That afternoon, I found out why. That was the afternoon I met Yuri for the first time. He seemed to just pop out of nowhere. I figured he had been by the nearby brook and saw me walking along the lonesome pathway and he had apparently decided that he had wanted to get to know me. So he just began walking in stride with me.
"Hello. I'm Yuri," he said, flashing me a smile, while keeping both his hands clasped behind his back.
"Might I have the honor of knowing your name, miss?"
I stared up at him and decided to ignore him. I didn't trust men and he was no exception. I slipped one hand into a hidden pocket in my dress where I always kept a dagger. I was willing to use it on him if I had to.
After a prolonged silence, he just narrowed his eyes at me and said, "So you're not going to give me your name, huh? That's fine. Are you off to town? That's where I'm headed too. Mind if I walk with you?"
