Misplaced

The Troupe

They were a troupe of traveling performers, Rhea discovered early on. There were about thirty in the group, ranging from small babies to elderly. Rhea got the impression that they thought she was funny with her Japanese features and language. The kids would sometimes laugh when looking at her eyes.

Rhea had come to the conclusion that the troupe hadn't kidnapped her. In fact, most of them tried to avoid her when they could. The only one that sought her out to make sure she was fed and not getting into trouble, was the boy she had first met, Kasteri. Or Kas, as she called him.

Although it had taken a bit of hand-gesturing, Kas managed to get her to understand that if she stayed, she worked.

Rhea actually relished the opportunity to meet the others. The more she listened, the more she learned.

Some of the younger members helped her with their weird language, Brenan. It wasn't a language she had ever heard of.

Knowing three languages didn't help Rhea. It held no shared roots, no basic sentence structure she was familiar with, had multiple sounds that she wasn't aware of, and was spoken briskly and rapidly enough that she and Kas had established what "slow down" was early in their relationship.

They had started making a game of it. Rhea would point to something and ask "Nani?" and Kas would supply the word. Then he would would ask, "Jer?" At first, Rhea had been unsure of whether to give the Japanese or English translation but had ultimately settled on the former.

She still had no idea where she was though or where they were going. There was no way to convey to Kas her questions. Luckily, he was incredibly good-natured and did his best without getting frustrated. The only time that he displayed anything resembling a temper was when she tried to ask for paper and a pen.

Mimicking writing, Rhea had searched her limited Brenan vocab for the word for pen or pencil. Learning a language was difficult enough, and she had hoped to write down the words so she could study them later. When Kas had realized what she wanted, his eyebrows had drawn together and his entire body had stiffened.

"No," he had said in Brenan, his brown eyes had frozen over, and he had stocked away. Rhea had tried to catch him, but the caravan was large and Kas was incredibly nimble. He lost her easily.

What did I say? Rhea wondered for hours afterward.

Their "argument" however had been brushed away when Kas had spooked her by jumping behind her from the roof of one of the compartments. Smiling and smirking, he had chuckled at her confusion and said something along the lines of a "happy surprise."

Rhea thought perhaps she had accidently insulted him like she had Brenn. On her fourth day in the caravan, Rhea had been tasked with cutting the hair of an older woman named Brenn. One of the kinder people in the caravan, Rhea had been shocked when after asking her if she liked it, Brenn had struck her. Sharp and quick, it was more surprise than pain that left Rhea speechless.

Brenn had snapped something at her. Later on, Kas did his best to explain. It took nearly three hours, but they managed to get her to understand that there were actually four types of Brenan. Like Japanese formal and informal usage, Brenan had different forms. When speaking among comrades, that was the main one she was learning with Kas. But there was also a form between the elder speaking to children and the children speaking to older. It was respectful.

Rhea had used the comrade form with Brenn, insulting and disrespecting her.

"Four?" she had asked Kas.

Kas mimicked a bow, making her smile. Royalty.

So she was in a country with a monarchy. That didn't narrow it down, but it was something.
About a week after Rhea found herself in the desert, Kas pulled her aside and pointed into the distance. Just barely making out a shape, Rhea realized that it was a town or city. Excitement washed over Rhea as she realized that maybe she'd finally get a sense of where she was.

It however deflated when Kas introduced their destination as, "Rengar."

Once again, another clue to where in the world she was. But no recognition. Rhea must be somewhere in the middle of Africa. Definitely a third world country, for Kas's troupe didn't use technology.

How had she gotten here? The question kept her awake at night and drove her crazy every morning. She needed to get home. Her father and friends must be worried. Exams and classes and plans were being missed as she traipsed through the unknown land.

Sighing, Rhea asked, "Why Rengar?"

There was a brief flash of surprise and pride from Kas at her translation. He had never taught her "why." In fact, she had figured it out from the children. Every child enjoyed the why-game.

Kas spent a few seconds thinking of an appropriate translation before responding, "Work."

"Work?" Rhea repeated before she realized that he meant a show. Wait, was she going to see them perform? Gasping in joy, she clasped her hands and turned to her friend, "You work? The . . . troupe work?"

Kas grinned and nodded.