Once Atraeya had gotten changed and set up the bedding, she fell asleep faster than she could blink.

Pots and pans clanking around and the sunlight in her eyes woke up her up. She did not feel nearly enough rested. The storm storm had passed in the night and now all that was left was a muddy farming village, with puddles and debris scattered everywhere.

With a huge yawn, Atraeya bundled the blankets around herself and headed to the table. It was set with some sort of plain porridge. It tasted terrible. Still, she was starving, and would eat anything to get rid of the hunger pains. This was more than she's had to eat these past few days of travel. She and her grandfather ate in silence.

Once the bowls were emptied, she placed them in the wash bin. "Now. Let's talk," her grandfather said.

Goosebumps ran up her arm. Her heart beat faster. Grandfather had said that in such a distrustful way that she instantly wanted to beg for forgiveness. Of course, it was only natural he would be suspicious about a random granddaughter showing up on his doorstop in the middle of the night.

"So, how did you get here? Where's your luggage?" he asked.

"I took a carriage. It took almost a week and it even rained on the way over," Atraeya pouted. "I don't have any luggage. Mom kicked me out immediately after..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it out lout. It would make it all that more real.

"After what? Mel wouldn't kicked out one of her own kids for no reason." Atraeya could only squeeze her blanket closer under scrutiny. Would it really be OK to tell him?

She glanced up from the wood table and saw her grandfather staring at her, armz crossed. It didn't look like he would take any lie she gave him. Those eyes looked like they had decades of seeing lies. She looked down again. "...I'm a witch," she mumbled.

"Huh? Speak up, I can't hear you."

"She kicked me out because I'm a witch!" She bolted up from her chair and shouted him down. "The minute she found out I was a witch she literally shoved me out the door! Then she locked it and wouldn't open it no matter how hard I pounded on the door or scratched at the handle. I thought it was a mean joke until it got dark and she still wouldn't let me in."

Teardrops hit the table before she could realize she was crying and pouring her heart out. Would that be enough to not get kicked out? She didn't want to sleep outside again. Not after having such a comfy bed in a long time.

"Oh," was all her grandfather said. He leaned back, taking in all the information.

"Please don't kick me out. I promise I'll be good! I'll help out with whatever you want, and I'll do all the chores, and the farming, and--"

"Alright, alright. Calm down. I'm not going to kick you out. Do what you want, but you should keep your witch stuff to a minimum. Folks don't take too kindly to witches here. But I won't tell anyone either."

He wasn't going to kick her out? She looked back up to see him regard her warily, but unable to not help out his own blood. Great, now she just needs to prove how helpful she can be. This place looked like a complete mess, so she could start there. Grandfather must have noticed with the look in her eyes as she immediately began to scan the room, looking for things to clean and fix. "I'll be off now. Feel free to help yourself with whatever you see here. You better get dressed, too, before the neighbors see you."

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With that, he put on his shoes, and his straw hat, grabbed his cane, and talked out the door. The house was silent and ripe for her to fix.

He'll... be back, right?

No, she couldn't let herself think like that. Of course he'll be back. This is his home. Anyways, first thing's first. Her clothes. Picking them up from a pile on the floor, all of them were still wet, to her complete surprise. It was then that it dawned on her why her mom always hung her clothes out to dry. It's not like she could go out and hang them right now though. The shirt being lent to her only just barely reached her knees. Completely unacceptable. Unless...

Atraeya began to dig around until she found what she was looking for. Another sheet long enough for her to use as a skirt. She tied it around her waist. And although it was much better than going out in just a shirt, she still felt a little naked without her stays. She would need to wash her clothes quickly.

She found a wash bin and washboard in some closet and some homemade soap, half used and in a cupboard. Once everything was gathered, she tossed her muddy clothes in the bin and went outside. She was immediately blinded by the bright sun. Clear skies for days, thankfully. Maybe then her clothes will dry quickly. She waited for her eyes to adjust, enjoying the chirping birds and billowing wind in her face.

That's when she noticed. It had been rather dark when she arrived, but looking over the yard, it really was a mess. It looked like it had been well abandoned for a long time. Grass up to her stomach. Tree branched everywhere. Random junk thrown about. Even the fields were full of weeds. It was unclear whether there was food growing there at all. Well, at least she had her work cut out for her. It only fueled her determination even more.

The river was only across the street. From there, she first shook and beat out as much dried mud from her clothes as she could before dunking them in the wash bin. Even after scrubbing as hard as she could, the bottom edges were still stained brown. Oh well. It was much better than before. No mother needed. She can do this all by herself. Though she did wonder how she was able to clean her clothes so well all the time.

Either way, now it was time to hang them up to dry. She managed to find some string and tied one end of it to a broken down post in the yard, and the other end to a window hinge on its way out. It was lopsided, drooping, and honestly looked like it could blow away at any second. There wasn't anything she could use to clip here clothes in place either. She just had to pray they wouldn't fly away when she wasn't looking.

At some point, a woman stopped in front of the house. "Oh? I haven't seen you before," the lady said. "My name is Mira."

"I'm Atraeya. I'm the granddaughter of the old man who lives here."

At that, the woman smiled. "Aww, that's so nice of you. We were beginning to think he didn't have any family that cared about him. Where are you from?" Mira stepped closer, eyeing the mess around them, particularly the newly hung laundry.

"I'm from the capital," Atraeya replied, attempting to keep it a secret that she was kicked out.

"Oh my! So far away! I hope the trip wasn't too bad?"

Disregarding the cramped carriage, stuck there for nearly a week, eating whatever she could forage whenever it stopped, and getting rained on in the last few hours of the trip, oh, and the whole reason for traveling so far west: Getting kicked out of her home. Then yes, it wasn't too bad.

But she wasn't going to say all that to some stranger. Instead, she smiled politely and said, "Yes, overall it was a fine trip. I arrived just last night."

"Just last night? In all that rain? Ah, so that's why you were doing laundry. But where are the rest of your clothes dear?" Mira looked her up and down. Obviously judging her for what she was wearing, rather, what she wasn't wearing.

Atraeya glanced down, then back to Mira apologetically. "That's all I have."

"Oh dear," she tsked. "That won't do at all. Follow me, I have just the thing." Without waiting for an agreement, she started to walk away. Atraeya was still barefoot, and not wanting to dirty the hem of her makeshift skirt, lifted it a bit and quickly followed the woman.