By the time the door opened again, Tyura was already sitting back on the floor. He pretended to be particularly interested in removing some dirt from his nails. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Fade nod in his direction before strolling over and throwing himself on the bed.

Then, the only thing in his view was Nave's long brown skirt as she stood in front of him.

Tyura looked up at her innocently.

“Come,” She said, resting her hands on her hips, “You need to bathe, you’re stinking up the room.” And then she turned back to the door and walked out.

Tyura glanced over at Fade but he seemed to already be in a deep sleep. He was even snoring a little. He stood stiffly and slowly and left Fade in the room. 

He made sure to take in his surroundings as he walked. 

The room they were in immediately led to a short hallway, with a slightly bigger room at the end. There was a small square table in the middle with two chairs and on the side was a rusty black cauldron hanging over a fireplace.

The smell of cooking meat caused Tyura’s stomach to rumble loudly. He placed his hand over his sunken stomach and inhaled painfully. 

“Well, I think I would rather eat first.” Nave said and Tyura looked up at her gratefully. The corners of her lips lifted in a playful smirk as she pulled out one of the chairs at the table.

She pointed at it. “Sit.”

He did instantly. Not only was he starving but the pain from his injuries hurt when he walked.

Nave chuckled and grabbed a clay bowl and a spoon from a shelf in the corner. It was the only piece of furniture in the house aside from the bed.

After scooping whatever was in the cauldron into the bowl, Nave set it down in front of Tyura and sought down in the other chair.

Tyura peered at the food curiously. The food was mostly hot water with chunks of some strange meat. He was unbearably hungry, and the sight of the strange meal still made his mouth water but he noticed that Nave wasn’t eating, only watching with an intense stare.

“I already ate while you were sleep.” Nave said as if reading his mind. Maybe she could, Tyura thought uneasily , but he quickly dismissed the thought.

 Tyura was trained in not showing what he was thinking on his face but maybe in this child’s body he couldn’t hide his expressions. Tyura sighed inwardly and took another look at the bowl.

She had already eaten, but the food was still steaming as if it had just finished-

Tyura’s thoughts were interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach. Oh whatever. He thought, picking up the splintered wooden spoon. He would think later. Right now he needed food to get stronger.

He finished the first bowl quickly of rather tasteless food and asked for more, which Nave gave him without complaining, until eventually he had eaten three.

“Alright.” She said, sliding Tyura bowl out of his reach. She pointed her thumb to the front door. “You need to bathe before dark.”

Tyura obediently stood and followed Nave outside. The setting sun had bathed their surroundings in an orange light.

He watched her eyes scan the tree line quickly, before she looked back at Tyura with a smile. What was out there that had her so cautious? He was trained along with the other soldiers to never let your guard down even when they were resting. They had to always watch out for ambushes. He pretended that he didn’t notice, but he made sure to stay alert.Right now he was just a young abandoned child. He would have to play like that for a while until he got the information he needed to-.

Tyura hadn’t noticed. Lost in thought, he had automatically followed Nave around the side of the house, so he was completely caught off guard when he saw two gutted people hanging upside down in a tree by the house.

Tyura’s body ran cold, his eyes widening in shock.

They were two elderly people, their eyes still wide from fear even after death. And the way they were gutted-

It was as if someone had taken chunks of flesh had been hacked off-

Tyura covered his mouth. He felt all the “meat” he had just eaten rise into his throat.

A hand smacked over his and gripped his cheeks in the process.

“Swallow it.” She said deadpan, her green eyes blank. No more smiles or fake friendliness. This was the real her. He stared at her.

Her cloths, Tyura thought his eyes prickling,…they were too big for her.

Nave suddenly let go allowing Tyura to fall to his knees and release all the contents of his stomach. It hurt.

Nave laughed looking at her hand.

“It was just a little joke, relax.”

The narrative came to Tyura as he wiped a shaky hand across his mouth. The cloths that didn’t fit, the cautious looks-. Nave and Fade weren’t some farmers, they were murderers- criminals-, probably running from the law.

His eyes wandered wearily up to the poor elderly people. His heart hurt for them. They’re life ended just for the clothes off their back. This small house must be theirs as well. They just had to run into criminals like these.

Tyura glared up Nave who was watching him with that fake smile on her face. 

No. It was real this time. Even her eyes curved. It was sickening how much she was enjoying his reactions.

Tyura knew exactly how he would have dealt with criminals like these in his old world.

He clenched his fist in the dirt. But right now he is powerless.

All he could do was change his plans. There was no way he was staying with these monsters. The first chance he got he would have to make an escape.