Finishing her bowl of stew, Nat washed it with a nearby tub of water for just this purpose.  Then making sure the lid was on the kettle, she set it aside for the next morning's breakfast.  With an easy relaxed motion, she made sure the fire was low yet would be warm enough to keep the room warm for the night taking the poker to shift the last of the wood that was in the fire. 

She began to remove the costume items to let her body relax the only time she allowed it to when she slept in a safe place.  She pulled down her trousers and partially unbuttoned the man typed onesie underwears.  She removed the device she had made of a cut-off funnel and a bit of rubber tube wrapped with cloth to allow anyone accidentally bumping into her private areas to think she had the appropriate male organs.  Also, it allowed her to go to a corner and pee looking like a boy.  She had observed many of the street boys and adult men do so when it was out with just males around.  She had worked hard for her manners and movements to be like the males around her over the years she had been on her own.

She had been rebuttoning the undersuit when she heard something outside.  She had not had the time to unwrap her chest as yet.  She paused to determine if it was a cat chasing some rodent outside in the bushes.  She couldn't take the risk.  She quickly made sure her clothing was covering her appropriately and put on her jacket and scarf.  Wrapping a scarf around her neck and putting on her hat, she quickly glanced at the very low fire in the fireplace and let it stay.  The sound was likely a cat.  She headed down the stairs with silence, knowing where the worst creaking places on the stairs were, and she paused, listening.