"Where is everyone?"
We resistantly enter the house with a " TARRIN GUEST HOUSE " sign plastered on its wall. Margaret holds my hand as we walk slowly into the dark house. We come into a room with a huge wooden table in the center and 6 chairs around it.
A huge pot is put in the corner with a few pieces of firewood. There are two 3 wooden doors that look worn out, we open the first door to be met with an empty dirty room. The walls are so dirty and the stench would make you feel like puking.
The second room is quite clean the walls look a little dirty and there's dust but it's manageable. The third room is the worst, we open it to see cockroaches running around and when a rat that looks fifty starts running towards us we close the door quickly.
"No one should ever open that door"
I say walking away from it to the second room.
This seems to be the best room here so we'll use this. Let's drop our things and go look for everyone."
The rest agreed as we arranged our things in a corner of the room. We are all alone since the people that brought us have gone back. We go outside to be met with another ordeal.
"Where do we go to look for them? what if we get lost and can't find anybody?"
Mary says looking around us.
"Let's flip a coin. If it's a number we go left, if it's a drawing we go right. Ok?"
I suggested bringing a coin out of my small pouch. Everyone agrees and Margaret takes the coin from me and flips it. It falls to the ground revealing the number two so we start heading left.
Small houses that look unkept from the exterior, dirty muddy streets with polluted greenish water flowing is the only scenic view we get. I had to tie my dress at the bottom so it doesn't drop into the mud.
There's smoke coming from some chimneys so people are sure living here. As we walk deeper into the town we start hearing voices and an unpleasant aroma and smoke in the air.
"Is there something going on?"
Ruby mumbles to herself as we go in the direction of the voices and smoke.
I knew what to expect when I saw the houses and road to this place but what I see is much worse. People who look very sick and malnourished are in a queue. Some are barely standing and some sitting on the muddy and dirty ground.
"Why are they here instead of the hospital?"
I walk past the people queuing to see what they're waiting for. The bad smell from before seems to get worse as I walk forward.
Now I know where the smell and thick smoke are coming from. There's a large pot on a pile of firewood, there's a brown thick water boiling in the pot.
The woman in charge gives me a nasty look and points to the line.
"If you want some then you better get in line."
I scoff taking a few steps back. The woman closes the pot and someone pours water some water on the firewood.
"That's all for today. If you want more food be on time tomorrow."
The woman shouts then walk inside a building behind her. I watch as people start begging her to give them food. That yucky thing with bad stench is food?
I know they're people living like this in real life but seeing them myself makes me want to cry. The people start walking away from the place, some in tears and some with hopeless expressions on their faces.
"Are you Lady Vivian Sullivan?"
I look back to see a middle-aged woman smiling gently at me, I nod in response and she sighs in relief.
"I'm Evalyn Wynn, the manager of Luthyia Care Home, nice to meet you, my lady."
"I'm sorry there was no one to welcome you at the guest house."
She says apologetically but I wave it off.
"What's happening here?" Even though the food looks horrible there was still enough in the pot to serve thrice the people in the queue."
I ask Evelyn who sighs and starts walking away from the place I assume is the town hall because of a wooden sign on the front door.
"They don't serve all the food at once, they reheat it and serve it little by little on different days. Today's food remains will be served for the next five days if not more."
I don't what to say with the information I just got, how can they feed that terrible thing to people?
"I'll lead you to the care home now."
~~~~~
VIHAR WOMEN BATH HOUSE, RENZTEAD CITY
"Here are the things you'll need later, I'll be heading back now."
Edith hands me a bag and walks away. I enter the bathhouse putting a small smile on my face, I know who I'm looking for so I immediately start looking for her. At the far corner of the cloth rack, I see a familiar face and smirk to myself.
I walk towards the princess pretending not to know her and accidentally bump into her.
"Ah!"
The princess turns around to look at me while I hold my shoulder that's bruised.
"I'm sorry I didn't see you there."
I say apologetically over and over again, the princess also starts apologizing and I smile gently at her.
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize when I'm the one who bumped into you."
The princess smiles at me and works towards the bath area. I change into a transparent thin cotton gown that can easily be removed and head to the bath area.
I rub my arm awkwardly pretending to be shy entering a bath with a stranger even though the tub is very big and can fit 10 people or more.
"Do you want to join me?"
The voice from earlier that I've been waiting for finally talks. I look toward the princess and go towards her tub.
"Thank you."
I say shyly entering the hot water. Sitting in a position that will expose my back and shoulder, I slowly shift the shoulder off so the bruise that's just healing will be exposed.
Feeling her eyes on me, I decide not to talk until she starts a conversation. I feel the water rumple so I know she's moving since it's just the two of us.
"Sorry if I'm being rude but may I ask how you got that scar? Is someone hurting you?"
"I'm not trying to poke nose in your affairs but I see a lot of women get abused in their homes but they never get help since no one asks if they're okay."
She's a cute one, making this even easier. I shift towards her and make myself comfortable.
"I wasn't abused in my home. On my way here from Maple Meadow, I and my servants got attacked by robbers."
"Luckily we weren't robbed thanks to a general passing by with his soldiers."
"We only got beat up a little, thankfully no one was harmed more than this and nothing was stolen."
She has a concerned expression on her face as she takes my hand.
"What do you mean to beat up a little? Look at that huge bruise, I hope it doesn't scar."
I smile gently at her proud of myself. The silver-haired girl repositions herself in the water after taking her hand away from me and extending her right hand towards me.
"I'm Janet Let's be friends!"
I shake her hand chuckling lightly.
"I'm Letitia Sullivan. Let's be friends!"
The both of us laugh shaking hands again and again.
"I got you". I think to myself laughing with her again.