Awaiting The Dawn

34: Fretful Kindness

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"—hat's ridiculous! I'm going with you!"

"I will accompany you as well!"

'Who's being so loud...?' Hisa refused to open her eyes and rolled onto her side.

"But someone should look after her."

Still half-asleep, Hisa did not recognize any of these voices and didn't care that she understood nothing that was being said.

"Fine, I'll stay. Probably won't be much help anyway."

"Is that a blush I see?"

"Shut! Up!!"

Hisa felt something jump onto her head. When she reached to swat it away, it hopped to her shoulder. "...Nooo Mother." Hisa mumbled. "It's too early to train..."

"Hisa! You're awake!" A pretty, but very loud voice called out.

'Has mother always sounded like that?'

She groaned, using her arms to lift into a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes open, she yawned while pulling out a throwing knife in preparation for training.

"Oh." Hisa blinked around, finally realizing she wasn't back home and awkwardly putting her knife away. "Good morning."

"It's evening, Lady Priestess."

She still wasn't quite awake yet.

Hisa twisted her head to the voice's direction and yawned again. "Good evening, Kija."

Ao was playfully nibbling on her hair, which was tangled enough to be a nest. She was probably the weight from before. Shin-ah cupped his hands forward, and Ao sprang onto him in an instant. Hisa felt herself smile. "Sorry we left you alone, Shin-ah."

He nodded in acknowledgement, rubbing the top of Ao's head.

"Lie back down already." Yoon said as he busily chopped up vegetables.

His eyes were red. She frowned a little. "Are you okay, Yoon?"

"Yeah." He brushed off the question and changed the subject. "Are you hungry? Dinner will be done soon."

That didn't convince her at all. Not when his voice was strained.

"Do you need help? I can—"

Directing his chopping knife in her direction, Yoon glared, looking adorably terrifying. "If I catch you moving from that spot, I'll throw this at you, I'm serious! Just stay still and rest! You pass out and don't wake up for hours, and the first thing you want to do is help with dinner?!"

"Yoon's mad..." Shin-ah nudged Hisa to lie down.

Is he? It didn't feel like he was.

She repeated her earlier question. "Are you okay, Yoon?"

"Unbelievable." He rubbed his forehead, briefly looking tired before going back to glaring. "You're unbelievable."

"Sorry." She caught sight of the bandages carefully wrapped around each of her fingers.

"You're an idiot!" Some of their group winced at Yoon's loud voice as he finished scolding her. "Just take care of yourself better! Stop acting like you haven't just scared the life out of us!"

Oh.

Oh.

Yoon calls whoever worries him an idiot. Yoon would scold the silly idiot, or cry and hug the reckless idiot. The latter would probably get scolded too. It's his way of saying he cared.