When in the house of the enemy, the best rooms are always the ones with the lights out.
Zane slept knowing he needed the sleep because he was really about to enter the enemy's house.
And there would be no rooms with lights out there.
It was a miracle he was able to sleep with the stress of leaving tomorrow.
He would leave the hut he had lived in since childhood. He had spent sixteen years here, two years he had spent in the orphanage.
Milo and he had a three year age difference.
Zane was eighteen right now and Milo was fifteen.
But her disease stopped her growth when she was five. She never grew up in height.
At that time, he believed she would hit puberty soon and go through a growth spurt. But when that didn't happen, he could only blame it to the disease.
White hairs, weak body, no growth physically, his sister had to suffer all this alone.
Because of such a condition, Zane sometimes still mistook her to be five years old and forgets her real age.
Nevertheless, right now he was asleep and from tomorrow, he would enter a new life.
———
Seven hours went by.
Morning arrived.
Shouts and noises of families fighting and animals crying erupted around the slum as usual as they worked as an alarm for both Zane and Milo.
Zane was the first one to wake up.
He had woken up some hours before but then he remembered he didn't have to go to brickhauling anymore. So he slept again.
But now he had to get up.
"Good morning, brother." Milo said, rubbing her eyes.
Zane smiled.
Usually, he spat on mornings but if his little sister greeted him then he would surely forget that for a while.
"Good morning." He replied and ruffled her hair.
"Stay in bed while I get ready."
Milo nodded and snuggled for a few more minutes.
He wasted no time and went to the bathroom.
And as he went inside…
TUN!
The metal bucket fell.
The bucket that he had kept on the entrance of his house.
The bucket that worked as a door bell if someone trespassed.
Milo and Zane both became alert by the sound and Milo instantly left the bed to go inside the hole, shivering.
Even in the mornings, they weren't safe. Anything could happen to them.
"Who dares?!"
Zane also dashed out of the bathroom, screaming, with a wooden bat in his hand used for washing clothes and people on some occasions.
But as soon as he came out, he saw someone he never expected to see as the first thing in the morning.
"That's quite a welcome, kid."
It was Jammy the Janitor.
He was dressed in his usual dress code, but he didn't have the long coat on him this time.
But just because Zane knew the man, doesn't mean it was safe.
Known men were more dangerous than strangers.
Zane stood in front of Milo and Milo hid behind him.
She wasn't able to go inside the hole in time.
"What do you want?" Zane asked, gripping the small wooden bat.
He kept his eyes on Jammy while also looking around to use anything.
He would not hesitate to kill if it meant Milo's safety.
Jammy stared at the vigilant young man and the little fingers gripped on Zane's back.
At the end, he sighed.
"Calm down, slum leader."
Jammy raised both his hands in the air.
One of them held a black plastic bag and Zane gestured with his eyes towards it.
"What did you bring here? What do you want? How did you know I live here?"
Jammy rubbed his eyebrows.
"I have brought this for you."
The Janitor shoved his hand inside the bag and took out something Zane never expected.
A white shirt.
Milo peeked from behind as well and her eyes lit up seeing it.
Then she saw Jammy, and hid behind Zane again.
"Is she your sister?" He asked.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Zane would not reveal anything to him.
Jammy rolled his eyes.
"You gave your tunic to that woman. And since you live in Ashen, I figured that would be your only piece of cloth. So I brought this for you. Unless you want to go to the Citadel shirtless."
"... And is this supposed to make me think of you as a good man now?"
"You think I am a bad man?"
Zane didn't answer.
He couldn't answer.
He didn't understand Jammy but he didn't outright find him to be a bad man. But what people don't understand, they fear.
And he had also seen Milo.
"Do you think I am a bad man, princess?" Jammy asked, tilting his head.
Milo peeked again.
"Your face is scary."
She went into hiding again but Jammy's face went blank.
He lost all his expressions.
He visibly flinched.
Zane's brows twitched.
"Are you offended or something?"
Jammy looked at Zane.
"I spend hours making myself look dashing and presentable. I style my beard for fifteen minutes. I didn't even smoke my cigar because you didn't like it. And I am scary?"
Jammy wrapped his right palm around his face.
Zane had no words, no correct words to spare at the moment so he let the man relish in his disappointment.
But he did try something.
"She is a little girl. Everyone except me is scary to her. If it makes you feel better."
Jammy removed his hand.
"Yes. She is a little girl. She doesn't know good looks. You are right. She will understand when she grows up. I will wait for her to cross eighteen."
"... I would like you don't."
Zane shook his head and lowered the bat.
Jammy didn't reek of a harmful intent.
Zane didn't feel threatened.
Also, if anything, Jammy was his subordinate so if logic worked here then his subordinates couldn't attack him.
[ The Subordinates can attack you if they are in a phalanx under an Ashbearer whose loyalty is forty percent or lower for you. ]
Zane flinched.
When were you going to tell me this?
[ When they would be attacking you. ]
Zane clenched his jaw.
Alright. Jammy isn't under any Ashbearer at the moment. So can he attack me?
[ No. But don't expect too much. If you agitate him enough, he might attack. ]
Zane gulped and stared at Jammy.
Jammy stared back, with the white shirt on his left hand.
Milo stayed behind Zane, and the young man was raising his bat slowly again.
"Oh for slums' sake. Get this inside your head, kid."
Jammy's voice gained volume.
He stepped towards Zane and before Zane could do something, Jammy was already in front of his eyes.
"If you were my enemy…"
The Janitor stared inside his black eyes and spoke as if making a statement.
"You would already be dead."