Her eyes opened slowly, taking in the plain room she had been given a week ago. The walls were a bare white, and held no sign of homey coziness. A small desk doubled as her night stand, and she laid in a single bed, with a slate gray comforter. A single window was situated next to her bed.

She sat up slowly, bringing a hand to soothe the headache starting in her left temple. Staring out the window, she found that the snow had melted away, leaving a dull, brown grass to show. She sighed before slipping out of bed. She started her daily routine: shower, brush teeth, dress, brush hair.

As she opened her door, she froze once she noticed a person standing on the other side. The leader of Ryseden (who she had learned by now was named Margret) sat on the other side. She donned her usual cheery smile, with her clipboard.

"Good morning!" Margret chirped. Sun sent the woman an odd look.

"Morning?" she greeted back warily. Margret tapped the pen on the clipboard a few times before pointing it towards Sun.

"Today is the day you start contributing to this society!" Margret revealed as she flipped through the pages she was carrying. "You will be working in the greenhouses today with a few other members of Ryseden! I'll show you the way." Margret turned on her heels, before pausing.

"Oh yeah, grab a jacket. It's a bit chilly outside." Sun glanced down at her worn leather jacket that had been with her since the beginning. She tugged on the front of it selfconciously before taking off after Margret. She kept her distance between the woman in front of her. Her eyes darted around instinctively, looking for danger as she followed the older lady. Let it go. Let it the hell go. You're not going to get attacked. Stop thinking about what happened to him.

"Sweetheart?" a soft voice called out to her. She snapped out of her stupor, sending Margret an alarmed look. A pitying look cross her face. "Do you still want a bit of time before you get introduced to other people?" Sun shook her head.

"No, it's better to do things to keep my mind off of other things," she replied sullenly. Margret nodded in understanding, before sending her a sympathetic smile. Sun managed a brief, closed-lip smile to satisfy the older woman before heading out the door.

They turned a few corners as they made their way through town. Sun was aware of all the stares she was receiving from the locals. She had spent the majority of the week at the main house--a hotel repurposed. She mulled around the hallways, her mind constantly drifting back to Alex as much as she didn't want it to. So, to be out in the open where the rest of the members of the community could see her was as astounding as the day she stumbled in through their gates.

"With the winter taking root, we have specific seasonal plants growing." Margret began to tick off the crops with her fingers. "Right now it's garlic, leeks, onions, radishes, lettuce, peas, potatoes, and a few others. We have two fairly large greenhouses. Normally you do small things like watering, checking for bugs, pulling weeds, harvesting and the likes. Usually there are two people working in each greenhouse. Your co-worker will help you with whatever you don't understand," Margret explained as they opened the door to the second green house. A man, that looked slightly older than Sun, was hard at work in a bed of plants.

"Lex!" Margret called out happily. The man's head lifted with a questioning look. He had straight, black hair, and a strong jaw covered in stubble. His eyes were brown, and darted over to Sun in an interested way.

"Margret, this is a surprise," Lex answered back, standing from his kneeled position. He pulled off his gardening gloves as he approached the two women. His gaze lingered over Sun, his eyes looking her up and down as he checked her out. She squirmed uncomfortably, looking down and away from him. "Who's this?"

"This is-" she paused, looking over to Sun. She kept her gaze down, not volunteering a name. Margret's smiled wilted a bit, bringing her stare back to Lex. "... our newest member to the community. She's been tasked with helping with taking care of the gardens for today! It would be wonderful if you could help her get situated and welcomed into Ryseden." Lex nodded his head, holding a hand out to Sun to shake. A smile bloomed over his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She stared at the outstretched hand before reluctantly reaching out to clasp it. They shook hands, and Margret watched the exchange with hope.

"Well, I'll leave you two be! I'll be back when your job is over to show you around more properly, okay, hon?" Margret asked Sun. She nodded in response, before watching the older lady exit the garden.

"So, I'll show you the ropes of the job, and you can ask me for questions or help if you need any after that. I don't think I managed to catch your name?" Lex drifted off, clearly prompting her to hand over a name. Sun swung back to look at the man in front of her. Her mouth opened, trying to push the name Sun through, but it wouldn't happen. She just sighed and shook her head.

"I'm nameless," she whispered out, her gaze hitting the ground. I don't have a name once again... how pathetic. She expected for him to push her like Alex had done. Oh, Alex... Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"I get it," Lex's voice filled the air with a gentle. She blinked the tears away as she looked up, seeing the sympathetic smile. The god damn sympathy. I don't want it. I don't need it. "I was the newbie before you came here. About a month before your arrival. The last guy before me came over a year ago. They aren't used to newcomers. I got the looks like you do now. I promise, I get it." Sun's eyes searched his for any lie.

She didn't find anything aside from a gentle expression, as if he was worried she would shatter. She cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow as she squared her shoulders. For Alex.

"Are you going to show me how this works?" she asked the man, changing the subject. A smile tugged at his lips, but didn't take full shape.

"Yeah, come with me."