Chapter 2 - Hesitant to Get Along

After changing into cotton leggings, shorts, a plain chiffon shirt and a vest, Yin strapped her sword and a knapsack to her back. She had her grey quarter-sleeve shirt and pants laid out on her bed, flat and forgotten. She tapped the toes of her boots on the floor as she turned off the lights. 

Kai waited outside the residence while deep in thought. They returned to the meeting room that afternoon with Lu Han waiting for him with a map. He assigned them a mission to a small Second World Country called Caladron. There was a strange underground movement in the mines and the government requested Argent Ambassadors to investigate. She asked whether a Rune could be behind the damage but Lu Han wasn’t sure, replying with the fact that it wouldn't hurt to find out.

When she left to prepare, he gave Kai a look to remember what he asked him to do. “Don’t lose her,” he said to him. He thought about whether he meant it in a literal way, or whether there was a hidden motive behind it.

He finished his trail of thought when she stepped down the stairs of the front of the building. They gazed at each other until she got closer to him. He looked at her up and down. 

“It’s a chilly country. You’ll get cold.”

“I’ll be fine. We’ll be moving around anyway.” 

It was an awkward atmosphere. If only Lu Han or Baek Hyun was here with us, he thought to himself. He sighed and said, “Just don’t come running to me saying you are.”

“I won’t. I promise.” She replied. Kai held out his hand. 

“I’m going to teleport us there.”

When she took it, she mumbled, “Don’t treat me like a child.”

It was like a wormhole that her in and stretched her body. It was her first time teleporting in a long distance and she couldn’t deny that it made her uneasy in her stomach. When they arrived, she let go of his hand and held her head.

“Pinch the bridge of your nose. It’s better than feeling your head pound. Consider yourself lucky, because people usually vomit the first time.”

His minor insults were starting to test her tolerance. She reluctantly followed his advice and took a deep breath. She was tempted to sigh but remembered that it was “unhealthy”. She stood up straight and spotted the town up ahead.

"Can't imagine why," she cursed under her breath.

“I teleported us to the outskirts of the town so it wouldn’t create any commotion. Let’s go.”

Kai walked ahead and Yin ran up to him and kept her pace with his. She held one of her straps very tightly because she felt a strong stream of power coming from the town, but it wasn’t a Rune. She was certain of it. She was thinking very hard about whether it was an enemy or perhaps an ally. She kept close to Kai so that she wouldn’t stray away from him. When he stopped in front of an inn across from the marketplace, she accidentally collided into him from behind. She inspected the small structure.

“We’ll stay here until we finish our task. It’s late so let’s rent a room.”

She blushed internally at the thought and her eyes went wide, looking at her boots.

“There are two beds per room, you know. I hope you’re not having dirty thoughts, are you?” He teased with a wicked grin. Steam was coming from the crown of her head in embarrassment. She had the sudden urge to punch him in the face in retaliation but something about that felt like a deja vu to her. She let go of her fist and ran inside.

Behind her, Kai laughed hysterically. “She’s too easy. It’s so cute seeing her off guard. I should do that more often.” He said to himself and lazily followed her.

That night, when Kai was fast asleep, Yin kept her eyes open staring at what was in front of her. The room they booked was fairly modest and clean. There were two beds, much to her relief. The washroom was near the door. The ceiling was made of planks of wood with gaps in between. She could see the roof was three-dimensional, like a standard house roof back in Rova. The window was facing the marketplace, which she reminded herself to investigate there first.

Her gloved hand touched her expanding and retracting chest. Although it was made of ancient metal, the nerves of her flesh connected to the sensitivity chips within the arm. They acted as Argent nerves, and sometimes, she forgot that her weapon wasn’t biological. Her heart was beating at an abnormally fast pace. It was nothing like she felt while she was vigorously movement because she was laying still.

She looked to her left and saw him sleeping on his stomach in his muscle tank and loose pants. The blanket reached to his torso and his arms were folded under the pillow. He didn’t make a sound but she didn’t either. Her thoughts led her to the moment when he . Her hollow cheeks began to heat up again. She turned her back towards him and tried to cool down with her hands. How can I sleep like this, she asked herself.

Indeed, with red cheeks and an accelerating heart, it was difficult.

Being a light sleeper, Yin woke up before dawn when shopkeepers were preparing their stock down the street. Kai never moved from his position. She figured that he loved to sleep. As quiet as she could, she removed her covers from her body and snuck into the bathroom with her change of clothes.

After freshening up for the long day ahead of her, she realized that she couldn’t leave the room yet but she needed to train a little. She would create noise with her sword, and meditating was difficult for her if practiced every day. She looked up at the planks as the ceiling and thought of an idea.

Kai enjoyed the luxury of drifting off into long hours of slumber, even before he met Ja Young and Hye Young. He stretched his body and moaned at the tension. He heartily sighed and flipped onto his back. He looked to his right, only to see Yin’s bed empty and made. Her knapsack and her sword was still there but the amnesiac was missing. Then he heard her sharp breathing. He sat up and found her hanging on one of the wooden planks by her feet, her hair pointing towards the floor and her face red. Sweat was already forming into beads streaming to her hair. He eyes were closed as she was subtly swinging back and forth. Her arms were crossed and she was deeply concentrating.

“What are you doing?” Her eyes snapped open and lost balance for a second before she dropped to her hands. She let her feet touch the floor and slowly rolled up, her hair flipping back creating more volume. She wiped her brow with the sleeve of her chiffon shirt and replied, “Training.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “You’re always training. Doesn’t it get boring?”

“At least it’s not a chore.” She recoiled.

“Easy, I was only curious. How long have you been hanging for?”

“Long enough while you were in your own world. I was trying to let you sleep so be grateful I didn’t unsheathe my sword.” He scoffed.

“Whatever, I’m washing up. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” He shut the bathroom door and her face was no longer red. She grabbed her sword, took it out of her long pouch and tied the string around her waist three times. She made sure she was able to draw it out with her left hand and practiced a few times. By the time she was carrying her knapsack, he was ready.

Even at early hours, the marketplace was very busy. Kai and Yin each bought a loaf of bread and cashews for breakfast. They were going to purchase some canteens of water next. They had to stay close to each other to the point where they were both contemplating to hold hands. She didn’t want to do so because of her secret weapon and he didn’t because of his pride.

She was keeping a hawk-eye around the area while Kai was resisting the urge to teleport out of the suffocating traffic of bustling people. So far, nothing was reacting in particular but they kept looking throughout the crowd. She was about to walk further when he grabbed her shoulder. When she looked at him for a reason, he pointed at the stand selling cartons of water.

“Can’t forget about hydrating ourselves, can we?” He mused. Yin discreetly rolled her eyes and slipped off one of her straps of her bag. When she was about to open it, she was suddenly caught off guard by the same stream of power from yesterday rapidly coming towards their direction. In a flash, someone managed to snatch her bag while she was petrified for a moment. When she snapped out of her trance, the thief was gone.

"Stop him!" a shopkeeper hollered out, and the two Argents forgot about their water and raced after him.