The Origin of Roh-Shan

Hiyori

The boat wasn't comfortable. It was terrifying.

Ennis definitely enjoyed not having people on his back, and seemed more than content with pulling the boat. But inside the boat, the boards creaked under their weight, the boat sat dangerously low, dark water threatening to spilling over, and every movement caused the whole thing to wobble, forcing everyone to rebalance every few minutes. Nobody got a wink of sleep.

So they were ready to kiss the ground when Ennis finally pulled them ashore on Hiyori Island just after sunrise. It was the perfect time to head into town for supplies: most of the shops were open, ready to sell what the fisherman brought in at the end of yesterday's haul, but not too many people were out just yet.

However, the three of them in town didn't look quite as inconspicuous as they'd hoped.

Haider was the only normal looking one, and that's saying something, considering the number of people who still looked twice at him.

Roh's shirt had small burned patches from the house fire, and despite being submerged in water several times, the black soot in other areas hadn't washed away fully.

Kota tried to smooth her shirt out as best she could, but was mostly unsuccessful. The spare clothes Dagon had grabbed for her were actually his, just a slight bit too big and unmistakably boys clothes. After being frozen, thrown around, escaping through the woods and then thrown around some more two nights ago, her bruises were reaching the peak of their discoloration, so her outfit wasn't the only one looking suspicious.

Let's not even get into how their hair looked.

Roh was surprised by how easily Haider was brushing off all the people who were staring at his right shoulder, where his arm should be. Based on the short time she knew him, she'd assumed he would be challenging everyone who looked twice at him to a fight. But she quickly realized why he seemed so calm about it.

She watched one man who was staring at Haider. Once they passed each other, Haider's left finger curled slightly and a small crack in the dirt street raised for a brief second, just enough to trip the man and send him to his knees, dropping everything he was carrying. Roh couldn't help but laugh.

Finally, they came across something promising: a small store advertising "scrolls, artwork, and more".

"They've gotta have something." Kota said, following Roh inside. She turned back and saw Haider wasn't behind her. "You coming?"

Haider had paused mid-step, watching a man on the side of the road with a small upturned crate and three clay cups. He lifted one cup to reveal it was empty, and collected the small copper pieces from his victim.

"I'll wait out here." Haider grinned, stuffing his hand in his pocket casually and walking towards the man.

Kota rolled her eyes and stepped into the shop, but her friend had already disappeared. "Roh?"

An elderly lady stepped out from behind the counter. "Can I help you find anything, young man?"

Kota turned to her, "Um, I'm looking for a map?"

The old woman was thrown by Kota's feminine voice and face, despite wearing boys' clothes. She eyed her suspiciously. "My apologies, right this way." She led Kota to a shelf near the front of the store, but not before she noticed a slight movement behind a black curtain at the back of the shop.

~

"Listen here, child. Anyone ever tell you there's something special about you?"

This was definitely the type of person Roh and Maita had been warned to stay away from as kids. The old man in the back of the bookstore grinned at her creepily. He was missing several front teeth.