Chapter 7: Bandit and Mischief

"Just a reminder, what other people think of you is none of your business."—Ze Frank

"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business."—Eric Hoffer

"Cultivate your own garden and let go of your tendency to examine and judge how others cultivate theirs. Catch yourself in moments of gossip about how others ought to be living and rid yourself of thoughts about how they should be doing it this way, or how they have no right to live and think as they do. Stay busy and involved in your own projects and pursuits."—Wayne Dyer

"Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business."

—Robert A. Heinlein

***

Today is the third day of Xenia on Balmack Island. Last night, his parents did not suspect anything. He just made some excuses about being in one of his friend's houses.

"Missing the world I grew up in is not so weird. Compared to my life here, life back in my timeline was far better. I don't have to worry about food and I enjoy fighting Radge. However, this life is not that bad either. My gut is telling me that a foreboding event will happen before the emergence of Warriors and Radge occurs."

Xenia's father received some flour from one of his friends, so they were having bread for breakfast. They have milk and cheese from the goat they are taking care of. But that was not sufficient for the whole family. Food really is scarce in their household.

Volcom, Xenia's father, woke up early in the morning to do some physical labor around their house. He would water their crops, feed the goat, and repair what needs some repair in their house.

Recently, Volcom was working on building a well near their house, so that they don't need to get water from the river, which was about eight minutes away from their house.

"Phew! Digging a hole in the ground to build a well is not for a lone person."

Not every Warrior's gift could be used as an offensive mechanism against the Radge. Other Warriors used their abilities to help the environment and it could vary depending on the usage of their skill.

Volcom often gets ridiculed and mocked by the townspeople for being so poor and wearing the same type of ragged clothes every single day. But being the kind person that Volcom was, discrimination against him and his family would just go from one ear to another. Giving them attention would only make the situation worse.

"Dad, do you need some help?"

Xenia came out of nowhere while Volcom was drinking some water from his leather pouch. He smilingly accepted his son's helping hand and got on to work.

It was a warm morning with the sun hiding behind the sea of grey clouds forming in the sky. Every morning, Xenia would pick plenty of the same strange fruits on the ground and wait for the pair of ravens to come around for food.

Feeding them became a part of Xenia's daily morning routine, and he likes doing so. Seeing them eat on his hands brings joy and relaxation to his exhausted mind.

From a distance, Xenia could already hear the flapping of the ravens' wings and their cawing ringing inside his head. They landed right where they always rested and did the usual momentary gaze at Xenia.

An hour had passed since Xenia helped his father, and they progressed quite faster than what a single person could achieve. Both of them were tired, therefore, his father decided to take a break before they continue for another hour and called it a day.

"Did you guys wait?"

Happily, although tired, Xenia sat down beside the tree he would always choose to rest and brought out a bunch of strange fruits which the ravens immediately feasted on.

"Take it easy. There's plenty for the two of you."

Xenia just noticed the two pieces of blank paper near his leg. It was placed there by the pair when they flew towards him.

"How nice of the two of you!"

The ravens saw the disappointment in his face, thus tilting their head in confusion.

"It would have been nice if this was money. You know, those papers people use to buy food. Haa... Why am I even explaining it to the two of you? You don't understand me."

His second batch of fruits for the ravens was brought out of his left pocket. The gullible ravens continued pecking at those juicy fruits while Xenia's stomach growled at him for not feeding it.

"Growling is futile. I don't have money to buy food. And it isn't lunchtime yet. You'll have to bear with me for now until 11 o'clock, buddy."

A heavy gust of wind suddenly blew, sweeping most of the dried leaves up in the air with specks of dust mixed in them. Some dust almost got in Xenia's eyes as the air blew past his face and when he came to it, the ravens had disappeared, but they finished the fruits. Even the papers he had in his hand were gone.

"Pheu! That was so sudden! Some dirt got in my mouth!"

After Xenia gathered himself up, lunch, afternoon, and dinner went by accomplishing only his chores and other activities he ought to do. While he was still young, Xenia was actually making himself get accustomed to hard labor and doing basic exercises to increase his stamina and build his physique.

And thus, another day came... Just like usual, Xenia woke up early in the morning and did some exercise before he started helping his father with the well, excavating dirt after digging, and then moving on to feed the ravens.

On the tree branches, Xenia peered his eyes and conceived the paper bills on both of the ravens' beaks.

"Wow! Did they understand what I meant yesterday and brought me real money?!"

As he had expected, the papers in the raven's mouth were real money. Xenia yelled in elation, thanking the ravens for the money they brought him.

"These birds are really intelligent beings! I should think of a name for both of you."

A lot of raven names went through Xenia's head. There were just too many options for him to pick, and so he chose the most basic ones.

"I was thinking of giving the two of you some badass pair names but I can't think of any because there were just too many. Instead of hurting my brain, I came up with Bandit and Mischief! The male one is gonna be Bandit and the female one is gonna be Mischief! Sounds like a fitting name in my opinion!"

Xenia still could not believe that the pair of ravens brought him real money after listening to what he said yesterday. By tilting their heads, Xenia concluded that the ravens are listening to what he is saying.

"But I kind of feel bad for the people Bandit and Mischief took these two Quesaint dollars from. They might be some poor families like us who have nothing but these two paper bills. Just thinking about it makes me wanna use them right now! Oh, boy! My stomach is going crazy!"

Two Quesaint dollars hold a lot of value. Xenia had already made a list of things he should buy with the money he has and proceeded to meet with his father.

"I still have 2 hours before lunch. I should be able to make something delicious before that."

His father was already working on the well they were building. His clothes were wet, and mud was all over his body, even his face. Such a hardworking parent never ceases to amaze Xenia.

"People like him deserve the world. I pray for a prosperous life for my family."

Actually, Xenia has no idea who he was praying with, but he still did.

And he gaily called his father, "can you please buy this for me? I'm thinking of cooking a dish I've learned from my friend's parents. Also, buy whatever we need in our house. Oh, don't worry about the money. It's the fruit of my labor!"

"Wha— I didn't know that you're working? This money is a lot."

Volcom might not show it on his face, but Xenia could feel the sadness in his heart.

Confused, Xenia's question to himself was accidentally said out loud.

"Are you upset that I am working, dad? Or you're sad because I am getting used to having the same labor as yours at such a young age? Isn't that a good thing? I get to experience hardships and learn about reality while my mind is still fresh."

His words made his father tear up a little bit. Volcom's firm grip was on Xenia's shoulder. It was full of emotions.

"Since when did my little boy mature this much?"

A tight hug from Volcom was received by Xenia. He was slightly taken aback by the scenario, but Xenia did not forget to hug his father back, genuinely smiling as his thoughts brought joy to his face. Thinking about his family having food on their table and eating without having to worry about being hungry again was such a fantastic feeling for him.

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