As Rose furiously scrubbed at Telma's back and sides – grunting at her repeatedly to hold still – the other girls retreated to their rooms and returned with armfuls of different Gerudo clothing. "You can't keep wearing that… that… Hylian stuff." Lavender explained, "It would bring too many questions." Each had a wide selection of different garments to share – all made of elegant, thin cottons to better breathe in the desert heat. Their newest sister was alarmed at how small each was and how much of her bare skin it would reveal, but the girls insisted that it was better this way as she would be more comfortable in the sun and able to better "please the customers."
Telma was confused by this last benefit – as her father and the farm wives had always insisted that "good Hylian men and women abhor a woman that bares too much", but she was too timid to resist them and allowed the five to select her newest outfit. To fit her size, they each had to contribute different pieces, but in a short time they had managed to cover Telma and make her "one of them." A light red sirwal now hung from her hips, and two large bands of cloth adorned her chest – one curving behind her back and the other behind her neck, to support her bust. A thin, white-silk veil was offered by Nightshade for her face, but Telma leaned back away from her as she reached to loop it over her ears. "No no, I'll do it!" she said quickly, and took it from her. Carefully, she re-bound her hair back into a pony tail with her mother's beads, but she made sure to discreetly tuck the tips of her ears into it, to hide their points.
When they were finished, they directed her to wash her former clothes in the bath she had just stepped out of – water was precious here – and two additional drops of colored liquid made the water froth and bubble even more. Once these were hung to dry, Violet pulled the wooden stopper at the base of the tub, and a copper pipe carried the water outside.
Afternoon, June 22, Year of the Great Kingdom 597
Returning to the main floor, Agnes studied Telma's appearance carefully – even giving a rude sniff in her direction – before motioning for her to move behind Audra's desk. "It is simple child." She began, waving at the others to leave them, "Twenty rooms for sleeping – Twenty Rupees per night each, twelve if they are only 'meeting' and that gets them two hours." The owner explained, tapping one of her sharpened nails on top of a small hourglass beneath the desk. "Bread and water are five rupees, precious fruits are ten, and meat is another twenty." She continued. "What if they don't like the prices? O-or if… somebody doesn't like what we give them?" Telma asked, terrified of having to interact with more Gerudo coming into the house. "Then you throw them out." Agnes spat, "Call for Rose if you need help with that."
For the remainder of that first day Agnes remained beside her at the front desk – watching her every move and correcting her small mistakes. Mercifully, foot traffic into and out of the house was light and Telma was never pressured for time. The rupees were swept into a small wooden box beneath the desk and if the amount ever grew to be too much, Agnes would carry it upstairs to her private chambers and empty it. She learned quickly that to avoid confusion (and any confrontations) with the guests, she could simply ask, "Room, Food, or Drink?" in Gerudo, and most of the women would answer with the appropriate word.
Nearly everyone who came in either wanted food or drinks. Only one or two wanted a room for the night and none asked for "meetings." During a dull period in the afternoon, Telma leaned down to Agnes and tried to ask, "What are 'meetings' anyway?" but the old crone just sneered at her and muttered, "You're very funny, child." And didn't answer. She decided that she would ask Safflina later, if she got the chance.
As the town watch struck midnight on Outlast's bell, the owner gently smacked Telma's arm and commanded her to go to bed. "Not bad today… not great… but not bad. Your writing is very good, but you'll never make it without speaking Gerudo properly! I'll have the girls teach you." Dismissed, the young woman nervously made her way back to her room and closed the door behind her. In this one day, she had gone from terrified captive, to tentative employee – called sister by most of the other girls (Rose still scowled menacingly at her). During her hours at the desk, she had been terribly frightened at the idea that some patron might somehow recognize her, or notice her poor grasp of the language. But Agnes always spoke up and took over things when Telma began to stumble, which helped her remain calm. Once, the old crone had even complimented Telma's quick calculations in the ledger and beautiful calligraphy in writing. "I can't never read Audra's scribbles." She mumbled, "It will be good to have a clean book again!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became with herself. These were the people who had sadistically murdered her father… what in blazes was she thinking by helping them?! Or appreciating their compliments?! Throwing herself upon the bed, she furiously beat her fists against the small pillow, and began to sob for the loss of her papa.