Love in War

Love in War - Chapter 29: Welcome to Tiancun

 "Welcome to the Tiacun Inn," Mei said with a smile to a small family coming through the door, "I'll be with you shortly."

"You'll be in room 11. Enjoy your stay," she said with a smile to the guest she was currently tending to as she handed them a room pass. They thanked her and went on their way as she went on to book the next party.

Two bookings in one day; business was picking up!

"We need hands in dining!" a voice called from a few walls down.

Mei surveyed the lobby to be sure there was no one left to be helped before zipping away, soon gathering plates of food and passing them onto the waiting guests while asking them about their stay and laughing at their various quips.

Having around four rooms taken up at the inn, as was the case at the moment, was on the much busier side of work as usual, but she was happy to take it on. She enjoyed getting to chat with the travelers, seeing their smiling faces as they recounted the highlights in their trip and, in many cases, reinforced their bonds with their loved ones. It was fulfilling in a way.

"Where did you say you were from, Yenay?" one of the guests casually asked amidst their conversation.

The question caught her by surprise and felt like it transported her to a distant past life. Her father. Her sisters. The palace. It all just came flooding back. What had become of them? Were they still looking for her; did they still care?

"Ma'am?"

She suddenly snapped back to the present. "Sorry. I'm from a city near the capitol; wanted to get away from all the noise and action, you know?"

They returned a friendly nod and she wished them a pleasant meal, walking off to collect discarded dishes from the other tables and take them back to the kitchen for washing. There, she caught a glimpse of Yao through the window. He was raking away in the garden out back, doing general maintenance. She shot him a quick wave and smile that he returned before the sound of the front door told her that duty called.

She zipped back to greet the customer when the glimpse of them stopped her in her tracks. He was in a uniform, one she knew all too well... an Imperial Scout.

Oh no. They found her.

Almost tripping over herself, she turned around and ran down the hall as quickly as her feet could carry her. He might've caught a bit of movement in his peripheral, but she was sure he hadn't spotted her face. As she turned a corner she silently thanked her small stature and the years of etiquette training she'd been forced to endure: she was nimble, and oh so quiet as she sped.

She found a back door and went outside to get Yao. With the gesture of her hand and one look at her expression, and he knew to follow her and ask no questions. As the two made their way, they could hear the patron tapping at the counter and becoming impatient. At least that was an indicator they weren't being followed.

"Where's Hui?"

"He said he was workin' on a deal in the conference room, he didn't wanna be disturbed," Yao cautioned.

"We don't have a choice!"

Mei knocked on the conference door before opening it, "Hui!"

"What do you think y'er doin, girl!?" Hui yelled, a group of large men across the table from him sneering at her; they appeared to be gang members. "I'm in the middle of negotiatin' security provisions! AND I NEED YOU GUARDIN' THE REGISTER! WE ALREADY GOT A THEIVIN' PROBLEM!"

"I'm sorry, but we need a favor," she insisted.

"Imperial Scout's up there," Yao added.

"What does it matter? They ain't interested in the likes of me..."

"That's why it's a favor." Mei insisted.

Hui examined the two of them up and down. "Ohhh, they're interested in the likes of YOU," he laughed. "So y'er some big shots, huh?"

"We'll make it worthwhile," Yao declared. "Work free all week."

"And I'll gladly rise early to prepare one to-go meal for every member of your team daily if you agree to Hui's security terms," Mei added, addressing the leader of the negotiating group.

The men pondered the offer and nodded in agreement, turning to Hui for confirmation. He twirled the end of his mustache a bit before leaning up in his chair.

"Ai, make it two weeks and ye got it!"

"Deal!"

"You can't give him a room, and you can't let on that we're here," Mei urged him.

"Hey, Hui's no snitch!" he declared as he rose from his seat and toward the lobby. "Pleasure working with you, boys, and you two, git to yer room 'til things die down!"

"Thank you, sir!" the couple said with a bow before hastily heading back to their quarters.

"Yao, the window!" Mei cautioned in a whisper, realizing the curtain wasn't drawn.

"Leave it be, and stay down; noticing someone closing it because they're here would make them suspicious... come here," he urged, his back against the wall on the side of the window, where peering eyes couldn't see with a simple glance.

She joined him, and the two focused their attention on trying to hear Hui's conversation through the walls.

"Have you seen anyone..."

"No one like that 'n here."

"Not that I know of..."

"Nope. No one here..."

"They're onto us! They know!" Mei gasped, her breathing becoming labored and shallow.

"Hey, hey, hey," Yao was quick to interject, half trying to calm her but half also trying to remind her to keep her voice down. He was quick to couple that with holding her and close to put her at ease. "We don't know that; the best thing we can do right now is keep our heads."

Mei started toying with her hair in an effort to quell her anxiety. "You're right," she exhaled as she leaned against him. "We'll get through this."

After what seemed like an eternity, the conversation had stopped and a quiet seemed to fall over the inn. Yao and Mei dared not move from their hiding place. Instead they kept close together and sat in wait of any kind of sign. Finally, a knock was heard at their room door.

"It's me," Hui called.

The couple gave out a sigh of relief and Yao opened the door for him. "What happened? Were they looking for us?"

"Not unless you two're a pair of Mongol spies."

The two exchanged glances before turning back to him.

"Yeah, didn't think so. Looks like y'er fine."

"Thank you so much, Hui!" Mei exclaimed, nearly embracing him in a hug.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't think this means I don't plan on gettin' yer story one of these days. I work with lotsa shady types, but you two are dif'rent than the rest."

Mei and Yao immediately paused, as if weighing their options and their debt to the man.

"Doesn't hafta be right now, don't worry."

"We'll get there..." Mei assured him with a smile, much to Yao's surprise.

Hui gave her a nod and left the room. "Don't forget to feed the boys!" He called as he did so.

"I've got it!" she called back, and when his footsteps faded, a hush fell over the space.

"You sure?" Yao asked her.

"He's done nothing but help us; we owe him the life we have now. The least we can give him is the truth. Eventually."

He returned a look of understanding, but the distress hadn't left his face.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"We're here at the near border..."

"Yeah?"

"And they're here looking for spies - Mongol spies." He paused to take a breath.

"They're expectin' an invasion.