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"No one should be hungry!"

She chuckled and nodded with agreement. Katyusha knew firsthand the pain of prolonged hunger. It was near starvation, but thankfully it never threatened her life. Nevertheless her experience was part of why she disliked hungry people without food and urged her to give them something to eat. When people went hungry for too long, their life would be ruined slowly.

While her house was always kept clean, it was far from decent. The cushions had been repaired several times and the colors were fading; proofs telling people that they had been washed quite often and thoroughly. Holes on the sofa were covered with a shredded cloth -- in the most similar color she had. Overall, the house was showing its signs of bad construction and Katya couldn't help but blush over the embarrassment, almost not seeing the man held her door open.

She led him into the kitchen, her footsteps were quick as if trying not to tarry too long and let him see more of her house. Katya was fine if he was one of the ordinary birds from Aylesbury; but judging from his attire, he was just here by coincidence. Definitely not a permanent resident. She had not much budget for home decoration; many of her ornaments were found in garage sales or secondhand stores, fixed and repaired when she did have time to add her own touch.

Sadik didn't seem to mind her shabby dwelling, his still smiling widely. Katya placed meat and sausages in the freezer before replying, "thank you! It'd be greatly appreciated. But I don't know your number, though...."

The nurse looked around her kitchen, every groceries already put inside their respective places. She thanked him again, "nothing, thank you for your help! Hopefully you're not in rush, I can make you tea or coffee." While talking, she prepared to heat some water. If he didn't want to stay, then she'd have more tea for herself and that is fine.

Katyusha kept her fingers firm on the book, their tips paled as she put more pressure to keep it in place. Judging by the man's attire - which was no different than any commoners in London - the nurse deemed him not as one of the die hard fans. They camped in front of the bookstore since yesterday night and dressed like they were going to a Halloween party, both kids and adults alike.

Considering that he came pretty late, like her, he would be fine waiting for the second printing. And he did, because he quickly admitted his defeat by saying he was going to look for another copy instead. "Thank you, kind sir," Katyusha beamed, taking the book and cradled it in her arm. "You could find another book soon, I hope. A store this big should have stocked more than what we've seen around us." Without waiting for a reply, she motioned for a staff (dressed in that weird attire, she noticed) to come closer. This was the least she could do for him. He did not seem to be a bad person, just someone who liked book and a tad unfortunate today. "Do you still have another copy of this book?"

Much to her surprise, the staff checked the shelves where Katyusha just took the book from. "I guess that's all we have today, ma'am. It is the last one."

She could feel her heart sank, and as if responding to her emotion, children crowding at the cash register across them were whining. Their guardians ushered them out with a promise to look for the book in other stores, thankfully, so Katyusha's gentle heart did not sink even further.

"Not... not even one?"

The staff shook her head.

After thanking her for the help, the Ukrainian woman turned to the man, sheepish smile began to form on her expression. "So, um, are you going to search in another bookstore?"

This man was certainly quirky. Today was nowhere near any holidays that would require people dressing up in masked costumes, like Halloween. Yet here he was, covering the upper half of his face with a simple, undecorated white mask. Katyusha noted his nose shape and smile. She liked them. Too bad his hobby prevented her to see the rest of his face. The nurse led them outside, looking back few times to ensure he could handle all the bags. Those were heavy, she bought meat, canned food and several jars of preserved fruits. Somehow balancing the goods and walking did not seem to be a hassle for him. He was quite muscular and tall, at least as tall as Katyusha's own brother.

It was a common knowledge that letting a stranger knew your house was dangerous. But Katyusha was no common woman; her address was known to the darker half of London, and perhaps more, but never she spent a night worrying about it. Aylesbury was never asleep, and even passerby knew not to try harming her property. A faceless power protected her, one whose name was known among the dwellers of the underground. Katyusha never saw him before, with or without mask. This man could be from either side of London.

"Let's cross the street here," Katyusha led him when they were at an intersection. "It's one block away."

"It's quite a lot you got here, feeding the whole family, or just having a big gathering? Or was it just a spur of the moment, good deals and better get it all now than going more than once?"

She chuckled at his curiosity. "A bit of both. I saw they have some good deals and discounted prices. Can't let it pass, no? Besides," the Ukrainian slowed down her walking pace so she now walked by his side, "I have friends who came over quite often for dinner or supper. I also love to cook and arrange a feast, so it's better stock a lot now while I can. Clearly I didn't expect I would buy so much!"

"Where are my manners? My name is Sadik, nice to meet you..?"

"Katyusha. Katya for short." She provided him her shortened name, knowing that some people had trouble trying to pronounce it. "Two more turns and we will arrive at my place. I hope you're not too tired yet." She let themselves took a turn before speaking again. "So, Sadik, are you only here for a visit or recently moved? I never see you around Aylesbury before."

Today's shopping was exceptionally bothersome.

Her left arm was aching still, muscles throbbing every time the basket in her grasp gained weight. When the nurse checked her arm before she went shopping, there was a bruise forming. One of her birds from this morning thrashed and tried to escape seeing Katyusha brought a syringe - even though she had no intention to inject him with anything. Who knew such a fearsome thug feared a needle? Eventually she was able to convince him staying until she finished treating his wound. He apologized for hurting her before leaving.

Katyusha sighed at that thought, stepping into the vegetable aisle. At least he had a polite manner to make up for the damage. Too bad he could not accompany her shopping to refill her empty fridge. Normally she never had any problem in carrying a heavy basket, but her upper arm was not in its best condition. Entertaining herself with a promise of an ice pack and a cup of hot chocolate, Katyusha put several vegetables into her basket. The contents had formed a pile, despite she only shop for food. Even though she lived alone, there were people who frequented her house - her fridge, to be more specific. She switched the basket to her uninjured hand, passed the spice rack to get an extra refill of salt and pepper before she headed to the cashier.

A nagging feel in her heart stopped Katyusha. Pretending to be interested at a shampoo bottle, she checked her surroundings from the corner of her eyes. Yet so far there were only fellow shoppers in the store, busy with their own shopping carts and baskets. Considering that this was still Aylesbury, where people from all social layers mingled, there bound to be one or two who recognized the Nightingale. Though it was an unspoken rule to never address her as such in a public place. She was supposed to be anonymous after all.

Waiting for several minutes were proven to be fruitless. No one came up to approach her. Shoving that matter aside, Katyusha forced herself carrying the heavy basket to the register.

"Oh, are you planning to have a dinner party?" the cashier, a young bubbly girl asked Katyusha while helping her. The Ukrainian just nodded at her remark. "I bet you are a good cook, I myself am not that good in cooking..." and then she proceeded to babble about more things Katyusha barely listened to; because a man who went to the cashier before her tarried too long in the narrow aisle. His own grocery was few compared to hers; she wondered why he had not heading out yet. Meanwhile, once the girl had done bagging her stuff, Katyusha realized she took too much stuff than her usual grocery shopping. Maybe she shouldn't have taken those strawberries, no matter how fresh and appealing they were. Oh well, the payment had been made anyway. The Ukrainian hoped Madeline would like to have some later, whether fresh or made into a shortcake.

The man had gone and Katyusha could use the extra space to arrange her bags on her arms. Shoot, apparently she did need some help. Her house was within a walking distance, but the bags were heavy and she did not want to make a second trip from the store to her house. That would waste some precious minutes.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice that it might seem a bit difficult to carry all those bags, do you need any help?"

Looking up, a tall brown haired man had stood right beside her, offering a help Katyusha needed at the moment. What a godsend! It only took her a second to say "yes! Thank you, I do need a hand here." The woman took the lightest bags, letting him to grab the rest. "I walked here, and my house is not that far; hopefully they're not too heavy for you." Smiling, Katyusha sauntered to the exit. This man was quite muscular, so she would not be surprised if he was able to carry them all.

And he was handsome, to boot.

Madeline was awake. She could tell. Katyusha had spent many hours awake long past the changing of the dates, doing her unfinished duties. She mastered the way to walk with silence as her only companion, as her patients had the most sensitive hearings and liked to sleep uninterrupted by the slightest noise. Therefore, noises coming from her niece's bedroom was not suspicious.

(A part of Katyusha, who wished Madeline to be deep in her slumber, was disappointed when she opened her eyes and hopped down from the bed)

Even though her hair was slightly tangled, she looked as beautiful as usual. The kind of beauty Katyusha only saw in children: untainted, pure and innocent. And with her father (damn, she never realized that word could be so heavy to be spoken, especially when she was not thinking of her own father) standing in the same room with them, their resemblance became clear for the nurse. The same radiant locks, the same azure irises.

(Madeline was passable to be her own daughter, but no. No. Katyusha knew the difference in their hair colors-- hers was paler, resembling silver more than gold. No matter how much her neighbors commented on their physical similarities as aunt and niece, the truth was undeniable.)

Once the little girl ran to Francis-- oh boy, he cried. He was happy indeed. The heartwarming reunion tasted bitter in Katyusha's heart, filling it with envy and jealousy. That's not allowed, she told herself, he's her father; he has a right to be with her and watching her grow and tending her hopes and dreams...

"No more boo-boo."

Cold fingers met plump lips as the Ukrainian looked away, as if she tried to hide a smile that was slowly worming its way past the wall of jealousy. How many times she consoled a crying Madeline? Pride bubbled up in her chest. She must had been watching her calming too many people since she used a similar technique like hers.

Katyusha crossed the bedroom in two long strides and cleared her throat, reminding the French about her presence. About under whose roof he was now. Her house, her rules.

"Madeline, this is an old friend of mine." The woman crouched down. "He will be visiting us often. Very often," Katyusha added, her lips curved upwards. "But it's way past your time to sleep. Perhaps we can continue our chat again... tomorrow? Or weekend?" Her eyes met Francis'. "If your schedule allow it, we can go somewhere together." The words were spoken softly, yet her tone was firm.

He undoubtedly knew what was unsaid. It was not hard to read between the lines. This way, Katyusha would have time to prepare herself for the inevitable.