It was a busy afternoon in Yangon, as people were out on the streets even the hot weather could not stop them and shimmer waves billowed from the floor as if the atmosphere was on fire. Jousha, on a YBS bus, from the public transport system of Yangon, pulled on his sunnies when he get off the bus and maneuvering through a narrow alley, moving away from the congested main road. Here, the temperature was slightly mitigated by the horizontal protrusions of the draped clothes and puesca. His shirt did nothing to alleviate the dampness clinging to his back. Sweeperhead all he could live was outraged with himself for choosing a heavy outerwear. 

Jousha Tun was an 18 year old who was lanky yet strong with this quiet fierceness that made him easily conspicuous even when he didn't want to be. He works as a partime mechanic, a tour guide, an errand boy and working part time at a lethwei gym. All of that, which was due to his not doing so good financial situations, rather than his passions for those. It was sufficient to go on. And getting through the day in Yangon, such as it is, is already a win. Even with his hellish ammout of works that he do, he still continued to practice martial arts and working out on the side, for the most part, for the sake of remaining active because the routines also gave him a way to release some of his more hyperactive behaviour.

At the end of the alley near Sule pagoda, he walked into his usual go to Tea-house, then he felt something metallic beneath his foot as he walked in. Looking down, he found a crushed and bulged cigarette lighter and threw it in his pocket almost unconsciously. It is then, that he caught sight of her. 

Elena stood at the mouth of the entrance like she owned it, a tall and lean figure, with dark brown hair tied back in a messy ponytail, except for two long locks that framed her face. She had an unbothered confidence, the kind you only got from living through a lot more than you should have. A cigarette dangled from her lips, her eyes hidden behind dark aviators. She was far from a regular tourist—there was an aura around her that screamed she was no stranger to trouble. And Joshua, who was decent at reading people, felt that right away.

"You're on the way," Elena said, her voice casual but laced with something that felt dangerous.

Joshua, taller than most people in the area, didn't let himself get talked down on. But something about her tone, or maybe the faint grin she wore like an invitation to a fight, made him hesitate for a beat longer than he would have liked.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, stepping aside, not bothering to ask why she was there or where she was headed. He had learned that in Yangon, you didn't ask questions of people who looked like her. You just let them pass.

She didn't move, though. Instead, she tipped her sunglasses down to get a better look at him. Her eyes were sharp, predatory even, and she scanned him with a casual interest. Joshua shifted, uncomfortable with the attention but kept his face neutral.

"American?" she asked, blowing a lazy stream of smoke into the air.

"I'm Karen-Burmese and born and raised here," Joshua replied.

"Funny," she chuckled, "You don't look like the locals. But then again, I guess neither do I."

Joshua shrugged. "Yangon's a mix."

Elena let out a sighs... "Got any smokes on you?"

"Nope, just a lighter," he replied without thinking, and then realized it was probably hers. He fished it out of his pocket and tossed it to her.

She caught it effortlessly, flicked it open, and inspected it like it was a piece of treasure she thought she'd lost. "Well, aren't you a gentleman?" She lit another cigarette, puffing contentedly.

Joshua watched her warily. Something about her felt off- not just her looks or the carefree way she carried herself. It was her whole presence. He didn't know who she was, but she felt like someone who had seen things that people shouldn't see. That kind of edge wasn't uncommon in the city, especially among the foreigners that came through the shadier parts of town, but Elena took it to a whole new level.

"Are you here on vacation?" Joshua asked, regretting it almost immediately. He wasn't usually this curious, but something about her, the way she stood there like she didn't care about the world around her, got under his skin.

Elena laughed, a sound that was more cynical and sarcastic than joyful. "Business," she said simply. "And the kind that doesn't concern you."

Joshua nodded slowly, trying not to show his irritation, even though he took a small offense on the remark that she made. He tried to pivot the conversation. "You looking for something?"

Elena blew out another puff of smoke, seemingly amused. "Do I look like the kind of person who gets lost?"

Joshua smirked despite himself. "No. You look like the kind of person who makes other people get lost."

She chuckled at that, her eyes narrowing and her head nodding in approval. "You're quick, kid. I like that. Most people around here just stare at me like I'm an alien or something."

"Well, you're not exactly subtle," Joshua replied, a little bolder now. "Walking around like that, people are bound to notice."

"Let them notice," she said, throwing her cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with a boot. "I'm not here to make friends."

Joshua nodded. He had the sense she meant that. "Fair enough."

Elena chuckled as she turned to walk past him, her hand casually resting near one of her pockets. "Well maybe I'm an alien. "

Joshua blinked. He hadn't told her his name. When he turned around to ask her how she knew it, she was already gone, disappearing back into the the streets as if she had never been there in the first place.

A strange tension lingered in his mind. Joshua felt his pulse getting fast. He wasn't sure why this strange foriegner had taken an interest in him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he saw her.