"Ugh!" Kiari huffed as she tried to lift a brown sack off the ground. "Why's it so heavy?!" She exclaimed, letting the sack go to rest her scratched hands.
It'd been almost two months now, they had finally reached Parthevia after a short stop in Reim. They'd just docked in Contastia Harbor and started unloading.
Satori's business in Parthevia had to with a man that lived near the port, and another that lived in the capital. So, for now, they'd stay in town for a few days then take a carriage to the capital. Satori had gone ahead, leaving Kiari with the company of most of the guards.
Though before Kiari's teacher left with Satori, he'd tasked her with some luggage to drop off at the inn they'd be staying in...
With a sigh, she looked at the brown sack in front of her with fury. It was half her size but three times her weight. She didn't understand how her teacher, who's name was Lenlin, possibly thought that a small girl like herself could ever carry the sack in front of her.
With another huff, she ran up the stairs to the boat until she reached the main deck.
Gulping, she slowly made her way to look over the ship's fencing. Luckily, there was a small box there that she could use as a stool to get a better view.
Normally, she would've just asked someone to help her carry the sack, but they were all told not to... So now, she was looking for someone that came to look for a job, by now they had already filled up any spots, so anyone that did come would be rejected.
She first spotted a large man, a mean-looking one that reminded her that she also had to be careful with who she chose. Narrowing her eyes, she continued looking.
It wasn't until she spotted a smaller man, a younger-looking one, that her hopes increased.
Before he left, she quickly sneaked her way down the ramp and behind it. Making sure no one could see her, she looked back to the boy, that wasn't too far from her.
Clearing her throat, she put on determined eyes. His hair is kind of weird but that's ok, he looks strong, and kind of innocent... And his rukh is telling me the same thing. Thanks to some training, Kiari had acquired a rather useful trait, the ability to read someone based on their rukh.
"Pst! Pst!" She repeated, staring at him intensely.
It was on her second try that she succeeded in making him turn around.
He had an arched eyebrow as he caught sight of Kiari behind the ramp. She slowly waved her hand for him to come forward.
Hesitating, he looked around before jogging up to her.
"Uh, hello?"
Her eyes narrowed as she sized him up. Purple hair and golden eyes, not exactly a normal appearance, but that was ok. Clearing her throat, she started talking. "Sorry to bother, but I really need your help in carrying something. I'd ask the people already here, but they're all busy. And don't worry, I'll pay you!" She smiled, folding her hands together above her waist with hope.
He looked very skeptical but ended up agreeing. "Hm, alright, well, firstly, my name is Sinbad. What's yours?" He introduced himself, staring at Kiari's crimson eyes intensely, which startled her at first, but she was used to it. "I'm Kiari... Uh, anyway, let's get the bag!" She put on a grin, running past him and up the ramp.
Of course, even if he seemed innocent, Kiari wasn't going to risk getting kidnapped again. What she was doing was very risky, but it was her last idea.
As they walked inside the ship, Sinbad didn't fail to notice how much protection and luxury items it had. It made him question why the girl before him needed his help.
"So here it is, I would've carried it myself but it was too heavy," Kiari stated as she jumped behind the bag, continuing to pull out a piece of paper.
"Where are we bringing it to?" He asked as he quickly inspected the bag, it made a familiar clinking sound, which made him even more suspicious. "I have a little map, I'm pretty sure it just leads to an inn." She explained as she presented to him the piece of paper she held.
He nodded, having a good feeling he knew where they were going.
"Alright, let's go!" She grinned.
As she started to lead the way, she became a bit tense.
Gulping she remembered the guard that was supposed to be watching over her. He had gone to eat something, thinking Kiari would be stuck with figuring out how'd she carry the bag, without using any wheels. It's been a while so he might be roaming around.
"Can I go up first? I want to make sure we don't bump into someone." She halted, stopping in the middle of the stairs. He arched his eyebrow, getting ever more suspicious. "Alright..."
She carefully peeked her head out, looking around.
Her eyes widened as she saw the guard. Aside from the fact that he'd snitch on her, Kiari didn't much like him. For some reason, she found him to be really creepy, every time she was around him she'd suddenly feel uncomfortable. Not only that but his rukh also told her to stay away from him.
She had voiced her feelings to her father, but he said it was probably because she was traumatized. Which may be right but it didn't justify the fact that she still didn't feel safe around him.
She became very wary of the man, whose name was Teijin. She was hoping that after this, he'd get fired as her guard for not watching her.
Her eyes went narrow, waiting for him to walk to the back of the ship. Luckily he hadn't seen her and disappeared behind a wall.
With a sigh of relief, she continued to make her up the stairs. "Alright, it's all good now!" She grinned, speedwalking to the ramp and waiting for him.
Although he was a little confused, he decided he'd wait for them to get off the ship until he asked her what was going on.
Kiari speed-walked down the ramp, making sure she had some distance from Sinbad so no one would accuse her of cheating.
A minute later they had made it far enough into the streets.
Knowing no one from the ship could see her, she started walking a little bit behind Sinbad, who was ready to ask his question.
"So... How come you were being all sneaky?"
She frowned as she tried to quickly think of what she'd say. "Well... There's supposed to be someone looking after me but I don't really like him." She decided she'd give him a bit of the story, so that way the trip wouldn't be so awkward.
His eyes filled with curiosity. "How come?"
Keeping her frown, she hesitated in responding. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get an outsider's opinion, though in that case, I'd have to tell him about my kidnapping... Actually, perhaps it'd be better for me to talk about it... Aside from her father and mother, Kiari didn't have anyone whom she could freely talk to. She'd wanted to talk to her father about the kidnapping, but as she was about to talk, she'd suddenly feel too embarrassed and stayed quiet.
Perhaps talking to a stranger was a risk, but she really wanted to get it off her back. She glanced back at Sinbad who looked concerned. Her lips parted in surprise as she saw his worry full expression. He looks like he'd be around Kouen's age... Maybe older... But perhaps he'd understand a bit...
With a sorrowful look, she stared back down at her map. "Well... I don't like the way he looks at me, it makes me feel uncomfortable... Randomly he'll pick me up and call me cute, I don't like it and I've told him but he still does it and says it's just a joke, that I'm taking it too seriously. He likes to tease me in ways I don't like... And every time I try to make it stop, I always end up as the bad guy... And he does everything when no ones looking... Being on the ship, I felt a little safe, since there were people in every corner. But, now, I don't want to be alone with him."
Sinbad's eyebrows furrowed, looking genuinely worried for the girl next to him. "Have you tried changing who looks after you?"
She sighed as she took a turn. "The thing is... He's technically not a guard, he's an accountant with a history in the army. I can't get rid of him because he's very valuable in my family, and they trust him a lot."
Sinbad frowned with a nod. "I see, so even if you asked, they wouldn't trust any other guard?" She shook her head. "No, especially since the others are new." Although she wanted to continue, their destination was near.
"I don't know what to do..." She muttered, slumping her shoulders. Sinbad stared at her, his eyes showing a glint filled with opportunity. "I have an idea," He grinned, looking determined. "Hm?" She arched her eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking.
"How about I be your guard?"
~
"Father!! I made it!!!" She exclaimed as she saw Satori walk down the stairs of the inn with a surprised look, her sensei behind him with the same expression.
"Wow, that's amazing Kiari!" He smiled, as he saw the sack sitting on the ground beside her.
"It really is..." Her sensei grabbed his chin and narrowed his eyes at her, making her sweatdrop.
"Hehe..."
"Did you open it?" Satori asked with a smile, crouching down and picking up the bag with ease. "No... What's inside it?" Her eyes widened with anticipation as he started to untie the rope binding it.
With a mischievous grin, he handed it back to her, "It's money, it'll be your allowance while we're here in Parthevia, so use it wisely."
Kiari was shocked as she finally understood why the bag was so heavy, she had thought that there were simply a lot of metal pieces in there, because of the sounds they were making. Yet, it was in fact of the bag of coins, silver coins to be exact.
"Silver?" She questioned, normally she would get gold coins.
Satori sweatdropped, knowing he had definitely spoiled her. "Yes, I don't want you to be walking around with gold coins, at least, not until we get into the capital. I should've given you copper coins, but it would've been too heavy for you to carry."
She nodded with a smile. "Thanks, now I can buy a lot of food!"
"Just not too much, alright?" He shivered, knowing how his wife would react if she knew he wasn't enforcing Kiari's diet.
"Where's Teijin, he should be here with you," Her sensei suddenly stated, seeing the guard nowhere around. Satori's eyes narrowed as he realized this too.
She cleared her throat, preparing to start the first step to her plan. "He was on break, I didn't want to bother him so I just left."
"You came here by yourself!?" They exclaimed.
"No, no, I met someone who knew the port well, he escorted me here. He's really nice! Apparently, he's a good fighter too! Do you want to meet him, he's outside." She gave a toothy smile, as she started walking to the door.
"Hm..." They hummed in suspicion as Kiari opened the doors, letting them see the purple-haired boy that had been waiting near the door.
They were quite confused, they were expecting someone bigger, but instead, they were seeing a teenage boy.
"Alright, so this is Sinbad, Sinbad, this is my father, Satori, and my sensei, Lenlin." She grinned, crossing her arms behind her back.
Sinbad became flustered as he wasn't expecting them to come out so soon. He quickly bowed as Kiari told him to do before. "It's nice to meet you!"
Satori pushed up his glasses, sighing. "Likewise, thank you for accompanying my daughter here, though how did you two meet?" He asked, giving Kiari a narrow gaze.
Before he could reply, Kiari stepped in. "He was looking for a job at the ship, and I decided I'd hire him as a guard."
"So he didn't help you with the sack?" Lenlin arched his eyebrow at her, his suspicion growing. "Of course not!" She nervously chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
"Well, it seems we'll be having a long talk with Teijin. Kiari, you said you hired him, so that means you owe him money, right?" Kiari eyes widened a bit, as she remembered that. "Right, I guess I'll get it now." She nodded, running back inside the inn.
As she left, Satori glanced back at Sinbad with fierce and sharp eyes, making him gulp.
There was no doubt in Sinbad's mind that Kiari came from a wealthy family. If he guessed correctly, the sack he carried here, held coins. Not only that but their ship and the clothes they wore, said much. Although they were clearly foreigners it was still obvious.
Satori was wearing a white tang suit below a light blue haori patterned with green leaves. Their was also his fan that was covering his mouth and chin right now, it matched his haori, and had a golden frame, which looked quite real.
Then there was Lenlin, he was in his under armor and held a katana at his hip.
Before he could continue to analyze them, Kiari came back. "Alright, here you go Sinbad, I think it's enough." She grabbed his hand and placed ten silver coins in it.
His eyes widened at the amount he was given. "No way, this is too much! Just one silver coin is already a lot!" He stated his shock, trying to put them back in her hands.
"Really?" She said in utter confusion, thinking she had grabbed too little. He sweatdropped, forgetting they were wealthy people.
Satori shut his fan, creating a large click of a sound and grabbing their attention. "Accept it, ten silver coins is nothing for us, consider it a tip. Now then, Kiari let's get going." He said clearly, turning around and walking back inside with Lenlin.
Kiari sighed, "If you really want to be my guard then come back here tomorrow in the afternoon, I can't promise that I can convince my father to hire a brand new guard for me, but I'll try. If you do end up becoming my guard, then you'll have to come to the capital with us, so it'll probably be a job lasting three or four weeks."
Sinbad held determination in the grin he gave, his eyes sparkling with it. "That's just fine, and don't feel bad if you can't do it, though I'd still like to make sure that Teijin guy doesn't do any to you!"
Kiari smiled back at him. "Thanks, Sinbad."