Ami woke up. 

What's happening? What are those unusual smells? What's that strange breeze? Where was the cool breeze coming from? And why was she sleeping with her legs tucked up? 

For a while, the Kantinian didn't know where she was. The fact that she was sleeping in her clothes didn't surprise her. It was a normal practice.

But the other questions demanded answers... 

... So she opened her eyes.

It's drifting in from behind.....that door curtain? 

Oh, my gnats! She's in Omill! It's real!

But we are here for a weird, inappropriate, incomprehensible job... Still happy? 

Yes.

And the bit of unpacked stuff that didn't fit on the bedside table was on her legs and around them. 

It is fiiine. This mess will keep us busy for a while. We need to clean this place up, so we need more rags. There must be a Market somewhere.

But firstly... we've got to get to work. 

We have a free light to settle here, but we also have anxiety. We're not familiar with the neighbourhood. We need to know the road that will take us to work. And we need to know the exact light when we start work. We forgot to ask Milo a light before, and we require more instructions.

Also, a light, before Ami thinks she saw the familiar outlines of warehouses nearby. That would be a good neighbourhood for us as well. It's not clear where they are exactly, but it's good to know they're here.

So. What have we got? 

A lot of tasks. And a starting point. She remembers how to get to the place she visited earlier.

Already better and more than nothing. Ami found her usual bag among the mountain of her belongings and hurriedly threw in everything she thought she needed and could find among the scattered items. The rest would have to be sorted into duffel and laundry bags after she had cleaned and dusted the place... Later.

And the inspired one has already jumped out of her kotti and looked around. 

It's a great view! The greatest.

Hello, hills and forest in the distance, hello, delicious Omill air, hello, kotti... You're gorgeous!

Gorgeously round. Like all the marvellous dwellings here, brown with a glimmer of white building clay, a greenish-purple tinge to the roof and lightly draped with vines... Simple and charming, proven by countless cycles of use.

And now, for about half a cycle, one of these beauties belongs to her. Majestic. One could only hope that they'd get on and get along.

Well, it's time to find the road. By all means.

Everything looks completely different in the daytime, but visual memory and the blue Mushroom had led them to the right spot. It wasn't as blue as it looks in the evening, but it's still the closest one. So this could be used in orienteering. Obviously. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called landmark Mushrooms.

And it's time to take advantage of the location of her kotti, near one of the city's finest cafes. As the owner of an excellent nose and a stomach always hungry for goodies, she couldn't pass by the place she had recently discovered.  

The alien entered the café without a shadow of a doubt, with the obvious intention of picking up something new and interesting.

It would be a crime to rush to work at the expense of the quality of life in Omill. Anywhere but Omill. The Omillians themselves were of the same opinion.

And Ami is here to ensure that the local laws are strictly adhered to.

That way, finding the Temples would be more fun. 

And a moment later, her order was ready. A cute, witch-inspired greeting from the hostess bobbed above the surface of the coffee. Sooo cuuuute!

How could she have just walked right past such a miracle? Impossible. Inexcusable.

The Kantinian shrieked with delight, amusing the barista, and happily headed off to her new city.

She took the first sip and looked around. 

Wow! Everything is so bright, so fresh, so beautiful... It would take some getting used to.

She sighed blissfully and turned her head from side to side, trying to find her way, wandering down the seemingly familiar street, looking at the kotties with such interest, as if she were seeing them for the first time. 

They are always curious and wonderful, no matter how often and how long you look at them. 

They look a bit like Prime desserts. Are these houses in the shape of cakes, or cakes in the shape of houses? Hmmm... Given that all ideas come from the same source, this natural shape could simply be handy for witches in both baking and building.

With her thoughts and coffee, Ami didn't notice that she appeared near the Temple Square. Turning off her mind was always the best way to succeed. Her mind was focused on problems and rarely helped. Only to find more problems and fears to think about endlessly.

The coffee-based method of switching it off was tasty, pleasant and effective.

This Temple Tower. It's a great landmark. Even without being a mushroom. Too bad it's not a mushroom. The Mushroom Tower would look good here.

"Besides, you could just ask for directions. Where the Truth Station was definitely no secret."

No, I couldn't. There's no grave danger or anything.

A quick way is a way without coffee, sweets and a walk through the city. It would be a stupid, unnecessary deprivation.

Amelia stopped in the middle of the Temple Square and looked around. 

How much space! Not only did the monumental buildings not impose their authority on the passers-by, but they actually adorned the whole complex, creating an independent, authentic architectural composition in the middle of the city. It could even be a tourist attraction in its own right, just for the sight of all this. 

A pleasant place to work. And quite respectable. Not like their squat administrative buildings in Kantine. 

...Maybe Lucy is right, and Ami really does idealise witches and witch attributes, and belittles her native Land. 

Or maybe not. And, at least for this grumpy little service woman, things are what they are. There is only one way to find out.

Before entering the building with which her vaguely frightening future was associated, Ami stomped hesitantly, exhaled and took a step inside, pushing aside the entrance curtain.

The curtain let Amelia through and returned to its usual place.

Those smells... earth, clay, coffee! It's her workplace now. Great. Look at this place!

 After several visits to the Hall of Expectations, it was almost familiar. But that familiarity did not make it any less charming. 

The bright, broad rays of light coming through the windows made the light inside soft and diffuse, creating an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. The coffee place was empty now. Unless you were to count the dust and the dark specks that danced in the light as guests. 

A new Secretary looked away from the enchanting picture, sighed again and walked resolutely towards Milo's office, just as the boss came out of the room, frowning at the clay tablets in his hands. 

He glanced up at the visitor.

- Oh! Not empty-handed. - He noticed the cup in her hands. - With coffee.

- With an empty coffee cup. - Shaking the empty container, Ami corrected. - Came back for further instructions.

Milo nodded.

- Did you find your kotti?

- Yes, Lucy helped a lot.

- That's our Lucy! She always does that. Is everything all right?

- Yes, everything's fine, just need some tidy up a bit there.

- Then I'll give you a light to help you settle in. It won't hurt anyone. Tomorrow, after sunrise on the third satellite, you can start work.

- Acknowledged. Good... Great, actually.

- Is there a problem?

- Apart from the fact that I've never done secretarial work before and, despite the instructions, I still have no idea how to work?

- Yes, apart from that.

- None at all.

- That's fine. I'll see you in the next light. If you come to see me, I'll show you the sign for the opening of the curtain at the entrance to your place of work.

- Which I can't use without being a witch. - Ami frowned.

- Oh, right... - Milo frowned too, confused. - Sealing an Archive is an essential protocol, and you can't escape it. So many issues... Well, we'll start solving them step by step.

- Yeah. We'll have to take it one step at a time. And don't look at the whole mountain of problems, or I'll get hysterical.

- Yes. As with any difficult case. We'll put hysteria on the list too, as a last resort. In the meantime, start with the household.

- Got it! I'll make the most of my free time in the city.

- Let's do it. Good luck. - Milo smiled mischievously. - Don't overdo it.

- Not to clean up the whole city? - Amelia gave a grin.

- You never know. Kantinians are so industrious.

Ami wiped the coffee residue from the cup with the hem of her top clothes and hastily shoved the cup into her bag.

- That certainly doesn't apply to me... - She shook her head. - Like many kantinian things. I'm not a typical Kantinian.

- Well, then there's nothing to worry about. - Milo waved his hand and returned to the transport of documents.

The employee left the dwelling of soft light and the coffee smell and hurried outside. So she had a free light before she started work, to settle in and get everything she needed... Splendid.

She'd have time for that. Before she locked herself in the dark indoors, she needed to take a proper walk.

But before that, let it all be excitingly bright, witchy and beautiful. Round houses. Mushrooms. A big Hill and a Forest in the distance. Lots of new and unexplored things... It's hard to know where to begin.

A single light is not enough for everything. But half of the cycle will do. She doesn't have to do everything in one light. But the problem is that she really wants to.

Because everything is so unstable. Pfff - and she's gone. While walking. While sleeping. Or not so dramatic, just “get out of our city, loser” again.

Alright… “step by step” he said, and panic is the last thing to go.

A few more questions, then. 

Where's the nearest Market? Or is it better to go straight for the rags to the Caravans she already knows where they are? Maybe. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get there from here. Or... better to go and see where it takes her. That way we can explore some new roads. And the Market might be the first one we hit. One of the Markets.

So. Quality time again. Good, good. Next question.

Which direction should we go first? Or better yet, how do you go in all directions at once...

...try all the coffees and biscuits at once, so that even if they kicked Ami out of Omill or the Continent or life itself tomorrow, it wouldn't be so painfully sad. 

Or you could put it another way. How do you get so many Ami to do all the things you want to do at the same time?

"There are a lot of us." 

Excuse me. A... lot?

"In your head. Yes. You think if we speak one by one, it's one voice?"

Yes... And I...

"Just one of the voices."

I didn't think about it. And by the way. There's only one head, and it can't be everywhere at once. So you're a strange thought, you know. I've had lots of thoughts before, but they weren't that weird. Or were they? Doesn't matter. 

Let's go... somewhere, we have a lot to do. Enjoying our lives. Not weird voices.

One light of joy in a big cycle is much more than zero. Let's start. One step at a time. Which one comes first? 

That's easy. If this light were the last, what would you do? It's definitely not cleaning. No one will die if we live in this mess for one more light. 

Our whole life is a mess. 

So the plan is...

To visit one more café at least. 

Wander around until we're hungry. Let your stomach decide where to go. If there's a Market or a Caravan on the way, we'll grab what we need and try to find our way home, because we're already lost not only in our thoughts, but also in a city.

The worst thing is that we've chosen the unknown path and don't even look at the surprises it holds. We have skipped it mindlessly, like the sips of that great ale a light before. No good.