Yuan An, though far from resplendent, was undeniably picturesque.  Quaint wooden shops lined its gleaming cobblestone roads, and a row of delicate willows swayed into the distance.  Its people milled about, content in their own familiarity with the place and with each other, lending a warmth to this cosmopolitan watering hole of merchants.

Truly idyllic, Shuang thought as they wandered from shop to shop.  She lost some of her guardedness as she dreamt of the future.  Perhaps she too could be the owner of a small medicinal herb shop, or a seamstress, or a clerk at the inn.  What simple, static lives they lived, without any hope of change.  But those were the most comfortable lives too.  They lived without fear of punishment, without having to weigh the effects of their every word.  Their lives were all their own.

As her thoughts wandered, she suddenly crashed into Kai's back as he ground to an unexpected halt.  He whipped around and thrust at her a stick of candied hawthorn he'd purchased from a nearby vendor. 

"You like these, don't you?"

Did she?  She stared at the sticky, crimson candy with confusion.  Perhaps he'd mixed her up with one of the other ladies court to whom he'd once paid compliments.  But Moyu didn't have the heart to dispel his earnest look of triumph. 

"Thank you" she whispered, accepting the abrupt offering.

It was kind of him, after all, she thought, savoring the excessive sweetness on the tip of her tongue.  But of course, he didn't mean anything by it.

*

At the corner of the road, reality struck them.  A group fo the Queen's men had accosted some pedestrians and were asking if they'd seen the girl in their poster.  Their poster was unnervingly lifelike, though it depicted a girl with long, flowing locks.  Moyu looked up and saw Kai's expression set into a light grimace.  He stepped closer and, while shielding her with his body, fastened the hood of her new cloak tight around her neck. 

"Don't worry.  No one will think of you based on that picture."

Moyu wasn't so sure, though she supposed that she had no choice but to trust him.  Biting her lower lip, she subconsciously shrunk against Kai, who allowed himself a fleeting smile, despite everything.

Soon, dusk filled the town with shadows.  Moyu and Kai quickened their pace, even as they did their best to blend into the crowds that had formed as the bazaar jumped back to life.  Indeed, the merchant from whom they stole could be heard from a mile away screeching about his bag of coins, to the endless amusement of his comrades. 

"What an fool," Kai murmured with a derisive smirk to Moyu, who looked a tad guilty. "As if any of the other merchants would sympathize.  No doubt they're laughing at what an ass he is--"

His gloating was cut short by the appearance of yet more imperial guards.  They appeared to be everywhere now.  Quickly, he grabbed Moyu by the shoulder and darted behind a pastry booth to watch and wait. 

"Have you seen this girl?" asked the Queen's men, who were nothing if not dogged.  When their queries met with shakes of the head, they changed tact and pulled out a new poster.  "What about this man?"

Moyu drew a sharp breath.  The poster depicted Kai in all his handsome glory, right down to the cocky gleam in his eye.  A pretty young woman paused in her steps to take a closer look. She said uncertainly, "Ah, but perhaps, last night . . . though I can't be sure . . . "

Watching from the shadows, Kai tensed, though he hadn't lost his gloating smirk. "My face is unforgettable, unfortunately," he lamented quietly, which drew a reluctantly chortle from Moyu.  "Look, they won't recognize you as a boy.  Better that we separate now so that they don't associate you with me.  Besides, I'm a faster runner, and they're less likely to catch me if I'm on my own.  Let's meet back at the temple.  You remember the way?"

"Yes, but --"

"Good."

Then he was gone and Moyu found herself very much alone.