Chapter 65: Keeping Things Peaceful

"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

"How people themselves perceive what they are doing is not a question that interests me. I mean, there are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster'; instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do. If you ask the CEO of some major corporation what he does he will say, in all honesty, that he is slaving 20 hours a day to provide his customers with the best goods or services he can and creating the best possible working conditions for his employees. But then you take a look at what the corporation does, the effect of its legal structure, the vast inequalities in pay and conditions, and you see the reality is something far different." —Noam Chomsky

"It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness." —Leo Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata

***

Fishing underneath the frozen sea seemed rather easy than when the ocean was splashing along the shore. Xenia easily learned the basics of fishing in a frozen ocean that looked as though not as reliant to stand on as it looked.

"Keep pulling! You're almost there!"

"Ahhh!"

Crowley triumphed at Xenia's success. He immediately took their pale and placed the fish Xenia caught inside where they could swim in a tight enclosure with water.

"A job well done, Xenia!" Complimented Mr. Lagman as he added one more fish to their catch. "Phew! It's been three hours and I think we have plenty of fish already."

"Oh, we're going back?"

"Ah, I will be dropping by Selena's store, Mr. Lagman."

"Hmm, I told you that you can call me dad or father. Mr. Lagman sounds too formal. Anyway, make sure to come back home before dinner."

Definitely, he replied and went with them on their way home, but split just when they were halfway back home.

Xenia had matters to tend to in Selena's store. Well, he recently looked for a part-time that will bring him some more chances to add to the family's budget. He could not be another burden to them, thus helping in whatever way he could.

Chimes on Selena's store resounded for whatever times it had echoed already when Xenia opened the store and immediately took off his jacket. Inside the store, it was warm and the vibe was aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

"Selena really just knows how to decorate and catch the vibe I prefer."

"Oh, Xenia, I was waiting for you. Were you thinking about me?"

Selena has this keen instinct that allows her to be as precise as she could be about certain things. It might be one of the few phenomena or biological gifts people luckily acquire at birth.

"Sharp as always, big sis. Anyway, I'm ready to start."

Xenia handily hung his coat on the door and got closer to Selena. The latter just finished baking her new sets of cakes, which she placed near the door behind the glass for villagers to easily see. For the cheap price, any villager that has the right amount of money will be able to eat. Various sizes can be purchased. From a family-size cake to a solo size.

"As of today, I will be needing your help in baking, chores around the store, and some things that need work."

It remains a wonder to Xenia how a beautiful woman like Selena is still unmarried. Men must have seldom realized her alluring features, even though she was already in her late 20s. She was still young but people around her age would be having families and kids by that age.

"I'll be in your care, big sis."

Xenia wanted to be formal with her like he does with everybody else but she does not like being called big sister Selena since it sounded so long. Big Sis was fine by her.

"I've already baked the cake for the week. All that is left to do is clean the utensils and equipment I used. Can you do it, Xenia? I'll just be going out for a bit."

"Of course! You can count on me, big sis!"

She said to have no lover but she had been seen going around a lot and then dropping by the small pub old man Vex owns. It was said that she is seeing someone who is working in the pub, though none of the rumors had been claimed to be true. All just talks of the village. Well, it was all over the village since Selena had been said to reject any man that tried to hit on her, even the most handsome in the area. The son of the village's chieftain had been rejected. A former soldier and known to be a strong and resilient fighter; handsome at that.

"Okay, then, I'll be back in a bit."

Xenia was left all alone inside the bakery shop, tasked with cleaning the equipment Selena used for baking.

"Warm and lonely... This is the kind of feeling I always have whenever I think of them. I shan't forget nor discard my thoughts of them because as soon as I stop recalling about them, I know I'd be immediately haunted by their egos."

By shaking his head vigorously, Xenia came back to his senses and proceeded to finish the task given to him.

***

Before dinner, Xenia arrived back at the place he could call home. They were almost done cooking and he wanted to help as soon as he got back, so he took off his jacket and prepared their plates, bowls, cups, and utensils.

"How was your sideline with Selena?"

"It was rather easy. Big sis was so kind and she even gave me a cake for us to share."

Yes, Selena had Xenia bring a cake back home. It was plentiful for a family of five to eat, so there would be no problem with someone not having the chance to eat a slice of cake.

That night, they shared their catch and sliced the cake in equal portions, then had some of the luscious product of Selena's hard work.

***

After a month of spending his time in the village, Xenia became accustomed to their way of living and interacting. He had been working for Selena for 2 weeks already and so far she has been generous and kind enough to increase his salary.

None of them sees it as child labor, which would be seen as something bad and illegal in his previous world. Children of different ages were working their asses off to provide for their families. For the village's motto is "to serve ourselves with our hard-earned money."

And when he has the time, Xenia would lend a hand in the field, helping Mr. Lagman in fishing, and always arriving just in time to eat. One rule he follows is that he should always eat along with them. That he shall never feel left out by everyone.

In that span of time, in 2 weeks, the rumor about Selena seeing a guy in the old man Vex's pub died when she publicly rejected the man of interest in the story. And seeing that happen was not a surprise to anyone since Selena does that all the time.

Amidst the quiet and peaceful life Xenia was having for the past month, something inevitable is coming his way. A threat to his daily life, which will force him out of the safe wall he built around him in the whole month of living in the village. It was only a matter of time before his true story continues to how it should have been a month before.

~