Martin had never been an early riser, at least not willingly. And since his work rarely required him to be lucid before noon, he tended to stay up very late.

Yesterday, after dinner, Karin had insisted they watch Star Wars episode 4 to prove that it wasn't silly. Mina had indulged her. She had been surprised by how much she enjoyed it.

While she had no trouble staying awake through the movie, just a few minutes after it was over she practically fell asleep on the couch. And that was despite the conversion still going. A hint was when she started sleep-talking, saying sentences that made no sense in the context. She didn't even notice doing it, it was Karin who clued her in.

Was this extreme sleepiness the result of an extraordinary day, or just the normal demands of her young body?

She'd slept in Anders' old room, which probably hadn't changed much since he moved out. There were still football posters on the wall. A lot more of the wall space showed signs that something had been there and later been removed. There were also hints he had been into knights and cowboys when he was younger. Maybe his mother had, intentionally or not, influenced him with her love of horses.

The night had been largely uneventful, though it was hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in. She woke up with the remnants of a very weird dream. Easter penguins? She chose not to linger on it.

She was grateful that they had found something for her to wear beside the oversized, primitive dress. Sure, the shirt and skirt were also somewhat oversized, but a lot less baggy than the dress. Also, underwear was a great invention, even if it wasn't the perfect size.

Despite being up fairly early, she still only managed to catch a glimpse of Karin on her way out. "Morning ride," was all the explanation she got as her host brushed past her.

Mina wasn't offended by Karin's lack of social grace. Maybe she just needed some time alone in the morning? There was something else, though. Though it was just a small glimpse, Karin had seemed… embarrassed?

Something to ponder later. First, coffee.

She fired up the espresso machine and fetched a cup from the cupboard. The first, delicious drops entered her mouth and… flew everywhere as she spat them out.

What? Why did it taste so bad? Did Karin get paid to drink the worst coffee in existence? She took a sniff of the cup. It smelled … pretty terrible, actually. She recognized the smell of coffee. Yet it did not elicit the positive associations she expected, like delicious and flavorful.

Wait, those weren't her associations. They belonged to Martin. Maybe she just didn't… like coffee? The thought felt extremely weird. It was like two concepts that didn't make sense together. Like a T-Rex on a tricycle.

A quick hunt for a washcloth later, she managed to remove most of the stains, except for ones on the curtain. She tested with milk in her coffee, and it tasted slightly less disgusting. When it had significantly more milk than coffee, it was drinkable. Still, there was no point in forcing herself to swallow the lukewarm blend when it was clear she actually only liked the taste of the milk.

The tea she drank with Karin yesterday hadn't been so bad. In fact, it was a taste she felt she could get used to. She wanted something hot to drink, so a cup of tea was the best option available short of making hot chocolate from scratch. Earl Gray with a bit of milk.

She poured herself some cereal. While eating, she had time to contemplate some of the experiences of her first day.

Yesterday, she had told Karin that Star Wars was silly. Yet, when watching it, she didn't think it was all that silly. It was fun. Sort of mindless fun, yes, but definitely fun. Yes, she could see why some people might consider it silly, but then again which movies didn’t fit that criteria? She couldn’t think of any outside serious documentaries that weren’t a little bit silly when you stopped suspending your disbelief.

So, where did the notion that Star Wars was silly come from? Martin, obviously. Mina could tell from the remnants that he had been a super fan as a kid. So when did he change his opinion? She didn’t know. It had probably changed over time, but not in such a significant way that he’d left any memory of it to her.

It wasn’t actually important when he’d changed his mind. What was important was that her original opinion of Star Wars was not her own. She had obtained it from the remnants of a dead man, and never asked if she agreed with it or not. How many other opinions had she inherited that she did not necessarily agree with?

Suddenly she had a desperate urge to try to play or at least hear Pachelbel's Canon to see if she actually thought it was boring. Since there were no suitable instruments to test on, the first option was off the table. But Spotify or iTunes or YouTube or something? Except she didn’t have a device to use it on. Karin had an iPad in addition to her phone, but Mina lacked the passcode. Maybe it was unlocked, but she wasn’t desperate enough to go looking through other people’s stuff. At least not Karin's, who she depended on to not sleep outside.

Actually, she might consider one person’s stuff; Martin's. His cell phone was in her possession, but currently as useful as a paper weight unless she found a suitable charger. And even then, it might not have survived the rough treatment. She’d have to ask Karin about borrowing a charger once she got back.

Besides the cell phone, she also had his driver's license and debit card. She couldn't think of any good use for the former, but the latter could potentially give her access to some money. Just two problems, though. First, if he had been declared dead, there was a very good chance his bank access had been blocked. A reasonable security constraint, as most dead people had little use for money. The second problem was that, even if it was open, she would effectively be stealing money from Martin's children, now the legal owners of the money. While Mina had no particular feelings towards Martin’s family, she did have opinions about stealing. If stealing something saved a life, fine. But if not, she wouldn't do it.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Was she indirectly stealing from Karin by exploiting her hospitality? Not as long as she was truthful about her situation. Even so, she did feel bad about Karin offering her so much. One thing was sharing her house and feeding her. But yesterday Karin had spoken about buying a new wardrobe. That was beyond what she was comfortable accepting.

On that topic, why was Karin so eager to accept her? In multiple ways; both in how she accepted her story, but also how she seemed to almost want to adopt her. It could be a difference in personality. Martin never knew that well, after all. But if it wasn’t, could it be something Ms. Redwax did? If so, why had she done it? It wasn’t like it was part of the deal or that it earned her anything. And the old woman certainly didn’t strike her as someone who would do much out of the goodwill of their heart.

Too many questions, not enough answers. She finished her meal and cleaned up. Curious how she could almost hear Martin’s ex's complaints in the back of her head. How he always left crumbles in the sink. Why it was so important to put the chairs back in their position once he left the table. They didn’t actually carry any weight on their own, as they were aimed at a dead man. At the same time, she didn’t want to disappoint or irritate her host.

The kitchen was soon as clean as she could manage, and Karin had yet to return. She went to the bathroom upstairs. While she had been there before, she had not taken the time to take a really good look at herself.

Who was this girl who looked at her in the mirror? Well, the obvious answer was obvious. But who was she, really? Who were her parents? As in, where had her DNA come from? Where was it likely she had been born? How would she have spent her early years to end up with her current body? Did she belong to a particular ethnicity?

A person like Martin would describe her as being of African descent, and that her age was around pre-teen. If pressed, he might also say that she had pretty dark skin and black, strongly curled hair. Not enough to be an afro, but it could be if she let it grow out more. She, or rather Martin, had heard some describe a skin color as ebony or mahogany, but she had no idea what applied to her.

Was she pretty? That was a very hard question to answer. Would Martin have been interested in her if they went to school together? … Probably not. He went to a school with only one person that could not be described as ‘ethnic white’, an adopted girl from Korea. And she had a pretty light skin tone, too. Now that she thought about it, he was a bit of a racist when he was young. Not the type to actively go out and harm people with a different skin color, more the ignorant type that believed many of the stereotypes and myths he had heard because he didn’t know any better. It wasn’t until college that he managed to befriend someone with a significantly different background than himself, and even longer into his studies before he figured that maybe not all the myths were true.

She tried to imagine a scenario in which she saw someone like her mirror image walking down the street. What would she think about her? … Probably that she could use less carbs and more exercise. She was pretty far from the beauty model with a thin waist. She wasn’t super fat either, it was just the combination of 'not thin’ and ‘fairly short’ that gave the impression that she was a bit chubby. If she grew a bit taller, even if she didn’t shrink her waist, she’d probably give a different impression.

What about her face? As far as Mina could tell, she was pretty average. Not sexy, not particularly cute, not ugly, just … fine, really. She felt she lacked the proper words to describe herself in any further detail. She knew that someone could describe people by their cheekbones or eyebrows or nose or whatever. That was pretty far beyond her. She could technically ask Karin, but that felt like a bad idea. What if she got the impression that Mina saw herself as ugly and wanted to build up her confidence? She wanted an honest opinion, not someone cheering her up with false words, even spoken in good faith.

A sound downstairs caught her attention. It wasn’t very loud, but still quite noticeable. The creaking of a door. She walked out of the bathroom.

“Hello?” she cautiously called out.

“Eh… hi,” Karin replied. Mina relaxed. She hadn’t even noticed she’d been a bit tense.

She walked down to greet Karin, only to discover that she had trouble getting eye contact. Something was off. Was she hiding something? What could it be? The better question was, why not ask?

“Karin, is there something wrong?” she cautiously asked.

Mina could easily see the embarrassment building up in the older woman.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” she replied in a soft voice.

“See what?”

“You know… the box.”

The box? Mina tried to search her limited memories for any box. Suddenly, it struck her.

“You mean the box in your wardrobe?”

“Yes,” Karin practically whispered.

During Mina's search for something that might fit, she had come across a box containing sex toys. It hadn't been hidden in any way. Karin had probably just forgotten about it when inviting Mina into her wardrobe.

Mina hadn't actually paid much mind to the toys. She knew what they were, obviously. Martin and his ex had owned a collection of their own. She had not even been particularly curious, merely giving them a moment's attention before moving on.

Some of the toys might be considered rather kinky by some people. Mina was not one of them. As far as she was concerned, consenting adults enjoying themselves in their own home was their private business, as long as they didn't harm anyone else.

"It was just a mistake. I'm not bothered by it."

"Maybe not, but I am," Karin said softly, still red as a beet.

"Does it bother you because they were secret? Or maybe because you think I'm not old enough?"

"Both! … Also, I don't want you to think less of me."

Mina took a deep breath. She invited Karin to take a seat, and met her eyes as she spoke.

"Karin, I can with complete sincerity say that I don't mind in any way that you have adult toys for your own use or a willing partner. It doesn't matter what kind of toys they are. I don't think that diminishes you in any way; quite the opposite. I think it's good that you take care of your needs."

She motioned at her body.

"I'm aware that I'm fairly young. You have to keep in mind that I have fifty years of second-hand experience. It takes a little more than a random sex toy for me to freak out.”

Karin shook her head.

“I know that, rationally. And you are mature in many ways. But take Star Wars, yesterday. I didn’t share the movie with an experienced person watching Star Wars for the umpteenth time, or even an old skeptic watching it for the first time. The person next to me on the couch was a joyful, easily excited girl. While she had heard of the plot before, she enjoyed seeing how it played out herself.”

Mina was stunned to hear that. She hadn’t noticed she acted that way, but she couldn’t really deny it, either.

“It’s good to hear that you’re not bothered by my … private collection,“ Karin stated, visibly relieved. “Still, I think I’ll put it some other place so we don’t have another such incident.”

"Sounds like a plan," Mina nodded, “If you don’t mind me changing the topic; do you have a phone charger I can borrow?”

“Of course. No problem at all.”

Karin showed her where she had her charger, hidden behind a curtain in the living room.

“I’m heading out to the stables now. How do you feel about helping me out a bit?”