Once they held power absolute, now they were living amongst them as citizens sworn to Kyrat. Some couldn't believe the change, others couldn't accept how easily the Demon of Kyrat and King Min had pardoned them despite all they'd done. Because many had been victims to their reign of terror not too long ago. They were none other than the Canton minority, the exodus of families that supported and served Pagan during his journey to Kyrat tweny odd years ago. They stood on a level above even the ruling class of nobles of Kyrat as untouchables in the more glorified sense that they were above everyone save the King himself. Racial bigotry was ever prevailant in any given society where more than one cultures were forced to live next to one another as neighbours. Always blaming others for their own problems.

It did not however, dishearten them from what needed to be done. They picked themselves up, adopting newer characters of humility and worked to earn their place in the society reborn in Lakshman. Sun Kwan to lead them as a representative and Han Feng's apparent appointment as a Kshatriyan Lord. A title that had many expectations such as the defence of the sovereignty and the duty to protect beyond their own wellbeing. This was both the blessings of Pagan and the curse of the Demon placed in one role. With these figures to protect their existence, the Cantons thrived in their new environment with a purpose to their lives.

Even they had a way and cultural experience to contribute to their adopted home. Because of their educated background, they filled in many of the banking positions in the National trust and Min Bank. Desk jobs that required extensive bookkeeping were jobs which the Cantons could reliably handle. There would come a time when Kyrat would forgive them for their past transgression, but they would have to work to it in the meantime and hold their heads high hoping for the future.

It was sad to say that Bipin was becoming more like them than one would expect. He for one, stayed in a house within the Little Shangri-la estates that Ajay had given to the Canton and Military Rebels. The rank of Major hadn't completely worn into Bipin. He felt like he didn't earn it, especially since he had supported the Canton Rebellion, even though he was forced to.

If any reason he was able to continue his career as a military officer it was by the grace of Kshatriyan Lord Badala and Marshal Roka. Having acquaintance with these two powerful figures had absolved him from the military charge of treason. Pagan had even submitted him a pardon in gratitude to his father's service. His battalion was saved from the same fate in light of their strategic importance and the contribution the Cantons had made in the past to assist the commissioning of Kyrats second armoured battalion sheathed in technology that hadn't been available to any of the other Himalayan States including India and Pakistan. Now this battalion was his to command, Samuelle had left the military since she no longer needed to abide by the condition to save her mother.

"Here's a warm one on me." A caucasian woman in her fifties handed him a cup that smelt of honeyed tea.

"Oh! Thank you, Charlotte." She had been so considerate for giving him refreshments after working tirelessly at maintaining the upkeep of the 2nd Hussars. Especially with the influx of newly developed weapons to counter this new Rakshasa threat.

One such weapon was leaning against his desk, a sample piece and pre-production prototype commissioned by Ajay. It had some roots stemming from Badala's iconic double barrel that everyone feared and awed. A weird single-shot bolt action gun with a straight-line recoiling design like an M16 and a picatinny rail for a red dot to make quick acquisition shots. This weapon was quite wieldy for a gun chambered in .700 Nitro, the same cartridge fired by Ajay's slayer. What was the motive behind this construction? Ajay had difficulty producing modified weapons existing in their arsenal to counter the Exalt and Rakshasa threat looming.

So he commissioned a special weapon to fill an anti-material role in close urban environments where heavy weapons couldn't always be brought or used within narrow corridors or streets. These were lessons learnt when fighting Exalts and Rakshasa in Xue Lue and Lanka. They could be used for other material destruction purposes and for dealing with Rakshasa using the limited in-supply "silver" bullets being blessed and marked by Ajay and Darshan personally. With its weight being manageable as a grenade launcher, this weapon christened the "Slugger" by the Hussars was tactically useful enough to serve alongside their kit. Issued one per infantry section.

"Don't work too late, or you won't have time for Sam."

Life with Samuelle and her mother was not as he'd expected. To experience this sort of closeness with one's family members was a feeling he was unused to even when the orphans at the Khati Mansion were considered family. But it was a nice feeling. Charlotte Beaumont stayed with him and Sam in the same house among the residence of Little Shangri-La estates as did nearly all the former Cantons.

"I'm doing my best here, believe me."

Charlotte sighed and patted him on the shoulders.

"Some times this old lady just wants to hear "Yes, mom! I'll take care of your daughter and love her lots." She tried mimicking his voice and accent with a humourous approach to it.

"That's a terrible impression of me." Still, she chuckled.

"But not inaccurate. Right, shy boy?" Bipin was forced into an awkward emotion, he wasn't used to expressing this sort of feeling with others, not even his sister. She was fond of provoking him as her favorite past time, she didn't act her age since they stayed together.

But considering her activeness in the past akin to an old woman at her deathbed, this was a tremendous improvement or miracle. Her was happy with this new life and that's all that mattered. Contrary to what most people thought about a foreigner living here, Charlotte had been here since Samuelle's birth nearly nineteen years ago. Her story was something of a tragic romance in Vancouver almost twenty years ago, a relationship with a young George Min, the son of the late Guan Min. The Min Patriarch had much expectations for his only son to abide by so kept him a close distance from his sight at all times. Even when he studied in Canada like most of the Cantons did because of a large Cantonese Hong Kong community there doing the same for their children.

He met Charlotte in a café she worked in and George frequented. Sam's father sought Guan Min's blessing but in vain, so he tried to runaway with Charlotte but failed. Brought before the ancestral hall in the echelons, they accused her of bewitching him and wanted to kill her.

To his surprise, the one that stopped this from becoming a reality was none other than Pagan. Back when he still represented the Min Family as the head. Touched by their love for one another he pardoned them and warned Guan Min against harming them. Being as wayward as he was, Pagan set for them both a rule.

"If love is what binds you two, then the place shouldn't matter." He requirement was that they both remain in Kyrat. When he told this story to Ajay, his impression was that it wasn't as kind and benevolent as they thought Pagan was and had a crueler meaning behind it.

Nevertheless, both happily accepted with hope for the future. And they did, till Sam was born a year later. They enjoyed another two more years before tragedy struck. The 98' Offensive by the Golden Path Devas. George had been in what should've been the safest place at the time, the Royal Fortress which had been besieged without the support of the Royal Guard Regiments loyal to Yuma. But fate was decided that Charlotte and three-year-old Sam would live life in cruelty from then on. The loss of her husband did not shake her exclusively, it had done a number on Guan Min as well and his mental condition. Though he was disappointed with George on many occasions, he was still his only son. Just like every other father and mother that loss their sons to Golden Path on that day.

It was the day when the Cantons gave up on their leader who sat in the Royal Palace hoping perhaps the Golden Path might succeed and claim his head. So that he would be free of this wretched place. Guan Min, Sun Kwan and Richard Khoo would form the Canton circle to usurp the throne when the time was right. With Yuma to lead them, or so it should've been. Until that man came to Kyrat, the one that supplanted them as Pagan's right hand.

Having no one to rely on, life was hard for Charlotte as the Cantons regularly scrutinized her and talked behind her back for being a deceitful witch or fox. The servants of the house were equally as horrible towards her. Charlotte hung on with the only hope in her life left, Samuelle. The only remaining legacy of her love between herself and her husband. Doing her best to raise her with loving care and taught her the value of love, friendship and character.

"Sam went for her medical screening, I thought you should've accompanied her at least."

"The hospital is just five blocks away, Charlotte. Plus, she told me I didn't need to come."

"That's what they always say, still you should follow." This sort of logic was what confused Bipin. Contrary to Charlotte's character Sam was honest and blunt which often worried the mother of how she would find someone special with sort of attitude. She was relieved that Bipin was that someone.

In truth, he'd known all along about Sam's gender since the Academy days. That was the only time he lied to Ajay to protect her gender.

"That demon fellow making you do more work again?"

"No, Charlotte. This is just the logistic reports for our unit."

"Yunno, I wouldn't mind you calling me mom." She said with crossed arms.

"I only need one mother, and she gave birth to me." Charlotte huffed exasperatively for him not getting the point. He was truly as obstinate as Sam, they were like a pair of twins.

(Ding Dong) The doorbell went off.

"Ah!"

"Expecting visitors?" Sam's appointment with Noore hadn't finished so it could only be someone else, or a delivery.

"Yes, I've been expecting them."

"Them?"

"A bunch of Americans staying at 32 Khati Crescent."

"Americans?" From what Bipin knew there shouldn't be any Americans alive in Kyrat due to their current war status. All except a certain group.

(Ding Dong)

Charlotte was already on the way to the door. "Coming!"

The door knob was turned and opened the way in for the guests that Charlotte had been expecting.

"Darling!" Charlotte was ready to embrace them and greet them with a cheek kiss.

"Hey, Charlotte."

"Hello."

"Nice pad."

Bipin put down his pen and went out to see who he was already guessing who it was.

"Bip. This is-."

"I know. Daisy Lee, Liza Snow, and Keith Ramsay."

"It's Steve." Steven corrected for the hundredth time everyone kept mistaking him for the sodomized victim in Stockholm getting treated.

"Where's Oli?" She expected the fourth member of their group to be with them.

"He-…. Went on a spiritual adventure." Liza made up an excuse.

"Yeah. The spiritual journey with assistance from Mary Jane." Steve joked.

"Well, that's a shame. Come in, please."

Bipin pointed to where the lounge was for them to go to.

"Oh, and who would you be?" For some reason, there was another person with them that came late. Charlotte had inquired just in case.

"I'm with Daisy and Liza, just came a little late 'cause of some training I had. By the way, I'm-."

Before he could answer however, Bipin was standing out front with a murderous expression and a pistol to his chin. Curiously, that person made no attempt to deter him.

"Bip!" Charlotte was shocked to say the least when he pulled out a gun on one of the people affiliated to Daisy's group.

"Jason Brody. "Snow White". Damn disgusting name if I ever heard of."

So it was, that his home had one of the first visitors in a non-existent housewarming.


He would've rather been back at the office working on finishing the reports. But Charlotte's insistence of him following the etiquette of attending to guest be obliged. So here he sat at the dining table watching the couple Liza and Steven get a free cooking lesson from Charlotte and help out with dinner.

He was forced to patronize Daisy and Jason as penance for pointing a gun at his face. If it was just Daisy, he could entertain. But Jason too? He had a grudge with Snow White just as every other soldier in Kyrat did.

"Three hundred soldiers…." Bipin murmured the number that he'd killed throughout his alliance with Golden Path. He made sure Jason heard it as well.

"(sigh)… So how did you guys meet?" He turned away from Jason as looking at him only set off fuses in his mood. If he was on this sort of terms with Jason, then what was the magnitude of Ajay's relation to Jason whom he blamed Kamala's death once on?

"Just a stroll through the market district, Charlotte approached us and helped us bargain with the vendor till he gave us a good price on a couple of figurines that caught Liza's interest."

"Nothing in life is free dear, but that doesn't mean you pay the asking price." Charlotte said over teaching the couple as she overheard them.

"How were we supposed to bargain with that Hong Kong fellow? He spoke almost as fast as a machine gun." Jason commented.

"My dear Jason. When I married George, I practically became one of them. Conversations with them? Mou Man Tai, Jing Jai." Charlotte showed off her impressive multi linguistic skills with a short but properly pronounced phrase for no worries. Being amongst them, she could quickly pick up the dialect like she knew native French and English.

Though Bipin didn't like the grouping arrangement, seeing Charlotte's happy expression light up to this degree from a simple interaction with people other than her daughter was something he felt she deserved. So he tolerated Jason for the time being, for her sake. Bipin brewed the coffee while half were attending to the casserole they were colaberatively oven baking.

"Major Kadayat, are you by chance related to a Maya-." Daisy tried to initial a conversation with Bipin to kill the awkward atmosphere.

"She's my sister." Too short and blunt to continue the flow, not that Bipin enjoyed it.

"Forgive me for being a little forward about it, but… you don't look alike."

"Most siblings don't. Biological Science can be a real bummer sometimes."

"I majored in Human Bio in LA a few years back! Its where I meet these fellas. Jason over here was a hopeless party king then, not like his elder brother."

"Thank you for the compliment." Jason said sarcastically.

"You're welcome. I still remember, and during the holidays I'd-…." She suddenly stopped as she recalled a fonder but now painful memory. She wrapped her fingers together as she tried to fight back welling sensations. Jason comforted her with a hand to her shoulder, which she nodded to thank for the consideration.

"…. How is he?" Bipin needn't ask who she was referring to.

"He's on trial for war crimes by the Alliance."

"W-War Crimes?!"

"Small matter, just the council getting jittery because he involved them in some serious shit with United States and they wanted to know that they still called the shots." Being in politics this long, he could tell what the Himavanan Alliance was thinking easily. Ajay's presence was in fact causing a current imbalance in evenly distributed power. Where the heads of state were the highest representations of their membership. But Ajay was a presence onto his own and his allegiance was with Pagan.

"You don't seem that worried, maybe I shouldn't either." Daisy quickly calmed herself with this line of rational thought.

"Actually… what I meant to ask was-… is he alright, physically? Mentally?"

Bipin had heard of the latest saga. The pursuit of Brody, then the confrontation with Rakshasa Purushartha. Bipin was just starting to recall those words that Ajay disclosed to him on his condition.

"Karma is memory. Prana can be acquired through karma. Karma can fuel power." Ajay played a dangerous game against enemies without human boundaries. None of his friends could do anything to stop it. Not even Saraswati.

"He's alive and kicking if that's what you're asking."

"I see…."

"I'm sorry to hear that he forgot about your relation."

"Hey!" Worried that his comment was insensitive Jason's new founded protectiveness over Daisy had spurred her to shield her from the painful truth. But daisy waved him away.

"Relax, Jas. It wasn't a hostile comment."

"I am sorry that it had to happen." She apologized to herself. Bipin knew that it wasn't easy.

"He did get what he wanted out of it however."

"Excuse me?"

"Ajay isn't the type to waste strength on something worthless. The fact that you're siting here alive and well proves that those years with you were at least worth you living for real rather than in his memories." Daisy hadn't thought of it in that way.

Ajay had sacrificed his memory of Daisy for the real thing, for her safety.

"Thank you, Major. That was really meaningful."

"If anyone I should pity, it would be Saraswati. Knowing how he is would he really burn his Karma with her as well?"

"That demon fellow kept saying that as well, what's this deal with Karma?" Daisy was hoping he would shed some light on it.

"Karma is both a destiny and an interweaving line of sharing fates. For example, this mere conversation we are having here is accumulating Karma between us."

"Or my relationship with Ajay." She threw in another example.

"That was what the Rakshasa was probably trying to destroy if you were his target."

"…"

"The fact that he didn't chase you after meant that there was no Karma to sever anymore."

"Just what has Ajay got to do with these Rakshasa?"

She had deliberately soften her voice, but hoped to learn more to ease her unrest. Bipin seemed to let on more than she had originally thought he knew of the situation. How close was Ajay to this man, she had no idea.

"What is it said in the Christian Bible? Father, son, holy ghost is one in the same?"

"Kinda the same thing. You've heard of the legend of Yalung, right?"

"Recently. A little." Bipin was satisfied with just the basic outline she understood.

"He would be something akin to a fragment of that blood thirsty god, or so they say."

"And what do you believe, Major?"

"I don't believe in the legend like those monks do. But recently these Rakshasa do give some credibility to the existence of an entity that they call Yalung who had once divided our realm into the modern Himavanas. For what purpose he serves to them, not even Ajay could answer that question as of late."

"…." Daisy accepted this was as far as she could dig.

"So the people treat him like a god, then?" Jason asked out of curiosity.

"No. But they do idolize him for bring them out of a shitty and danger-ridden live." Bipin did not know when he was suddenly ok with answering Jason Brody after all this.

"Dinners ready!" Charlotte announced. The table was being set by those that had been hanging around while the chefs of the hour had the time to rest their hands and legs and share some light conversations. When the table was ready, Charlotte even brought over one of her Red Wines to share with the red meats.

After a short grace to her lord god, thanking him for having wonderful guest at her table they dug in. Liza and Steven proud to have cooked a meal for everyone for the first time that didn't turn out burnt or tasting weird like before.

"Such a shame Oliver boy, couldn't come and have dinner." Charlotte sighed.

"That guy's fine with snacking on a few leaves. No need to worthy about Oli's diet, he's fine." Steven set another hidden joke which his partner giggled at.

Bipin ate his share in piece, leaving some in the fridge for when Sam came back.

Charlotte was interacting heavily with the Americans, more so that she usually would. Perhaps speaking to people who she could relate to because of similar upbring that she felt this comfortable. Bipin did his best to allow her to fully savour this day.

"You should really share more with them, Bip. I'm sure they'd want to hear about you as well."

Bipin put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

"I don't have really a lot to go on myself. Maya is the only family I have left, I'm in a relation with Charlotte's daughter and the rest is Military work. Classified stuff."

"(Sigh) There you go again. So blunt and unsincere." Charlotte smiled sadly.

"Come on! Share a little more!" Jason initiated a pro-couragement for him to share.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's a story about how you got to know, Ms Beaumont right?" Liza was more interested in the romance involved.

"It doesn't need to be about work." Daisy said since he said his work was sensitive.

"So there you have it, all the worthy listeners! Now we just need to story teller to tell his saga." Jason continued. It was at this point that Bipin's cool snapped.

"Oh- You want a story, right?" They nodded and applauded.

"Alright, how about this one then? August fifth, I comfort the widow of Corporal Sen and sister of Private Hari after news of their deaths were released. A bouquet of flowers, a medal of honor and a pension slip to live out the days in loneliness…."

"Um-." Bipin was telling an uncomfortable tale but the tone he used prevented them from cutting in to stop him.

"A seven-year-old boy I took to the zoo on behalf of his late father because he wasn't around and the mother didn't have time…."

"Or a young girl who was proposed to by a soldier and promised to live the rest of their lives together for eternity. He just needed to serve for two years to afford a house to live in…."

"Bip." Charlotte wanted to stop him as he continued on with these discomforting tales.

"I have fifty-seven other of such experiences going from door to door of these peoples' house. And these were only for men from my unit." Daisy and Charlotte notice that he was intentionally staring Jason's way.

"And you know what, they have in common, Jason? They all have pictures of their son, husband and brother mutilated corpses tied to something being sent to them a day before the registry releases the news that their loved one was killed… by Jason Brody, Fucking Snow White!"

Daisy quickly got between Bipin who approached Jason with a dangerous aura. "Major, perhaps you haven't heard. But Jason wasn't who he was when he did those horrible things."

"Really…." Bipin went into his study and scavenged some items before returning. He held out a bunch of photos that had writing on the back.

"Dear dearly beloved, I want you to know that your husband whined and squealed your name while I stuck needles into his eyes…" He recited what Brody had written out to the family member of one of the mutilated corpses on the back of the photo like some sort of sick memory lane experience.

"Bip, stop!" Charlotte prevented him from taking it any further.

"You think because you can't remember means you didn't do it. Whose hands took their lives, Jason!?"

Jason was faced with another victim of his reign of terror as Brody.

"You are one the highest level of priority threats to neutralize list. You have a bounty that could afford their own land so that we could put you on an electric chair to fry you in front of all those victims family members you tortured for past times!"

"That fact that you can still put up a smile after all that shit is what ticks me off more than I can chew or tolerate even for Charlotte's sake! I'm sitting and having dinner with the fucker that massacred all of those soldiers and people! And he's so ignorant of what he did that its like all those deaths were some sort of bad joke."

"You're a fucking piece of garbage, Jason! I wish that Ajay put a bullet in your skull when he had the chance! Not curse you for eternity!" Bipin blew off all the steam that he'd accumulated since the evening on one go, and nobody stopped him.

Seeing that he'd ruin the mood on his own violation, he excused himself.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte and the rest of you for listening to what I've said. I'll leave you to the rest of the evening."

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked worriedly.

"Since I didn't follow Sam, I think I'll pick her up this time." He said with a wry smile. Before turning to Jason. He flung a bunch of metal towards him which he caught on reflex. Looking at the object in his hand, he found what the metal pieces bunched up were.

ID tags.

"You don't need to visit their relatives, you won't even make it pass ten of them before someone murders you, I guarantee it. Ajay remembers all the names, so you shouldn't be any different."

Bipin took his coat and Sam's as he left through the front door.

"Jason. I'm terribly sorry for Bip's impulsive words, that boy sometimes doesn't take care in the words he says and makes them some really horrible. Come over and enjoy the rest of dinner, I'll even make you a special treat as a welcome back gift from us." Jason tried to force a smile as he took his seat. But his face held a heavy expression as he looked down at the ID tags that Bipin threw at him. And he knew that these were not even a fraction of that number.

Daisy's hand rested on his shivering hand whilst everyone tried to maintain a calm face as they restored their order of conversation previously. She said nothing, but this simple act assured him that she would be there to protect him whether he would face these obstacles or not. Though he could have not said anything, he felt that Daisy really deserve to hear it from him at least once.

"Thank you. Daisy."


Bipin went out into the cold night in the direction of the hospital. He passed the busy streets of the shopping district and waited at the lobby of the hospital after confirming the appointment room she was in. Sam was almost about done with a mandatory X-ray for bone density. Bipin reflected on the events that led him from his desk to reprimanding Jason in front of his friends and perhaps also ruining Charlotte's rare acquaintance.

Could he have gone on without saying the things he'd said? He could have, but then Jason would truly be unaware of all those he'd hurt as Brody. He didn't kill them outright, he tortured and mutilated those soldiers who took the scouting role in reconnaissance of the Golden Path bases and Vyatha "City of Pain". These were only just the victims that they knew of.

"Hey. Finished my medical report." Bipin looked up and found Sam looking down at him who was deep in thought. She was dressed in a light dress with her hair no longer tied into a neat bun like before. Since she left the Army, she could freely dressed as she pleased. He handed her the coat which he brought her for the cold night.

"Hey, I came to pick you up."

"You know that wasn't necessary, right?"

"I know. But then mom said I should, so here I am."

"So you're here because mom said so?" She pouted.

"I'm here because I wanna be." He held out his hand as he stood up.

"Let's have dinner, shall we?"

"Sure, let's go home. I'm sure mom has cooked up something nice." She said as she took his hand.

"I meant for just the two of us, outside." Sam looked at him briefly and smiled and decided.

"Ok."