Botan had attempted to get them to stay as Kija, Zeno and Yoon went back to fetch their things, but since they were too deep into investigating the nadai, they left the inn in order to protect him.
He had shoved several blankets for them to use while they camped outside, worriedly fussing over them like a worried uncle and the three accepted it to give him peace of mind, promising to bring it back as soon as they could.
He told them not to worry about it though.
Shin-ah and Jae-ha had set up the tent last night near the forestry edge of the river that cut through the town, close to the addicts who were still lined up in a row on the street.
Calista and Zeno took turns ensuring that they didn't get too cold, draping the blankets Botan lended to them over the men, and encouraged them to drink as much water as possible despite the half-conscious people refusing it over and over again.
Yona helped too, even though Hak didn't want her getting too close.
He didn't voice it though, choosing to keep an eye on her from a distance while she caringly tended to the addicts tied up.
A small fire flickered a few feet away, Yoon fast asleep along with Hak after Yona insisted that he get some rest. The princess followed suit not long after, unable to keep her eyes open after the day that she had.
Kija fell asleep propped up against the same brick wall that the men were sitting against so that he could stop them if they started rampaging again.
Zeno, to the three who were still awake, were surprised when he volunteered to take the first watch. He sat just outside the tent, staring off at something Calista couldn't see, relaxed and patient.
Around the dwindling campfire, Jae-ha took the opportunity to fill her and Shin-ah in on what his current plan was once daybreak broke and Calista's brow furrowed uneasily, something not sitting right with her.
"So, let me get this straight. You're going back to the place where they took the nadai to see if you can find out who's selling this stuff?" She emphasized, crossed her arms over her chest as Shin-ah let Ao nibble on the blades of grass beneath them.
"Terrible idea." She hissed.
The bite in her tone made Jae-ha wince even though he was older than her, the night chill turning frigid as she confronted him about his plan.
"Hak has already agreed to come with," Jae-ha told her quietly so he didn't disturb the other members of their party slumbering. "And Kija as well."
Calista huffed, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.
After a few beats she let out a heavy breath in resignation. "I still don't think it's a good idea."
The light of the fire made it so that she could only see the shadow of Jae-ha's face and his eye twitched when he realized where she was going with this.
"If you're really going to do this, I think I should come with." Calista suggested, throwing Shin-ah an apologetic look as his head whipped around towards her.
Despair clawed its way into Shin-ah's heart as he heard her say that but before he even had a chance to react, she continued to speak.
"At least, that's what I was going to say." Calista finished, leaning back on her hands to rest as she sent Jae-ha a small smile. "But I'm sure the three of you are enough to handle an undercover op without me going along."
Jae-ha chuckled, raising a tiny cup of water to toast her sentiment. "That, we are."
Alcohol had been prohibited for any of them to drink by Yoon until he had a way of confirming that there was no nadai laced within it.
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The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)
قصص الهواةShin-ah x OC "I told you once, a long time ago, that you would have to choose which lives to save." Steel eyes flashed in the moonlight. "You choose to sacrifice the ones who have offered themselves up to serve you, the ones that have already decide...
