At Yuga's Place I

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JeonJa

~

Enjoying the weather we lost ourselves into the scenery, mixed with green and topped with trees. It was a beautiful place to be, unhindered by all the malice of the world.

One side was full of natural significance while the other was clustered with small dwellings scattered around with farmlands and owned plots.

"Is that where we are going?" I asked Yuga pointing at the settlement, while the guy was busy playing with his pendant, whistling merrily. We had decided to just forget about depressing thoughts and move on with the present. It was a better choice considering I was not in the mood for much talking.

"Yes, we will reach the market place soon enough."

"But what's so special about it?"

He shrugged, "It is famous for its varied shops and trading facilities. You can get anything you want from there as long as it's not fantasy."

"...oh?"

It took us some time to walk there, but we reached anyhow... and damn, what I saw made me feel warm inside, happy. Giddy.

"You like such places?"

"Not really."

"Sure~" he snickered, and judging from my whipped face he knew I had a thing for such places, especially when it was old and smelled so homey.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't like crowds or markets but this place was unique, very cozy and full of welcoming pride.

Generally the community centers were always spread out with professional stores, that gave a vibe of aloofness and emptiness, only very old places would provide with such comfortable and colourful exotics. And the cheerful buzz around the street supported the exuberant approach.

It was a cluster of colorful stalls exhibiting variety of goods ranging from fruits to candle stands. The narrow street was covered with colored awnings and the street was pretty old with rough tiles and distorted groves. It reminded me of my childhood, me and my brother had once visited a market place outside the village which looked similar to what I was seeing now… it was nostalgic.

"You were right when you said I will get everything here."

"Of course I was," Yuga boasted slyly, "so you can buy yourself clothes if you want, I don't think brother Jiner's clothing taste matches yours."

He was right, Jiner did get me clothes that fitted me well, but he brought a lot of pastel shades, very few selective had black in them. What I wore now was the only exception.

"I think I will... so you will come with me?"

He shook his head, surprising me, "It's not like we are on a date here, I will just buy my own stuff separately, you can meet me at the Summer mansion, easy to get directions to."

"And what's that summer mansion used for, does it belong to Min?"

He chuckled, "No, it belongs to me."

I pressed my lips together to contain in the alarm, "How can that be, are all of you that rich?"

"Not at all, I was actually the last member to join Wang's pack, I was a noble who lost his rich parents to unfair business. Brother Maunir bought back the mansion for me since I helped him keep records and maintain the agreement."

"...agreement?"

"Don't bother with it..." he told me with a charming smile, although it washed away quickly when he saw a few tall males entering a manuscript store not far from us. They were dressed in traditional clothing which did not belong to our region.

"Kwongs?" I whisper asked.

Yuga shook his head, "I don't think so, but they do dress the same. Haori and hakama..."

One of the male stood outside the store while the rest were inside, he was watching everyone as if keeping an eye out for trouble, not that there was any. The village was very peaceful.

"Don't mess with them, you are not at your full strength." Yuga mumbled low, clutching me by my arms. "And don't attack them if they irritate you, it would be dangerous for all of us, even the innocent people around."

I frowned at his comment, feeling unjustly blamed. "I am civilized as well you moron, plus, I am good enough to beat them up with my bare hands, don't mock me."

Yuga rolled his eyes, playing with his pendant again, "Sure, and I am an alpha."

"You could be, who knows."

He chocked at my random retort, "Are you serious, no way I could be an alpha, Jackson would have shunned me if I was... and don't pretend like you could take them on, we all saw how pathetic you were yesterday. And if I am right it started after your heat, like you lost your essence or something."

"I am alright, very much fine as you can see," I shifted around spinning with grace, showing him I was stable even though he wasn't believing me for a second, "thank you for your concern."

Yuga just shook his head and left me on my own, probably fed up of my stubbornness.

But now the question remained, who were those tall guys, I am pretty sure they weren't here for just marketing purposes.