Disclaimer: I don't own Yona of the Dawn | Akatsuki no Yona.
Chapter 32
"Lien, I have something for you."
It was evening, and Jae-Ha had just landed at the edge of their camp, dusty from a day of traveling around the countryside. The fake bandit crew was sitting around their camp fire outside of one of the Fire Tribe villages. They were all together, which did not happen all too often lately. Usually they were spread out, a few of them in one village and the rest in another, in an effort to protect multiple places. However, Tae-jun was starting to change things with the military, so there was less of a threat from the troops.
Shin-Ah looked up from where he was sitting next to Zeno, the two of them playing the hand game that involved slapping the ground and animal names. Zeno had won every round, but Shin-Ah was learning about new animals, ones he had never heard of before. Whenever he looked at Zeno questioningly, the blond always described the animal.
Jae-Ha crossed through their camp as Lien stood, up, brushing her dress off. She had been helping Yoon fix their meager soup and had been shredding herbs with her fingers. Bits of herbs fell from her dress at the touch of her fingers. She looked at Jae-Ha, curious. "What is it?"
Jae-Ha grinned. "Guess."
Lien rolled her eyes. "Can you just tell me?"
"A puppy!" Zeno called out, looking excited at the possibility.
"Better not be a dog," Hak said. He and Yona were nearby, practicing swordplay. Or, well, Yona was practicing by attempting to hit Hak's sword while he easily dodged her attacks.
"I think we have enough beasts in general," Yoon said, making a face, "Not even including the squirrel." At the moment, Ao was waiting not so patiently on Yoon's shoulder, watching him with keen eyes. She obviously wanted a generous portion of the soup.
"It's not an animal, that's a terrible waste of a guess," Jae-Ha said.
"Wait, there are limited guesses?" Kija asked, frowning.
"Lien hasn't even guessed yet," Yoon added, glancing up from the pot of soup. "I don't think anyone else's guess counts."
"Maybe it's sweets, like candy," Zeno said. His stomach growled, and Shin-Ah looked at him for a moment. They were all hungry, but Zeno loved food the most out of any of them. He never complained, though.
"Not sweets," Jae-Ha said. He smirked and turned on his heel until he was facing Lien. "What have you been wanting?"
"For you to stop teasing me," she said, "That's what I would want right now."
"Now, see, that's a boring guess," Jae-Ha said.
"If you're not going to tell me—" She started to sit back down, but Jae-Ha stepped to her side and pulled something from his coat. There was a metallic shing as the object opened and caught the firelight. It seemed to glow red-orange for a moment, reflecting the flames.
Shin-Ah stood up as Lien's eyes grew wide. "A bladed fan," she said, reaching out to touch it with her fingertips. There was a design on the fan, a spray of blossoms and a tree limb, delicate and finely etched into the metal.
"I told you I'd find you a fan," Jae-Ha said, grinning, "And here it is."
"Who'd you kill to get it?" Hak asked. He and Yona had paused their fight to wander over, Yona darting to Lien's side while Hak stood behind Jae-Ha's shoulder.
"No one," Jae-Ha said, "I simply asked for it."
"That doesn't seem likely," Yoon put in. He glanced over at the pretty new weapon and shook his head. "Lien has fire, does she need a weapon?"
"I think it'll work well with that fire of hers," Jae-Ha said, snapping the fan closed. It was loud and startling, and Kija frowned as he jumped a little at the sound. Jae-Ha grinned. "It has multiple uses. And it looks nice."
"Because looking nice is necessary for a good weapon," Hak said sarcastically.
"Says the man with a striking staff sword," Yoon said, stirring the pot of soup methodically and earning a sideways glance from the ex-general.
Jae-Ha pulled the fan away, closing it before he handed it to Lien. "Be very careful of the end, it's sharp."
She took it gingerly into her hands and opened it slowly, letting each segment of it unfold. Shin-Ah stepped closer to her, keeping an eye on the bladed edge. He could see that it had been honed until it was as sharp as a razor and just as deadly. It would be a formidable weapon, but he was honestly of the same opinion as Yoon. Lien had her fire and that was enough, wasn't it? They had been practicing together almost every day, and each day she improved on her endurance and skill. This would just complicate matters.
"It really is beautiful," Lien said, closing it again, "I've only used a fan to dance with and never a bladed one…"
Jae-Ha held a leather sheath out to her, one that could be easily attached to the sash she wore around her waist. "I told you, I'll teach you." He smiled. "You'll catch on fast. You said you wanted a weapon, right?"
Lien nodded. She took the leather sheath, running her thumb over the etching on the case. "Thank you, Jae-Ha."
"You're very welcome, dear." He reached out and ruffled her hair, making her wrinkle her nose.
The leather sheath and the fan in her hands, Lien turned toward Shin-Ah, looking up at him with excitement in her eyes. "What do you think?" She spread the fan out a little, letting him see some of the design. "It's pretty, right?"
It was like she wanted his approval, but Shin-Ah wasn't sure, so he stood there unmoving. He saw a bit of her excitement die.
"It's just for defense," she said, putting the fan into the sheath, "And I think it's nice."
She was certainly entitled to her own opinion. His opinion was simply that she didn't need it. She could fight well enough without a blade, and something like that would make her even more of a target in a fight. While most people wouldn't fight someone who was unarmed, if she had a bladed weapon…
They looked at each other for a long moment, neither of them saying anything. Finally, Lien bit her lip, lifted her chin, and marched over to Yona. Yona reached out and took her wrist, and together the two girls went to the edge of the clearing, sitting down behind some rocks. Hak glanced at Shin-Ah, shook his head, and followed them.
By the fire, Ao dashed off, chasing after the two girls as well. For his part, Shin-Ah had no idea what he had done wrong, but he could tell that Lien wasn't happy with him.
An arm fell over his shoulders, and Jae-Ha tutted in his ear. "That, little dragon brother, was not a smart response."
Shin-Ah started. What? He hadn't really responded at all, so he wasn't sure what Jae-Ha meant. He looked at the green-haired man, his eyes wide behind his mask. It wasn't…He hadn't…
"Why?" he finally asked, bewildered.
"She wanted you to say that you liked it," Yoon said. He was still stirring the pot of soup, but he spared Shin-Ah an exasperated look. "I know you're sort of new at interacting with people, but that's something you should have picked up on."
"She needed encouragement, not silence," Jae-Ha said, patting Shin-Ah's shoulder. "You could have at least nodded."
Oh. But he didn't like the weapon. He didn't want her using it. "She shouldn't."
"Need encouragement? Everyone needs that—"
"Use that," Shin-Ah said, "She has fire."
"But using it makes her tired," Jae-Ha countered.
"But she could hurt herself on the bladed fan," Kija put in, "She's never used one before."
"That's why she'll train, just like Yona does," Jae-Ha said. He slung his arm off of Shin-Ah's shoulders and put his hands on his hips. "Girls are beautiful, delicate flowers, but they can also have thorns. Don't belittle them."
Shin-Ah wanted to fold in on himself or at least hide behind the fur from his mask. He hadn't meant to belittle Lien. He thought she was amazing, he just didn't want her to get hurt. Or even need to fight in the first place. He could protect her.
"Seiryuu didn't mean to hurt Kirin's feelings," Zeno said. He appeared beside Shin-Ah, a bright smile on his face. "He just cares about her."
Shin-Ah nodded. That was right. He ran the toe of his boot across the ground, wondering how he was going to explain that to her. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings or anything, if that was the case. He would try to talk to her later, once he figured out exactly what he wanted to say.
