Chapter 10: Chapter 10: A Humble Abode

The first thing we came across was a large red dojo. It had that traditional, almost stereotypical look you'd think of when you hear the word. Bright red. Long, tall pillars. A pointy roof over top. There wasn't a door to be seen, however. Just a couple of windows. Once we were close enough to see the crooked fence that encased the village, Yusha took my arm and pulled me down low. Then she looked at me as she put her fingers to her lips and made a 'shush' sound.

"Stay low," she said before turning her head around to scan her surroundings. "If anyone sees you, we'll both be in big trouble."

I just nodded my head. Then she tugged my arm and led me towards the fence. She hopped over it with ease before jogging around to the other side. I waited for a few moments in silence, practically prone on top of the grass as I waited for Yusha to come back and tell me the coast was clear.

"Hey Adrien!" she said with an exaggerated whisper. Startled, I popped up from my low hiding spot and saw Yusha waving me down as she jutted the upper half of her body through the open window. "Hurry up!"

I scrambled to my feet, cleared the fence with one leap and then crawled through the ajar window. The inside wasn't well lit, and in my hurry to get into the shelter, I missed a step and fell face first onto the wooden floor. I heard chuckling coming from the corner as I staggered upright, my hand rubbing my aching jaw.

"Glad you found that funny," I said. I'll admit, I was annoyed. But maybe hospitality has different standards here in Sianka. As I regained my senses, a soft barking noise came from behind. Yusha turned her attention away from me and towards the noise of whatever animal it was that had made it.

"Siza!" she shouted endearingly. I looked down and saw a small black dog in front of my feet. He looked a lot like a Shiba pup. Roughly two feet in length. Big brown eyes complimented his midnight fur. He jumped on my leg, his wet tongue sticking out and flailing all over the place and sending saliva onto the legs of my outfit. Underneath his belly was snow white hair.

Normally I'm not a pet person. I had a betta fish when I was in middle school that I loved to death. Not literally. He died of natural causes, but I loved him for every single moment I had him. But once he passed away, that was it for me. Couldn't deal with raising a creature only for it to die a few years later. And just by the way that this little guy jumped on me, eager to see me like I was a missing friend that had just returned after years of being MIA, I could tell that I didn't want to get too attached. Even if something happened to this little guy right now it would break my heart. That's how damn cute he was.

So of course, I patted his head. Siza let out small whimper and got to the ground, cuddling his head against my foot.

"Siza really likes you!" Yusha said. She lowered herself and stroked the dog's back as I continued to ruffle the fur on his head. I could feel his heartbeat. The pup was more than happy.

"Must be that fresh forest smell that drew him in."

"Or maybe it's because you're a Champion," Yusha replied. "Siza doesn't take too kindly to the rest of the village folk. Probably because they don't like him either."

"How could anyone dislike such a friendly little dog?"

"Because of who takes care of him."

Ah. Should have figured.

"Something is definitely wrong with your village then. No wonder you want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Well, not everyone in this place is so bad. There are two other people that I know that can at least tolerate me."

I couldn't stop patting the dog, no matter how hard I tried. "Who would that be?"

"The banker and his wife. Boz, the banker, moved here because of his occupation. He runs the sole depository on this side of the mountain. He met his wife Yan long before I was born. They've been running the bank and a general store in the same building for decades."

"Are you a regular customer?"

"As much as anyone else is. But I spend a lot of my free time just chatting with Boz whenever the bank is open. I love hearing his stories about the rest of Sianka. And Yan is just a sweet old lady that loves nothing more than to sell her paintings and whatever else she can get her hands on."

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I mustered enough courage to stop patting Siza on his head. "Do you think they would be okay with me showing up in there? I know that if anyone else saw me walking around here it would mean bad news. But if they're as cool as they say you are, maybe I could ask Boz for some information about the rest of world."

Yusha stopped rubbing her pet's back and stood up, tapping her chin as she contemplated the idea. "Boz loves to talk, that's for sure. No one else in Tuanha is willing to give an old man from beyond our walls much thought. He'd probably love to have another companion to talk to! It would just have to be when the building closes for the night. When there's not too many people around."

"Is it a far walk from here?"

Yusha shook her head. "Nope. Not at all. Just a small distance from here. We might even be able to sneak by if we take the back route. We'd just have to be careful to stay low and not grab anyone's attention."

The reality of my entire situation just kicked in and made me tense up a bit on the inside. I was essentially a refugee. A fugitive. If anyone saw even just a glimpse of me, then this entire plan would go belly up. They could snitch to Zahnte's army. Tell them that one of Govessa's Champion is hiding out here and send some of their strongest warriors to crush me. And I don't even want to think what would happen to Yusha and Siza if they found out that she was the one harboring me.

"Are you all right, Adrien?" Yusha words snapped me out of the nightmare scenario that was running through my head. I looked at her and saw that she was clearly worried.

"I'm fine. Just worried about a lot of things right now." I stood up and pressed my hands against my hips. Then I took in a deep breath and looked around the Yusha's dojo.

Two words. Empty. And dusty. The entire length of the building must have been about four or five cars parked bumper to bumper. And that was being generous. I was standing where the students must have trained. I looked down and saw some intricate characters painted on the floor, but years of neglect made them chipped and faded. Behind me were a few scrolls dangling from the walls that had turned gray from the thin film of dust that coated them.

On the far side of the dojo was a small archway that led into another room. I could make the shape of a mattress plopped on the ground along with a few bowls scattered next to it. As I gazed down the empty room, Yusha stood in front of me and blocked my view. Her face was red and her smile was crooked.

"I apologize for the mess, Adrien," she said with a fake laugh. "I didn't expect any visitors today. Otherwise I would have taken the time to clean up first."

Right. Where were my manners? I shouldn't have peeking around in someone else's home without their permission. I know I would have been ticked off if someone came into my dorm and started going through my closet. Kind of like how my mom did that one time she picked up for Spring Break.

"No, no. Don't apologize. It's my fault. I never should have been so nosy." I scratched the back of my head and turned away from what I presumed to be Yusha's room. Instead, I focused on the bright square of sunlight beaming through the window and lighting up the center of the dojo. "Besides, this place is in way better shape than my room back where I'm from."

"Really?" Yusha asked. "If that's the case, then that's pretty sad." She rested her arms on her hips and looked at one of the dust-coated scrolls. "It's really just the main part of the dojo that I neglect. The room where Siza and I sleep is actually quite tidy."

I should have left the part about my room out. I was just trying to make her feel better. I'd rather have a few pants, socks and pairs of underwear lying on the floor than have everything be tinted gray because I never dusted. Granted, she's got a harder life than I did, so I let her comment slide. "Is there anything else I should know about this place?" I asked. "Like... where am I going to sleep? Or maybe where I should go if I have to... you know..." Didn't want to get too explicit.

"I have an extra mattress stored away. I'll pull it out in just a bit. And if you're talking about what I think you're talking about, there's a specific place for that on the other side of the dojo." She pointed behind me. I turned my head and noticed a small sliding door. I made a mental note for future reference.

"I can't thank you enough," I said, pressing my hands together. I made a little bow, kind of like how Yusha did when she saw Govessa.

"Anything for a Champion," she replied, returning the gesture. "I'm sorry that I can't show you around my village. Perhaps we could spend the next few hours discussing any questions you might have? And once night comes, we can head over to the bank and you can meet Bog and Yan."

My stomach growled. Both Yusha and Siva noticed.

"And I have some leftover potato stew as well if you'd like to eat," Yusha said.

I rubbed my stomach. I wanted to say no. I wasn't fond of the idea of taking a poor villager's rations, but she's already made it clear that she's willing to go all out for me. "I'd appreciate that."

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