Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gossip leads to trouble

A/n: Welp! We're entering the last few chappies! I'm thinking of writing a sequel that will most likely follow canon events after a certain point, but I'm still debating that much. Let me know what you all think, and if you'd be interested in a sequel or not! Happy readings!

Tian felt like a doll the next couple of weeks. With her injuries, it was hard to move on her own. Needless to say, someone was always moving her if it was necessary. Needless to say, it wasn't physically she felt like a doll, but emotionally as well. She was inside her own world, and Tian didn't particularly feel like sharing what had happened with anyone.

Sure, Tian had been in plenty of fights before. Not just while in the small town, but anywhere she traveled. A woman traveling alone more times than not caught the attention of more than a few men with ill intentions. But, even so, Tian had never personally taken a life before. Tian felt that she had to deal with the emotional whip-lash of that realization herself before she could tell anyone else of what had happened.

Needless to say, Tian's darkened mood was sensed by everyone in the group, making them feel like they were walking on eggshells around Tian despite more than a far share of them acting like their normal selves, or at least trying to, when around her. Tian appreciated the thought, but knew that they were most worried about her mood. She wasn't sure if she wanted them to confront her about it, or just leave it as it all was.

"Tian."

The dark haired girl shook her head, bringing herself out of another daydream, as Jae-Ha stepped through the tent with Yona right behind him. Tian looked at them, not reacting for a moment, and then smiled slightly as she tried to sit up.

"Oh! You don't have to move!" Yona said with a smile, waving her hands in front of her face. Tian relaxed, sitting more comfortably on the ground.

"No. I needed to move anyways." Tian said a soft laugh, and then glanced at Jae-Ha, who was just looking at her with a soft expression. Tian blushed, and then looked away.

"We wanted to see how you were doing. So, we stayed behind while everyone else went to town." Yona said with a grin. Tian looked at her, and then nodded.

"I feel fine, but you didn't need to stay behind."

"Yun thought it was best that someone stayed behind with you. We agreed so that we can check on you." Jae-Ha said with a slight smile. Tian blushed again, and then nodded.

"Well... Thanks." Tian replied, looking off with a slight purse of her lips. Yona looked between the two with a soft smile, and then stood slightly.

"I'm going to see if that soup is ready, and then I'll bring you some, Ok?" Yona said with a grin.

Tian looked at her, and then nodded. Yona glanced at Jae-Ha, who was looking at her with a curious expression. Yona merely giggled slightly, and then walked out of the tent. Jae-Ha and Tian both watched her for a moment.

Then, Jae-Ha looked at Tian with a mix of a softened, but serious expression. Tian looked away from Jae-Ha with a far off expression again. Jae-Ha's mind once again wondered to what could have happened to have put Tian in this type of mood for so long. Needless to say, the things that came to his mind were less than pleasant.

"Tian?" Jae-Ha questioned to get her attention. It took her a moment, but she eventaully looked at him with a soft smile.

"What's up?" She questioned softly. Jae-Ha just looked at her with a serious expression as he tried to think of a way to word it tactfully. Tian's smile dropped slightly as he looked at her with a serious expression."Jae-Ha?" She questioned softly, drawing back slightly as she tensed up. Jae-Ha noted, and frowned slightly.

"What happened to get you like you've been lately?" His tone was serious, not a drop of his usual flirtatious or confident in his tone. It was completely serious, which surprised Tian.

She looked away for a moment, her jaw hardened slightly. She then relaxed her jaw slightly, and then looked back at Jae-Ha with a much more serious expression.

"I... Well, some men came up and they were gonna take me to Sei or whatever coz apparently they have a much more bounty on my head since it's been found that I was the one behind the bad slave deal. Well, I fought back. It got bad, and then..." Her throat clenched for a moment. Jae-Ha straightened out, scowling as he jumped to a bad conclusion. Tian cleared her throat." Well... I... I killed them. I had to do it. I couldn't let them go alive, and then possibly follow me or have someone follow me, and then put you guys in danger. You guys are in enough danger as it is, and I don't want it getting worse. I just... I don't know. I never killed before, ya know? I never wanted to get to that level, but I did it. I just... I didn't think I could do it, but I had to. I feel guilty coz I did it. It all plays out in my mind, but I also know that I had no other choice." Her voice trailed off at that point, but her tone before hand was getting higher and faster.

Jae-Ha softened, relieved that it wasn't something worse, but he understood how it felt at first. Murder wasn't some stranger to Jae-Ha. He's done some stuff in his pirate days, but he still understood how it felt. Jae-Ha reached over with a soft smile, and touched her hand. Tian looked at him.

"Sometimes, killing is an avoidable part when you're fighting. Sometimes, it becomes such a struggle that you have to weigh your life against theirs. Sometimes, killing has to be done. As long as it's done in cold blood, or for no reason, in the end it will be forgiven. You don't have to shoulder the guilt. You did it for a good reason, and anybody in your position would have done the same."

"Have you done it?" SHe asked softly, looking down at their hands for a moment, and then up at him with a soft smile. Jae-Ha paused, and then nodded.

"Remember I used to be a pirate. I've done worse things than taking a life. Even sweet little Yona has taken a life. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Don't worry about it, alright." Jae-Ha smiled softly, kissing the top of her head. Tian blushed, and then nodded with a soft smile as she looked away. Jae-Ha pulled back, stroking her cheeks for a moment, and then settling back.

"I brought the soup!" Yona exclaimed just moments after Jae-Ha leaned back from Tian."Oh! I split a little!" Yona frowned slightly, putting the bowl a little further from her as she tried to wipe ff her dress. Jae-Ha smiled softly, and took the bowl from her.

"Yona Dear, next time just ask for a little help, ok?" He teased with a slight chuckle. Yona puffed out her cheeks in a childish pout, and then sat next to Tian. Tian smiled softly, feeling better after the talk with Jae-Ha, and then sat up a little more as she took the bowl, and began to awkwardly feed herself.

"Thank you, Yona." Tian said softly, smiling at the red haired girl, who seemed surprised for a moment, and then smiled softly.

"No problem, Tian." Yona replied with a grin.

"Here let me feed you Tian. You look like you need a little help." Jae-Ha teased in a flirty tone, taking the bowl from Tian, and picking up the spoon. Tian blushed, scowled, closed her eyes, and turned her head.

"No thanks. I can feed myself." She replied, taking the bowl back. Or at least attempted to. Jae-Ha held on rather strongly. Or stubbornly. Tian dropped her friendly expression for a more annoyed one." Let go." She growled through gritted teeth.

"Aww why? Don't want me to feed you?" Jae-Ha teased.

"No. I can do it myself."

"I'd rather do it myself." Jae-Ha teased, holding the spoon closer to Tian's face. Tian felt a vein pop out of her head in annoyance.

"I'm going to punch you."

"Be careful there, I might like it." Jae-Ha winked, causing Tian to roll her eyes. Yona smiled softly, and then took the bowl from Jae-Ha herself, and sat it closer to Tian. Both of them looked at her with a curious expression.

"Jae-Ha, she isn't helpless. I'm sure she can do it herself." Yona explained with a small smile.

Jae-Ha sighed dramatically, but let it go. Tian rolled her eyes, and made a point to quickly eat before he could pull his antics again. Yona couldn't help but to feel amused, and relieved at the same time. Seems like the old Tian was finally coming back, and it felt good to see it.

"I don't know why I'm surprised to see so many fabrics come from so many places." Yun stated as he looked through all the fabrics Min-Soo had shown him. He was trying to decide which ones to purchase. He was thankful Min-Soo and BaaBaa liked them enough to give them a good discount, otherwise he doubted they would be able to afford it.

"Well, we had a couple of people from Xing come in, and looked insulted that we didn't have any of their high quailty fabrics, and then decided to donate some." Min-Soo said with a giggle.

"Those people were nothing but a pain in my ass. That's why foreign noblemen... No, I take that back. All noble people annoy me." BaaBaa stated with a needle in between her teeth as she fixed something on a dress she was sewing. She scowled slightly as she threaded the needle, and began sewing again. Min-Soo looked at the older woman with a slight, teasing grin.

"You just say that BaaBaa because that lady-in- waiting was being too specific, and made you-"

"No! I mean all people from noble birth!" BaaBaa shouted stubbornly, making Min-Soo laugh slightly as she looked at Yun.

"Any caught your eye yet? I could bring out more." She suggested with a smile. Yun looked at her, and then shrugged slightly.

"No. This is plenty thanks." Yun stated.

Min-Soo nodded, and then looked at the others. Jae-Ha was close to Yun, listening in on the conversation. Kija, who had been coming for visits more and more, was also close by, watching with a satisfied grin. Hak, Zeno, and Yona stayed behind with Tian.

"Is Tian alright?" Min-Soo asked softly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear. The question seemed to make everything in the room go silent. Min-Soo looked around, noticing the tense atmosphere, and sighed heavily as she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Tian's alright. She's healing very nicely!" Kija was the first to speak, trying to bring comfort to the blond haired woman. Min-Soo looked at him, and then smiled softly, but still a bit bitterly.

"She's a trouble magnet, isn't she?" She asked softly, to which the others just nodded slightly. The smiles dropped as a more serious atmosphere developed in the area.

"I don't see why she doesn't leave. We gave her the money to leave. It was more than enough to sustain her for a long while. Things are getting too heated for her to stay." BaaBaa stated, once again bringing everyone to attention.

"Wait! You gave her money to leave?!" Yun stated, eyebrows drawing together as a whole new wave of emotions drafted over him.

He knew something was off when Tian suddenly handed them all some money that money with a grin, and telling them to spend it on themselves or whatever they wanted. He had asked where she had gotten the money, and she became silent for a moment before replying with a grin to just take the money coz it was a gift. He didn't think to question further. He knew he should have.

BaaBaa looked at the young boy with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes. I knew it was probably a moot point in doing so, but I'm trying to protect her. She's like my own daughter, and I would hate to see anything... Or even hear that anything really bad has happened to her. She attract trouble like a magnet, so it's unavoidable that somewhere she'd only get into fights or whatnot, but getting into trouble here could now cost her her freedom, or worse. I'd rather not see her die." BaaBaa finished her statement by going back to sewing.

Yun looked at the colorful, beautiful fabrics before him, but he suddenly felt too guilty to spend the money. Min-Soo seemed to feel the young boy's feelings, and put the fabrics away.

"She's too stubborn for her own good. I always told her it will only land her into trouble, but you can't get that girl to listen for anything." Min-Soo said softly, looking at her lap. She then looked at Jae-Ha, who was looking at his lap with his eyebrows drawn. Min-Soo looked away.

Though, I can probably see why she's staying.

Min-Soo thought with a slight nod of her head.

There was silence for a few minutes. The only sound to be heard was the sound of BaaBaa sewing, and the noise outside. Everyone was left with their own feelings. It took a few minutes for them each to come out of their minds, and when they did, that's when they heard the gossip of some customers that had come into the shop.

"I heard that they put out a huge reward for that girl dead or alive."

"No kidding!"

"No, really! My uncle does some business of some sort with their king, so he had told me to keep an eye out for the girl. I wouldn't be surprised if she was nabbed by someone else though."

"Hmm, but she's supposed to be strong, right? Maybe she's still around."

"I kind of doubt it. She's just a woman." With that said, the two women seemed to stop talking as they walked up to the counter. BaaBaa was silent for a few moment before adopting her usual smile, and walking forward to meet the two women.

"May I help you two fine ladies?" BaaBaa inquired. The two ladies glanced at each other, and then at the older woman before them with matching grins.

"Actually we're here to place an order."

"Oh, let me take the-"

"It's written down already. If you can have ready in a couple of days that would be perfect. We don't have much time." With that said, both women turned, and left the shop. BaaBaa sighed, shaking her head as she opened the envelope.

"I'm going back to camp. I'll see you all later." Jae-Ha spoke suddenly, standing up. Yun and Kija looked at him with worried expressions.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Yun asked. Jae-Ha looked back at him, and grinned.

"I'll be alright." Jae-Ha stated, turning, and waving good-bye over his shoulders before quickly leaving the shop.

"It's just a routine order. I'll get this done by the end of the day." BaaBaa said after a slight pause.

"Did you still want something?" Min-Soo asked Yun softly. Yun was silent a moment before nodding slightly.

"I guess I can. These rare beasts get into fights so often, it's hard keeping up with fabric to fix their clothes." Min-Soo laughed slightly, glanicng over at Kija, who got an embrassed expression, looking away.

"I think we can get something for ya guys." Min-Soo said through a giggle, gesturing for Yun and Kija to follow her as she walked over to the many fabrics once again.

Jae-Ha really tried to keep his feelings under control. He tried to keep them hidden, but hearing those women speak the way they did, the green haired man had no doubt they were talking about Tian, and he couldn't help but to have his protective side overrule anything. Besides, Yona and the others were with Tian. Jae-Ha sure as hell didn't want anything happening to them either. It spurred him to move faster. He kept his cool, though. He didn't want to jump the gun just yet.

As he neared the camp, and saw everyone was alright, even laughing, he relaxed. He stopped for just a moment, giving himself time to cool down, and then adapted his usual attitude as he came forward.

"Glad to see everyone is as lively as ever." Jae-Ha voiced in a sort of loud tone, causing everyone to look at him.

"Where's Kija and Yun?" Yona questioned, looking around with a soft smile before setting her eyes on Jae-Ha.

"They're still in town." He said, pointing back before dropping his hands to his side once again."They'll be back shortly, Yona Dear." He smiled at the red-haired girl, and then looked around. Tian wasn't in sight, but he was sure she was in the tent as expected, probably still resting. Still, Jae-Ha didn't think that he would be able to rest his thoughts until he saw the dark-haired girl himself...

"Yona, help me with this bow please. It's a bit hard to get myself at the moment." Tian's melodious voice called out from inside the tent, sounding a bit frustrated. Yona grinned slightly, and then turned to walk to the tent.

"I'll be right there!" Yona called out as she walked to the tent. Jae-Ha watched until Yona reached the short distance to the tent. Jae-Ha could see a wisp of Tian's long dark hair, and a glimpse of her ivory skin before the tent closed.

"I didn't think you'd be back until later, Droopy Eyes." Jae-Ha looked over at Hak, taking a moment before grinning.

"Well, actually it's because I heard some gossip from some women. I just wanted to make sure everyone was alright." Jae-Ha said in a whisper. Hak looked at him with wide eyes, but Jae-Ha didn't elaborate as Tian came out in a new robe.

It was nearly identical to the one she had previously, only a lighter shade. She smoothed out the edges of the dress along her wasit and hips, fluffed out her, and then looked up with her eyebrows drawn together, and her head tilted slightly.

"What?" She questioned, looking between Hak and Jae-Ha. Hak shook out his head, and then looked away.

"Nothing." He answered, and then glanced at Jae-Ha, who was still looking at her. Jae-Ha shook his head, and then grinned.

"Nothing. I'm glad to see that you're getting around." Jae-Ha answered with a little smile. Tian looked at him skeptically, and then shook her head as she glanced at Yona, who merely smiled softly, and shrugged slightly. Tian then looked back at Jae-Ha, and then sighed as she shook her head, and walked over to Yun, asking about dinner. Jae-Ha just continued to look at her, sighing with relief.

I'm glad she's alright. Hopefully those rumours were just that. Just silly women gossiping because they have nothing better to do.

Jae-ha thought, nodding as he got back to his regular self.