* THE LONELY LOTUS

“ Well, I mean… ”

Mista paused. There wasn’t really anything else to say that this woman hadn’t already made abundantly clear. If Mista wanted to, he could have Sex Pistols take her wallet in a jiffy. They certainly weren’t lacking in skill when it came to pranks, but something stopped Mista from wanting to take advantage of this foreigner’s naivety.

She genuinely wasn’t a bad person, it seemed, but Mista felt bad for her. Having your guard down, especially in a place like this part of the city, is bad news, especially for a tourist. That is what made him decide to help out.

“ Yeah, I can help you ! I have plenty of time, ” he grinned. “ It’s about a four kilometer walk. Is it alright if I accompany you, signorina ? ”

❝ keep me company ?? sure. ❞

it was far too obvious that she was not of italian descent, not that it mattered to her, though. but her time spent so far in the likes of naples had truly been an enjoyable experience for the brunette, memories gradually returning from her childhood with every passing day.

❝ thank you, mista. you are very kind. ❞

the pair eventually began to walk alongside one another. four kilometers... maya couldn’t help but wonder what drove her to pick an establishment that was so far - all that she could recall was the view from a balcony of the apartment she was meant to be staying in. hopefully, the journey would be worth it.

Looking at this girl struggle made a chill of pity ride its way up Mista’s spine. She was a fish out of water, clearly out of her element and obviously a foreigner. Mista didn’t often find himself helping tourists, but he was more than happy to greet this girl, who looked so alone and unsure.

“ Buonasera, signorina ! Is there something I can help you with ? ” Mista stood straight, head cocked in inquiry. “ My name is Guido Mista. You aren’t from here, are you ? ”

❝ it’s that obvious, isn’t it ?? ❞

she held out what was a small map of sorts, one of the city. slender digits raised from her waist and reached over to point at a small and particular location in which she needed to get to.

❝ if you don’t mind, mista ..I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of this area ?? I need to get to the hotel there. ❞

ah, this was frustrating. much to her annoyance, her italian was still rusty and required further help - but that would come with time and effort; something she seemed to have plenty of while on her travels. it wasn’t often that she had to timidly approach another, but desperate times..

language(s) and bilinguality.

at present, maya is able to speak 3 languages. she is fluent in korean ( as it is her mother tongue ), english ( also fluent as a result of schooling and a penchant for english shows and music ) and spanish. english is her most commonly used language and considered her time learning spanish to be almost entirely redundant before going on her travels.

dangerous sentence prompts.

standing to attention with a straightened posture, hands lingered behind the small of the petite womans back as a means to shield what remained within her grasp, keeping it out of the nosier fellows sights.

❝ nothing, not that it’s any of your business - anyway. ❞

speaking out defensively was almost instinctive for the brunette, but it was frustration that had clung onto the woman as a result of his abrupt appearance and questioning. taking a step back, the foreigner refused to yield.

that particular time of year was fast approaching, so it was of no surprise to her that others were seen planning ahead of such an occasion. his appearance was unorthodox to say the least, prompting almost a double take from the woman before addressing him nonchalantly.

𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐰𝐞  𝐚𝐫𝐞  𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞  𝐢𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞,  𝐨𝐫  𝐰𝐞  𝐚𝐫𝐞  𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝐛𝐮𝐭  𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡  𝐚𝐫𝐞                                                       𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲  𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠.