To say that the village was interesting would be about right.

Ivan had insisted on going by abandoned alleyways and back roads, but after some arguing and a bit of distraction I managed to convince him to go by the main square for the purpose of 'fitting in' definitely not because I wanted to sneak peeks in shop windows and onto stalls.

Our small group consisted of three people; myself, Ivan and a healer who I immediately felt sorry for as they had to put up with me and Ivan's friendly bickering.

I laughed when they both tensed as children weaved in and out of their legs playing tag, trying not to get caught by their friends.

We passed stalls with pots and pans, some with hats and scarves, and stalls with bread and fruit. I knew from experience that buying anything directly would be a no go, I had tried to buy food in Ravka before, they weren't welcoming towards Shu. So as we passed another stall with fresh food I let my hand trail over an apple and smoothly tucked it up my sleeve, leaving a silver coin in it's wake. It wasn't stealing, just an unknown sale.

We came onto a secluded road out of the sight of the stall and taking my knife out of it sheath I sliced a piece off eating it and then offering some to the two I was walking with.

"Where did you get that?" Ivan questioned taking the slice I offered as I cut some off for the healer.

"The knife? Botkin gave it to me," I responded.

"You know what I mean, the apple," he asked again.

"Bought it," I shrugged.

"There's a difference between buying and stealing," he commented.

"Technically she didn't steal it," the healer added, it was the first time she had spoken.

"Seriously Ivy, you saw her steal it," sighed Ivan.

"Ivy's eyes are just more peeled than yours Ivan," I pulled my eyelids open mockingly, "I left a coin on the table, if anything he stole from me, I never got my change."

"Wait a minute, you don't have any coin...." he tapped his pocket, "Why you little devil."

Ivy snickered, "Might want to invest in better pockets Ivan," I giggled, giving him back all the coin I had stolen from his pocket, minus the one I had left in replacement for the apple.

We reached the docks quickly after that and waited in an alleyway beside two buildings where Ivan said one of the crew was supposed to meet us.

Sure enough a few minutes later a girl with a long coat and a hat pulled low passed us. I caught a glimpse of her eyes as she passed, they were golden like a freshly made coin and had a shu slit like mine, I saw her wink at me before hooking an ancle around Ivy's causing her to fall to the ground with a surprised squeak, Ivan raised his hands, defensively stepping infront of me.

"Stop my heart and you lose your place on the ship," the girl said, I noticed not a single muscle tensed as if she wasn't scared of what Ivan might do. She offered a hand to Ivy which she took, to help her up.

She looked out the alleyway then came back, "Come on, ships this way," we followed her towards the docks where a crew was loading goods onto a vessel floating with ease on the water.

"So much for last resort only," I teased Ivan as we boarded onto the ship, he rolled his eyes at me in response while I snickered at my own joke.

After a while the rest of or very 'merry' crew from Os Atlas arrived and began piling onto the boat.

Ivan and Ivy went to report, leaving me at the mast while the ship started sailing into the sea. I leaned against it, taking in the view and the smell of salt water.

"Views better from up here," I heard someone say above me. It was the girl from earlier, but this time she was with a giant of a human being who shared her golden eyes.

As I looked up at them I saw that the mast had not one, but two crows nest on it, one that was all the way at the top and another that was just below halfway.

"Wana come up?" She asked. My eyes lit up at her offer, I looked over to my father who was still talking with Ivan and Ivy then carefully climed up the dodgy ladder that was made up of old planks of wood nailed into the mast.

"You weren't lying," I breathed looking out when I reached them, leaning on the side of the nest. I turned around to face them and put out my hand, "I'm Rena."

"Tamar, and that big lump is Toyla," she shook my hand.

"You're siblings?" I asked.

Toyla grunted. "Twins," Tamar answered.

We stood there in a comfortable silence while I looked out at the sea and all that was going on around the ship, at one point I locked eyes with my father who quietly motioned for me to come. I groaned softly, "See you later, maybe," I told the twins, and then left down the rickety ladder.

While I walked towards my father I saw more of what was going on around the ship, otkazat'sya crewmembers were tying ropes and checking charts while Grisha squallers pushed wind into our sails to make us move faster.

"Put back on your kefta," he ordered once I was beside him.

I hadn't even noticed I was still in the dirty clothes that I had worn in the village, "Why, I thought I was supposed to look, 'inconspicuous'."

He looked up from the piece of parchment he was looking at, "You were, but Strumhond is very insistent on knowing whose travelling aboard his ship, so everyone here knows who you are, we don't want another day like the one where you met the king."

My cheeks flushed when remembering the events of that day, and how I felt when my blood was gushing out through my chest.

"Below deck, just look for Genya, you'll be sharing quarters with her for the rest of this journey," he explained.

I nodded, internally I was shocked that I wasn't sharing quarters with more people, considering the amount of them on the ship, but I wasn't complaining. I slowly made my way below deck, srunching my nose at the foul smell.

I was carefully making my way around some barrels that were filled with, who knows what, when my foot got caught and I tripped with a surprised squeak, my face plummeting towards the ground. I braced myself but the impact never came, instead I found myself being hauled back onto my feet by a boy whose nose looked like it had been broken one too many times.

"Careful there, you okay lovely?" He asked, setting me back onto my feet, his face had scheming written all over it.

"Fine, thank you," I assured him, "Actually, do you know where Genya, the tailor is staying, I was supposed to meet her, but I can't find her quarters."

"Just down the corridor there and to the left," he told me, pointing it out, "It's the one with a lady muttering about the smell, ya can't miss it," he joked.

A small smile made it's way onto my lips at his joke, "Thank you," I said, walking down the corridor. "Hey, I never caught your name..." I turned around but he was already gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.