~ a lily among thorns~

"you look like a mouse"

"Half-Breed!"

Nari's eyes popped open. Her head was still resting in her hands, and she was still sitting up.

'I must have dozed off.'

She lazily turned her gaze to the middle of the room where she heard the yell come from. Through her droopy eyes, she watched as two Hwarangs battered each other in a fight, kicking and punching one another like little children. She breathed out a large sigh, rubbing her eyes in hopes it would rid the blur in her vision. Sure enough, her eyes gradually focused, only to display the image of one Hwarang holding down the other, about to punch him.

"A half-breed like you doesn't deserve to be among True-Bones like us," the man on the upper-hand growled. "I, Ban-Ryu, shouldn't be mixed with lower class dogs like yourself."

Nari stared in alarm as his fist raced towards the face of the other Hwarang.

"Stop!"

The room fell silent and Ban-Ryu's fist halted just before it made contact with the 'half-breed'.

Nari looked around.

'Who said that?' she wondered, scanning the faces of each Hwarang.

It was only when she found that every pair of eyes were staring back at her, that she realised she had yelled it.

'Oh no.'

Nari scrunched her face up in pure regret as an uneasy vibe began to loom in the air. She looked at Ban-Ryu, who was glaring back at her. He pushed his victim to the side and strode towards her, rage in each step.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?!" Ban-Ryu snarled, stopping just in front of her bed.

Nari flinched at his words, her eyes darting back and forth over the floor boards. Thoughts were speeding through her mind, too quickly to process properly.

'THIS GUY IS ABOUT TO BEAT ME UP! WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?!'

"Answer me!" Ban-Ryu threatened through clenched teeth. "Or was your mother a peasant as well?!"

Suddenly Nari's mind cleared and her eyes narrowed. A strange calm fell over her once panicked state, and she smirked slightly. Clearing her throat to speak, she locked eyes with Ban-Ryu.

"I'm someone who doesn't have to share my life story with you," she answered with a sigh, standing up from her bed.

Ban-Ryu's stare followed her every move as she circled him. So did the eyes of everyone else in the room.

"Who are you to beat him up?" Nari asked, stopping next to the man on the floor.

Ban-Ryu growled and grabbed her by the neck of her robe, nearly lifting her off the floor. Nari let off a short gasp, her eyes widening at the escalation of the situation.

"I'm a True Bone...so watch yourself!" he warned, staring her dead in the eyes.

Nari gulped, and patted his hands off her robe with a nervous laugh.

"Okay, fair enough," she smiled and walked back to her bed where she sat down again.

Leaning comfortably against the wall, Nari adjusted her hair, tucking in the frizzy ends from her drunken battles the night before. She happened to look up slightly, just in time to catch a glimpse of everyone locking eyes with her hair.

"What?" she asked, her hands falling to her lap.

'Is my hair really that bad?' she questioned herself, her self-esteem getting the better of her.

One of the Hwarangs slowly pointed at her head.

"You're hair...is blonde..." he stuttered in disbelief.

Nari breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"I'm...I'm from the West," she explained, standing up again.

A monotone 'ahhh' filled the room as the Hwarangs gave understanding nods. Nari grinned.

"Do all men from the West look like their little sisters?" Ban-Ryu asked with one raised eyebrow.

Nari held her hand to her chest as if she'd just been shot.

"Yah! Way to hurt a man's pride! I'm on the young side!" she cried in defence, clenching her heart.

"You look like a mouse," Ban-Ryu continued with a smirk.

Nari smiled smugly, her eyes lighting up.

"I may look boyish now," she huffed in reply. "But when we're both fifty, I'll still look handsome whilst you'll look like you bathed for an hour too long."

Suho, the man who had pointed out Nari's hair, snorted in delight at Ban-Ryu being insulted. Ban-Ryu smirked, ignoring him. Instead, he turned to Seonu, the man he was just beating up.

"I heard you had a sister...is this her?" he remarked, pointing to Nari.

Seonu's face stiffened in anger and Suho stepped forward in offence.

"That's enough," he shouted, pushing Ban-Ryu to the ground.

Ban-Ryu shot back up, swinging a punch at Suho's head. Suho dodged and forced himself into Ban-Ryu's chest, tackling him to the ground. Ban-Ryu attempted to get on top, but the room feel still as a large man burst through the door. He looked at the two Hwarangs tangled with each other on the floor, and dragged them by the ear out the room.

"Yah! Let us go!" they cried in the distance, and a commotion started outside the walls.

Nari was left standing next to a man who looked to be her similar age. He was leaning against the roof post, staring at her. She smiled in return.

"You're so small, but you still managed to pick a fight with Ban-Ryu," he chuckled with disbelief, eyeing her small face.

Nari shrugged and folded her arms.

"I guess it's a Western thing," she sighed, loosening her stance a bit to look manlier. "I heard you come from the West as well?"

The man shuffled his feet uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"I guess I do," he said with a smirk, shifting his gaze to the floor.

"Name?" Nari asked, her voice just a tone too deep.

She quietly smacked herself as he looked at her weirdly.

"Ji-Dwi," he stated. "And you?"

"Hmm," Nari thought for a moment. "I guess it'll be...Mouse!" she exclaimed, tapping his nose with her finger and walking off.

Ji-Dwi raised his eyebrows with amusement as he watched the boy disappear through the doorway. He felt the tip of his nose where the 'Mouse' had touched him and laughed in disbelief.

'He really has no shame,' he thought to himself, and smiled, shaking his head with wonder. 'Imagine if he knew who I was.'