I had trouble sleeping. I stood the stillest I could to avoid waking Brandon up but for the seasoned captain, a whisper is a racket. Both of us spent the whole night awake, me fighting to keep the demons at bay and he made sure I felt safe.

I wished I was the cheese melting over his pizza dough. I'm sorry that sounded weird but that's what one gets for being inside my mind. I just wanted to sink into that embrace until it was impossible to know where one ended and another started. But one could fit two of me in the width of his chest. Maybe.

"Can't sleep?" He asked from behind me.

"Too much going on. And I'm afraid I'd have another nightmare if I do."

And so I stood there, lying in bed and hearing his breathing behind me. Watching the pitch-black darkness of the room and praying there was nothing there. No liches, no dark gods, no rapist princes. My body was feeling much better. My dinner yesterday was reinforced and I made sure to eat the last drop of the stew broth.

I felt like one of those shonen isekai protagonists, that have an insatiable appetite. But I needed every single ounce of nourishment I could get. I knew I could recover without eating but it would be too slow. Just remembering that I was awake for only three to five days out of the hundred and twenty in the depths is enough to make me eat even though I didn't want to.

And wanting to do anything was a mental state hard to achieve. But I was getting better. And fast. It's been less than two days and my body was recovering its shape and curves by the hour. With some effort, I could touch the tip of my right index to the right thumb. Tomorrow I'd have a conversation with Nanna, as she promised.

I could feel my magical energy reservoir bare. Nanna was right in forbidding me from using Decompose or the storage. All the power my body had been generating was going to my body's recovery. And I think I broke something when I overdrew to Decompose the uranium. As if I burnt some circuits from excessive current. The recovery is going slower than usual. The silver lining is that when I check the list of boons Tarhun pushed on me, I can see clearly that he made sure almost nothing would disable me permanently.

And why was I unable to stop the process until the entire sample was neutralized? Something built-in into the power?

"What's wrong?" Brandon asked.

"Just thinking. About my powers and why Tarhun set them the way he did."

"Try to sleep."

"I'll be quiet, I promise."

My thoughts are like charged particles bouncing inside a restrained space. They go everywhere and you can't even measure where they are, just where they should be. Sometimes one shadow or another shows up. My body stiffens even if I force myself to do nothing. I keep watching the darkness, afraid of what might come out of it.

Relief comes in the shape of a small sliver of light filtering from outside. And speaking of relief...

"I have to use the chamber pot."

Brandon lifts his arm, "Then go."

I climbed out of bed and went to the corner where the porcelain utensil was. Using it was... one of the most terrible aspects of life. Up until then, I used Decompose and the wet wipes I brought with me to take care of my hygiene but now I'm barred from both. I felt the smell of the flowers and herbs placed at the bottom of the pot to neutralize the smell. Without a choice, I lifted the robes, pulled down my panties and did my business squatting over the pot. A stack of hairy broad leaves from some kind of vegetable was what I had to clean myself with. The leaf should then be reversed and pressed over the pot to cover whatever was placed inside. The herbs and flowers did a good job of covering the smells.

And this was a high-class chamber pot. Arwia told me once that in the slums, they leave the chamber pot next to a mouse hole so the rodents can...

Eww.

Instead of returning to bed, I went to the window. I was done with the darkness. I hoped it would be a long day. Staying indoors was bad. Getting myself busy would leave little room for my mind to play tricks on me. I opened the window and greeted the sunrise. The bedrooms in Abil-Kisu's villa faced a beautiful garden that was kept vibrant green even through the drought.

I sighed as the enormous list of things I wanted to do overwhelmed me. One thing at a time. And I knew the first one. The loose ends of my past adventures were not all tied up. Of all the things I could do to fix the damage my presence caused, there was one I still hadn't addressed.

I changed into the dress Madam Cloe fit for me, noticing it was slightly tighter. I heard Brandon stir in bed and moved closer to soothe him.

"Brandon, try to sleep. I'm going downstairs. Belle-Sunu will be with me."

"Okay," He yawned and turned over to the other side. "Oh, I'm going to the garrison this morning. Should be back before sunset."

That made me feel special. As guilty as I felt because I made him stay awake all night, it still made me happy that he would try and rush back to me. I left the bedroom.

The hallway was lit by a single point of light at its midpoint, a beeswax candle held on a wall fixture. I went down the stairs carefully and found my way to the kitchen. Rather than just putting it outside, the kitchen here is a separate building connected to the main villa by a small corridor covered by a colorful awning. A bead curtain did the honors of guarding the threshold. I went past the curtain and found Belle-Sunu sharing space with Abil-Kisu's cooks.

She turned around, a big refreshing smile stamped on her freckled face. "Sandra! How are you feeling today?"

I smiled back, "I'm feeling better. Do you have something easy on the stomach for me?"

"Milady," one of the cooks bowed, "We have freshly squeezed tamarind juice and bread that just left the oven. I suggest apricot jam to go with the bread."

I blushed as I thought how wealthier Abil-Kisu was compared to Hama-Tula. "I'm thankful for the suggestion, 'chef'. I'll have that," I told the cook and noticed his confusion. "'Chef' is how we call an expert cook back in my world," I told him with a nod.

"Ah. I'm grateful for the lady's compliment. Your breakfast will be served soon, would you please have a seat?"

There was a small table on a corner next to a window exactly for these occasions. I went and sat. Minutes later Belle came with a ceramic jug and a mug. She poured some thick juice and left the jug as she went back for the bread and jam. I took the mug with my left hand and sipped the juice. It wasn't sweet. The tangy earthen taste of the tamarind was strong but not unpleasant.

I thought I could Decompose some sugar from...

I sighed. I got too used to my powers. Maybe I became too dependent on them. And that shaped my decisions. Why would I fear pain if I could recover from almost any wound? It enabled me to take on bigger risks. I felt invulnerable. Invincible. Maybe I was.

Belle returned. The slices of brown bread were still steaming on the bowl. She put everything in front of me and stood next to me.

"Is everything alright, Sandra? You seem distant."

I waved my hand. "It is nothing. I'm just very introspective today. Could you please spread jam over the bread?"

It was still hard to use my right hand for anything complex. I ate all the slices of bread and emptied the jug. My stomach felt full but I needed the nutrition. I think my recovery boon can generate flesh from magic power or maybe move it from one place to another. I have no idea how it happens or why a detached part of my items disintegrates when away from me. And don't even say "first law of..."

I had no idea how this thing worked. There was a new energy type that could be converted into a physical phenomenon. The laws that it worked under? No idea. Was it conservative? Where did it come from? Nope. Go get a thaumaturgist or a god to teach you that. I had no idea.

Maybe Nanna knew. I should go talk to her later.

Without anything better to do, I stayed there, watching the cooks and Belle-Sunu prepare food. The chef came again.

"Milady, the breakfast will be served in the tent. The master and his guests are already there."

I went there even though I was full.

Abil-Kisu tagged me as I entered the tent, "Ah, miss Rinaldi. Please sit by my side."

I sat next to him and noticed the absence of his wife. I hadn't seen her much, I guess that she stays with the baby most of the time.

We talked about several things. A report came in yesterday confirming the fate of those that fled south toward the ocean. They were captured or killed by the invading army. Only a few merchants with ties to Marduk's nation, Elameria. He also praised me for the 'rescue' of the refugees from the northern plateau. It seems that the nocturnal flesh-eating ants are really vicious. That explains why there are no settlements in the plateau and why nobody even bothers to reclaim land there.

It is also a wonder how the grass remains green even in this dry climate.

During the breakfast, I nibbled here and there because it would seem impolite to sit at the table and not eat. I waited for the children to finish their breakfast and go out to play before broaching a very delicate subject.

"Abil-Kisu, I am thinking of bringing Banunu and Rubati back. The children should not be kept apart from their mothers. Regarding their debt, if someone comes to collect I'll do something."

He didn't seem pleased with my suggestion. If I had to guess, he abhorred those two women.

"I think the children are better under your tutelage. You have much to teach them, yes? But I understand where that comes from. Indeed families are better kept together. I can send one of my men to bring them here."

"I will send Dipa-Tsu as well. He manifested his loyalty and desire to stay in the service of Rimush once the boy comes of age, next month."

"Then it is settled. It is still early, we will send them to fast horses. It shall be done."

After giving my thanks to Abil-Kisu, I departed the tent and went for a stroll through the garden. I saw Tullius and Hesha-Doka working with in-house gardeners and exchanging knowledge. I found a nice spot under the shade of a tree and sat down to rest. My belly was too full.

I eventually drifted to sleep.

----------------------------------------

I woke up to a nursery rhyme Arwia was humming. The girl was sitting next to me and a tarp has been spread over us, supported by sticks. It looked like a makeshift lean-to. The sun had moved a lot, it was past noon.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked her.

"Hello. Did you sleep well? We thought of moving you back to the bedroom but Captain Brandon didn't let us. He said you would wake up and you really needed some sleep."

That was really thoughtful. And I got to catch up on my shut-eye time. I sat up and faced her.

"Yes, I'm fine sleeping out here. I'm hungry, did I miss lunch?"

"Your food awaits to be devoured in the kitchen. It is good to see you feeling better. We were worried."

I did a quick self-check. My magic was still floored. But my body felt heavier. I could now touch the thumb and pinky of my right hand and there was some meat between the flesh and bones. It still looked like I'd been starving for months but it was better than the mummified state it was yesterday. If I put both hands together, you wouldn't say they belonged to the same person.

I sighed. Arwia put her hand on my shoulder. "Let's go," She said. "You'll feel better after you eat."

We walked back.

"Arwia, I want to talk to Nanna, do you know where she is?"

"In the annex building. She took the last room so nobody bothers her. She was busy enchanting the goblin eyes."

After eating almost three person's share of roast chicken legs with boiled vegetables, I went looking for Nanna. The witch was using a room in the annex to the villa, somewhere isolated where she could practice her craft without any curious or superstitious people bothering her.

I knock on the door. "Nanna? It is me, Sandra. Can I come in?"

"Yes. Come in."

I pushed the door and entered. The room's setup was similar to her tent back at the caravanserai, but with fewer knick-knacks. There were a bed, a desk, and two heavy trunks. A cauldron was sitting on the desk and wisps of white smoke came out of it every now and then.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"What's brewing in there?"

She smiled. "Goblin eyes. I'm going to be rich once this latest batch brews. Abil-Kisu is buying them. Come here, girl. Let me see you."

Nanna does a full physical checkup. She poked, pulled, groped, squeezed and pinched. Then she spent a good amount of time just staring at me. I felt as if she was piercing my soul.

Then she scoffed and cackled. She waves a fist at the sky.

"Tarhun! Maybe he's not that much of a fool as I thought. He gave you a mental boon, didn't he?"

I had to go back to the tablet to look at the description.

"Here, it says..."

> Scholar: Your capacity for remembering things and learning is increased fivefold.

"I take it back. Tarhun is not as much of a fool as I thought. That's the boon I asked about, yes. But its description is incomplete. From what I can see, it also increases your mental resilience. Or didn't you notice that you are sometimes coping too well with things that would leave you emotionally scarred? This one and your healing boon make sure you will always return to a sane mental state."

That's one thing that's been bothering me for some time. Nanna speaks of Tarhun with an unusual degree of familiarity. There are other issues higher in priority though.

"Does it mean I'll fully recover?" I asked, excited.

She glared at me and then sighed. "As usual you listened to nothing I said. I said that this 'scholar' boon you have increases your mental resilience and recovery."

"Oh. Sorry about that. Do you mean I'm recovering from my trauma five times faster? As I 'learn' how to cope with it?"

She opened a faint smile. "Maybe there's still salvation for you."

I think she agreed with me. It makes sense.

Nanna didn't wait for me to reply to her quip before continuing her diagnosis. "You should refrain from using your powers for longer. You suffered burnout. That's a serious issue. If you strain your magical energy, you might be permanently weakened."

I raised my left hand with the sign of the scout's pledge. "No more Decomposing radioactive matter."

Nanna nodded. "Yes, that was stupid. You fell right into Nergal's trap."

Stop the press. Cue in the sound of a vinyl record being scratched. I never mentioned Nergal to Nanna. The only two people I did were Es-Kina the Nephew and Abil-Kisu.

"Yeah, that fallen god. He's a scheming one, isn't he?" I said in the most casual way I could.

Nanna cackled. "That's right. And he is bad at scheming, let me tell you. That's how Ereshkigal got him wedlock."

I smirked. Nanna paused for a while then she grumbled with slitted eyes.

"There's 'smart' and then there's 'too smart for their own good', girl."

I joined my hands in front of me. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to pry, Nanna."

Nanna's frown softened and she changed her stance to look very grandmotherly.

She then spoke softly, "It is fine, girl. You are too fickle to grasp everything. Now, you have something you want to ask me, don't you?"

What is the question to which you hold the numeric answer, Martin Freeman?

Between the far-fetched conjecture and the most obvious and concrete question, I went for the latter.

"Can I learn how to use magic? Cast spells?"

Nanna sighed. Maybe I blew it. She then looked up, down, and back at me.

"I need you to tell me two things? Can you sense your inner magical power?"

I nodded. "Yes. I can sense it, and it is empty now."

She waved a hand in front of her in a circular pattern. "Good. Then you can know when you are running out of magic and stop doing stupid things. Now, what do you see?"

Yeah, I think it is one of those koans where the nonsensical question brings a deeper understanding of the universe. Nanna the Zen master. I look at her, at her hands, at the room behind her, around, up, down.

"I see you and me in your room," I finally answer, absolutely certain it is the wrong answer.

She staresd straight at my eyes. "I'm sorry. You can't use magic and cast spells. It is impossible. Before you retort, whine or despair, let me explain. And listen."

I noded and she continued.

"There are two requirements to use magic. The first one is to have magic power. Only one in one hundred people will have any kind of magic power, and of those, most will have only a faint wisp of magic. Think of the magic capacity of a person as water. Minor Sorcerers like master blacksmith Albert Samus have an amount of magic comparable to water in a thimble. They can use one or two simple spells one to three times a day. Normal Sorcerers have a tankard's worth. They can cast moderate difficulty spells several times a day, or one complex spell once or twice. Grand Sorcerers like the senior magistrate Sun-Goro, have a barrel's. They can use complex spells a dozen times or great magic once a week.

"You, girl," She pokes my chest. "You are a pond. A deep one. The rate of recovery for everyone in the same proportion to their magic amount."

I feel excited. Maybe I'm the strongest mage? Like those Isekai tropes?

"And what's the second one?" I ask, barely containing my giddiness.

"Be patient, girl," she chides me. "I am not finished. Listen. This is important. You are suffering from burnout. Burnout pokes holes in the bottom of thimbles, tankards, and barrels. Burnout fills ponds with silt and muddles the waters. Do you understand?"

"I think I do. Not only my magic capacity is diminished but I also start to leak magic and it is not as pure anymore."

She chuckled. "Smart one. But maybe that recovery boon Tarhun gave you will dredge the silt out of your pond. I believe it will. Let's hope...." She trailed off and mumbled something intelligible. I could swear I heard her say 'I can't do anything to help."

"That's why I need to give it time to recover, right?"

"Yes. Now, onto the second requirement to cast spells. It is the ability to see magic. To my magic perception, you shine so brightly that I can barely keep looking at you. Even now, you are spending all the magic you can generate and gather on your healing. But your eyes, enchanted by the boons Tarhun gave you, are blind to magic. Or you never had the ability anyway. When I waved my hand, I used a cantrip to create a rainbow of magic power. One that can be easily seen by even the lowest adept."

My shoulders dropped. Of course, there was some kind of trick, something that only mages could perceive.

"Is there anything that can be done?"

Nanna shook her head. "I don't know if that fool Tarhun did it on purpose or not, but you are not going to learn magic in this life, I'm sorry, Sandra."

I knew she was being serious because she used my name. And the way she derided the major God of this world was appalling.

"Divine boons," The witch continued, "Are bound to the soul. The deity permanently spends a portion of their divine power and grant them permanently. The only way to remove a divine boon is when the body dies and the soul is released, and even then it is usually not done. Tarhun couldn't remove your boons, and you made it impossible for him to act against you. At least you were smart enough to coax that alliance out of him.

"Still, you shouldn't be dismayed. If you hadn't those invulnerable eyes, you wouldn't be able to tame the sky-lord."

The way she jumped from one topic to the next without giving me time to think was irritating. For example, I knew I had to ask her something about her familiarity with the gods but I forgot the exact words I wanted to use. I had to tread carefully around Nanna. I didn't want to offend her or pry too much. She was important to me and I had no idea how to treat her.

And if I tried to post to the Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange that question, it would be closed. 'How can I ask an ancient neo-Mesopotamian witch about her relationship with the gods without offending her?'

Maybe on worldbuilding, but the answers would range from totally useless to rather obvious. And would also be closed as too subjective. Still a frigging awesome network.

But I digress. There's no internet, much less a community of experts to solve my well-worded, objective problems. For free.

"Do you mean Bloodstone? What does it have to do with my eyes?"

"That bird is called sky-lord for a reason," Nanna answered, irritated. Her mood swings were epic. "And yours, in particular, is fixated on eyes. He believed he was the lord because he could peck the eyes of anyone and nobody could peck his. Well, he tried to peck yours and lost. Therefore the bird thought that..."

She trailed off on purpose, expecting me to finish her sentence. I thought of Dime and how he behaved and the answer was easy.

"He thought that I could peck his eyes. And then he submitted. Is that it?"

She cackled. "Yes. Stupid bird. That's why he gifts you his food all the time. So you don't eat him."

I felt a pang of guilt for eating his mate. Dime was intelligent enough to know that we cooked and ate his mate. I wanted to ask her how she knew that but I knew she was running out of patience to spend with me. And the smoke coming from the cooking goblin eyes changed colors.

"Is there anything I should do?"

"Yes. Don't touch his eyes. Otherwise? He's a smart bird. He knows what you like to eat. He's not afraid of you if that's what you are thinking."

But how does she... "How do you know that?"

Nanna laughed, not cackled, and beamed a wide, mischievous grin. "Secret! Well, I need to tend to my enchantment. Go and rest, girl. Eat your fill and regain your strength. And don't use magic."

She kicked me out of her room. At least she seemed livelier than before. I was unsure if I liked Grumpy Nanna better than Mischievous Nanna or not. But that was quite instructive and forlorn. Nanna was a difficult person to deal with, but also very important. Without her, I would be either dead or in Marduk's greasy hands. Eww.

I went back to the main villa and was found by Arwia outside the annex.

"Sandra, there you are! How was your consultation with Nanna?"

I rolled my eyes. "Tense. She was very helpful though. What should we do now?"

"It is time for the children's lecture. I was hoping you would join us today. Teach us something."

I nodded. But what subject I should teach them? I thought about science maybe even some music. But there was one subject the people of this world were in dire need. I made up my mind when we reached the place where Belle, Kali-Maru, and Sere-Naha gathered the children. It was a grass patch that was used to walk the horses and let them graze when it wasn't possible to take them outside. There was a faint smell of manure but compared to how the whole city outside smelled, it was bearable. The children sat small cushions in a four by four pattern. Well, Zuska was an adult.

"Good afternoon, kids. My name is Sandra Rinaldi and I'm going to be your guest teacher for today."

Rimush rolled his eyes. "We know who you are."

"Yes, but stating your clear purpose is always helpful. Okay. Our subject today is a thing called 'ethics'," I said the term in English because there was no translation. I sensed their confusion. "I'll explain. First, let's talk about animals. Have you noticed that animals are quite selfish? They usually only worry about themselves, if they have a brood or a family they look after their group but they don't care about the other animals at all."

"That's stupid," Pidda complained. "Some animals are food and all of them are dumb. Why would they care about each other?"

I nodded. "That's a good point. But we also have these same instincts. Can you imagine if we cared only for ourselves at the loss of the others?"

Rimush scoffed. "What's the difference? That's what happens anyway. The weak loses, the strong wins."

Belili shoved her brother, "Let she talk. Do you have to be that bitter?"

"Yes, the strong wins. That's good for the strong, but is it good for the weak? Rimush?"

He shrugged, "It's the weak's fault for being weak. If they didn't want to lose, they should train to become stronger!"

Maybe the other world was not ready for this kind of value system. Or I was doing something wrong. I looked around for some idea, some source of inspiration and saw Abil-Kisu taking a stroll through the gardens, talking to another merchant lord I saw at the council. I waved at him and they came my way. I continue my lecture with a slightly louder voice.

"I'll use an example. See honorable Abil-Kisu there? Let's say he goes to a foreign city to trade."

Abil-Kisu opens a broad smile and waves at me to continue.

"There he meets a local trader, that will buy his wares. Now, honorable Abil-Kisu has two choices. Either he presses hard using his marvelous negotiation techniques and squeezes every copper shekel the other merchant has, making a lot of money but leaving the other merchant unhappy with the trade, or he works out something that makes both of them happy and with profit. Now, making a lot of money on a trade sounds really good, right?"

They nod. Abil-Kisu and the other merchant stand a few meters to my side, listening carefully.

"But if Abil-Kisu goes for the first choice, he makes a lot of money on a single trade. And now, that local merchant resents him. He is not helpful. He will 'forget' (I do air quotes) to warn Abil-Kisu of bandit sightings on the road he'll take to his next stop. He will not introduce Abil-Kisu to his contacts. He won't help with the local officials.

"By making the most profit on one transaction, an entire world has been closed shut or made harder for him. Now, imagine the other choice. Abil-Kisu, wise as he is, sees that this merchant is trustworthy and can be a lifelong partner, a contact on far shores. He works a trade that is good for both parties, still lets him with a good profit but one that leaves the other trader also happy with. Now, that trader warns Abil-Kisu of the bandits. He introduces Abil-Kisu to other partners, broadening his trade routes and opening new markets. Better products! Opportunities! Contacts! And he also warns Abil-Kisu of the rotten city officials.

"In this second scenario, Abil-Kisu makes less money now, but he will make more money in the future. By working something good for everyone, everyone grew richer."

I gave them some time to let the information sink in. Abil-Kisu raised one hand and I nodded. He moved forward.

"Milady Rinaldi, you read me like a straight scroll. I'm flattered and I must say, the first choice is the worst. Listen, children," the merchant lord clapped to draw attention. "What the lady said is the least a resentful merchant would do. Because that merchant, instead of warning me of the bandits, will send word to the bandits that I am carrying a lot of gold, making them target me. He will spread lies and falsehoods in his petty vengeance. He will poison the ears of others about me.

"He'll ruin my reputation by slandering me. The extra money I took from him? He'll make me lose tenfold as much. And that's the truth. I'm called honorable by both my friends and my enemies. Why is that? Did I force them? Did I force you, lady Rinaldi?"

I shake my head. "I call you honorable because you are honorable."

"That's the truth," the other merchant entered the conversation. "Abil-Kisu is honorable because he trades fairly. His prices are just and his word, truthful."

"And that is ethical behavior, children. When we act not only to benefit ourselves but to make sure nobody loses. Making sure we behave with honor, truth, and justice. We respect people the way we want them to respect us. We listen. We understand each other. We work to support one another. In my world, there are big corporations. Companies with more employees than this city has people even before the death of the late Enshi. These companies, are wealthy beyond belief, and they help each other make money. They build partnerships. Joint ventures."

I was losing them by using foreign terms. So I decided to use language they could understand.

"They send their wagons together to split the costs of the guards. They help each other carry their wares. They share knowledge, techniques, to make everyone's products better. And they have to trust each other. Companies that nobody trusts have everyone else turn their backs at them. And without the partners, they can't do things on their own, even though they are huge.

"And the people of my world, they watch the companies. Let's say there's a company that throws trash and litters the streets where their wagons go through. People dislike that and stop buying their products. These companies break. Sometimes they apologize. And the people demanded the government to make laws against that behavior. Bad companies are fined. Chased off. In my world, you either play nice or don't play at all. We saw that it was better that way."

It was a gross misrepresentation, as companies still did underhand moves, but nobody was there to argue against my points. I could see by their faces that I am giving the two merchant lords a lecture as well, as their minds were surely firing up with a ton of ideas as they had a better grasp of the concepts I was talking about than the children.

Abil-Kisu smiled at me, "Wonderful. Wonderful. I want to listen more, but where are my manners? Milady Rinaldi, meet Ronan-Uz, a friend of mine. We would be delighted to be a part of your lecture. Could we take a seat next to your pupils?"

Some of the children went wide-eyed as the two merchant lords sat on borrowed cushions. Abil-Kisu picked up Gut and Ronan-Uz took Tuwazi on his lap. Then I went on with my lecture. I spoke of ethics, the concepts of trustworthiness, fairness, responsibility, honor, win-win relationships, partnerships, compassion, and finally, charity. I told them of my NGO experience, the care for the parks, and how that was good for me because it created some opportunities to further my research.

The evening was creeping in, the long shadows cast over the lawn foretold the end of the day. We dismissed the class and sent the children to wash before gathering for dinner.

I took a bath together with Arwia and Belle-Sunu.

"It is amazing how fast you recover, Sandra," Belle said as she helped me scrub my skin, my right hand still rather clumsy.

"What you did for the children today, I'm sure they will remember that lesson," Arwia commented.

I could only smile. I knew these girls were doing their best to cheer me up. My mind wandered back to my conversation with Nanna. If she was that powerful and wise, why was he living in a tent at the caravanserai? Was she keeping a low profile? That old woman held a lot of mysteries. She was rather talkative today. I was bummed with the revelation that I wouldn't be able to cast spells but compared to the mages I've seen so far, it wasn't too big a loss for me.

But the girls were right. On this day alone, I recovered one cup as I had to adjust the bra straps. But going without my electronics and my wardrobe was bad. I couldn't wait to be discharged by Dr. Nanna. I had to resort to washing my underwear and let it dry while I wore them. At least I'd have my clothes back tomorrow.

At dinner, I heard some terrible news. Brandon wasn't coming back tonight. That drained my motivation. I kidnapped Ariwa to make me company and went to bed earlier.