Nalsy sat on the bench where she finished her breakfast whilst watching the water spraying out of the white marble fountain.
Only now, she realised that she was not even sure what she was eating. The dough, however, was warm and soft, with the crispy shell on the outside, filled with some vegetables and spices.
Once she enjoyed her meal, she started wandering around the city, looking at peculiar shop displays more closely.
As she passed by the clothes store, she found a floor-length dress on display, with lace up front, in the colour of dark beige.
Nalsy looked down at what she was wearing, and she soon decided that she wasn't planning to leave the comfort of her baggy jumper, leggings, and boots for a dress that she would quite likely end up tripping over in.
Frowning at the displayed outfits, Nalsy continued walking down one of the roads until she stumbled onto the market with fresh produce. The sweet smell of fruit enticed her towards the stand, and Nalsy looked at the exotic fruit in astonishment.
"May I help you, madam?" The older man stood up from the stool in an excited manner.
"I am yet unsure of what I'd like," Nalsy said honestly. Her eyes fell on more familiar products. "Would you be so kind as to pack me some potatoes and carrots?" Nalsy asked, pointing at the far end of the table. The man nodded quickly, wrapping up the desired vegetables for Nalsy. Nalsy pointed at a few more items, quickly planning the meal she was to prepare with what she was buying.
Nalsy's eyes fell on the apples of dark purple hue.
"Are you also interested in the Black Diamonds?"
"I never tried it, so I'm quite curious," Nalsy admitted.
"As we are nearing the end of the season, they are very sweet."
"I'll have few," Nalsy said with a smile.
She was surprised to realise that her purchase was worth about 1/5th of a single note from Edmund's wallet, which didn't lose its thickness after she took out that single note.
Nalsy walked further down the market, finding the butcher, as well as dairy stand.
Once she felt like she had bought enough, or rather, once she reached her arms' capacity, she made her way back home.
She took out the key which Edmund hid in the wallet for her, thankful for his thoughtfulness, as she would have forgotten to ask for it as she only noticed it whilst paying for the goods.
She stumbled through the door and made her way into the kitchen, looking at the mess that Edmund made in the morning that was still gracing the kitchen worktop and floor.
With a frown, Nalsy placed the shopping bags on the table, which to her dismay, folded in half. Nalsy stood still, looking around her, unsure what to do next and where to start, as her thoughts ran through her head.
With a sigh, she turned around and opened a tall fridge. It took a lot of effort to not vomit at the vile smell that escaped it.
Edmund was right. The fridge was empty, besides an unknown thing that seemed to grow a new type of flora, of an equal amount of mould and fungi.
Nalsy was quick to open the window to air the kitchen out of the stench. As soon as the smell started dissipating, she braved herself, and using an empty bag, she picked up the item and disposed of it into the bin, trying to hold her breath in, in fear that any given whiff of the stink would turn out toxic.
Whilst swearing under her nose, Nalsy managed to wash the fridge, using her fingertips - the only usable parts of her hands. After a while, she determined that it would suffice, promising herself to give the fridge a more thorough scrub once she had her brace removed if she still remained in this place.
Heaving, Nalsy unpacked the shopping and unfolded the table. She glanced at Edmund's mess, but she made an executive decision to ignore it at this time, keen to disappear into the bedroom.
After a quick breather, Nalsy went to have a shower, which was yet another feat of the day, as she tried her best to keep her cast dry. She successfully removed the brace of her hand and leg, allowing her skin to breathe.
After the shower, she wrapped herself in a large fuzzy towel that Edmund prepared for her before her arrival, along with a few toiletries, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
She was surprised by his thoughtfulness as she looked around the bathroom.
Wrapped in a towel, she washed her clothes by hand in the bathtub, and she hung them across the heated radiator. She proceeded to hide under the warm duvet, and without realising, she fell asleep.
This time, it was merely a nap. As she woke up, she quickly picked her clothes off the radiator, and she put them back on, deciding that she would repair them with a newly acquired sewing kit found on one of the stands at the market.
She went downstairs again; still alone in the house, she started preparing lunch and plentiful more to spread it to the dinner. After some contemplation, she moved as many of the items out of the way as she could to make space for her culinary venture. Besides, moving things out of the way allowed her to find the actual cooking utensils that she needed. She wasn't best impressed after finding knives hidden underneath what seemed like a tent, nor was she happy to see multiple cutlass swords fall out of a cupboard just above her head, missing her by a width of a hair.
Instead of clearing the items away, she organised them across the worktop by category so that Edmund could decide where they belonged. Not that any of them belonged in a kitchen in the first place.
Nalsy was very happy once she realised that the farmer at the market was truthful to his words, and the produce was delicious.
With black diamond apples, Nalsy made a decadent apple pie, which was a showstopper.
With the rest of the produce, Nalsy made roast dinner.
Nalsy watched the clock on the wall. Once the clock reached 6, she made an executive decision to not wait for Edmund any further, helping herself to the food.
Her appetite was still non-existent, so after having a few roast potatoes, Nalsy cleared her plate away.
Nalsy looked at the empty plate opposite of her intended for Edmund, and it dawned on her how expectant she was of his return as she felt lonely in the empty house.
She needed a distraction, Edmund, to quieten down her thoughts. And as he wasn't there, as Nalsy sat still, at last, the darkness crept into her mind. Her very own thoughts tormented her.
Nalsy left the food laid out on the table, hoping that Edmund would notice it when he returned, and if not, she knew that most should be perfectly fine by the morning. She made her way back into the bed, haunted by the images in her very own head.
'I should've been the one who was killed, not my parents. I'm unworthy of living. It was my fault that I didn't come in time for them to kill me before they killed my parents. It was my fault that I stopped at the end of my shift to talk with my colleagues. If I didn't, my parents could still live. I was the one who should've died. I am unworthy of ever being loved.' Nalsy thought silently, laying perfectly still on the bed until her body was exhausted enough to stop her mind from running like a broken tape.