Dangerous onlooker.

Anna wove a long braid from the long sharp grass she found near the shore and stretched it out in the sun between some sticks. Everywhere in sight, pale wares of unusual and rare flowers flickered, but she decided to devote her time to more important things and postponed the harvesting of nearby plants until the morning.

She carefully retrieved a collection of herbs and mushrooms from her pockets and backpack, selecting those that were suitable for drying. With precision, she proceeded to hang them on a line of beautifully braided grass, allowing the breeze to dry it.

[Selected vegetation is now drying. Time remaining: 11:59]

She returned to the willow tree and carefully selected and cut long rods that would serve as the material for making her wattle carrier.

"How long are we staying here?" Bugak suddenly asked, sitting beneath the willow and observing her intently. Despite his lingering remorse from earlier, he had finally come to terms with the fact that she hadn't intentionally abandoned him. 

Even the lack of her attention didn't bother him, as he enjoyed watching her moving around, undressing her with his eyes.

"It looks like there are no other humans around here. We should probably spend the night here," She suggested and cut off another rod with her sickle. She then gathered the sheaf of rods, taking them to the water and securing them with a heavy branch to keep them submerged.

[Selected vegetation is now soaking. Time remaining: 23:59]

Using her inner sight, she looked around her surroundings. There seemed to be a lot of unusual and rare plants on the shore, but when she turned to the swamp, she saw mainly epic, even a few legendary flowers. Jackpot.

She returned to the willow tree, emptied her backpack to ensure she could bring it along, and asked Bugak, "Can we go check out the water plants over there? I can see some rare water lilies and there might even be some valuable weed below the water..," as she said, she unfastened her skirt and smoothly slid it down her hips.

"What are you doing? Don't strip here," Bugak hissed, jumping to his feet and quickly covering her body with his hands, "Something's watching."

Even when he desperately wanted her to continue, the unease he felt from the exact direction she pointed at made him shiver.

"We have to wait almost a day till the rods get wet enough to bend. And drying these herbs will also take some time. I don't want my clothes to get dirty and wet and there won't be anyone to actually…"

"Why the rush? There might be other creatures that can hurt you. I'm serious, you can't just walk in there without your clothes," However, his silence fell upon him as a splash emanated from the adjacent shore.

As the day drew to a close, a captivating sight unfolded - a cluster of colossal reptiles, with the largest one measuring nearly four meters in length, gathered under the last remaining rays of the sun. Despite their imposing size, these magnificent animals appeared calm and content, basking in the comforting warmth.

He remembered the last time he saw how quickly these beasts could tear a body to shreds and instinctively flinched.

"I won't be able to join you, I can't swim, nor fight underwater, I'd only attract unwanted attention to you. All these animals seem to be pretty strong, are you sure you will be alright?" He angrily tied the laces at her sides, making it almost impossible for her to remove the skirt on her own.

"I enjoy collecting plants and creating new things from them. And I need money, I'm broke. I'll try my best to be careful and I will return back to you once I am finished. In the meantime, take some time for yourself to relax, or have fun and find something to kill," Anna suggested with a smile and fixed those unsightly topknots after his thick fingers.

The emotions he locked inside of his heart for the whole time she was away spurted out like a waterfall.