Hitomi stepped down from the rickety carriage after what had felt like an eternity and took her very first steps on the smooth brick road of Palas. She inhaled deeply with excitement. The weather was warm, the sun shone pleasantly on the vast sea of brown terracotta roof tiles, and a heavy ocean breeze occasionally passed through the paved streets. Houses were pressed closely together and everyone hung their laundry on their window sills and balcony rails for lack of much yard space. Children were running around in the middle of the street, crying out with laughter at the top of their lungs, and a pleasant smell of pastry wafted from someone's kitchen nearby. Everything seemed so perfect and Hitomi was more convinced than ever that she had made the right decision to move here.

She pulled her small suitcase out of the carriage, paid the big-toothed driver, and approached one of the squished-looking buildings. Hitomi's father had done some business with the man that lived here, some Mr. Cook, and she wrote to him asking for a temporary stay of three days. He agreed to this, though somewhat reluctantly it seemed, and Hitomi knew to be extremely grateful for it.

She paid them upon request, which was more than enough to stay at an inn for three days. But Hitomi hoped that these people may be able to offer her some better protection than an inn might. For one, they would not raise their fees because she was a foreign country-girl. Also, she wouldn't have to worry about having her things stolen as long as she was courteous to them, and she may be able to acquire from them useful tips about living in the city. Shaky with a mix of apprehension and eagerness, Hitomi went up to the front door which was coloured with faded red paint and gently knocked twice.

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Le Troisième

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Liars and Cheats

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There was no answer. Hitomi listened carefully but she heard no sounds of the stirring when hasting to the door. It hadn't occurred to her that nobody would be home. Perhaps she had been too quick to assume that they had household staff? She backed up on the short dirt path that was the walkway to the front door and looked up at the closed windows of the house, unsure of what to do. Then suddenly without warning, Hitomi bumped into something large and fleshy.

She whirled around, wide-eyed and frightened, only to see the carriage driver with an amused look on his large, calloused face. A little embarrassed, Hitomi cleared her throat and politely asked him what he wanted.

"Only to return to you something that you dropped," he said, smiling so that his large teeth gleamed in the sunlight.

He handed her a small leather money pouch. Hitomi thanked him for his kindness and watched him leave, having an odd feeling about him. And just when she dismissed the feeling, Hitomi peered into her pouch and saw that half of her money had disappeared. 

Angry for being so naive, Hitomi realised that she'd been pick pocketed. She made to follow him, but the large-toothed man was nowhere to be seen, and Hitomi cried out in frustration.

"Is someone there?"

"Oh!" said Hitomi with surprise, and she turned around to see a short, strict-looking woman with her hair in a frayed bun, standing in the doorway. "Yes, I'm Kanzaki Hitomi."

"Who?" asked the woman loudly, looking annoyed.

"Um…I wrote to Mr. Cook last week about staying here for a few days," said Hitomi nervously, shocked by the bluntness of the woman's retort.

"Oh yes," she replied, her expression relaxing but still not friendly, "you're that landlord's daughter."

"That's right," said Hitomi, feeling a little encouraged by this familiar connection.

"Fine, come in then," said the woman that Hitomi guessed was Mrs. Cook, who started to shuffle back into the house before adding, "You don't need help with that bag, do you?"

Mrs. Cook eyed Hitomi in a way that clearly warned her not accept the offer. For humour's sake, Hitomi toyed with the idea of accepting it anyway if only to tease her, but decided against it.

"No thank you, ma'am," said Hitomi, courteously inclining her head.

"Good," grunted the other, startling Hitomi yet again.

Inside, the house looked even shabbier and more unkempt than the exterior. The crabby woman slammed the door loudly behind Hitomi, making her jump a little, and the stale air made Hitomi yearn for her to open the door again.

"Your room is here next to the bathroom," said Mrs. Cook, nodding her head in the direction of a small door across from a narrow staircase. "If you need anything, help yourself quietly and don't bother me or my husband, do you understand?"

Hitomi nodded with a small smile, which hid the sinking feeling of regret that she felt in her stomach. She went into her room, which smelled musty, and the floor was covered in the sticky residue of something that Hitomi didn't care to identify. The bed was dusty, and Hitomi saw some small black insect scurry away when she prodded it, making her grimace with disgust. When exactly was the last time this room had been cleaned? Then she saw some mouldy food in a corner of the room, which must have been what gave off that curious smell, and Hitomi tried not to gag.

"I'm a fortunate girl…I'm a fortunate girl…" muttered Hitomi to herself as she bit her lip in disappointment.

She shook herself and grinned widely. But the grin slid immediately off of her face as she surveyed the mouldy room once more. Hitomi tried again. It was hard to maintain this happy expression, but she would manage it somehow.

It is, after all, sunny outside, she thought, remembering her promise to her father.

Hitomi decided to take the initiative to clean her room. She pulled the stiff bed sheets off the thin dusty mattress, revealing a circular yellow stain that Hitomi tried to ignore. The sheet she could wash, but the mattress would have to go.

Summoning all of her courage, Hitomi pushed back her sleeves and lift the mattress off the flimsy bed frame made of cheap wood. Folding the mattress in two, Hitomi stuck it underneath the bed onto the floor. She then surveyed the bed frame carefully. There were four plain wood posts, one at each corner of the bed. Hitomi considered these for a moment and had a brilliant idea, but she would need to shop for a few things at the bazaar.

She opened up her bag and took out all of her valuables: a small silver ring with her family crest on it, which she wore on a chain around her neck, and a dagger sheathed in a handsome leather scabbard. The dagger was tucked tightly into her belt and hidden carefully by her cloak. Hitomi didn't know why she did this, but after her encounter with the large-toothed thief she had suddenly become more possessive of her things.

Hitomi wondered if she should announce to the middle-aged woman where she was going, but remembered Mrs. Cook's warning not to bother her. So Hitomi simply went out the door without a word.

Hitomi found the bazaar without trouble thanks to the helpful directions of a young boy playing with his younger sister. The bazaar was crowded with people and Hitomi was wary of those that came too close to her. Once or twice, she saw a hand move toward her cloak, and Hitomi would swiftly move away from it.

But besides the lack of personal space and the number of shameless pickpockets, Hitomi liked the general atmosphere of the marketplace. She purchased a large sturdy fishing net, a small blanket, some rope, and two long nails. With these she would fashion for herself a nice hammock in that dreadful room of hers. She also bought a small candle, some paper, ink, and quills to write letters home. For everything that Hitomi bought, she had to bargain for lower prices, for she knew quite well when she was being cheated having paid careful attention to how much things had cost her father at home. At the end of the day, she felt satisfied with her purchases and carried them all to the Cooks' with some difficulty.

Halfway back, Hitomi bumped into someone and clumsily dropped all of her things. The man stooped to help her and piled them all into her fishing net, which she could use as a shopping bag. Hitomi was amused by his efficiency and was about to compliment him, until she recognised his round shaded spectacles and realised that he was the thieving carriage driver from early that morning.

Her hand instinctively flew to her money pouch, and she realised with a shock that he'd been slyly tugging on it. With as much force as she could muster, Hitomi smacked him on the back of his head and cried out that he was a thief. Several people turned to look at him, and some men tried to grab at him as he scampered away with his head ducked down.

Two women standing nearby kindly asked Hitomi if she was alright, which she was, and they pointed out that the thief had dropped some of his stolen money. Counting the coins, Hitomi knew that this was how much she had lost in the first place. Thanking the two women, Hitomi continued on home feeling very satisfied.

When Hitomi arrived, Mrs. Cook was waiting for her at the door with an ugly expression on her face. Apprehensive, Hitomi asked her what was the matter and the older woman thrust an opened letter in Hitomi's face before storming away. Hitomi was annoyed that this woman dared opened a letter that was addressed to her, but forgot her annoyance quickly:

Dear Ms. Kanzaki,

I am sorry to have missed your reply to my previous letter, but am pleased to have been informed by your aunt that you have arrived safely in Palas this morning at the residence of a Mr. and Mrs. Cook. I am still impatient to meet with you and I ask you to do us the honour of visiting us whenever you find it is convenient.

Sincerely,

Dryden Fassa

When Hitomi finished reading the letter, she felt the sting of the insult from one for whom offering such favours is hardly any trouble at all and yet he still seeks the same gratitude deserved by a saint. Dryden must know in what conditions Hitomi was living, perhaps even of the carriage driver that turned out to be a thief, and he was rubbing her cool refusal of his services right in her face.

Hitomi went red in the face and grew spiteful of the spoiled brat of a man. She suddenly felt sympathetic towards Mrs. Cook. It must be very uncomfortable to have to accommodate for a complete stranger on such short notice, and Hitomi was grateful for her rude but honest nature when comparing it to the niceties that hide the selfish and derisive intent of Dryden Fassa. Hitomi held his letter to her candle and set it on fire at once, but couldn't help but glance at and memorize the address of the Fassa Mansion as she thought of her filthy little room. Then she cursed herself for being driven by such superficial desires, and busied herself with building her hammock.

It was around evening when Hitomi was finished constructing her hammock. But even after her idea had resulted in success, Hitomi still felt restless and agitated by the letter. Her mood did not improve when Mrs. Cook snapped at her for driving nails into her "precious furniture," and reminded Hitomi that they were not responsible for feeding her. Hitomi then made the mistake of daring to ask why she had to pay so much to stay here in spite of the ill treatment she'd been given by Mrs. Cook since the moment she arrived. In a wave of unnecessary fury, Mrs. Cook screamed herself hoarse about how she and her husband put themselves at great risk in taking in an ungrateful wretch like Hitomi, who, for all they knew, might rob them blind once they were asleep. Hearing this, Hitomi went white with anger; she could not even begin to convey to this woman the injustice that she felt in that moment. So, in the end, Hitomi decided to take a stroll outside and calm down before she did something rash.

There was still a faint light in the sky, but the sea breeze was chillier now, and Hitomi drew her cloak around her more tightly. Without paying much attention to where she was going, Hitomi wandered down some streets, crossed bridges at random, and soon found herself approaching a shadowy cluster of boulders and trees. Sitting upon one of the rocks, Hitomi had a magnificent view of the ocean and the multi-coloured sunset. She closed her eyes took deep breaths of the salty ocean air as if to expel from her body all of ill sentiment. Her heartbeat slowed gradually upon doing this, and Hitomi's flared temper was pacified at last.

When Hitomi lazily opened her eyes after a few moments, she felt the same kind of peace that she did back in Teretill, and it was then that Palas truly began to feel like a new home. Seized by some unexplainable impulse, Hitomi suddenly burst into a fit of childish laughter. Just as she did that, something moved from behind.

Hitomi turned around slowly, afraid of what she might see, but was pleasantly surprised to see a small cat with light-coloured fur. It shyly circled Hitomi's rock and, after a moment's hesitation, it leaped onto her lap and sat there purring contentedly. Smiling, Hitomi gently stroked the cat's back and smoothed out its soft fur. Just then, she heard another noise from behind.

A young man approached her with a surly look on his face. He looked about Hitomi's age, and was likely taller than she, but he appeared to be shorter because he slouched. This boy had short black hair that was reminiscent of Mrs. Cook's in that it was messy, but his was not quite as frayed or dirty. But the most striking feature about this person was the colour of his eyes – a deep, blood red. It took a moment for Hitomi to realise that she was quite rudely staring at him, and she turned away from him quickly.

"Excuse me, miss, you have my cat," he said sharply.

"Oh!" said Hitomi startled by the piercing, almost suspicious look that he gave her. "I had no idea! I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he replied curtly, still looking at her strangely before he left without another word.

Hitomi was bewildered by this little encounter. She sat there musing for some time about it until it occurred to Hitomi that the boy may have seen her laughing like an idiot. And when Hitomi thought about how that might have explained the strange look he'd given her, she involuntarily grew self-conscious and highly embarrassed.

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It was getting quite dark by the time Hitomi headed back, and she had no idea where she was. Looking up and down the street that she was on, nobody was in sight, and everything was much harder to recognise in the dark. Frustrated, Hitomi looked around for a building with lights on so that she may ask for directions, and soon found one.

It was an old brick building with the upstairs windows boarded up, and a sign hung from inside the downstairs one that read, 'FOR SALE!' Hitomi opened the heavy wooden door, making a small wind chime sound and thus announce her arrival. Inside, the floor was dusty and showed the footprints of the few places visited by people. Cobwebs were all over the window sill as well as the small chandelier that hung by the staircase across from her. Beneath the chandelier was a desk on which two candles were lit, and when a short, elderly man came shuffling in, he sat behind it and greeted Hitomi.

"How can I help you, little Miss?" he said with a toothy grin that reminded Hitomi of the carriage driving thief, putting her on her guard.

"I'm lost and would like some directions," she said politely. "Please, sir, would you tell me how to find the Meifia Bridge? I know how to find my way home from there."

"Certainly, young lady," he replied, and drew for her a small map of the streets leading to the bridge before adding, "Women never did have much sense of direction."

Hitomi waited for the map without comment, biting back a petulant retort. The old man took no notice and handed her the piece of paper when he finished.

"Thank you, sir," replied Hitomi.

"Is that all I can do for you?" he asked, eyeing her intently.

Hitomi had every intention of leaving as soon as possible, but she recalled the sign by the window and had another idea.

"Actually there is something, sir," she said slowly, forcing a charming smile. "What exactly is this building for?"

The old man seemed pleased with her interest in the building and answered with enthusiasm.

"It used to be a popular tavern," he said wistfully, "but I'm afraid it's been neglected for many years and now the landowner wishes to have nothing more to do with it."

"I see," said Hitomi, appearing to be thoughtful. "I'm sorry to hear that. Just how much is he selling this land for?"

But this was apparently the wrong thing to say, because the old man's expression suddenly turned sour and he regarded Hitomi suspiciously.

"Why would a stupid little girl like you want to know?" he snapped angrily, making Hitomi flinch. "That kind of information is nobody's business except those who wish to buy it! You women should stick to what you know!"

"What if I was interested in buying this place, good sir?" said Hitomi, trying to calm the man down.

"I'll be damned before I see any of you modern bitches own aged and reputable properties like this!" he cried out, waving his arms about dramatically. "Now get out before I get really angry!"

Hitomi took this suggestion eagerly and ran out the door as he continued to swear loudly and shake his fist at her. A few people stuck their head out of their windows and screamed back at the man to be quiet. She ran away from the store as fast as she could, not knowing why she was so much more frightened here than in the country. Hitomi finally stopped to catch her breath when she outran the sounds of the old man's shrieking, and pulled at her hair in frustration.

Everywhere she went, it seemed, Hitomi met nothing but contempt and unkindness. Was this yet another sign that she'd made the wrong decision in leaving home? Perhaps this entire attempt of hers was nothing but a collection of naïve delusions that was finally punctured by reality and left behind a lingering cloud of disappointment in the air.

Hitomi sighed deeply and made her way back to the miserable home of the Cooks, only to find that she'd been locked out. They probably didn't realise that she'd been out. She walked around the house to where her room was – hoping her window was unlocked for her to crawl through, when she heard two voices coming from within it.

"…was a poor investment if there ever was one," said a rough, male voice followed by the sounds of ripping fabric.

"Don't go blaming me for your lack of judgement, Mr. Cook," said female voice that was unmistakeably Mrs. Cook. "How was I to know that the stupid country girl had no valuables?"

"You were the one who said that Meiden was cheated out of his inheritance money by Kanzaki, woman!" snapped Mr. Cook. "What good comes from harbouring a girl crazy enough to live alone in this city and refuse the services of her rich cousin? You talk as if you know everything, so do answer that for me!"

"She's still in the good graces of Meiden's son," whispered Mrs. Cook hastily, trying to reassure her moody husband. "He wrote to her this afternoon. I say we exploit our connection to her…say she vandalised our home or stole some valuables, and demand some compensation!"

Mr. Cook fell silent and Hitomi didn't dare to show her face through the window to see his expression, although she wanted to. He then grunted something incoherently and the reply to that was also incoherent, but it seemed to anger Mr. Cook because he suddenly roared, "WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR!"

He yelled so loudly that Hitomi gave a small start. Mrs. Cook then said something that Hitomi couldn't quite make out, but her tone was irritable enough. A sharp slap was delivered to somebody at this, and Hitomi heard a feminine cry that she did not know Mrs. Cook to be capable of. Hitomi's heart beat wildly with the nervousness of having overheard such abuse. Eventually, to her immense relief, the sound of their heavy footsteps moved out of the room and the bedroom door was slammed shut. Hitomi sat still for a few moments in case someone was still in the room. Then, slowly, Hitomi raised herself from the crouching position she was in and peered through the window.

To her surprise, someone was still in the room, but it was neither the harassed Mrs. Cook nor the ill-tempered Mr. Cook. It was a small cat-girl curled up in a foetal position on the dirty floor, her fluffy pink hair in one great tangle behind her head, and her tears streaming all over the large red mark on her cheek. Hitomi couldn't take her eyes away from this sight, even as the girl turned to the window and jumped with a frightened squeal as she saw Hitomi standing there.

Hitomi had to duck back down when Mrs. Cook came into the room, demanding what the noise was for. The cat girl clumsily mumbled something about being frightened by an insect, and Hitomi covered her ears as she was struck on the other side of her face and dragged out of the room by her hair. At last it was quiet in her room, and Hitomi knew that she couldn't stay in this house for another instant. She waited for a very long time, ignoring the bugs that bit and irritated her skin, and wouldn't move until every light in the house went out and the only sound made was from Mr. Cook's snoring. Hitomi carefully pushed her window open, which, luckily, was unlocked and crawled inside. She noiselessly wrapped all of her belongings in the fishnet hammock as the thief did and then took off in a desperate run.

Hitomi stepped into the first decent-looking inn she could find, roused the man dozing behind the front desk, and paid for a room. For the rest of the night, she lay awake on her bed, thinking about how little she'd understood when her mother said that she was a fortunate girl. Hitomi felt ashamed at how much she took her sheltered life at Teretill for granted. It made her sick to think that she dared not only to desire complete independence, but to demand it of her father. She buried her face into the soft, clean pillow, unable to look at her cozy new room and let herself be relieved at how it was such a far cry from the other room.

All night she tossed and turned, so seriously disturbed at how terrible life in Palas could be; that it's outer image as a thriving modern city was as deceiving as Dryden Fassa's attempt to forge a friendship with Hitomi. This was to be her life now; Hitomi wanted change and she was given it. It would not do to give up now and go back home, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do, because Hitomi would only grow restless again. She needed to deal with these new conflicts and learn how to survive, because Hitomi was determined to believe that there was more to life than this cruelty. There had to be, if a person as kind as her father could exist.

With that in mind, Hitomi was able to calm down and pull herself together. She began to compile a list of things to be done. Tomorrow, Hitomi would return to that dusty old inn, argue with that old man as much as she needed to, and she would buy the inn. She would clean it, repair it, and re-open it as her own. Yes, that was a good plan, and already Hitomi was feeling better about it.

But something was still on her mind. Hitomi recalled what Mr. and Mrs. Cook had said about exploiting her connection with Dryden Fassa. At first she didn't bother to worry, as his family likely deserved it, but her conscience was still uneasy.

I am merely warning you not to be prejudiced against a man who has done nothing wrong yet, her mother had told her. Was she right?

You know she always is, Hitomi told herself. She decided that it was not up to her to punish others for their deeds, and would not willingly wrong another person lest she become corrupt herself. She would have to do something about this.

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Dear Mr. Fassa,

Thank you for your letters. I apologise deeply for my lack of response to the first. I must confess that I assumed your letter a mere courtesy and that your intentions of meeting with me were insincere. Perhaps I was mistaken. I hope you are not offended by my honesty, and understand it as a sign of respect.

The reason I write to you, cousin, is to warn you that the people that I originally intended to stay with, Mr. and Mrs. Cook, may attempt to exploit my connection to your family. I bore witness to a speech made by Mr. Cook in which he expressed an intention to falsely accuse me of misconduct within their home so that they might be monetarily compensated. I sincerely advise you, as I have advised my mother, to take the necessary precautions to avoid involvement in this.

As for the matter of your invitation, I am afraid I must decline it for the present, for I intend to purchase and reopen the Rialto inn, both very time-consuming activities. I am, however, very grateful for your offers and wish you the best.

Sincerely,

Hitomi Kanzaki

Robo's Note:

Thank you so much to everybody who read and reviewed Chapter 2! You're all awesome for giving me your continued support, and thanks to you I've been motivated to work as hard as I can. Extra thanks go once again to Missing White Wings 15 for beta-reading this so quickly for me while she's pretty tied up!

OK, OK, I imagine that you all must want to hurt me badly for moving the plot along so slowly. I don't even want to end the chapter here, but I really can't let these get too long. I know that some of you were impatient for me to introduce Van McSexy Fanel, so this is my small gift to you. :p He's not in this chapter much, but I promise that there is more to come.

Please let me know what you think! Comments, questions, criticisms, and suggestions alike are always welcomed and appreciated.