Going to see Ik-su was easy enough to decide on but difficult to execute. As the seven left the Earth Tribe and ventured deeper into the Fire Tribe's territory, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous and hills and mountains more difficult to climb. Yet Yun appeared more excited as each day passed, pointing a various landmarks as though introducing friends.

"That rock - see?" he'd ask, eyes shining. "The one that looks like a half-eared rabbit? Ik-su and I found a freezing traveller there once. I nursed them back to health in just three days. And the charred group of trees - a type of wild tarragon grows there. I made such vegetable stews with it..."

Almost twelve days after having met Zeno, the group finally arrived at the thick forest hidden in the narrow gorge that Yun, Yona, and Hak knew so well. Yona's eyes clouded over at the sight of the familiar road.

"To think we started out here," she said, failing to hide the tremble in her voice. "Do you remember when...?"

"Yes," said Hak, looking away. He didn't like to think of the day he almost saw the princess die. Wiping her eyes, Yona straightened her back.

"Well, it was all worth it, anyhow," she said. "If we hadn't met Ik-su, if we hadn't fallen... I wouldn't have met all of you."

"He must be a wise man," Ki-ja remarked with an expression of reverence. Yona and Hak exchanged a glance and chuckled.

"He is, too!" Yun huffed, offended. "In his own way, but he is."

"Of course," Yona said, stifling her smile. The memory of the bumbling but kind-hearted priest was all tooo clear in her mind. "Ik-su is a great and holy man."

"He must be, if we travel so far to get a glimpse of him," Sen muttered. Yun rolled his eyes.

"It's not even that far. His house is just up ahead, right behind that turn."

Suddenly, Shin-ah stopped. He looked around before turning to the others.

"It's empty," he said softly. Yun tensed.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Shin-ah nodded.

"He must be here somewhere," Yun said, biting the nail of his thumb. "Or he'll be back soon. We've got to wait."

Soon enough, the small mud-brick house came into sight. The garden before it, once neat, was trampled and dry. The door stood open and Yun rushed inside. Piles of grey dust, broken shelves, bits of shattered dishes sprawled across the floor. It was clear no matter who had been there last had not had a great time.

"He's clumsy like that," Yun said, his face very white. "He'll be back. I had to clean up after him so many times... This is nothing new."

Wiping away a tear, he bent down and began to pick up the mess. Silently, Yona and Ki-ja joined him as well. Sen took a pile of rags from the corner and looked at Yun.

"I think I heard a river nearby," she said. "Is it that way?"

"Hmm? Oh... yeah."

Not even looking up, Yun pointed to where his dear river ran. Sen nodded and stepped to her knapsack. Removing her own dirty clothes and a bar of soap wrapped in brown paper, she left for the river.

"Wait, take these too!" Hak called, picking up the shared laundry bag, but Sen could no longer hear him. Hak sighed. "She could've done a bit of the shared work this once."

"Come on, I'm sure she just forgot," Jae-ha said, taking the bag from him. "Let her be, I'll do it instead."

Although it had not taken him too long to reach the river, he already found Sen knee-deep in the water, wearing only her thin inner robe with her sleeves rolled up and scrubbing what might have been called a priest's robe in its better days. Jae-ha dropped the laundry bag on the already large pile of clothes and took a seat on a large, dry rock on the river bank.

"Have you been in these parts before?" he asked, taking off his green outer robe.

"You know what I think of pick-up lines," Sen replied, not even bothering to look up from her work. Jae-ha laughed.

"I was serious," he told her with a smile. Rolling up his sleeves and taking a pair of his own socks, he carefully waded into the river. "Is this your first time on Fire Tribe soil?"

"No."

"Am I not worth more words?" Jae-ha sighed dramatically. "Each minute without your melodious voice is an eternity in Hell, even if your conversation is drier than sand."

"It's hardly conversation when I'm hard at work and you're acting like you're made of paper, barely touching the water with your hands."

Although his shoulder, injured by Kum-ji, protested painfully, Jae-ha grit his teeth and obeyed. Seeing the pile of clean laundry grow greater, Sen's mood indeed improved and she naturally became more chatty.

"What made you think I've been here before?" she asked, looking at Jae-ha for the first time since he had arrived. "Do I look like a native of this place?"

Jae-ha's heart fluttered and he looked away.

"You don't look nearly miserable enough for that, dear," he replied. "I had no idea, honestly. Just curious."

"It's not all that miserable," Sen replied with a laugh. "Saika is quite beautiful, in fact. I was actually quite miserable at the time, but the inhabitants seemed cheerful enough - if a little stiff."

"I can't imagine you wallowing very deeply in any sadness."

Sen laughed again, but there was something stiff about her face.

"Oh, you know," she said, bending down again. Jae-ha could tell her good mood was waning by her forceful scrubbing of an innocent undergarment. "I was lovesick and all that rot. Doubt I'll ever do it again."

"Never again," Jae-ha echoed thoughtlessly. "What a pity."

"Not really," Sen replied, and her voice was a little gentler. "I just learned how to better deal with loss, that's all."

"He died?"

Sen's hands paused for a moment.

"He left."

"Do you miss him?"

While the words sounded very natural, almost too natural, Jae-ha's stomach squeezed painfully at the thought. Sen stood up and tossed the garment in her hands.

"I think that's the lot," she said, stretching her back. "Are you done?"

"Give me a minute," Jae-ha replied, and his voice cracked. Each passing second seemed to prove his suspicions correct. His whole being seemed so dejected that Sen couldn't help but sigh.

"I haven't thought of him in a long while," she said. "Even if I really tried, I don't think I could miss him now."

Glancing sideways, Jae-ha caught sight of her face. Her eyes were clear, not at all clouded by anger or nostalgia - even her relaxed expression suggested indifference.

"Of course," Jae-ha said softly. "Sorry for bringing it up."

"Why?"

The question caught him by surprise. There was no answer to it, partly as he was not too deeply remorseful. Thankfully, Sen wasn't particularly interested in a reply either and made her way to the shore.

"Hurry up," she said, looking back. "We need to hang them up before the sun goes down."

"Do we?" Jae-ha asked, straightening up and following her. Sen looked at him in surprise.

"What else do you propose?" she asked with mock curiosity. "Wait for the forest spirits to do it instead?"

"Precisely," he said, taking her hand. "We've worked so hard, it's only fair..."

How that would be fair to the spirits, Sen never found out. His kisses covered her face like gentle summer rain, and she did little to discourage it. Pulling his arms around her waist, she closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by the warmth of the man before her.

...

The sun had long gone down by the time Sen and Jae-ha snuck back to the priest's hut, holding hands and occasionally whispering joking comments to one another. To their relief, there was still a fire, albeit little food left on the bottom of the cauldron.

"I'm not hungry," Sen lied. "You can take it."

"No, no, I couldn't. Plus it looks like someone left a bit in this bowl - I'll eat that, and you..."

"It's mine," a voice grumbled. Jae-ha jumped, only to find Hak emerging from another room.

"It's only you," he said in relief. Hak frowned.

"I don't want any comments from you, lover boy."

Unfortunately for Hak, he could not have found any term better suited for uplifting Jae-ha. In fact, he beamed in response - and so blatant was his satisfaction that Hak recoiled in disgust.

"Never mind," he said with a shiver. "Laundry done?"

"With great care," Sen replied. "You won't find a single speck of dirt on any of them."

"Good. We're going to search the nearby villages tomorrow," Hak told them. "Yun wants to find his priest, and this could be the best way to start. Zeno's idea."

"Zeno has strategy?" Sen asked in shock. Jae-ha squeezed her hand in disapproval and Hak shot her an irate glare.

"You better not sleep late," he said, returning whence he came. "Tomorrow, then."

The door closed behind him, and shrugging, Sen went to split the meager portion between her and Jae-ha.