20

It was already dark outside, and the climate was colder than usual. They were bundled up in thick clothes. She had to lend Langdon the biggest coat she had. Outside her dwelling, Rain was contentedly watching the area around her home with a huge deer bone safely cuddled between his paws. The animal hunted a deer and brought her a leg. Though something happened that made her frown.

It seems Rain was playing favorites now. The wolfdog dropped the deer leg with a big chunk of meat in Langdon's direction. Nudging it closer to the man to make it obvious. She remembers vividly how her jaw dropped in surprise, as if she was betrayed right under her nose. Jealousy attacked her with no inhibitions. Hence, he gave the culprit an accusing glare which the latter shook his head in innocence.

Rain like Langdon and it was obvious, even though the latter didn't seem to return the favor. Langdon was scared of the huge wolfdog. Thus, every time the animal would approach him, Langdon would stick to her like glue. It was making her green and chuckle at the same time.

"Here." Langdon placed a peeled sweet potato on her plate. He insisted on doing things for her even though she already told him that she doesn't mind eating sweet potato skin. She gathered he would not listen so she silently took the peeled potato and continued to observe the night.

The lamp light inside her dwelling provided enough brightness inside the dwelling. The minimal design of her house made it spacious despite it being small. There is no use making a big dwelling when you live alone. It would only remind her of an empty can, that is why she built it with a single inhabitant in mind.

However, that design made it a problem days ago. Rest was a reward that she cherished above all. After a hard day at work, she would indulge herself with a relaxing sleep. Nothing could beat a good sleep after grueling work. There is no way in hell that she would give up her bed. Although she made it bigger than usual it was not enough.

The biggest part of her house was the bed. A place where she could rest comfortably and can be whatever she wants to be. It is the only time she could remind herself that she is still a woman despite years of pretending to be a man.

Came Langdon, now she has to share the bed with him. Even though it's big enough for the two of them, he is a nightmare in bed. He is like a damn propeller when he sleeps. He could not stay still and it seems the big number of pillows in bed wasn't enough for him and would go for her too. It was a little disturbing. He was hogging the bed all to himself including the other person laying on it, aka her.

"Have another one." he then proceeded to place another piece of sweet potato on her plate. It is a good variety, and huge ones. It is sweet and fulfilling. Even if she declines his small ways of serving her, he will still insist until it drives her crazy, hence she decided to let me do those things sometimes.

Thankfully, when it comes to taking a bath, she finds it convenient to visit the nearest stream in her area. Even though she had her own source of water inside her dwelling, she didn't want to bathe in the house with him around. After all, he has no sense of privacy.

"Have you tried the soap? Do you like it? It is not that ready yet, but you can try it a little." he gestured at the pile of square-shaped soap wrapped in some leaves on the table. They smell nice, unlike the scentless soap she bought.

"Not yet." she answered, absent-mindedly eating her food. Her eyes were still focused outside of the dwelling, out the window.

"Well, if you want to try it right now, it is okay. I can teach you how to use it." he suggested with a hopeful tone in his voice.

She turned to him with a disgusted look on her face. He just won't give up offering his services, be it subtle or not, he would keep trying his luck. When she looked at his face, he did not look hurt or offended at all. Instead, he looked like he was enjoying it.

"I am not that ignorant if that's what you're implying." she told the man, declining his suggestion fairly well, but to his dismay, the man did not even take the hint.

"But this is a new kind of soap. It is good for your skin. I could not wait for you to try it and could not wait faster to feel your skin after using it." he enthusiastically shared, like it was something to be happy about. It made her make a face.

"Are you a pervert?" she asked outright, causing his perfectly shaped thick eyebrows to raise. She almost shudders visibly.

"My job is to be a pervert and I am quite good at it. It's the only thing I'm good at." After he said those words, he gave her a somewhat lonesome smile. It piqued her interest. Taking her eyes away from the window of her dwelling, she turned to him once more.

"You said that you are also good at hygiene or...?" she said, looking at his sad face.

He made himself comfortable and leaned back on his chair. It was quite ironic how she designed her house with only one person in mind, but she had two chairs for her dining area. She always thought it was weird to only have a single chair.

"I told you I never saw my mother after I was weaned off from her," he scoffed. "Who am I kidding? I don't remember her at all." he sighed.

She figured out that it was going to be a long talk, so she remained quiet. He was now slouching on his chair, pouting a little.

"You see, after being weaned, they would separate the mother and the infant. The women in the district were guarded strictly and they stayed in a restricted area. Only the ones allowed to breed them were allowed access. That means people like me never get to see them ever again." he started to explain while she listened intently. She noticed all of those things when she was trading with the district.

Also, her mother Amelia was hunted by those people just so they could return her to the district for breeding purposes. She is not sure about the information, but she believed that her mother belonged to district V, and that is why she always avoided trading with the said district if she could.

"Growing up, the people who were in charge of looking out for us kids grouped us according to our face value. I was a pretty kid back then, and they started training me aged 10. It was a weird thing, you see, but it was all I know." he went on, as she nodded from time to time listening to him.

Out of those five districts, only two of them treat their women right, worshiping them. The rest treat them like a breeding mare and nothing more. District IV, occupying the same island as district V, was the total opposite of each other.

District IV worshiped their women. They are allowed to visit any place they want. They are well-protected by the head of the district and its people in general. They are allowed to choose anyone they want to breed with, and they are safe to wander the streets without escort. They are typically goddesses, happy and content.

District V ravaged their women. They are nothing but commodities and are restricted to do anything outside of their home. All of the women were housed together in one big house and were guarded by tons of guards. Rape is common in the area. They are prisoners. The district was also known as the district with the fastest declining birthrate. It is why they resort to kidnapping women from other districts.

District IV and V were known as mortal enemies at the moment because of the women.

"I was 10 years old when I learned about fellatio. 12 years old when I became knowledgeable about it. 15 when I mastered it," he drones on. "Anal was easy to learn. The only problem is how to master the art of faking enjoyment. Took me a long time to learn it." and he looked at her which made her flinch a little.

He kept on staring at her like he wanted to boast about his accomplishments. But to Tahlia, it sounds more like he was deprived of his childhood. The world she came to was already twisted in this sense, it is normal, but she could not stomach it. That is why she likes the main island. She gets to keep and protect her identity while living away from such depravity.

"Strangely enough, I was never allowed to penetrate. Uh… there's one time when I was 16 but it never happened again. I'm always the receiver and not the giver." he thoughtfully added.

She cringed. Her mind couldn't keep up with the scenarios he was spouting. They are kind of graphic but she can picture it out.

Langdon suddenly stood up from his seat, meal forgotten. "What am I even talking about? You are celibate, I'm sure you didn't understand half the thing I have said." he grinned, the lonesome look on his face disappeared.

"Shut it." was all she could say while gulping in nervousness.

"Would you like me to show you?" he smiled handsomely, blindingly.

"I said shut it." She also stood up, grabbed one soap from the pile on the table and reached for a small bag hanging in the door before she stepped out of the dwelling. They were conversing well, and he just had to ruin it.

Mind occupied with memories he shared; she traces the path of the nearest stream in her dwelling. Rain followed her quietly, happily taking the bone he was cuddling in his paws earlier. A good dip could effectively chase all the dark memories away.