"I guess I'm here early then."
That was all Shen could say as he checked the clock outside of the room the team was provided. He lived on a different floor than the other two since he was the only guy. Shen was double checking to see if there were any surprise holes that he may have missed when he got dressed. The hole he was able to find was a small hole on his shoes but since they were black it wasn't very noticeable.
As if on cue the door next to him opened, out from it came the person he was waiting for.
"Good morning Ya." Shen replied as he fixed his white shirt and jeans which got slightly disheveled due to him sitting down for a long time.
"Morning Shen." She replied.
Shen didn't know what to expect for Ya to wear, a part of him thought she was going to wear something over the top because they are ordered to wear their military uniform at almost all times. However, the outfit she was wearing surprised Shen, but he decided to bring it up later.
"Then let's head out." Shen said as he walked down the stairs.
As the two walked along the streets they were able to see the bustling city do its magic.
"... 50 LMD would be enough."
"Free Samples right here!"
The two entered an open market of sorts, vendors working to sell their products. Kids dashing and zoning between the adults chasing each other. It was enough to make Shen think that his near death experience and the less than pleasurable medical treamtreat from yesterday was a dream.
"I guess the explosion from yesterday wasn't as bad as we thought." Shen said.
"Makes sense, it only seemed big for us since we were at ground zero. In the grand scheme of things it's not enough to disrupt life here. While this isn't a very big city, it's large enough due to the fact that it's a military city." Ya said.
Shen was kinda surprised by the knowledge he learned, he knew that Ya was a smart person. I mean she always presented herself as an intelligent individual especially after how fast she made a plan yesterday.
"I guess that makes sense, then how come we don't see any other military people here?" Shen asked.
"Because it's recruiting season just passed, so military personnel normally aren't home currently." Ya explained.
Shen's perro ears could be seen falling down a little "You can explain it when we get something to eat. I haven't been able to eat anything good while I was getting treatment and I'm hungry." Shen said as he tried looking for a shop.
"If you're a perro shouldn't you be able to find good food from the smell alone?" Ya asked.
Shen turned around and moved his head back making a double chin form. "Ha, ha very funny but my sense of smell is terrible, I bet you likely have a better sense of smell than me." Shen said.
"Interesting." Was the only thing Ya responded with.
After some searching the two eventually found a place to eat, the waitress sat them down by the window.
"The sun is still high in the sky, so they should still be serving breakfast." Shen said as he picked up the menu and scanned through it. "Oh, their speciality is pancakes." Shen commented
Once Shen made up his mind he looked up at Ya to see an unusual expression on her face.
"You alright up there Ya? You look, for lack of a better word, confused." Shen asked.
"There's nothing wrong, just thinking of what to eat. I might go for some pancakes" She responded.
That was a complete and utter lie as she tried to hide any sense of fear of looking incompentent.
"Either way, do you want me to explain the military season I mentioned earlier?" She asked to change the subject.
"Oh, yeah. What's that about? We don't get much information regarding things outside the area too often." Shen said.
Ya closed her menu. "Basically to make things easier to manage; the government encourages people to join the military around this time of the year. They do it now because this is when schools are planning to get out in Yen so students who are old enough can enlist."
"So people are still able to enlist outside of this time frame?" Shen asked.
"Of course, the ability to enlist is never closed unless there is a major emergency." She explained.
"Jeez, I wish I knew that earlier." Shen said as he turned toward the window seeing people come and go without a care in the world.
"You mentioned on the way that you were raised in the slums?" Ya asked.
Shen's interest peaked at the question. "Guess I did mention it, but yeah I was raised in the slums. Actually that's the reason I joined the army." Shen said.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason as to why you joined then?" She asked.
"I have a lot of family there and I heard that if I do good in the military I will get paid well enough to send money home. In fact I help around the base past hours to get money sooner." Shen said.
"That's a very noble goal of yours, better than mine for sure." Ya said.
"I doubt that, I'm just repaying a debt I owe to an old man." Shen replied as he stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Eh?" Ya said.
Shen gets up and leaves Ya all by herself. It's in that moment did Ya feel her body go cold, her hands begin to sweat as a single thought entered her mind
'I'm screwed, very screwed at that.'
As if the world wanted for Ya to suffer, the waitress came back with two plates of food surprisingly quick, almost too quick in her eyes.
"Which one ordered the pancakes with sausage?" She asked.
Ya could only raise her hand slowly, she tried to keep the shaking to a minimum to average success.
The waitress placed the food on the table and returned back to the kitchen. As Ya's nerves calmed down from the unpropto interaction the plates on the table caught her attention, more specifically the lack of plates.
"Oh I see your food has come out, that was fast."
Shen sat back down to see the stack of pancakes that Ya ordered. The only thing in front of him is a cup of water filled to the brim with ice.
"Didn't you order anything?" Ya asked as she poured syrup on her food.
"Nah, I'm not hungry at the moment. I had something this morning." Shen said.
A small alert went off in her mind at what he said. "Didn't you say that you were hungry earlier? That's why we decided to come here." Ya explained.
Shen's eyes narrowed for a moment. "I never said that, you must have been mistakened." Shen said as he drank from his cup.
Ya was quite sure that Shen said that he was hungry but knowing how stubborn Shen is she decided to not press further.
Ya ate her pancakes while Shen simply looked out the window as they both enjoyed small conversations.
"I don't mean to be rude but I came from a relatively well off family while you came from the slums. Would it be too much to tell me what it's like living like that?" Ya said.
"I don't mind, so where do I start with?" Shen said as he rubbed his chin. "I'll start with this. It depends on the slum you grow up in. Some slums, the people living there are friendly to one another so they can survive, while other places are a warzone between those living there. I grew up in one of the nice ones."
"So that's why you are sending money back home." Ya said.
"Exactly, the people there took me in when I was a child and treated me as their own family. So when I grew up I helped teach and watch over a lot of the smaller kids that ended up there, before I knew it I was seen as a mix of a father and brotherly figure to the kids." Shen said as a smile creeped onto his face with all the funny times he had.
"So you are a family guy." Ya stated.
"I wouldn't say family guy, you're gonna make me feel old but I can't deny that I care for all of them. I would do anything for those idiot kids and the adults." Shen replied.
"You really are a noble guy, maybe you'll be the one to bring Lin down a bit with her ego." Ya replied.
"Trust me, if I'm able to do that then I should be paid double what I get now." Shen said dismissively.
The two continued to talk before they left the dinner. They visited various stories and landmarks of the city, to them having after the intense fight a few days ago the ability to see the city in its natural state is a pleasure they want to experience.
"So Ya why don't you tell me about your upbringing? It would only be fair." Shen asked.
"It's nothing special, I was raised in a military family. From what I'm told my family has been in the Yanese army since the founding of the nation, somewhat surprised that my family or really any family managed to live that long." Ya said.
"Then let me ask you this, do you have any siblings?" Shen asked.
"I do, I have seven other siblings. It's an even split between the genders, I'm in fact the youngest of them all." Ya continued.
"That makes sense, the more kids you have the more likely the bloodline will continue." Shen said.
"Guess you're right, never thought of it like that. Just believed my parents love each other too much." Ya replied.
"That too." Shen responded.
Before the two knew it the sun was setting as many of the store lights were being turned on making the busy nature of the city not stop for a second.
"I believe we should call it a day. Even though I'm healed, the treatment took a lot out of me." Shen said.
"If that's the case let's head back." Ya said as she retraced their steps.
Once the two said their farewells Shen entered the room he was provided by the military and police force. The busy sound of the city got drained out by the loud silence of his room. Shen walked towards his fridge and saw only one item, a large bag of rice he bought this morning.
As he placed his rice in the rice cooker he pulled out the small old phone that many of his family in the slums pour money together to buy him, to him the phone was a gift akin to god.
Once his rice was done cooking he made a small bowl of it for himself and sat down at the table. The clanking sound of the spoon hitting the bowl was the only sound you could hear, No lights were on as he ate in silence.
After he was done he cleaned up after himself and headed for bed. The hunger and fatigue he built up throughout the day came hitting him at full force causing him to fall asleep.
Back at the table, Shen's phone unlocked showing his spending habits.
Total balance: 310 LMD
Rice purchased : -40LMD
Notes: Bought for breakfast
Balance withdrawal: -4000LM
Notes: Money sent back home
Balance Deposit: $4350LMD
Notes: First Paycheck