Eren left out a small breath through her nose, something like a half-laugh "We're not looking for trouble" She said "Just passing through"
"Uh" The man gave a slow nod, as if that answer was just expected, or something that heard regularly "Most people are"
He stepped back into the doorway, shifting his weight just enough to open the space behind him "Was just about to eat" He said while gesturing loosely over his shoulder "You're welcome to join. It's a long road through these woods if you're planning to go looking for something or someone"
Eren glanced at Shion.
It was brief, barely more than a flick of the eyes, but it lingered a fraction longer than it should have. Shion caught it, but didn't react. Just gave a small nod, and moved forward.
Eren followed, and both stepped inside.
The air was warmer within, the smell of something simmering filled the nose. A pot hung over the fire, it's contents shifting lazily beneath the surface. It smelled right, like a broth made of roots, really simple.
But the room around it was a different story.
Everything was in place, too much in place.
The table stood centered, chairs were tucked neatly around it, angled just enough to invite them to sit down. A single door other than the entrance, probably to his bedroom. No clutter. No tools left out. No scraps from preparation. No peelings, bones, discarded ends of anything that might have gone into the pot. No used knives.
Shion's gaze moved once across the room, slow and quiet.
A sword leaned against the wall. Two axes rested next to it. Not hidden, but they weren't there on display either. They seemed to be left just there.
Near the door, a pair of cloaks hung from wooden pegs. Dark. Worn. Still carrying the dust of travel.
More than one.
Eren stepped further in, boots soft against the wooden floor. She told herself it was nothing. A man living alone might keep things tidy. And leaving his tools lying around might be a risk for himself.
Still...
Her hand hovered a little closer to her side than before.
The man moved past them easily, as if their presence didn't require adjustment. He reached for a plate, dipped it into the pot, and brought it up without hesitation.
"Seen a few people this morning" He said, almost idly, like talking to himself "They were going north"
He crossed to the window as he spoke, standing beside it without blocking the light, as if he was recalling seeing that group.
"They didn't stop. They didn't speak to me" He blew lightly over the plate "Not the first time I see them either"
Shion turned to look at him "How many?"
"About five or six, didn't count them" He took a bite. No hesitation. No glance at them as he did.
Eren watched him for a second, her face showed a hit of relief. If there had been anything wrong with the food, he wouldn't have eaten it like that.
Right?
Her eyes shifted, unbidden, toward Shion. Just a flick. Just to check.
Shion was already watching the room, not the man.
Eren looked away quickly.
"Thank you for the information. We're not staying long" Shion said, forcing her voice into something casual "Just passing through, like we said"
The man nodded again, chewing slowly.
"Still" He said after a moment "You're here now" He turned slightly, lifting the plate a fraction in their direction.
"Eat"
It wasn't a command. It wasn't quite an offer either. Just... expectation.
Shion shook her head once "We're fine. Thank you"
A pause. Small. Barely there.
Then Eren followed "Yes, we ate earlier"
The man looked at them properly then. Not sharply. Not with suspicion.
Just... taking them in.
Something in his expression shifted. Not anger, not irritation. Something quieter.
"Ah" He said. He took another bite. Chewed. Swallowed. "I see"
The room, for some reason, felt smaller. Eren shifter her weight.
There it was again, a faint tightness in her chest. Not fear. Not quite. Just something that refused to settle.
Her eyes drifted, catching on to the cloaks near the door,, then to the fire, returning to the window.
Still.
Too still.
A sound broke the silence. Soft. Wood against wood.
The door behind them closed.
Eren turned sharply. She hadn't hear it open.
Shion didn't move. But something in her posture changed just slightly. Like a line that had been drawn and she had already stepped to one side of it.
The man didn't look at the door. He set the plate down on the windowsill.
"You should have eaten" He said. Calm. He made it look as if he was stating something already decided.
Eren's fingers tightened. The air shifted behind them.
A presence.
Then another.
No one was rushing. Not loud. Just stepped in. Just there.
A step from the doorway. Another form the side room.
Steel caught the light as it cleared leather.
Shion turned then, slow, deliberate, placing herself just enough between Eren and the movement without making it obvious.
Her hand settled fully on the hilt of her sword at her back.
Eren felt it, the moment everything clicked into place.
The farm.
The house.
The man.
This wasn't where they had arrived.
It was where they had been led.
Behind them, the last of the figures stepped into view, weapons already drawn. Them man exhaled softly through his nose, almost thoughtful.
Then, quieter "Most people do"