Taeyu was still busy studying his manuscripts when a small knock on his door startled him, his body tensing on instinct.
"Who is it?" he called out, because usually only the inspection servants would be this polite, none of his batch mates were as refined and neither were they keen on sharing the elegance.
There were times when Taeyu would face numerous amount of disdain from his own friends whenever he would remind them of their heritage, which was 'To act with sophistication is a true servant's nobility'.
Since being judgmental would be hypocritical of him.
"It's me Yeonja, c-can I enter?"
Hearing the voice, Taeyu's whole body stiffened, and his mouth twisted into a frown, he had never thought his friend would come to meet him, when he never had once taken the initiative to do so. Had he been harmed? Taeyu couldn't come to any conclusion.
So taking a deep breath, he went to fetch his friend, opening the wooden door to make way. What he didn't expect was to see Yeonja drenched from head to foot, dripping with cold water.
"W-Why are you like this?" Taeyu almost screamed, his eyebrows raised and his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"I by m-mistake got caught in between two sparing shishya, t-they were element user like you."
Taeyu did not for once believed that his friend would mistake such big time, because how would one just drop in between two sparing opponents?
"Did they bully you? I never thought they would get physical."
Yeonja looked somber, which wasn't an expression Taeyu had seen before. His friend always smiled for him, maintained that refreshing shy appearance even if he was hurt from someone's comment, but today he had surprisingly broken down that wall.
Bristling, Taeyu huffed, dragging Yeonja out with an angry stomp, "I am taking you to the head shikshak, today we will settle this for once. I don't care what you say."
But Yeonja was unwilling to go, he never wanted to complaint about people or show his weakness or even talk about it. He could handle the little childish prejudice if it meant harmony.
"Yeonja," Taeyu hissed, "Don't forget that you are the one unwilling to take risks, this attitude of yours would bring you more trouble. Today they pulled some little prank on you, the next day they would spit on you, and maybe later they would even act against you. Mind my words, I don't want you to suffer anymore. So what if you are a flower, you are more mature than those goons."
Yeonja was thankful to Taeyu after hearing such passionate speech for him, yet he couldn't bring himself to defend against the others, he was not that valiant.
"I will leave it for now, but if anything happens to you, I will be going straight to the shikshak, you hear me?"
Yeonja nodded, entering the little house which stood at the corner of the brick laid street, the exterior dark and humble looking.
Inside the space, Yeonja noticed the cluttered mess of sheets and clothes, all of them in process to getting folded, "I am s-sorry for d-disturbing you."
Taeyu didn't mind the intrusion, in fact he was quite happy in receiving his guest, who had come looking for him for the first time.
"The classes would be starting soon, do you want to go somewhere after we are finished?"
Yeonja nodded eagerly, "I want to, I... want to buy a flower."
"A flower?" Taeyu tilted his head, looking surprised. "Why do you want to?"
In their world, the flowers were only bought in special occasions or when there was a festival. But that day, they had no plans for something extravagant.
The servants also did not marry or have children like on Earth, the only bond existing between them was that of partners, friends, sibling or ranks. And even then nobody would go forth with gifting a flower to the other. It just wasn't any trend Taeyu was familiar with.
"I... want to give it to s-someone."
To someone...?
Taeyu was even more confused, who would be saintly enough to receive so much devotion from his little Yeonja? Or was it him that was to acquire the gift?
He shook his head mentally, no it couldn't be just that. "You can at least tell me who it is, I promise you I will keep it a secret."
What Taeyu hadn't expected was the massive flush that reddened the cheeks of his friend, whose eyes were squeezing shut in embarrassment and fists were readied to let out a storm of attacks, not that they would harm Taeyu any.
Laughing a bit, Taeyu gave up on trying to know the person, he would respect his friend if that meant valuing their bond. "I will not pry anymore, so just decide which area you want to buy this flower from."
Flowers could be easily plucked from the wilderness, but 'bought' flowers were the exotic ones which went to the local deities or were passed on as an offering to the Gods and Goddesses.
So if Yeonja was to give the exotic flower, the representation and symbolism would depend on what kind of flower he bought... and for whom.
Taeyu really wished it was him, for he would be jealous if that wasn't the case.
"L-Let us go east."
East was the most expensive in their world, only shishyas from district one and two, and rich shikshaks would go there, for it was crawling with high ranking officials and only the most successful servants would try their hand on that place. But Taeyu agreed to go with his friend, he wouldn't want to hold back whatever development was written by the fates.
~~
Yeonja happily marched over towards the flower seller, where an elderly servant with a crooked back watched over the sales. The afternoon sun was glaring down at everyone but the seller was perfectly calm, sitting underneath the sacred fig, sipping on a small cup of mountain tea.
Such weather really did not compliment well with hot drinks, but Yeonja was well adapted to seeing bizarre scenes, he wasn't as startled as he was a few years back, when he visited the market for the first time.
The market was a long and lengthy ray of settlement, sided by natural valleys and thick forests. The walkways were always covered with colorful canopies, but during clear weather, the canopies were often rolled back to their stands.
Each stall was shaded with a good amount of natural creeper, the sections divided by bamboo shoots. Decorated with colorful lanterns and fairy lights, all of them rich in shades.
Yeonja always found solace in such crowded places, they gave him a hope of existence and made his lonely heart warm. Yes he was grateful for Taeyu but that did not mean he was satisfied with just him. He favored making bonds, even if they scarcely came his way.
"I want to buy an exotic flower elderly, can you sell me one?"
The old seller leaned over, peering into Yeonja's face with blunt eyes, "Do you even have the amount little child?"
The question wasn't rude, it made sense to Yeonja who had seen people taking favors from the stall owners because they lacked the original amount. Deception wasn't there, the favor would be returned, but it was not a good practice, specially when Shishyas like himself were always short on capital. Returning a favor might even take years.
"I will e-exchange s-something of mine with you... w-will that be enough?"
The seller wasn't very satisfied but he also did not shoo away his only customer that week, because it was off season and servants did not buy flowers during such season. The festival was still 5 days away.
"What exchange you are talking about?" Taeyu butted in, almost mentally burdened, did his friend even have something that valuable? And was sacrificing so much for just a flower really that necessary...
Yeonja smiled back at Taeyu to reassure him of his stubbornness, "I hh-ave a brooch, made of copper and bronze... w-will that do?"
The seller wasn't sure where the child had gotten the brooch from but when he was presented a beautifully carved pin, his eyes sparkled in interest. "If I am not mistaken child, isn't this an award?" The quivery voice of the elderly sounded genuinely amused, because not everyday he would be visited by such youngins who exchanged their honour badges for a flower.
"I r-received it long ago, now... n-now it doesn't holds much meaning," Yeonja was very determined to buy the flower, no matter what it cost, he was also sure that exchanging a brooch was the correct price.
But his friend wasn't as keen on watching Yeonja sell his hard earned badge. Taking over the conversation, he directly offered, "I have some amount with me, you can take that instead elderly, I will pay the rest by the next week."
"N-No, take my brooch," Yeonja countered, being equally argumentative.
Earning capital was hard in their world, because it came from doing good deeds. One good deed equaled 108 chunks of bronze, while 100 good deeds equaled one gold coin.
An exotic flower was sold for 108 chunks of bronze which was considered a standard, a sacred number. So no wonder to buy an exotic flower the buyer would have to have a rich status. That is why mere students were unable to acquire them, because earning a good deed was as difficult as searching a pin in the hay stack. Their world was prosperous, so nobody was in ache that could be solved to gain a deed. Only the mortal world would grant them deeds.
And servants who were actively working in the field were the only ones who could access the mortal world. The shishyas were exception to this. And for such reasons, both Taeyu and Yeonja were more or less beggars if one would see it that way. Of course they did have bare minimum covered with the capital they received each year, but it wasn't enough to lavishly buy something as expensive as 108 chunks of bronze.
Taeyu had thought that Yeonja had some stored amount he would be using, but seeing the situation, he was worried, "Don't argue with me Yeonja, let me help you out."
"N-No! This is m-my-"
Raising his hand up in a stopping gesture, the seller having seen enough, glared at the two children, "Either you decide what course of action you will take, or leave."
Yeonja exchanged a glance with his friend, and finally they settled for sharing the amount, the brooch safely going back inside the pocket as if it never was there in the first place.
Yeonja was guilty of taking advantage of his friend's generous character, but he also couldn't object for he knew his ideas wouldn't take flight. If he was stubborn, then Taeyu was even more stubborn.
"What flower do you want young one," the seller asked, presenting a row of drums filled with water to the brim, each of the drum exhibiting a range of exotic flowers, all of them high quality and fresh.
"I want a w-white lotus."
"Ah, a symbol of purity..." the seller took out the flower and wrapped the ending stem with a small piece of mesh cloth, tying it with a soft silk thread.
The elderly did want to ask why the child would buy the flower when there wasn't any worshiping ritual coming up in the next few days, since only Gods were praised with such kinds. If it would have been any other lotus species, he wouldn't be concerned, but white lotus was special, it was rare as well, even if the price remained the same.
Taeyu though, wasn't one to sit quietly, since as soon as they left the stall, he jumped on the opportunity to question Yeonja about it, which God had he become so enamored with that he would even bear the expenses so readily?
Yeonja without being questioned, knew what he would be asked, "I w-will give this f-flower to someone, you know h-him by the name of..."
~~
Yeonja kept the flower at the foot of the bench upon which Nipun Ruan would always sit, whenever he would end his practice. Not that the boy was expecting anything from doing this, but the Nipun had been generous to him and hadn't punished him for his curiosity, so the least he could do was give him his respect.
Now he had not decided upon the white lotus until he saw it, because leaving out the symbolism, the white color of the petals really matched well with the shade of hair Nipun Ruan had. Even the delicate but shapely characteristics of the flower looked as enchanting as Nipun Ruan himself.
One would think he was showing too much consideration for a Nipun, who wasn't some deity or God, however Yeonja was different, aside from Taeyu, nobody had ever shown him any consideration, and that too when they did not even know him.
So Yeonja had immediately wanted to show his humble sincerity by delivering the flower. Nipun Ruan did not need to know about the gifter, all he needed to receive was the emotions held within that gift.
Hiding behind the wall, Yeonja waited until the doors of the main hall opened loudly, the howling winds immediately picking up and blowing over the area.
Although it was good, the seasonal stuffiness was gone, but the flower was also gone.
Yeonja started to panic, when he saw the flower floating with the wind and over the roofed walls, somewhere afar.
Turning back, Yeonja noticed Nipun Ruan stepping on the warm pavement, the dirt beneath pressing to his robe skirt as usual, but the boy was too worried about his gift, which had been hard to buy.
So quickly overlooking his savior, Yeonja ran away towards the direction the flower went. And as he ran he could hear the beats of the drum resounding through the area, every corner vibrating under the noise.
Yeonja dearly wanted to see the rehearsals but his flower took importance in the situation.
Running running running, falling and stumbling, crossing the monastery walls and ending up by the foot of the hill, Yeonja searched every nook and cranny, only tasting defeat and disappointment.
His heart was heavy and he felt like crying, he was even thinking up scenarios where he would stutter out an apology to Taeyu. How could he have forgotten the effect of Jimin's power over the weather. He should have just held onto it, that way the gift wouldn't have flown over to some unknown territory.
Still, Yeonja wasn't one to give up so easily, he still had time and maybe he might be able to find the gift.
So with a determined smile, he raced over the direction of the forest, praying the whole while for the Gods to have mercy on him.
~~
The afternoon soon turned to evening, and the soft mist started to blanket over the terrain, covering the crown of the most brilliant of trees.
Yeonja staggered over the roots as he fell on the humus covered ground, tasting dirt and wood. He spat over, sitting straight on the floor and crawled up to stand by the thick stem of some native species.
His breathing was harsh and his wooden sandals were chipped at the tips, the threading holding it strong enough to leave horrible red marks on his feet. Even the clothes were a mess and the boy had lost his way into the woods.
Still, he did not find the flower he was looking for, the hope diminishing over time, as the sun started to leave the lands.
Struggling over the rough ground, Yeonja reached a point from where he could see the edge of a lake, but he did not recognize the area, the warm humidity wafting from the water body, looking dangerous even from far. But the inviting cozy space was too enamoring to just leave.
Gulping, Yeonja ended up following the trail that was wetter than the other areas, the patches damp with seepage of lake water and squishing with mud.
One wouldn't care about such minor details, but Yeonja could feel the hot vapors rising from the wetness. Didn't that mean the water of the lake was too warm to enter?
Yeonja would have left the area, if he hadn't caught a glimpse of white petals floating on the silents ripples.
His eyes sharply took in the anomaly and his heart gave a leap. His lotus was right there, a few meters away from him, sitting serenely over the waves. But now the question was how he would reach it... because just from a look Yeonja knew the water was too hot to ride.
A few minutes went into contemplating his options, and when the slight breeze from behind him pushed forward the flower further away from him, Yeonja finally acted. Taking up a stick from the forest floor and digging the lake with the tip to see the coastal depth.
He calculated the depth to reach almost half his arm, which wasn't much, but then... what about the bed that lied after... many lakes were shallow at the tip but suddenly dipped too deep, and not knowing which creature resided in the lake, the situation seemed risky.
It was easy to leave the area and find an escape, yet Yeonja wasn't successful in giving up his quest, so breathing in a calm breath, he stepped into the lake, the instant hot water boiling his foot like acid, but even if the boy cried, he only let out a high pitched whimper and quickly stepped ahead to reach for the lotus.
His quick actions saved him from further burning, even if his foot and lower legs looked tortured under his own actions.
A servant healed faster and cells would regenerated over time, but the hurt wouldn't pass and the intensity would be harsh to swallow until they healed.
But thankfully, his labor bore fruits and the flower was safely blooming in his palm as he fell on the muddy soil, his entire front getting caked with dirt.
Wiping away the tears quickly, Yeonja shakily stood up, carefully caring for the flower and watching over it to reduce the chances of it getting robbed from him.
But what even the fates didn't expect, were the several wriggling masses of appendages, which captured Yeonja by his legs, inflicting sharp pain as the pointy little teeth bit him on his calf.
These appendages rose from beneath the lake and most probably belonged to some hideous underwater beast which sucked blood from the living beings.
Yeonja screamed when he was dragged back towards the lake as the flower fell beneath him, crushing under his own body weight and getting dragged with him.
The pain was unbearable, as Yeonja could feel his blood flowing out of his veins, yet more then that, he was disheartened by the turn of events, maybe the flower was never meant to be gifted, and that is why even the fates were frowning down on him.
Since young age the shishyas were taught to carry salt with them, since monsters and wild beasts hated salt, so instinctively reaching for his pockets, he pulled out a handful of salt from a relief bag and threw it over the appendages.
A shrill scream came inside from the lake as Yeonja ran free from the limbs, taking away with him the crushed lotus.
Not even an hour later he finally came out of the forest, but as soon as he did, he broke down crying. The snot and the tears running over his face, leaving behind the ugly traces on his skin.
His body was hurting, his legs were almost dead and the flower he had bought with such delight was crushed and dirty, falling apart in his shaky palms.
Was he really as unlucky as they came? He really believed so.
The evening had darkened over as the redness soon faded away, but Yeonja kept sitting by the edge of the valley in disdain, the dreadful emotions in his heart swirling out of control.
The wailing was hard to bear, it tug on the strings of heart if someone was to hear it, alas, there was nobody who could release the boy from his dejected sorrow.
That was what Yeonja would expect, having tasted the scent of loneliness over the years of his life, which wouldn't be filled as easily.
But he wasn't alone, as a saintly figure of a young man sat next to him, his knees bent and his chin resting upon them. His presence was so minor that Yeonja did not suspect being watched. He repeatedly massaged his legs to make them heal faster, but with time he felt fainter and fainter. And maybe that was the reason why he was so unaware of anyone else besides himself.
The saintly figure was silently waiting for the boy to calm down, for he did not want to interrupt the flow of emotions and sadness, since his belief was to let the person feel himself and integrate those as lasting memories. Emotions were there to be felt, sadness, grief, anger, happiness, all of them were meant to be learned from and to be cherished, because without them, a person was hollow, may it be human or may it be a servant.
Happiness wouldn't be appreciated if there was no sadness to follow it, and anger wouldn't be felt if there wasn't grief to accompany it.
Managing life in the correct path, was what the Servants pledged to maintain, but not every one was the same. Not everyone knew how to express their emotions and carry on the gift of life they received.
"The evening is too beautiful to cry over young boy," Ruan reminded dolefully, caressing the rough strands of hair which had fallen over and were sticking to the boy's forehead.
The sight of the boy was truly pitiable, but Ruan understood it as a sign of struggle and a fight, a beautiful concept of life.
What amused him was the vibrating body of the boy who had stopped crying and was instead looking over him with those big eyes of his, the teary look filled with startle and awe.
"You don't need to fear me, I won't harm you. But you look hurt. How did you injure yourself?"
Ruan knew the boy was too much in shock as soon as a blank daze settle over the face, the same look he was familiar with when talking to a group of admirers. But unlike their chatter-y mouths, this young boy was too silent.
He smiled, "That lotus of yours is in poor condition, but your God won't mind, he knows you, he knows everything."
He watched as the boy snapped out of his daze and hurriedly hid the lotus in reflex, the action was too quick for even Ruan to see. But he simply chuckled, fondly wiping the Boy's face with the edge of his sleeves.
The boy tried to run away, but Ruan was persistent, as he took to caring of the little hurt bean.
Even if his conversation was one sided, he was adamant on interacting, something about the situation just tugged on his heartstrings. "Come with me, we need to tend to your injuries and your messy uniform."
Yeonja didn't even have time to react when he was picked up and carried over like a sack of potato.