Please comment and like this chapter - Let me know what you think! Sorry for the late post. This time zone change and keeping track of daylight savings in America has me confused.

"Did you find a job?" Was the first thing that Hyde asked when Harper opened the door and stepped inside. She jumped after being startled by his voice. He was sitting on the couch drying his hair.

"Um..."

"You didn't, did you?"

"No, not yet. But I went to apply and one of the workers gave me some food to prepare for the rest of the week." Harper smiled and raised the lumpy cloth high.

Hyde stood and sauntered over to see what she had brought back. When Harper unwrapped the fish and crabs, Hyde raised a brow at her.

"I told them about our income situation, and they gave it to me."

"Really? They did?" Hyde grabbed one of the crabs and titled it.

"Yeah. Isn't that great? We won't have to worry about paying for food for a few days."

"I find it weird that they're giving you the same crabs I harvested today." Hyde tossed it back onto the table.

"Oh... uh..."

"I didn't see you by the docks at all. Not even by the beach. So it makes me wonder which worker you talked to."

"Well... he had long black hair..."

"Uh huh..."

"And he had tan skin and tattoos on his arms."

"That describes many of the guys who work there, yes." Hyde flipped the towel over his shoulder. "You're lying to me."

"I'm not." Harper shook her head.

"I despise liars. They're worse than people who kill. You know that's what I think, right?" Hyde's tone was sharp and cold like ice.

"I thought you had to go lumberjacking today."

"I never disclosed my work schedule to you. Stop trying to change the subject."

"I'm not lying to you."

"Oh, really? So you came to the docks to apply for a spearfishing job?"

"N-no, I just—"

"If you finish that sentence with a lie, our deal is off, and I will kill you."

Harper bit her tongue. Hyde was very serious about it. He didn't want to waste any time being lied to. Bomb had lied to him his whole life, and continued haunting him. Hyde was raised being deceived by everyone he cared about.

The last thing he wanted was Harper lying to him too. If a person lied once, then they would repeat it. Gradually, more lies would lead to betrayal.

Hyde was actually making an effort to get along with her. This was his final straw. It was a lot on his part to put any level of trust in her after what happened in Piccposto.

Because of lies, he lost so much. He didn't have much to lose now. And any more lies would drive him insane to a point where it was beyond any possibility of him coming back.

"Tell me the truth." He warned her.

"Fine. Someone gave the crabs to me." Harper admitted.

"Who?"

"I don't have to tell you who." Harper pushed him away.

"Did I miss something?" Hyde spat in an icy manner. "Yes, you do."

"Hyde, it's been a long day. We've got food for the rest of the week. Can't you just let it go?"

"Would you be able to let it go if I cut off your air supply?"

"You're joking, right?" Harper felt a chill. His blank stare indicated that he was considering it. "We made a deal."

"A deal based on the agreement that we communicate with each other, right?" Hyde backed her into the kitchen counter. "So talk. Communicate."

"Finding a job is hard. Someone saw how sad I was, and offered me this. That's all there is to it. I don't know who."

Hyde raised a brow at her, studying her face one more time to see if he was missing something. He didn't feel one hundred percent convinced, but he decided to let her lie play out.

He decided to keep an eye on her. As he expected, putting too much trust in Harper was dangerous.

"I'm going to prepare them for dinner."

"You know how to cook crabs?"

"Actually, I do." Harper stuck her tongue out. "When I got the job at the Facility, my mom bought them and taught me how to make them."

"Surprise me," Hyde smirked, walking back over to the couch. He plopped back onto it and continued drying his hair.

"I may not know how to cook other things, but I remember this recipe because my mother worked hard to buy crabs. They're very expensive in Westona."

"For you, maybe." Hyde shrugged. "Servicemen dinners were elaborate. That stuff was on our plates every 2 weeks. Loads of it."

Harper grabbed a large pot from one of the lower cabinets and filled it with water. "Um, Hyde," Harper set the pot over the rack on top of the coal. Before turning on the furnace, she turned to face him.

"That life... the lifestyle of being a serviceman. Do you ever miss it?"

"Not at all."

"No, I mean, think about it..." Harper prodded. "You had money, you had luxury, and you got to travel as much as you wanted, all across Westona without much restriction. You don't miss any of it?"

"That lavish lifestyle came with a price. You had to bargain with your life to keep it. And not only that,"

Hyde answered honestly. "Bomb lied to me and my colleagues about how great our lives were. I may have had money, but I wasn't happy. Every good experience I had was a lie, meant to push me in a direction where he wanted me to be."

"That's... true..." Harper tossed the crabs into the pot. She searched around for any herbs or salts. "I agree that living lavishly doesn't make anyone happy if their whole purpose of taking advantage of it is for someone else's ulterior motive."

"Now you're getting it." Hyde's lip twitched upward. "I hardly had the time to take advantage of any of Westona's provisions... I was always in battle or doing small jobs like bounty hunting. I made bank, but didn't have energy left to enjoy it."

"Is that why you usually slept in so many times back in Piccposto? To enjoy and relax with more of the time you had?"

"No."

"No?"

"It wasn't to enjoy more of the free time. Itaria just happened to be one of the places I could get a full night's rest without worrying much."

"Without worrying so much?" Harper turned to face him and leaned against the counter. "I guess because Arnest's family made you feel at home?"

"Maybe. Who knows?" Hyde drummed his fingers against his leg.

There was an awkward silence. Guilt was eating at Harper's heart again. Arnest's family's death was a huge struggle for her. It was still very hard to grasp the fact that they were no longer here.

She formed a relationship with them that she didn't even have with her own family. Their love was very contagious. But witnessing their demise hurt her deeply.

Especially Anna Bella's newborn. That child who had an entire future ahead of her, was now lifeless, and cold, probably buried underneath the rubble.

She remembered how those tiny fingers felt. The memory was giving her a headache. She felt a little dizzy.

Vomit rose in her throat, and she quickly jumped away from the kitchen. Her hands slapped against her mouth as she darted for the bathroom. She puked in one of the bins.

Visual images of so many bodies left behind in Piccposto invaded the front of her mind as she heaved.

When she finished, she leaned against the tub and took a heavy breath. Throwing up caused her so much pain. She felt her chest ache and her stomach turn.

"You okay?" Hyde stepped in after her.

"No," Harper admitted softly. Hyde squatted next to her and tilted her chin upward. Harper wiped her mouth, feeling embarrassed that he was staring at her while in this position.

"Don't tell me the crab smell got to you already?" He chuckled.

"No." Harper whimpered.

"Oh shite. You're crying." Hyde's smile dropped.

"I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Are you trying to convince yourself?" Hyde joked, trying to lighten the mood, but it was almost impossible. Harper hurled again inside of the bin, and Hyde awkwardly patted her on the back.

"Okay." He cleared his throat, not knowing what to do. "What a tough crowd."

He pressed his fingers against the side of her neck. "Do you have a fever?"

"It's not that."

"Then why are you hacking up your breakfast? And the tears? What are those for?"

He glanced at her wrapped foot. "Is it the Puron...?"

"No, I think I'm just exhausted."

"From what? You didn't do shite today."

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but Yanpu's attitude about school is really taking a toll on me. That, and other things."

"Then maybe you should stop worrying about him and focus more on yourself."

"How could you even say that?"

"The brat is going to be fine. He's just gotta learn how to be a kid. Once that gets through his little head, I guarantee you won't be barfing up your insides anymore."

Though direct his words were, Harper found them somewhat reassuring.

"I assume you're still worried about finding a job." Hyde handed Harper a towel, which she gladly took and wiped her mouth with.

"Just apply for anything. You don't always have to stick with one. You can always find something better later, but for the sake of shelter and food, you've gotta think smart about this."

"I know..." Harper moaned.

"Your tears are gone now."

Harper blinked, and Hyde exhaled.

"How long will it take for the crabs to fully cook?"

"A few minutes."

"Then you'd better get back out there before you burn the meat." Hyde stood and dragged Harper onto her feet too. He saw the inside of the bin and scrunched his face. "I'll dispose of that."

Harper balanced herself, taking careful steps back into the kitchen. She was still very disheartened by all of her emotions, but she was trying her best to push through.

She ignored the heavy feeling in her stomach and kept her eyes on the pot.

After 15 minutes went by, Harper set aside the cooked crab on a tray, setting the food on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I'm surprised you're not worried that he hasn't come home yet."

A cold chill climbed up Harper's arms. They stiffened, and she raised her head to look at Hyde directly.

"Should I be worried?"

"It was just an observation." Hyde grabbed a crab and ripped its leg off. He dug into the food like a starved man.

"You don't think something happened to him, do you?"

"Don't work yourself up." He stuffed a large chunk of crab meat into his mouth.

"It's getting kind of late..." Harper nervously peeked out of the window. "I hope he didn't run away. I should go check on—"

"If he did run away, I'm sure he'd find his way back. He's done it before. Last night, for example."

"Thanks to you, now I'm anxious."

"You did that to yourself." Hyde licked his fingers, pointing the empty shell of his leg at her. "But I don't blame you. I don't think we should put a lot of trust in the people here."

There was a knock on the door, startling Harper. She rushed over to it, and swung it open, eager to see Yanpu. Her eyes met with a long skirt of grass, and she raised them.

Chief Aleki's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw her enthusiastic expression.

"Hello, Harper."

"Chief Aleki..." Harper gasped. "I... I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Ah, my visit is impromptu, but for a purpose. I finally gathered the things necessary for you both to sign the agreement of payment of this shed." He held up two thick brown stained pieces of paper to show her.

"Oh, right..."

"Would you like for me to come in?"

"Oh! Um! Sure! Sorry, the place is a bit of a mess... we had a bit of an incident." Harper stepped aside, allowing him to walk inside.

Hyde barely removed his eyes from the food. He seemed to be enjoying the meal she prepared.

Chief Aleki paused for a second when he noticed the cabinets were torn and damaged. Just what had the family been doing since he offered them the shed? Playing fuf inside?

Fuf was one of the games that children played around the village. The rules required kicking the ball in the air by at least 6 feet, to another player. And whoever dropped the ball would lose a point to the other player.

By the look of the kitchen, it seemed highly likely that had occurred.

Aleki smiled at Hyde and placed the papers down in front of him. "By the way, how is the job search going? The job we spoke about, did you go to meet Akamau—"

"It's going well!" Harper cleared her throat and Hyde raised his head. "Extremely well."

Harper avoided his stare and gestured to the papers. "Where do we sign?"

"There are two copies. One for me to keep for my records, and the other for you to have as proof of ownership. So you both can sign here."

Hyde snatched one copy up and read through it. He wanted to make sure that the price was the same, exactly 5,000 talents, 500 each month.

"Is there a problem?"

"I'm double-checking. It would be unfortunate for you if we were tricked into paying extra." Hyde's tone came off a little threatening.

"I'll sign it first." Harper felt embarrassed by Hyde's hostile reply, grabbing Aleki's copy of the paper. "Behave."

"It's just a warning," Hyde mumbled, stuffing himself with another piece of meat.

"Your husband is very articulate." Aleki complimented. "I too think it's very important to double-check the fine print."

"Only when he wants to be." Harper rolled her eyes.

"Are you both enjoying your time here?" Aleki asked, wanting to get to know the couple more. It wasn't often that foreigners came to visit and stay for a while.

Alkapoltua was often talked about as a bland village, full of lesser educated beings. But Chief Aleki wanted to express his gratitude for them showing interest in this place.

However, Hyde took it as Aleki trying to dig up information on them.

"It's okay."

"Yeah, the place is very comfy." Harper smiled, signing her copy of the agreement by stamping a seal Aleki handed her.

"Would you say your relationship has improved in the last few days ever since coming here?"

That would be something to brag about. Aleki could boast to Paradiso Mainland Rulers about how Alkapoltua was proven to strengthen familial and romantic relationships by gathering intel on their experience.

"Why do you want to know?" Hyde seethed.

"Stop it." Harper shoved the paper into his chest. "Sign it."

"I'm just wanting to make sure this shed is to your satisfaction." Aleki grinned. "If there is anything else I can do to make it better, please let me know."

"Thanks, but there's nothing else." Hyde snatched the stamp out of Harper's grasp, before slamming it onto the paper. He tossed it to Aleki and took another crab leg. "We can take care of the rest."

"Oh. Okay." Aleki nodded, taking his copies of the agreement and stacking them together. "Then, I'll leave you both to finish your meal. Oh, and tell the boy I said hello."

"Will do." Hyde shot him a thumbs up, not bothering to move his eyes away from the fruits and meat.

Harper smiled remorsefully and guided the Chief back to the exit. She followed him outside and shut the doors behind her. "I'm so sorry about him. He's just had a long day."

"Ah, I understand that our jobs are tough for newcomers. He must be exhausted."

"Yeah, let's go with that." Harper nodded. "Oh, and um... I haven't exactly told him that I started working for Akamau yet. So if you could keep it quiet for a bit, I'd appreciate it."

"You're keeping a secret from your husband?" Aleki pursed his lips, taken aback by her request. That was very odd for any couple to do. If anything, that was the start of a very unhealthy path leading to a broken marriage.

"Just for now, until I let him know."

Chief Aleki stared at Harper for a moment, trying to read her thoughts. It didn't seem like she had ill intent. But he couldn't tell just by looking. He'd have to see how she acted on the regular.

It still puzzled him that foreigners were able to lie and keep things from their partners. That was unheard of for couples to do as Alkapoltuan Natives.

Harper shifted under his eyes, very nervously.

"I won't tell him."

"Thank you."

"But if I may offer a little word of advice,"

"No need." Harper stopped him. "I have a very good reason why I'm doing this. I don't think you'd understand."

"Are you and he facing problems?"

"That's our business." Harper quipped. "It's between us."

People of other lands were very nosy compared to Westona. They always prodded into others' lives, she noticed. She dealt with it from Giada, but she refused for anyone else to dig into their personal issues.

This was for her and everyone else's safety.

"You have a good night, Chief Aleki. Get home safe." Harper walked back inside the shed, not wanting to engage in any more conversation with Aleki for the day. She was already on edge about everything. One of her worst fears as of the moment was that Westonian Officials would locate them.

She had noticed Aleki's odd level of persistence. Perhaps Hyde was trying to warn her about it, and that's why he was acting so cold.

She placed herself back next to Hyde, partaking in the meal she prepped. Hyde nearly finished all of the crab legs. But he popped open the centers and separated the meat aside for her.

"See what I mean?" Hyde nudged her.

"Huh?"

"These people are worse than Itarian's... our every move will be watched." Hyde hummed. "Yet, you don't find it suspicious at all."

"I don't want to generalize them all into one category. And I can't blame Aleki either. We can't sit here and pretend that we don't look suspicious. They may be just as nervous of us, as we are of them."

"It's cute that you think that way." Hyde huffed. "The way I see it, no one has questioned where we're from, and that's extremely eerie."

"Maybe there's a reason for that?"

"We're criminals on the run." Hyde peeled a yellow fruit and discarded the skin into the tray carelessly. "You've gotta be very stupid to let random visitors stay on your turf without explaining anything. And these people aren't stupid."

"Can't we just think positive, Hyde?"

"The truth always hurts." Hyde shrugged. "Whether you may like it or not."