Chapter 51: 51 Merge All, Part Five

Yong Jie approached the laundry room with apprehension in his heart. Earlier he saw people enter, a girl and then a boy, and he really wanted to do his early morning hand-washing of delicate clothing in peace. Not to mention that Freya had graciously allowed him two of her blouses to mix in with his mending. Which would show Ibrahim, who thought he was the master of hand-sewing.

Really, he was feeling quite huffy about it.

But the clothes had to be washed and mended and a laundry room was an opportunity he'd not had for the four months before the two sides of the encampment combined. He really should take advantage of it and stop being so ridiculous.

Closer and he could hear their voices, muffled through the walls of the building.

A faint, "Leave me alone, Neo."

The door was slightly jammed but he shoved one shoulder against it and it flew open. The girl, wide-eyed and small with the ends of her hair a soft, fading pink, looked in his direction.

Yong Jie slammed his basket of laundry onto a table.

The boy – presumably Neo – turned around like a snake getting ready to strike.

"I think the girl said to leave her alone," Yong Jie said.

"And who's going to stop me?" Neo's voice was low, rough and unimpressive.

"Anyone would rush to apprehend the sort of coward who would try to corner an unarmed girl. It's your bad luck that I'm the one here."

"Oh? Skinny little boy like you, dying to get a taste of a fight. You look just like the doctor. Will she cry when I break you in half?"

Yong Jie slammed a fist on the table. "Don't you mention that woman to me."

The girl made to shuffle backward out of the room. Neo reached out to grab one of her arms.

Yong Jie slammed forward and grabbed Neo by the collar. Tried to throw him across the room but Neo was stronger than expected and only stumbled a few steps. Neo came back at him, shoulder first. Yong Jie grabbed a chunk of laundry soap to throw at him but misjudged the timing. He got a bony elbow to the chest instead. Struggled not to stumble back. The laundry soap became an extension of his left fist, instead, hard into Neo's guts. And then it was a blur of struggling against each other, shoving against the sharp edge of the table, the gross stench of Neo's unwashed hair and clothes.

Yong Jie slammed one of his boots against Neo's feet and Neo hissed, stumbled back. Looked up, eyes sharp like he was ready to strike again. Yong Jie raised his fist...

...and the door opened.

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"Really, Neo," Ibrahim said with a sigh, "I wouldn't advise it."

Neo froze, like Ibrahim was oncoming headlights and he'd just realised he was only a deer.

Ibrahim advanced into the room with slow, measured steps. "Fighting again, Yong Jie? Maria will be so disappointed."

"I didn't ask her to care so much about it," Yong Jie said.

As soon as Ibrahim was away from the door, Neo fled the room. Pathetic. To think the people on this side of the camp had had to put up with such a vile sneaking rat.

"Well, people will worry whether you want them to or not," Ibrahim said. "So it goes when people care about each other. You'll bruise, of course. Perhaps your mother should get to look at what you've done to yourself."

"I'd rather die," Yong Jie said.

"Oh, dear. How very dramatic. Perhaps I should look you over, instead."

Yong Jie turned away from Ibrahim's unceasing nagging and noticed the girl still shivering by the other door. "Ah, I'm sorry, Miss..."

She backed away further.

"I assume this must be Sophie," Ibrahim said, "and if so, you are exactly as Angharad described you."

"You know Angharad?" the girl asked, her voice faint and almost musical.

"We met in this very room," Ibrahim said. "I assure you, she has the clothes washing nearly mastered, and would prefer you to be escorted back to your building, so you needn't linger here. Yong Jie, rude as he seems right now, merely needs the room to mend some hems. It would be my honour to make sure you remain safe as you go."

"Sorry," Yong Jie mumbled, the word almost sticking in his throat.

The girl nodded, and Ibrahim strode forth to usher her out. Yong Jie didn't unclench his fists until they were both gone.

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