It was the kind of place where anything could happen—the good and the bad.
Stars would be born and die in mere moments. In an instant, someone could be on the top, and before they blink, they’re back at the bottom. One could never be certain of the whispers; if they were good or bad, if they were trying to build up a person or tear them down. Everyone put up bright faces in front of the crowds for the sake of the show, then kept the charade just long enough to suck someone else into that hell.
She had to admit, it had its highs. She loved being the center of attention, where it seemed she was the only person in the world that mattered. The praises and the admiration she got for what she genuinely enjoyed made it all the better.
But that didn’t change the lows that wore on her after a while. No one was doing anything out of care for others—they were only serving their own desires. No one cared about her, not really. All they wanted was to see someone pretty up on stage, someone they thought they could use to get what they wanted.
Well, too bad for them, because she was smarter than that. She wasn’t going to let them ruin her like they’d done to others or comply with every whim they had.
Though she had to admit, her confidence waned a little as she wandered through the Qizarn town. She hadn’t expected anyone to recognize her—it was a good thing that they didn’t—since she’d only ever performed in Seothia. But to have the people greet her anyway? That would take some getting used to. The only thing she could give was an awkward smile before checking the letter again.
‘That all sounds perfect. You can find us in Yllvamel in the brown house right across from the church. Come as soon as you are in the area, we will be ready for you. Even if neither of us are home, our granddaughter will be. She will let you in and show you around as long as you show her this letter.’
Well, she was in the right place. Now if only she recognized which one of these buildings was the church—was it big and grand, or something just large enough to fit its residents?—to make sure she was going in the right direction. And she was not about to draw attention to herself by asking someone, no matter how nice they seemed.
She didn’t have any connections here. Her past experience taught her that, without connections, favors became something no one wanted to risk.
Eventually she found a house that looked close enough to the description she was given and was across the street from what could’ve been considered the church. She figured, if anything, the letter could clear up any possible misunderstandings. She’d always heard of the generosity of the children of Fleyw Bresh; maybe if she got the wrong house, they wouldn’t mind.
She knocked on the door with a kind of faux confidence she’d spent years mastering. “Is anyone home? I think this is the place I was supposed to find, the directions were hard to follow.” A pause, then, “It’s Lynette Avery.”
At that moment the door swung open and a very enthusiastic young woman smiled at her. “Good morning! Or, wait, is it the afternoon already?” She glanced back inside to ask, “Nana, what time is it?”
“Almost dinner, Regind,” a kind, older voice said after a moment. “Remember the letter.”
“Right!” The young woman—Regind, apparently—turned back to Lynette. “Do you have the letter?”
Lynette nodded and handed it to her.
“Yep, that’s Papa’s handwriting alright.” She held her hand out. “You’re going to be staying with us, right? I’m Regind, those two are Nana and Papa! If dinner’s going to happen soon, we can eat first, and then I can show you around. I mean, there’s not too much to be shown, but still.”
Regind gestured Lynette inside. They went to the kitchen, where Regind’s grandmother was preparing dinner and her grandfather was reading something out of a small book.
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Her grandfather looked up and gave Lynette a smile. “Remind me of your name, again? I believe Regind forgot to ask.”
“Lynette,” she mumbled. Given they seemed content with that answer, she decided she didn’t need to mention her last name again. “I never got the name of you two. You signed ‘Nana’ and ‘Papa’ at the end of your letters…”
Regind’s grandmother looked over her shoulder at Lynette and explained, “Well, that’s what everyone calls us! We’ve been a part of this town for a long time now, we’re all practically family. Nana and Papa Ransu, they call us.” Alright, Nana and Papa it was then. “Oh, but Regind is our biological granddaughter. Isn’t she sweet?”
Lynette glanced at Regind—at the wide grin, the hair and outfit that seemed to look more disheveled the longer she looked at it. It was… actually quite endearing, in a way. So when Lynette turned back to Nana, she could somehow manage a small smile of her own and said, “She certainly seems to be.”
Nana gestured for the two of them to sit down at the table. “Everything’s going to be ready in a little bit, so just settle down wherever you want!”
Regind casually walked up and took a spot, though Lynette was more nervous in doing so. The only thing that kept her completely still in her seat was the thought of messing with something she wasn’t supposed to. Nothing here was fancy, but it wasn’t hers, and she leaned towards avoiding any possible conflicts that might stem from that.
If either of the three noticed it, they didn’t directly mention it. Instead, Papa asked, “Have you been in Yllvamel before today, Lynette?”
“No,” she admitted quietly. Louder, though no more confident, she continued, “It’s my first time in the area at all, actually. I had no idea where I was going…”
“Oh, I’ll show you around town too, then!” Regind offered.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d rather have a day to get settled first,” Lynette said, still maintaining a smile. Regind nodded.
Nana moved through the kitchen a bit before setting a glass of water in front of each of them. “Is that really all you brought with you, dear? That little bag can’t have very much in it.”
“I don’t need a lot,” Lynette mumbled. “I figured if there was anything I missed I could buy something here. Once I… get the money, anyway.” She paused and started shifting through her bag, eventually pulling out a couple of coins. “I know it probably isn’t enough, but here’s your payment for letting me stay here. I’ll be able to come up with some rent money… eventually…”
Papa shook his head and pushed the coins back towards her. “Keep them—we don’t need it. What’s important to us is that we can give someone a roof over their head. We’re not interested in any of your money, as long as you’re willing to put in your fair share of work around here.”
She hoped she didn’t look too surprised and resisted the urge to give it to them anyway. This was starting to turn into a favor she wasn’t sure she could pay back… Despite her uncertainty, however, she nodded. “I promise I’ll try my best to help out.”
Never mind the fact she had never done any real labor her whole life. She’d watched enough people do actual work and it didn’t look hard, so it shouldn’t be too bad, right?
“You know, I had a feeling that you were going to come today,” Nana remarked. She was setting down more food now, making sure they had everything they needed before sitting down herself. “I made sure I was ready from the start. I didn’t want there to not be enough for all of us, after all! That wouldn’t have been very good of a first impression. Regind, you make sure to show her to her room before going back to work, alright?”
Regind nodded, then turned to Lynette and asked a question she was hoping no one would. “So, where are you from?”
“Far from here,” Lynette first tried as a way to shrug off giving a more specific answer. “I traveled for a while before I saw your offer. It was exactly what I needed, too—I didn’t really know where I was going until then.”
“So, how far is ‘far from here?’ I mean, that’s all kinds of places. As close to the coast as we are, people say the Andrea Province is far, and so is the Solaris or lower Rhodes regions. Or there’s the Elluin region, which is far far.”
Lynette didn’t want to admit she hardly recognized any of those names. Politics never stretched beyond the Andrea Province. That and Pasha were the only two that seemed to have enough of a romantic air to them, one for its turmoils of the royal family, the other for its coasts; to come across anything set in Qizar but not those two was nearly impossible. It was not so much of a coincidence that she went here as it seemed.
“West,” she eventually mumbled, “near the Andrea Province.”
Regind opened her mouth to ask more questions before Papa shook his head and said, “That’s enough questions for now, let her hold on to her past. We’ve only just met, after all.” He grinned at Lynette. “Though I hope you’ll be willing to tell us in time.”