Jousha left with thoughts, after Elena's sudden departure. Yangon was a city where you will learn you might not see a stranger you've just met ever again, but something about her stuck with him. The way she moved, the way she seemed to know more than she let on—it let on his curiosity, even though he knew better than to follow that kind of instinct, he was sure he didn't wanted any trouble, but somehow, he felt the trouble had already found him.
Later in the evening, at downtown, Joshua sat at his usual tea- shop, a small, busy place tucked between two apartment buildings in the heart of the city. The sun had just set, leaving the air thick but a little more tolerable than during the day. The tables were full, locals chatting over plates of Shan noodles and sweet tea. Joshua sipped his own cup, staring mindlessly at the street outside of the tea-shop. He tried to focus on the free magazines the tea-shop offer, but his mind kept drifting back to that foreigner he met.
"Who the hell was she?, She wasn't even that pretty, why I'm thinking about her?," he muttered to himself, absently tapping his pen against his notebook.
An hour have passed, Jousha walked across the street, on his way home, he caught a glimpse of a figure leaning against a wall, browsing goods outside of a shop. Even with her back to him, Joshua recognized her immediately. Elena. The way she stood there, waiting—something was off. She didn't seem like the type to linger without purpose. Joshua stopped walking for a moment, unsure of what to do. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he had a choice: ignore it and stay out of whatever she was wrapped up in, or confront her and maybe find out what the hell was going on.
Before he could decide, the sound of screeching tires echoed down the street. A white Probox pulled up near where Elena was standing, the engine idling loudly. Joshua's heart rate spiked. He'd seen enough to recognize that this wasn't a casual taxi.
The doors of the toyota swung open, and two men in tank tops stepped out. They were local, Burmese, but their demeanor screamed something different—dangerous. Joshua saw one of them subtly reach for his waistband, probably hiding a weapon.
Elena turned to face them, completely unfazed. She didn't even bothered by it.
One of the men stepped forward, his expression hard. "You don't belong here, foreigner," he said in accented English. His tone carried a threat.
Elena smirked, almost amused by the situation. "And here I thought Yangon was supposed to be hospitable and friendly."
"You're not welcome here, you give us the pass fee here. We own this place!!" the the other man threatened her, his hand tightening on whatever he had tucked under his jacket. "And you no ask no questions, we own this place!!!" the other man threatened her.
Joshua's guts told him to stay put, to mind his own business. But his feet had other ideas. Before he knew it, he was pushing his chair back and walking across the street, the steady hum of conversation in the tea shop disappearing behind him.
Elena noticed him first. Her eyes flicked to him, a brief flash of recognition crossing her face before it was replaced by a look of mild irritation.
"You again?" she muttered, just loud enough for Joshua to hear.
Joshua stopped a few feet away, standing awkwardly in the tension-filled air between Elena and the men. The men looked at Joshua with mild confusion, like he was some stray animal that had wandered into the wrong fight. The man who had spoken to Elena took a step toward him, sizing him up. "Stay out of this, boy," the man said in Burmese, his voice low and menacing. "This has nothing to do with you."
Joshua didn't flinch. Elena rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips. "This guy is either really brave or really stupid." She thought to herself.
The air around them seemed to tighten. The man who had spoken motioned to his partner, who immediately reached into his jacket. But before he could draw whatever weapon he was hiding, Elena moved. In one fluid motion, she took out a knife from beneath her jacket, spinning them expertly in her hands before stabbing one of the man's hand. Her movements were so quick and practiced that Joshua barely had time to process what had happened.
Blood has been spilled, both of the men runaway to their car in terror.They weren't prepared for this. Elena cocked her head, her smirk widening. The door slammed shut, and within seconds, they were gone, leaving the street eerily quiet in their wake. Elena threw her knife away and turned to Joshua, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. "What the hell are you looking at?"
Joshua shrugged, trying to play it cool despite the fact that his heart was still racing. "I don't know. Just didn't feel right seeing you stab a dude."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You really are stupid."
"Maybe," Joshua admitted with a grin.
Elena chuckled, shaking her head. "I'll leave you be, For now." She glanced at the now-empty street and sighed. "You're lucky they weren't the serious kind of thugs. Next time, stay out of trouble got it?"
Joshua nodded, though he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. Something told him that as long as Elena was in Yangon, trouble wasn't far behind. And whether he liked it or not, he was already tangled up in it.
"Fine," Joshua said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But maybe next time, you could try not to get into so much trouble."
Elena grinned, lighting another cigarette. "Where's the fun in that? it's so lame."
Elena turned back to Joshua,"you want my number or something, hot stuff?".
Nathan Looked at her with slight confused face,"yeah sure I could use a bad influence" he said it sarcastically. Elena let out a chuckle,"you're funny".