11 CHAPTER 11: ELIAS (7)

"Dmitri! What is this? This is so good!" I exclaimed while stuffing my face with this newly-found food.

"Those are chicken skewers, Chae! The best in town! Haha!" Dmitri said proudly.

"I'm so glad I came here." I munched my third skewer.

Dmitri and I had gone to Owen earlier, and not only did he permit us, but Owen also lent me some money for me to use. It was around 500 chroma, which is apparently quite a lot here. I plan to use some for food, then keep the rest of it just in case I need to buy something in the future.

"Do they accept take-outs, Dmitri?" I asked him.

"They do, actually! Let me tell Brutus for you!" Dmitri answered me happily.

"Who's Brutus?"

"Oh, he's the owner of this stand. I often talk to him when I patrol."

Dmitri then went in and talked with the middle-aged guy behind the counter while I stood there. We had just walked around for a short while, but in that amount of time, countless people had greeted Dmitri. And he answered all of them by name. I guess he's well-known here.

"Here, Chae! One portion of chicken skewers, to-go!" Dmitri grinned as he handed me a warm paper bag. Ooh, I guess plastic is less common here. Nice.

"Thank you, Dmitri." I smiled at him.

"Oh hey, Dmitri! Good day to you! Are you on patrol duty today?" Another middle-aged man suddenly called out for Dmitri.

"Ah, good day, Mister Brian! How are your kids doing?" Dmitri replied, giving the man a bright, huge smile.

"Same old, same old, they're at that rebellious age, y'know?" Said the old man.

"Ah, big brother Dmitri! Have you come to play with us again?" This time the voice came from a young kid, who was walking with her mom.

"Momo! You're bigger than the last time I saw you! I'll play with you next time, okay? I have to accompany this big sis today!" Dmitri rubbed the back of his head.

"Aww, can't the big sis play with us, too?" The girl looked at me with puppy eyes.

"I'm sorry, Momo, but big sis and I have somewhere to go. Next time, okay? I promise!" Dmitri replied.

"Okay then... Will big sis play with me, too, the next time we meet?" She pouted.

I bent down and smiled while saying, "sure, Momo. Big sis will play with you next time."

"Okay! It's a promise then!" The girl giggled and left with her mother.

"Sorry about that, Chae. I often talk to the townsfolk here. They're a bunch of nice people, right? Haha!" Dmitri said to me.

"Yep. They're nice people," I replied, "I understand why you'd want to protect this kind of town..."

I looked down, feeling a bit jealous. The nation that I once defended didn't even treat me as nice as this unfamiliar town. Did I just get the short end of the stick? I mean, I know that every nation has its fair share of both good and bad people, but...

"What's wrong, Chae?" Dmitri looked at me with a worried expression, "you don't look so good."

"Oh, it's okay, I was just thinking a bit, haha," I answered him, "c'mon, let's go! We're done filling our stomachs, let's go to your mom's place now."

I tugged at his sleeve and smiled at him. He seemed hesitant, but he let go of the topic and we walked towards our next destination.

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Our steps took us in front of a small house with a small garden in front of it. There was also an apple tree planted nearby with a bird feeder on it. It kind of felt like a house in those children's fairy tales, I'd say.

"We're here, Chae." Dmitri knocked on the wooden door in front of us. My eyes darted towards the child-like crayon doodles on the bottom part of the door.

"Big brother Dmitri!" The door burst open and 2 small children leaped towards Dmitri.

"Hahahah! Long time no see, Yakov! Anna!" Dmitri laughed as he picked up the children and spun them around in the air.

"We've missed you, big brother Dmitri!" The young girl said.

"Yeah! We wanted to visit you, but mother said no!" The young boy said, pushing the girl to the side.

"Hey, Yakov! Don't be rude!" The young girl pushed him back.

"There, there, Yakov, Anna, don't make a fuss, okay? We've got a guest today!" Dmitri calmed both of them, "here, this is Chaerin, big brother's friend!"

They looked at me with big, dolly eyes, "nice to meet you, big sister Cherry!" They both exclaimed. Why do I feel like I've been in this situation before?

"Nice to meet you, Yakov, Anna." I just smiled at them and didn't bother to correct my name.

"Come in, big sister Cherry! Mother would love to meet you!" Anna pulled my sleeve and urged me to follow her.

"Yeah! Come on in!" Yakov followed suit.

"Alright, alright, big sister will come with you." I told them.

We took off our shoes and went inside. The house smelled like apple pie and cinnamon. It was very pleasant compared to the Vanguard's lodging.

"This way, Chae." Dmitri led the way to a wooden door with the tag 'mother' written wonkily on it with a faded marker.

"Mother, may we come in?" He knocked twice before hearing a faint 'come in' from the inside.

He twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a small room with a middle-aged woman laying on the bed. The sunlight shone upon her through the window by her bed. Her complexion looked pale, and her body looked so frail, she seemed like she could crumble at any time.

"Mother, I'm back," Dmitri kneeled at the side of her bed, "how have you been?" He smiled dearly. I could see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Dmitri." The woman replied, her voice so soft and soothing.

"Have you been taking your medicine properly?" Dmitri took her hand in his.

"Haha, yes, yes... I've been taking them, my dear son," her mother replied while smiling, "what brings you here today?'

"Ah, I was accompanying my friend to the town, and I wanted to see you, so I came here for a short visit." He smiled, but this time his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I see. Mind introducing me to your friend over there?" She smiled at me with such kindness that I felt bare.

"Her name is Chaerin, she's a new friend I made in the Vanguard. Chae, meet my mother." Dmitri introduced us both.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am. I hope you don't mind me intruding..." I said with a little bit of nervousness. I wasn't accustomed to being this welcomed.

"Haha, anyone my son considers as a friend is always welcome here, dear," she chuckled a bit, "make yourself at home. Although there's not much here." She slowly sat up with the help of Dmitri.

"Ah, thank you, Ma'am... Please don't mind me..." I bowed my head a bit.

"I'm sorry I can't greet you properly... My sickly body can't handle much activity, you see..." She smiled sadly at me.

"Oh no, Ma'am it's okay! Rather, you can tell me if you need help with anything." I waved my hands in front of me.

I usually don't offer help to someone, but when I saw the state of this house, where his mother is sick and unable to get up from the bed, and these 2 young children are forced to care for themselves and for the house... I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic. I know very well that even a little help would mean a lot for them.

"Really? You'd help us, big sister?" Anna's eyes shone.

"Yes, really. What do you want me to do?" I bent down at the 2 children in front of me while smiling.

"Can you cook for us, big sister?" Yakov tugged at my sleeve.

"Come on, kids... Don't trouble big sister, now, would you?" Their mother tried to stop them.

"It's alright, Ma'am. I'm pretty good at cooking," I smiled at her reassuringly, "Anna, Yakov, what do you want to eat?"

"Yay! No takesies backsies! Big sister Cherry is the best!" Anna threw her arms into the air excitedly.

"Yakov wants to eat something sweet!" Yakov jumped around while giggling.

"Alright, alright," I patted their heads, "Ma'am, what food do you like to eat?"

"Oh, me?" Dmitri's mother pointed at herself with an astonished face.

"Yes, Ma'am. Do you have a favorite food or something you'd like to eat?" I asked.

"Ah, no... I don't want to trouble you," She replied while smiling, "but thank you for asking."

"Hey Anna, Yakov, don't be like that." Dmitri said to the kids.

"It's okay, Dmitri. I promised them. You wouldn't tell me to break promises, wouldn't you?" I grinned at him.

"Well, that's--"

"I'll be off to get some ingredients first, then." I bowed my head at them.

"Anna wants to go!" The little girl exclaimed.

"Yakov also wants to go!" The little boy raised his hand.

"Thank you, you two. But you should stay here and accompany big brother, okay? He missed you both so much," I smiled at them, "also, listen carefully to big sister. Don't ever go with someone you just met, even if it's me, okay?"

They both pouted, but they agreed. Such pure little babies.

"Dmitri, wait for me a bit, okay?"

He smiled at me, "I understand. Thank you so much, Chae."

With that, I walked out of the door and headed to the front door to wear my shoes. Just before I left the front door, Dmitri called out to me.

"Wait up, Chae!"

I turned around, "what is it, Dmitri?"

"I, um... I just wanted to say thank you." He looked down, his face a little flustered.

"Oh, you don't have to, really. I just wanted to help a bit." I told him.

"Yes, but... You know," He started explaining, "my mother had been sick for quite some time..."

I said nothing, and let him continue with his story.

"Her condition started to get worse around the time when the twins were able to walk... Then it got worse as time goes by," He smiled bitterly, "the doctor said it was a horrible disease, but thankfully it's treatable."

"I see... It must've been hard for all of you..." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, we try to manage, haha," he said with a sad smile, "the thing is, the twins need their mother. And I don't want them to spend their childhood not being able to have fun like the other kids."

I stood still, paying full attention to his story.

"The bad news, though, the treatment is very costly, and that's why I need a lot of money, haha!" He rubbed the back of his head like usual, "and the only way we could get that amount of money back then was through loan sharks."

Loan sharks. So they exist even in this world, huh...

"That's why I had to join the Vanguard, haha. Even loan sharks won't dare to touch a Vanguard's family member, you know... I could also get money for mother's treatment cost..."

He paused a bit, before beaming his warm smile at me, "that's why I appreciate your help, Chae. Even a small, kind gesture gives us the strength to keep going."

I looked at Dmitri with a surprised face. I didn't expect him to trust me enough to tell his story. Honestly, it felt nice being trusted, but I also worry that someone might take advantage of his trusting nature.

"You've done well, Dmitri. I'm sure they're proud of you." I patted his shoulder lightly.

"...Thanks, Chae."

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I. Am. Lost.

Where the hell am I? I thought I was just in the market area, buying ingredients a while ago? How did that open space suddenly become a forest? What is this, a cross-over episode?

I trudged along the muddy path, cursing my inability to remember routes. I've bought the ingredients I need, but now what? How will I get back to Dmitri's house?

"Ah, if only they have GPS here... I took modern technology for granted..." I let out a long, deep sigh.

'Rustle.'

"Who's there!?" I quickly stepped back and steadied my stance upon hearing the sudden noise.

'Rustle rustle.'

The noise got closer. Is it an animal? Or a monster? Or a person? How many are there?

I listened to the footsteps carefully, while I looked around for any animal markings.

There! A territorial marking! I found a few scratches nearby, but no animal footprints. The footsteps I heard also don't sound very heavy. What is this creature?

'Rustle!'

The bushes nearby split open, and revealed a...

"You. You smell like food."

"Huh?" ...A little boy? Who is this boy? Is he also lost?

"You. Food." He said as he stepped out of the bush... On all fours?

"I... What?"