After days of travel, what should have been a minor scuffle became life threatening. A man in plain robes holds his side as he makes his way through the woods. He's being followed by other mercenaries, thankfully far less skilled than he is. The merc, Daigo, breathes hard, but he can't stop now. If he stops it'll be harder to get moving again. One more step, then one more after that. One more.
There's a clearing up ahead, a small cottage kept away from the world. Not a human sound from the place, only the chirping of small birds in the distance.
[[Head to the cottage for shelter.->Cottage]]
{(set: $noshit to false)
(set: $approval to 0)
(set: $name to false)
(set: $weimin_approves to false)
(set: $kitchen to false)
}The grass is on the border of overgrown, flower and vegetable gardens flourishing to the point of taking over most available space. While unkempt, the place is far from abandoned. Clean chimes hang in front of the house, and there is a door mat with indentations from regular use. The mercenary tries the front door, unsurprisingly left unlocked. Who would come out into the middle of the woods like this? Let alone potential burglers?
Daigo closes the door behind him, stepping as quietly as an injured man can. Decorations hang from the ceiling, forcing him to bend down to avoid them. There's a place set at the dinner table, prompting further investigation.
Where are the residents?
[[Check the kitchen.->Kitchen]]
[[Check the back yard.->Backyard]]Everything is so small. Shorter counters, chairs, and there's even a stepping stool for someone to reach the cabinets. A lot of things look hand crafted. Whoever lives here is a decent carpenter, and around five feet tall.(set: $kitchen to true)
Daigo grips the edge of the counter for support, dizzy from fatigue. With the false trail you planted a while back, you should have another twenty minutes before those other mercs come for your head. This place is too small to be a real shelter, there must be a basement or something...
Or someone, apparently.
A wide eyed teenager stares at him from the entrance to the backyard.
[["Are your parents home?"->Weimin1]]Daigo limps toward the doorway, only to wind up face to face with a teenaged boy about to head inside.
The kid startles himself, abruptly stepping back for space. "Wh-who are you!? You're <i>bleeding</i> and in my house...!"
Oh boy.
[["No shit."->Weimin2]]
[[Snap him out of his shock.->Weimin3]]The boy shakes his head slowly, looking Daigo over. He stares like a deer in headlights at the wound on the grown man's side.
"You're hurt... uh- and in our house..."
He's in shock.
[["No shit."->Weimin2]]
[[Snap him out of it.->Weimin3]]Daigo laughs under his breath, immediately regretting it. "Heh, hgh- Don't make me laugh kid, I'm hardly holding together as it is."(set:$noshit to true)
The teen blinks.
The mercenary walks a few steps closer to the boy, "No shit, I'm going to make a mess of the floor if I pass out here. Listen, you have to hide me somewhere. I'll pay your family back afterward."
That's a lot of pressure, it takes a moment for him to process the whole situation. But that's time you don't have.
"Now."
The boy stutters, "A-ah, right! There's a root cellar out back, y-you can wait there until my dad comes home. ...sir!" Even in times of panic he's trying to remember his manners. Unnecessary, but it makes the merc smile.
[[Follow the boy to the cellar->Cellar1]]It's better to take five minutes to knock some sense into the boy than have him fumbling around later. "Look at me, kid."(set: $approval to it + 1)
He looks Daigo in the eyes. Scared, confused.
The merc takes the first step, "My name is Daigo, what's yours?"
"Weimin... sir."
"Okay, Weimin. Look at my face, not my side. I need a place to hide from the people who did this to me. Do you have a basement or shelter somewhere?"
The teen has an easier time thinking when not confronted with the blood stains between the merc's fingers. Weimin nods. "Yes- um, there's a root cellar out back." He points backward with his thumb, "I can unlock it for you if you promise not to steal anything."
[["Does it look like that's a priority right now?" (Joke)->Weimin31]]
[["They'll be here soon, Weimin." (Serious)->Weimin32]]The boy brings a candle from the kitchen before heading out into the yard. He unlocks a sloping doorway built into the ground, heading down the steep stairs first. It's pitch black in there, making it difficult to see where the next stair is. Daigo braces against the wall for support on his way down, agonizingly slow to avoid further injury.
Both of them make it to the bottom without incident, the injured merc finding a good hiding place behind some shelves and sitting down.
(if: $noshit is true)[\
\"What's your name, kid?"
"Weimin... sir."
"Relax, Weimin. Keep yourself busy and come get me when your dad's home."
The teenager smiles a bit, nodding. "Alright Mister."
"Daigo."
"Right, Mister Daigo."]
Weimin heads back upstairs, leaving Daigo alone with the burning candle. He wets his fingers and puts out the flame.
[[Wait it out.->Cellar2]]The smallest hint of light comes from the cracks between wood panels of the cellar door, enough to see dust float by in the beam. A bug tiptoes its way over the top stair.
Everything near Daigo is too dark to see. He sits there, controlling his breathing and trying to keep a steady pressure on his side.
In.
[[Out.->Cellar3]]Daigo motions to his side, "You don't have to worry about that, Weimin. I can't get far even if I did take a turnip or two."(set: $approval to it + 1)(set: $weimin_approves to true)
The teenager smiles nervously, "Right, right... The cellar is this way."
[[Follow Weimin.->Cellar1]]There's no time for this.
"Weimin, I'm going to collapse- I don't care about your turnips."
The teenager tenses awkwardly, "Right... sorry. The cellar is this way."
[[Follow Weimin.->Cellar1]]Breathe in.
Breathe out.
He closes his eyes, listening for the sound of people.
[[He can't hear anything.->Cellar4]]If anyone did come, they're speaking quietly. He can't hear anything.
This is bad.
Somewhere among his breathing exercises, Daigo finally passes out.
[[<b>. . .</b>->MeetYi]]He comes to in a much warmer place, eyes blinking awake. It's dark outside, how long has he been out? Daigo finds himself lying on a small couch, blanket over his body and feet dangling over the side of an arm rest.
There's a man in a pale green hanfu tending to the fire in front of him, back facing the injured mercenary. He's rather short, an inch or two above five feet. (if: $kitchen is true)[That explains the kitchen.]
[[Check wounds.->Yi1]]
[[Try to sit up.->Yi2]]Sore arms slowly grip the blanket, moving it aside. Daigo's wounds have been taken care of, white bandages sitting in stark contrast to his darker skin.
All his weapons are gone too.
The man in green speaks softly, country accent leaking into his speech. "You were bleeding out against my produce."
Daigo turns his head, spotting his bag across the room.
[[Snark.->Yi3]]
[[Ask him who he is.->YiIntro]]Daigo tries to get up too quickly, leading to a grunt of pain and giving up on that plan.
The man in green turns around, sitting on the chair next to his temporary patient. "Easy now, you're in no condition to move. How you got this far on your own is a miracle." He speaks softly, with a country accent.
[[Ask him who he is.->YiIntro]]
[[Thank him for the sanctuary.->Thanks]]
(set: $approval to it + 2)(set: $name to true)It hurts to laugh, but Daigo manages an amused huff of air. "Getting stabbed does that to people."
The country man finishes tending to the fire, turning around and sitting in a nearby chair.
He has short dark hair and a diamond shaped face, with round spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose. Laughter comes far more easily to him than Daigo at the moment, "And here I was worried about your recovery! You seem lively enough, Daigo."
[[Ask him who he is.->YiIntro]]
[[Thank him for the sanctuary.->Thanks]](if: $name is true)[Daigo shifts in his place on the couch, trying to sit up more. "I wake up in someone's house, with a strange man who knows my name and my clothes are rearranged. If I'd been drinking this would be worrisome indeed."
The bespectacled man laughs nervously, "All I did was bandage your wounds, I swear. I would never do something like that while you were asleep!"
Daigo looks at him, the pause in conversation making the stranger flustered.
]\
\The man (if: $name is true)[clears his throat,](else:)[adjusts his glasses,] "I am Yi, Weimin's father. We live in these woods for the peace and quiet."
Daigo looks him over for a moment, thoughtfully.
Yi blinks. "What is it?"
[["Doesn't my name ring any bells?"->Notorious1]]"Thank you for taking me in, stranger."
"Please, call me Yi." The man in green waves it off. "I cannot let someone be taken away without hearing their side of the story. Even if it is <i>the</i> Daigo."
[[Daigo raises a brow, "I don't remember getting a'<i>the</i>' put in front of my name."->Notorious1]]Yi sighs, "There are bounties and tall tales of spread all over the country, Daigo. You have a big reputation."
Daigo glances at his injuries. "Stories of massacre and patricide seem to be the popular ones."
"...Yes, you are definitely more infamous than famous."
Something doesn't add up here. "Then why didn't you turn me in when those mercenaries came for me?"
"My faith teaches forgiveness first, those bounty posters don't tell the whole story."
The mercenary looks at him with some amusement, "Really? (if: $approval >= 3)[You didn't let me sleep here because of my devilish good looks? ]That's a big leap of faith."
Yi (if: $approval >=3)[laughs a little, pulling his chair closer,](else:)[pulls his chair closer,] "What's done is done. Time will tell if I was right to give you a chance or not."
[[...->Dinner]]Both men take a break from questions for now, Yi helping Daigo sit upright for dinner. A bowl of hearty soup to help his recovery.
The mercenary eats at the couch while the father and son duo eat in the kitchen, speaking quietly.
Weimin didn't know who this injured guest was, and sounds nervous after knowing of his crimes. (if: $weimin_approves is true)[After some time of quiet eating, there's an earnest whisper. "But Daigo's a nice guy... he wouldn't really do that stuff, right?"] His father sighs, "Sometimes life gives you hard choices, Wei Wei. We don't know the circumstances Daigo was in..." There's more mumbling from Weimin.
When Yi comes over to collect the bowls he notices how dark some of Daigo's bandages are, and the merc agrees on getting them changed.
[[. . .->Chat]]Yi pushes up his glasses, sitting next to Daigo with his medical kit on the coffee table. The hermit stays professional, quietly taking care of the wounds(if: $approval >=3)[ and occasionally glancing up at Daigo].
[[Talk about Weimin.->ChatWeimin1]]
[[See if Yi has any questions.->ChatYi1]]Daigo breaks the silence first, "So it's just you and Weimin out here?"
Yi doesn't look up from his work, "...Yes, for as long as he's been around."
[["Where is his mother?"->ChatWeimin2]]
(if: $weimin_approves is true)[[["He's a good kid."->PlayfulForgiveness]]]Daigo gets tired of the silence. "Is there anything you're dying to know, Yi?"
"Eh? Um... 'dying to know' might be a poor choice of words."
"Given my state or given your question?"
"Both?"
[[The merc tries not to roll his eyes, "It's about my past isn't it."->WhyPatricide]]Bloodied linen gets put aside for cleaning later.
"Oh, we don't know. I adopted Weimin when he was a young boy on the streets."
"So you're a single father?"
Yi manages a smile, "It isn't easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He's my boy as far as I'm concerned, blood related or not!"
Daigo leans forward a bit to make room for new bandages wrapping around his abdomen. Yi's burnt hands move swiftly, well practiced in first aid. Wait, burns? How did he miss that?
[[Ask about the burns.->ChatBurns]]
[[Talk about own childhood.->ChatOrphan]]"Weimin has a good head on his shoulders, you've done a good job Yi."
The hermit laughs, "You act like it's over already! He's only fifteen, and he has so much to learn..."
"He's already learned much about forgiveness from you." Daigo points out the conversation at dinner, "I heard you two in the kitchen. He's willing to hear me out despite being told what I did. Now, he could just be naive, but it happens to fall in line with your teachings."
Yi bats at the mercenary's arm lightly, "Hey!"
Daigo feigns injury from the blow, "Euhgh- What kind of forgiveness is hitting a man on death's door...?" He slumps back in his seat for emphasis, head resting back on the couch.
[[The two keep joking back and forth throughout the night until Daigo is too exhausted to continue.->End]](set: $happy to true)Daigo subconsciously curls his fingers, "What happened to your hands?"
The short hermit grows solemn, "...ah. Same reason as most injuries. The war."
The mercenary chides himself for asking, "I hear you. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."
Yi attempts to brush it off, "It's been over five years... have to talk about it sometime."
Daigo nods. "I got into a dispute with my company over how to react to the declaration. My stepfather wanted to be reactive, not proactive. Defending only the capital city when I said we could try to thin out the enemies ranks before they caused real damage at home."
[[...->ChatBurns2]]Daigo shakes his head, "I feel for the kid, it's a good thing he got picked up by someone like you. I was adopted myself, though my story wasn't as happy."
Yi bites his lip, "That's putting it lightly."
"My stepmother was the one who wanted me, her husband put up with it in the beginning I'm sure... but the man I knew never treated me like a son." Things get too real for a moment, but the merc perks up in an attempt to save the conversation. "Weimin is a great kid, I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him."
The father smiles a bit. "Thank you, Daigo."
[[Keep talking about his son.->PlayfulForgiveness]]Yi pulls back from his work, looking at Daigo critically. "Assassinations?"(set: $stepfather to true)
The mercenary sees no problem in admitting it, he's even proud. "It's what we do best! Espionage and skirmishes. We wouldn't have been using the most of our abilities if we stood by like regular soldiers or city guards."
The hermit reluctantly returns to his work. "And this... fight ended up with you killing your stepfather?"
[["It wasn't so simple, Yi."->WhyPatricide]]"So what was the real reason you killed your (if: $stepfather is true)[step]father? It couldn't have been from a regular dispute!"
Daigo takes a deep breath, "(else:)[Stepfather. ]He made it clear that we're not really family, unlike you and Weimin."
Yi leans back in his seat, hands folded on his lap as he listens carefully.
"It's not as complicated as you think it is. I was threatening to usurp his position, and he tried to get rid of me. I took care of my assassin before he could do the job, and went after my stepfather." The merc looks down at his new dressings, inspecting the work. "It was all out war from then on, with my stepmother and older brother rallying together the traditionalists. They used their reputation to spread the tales you hear about me, and paint themselves as victims. There was just as much bloodshed on my side as on theirs, I assure you."
The hermit mumbles an "I see," believing his tale but reluctant to give his opinion. He holds his tongue for now.
[[The two mutually agree that it's getting late, and say their goodnights.->End]](set: $neutral to true)<span class="title"><i>End.</i></span>
We'll leave Yi and Daigo's story there for now, due to time constraints. Thank you for reading!
---
Yi's approval rating: (print: $approval) out of 4
Did Weimin approve, T/F: (print: $weimin_approves)
(if: $happy is true)[You got the best ending! Yi and Daigo are getting off to a great start.](if: $neutral is true)[You got the neutral ending! Yi isn't entirely sold on letting Daigo crash at his place, but we'll see where this goes...](link: "Set approval to 5.")[(set: $approval to 5)]
(link: "Set weimin_approves to true.")[(set: $weimin_approval to true)]
(link: "Set neutral to true.")[(set: $neutral to true)]
(link: "Set happy to true.")[(set: $happy to true)]