them to work beyond their abilities, but I will not give you money or take you to Genoa for free."

He made a dramatic pause and summarized, "Work for me in exchange for food and place to stay. I will even get you some clothes. In one month, you will get as your payment trip to Genoa. If you feel that I'm tricking you, you can quit anytime and leave, but then you need to figure out on your own how to reach your destination."

Right. I forgot that I am clueless, and he was nice to explain many things so far.

Well, it's not like I'm on a tight deadline and it won't hurt to stick around for a few days and learn more than how to use a toilet.

Harpies don't know I'm here, and Serina doesn't know I'm on my way to find her, so… a month or two won't make a difference.

The food Kosta provided was divine. Just that would be enough to entice me to stick around.

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