FIRST NIGHT IN YELLOWS

"Absolutely not."

"Azzie, please!" Sun Hayden pleaded, shaking her arm. "We can't go to an inn," he pointed at the rest of the group, "they have no identification plates!"

"That is exactly why I can't take you in," the woman countered, flicking the blond disciple off. "You're asking me to hide illegal travelers! That's insanity!"

The three plate-less visitors stood in the yard in front of the apothecary's home exchanging awkward blinks. Or, in Wyn's case—a pensive blink that was pondering about other solutions in case they were sent away.

Azzie crossed her arms, her expression unrelenting. Her dark eyes flickered between irritation and concern as she glanced at them, scrutinizing them one by one. Her gaze paused on Wyn briefly, but Marshall caught it.

"But we have nowhere else to go," Sun Hayden insisted, his voice tinged with desperation. "Just for a few nights, please? You have so plenty of empty rooms, I know that!"

Azzie sighed, her stern facade wavering for a moment. "Hayden, you know I have a business to run. I have no time to spend explaining to guards why I'm harboring illegal travelers."

"We'll be discreet," Marshall interjected. "If you could give us one night, that would be plenty. We will be gone tomorrow morning."

Sun Hayden whipped his head around with a disappointed whine, "Huh? Tomorrow? Aren't we staying for the festival?"

Marshall shot Sun Hayden a denying look, urging him to stay quiet, meanwhile Wyn's smooth voice calmly reminded, "We are not here to have fun."

Azzie sighed, tapping her fingers as she observed Sun Hayden and the three strangers. 

"Just one night," she said finally, her tone heavy with resignation. "And you leave straight after breakfast. If anyone finds out, we're all in trouble."

"Thank you! I knew you weren't going to kick away a friend in need," Sun Hayden beamed at Azzie, who nodded curtly and led them through the back entrance of her apothecary.

They passed shelves stacked with herbs and bottles of various concoctions. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal plants.

Elysia looked around with admiration, her gaze flitting between Azzie and the abundant collections. It looked like she wanted to ask some questions but held back.

After walking through the joint hall with framed dry flowers hanging off the walls as decorations, they entered the house next to the apothecary's building.

Azzie stopped them in a hall with three doors on each side. She opened two on the left, gesturing inside.

"You can stay here. No one except me will enter the house, so feel free to use the kitchen down the hall as well. Just close the curtains and keep it quiet."

"Is your family away?" Sun Hayden pried, glancing at the rest of the doors.

Azzie confirmed, "They're visiting distant relatives. Should be back before the festival. Could be tomorrow, could be later." Her eyes narrowed as she cornered the blond disciple, raising her index finger in warning, "You owe me big time for this, you hear?"

"Suuure," Sun Hayden dragged with a short laugh, slipping away. "I'll do anything you ask of me once my Four Season scholarship ends."

She pursed her lips in suspicion. "You better. Don't you dare say you forgot when I ask for a favor next time."

Azzie turned to leave, but then paused, "And buy your own food. Don't go digging through my pantry, got it?" 

"But it's too late for that," Sun Hayden whined, following her back to the apothecary quarters with more bargaining. "Come on, show some hospitality!"

As their voices moved away, fading into other halls, Marshall glanced at the open rooms, wondering how to split them.

Elysia sighed, leaning against the wall, "I thought Liangdu people were supposed to be friendly and welcoming."

"Well, our circumstances are a bit..." Marshall cut off the sentence, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll scour some taverns to see if anyone has encountered Gi Gaia. If you want to see the friendliness, you should come along."

Elysia immediately nodded. "Yes, I'm coming with."

A disagreeing hum came from Wyn's side, "Is it safe for you to do so?"

"I've been here before, don't worry. Elysia and I will take a quick look around." Marshall nudged Wyn in assurance. "We won't take long."

As if on cue, Sun Hayden returned carrying a pile of yellow and orange clothing, not leaving the snow deity any space for objections. "I borrowed some clothes for you to change into!"

➳ ➳ ➳

Wrapped in the sunny tones, Marshall and Elysia trailed through the bustling crowds, blending in seamlessly.

The nightlife was in full wake, relaxed chatter mingling with occasional cheers and laughter. Liangdu partly reminded him of Chara Town, though the latter was more lowkey and tame.

Being familiar with the streets, Marshall picked out the most frequented taverns that they visited one after another. The third one they entered was as stuffed as a can of sardines.

Elysia glanced around, her eucalyptus eyes flickering in dissatisfaction, but she followed him to the counter, squeezing past the sweaty, drunken bodies.

"Busy night, isn't it?" Marshall greeted the barman, raising his voice so it wouldn't drown in the abundance of conversation.

The man smirked at him, yelling back with an easygoing wave of a hand. "As long as the business is good, am I right?!"

"Of course!" the disciple let out a laugh, matching the energy. "Listen, we're looking for a friend. A woman with gray hair, green clothes, scars on her hands. Have you seen anyone like that?" 

"A woman with scars on her hands?" the man echoed, then shook his head in denial. "Can't say I have. Plenty of men with scarred hands, but not the ladies!"

This was the same answer they received in both taverns they had visited prior. Marshall sighed, nodding his thanks regardless.

However, the third time must have been the charm, because a customer overheard his description.

"Hey, bud!" a man tapped him on the shoulder. "I know a woman who wears bandages wrapped around her hands. She might be hiding scars, though I'm not sure."

Marshall raised his brows in question. "Where can I find her?"

"There's a pub with a large sunflower painted on the door downtown. You'll find it easily, it stands out. Look for Aria—that's the woman's name."

"Alright, thank you!" Marshall gave the stranger a pat on the back, biting down the uncomfortable feeling of his hand meeting the sweaty shirt.

After squirming through the tight tavern on the way out, Elysia drew in a full breath of fresh air. "That was a horrible experience," she concluded.

"Not a fan of crowds?" he asked, gesturing for her to follow.

"More like not a fan of smelling other people's sweat and alcoholic breaths," Elysia murmured, walking alongside Marshall. "I wanted to create a breeze so badly."

The disciple chuckled. "Good thing you didn't. I'm not too curious about what Liangdu prisons look like."