Puron Psych

45

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"Pardon me, but did I hear that you are still looking for work?" Chief Aleki, who only heard a bit of the conversation, approached Harper from her side.

She nearly had a heart attack, hoping he didn't hear everything, including her mentioning Westona.

"Um... yeah? Yes!" Harper mumbled softly. "It's just... there's a lot of things I have to get used to. The skills I gained from the job I had before don't exactly help me to find one here."

"Ah, I see..." Aleki scratched under his chin. "You and your family are still getting accustomed to the move."

"Yeah,"

"Don't worry, here on Alkapoltua, we do our best to make all newcomers feel welcome. Tell me, what did your job before you came here entail?"

"I was a..." Harper paused. Should she be honest? Would be be able to identify who she was? It would sound more suspicious if she didn't answer. "I was a scientist."

"Oh? What kind?"

"Well... some of my tasks were to study a subject, and write reports."

"You're a very detailed person, I suppose."

"Thank you," Her lips curled into a smile. People like Arturo deemed her career and studies as worthless.

But doing her type of work wasn't at all easy and required lots of attention and organization. She was happy that someone noticed.

"I think I can help you with your job search." Chief Aleki clicked his tongue.

"Really?"

"Mhm. It isn't written on the board, I don't think she's ever gotten around to advertising it but, Akamau is looking for a helper."

"Oh," Harper said, sounding a little disappointed. It's not like she didn't want the job, but she knew that Hyde would give her an earful.

"She is paying 30 talents a day for assistance. If you work long enough, you can make almost just enough to pay for the shed."

Those words were convincing. Harper decided to just give it a chance. At the rate her job search was going, she probably wouldn't find anything until the last day, and she didn't want to burden Hyde with all of the pressure.

"If you're interested, you should go to her. Tell her I sent you."

"I will." Harper nodded. "Thank you."

Chief Aleki parted ways with her, strolling down the path, onto another, probably toward the marketplace and other establishments that Hyde was telling her about.

Akamau's shed was a thirty-minute walk away. The humidity wasn't helping Harper. Her new growth of hair was standing up tall when reacting to the moist air.

She felt that the sunlight was heavy. By the time she reached the stairway leading up to Akamau's home, she felt exhausted. The wrap around her waist was drenched in sweat and so was her cropped shirt.

She puffed as she climbed up the stairs, wiping the pools of liquid off her face.

The island had beautiful sights, but the weather was going to kill her. Just for a second, she missed the Westona cold.

"Oh!" Akamau burst through her doorway, carrying a wooden crate full of small tiny glass bottles. "What brings you back here?"

"Hi!" Harper huffed and leaned against the wooden rail. "Sorry, I just... give me a moment to catch my breath."