Book 2: Two
Ultimate BalanceThe group of eight began to make their way through the city. The dirt roads were packed with street vendors all lined up side by side. There was commotion no matter where you turned, with merchants trying to sell their goods and locals haggling for the lowest prices.
After being contained on the island for so many years, Mira had long forgotten the sights if the city. Her eyes were wide with curiousity and amazement as she observed even the simplest of things. She tugged at Haiku's sleeve and pointed at things that interested similar to how a child would act with their mother. He had shifted back to his full grown size to better watch over Mira in the crowded area. Already familiar with the customs of the main lands, Haiku simply smiled down at her and nodded along, satisfied that Mira seemed to be enjoying herself. He glanced back at the other males in the group and mentally thanked them for giving Mira the opportunity.
"Be careful Mira," Haiku reminded her as he steered her away from a cart that was making its way down the road. She had been too absorbed in the trinkets hanging down from the roof of a booth to even notice.
Baekhyun had to contain his laughter so he wouldn't unintentionally offend the Ultimate. He honestly thought it was kind of cute, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't forget how she had made Chanyeol and Jongin squat against their will just minutes prior.
"How do we know who to ask?" Chanyeol asked as he scratched the back of his neck. "There's so many people here and everybody seems too busy to answer any questions."
As if on cue, a loud bang sounded through the air. All heads in on the street turned to look at the source, but most resumed their activities after only seeing a man and a beggar.
The beggar was an old frail woman who had been seated on the dirt floor of the ground. The small tin can which one could only assume to have been what she was using to collect money was knocked over, the coins rolling in all sorts of directions. The old woman frantically sprawled herself across the floor trying to pick up every coin that had escaped. Above her was an angry looking man dusting off the corner of his jacket.
"Look what you've done! You've gotten your grubby paws all over my new jacket! How do you expect to repay me for this?" He barked angrily.
The old woman looked up at him, and back down to her can before slowly holding it up as an offering.
The man scoffed with disbelief before kicking the can from her hands, and the coins once again scattered across the road. "You think a couple of cents could pay for this? This is tailored you old hag!"
"Haiku," Mira whispered as she tugged on Haiku's sleeve. She glanced up at him uneasily, "The mainland people are scary."
Haiku rolled his eyes at her words, "I don't want to hear you being the person to say that."
"Hey old man."
All heads turned to watch Baekhyun walk down to the duo with a tense face. He took a protective stance in front of the old woman and glared straight into the man's eyes. "Don't you think you're acting a little too childish in public?"
"This is none of your business, kid," the man responded.
"You're disturbing the public," Baekhyun answered with narrowed eyes. "Which makes it my business."
"Are you asking for a fight pipsqueak?" the man scoffed in disbelief. He had nearly 4 more inches of height on Baekhyun, so the idea of it seemed humorous to him.
Mira glanced up at Jongin and nudged him gently with the tip of her sword sheath. "Should we do something to help?"
Jongin shrugged and shook his head, "Baekhyun can handle this, and if we interfered now he'd think we're undermining him."
Mira nodded her head and continued to watch the scene unfold in front of her. To be honest, Baekhyun would have been one of the last people she expected to step up and say something, for the male normally appeared as if he didn’t care for anything. A quick glance at all the others showed that his actions weren't even the slightest bit of a surprise, howvever.
"Yes I am," Baekhyun responded with a dark glare.
The man was taken aback with Baekhyun's answer, for that certainly wasn't at all what he was expecting. Baekhyun's clenched fists clearly told the man that he wasn't bluffing either. The man laughed awkwardly and fumbled with his hand inside his pocket. "Relax kid, I was just joking." He pulled a crumbled bill out of his pocket and dropped it into the woman's jar. "You see? Are we good now?"
"We will be once you walk away," Baekhyun growled in response.
"Gladly," the man responded dryly as he turned back around to continue down the path. "Kids these days thing they're so clever," he muttered under his breath. "Butting into the business of adults."
Immediately after the man left, Baekhyun crouched down and helped the beggar restore her tin can to its previous state. "Are you alright?" he asked in a soft voice. The gentle expression on his face completely surprised Mira, as she had assumed that he only ever showed two expressions: annoyed and stoic.
Chanyeol was the first to walk towards the pair; the others trailed closely behind him. By now all attention on them had been lost, and the market continued to bustle with conversation.
"Amazes me every time," Chanyeol grinned as he clapped the other on his shoulder. He pulled his hand back and raised them in surrender when Baekhyun shot him a pointed glare.
"Thank you very much young man," the old woman offered him a crooked smile. "If there's anything I can do to help in return, please let me know."
“Would you have, by chance, heard anything about an Ultimate living in the area?” Suho asked as he knelt down to face the woman.
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