The bartender glanced at them suspiciously and asked, "Why did you dye your daughter's hair purple?"

Lusstoni exhaled through his nose. He knew this question would come back to him in one way or another.

"She said she wanted to look like a crocus. Be grateful I picked the color of the petals and not the stem," he said ironically. "She's not my daughter. I found her in an orchard climbing trees like a feral animal, and I am trying to find her relatives to bring her home."

The bartender looked at the girl while still polishing the glass he was holding.

"What's her name?" he finally asked.

"She said she's named Omikraya," Lusstoni responded.

"And my mom always calls me Little Star!" the girl added.

"It doesn't sound like she could be from here," the bartender said and put the glass under the counter. "How old are you, Omikraya?"

"I'm ten!" she exclaimed happily.

"You're already ten?" Lusstoni asked without hiding his surprise.

"I will be ten at some point..." she responded. "I am basically an adult now!"

Lusstoni tried not to explode once more. If Omikraya were a little better at counting, he would have known that she was actually nine years and seven months old; alas, it wasn't meant to be.

The bartender shook his head.

"She doesn't sound or look like anyone from here," he said. "I don't think it's wise for you to keep scouring this place."

"But maybe—" Lusstoni tried to say something, but the man behind the counter interrupted him.

"Listen up, pretty boy. This town is not for the likes of you," he said harshly. "You come here in your fancy aircraft and strut around in your expensive clothes like you own the place, but here the people of the streets are in charge. There's a child with you. Be responsible and leave while you still have a vehicle to fly away in."

Lusstoni looked around and noticed that all the thugs were now glancing at him with thirsty looks on their faces.

"And if you'll take my advice," the bartender continued, "give her a bath and some fresh clothes. She looks like she has been living among the pigs. Her parents are going to kill you if you present her like this."

"Fine, but can I order something before we leave?" Lusstoni asked.

The bartender shook his head.

"You have a child with you. All I can give you is water until you return alone."

"But why? I would pay."

"Because I have principles unlike those self-righteous people in Norath. Now leave," the bartender said and pointed at the door. He was clearly done with this conversation.

Lusstoni still could feel the glances on him as they walked out of the bar. He was annoyed, although he wasn't sure if it was because he couldn't get a drink or because he still wasn't any closer to finding Omikraya's family. The longer it takes, the more time she will spend around and prevent him from enjoying his journey.

The man approached the nearest stall with clothes to buy her a new outfit.

"May I have a pretty dress?" Omikraya asked as she tightened her sweaty grasp around his hand.

"You may have what I buy for you," he responded and picked a simple dress, wooden shoes, and fresh underwear.

The vendor silently handed him the goods and put the payment in a box under the stall.

Omikraya was close to having a meltdown, but Lusstoni hanged the dress on his golden arm and led her back into the airship.

The man entered the airship and tossed the purchase on the side. He then grabbed a large metal bowl.

Lusstoni dropped it to the ground with a loud noise and fetched a bucket to go to the nearest well.

"What are you doing?" Omikraya asked as she skipped behind him.

"I'm going to give you a bath," he said.

He attached his bucket to the rope of the well and lowered it. The man pulled it back up and inspected the water.

It's clean enough, he thought, and carried the bucket in front of his airship. He emptied it into the large bowl and repeated the process a couple of times until it was filled.

Lusstoni brought her a brick of gray soap and pointed at the vessel.

"Take off these rugs you are wearing and get in the tub," he said.

Omikraya removed her old dirty clothes and sat in the tub in only her underwear.

"It's cold!" she protested.

"I don't care," he responded and handed her the soap. "Here, wash your hair."

The girl curled up in nearly a fetal position and started rubbing the back of her head with the gray soap.

"Not like this," Lusstoni shouted. "Put some water on your hair first...and stop crouching forward; you will get everything in your eyes! Don't you know how to wash your own head? You are too old to make these mistakes."

"I never did it alone," she complained as the water she just poured on her hair started getting in her eyes.

Lusstoni sighed impatiently and knelt behind her, grabbing her head with both his hands. The metallic parts of his prosthetic arm were catching rogue strands of her hair.

"Ouch, why do you have to wear this glove for it?" she asked.

"I...need it," he responded and tried to release her trapped hair. He never thought about it; when it happened to him, he just embraced it, thinking he deserved the pain for all he had done. He never considered that not everyone was disturbed this way.

After what felt like an eternity, Lusstoni finally managed to clean her hair. He brought her a towel, dried her head with it, and then wrapped it around her body.

"Go back to the airship," he said as he poured the water on the grass. For a second he started wondering if the soap would damage it. He then shrugged and thought, That's not my problem.

Lusstoni lingered outside for a moment. He needed a while for himself.

The man took a cigarette out, lit it, and began smoking. He took a deep puff and exhaled slowly.

Why did Caermirella want it so much? he thought to himself. Children are such feeble creatures who can't be left unsupervised for five minutes without a crisis. We could have done so much and traveled so far. Why did she choose to dedicate her life to someone else?

Lusstoni sighed and extinguished the rest of his cigarette. He threw it behind himself and headed into his airship.

He looked around.

Why is it so quiet here? he thought. Where is she?

"Omikraya?" he asked and checked the spots where she used to hide. She wasn't there.

Lusstoni scratched his head cluelessly. He finally opened the door to the bedchamber and stood in the doorframe, mortified.

Omikraya was sitting on the floor in her wet underwear and painting something on a piece of paper with the machine grease he stored behind his dresser. Her hands were elbow-deep in the dark orange substance, which also covered her face and thighs. The floor was wet and there was grease everywhere.

"OMIKRAYA, I'VE JUST BATHED YOU!!!" he shouted.

The girl looked up, visibly not knowing why he was yelling.

"I know!" she said. "I made you a gift as thanks!"

Lusstoni looked at her hands. She was holding a portrait of a woman in one and the prized picture of Caermirella from his wall in the other.

He swiftly snatched it from her greasy fingers.

"How did you unpin it?" he shouted.

"It was easy," she said. "I just put a box in there to reach it!"

Lusstoni tried to breathe deeply to calm himself down.

"She's pretty. Is it your wife?" the girl asked.

"She could be," he responded. "Now she is my brother's wife. Her name is Caermirella."

Omikraya looked at him in confusion.

"Why do you have a photo of your brother's wife here?" she asked.

"It's a long story," he said. "She used to be with me."

"I don't understand," she admitted. "She doesn't like you anymore? Is that why she chose your brother?"

"I guess you could say that," he responded.

"Why do you keep pictures of people who no longer like you?" she asked. "That's weird."

"You are weird," he cut short as he cleaned the photo of Caermirella with a napkin and put it in the hidden pocket of his coat. "Sit in the corridor and wait for me to clean this place before I give you another bath. Do not go into the cockpit."

He angrily cleaned the bedchamber. The machine grease was hard to remove, but he finally managed.

Lusstoni picked up the portrait Omikraya made for him. He wanted to tear it into pieces, but he just put it into one of his junk drawers.

The man finished cleaning and wiped his hands with a napkin. He walked out of the bedchamber and looked towards the cockpit. He saw Omikraya playing in there.

Why doesn't it surprise me? he thought to himself.

Lusstoni approached her and said, "Get out; you are getting another bath."

"But I don't want to!"

"I am not asking you if you want to; you are not allowed to be here if you are getting my airship wet and dirty," he stated firmly.

Omikraya sadly walked out of the cockpit and went in front of the airship. Lusstoni gave her another bath; he then took a moment to wash all the cloth she stained before he retreated.

He brought the wet items back in and hanged them under the ceiling of his deck.

"Get dressed and don't go anywhere near my grease, understood?"

Omikraya grumpily took her new clothes and locked herself in the bedchamber to put them on.

The girl went out with a crabby face. She looked much different when she was clean.

"I said I wanted a pretty dress," she said.

"It is pretty; you just have no taste," he responded.

The dress was fairly simple. The white ruffled top flowed smoothly into the light brown bottom, tied with a pale purple ribbon at the belly.

"Do I have to wear these shoes?" she asked miserably.

Lusstoni confirmed.

"But they are so loud!" she exclaimed.

"Exactly," he said. "You won't sneak up on me anymore. The shoes have to stay if you want to be here."

Omikraya crossed her arms grumpily.

"Toni?" she finally said. "Can you tie my hair into two braids?"

Lusstoni wanted to decline. However, he still had some faint memories of helping Caermirella with her hair. The man decided to try. He nodded and went into the bedchamber to find some ribbons and a comb.

Omikraya sat on a small stool in the main chamber of the deck. She looked at him and grimaced.

"Can you take the glove off now?"

"No," he responded and knelt behind her.

There was no need for him to wash her hair again, so it was almost dry. The man was relieved that he didn't need to wait any longer.

Lusstoni clumsily began combing her hair. He tried not to catch any strands in his prosthetic arm this time. The texture of her hair felt strange under his fingers. It was soft and silky, unlike his own, which was dry and brittle.

Omikraya tried to look around, but he kept pushing her head back in position.

"I can't do anything if you keep moving. Sit still," he said.

After a while he remembered how to do it, and he created two clumsy braids. They could have been better had somebody else made them, but he is all she had, so she had to accept them.

Lusstoni tied two blue ribbons on the bottom of the braids and breathed out in relief.

"Done," he said. "Now go play with something and I will return to the cockpit. I got to move the airship away from here."

"But I want to play with you!"

Lusstoni shook his head.

"I will not play with you," he said.

The girl looked at the ground sadly. Lusstoni promptly ignored it and went into the bedchamber to place his comb back into the junk drawer. As he opened it, he saw his old wooden spinning top.

Maybe this will buy me some time, he thought.

Omikraya heard him coming and looked up.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the item he was holding.

"It's my old toy," he answered. "You may have it if you play quietly."

Omikraya squeaked happily and grabbed the spinning top. She then sat on the floor and put it on the ground.

"What does it do?" she asked.

Lusstoni didn't think he would ever meet a child who doesn't know how to play with it.

"You got to make it spin, like this," he said and showed her how to do it.

Omikraya grasped it quickly, and she began playing on her own.

"I thought it would take her more time," he said to himself and returned to his cockpit.

The man sat down heavily in his pilot chair and put the goggles back on his face. He checked if everything was still set as it should be. Surprisingly, Omikraya didn't flip any switches.

The airship lifted from the ground slowly. Lusstoni set the course to the next town he could bring her to. He was already tired of taking care of her, and their adventure had just began.

The man hoped he could be alone soon.

Lusstoni took the picture of Caermirella out of his hidden pocket and rubbed it with his thumb.

"I am not weird, right?" he said under his breath. "The child is because she has never been in love."

Deep inside he knew she was right, but he would never admit it. He wanted to believe that if he could prove he had changed, Caermirella would return to him.

Lusstoni was too comfortable in the embrace of delusion to accept the truth.