Ceph, with a face full of horror, froze for a second. He slowly turned around, his eyes wide and his whole body tense. But as soon as he recognized who was behind him, all the horror drained from his face, and his body relaxed with a long sigh of relief.
-"You almost gave me a heart attack there, Elena!"
He exclaimed, visibly deflating from the fear.
Yanz, standing next to him, had also felt a jolt of panic. For a moment, he thought they were caught skipping work
-"I thought for sure I was going to get a beating from Brother Doni,"
Ceph said, rubbing the back of his neck in relief. His usual casual tone was back, but Yanz could tell his heart was still racing a bit.
Elena, who had been watching the two of them with a slightly annoyed look, crossed her arms and smirked.
-"I always let you go without telling Brother Doni, Ceph. Who says I won't tell him today about you slacking off?"
Ceph froze again, but this time his eyes darted around as he thought of a comeback. He quickly straightened up and said confidently,
-"Well... if you do that, I'll tell your mother that you've been sneaking into the farms when you're supposed to be helping her at home."
Elena narrowed her eyes, but after a moment, a small grin crept across her face.
-"Alright, alright. I'll let you off the hook... this last time."
She pointed a finger at him, her tone playful but with a hint of warning. "But you owe me."
Then, her eyes drifted over to Yanz.
-"Who's that standing with you, by the way?"
Ceph quickly shifted gears, seizing the opportunity to change the topic.
-"Oh, him? His name is Yanz. He's my cousin. He lived outside the village, but due to... certain circumstances, he's staying with me now."
He gestured toward Yanz.
Yanz felt slightly awkward under Elena's gaze as Ceph introduced him, but he stepped forward and extended his hand politely.
-"Nice to meet you, Miss Elena."
Elena raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
-"Wow, your cousin sure is formal and well-mannered, Ceph. Are you sure you two are related?"
She teased as she took his hand and gave it a friendly shake.
-"Hello, I'm Elena."
As soon as the handshake ended, Elena tilted her head curiously.
-"So, you're really from outside the village? How did you survive out there?"
Her tone was no longer teasing but genuinely interested.
-"My father was a very strong man,"
Yanz explained.
-"He provided for us by hunting and gathering, and my mother... well, she was the sweetest person. She knew how to make our home feel safe and comfortable even in the hardest times. It's thanks to them that I'm still here today."
Elena nodded, her curiosity still piqued. -"So why did you decide to come to the village now?"
Before Yanz could answer, Ceph stepped in with an urgent look on his face.
-"I think we should get back to work before Brother Doni finds us slacking off. And Elena, you should head back to the village before someone notices you."
Elena rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.
-"We were having a conversation, you know. How rude."
She looked back at Yanz and shrugged.
-"Anyway, nice to meet you, Yanz. I'll be heading back now."
-"Nice to meet you too, Elena,"
Yanz replied with a slight bow of his head.
-"Bye,"
Elena said with a wave, turning to leave.
-"Bye,"
Yanz and Ceph both called out.
As soon as Elena was out of sight, Ceph let out a long sigh.
-"I hope you're okay with me interrupting back there. I figured you wouldn't want to talk about your parents every time you introduce yourself."
Yanz gave him a reassuring smile.
-"No, it's fine."
Yanz glanced back in the direction Elena had left.
-"She sure is talkative, huh? Just like you, I guess."
Yanz smirked.
-"Me? Talkative? Nah, I'm the picture of seriousness."
Yanz grinned and playfully shoved Ceph.
-"Yeah, yeah, sure."
Suddenly, Ceph straightened up and checked the time.
-"We should head back. Break time is coming up, and we should hurry before Brother Doni starts looking for us. He also said he wanted to talk to you, so we better rush!"
Without another word, Ceph dashed off, shouting back,
-"Follow me!"
Yanz blinked in surprise, then quickly ran after him, trying to keep up. Despite Ceph's lanky appearance, he was surprisingly fast, darting between the crops like someone who knew the land by heart. Yanz struggled to keep up at first but eventually found his pace.
They raced across the fields, past the rice and cotton patches, until they reached the wheat farm. Ceph skidded to a stop, frantically searching the ground. Finally, he spotted something and grabbed two hoes, tossing one to Yanz.
-"Quick! Start farming!"
Ceph hissed, immediately starting to dig into the soil. Yanz, still catching his breath, followed suit, mimicking Ceph's movements.
Just as they settled into a rhythm, a loud whistle echoed through the air.
𝘍𝘞𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘛
Ceph immediately dropped his hoe and wiped the sweat off his brow.
-"Phew! It's break time!"
He said, relief washing over his face.
-"Lets go find some shade,"
Ceph suggested, gesturing toward a small tree nearby. The two of them headed over and flopped down under its cool shade, lying back on grass under the tree to catch their breath.
-"Thank god Brother Doni wasn't looking for us,"
Ceph said, resting his arms behind his head.
But as if summoned by those very words, Donvano appeared, looming over them with his arms crossed. -"Looks like you two were working hard,"
He said, eyeing their sweat-soaked faces. Though that sweat had less to do with farming and more to do with running.
Both Yanz and Ceph scrambled to sit up straight.
-"Uh, yeah!"
Ceph stammered, trying to sound innocent.
Donvano didn't seem convinced, but he didn't comment. Instead, he turned to Yanz.
-"Mind if I sit here?"
Yanz quickly scooted over, making room.
-"Of course not, Brother Doni."
Donvano settled down in the shade next to Yanz. After a moment, he looked over at Ceph.
-"Go drink some water, Ceph. I need to have a word with Yanz."
Ceph groaned but, seeing the serious look on Donvano's face, reluctantly stood up.
-"Okay, okay, I'm going."
He shot Yanz a quick look before walking off, hands on the back of his head.
Now it was just Yanz and Donvano under the tree. The silence felt heavier than before. After a few moments, Donvano spoke, his voice low and serious.
-"So, Yanz... are you really from outside the village?"