Chapter Seven- Ms. Lainer

Ry'us and Mika return to the home of Ms. Lainer, who explains more about the Uhrat and how they ended up in Caldea.

When the two boys entered the Lainer household, it was to see Mika's mother sitting in a chair by the kitchen door, waiting for them. Now if Ry'us had disappeared in the middle of the night the way Mika had, he knew exactly how his mother would have reacted. She probably would have started off in tears, yelling at him between sobs, her words incomprehensible, until finally calming down enough to give him a proper scolding. Ms. Lainer simply sat in her chair, staring at the two of them with a cold look on her face that would put any man shaking in his boots. 
           

"Where have you been?" She asked, her eyes locked on her son. His eyes instantly cast themselves upon the floor and the young boy shifted uncomfortably. Ry'us made sure that he was standing a few paces away from him, not wanting to get caught up in this. But before Mika could even speak, her eyes darted over to Ry'us, softening slightly. "Thank you for bringing him home."
           

"It wasn't his fault. He was getting picked on by a couple of older guys who were pushing him around in one of the alleys." Suddenly at the mention of someone trying to harm her son, her eyes turned from cold anger to instant worry. 
           

"Who was it?" She said. Ry'us wondered briefly what she'd do if she found out who it was. He had a feeling that the beating he'd given them would be nothing compared to what she would end up bringing down on them. Mika finally spoke, looking up from the hole he'd been staring into the floor with wide eyes. 
           

"He helped me, though! You should have seen him, mom! He beat the crap out of those guys. Three of them at the same time." At this her eyes once more darted back to Ry'us, who looked away almost instantly. Usually when people found out about him fighting it was followed by a lecture on how he needed to stay away from violence. Mika seemed ready to jump into a full explanation of the fight when she simply raised her hand, returning her sight back to her son, who instantly fell silent. 
           

"We can talk about this later. It'll give you time to come up with a lie on why you were out in the middle of the night in the first place." Mika's face went pale for a moment. He must have thought that she'd forgotten about that whole part of the situation. "Go to bed. And stay there this time." Mika glanced at Ry'us, who simply shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned and walked out of the room, leaving only Ry'us and Ms. Lainer in the kitchen. The sound of footsteps could be heard going up the stairs. Eventually the house was silent once more. Ms. Lainer was watching Ry'us intently. Was she going to be angry with him now? 
           

"I saved you some food." She gestured to a metal rack by a cast iron stove, which had two pots on top. The fire was still going on it, though it was very low. "I kept it warm." Ry'us felt his stomach growl at that very moment. He'd yet to eat anything today and it was finally catching up with him. He walked over to the pots, looking inside. One had a bunch of rice in it. The other had what looked like a vegetable mixture, with cuts of chicken, flavored with a rich smelling sauce that was almost soup like, though it had an orange like color to it. It smelled faintly of peppers, though he couldn't tell what kind. Ms. Lainer stood up and grabbed two wooden bowls, carrying them over to the stove. Ry'us stepped to the side and let her deal out the food. She placed the rice in first, then covered it with the orange colored sauce. 
           

"It’s called du'tali. Its a traditional Uhratian meal." She handed him his bowl and a little metal fork, before gesturing to the kitchen table. It was a small round table, surrounded by four wooden chairs. There were a few more against the nearby wall, probably in case they had extra people. They both took a seat. 
           

"I don't know what he was doing out." Ry'us instantly said. Ms. Lainer smiled.
           

"Yes you do." Ry'us blinked. She just kept smiling. "You don't have to tell me. You've placed yourself as Mika's older brother, the way you stood up for him like that. And while you may not know a lot about your people, you're still a Uhrat in blood. And Uhratians never betray their brothers. Please, eat." She said, gesturing to the food. She took a bite of her own food, scooping up just as much rice as chicken and vegetables. Ry'us looked down at his bowl. It did smell wonderful. Once more his stomach growled. He gathered up a fork full and shoved it eagerly into his mouth. Instantly he felt his eyes water up. He swallowed it down quickly, taking in a deep breath.
           

"That's hot!" Ry'us suddenly exclaimed. Ms. Lainer smiled, chuckling slightly.
           

"Many Uhratian dishes are quite spicy. You grow used to it and come to appreciate the flavors. I suggest more rice." Ry'us quickly scooped up a fork of rice, piling it into his mouth. The heat calmed down, but he could still feel it in his mouth, his breath like fire. Finally he looked back up at her. He sat his fork down for a moment. It was time for a few answers.
           

"I don't know a lot of things. Who are the Uhrat? And why does it seem that everyone who lives here is one of them?" Ry'us asked instantly. Ms. Lainer took another bite of her food and gestured for him to do the same. He looked down at the bowl once more, before picking up his fork. This time he made sure to get more rice and less of the sauce. When she was done chewing, she spoke.
           

"The Uhrat are our people. We used to have our own lands. The kingdom of Uhrat lies to the northeast of Caldea's borders. There was a time when all Uhrat lived there. That was before the war..." She took another bite of her food and gestured once more for him to do the same. She took little bites and when she was done chewing, she continued speaking. "It was thirty six years ago. The how and why is unimportant. In all honesty, it was probably our own king's fault. He pressured the Emperor of this country into war and he got what he wanted. Not many Uhratians will admit that, but nevertheless." She took another bite and this time he did the same without her gesturing for him to do so. 
           

"The war didn't last long. Only a few weeks. I was only a child at the time. When it ended there was nothing left for us there. No way for us to pick back up from what was left behind. The land is dead and it will be for a very long time. The Arcaeni made sure of that. The Emperor allowed those of us who were left behind from the war to come here. We built the Settlements and we've lived here ever since." Ry'us took in every word she said. They were refugees, then? Foreigners? It explained a little of why they lived the way they did. But not why they were still stuck in this squalor. 
           

"But why do so many Uhrat live like this? Can't they move elsewhere, get better homes and jobs?" It didn't make a lot of sense to him. There had to be better places for them to live. Ms. Lainer simply smiled at him, standing up as she finished her food. Ry'us looked down at his bowl. He'd finished his as well. She took his bowl and fork as well. 
           

"We probably could have. But that would mean losing ourselves. Our culture and our identity. At the time, when we first arrived in Caldea and the Emperor set up tents and basic housing for us nearby the capitol, we were devastated. We had lost our home. Our pride. In weeks everything we'd ever known had been burned and destroyed. Uhratians are a naturally prideful people. Today, however, we're stuck this way. Most Caldeans, especially those that live within the city, look at us with disdain." She looked him up and down. Ry'us' mind was racing with all this information. So they were condemned to live this way forever? He still had more questions, but Ms. Lainer spoke before he had the chance to voice them.
           

"Thank you for watching out for Mika. He needs an older brother." And with that she walked away with the dishes, going into a different room. Ry'us sat there at the kitchen table for a good few minutes. So much about this was new to him. But he had to remember the whole reason for him coming here in the first place. To find out what happened to his parents. And he wasn't going to lose sight of that goal now, just because things had turned out different then he'd expected. Standing up, Ry'us made his way up the stairs. He found the room in which the grandmother had got his clothes from. There was a clean set of blankets and a pillow neatly folded on a thick, boxed mattress. He expected to be up all night, thinking about the things he had learned. But when he laid down upon the bed, he discovered just how tired he was. Within moments he was fast asleep...

Author's Note

Any criticism is welcome ^^