Witches were not entirely uncommon, many passed through town on their way elsewhere, and some would peddle their wares from carts. They could often be seen wearing outlandish garments, adorning their heads with unconventional decorations, some macabre. It would not be entirely farfetched for Patience to appear at the store with a skull on her head. Most people who knew of her could assume this was a natural progression of her fascination with skeletons. Some might conclude she was a witch all along.

Witches. Patience wondered if they had a solution to get the skull off her head. Force seemed out of the question. To her knowledge Anax did not sleep either so the girl failed to imagine how he could be subdued. Then again, she pondered how many people in the world knew of the true nature of whatever Anax was. Or how many of those people could be found here across the vast ocean far away from Vyugary and his homeland. She would have to endure her time with him.

Patience fixed herself in front of the mirror, lifting the short cinched sleeves of her off-shoulder blouse. It was a little strange changing into her nightgown last night, fortunately her gown had a collar wide enough to slip over the skull. Anax had made some remarks about humans needing clothing for protection, but it was no more awkward than undressing in front of a cat or dog.

Earlier she woke up feeling quite well despite the giant skull over her head. Anax had cradled her head through the entire night and she did not wake with the neck pain she expected. She had felt as if she was sleeping on a cloud, which given the state of Anax’s body, was an apt comparison. It had not been an unpleasant night with the creature.

The only sourness during her night was wrestling with the decision whether to go into town today or not. She could not put off buying essentials. Patience was running low on flour, she could only go so long without bread. It would be best to simply get the trip over with.

She tightened an old leather brace around her waist, in case she would need to lift anything heavy this trip into town. Outside the sun beamed brightly, the girl stroked a wool cape hung up on the side of her wardrobe.

“Thinking of hiding me?” snarked Anax.

The hooded cape would indeed be an integral piece in completing an outfit with the skull. There could even be a chance no one would recognize Patience in full attire, but alas it was too warm out to justify its inclusion.

“People know me in town. They’ll talk,” Patience grumbled, unconsciously touching her hand to Anax’s jaw.

“Let them,” said Anax.

The girl sighed and pulled on her boots. By the front door she had placed earlier a flour sack full of the dolls and stuffed animals she had sewn during the winter. Anax formed an arm and inspected them. They were all fairly primitive and made mostly from scrap fabric and old stray buttons, but there was a certain appeal to them. A few of the cloth girls had fine designs embroidered on their smocks. Some of the animals had stitches to suggest hair and fur. Each expressed a bit of the care put into making them.

“Toys …”

“I have to make something to earn a bit of money,” said Patience tucking a coin purse into her pant pocket. She smiled to herself, “I never was the best at stuffing real animals, so I thought I’d stuff fake ones.”

“And the little people? Did your father stuff real humans?”

Patience burst out laughing. The girl continued to chuckle out the door with the sack in tow. Outside, parked next to the water pump was a wooden wagon. She set the flour sack atop a bed of smaller cloth sacks lining the bottom. This was absurd. She might as well continue on with her day’s plans. She can pretend Anax was not on her head at all. This would be like any other day. If she did not pay it any mind, perhaps other people would follow suit, or at least refrain to ask what it was. Obviously it was a skull. That was all. She pulled the wagon into motion, down the path and onto the road.

A cool breeze swirled around them, picking up the folds of Patience’s baggy pantaloons and blouse. The sky had clouded over from earlier. The girl rubbed her arm with her free hand and cursed the weather for being so capricious and for fooling her into leaving behind the cape.

“Cold?” asked Anax.

“I’ll warm up after a bit of walking,” she sniffed.

“I’m sorry I can’t do much for you. My second body does not retain heat very well.”

“It’s all right.”

She was surprised he cared about something so insignificant. It warmed her heart a little. Too many years had passed since anyone expressed concern over her. Condolences are easy to offer at a funeral, but not everyone asks if they could do anything for one at any given time of day.

“Can other people hear you speak? Or have I been talking to myself all this time?” mused Patience, feet falling lightly upon the dirt road.

“Yes, others can hear me.”

“Very well. No talking when we're in close proximity to others! You can’t say anything unless I address you directly. And you can’t form your mist or any limbs. I don’t need more attention drawn to me.”

“Understood.”

Patience breathed a sigh of relief. Anax was rather accommodating today. Perhaps he was just excited to see the new sights. The floating orb of his eye lazily bobbed around her right temple. Occasionally she felt cold misty tendrils prod her head off to the side slightly, most likely to get a better view of something. She did not ask about it and accepted it, the motions were benign enough.