RTYY 299 - Blessed

A small knock on the door made Snow spin on his heels and immediately take a step back.

"Can we come in now?" a young woman asked, peering from the doorway, and RyuXin crossed his arms and nodded.

"Sure."

The woman's gaze immediately fell on Snow, quickly studying him from head to toe.

"Hmm … so this is the new kid," she declared in an appreciative tone. "Or should I call you the lord of the house?" she wondered, clearly ironically, and Snow blinked, unable to understand what she meant. Until he suddenly realized that she was probably right. It had never occurred to him, up till that moment. That house … the land it had been built in, it actually belonged to him! Not that he wanted any of that! It was just … strange, suddenly being faced with the fact that he was the son of some noble Clan, and it's last and only heir.

Someone pushed the woman still standing at the doorway, forcing her to step inside.

"Move ... I … want … to … see … him … too," declared another female voice, the words falling off her mouth one at the time, and RyuXin sighed.

"Snow, meet our older sisters. HuaQin and ZwaKim."

"You can call me Hua. I hate my stupid name!" the first woman said, crossing the room to take a better look at him. Snow took a step back.

More or less his height, HuaQin had huge black eyes and long, wavy black hair, that fell down her back past her waist. Snow had never seen anyone wear such a long hair loose like that. People normally liked braiding it, proudly tying and adorning it with all sorts of shiny trinkets. Not HuaQin, it would seem.

"What is this silly thing you're wearing?" she asked and, before he could even blink, she'd already snatched away the scarf he'd carefully tied around his head before leaving the inn. "Goodness, it makes you look like a middle-aged woman, on her way to the river to wash her man's dirty laundry!"

Snow couldn't help blush from embarrassment at the sound of that. Still, he wished she would return his scarf. ZaiWin had gone out of his way to get it for him!

"You're … scaring … the … child," the other, obviously older woman sighed, speaking slowly, almost as if she felt sleepy.

Much taller than HuaQin, ZwaKim was extremely slender, to the point where Snow wasn't completely sure if she was a boy or a girl. She certainly had no breasts he could see. And the fact that she wore her black hair short didn't help either.

"Sister Kim, I'm sick and tired of telling you to stop calling everyone younger than you a child!" RyuXin complained with an annoyed expression on his face, and ZwaKim peered uninterestingly down at him, since she was even taller than RyuXin.

"And … little … children … like … you … should …learn … to … respect … their …. elders," she declared, in the same slow tone she'd used, but somehow Snow couldn't help feeling a bit alarmed, since that had clearly sounded like a serious threat.

"Oh! Stop it, you two!" HuaQin reprimanded them and turned to Snow, shaking her head in open condemnation. "These two! They're such a bore! Always fighting about everything! Once they even leveled an entire forest, and all because Kim told Xin that he ought to suckle his thumb and shut it." HuaQin sighed in resignation.

Snow stared at the other two in alarm. Leveled an entire forest? How?!

"So … you're Snow, eh?" HuaQin went on and, when Snow realized, her face was so close to his that he couldn't help jump back "You're the first Blessed I see with silver hair. You're really a noble blood, hmm?"

Snow blinked, his heart still drumming against his chest.

"B-Blessed …?"

"Hmm?" HuaQuin battered her dark eyelashes, unable to understand.

RyuXin sighed, apparently giving up on his threatening-glare competition with ZwaKim.

"That's what we call ourselves," he explained. "Humans call us Celestials, and under the pretext that we are heavenly sent and holy, they lock us up and restrain our freedom. All for our own safety, of course," he added, his voice dripping irony. "And don't even get me started on how ridiculous it is to call us Tien'Elhar! As if we were mere children, in need of their protection and guidance! Not to mention that, obviously, not all of us are female! It's because they decided that such unfounded assumptions are actually holy truths that they kill everyone that does not conform with their stupid beliefs!"

Snow sighed inwardly. And so they simply called themselves Blessed, as opposed to not blessed, which described everyone else.

Looking back at HuaQin he jumped back again. Her nose was almost glued to his.

"You're very pretty," she declared. "Almost like a girl. Is that why that human took a liking to you?"

Snow's eyes widened at her statement.

"What?!" RyuXin demanded, echoing Snow's thoughts at that moment.

"Am I wrong? Here, and here," she poked his neck and Snow immediately flinched away from her touch. "He left a few marks on you. I bet there's more," she sing-sang, her dark gaze sliding down, all the way to Snow's collar as if she wanted to undress him right there and then just to make sure.

Snow gaped at the sound of those words and then felt his cheeks heat up embarrassingly.

Marks …? What marks? What was she talking about? Were there really … marks on his skin? From … from … when ZaiWin has … kissed him? If that was true, he really, really wanted to die right about now!

"What stupid things are you spewing, sister Hua?!" RyuXin demanded angrily and ZwaKim sighed deeply, slowly shaking her head.

"That's … why … I … say … you're … just … a … child. ... Worse … even. … You … little … baby. … Sex. … It's … called … having … sex. … And … it's … about … time … you … should … try … and … learn … something … about … that, … you … disgruntling … virgin … with … anger … issues. … Who … knows? … Maybe … having ... some … would … help … cure … your … stupidity."

Snow's head swooned. He was going to faint.

RyuXin went so pale that he didn't look any better. He still managed to glare up at ZwaKim, clearly wanting to reply in kind. But the words never left his mouth. And so he could only stare at Snow in complete disbelief.

"Oh! He's so cute! He's getting all flushed and embarrassed!" HuaQin sang happily and Snow looked at her in pure horror. Embarrassed? He was way beyond that, now. He was like a walking corpse, the world around him floating senselessly like a shapeless nightmare.

"Still, isn't that supposed to be forbidden?" HuaQin asked, looking back at ZwaKim with a confused expression. "I thought they all believed that load of crap, about how their precious golden ones must be kept pure and virginal."

ZwaKim shrugged, looking as if she couldn't care either way.

"Either … this … one … doesn't … believe … that … or … he … simply … doesn't ... care," she slowly stated. "It … can … also … be … because … he … is … not … a … golden … one, … and … so … he … may … have … thought … that … it … was … okay."

"Hmmmm?" HuaQin turned to Snow with a pensive expression on her face. "Do they really decide who they should have sex with based on their partner's hair color?" she mused and then broke out laughing, her loud voice echoing throughout the entire room, small tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. "Just how silly is that?"

"What are you laughing about, sister Hua?" RyuXin demanded angrily. "If what you say is true, it's clear that our brother was forced into this horrible situating against his will!"

Snow blinked.

Wait, wait, wait! The misunderstandings kept pilling up! Were they all forgetting the fact that he was a boy?! How could they think that he had had … sex … with … ah! He couldn't even form the complete thought inside his head! Sure! They had kissed a little. Okay. A lot. And ZaiWin had … well … touched him, down there. But!, although he hated having to recall such horrible things, ZaiWin had hardly been the first one ... to do … that! True, he had been the first one Snow had … allowed to … more or less … But the point was that he hadn't been the first one! And touching couldn't be counted as having sex! Right …? He wasn't completely sure about that, though … He hoped it couldn't … Anyways! They were both males! And Snow was sure that it took a man and a woman to do … those kinds of things. On the other hand, he wasn't completely clear on how the entire thing was supposed to … go. Still! Still!! He felt dizzy, his jumbled thought spiraling out of control.

HuaQin dark, amused eyes, glanced back at him, her wide smile reminding him of a fierce wild animal ready to pounce on its prey.

"Did he really force you?"

Snow quickly shook his head. He didn't care how embarrassing it might be, admitting something like that in front of a total stranger. And no matter how extremely confused he might be feeling right now, of that he was completely sure! Above all, he just didn't want them to think that ZaiWin had hurt him in any way.

"See?" HuaQin sang happily, turning to look at a completely stunned, dumbfounded RyuXin. "Snow says he wasn't forced."

"You're … such … a … little … baby," ZwaKim added without even glancing RyuXin's way.

"So tell me!" HuaQin was so quick to turn back to Snow that he jumped again. "How was it? Doing it with another man?"

Snow just stared blankly at her, unable to understand a single word out of her mouth, his hears buzzing. He was quickly getting a headache.

"Does it feel good at all?" she mercilessly went on. "He is kind of good-looking, your human. Long, dark hair. And those intense, defying blue eyes. No wonder you gave up on getting rid of him. I wouldn't mind giving him a go myself. Can't you lend him to me for a night or two?"

Snow's chest immediately heated up at the sound of that, anger making his heart slam hard against his chest. He couldn't understand half of what she was saying. But one thing was more than clear. That woman wanted to lay her hands on ZaiWin. And Snow would never! Never allow that to happen again!

"Child … Hua, … give … it … a … rest, … already," ZwaKim sighed, the words leaving her mouth one at a time. "Don't … rill … him … up … too … much. ... We … still … don't … know … what … he's … capable … of."

HuaQin rolled her eyes.

"Fine. You're no fun," she complained and winked at Snow, even though he was actually thinking of ways to strangle her to death. And then her words finally sink in.

Good-looking. Dark hair. Blue eyes. She had seen him! She had seen ZaiWin before! A deep, all-consuming dread took over his brain.

Reading the raw fear in his eyes, HuaQin laughed happily.

"That's right. I even patted his face. He has such smooth skin for a grown-up man. I wonder if his skin is equally smooth throughout the rest of his body. I should have made him strip while I had the chance," she sighed and Snow fisted his hands and clenched his teeth, trying to keep his anger under control.

"Where …?" he managed to ask and HuaQin shrugged.

"Where what?"

Now he really wanted to kill her!

ZwaKim sighed.

"Down … the … corridor, … to … your … left."

"Tsk! You're such a killjoy," HuaQin immediately complained.

Snow was on the move before he could even think, harshly shoving HuaQin out of his way. The entire room, no, the entire world had suddenly shrunk, and the only thing he could see was the door that would lead him outside. Apart from that, he couldn't see anything else. Not RyuXin's expression of hurt disbelief. Not the dried bloodstains on the floor as he stepped on them. ZaiWin was there! ZaiWin was there but he still hadn't come for him! And that woman! That woman had touched him! He knew that ZaiWin would never allow a complete stranger to stand that close to him, much less touch him. Something was wrong! Something was terribly wrong. And it was all his fault!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hmm, more weird people. And is it me or Snow is about to lose it 😁