Thread: Emissary of the Three Worlds (Tagged: kikora & Tsushui)

Had Teyha been wiser, she would have very seriously questioned her living conditions before accepting a young man's invitation to 'stay at his home'. Barely sixteen herself, the boy was a good year or two younger than she, and while his intentions seemed well placed, the way he went about 'providing' for her left much to be desired. Always a gentleman, the younger boy never once laid a finger on her, but after a long week of his company she had to wonder if this kindness was out of chivalry, or simply because the child viewed her as no different from the various other livestock he was in charge of caring for. In fact, rather than taking her straight to the adults of the home to request she formally live there, he was quick to bustle her into the same pungent barn that the mistresses horses were housed in. Like a little lost puppy he was trying to hide away he brought her scraps from the table, and she washed herself at night with a pilfered bar of soap she had demanded he bring, and the hose used to water his animals. Not that either did much to remove the constant sharp smell of dunk and straw from her skin or clothes. Not that she had much room to complain, Teyha had to remind herself sharply. This time spent tucked away with farm animals might not be ideal for her, but at the very least it shut out rain, and even leftovers off the kids plate beat no food at all. After all, what did she expect when she ran away during a school trip overseas? Random strangers opening their doors to a strange little American girl? Especially when the news concerning the lost schoolgirl was still at a high, her meager disguise of blackened, shortened hair and a far more narrow frame would do nothing to help her blend in to this land. Her efforts to learn at least the lyrical sound of the native tongue from a friend back home had ended so terribly that the girl wisely abandoned the idea all together. Doesn't mean I can't still be grouchy. The girl said outloud, the sound of her own voice echoing off wooden walls enough to make the girl bolt to her feet and glance around herself nervously. And now I am paranoid. With a groan she made her way to the ladder to climb down from the loft. Hanging from a hook was her bag, and she first withdrew a water bottle, washing her hands and face with the cool water before she dove in for her own breakfast. After a less than satisfying meal the night before Teyha found herself sneaking unseen into the kitchen to raid the fridge before hurrying back to her hideaway before she could be caught and named a thief. She ate a few bites quickly, all but stuffing a the fluffy pieces of buttered bread into her mouth while taking one of her knives to a juicy and fresh apple. The rest of her meal would come after the boy finished eating his own, but at least the grip of hunger had mostly passed for the moment. Satisfied the girl simply went through her own morning routine, passing the long hours by helping the young man in his own chores. A relatively small gesture in return for any kind of a home, but it certainly beat lazing about through the course of the morning, an unknown burden to the bustling house and those who occupy it.