The next morning, Lukas would complete his old task rather quickly. Upon inspecting it, he would attempt to find Ptyor, but in a moment, he would realize the man was too busy yelling at the other two coworkers. Both of whom had–once again–been late.

He went to the bed Ptyor had showed him the day before and he gave it an inspection. This bed would take much longer. He would kneel into the dirt, the fresh earthy smell hitting his lungs. Here, he would continue to work, his thoughts on the night before. Somehow, the thoughts of Boris had left him wondering if he would see Boris here one time. Despite the fact that he could get in trouble for it, he still wished he could see the man.

In continuing to work, today he was a bit faster, hoping to hide the shame of his late night last night. This time, he would pay little heed to the others. Only at the three-hour mark, would Ptyor come over to where he had been working, nodding his approval.

“Doing what we talked about yesterday without even asking,” Ptyor said. “Saving me the time of having to come chase you down?”

Lukas held his hands to his chest, clasping his dirty fingers together. At this point, he didn’t know what to say, the words of his old boss lingering in his mind. His old boss had called him lazy numerous times, and had smacked him on the side of his head numerous times.

“Well, I didn’t want to bug you,” Lukas said. “And we have a whole garden here to take care of, do we not?”

“We do,” Ptyor said. He then turned to the other two workers. “I shouldn’t compare you to them. But perhaps you would like to come with me for a dinner?”

“Sure,” Lukas said. “I would love to come over.”

“Great,” Ptyor said. “I do have my sister, and then my nieces and my nephews. I am certain they would love to meet you. In the meantime, I have provided a sandwich for your work.”

As he continued to eat, Lukas pondered about how Mikhail had warned him. Sure, Ptyor had been tough on the other two men. But that was because neither of them had wanted to work here. Of course, it was only his second day, but Lukas had expected much, much worse from this man.

“Thank you, Sir,” Lukas said.

“You’re an interesting one,” Ptyor said. “Now, back to work for you, Sonny.”

Lukas turned away, not certain of what to say to the man. Had this man picked up on the fact that he was struggling? Or the fact that Lukas’ biological father had complicated feelings toward him?

It was hardly appropriate in most situations to be considered the son of his boss anyway. But at this point, Lukas didn’t care. As he continued his work, he would push himself to work faster. By the time he had finished, there was another whole bed completed.

By the time Ptyor looked at it, he nodded, and he grinned. “Now. Be ready to meet me at my place. I gave you an address for it.”

Lukas would leave work, taking the carriage. It had been just warm enough to where sweat had formed on his chest. He would find his way home, take a bath, and then freshen up. In wearing his worker clothes, he would hope it was enough for him to look prim and proper. He would soon smile to himself in the mirror.

Before making it to Ptyor’s house, he would find a small shop, finding a box full of tea, and he would be on his way. He couldn’t quite read or recognize the brand, but he still hoped it would be enough to be polite to Ptyor’s sister, Daria.

The house was small, yet well-built, with stone carvings out front. As Ptyor opened the door, he would usher Lukas in. Upon meeting Daria, Lukas would present the box of tea.

“Hello,” he said. “Thank you for having me over. Miss Daria, was it?”

“It was,” Daria said. She took the box and smelled it. “It smells nice. Thank you.”

They would serve him fish with dumplings on the side. Lukas would eat the fish, smiling. It reminded him of his life back home, giving him something to feel better about. That was, before he remembered the rules about smiling, when he quickened his expression.

“We tend to smile a lot more in my native realm,” Lukas said. “Apologies.”

Daria looked at him curiously. “Where are you from, then?”

“The third realm,” Lukas said. “My parents worked at the university.”

“Oh, how nice,” Daria said. “And you have been working for Ptyor for two days now? He normally doesn’t invite new recruits over. Not in the longest while. Then again, a good few of his workers are freshly out of prison.”

“That’s good to know,” Lukas said.

“A good few of them are political prisoners,” Daria said. “Why they do it that way is beyond me, but Ptyor has a reputation, and so I guess that’s why they keep sending people to him. Now, my husband is still at work, so you might not see him. But you should be nice company regardless.”

“This fish reminds me of home,” Lukas said. “It tastes wonderful.”

“We have a zapekanka later,” Daria said. “It’s still in the oven right now.

When the zapekanka appeared, Lukas would take a thoughtful bite, giving a nod. The cheesy casserole melted in his mouth. He tried to appear appreciative of the food, but he couldn’t get rid of the off feelings.

“Now, Sonny,” Ptyor said. “I know that where you’re from, you didn’t get a lot of food, but while you work for me in such a physical job, I expect you to at least try to eat at least one meal a day. For my sake, please. But also for your sake. No more skipping meals.”

“I will try my best,” Lukas said.

He would leave the house a few hours later, tears slipping down his cheek. He wasn’t sad, per say, but there was something awkward about the way Ptyor had spoken to him. Not that he wasn’t ungrateful, but in those moments, he wasn’t certain of how he should feel about anything.

Lukas would continue to work on his painting, blocking in the shapes of his houses. Where the background had been orange, the background behind the houses would be a blue, while everything else would remain as various shades of white and grey. The painting would have values similar to some of the historic paintings he had seen in the palace, although he hadn’t planned for it.

The next morning, he would begin working with some of the more fine details. The cobblestones, and then the light bouncing off the roof would be next. He didn’t want to pull away from his work, but as he turned away, he recognized the time. It was late–perhaps a little too late for him, and he still had homework to finish. 

I have 116 coins now, and I feel wealthier than ever. Even if I am constantly feeling like I am struggling to get enough work.