Yuri goes to a kettle and boils some water over a fire. She takes a paper baggie and steeps it in the boiled water. Yuri pours the tea in a copper teacup, then hands it to Val, who’s sitting on a couch under a canopy. She pours herself a cup too.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I’d never pass up the chance to be a good host,” Yuri sat on a different couch to Val’s right, “So, Val, what are you doing all the way out here?”

“Traveling.” Val replied.

“Traveling? Are you from town?”

“Huh?”

“Town. You know, just a couple miles over that way.” Yuri points behind Val. It’s the opposite direction of where Val came from.

Val doesn’t respond immediately. She worries about what’s best to say. Should she tell the truth, or lie? Lying would be safer, unless Yuri found out. But telling the truth could be equally as dangerous. She struggles to decide.

“You’re not, are you?” Yuri says, “Then are you from the capital? Or a neighboring town?”

“Yeah,” Val lies, “A neighboring town.” In truth, her starting location was much farther.

“I’ve been to the capital, but not many towns besides the one I was born in. Tell me, please, what are they like?”

“Big,” Val replies, “and loud.” While Val wasn’t native to any of the neighboring towns, she has passed through them. To her, they were quite scary. Bustling with people who paid no mind to Val. They’d walk over her and push past her. Those towns weren’t very nice. She’d always preferred to stop at inns along roadsides between towns. They were less crowded.