Happy to finally see Ju out of her slump, Olivia turned her attention back to her mint water, patiently waiting for Ju to regain control of herself.

Given that neither kid had popped in to see what was making their mother laugh, Ju was doing an excellent job of keeping her volume low.

After a few minutes, Ju finally got out, “Um, Ms. Ada?”

“Yes? Actually, I've been meaning to ask, why did you call me that? Was it keep that pompous goon from connecting my name to me down the road?”

“Oh, um, well,” Ju looked down at the table. “It’s the only part of your name I could say easily.”

Olivia stared for a moment before laughing, covering her face with a hand. “Oh-oh, I’m so sorry, Ju! If I’d known that saying my name was giving you trouble, I would have given you something easier to call me by!”

“Well, Min has insisted on calling you Li, so perhaps Ada Li?”

“Works for me,” Olivia to a sip from her cup, trying not to choke by way of mint water and giggles. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

“It’s just well,” Ju hesitated before rallying herself, “Ms. Ada, where are you from?”

“Hm?”

“Before I sequestered myself to this small property, I spent many days in Li-An Village. It was rare, but foreigners did come out here, usually merchants who wanted to see wares at their source. And your clothes look nothing like what they wore.”

“I would suppose not,” Olivia agreed, taking a sip.  It's not like they have anything akin to mass-production here.

“You also didn’t know where you were,” Ju added. “Maps are rare, but a few can be purchased. Outdated ones, but still good for travelers sticking to the roads. but you didn't even know the name of the nearest town. Then there's, well, your hair-”

“Doesn’t gain colored highlights?”

“Well, that but, Ms. Ada, you have naturally brown hair! No one here is born with that.”

“What?”

“At first, I thought you were on a pilgrimage. It isn’t unusual for people to dye their hair brown since it’s a sacred color in many countries, but even the best dye can’t hide one’s Blessing when the sun touches the hair.”

“I see.” Internally, Olivia shrieked, You have got to be kidding me! I’m going to stand out because my hair color doesn’t naturally occur here! How is that even possible?

After black, brown was the second most common color for hair and eyes back home. If something so common there was going to appear here as otherworldly, Olivia was going to attract more attention than she had originally thought.

Wait, does that mean they don't have blonde or red hair? Or just not in this part of the world? It's possible. I mean, sure, black looks good with a lot of colors, but neon and pastels would be a little odd for highlights.

Or what had Ju called them: Blessings? That had to mean some significant meaning in this world. Perhaps a sign of favor from the gods of this world? Olivia could believe it, having seen the colors appear right before her eyes.

“You don’t hide that you’re a woman, so you aren’t running from family trouble,” Ju continued, pulling Olivia from her thoughts. “Your horse says that you come from a well-off family yourself, but your manners are more akin to the common folk.”

That’s because where I’m from, I’m considered common folk!

“Your lack of courtesy could be attributed to being from another country, but you willing engaged in a fight to help me. Even if it means trouble for you in the future.”

“That wasn’t much of a fight,” Olivia pointed out with a half smile. “And he did deserve it.”

“You carry so many strange things in those bags of yours, things that I've never seen before," Ju said, turning her own mug as much as the mint water allowed her without spillage. "I’ve tried to make sense of this, but I’ve come up empty. If it wasn’t for the fact that you didn’t disintegrate trying to enter the house-”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I would have thought that you were some type of spirit,” Ju finished, having not noticed Olivia’s questions. “Min has been asking questions too, and I don’t have any answers for her.”

“Ms. Ada,” Ju looked Olivia square in the face, “just where in the world are you from?"

"Er, well..."

"Is the reason, well, complicated?”

Olivia blinked several times before snorting. Well, Ju has more awareness than a bunch of other people. Considering she's been engaged in a cold war of sorts these past years, I can't say I'm surprised.

“No, it’s not complicated.” Olivia sighed with exasperation, setting her mug down. “It’s more, quite literally, out of this world, and I have no idea how to explain it without sounding crazy.”

Ju quickly set her own mug on the table. “Ms. Ada, this day has been crazy for me, and it isn’t even halfway over yet.”

“Huh. You’re right. Well then.” Taking a deep breath, Olivia began to recount her sudden appearance in the forest to the west, a white-faced Ju informing a less than amused Olivia that it was known as The Demon's Lair, which was so different from the ones she had spent many hours riding through. Talking briefly about her home, Olivia pulled a few bills out of her wallet, fished out her still-off smartphone from her saddlebags, and showed them to Ju, who took them to stare wide-eyed, even holding the one-hundred up to the light at Olivia’s prompting to see the anti-fraud strip within it.

“Another world?” Ju stared after Olivia finished her explanation. “You came from another world? That’s…well, unbelievable.”

“Finding myself in another world is unbelievable,” Olivia pointed out, placing the bills back into her wallet and phone back in her bag's inner pocket from which she had fetched it. “This type of stuff only happens in stories back home. I’m hoping that these sects you’ve mentioned might be able to help me.”

“That would be your best choice,” Ju agreed, draining the rest of her drink. “I have heard stories with talismans that can connect two different places, so perhaps a way between worlds is possible.”

“I can only hope,” Olivia said before clearing her throat. “But that’s a future problem. Right now, I need to help you with your problem.”

Ju blinked, clearly surprised at Olivia's words. “What? You think you can help me?”

Olivia shrugged. “I can only offer suggestions to you. At the end of the day, it’s your choice if you want to go through with any or none.”

“Right,” Ju straightened herself in her seat. “So what are they?”

“Well, the first two are the easiest, but you’ll likely be miserable with either one,” Olivia held up one finger. “The first is to keep doing what you’re doing right now. The only problem is that you currently don’t have any legal backing to get your in-laws to back off, and they are doing their best to prevent you from getting that help. And considering that Yīn was ready to have those guys storm this house, I guess that their patience is running out.”

Ju flinched. “Yes, that was the first time Yīn Liáng threatened to have my home invaded. If you hadn’t stopped them, I doubt I could.”

Olivia held up a second figure. “Second option is to give in and do what your in-laws want. The only problem is that they’ll take that as a signal to keep pushing you around until either you beg them to stop or you snap and retaliate, both not really good outcomes since they could spin the narrative however they want to paint you in a bad light.”

Ju flinched again, no doubt seeing such a thing happening. “And the third option?”

Olivia held up a third finger. “It’s the hardest, but the one that’ll bring you and your family the most happiness: You pack up and leave.”

Ju stared flabbergasted. “Wha-leave? Ms. Ada, I can’t just leave.”

“Actually, you can,” Olivia pointed out. “Besides those bogus fees, you don’t have any debt, right?”

“Well, no, but-”

“No buts,” Olivia said firmly before softening her voice. “Ju, I know you’re scared at the idea. A lot of people who have been in your position are. Taking the third option would mean leaving everything behind: your home, your friends, and the social support group you have managed to gather these years. You'll be in a new place where you don't know a single face and lose the security of knowing that others will have your back for a time. But it also means getting away from the predators who mean you and your children harm.”

“Predators?” Ju asked.

Olivia waved a hand. “It's just something I read back home. How anyone who makes people’s lives miserable is a predator. Whether financially, emotionally, physically, or whatever way they can, they all have one thing in common: attacking others just to make themselves feel better. You, Ping, and Min don’t deserve that; no one deserves that.”

“You make it sound like leaving everything is so simple.”

“Well,” Olivia shrugged. “I've never been pushed to taking the third option, but I know and heard stories about a lot of people who have, all with various forms of success. I even have a handful of ancestors who took the third option, but they didn't just move to the next town, Ju; they left their homeland and sailed across the ocean with no chance to see their loved ones again. They sacrificed everything so that they and their descendants could be free. My entire country was built by and is home to those whose parents, grandparents, and distant ancestors fled unhappy lives for something better. They all made sacrifices because it was worth it to them.”

 Ju stared at the water sitting in her mug. “Worth it, huh?”