The air hung heavy with silence after Sango asked the question.
"Why is your skin black?" Sango said.
"This boy looks lost," Sango thought. "Let me change the question. What's your name?"
The boy looked directly into Sango's eyes without uttering a single word.
"Something is definitely not right with this kid. Damn!" Sango thought. "I should have asked Rosewalt more questions to know more about this kid. Maybe I would have gotten some useful information regarding him so I would know how to come about interacting with him. I wonder if he even knows how to speak." He stared back into the boy's eyes.
"Let me start all over. This time I'll talk to you like a father, not like someone who wants to interrogate you," Sango said, smiling.
"My name is Drago , and I'm Sango. I protect and fight for the lives of everyone in this kingdom. It's a duty that I've been entitled to until the day I die. So you don't need to worry. Your best interest is in my mind. So kid, I'll like to know your name."
He still looked directly into Sango's eyes still not uttering a single word, just looking into the empty void in Sango's eyes.
"Maybe he doesn't know how to speak?" Sango thought.
"Let me not pressure him to speak. That just goes against my principles. I'll take him with me to the capital and look after him there, till he's ready to speak," Sango thought.
"Okay kid, let's go grab something to eat," Sango said.
Sango stood, grabbing the kid's hand like a mother holding her toddler's hand—firmly but gently.
"Tayo."
"Hmmm! You can speak," Sango said.
"Me name is Tayo."
Sango knelt down to look at the kid again.
"Nice to meet you, Tayo. So where are you from?"
"I don't know," Tayo said.
"How did you get here?" Sango asked.
A roar was heard coming from Tayo's stomach as he held it tightly.
"I see, you're hungry. Let's go get something to eat. I think I saw a restaurant before coming here. Let's head there," Sango said.
Tayo walked behind Sango, moving in accordance with the way Sango walked—detail for detail, almost as if he was his shadow.
"Why walk behind, Tayo? Come forward. Walk at my front or side, but don't ever walk behind," Sango said.
Immediately, Tayo walked quickly to Sango's side.
"You need to walk with more confidence, Tayo. Always lift your head high. Never feel less about yourself, cause true strength comes from believing in yourself," Sango said.
The road was a long but narrow one leading out of the market square. It was smooth because carriages came through it. Different arable shops spanned to the left and right of the road, which were now abandoned due to the event that took place there. The market was as quiet as a graveyard at the darkest of night.
"The restaurant is around the corner. Hey, don't forget what I said—lift your head up," Sango said.
The restaurant was an old and vintage building. Lots of rusty wood made it look like a dice.
"Let's go in to eat," Sango said.
"Okay," Tayo said.
"I just hope a lot of people are not going to be in here. After all, there are a lot of better restaurants in this vicinity, but I chose the worst so I won't see a lot of people, cause I don't think he can handle the hate just yet," Sango thought as he smiled at Tayo before entering.
Empty was an understatement to what this restaurant was. It was as if it had been abandoned completely and left to rot for eternity. The building was crooked. The chairs were in a worse state than the building itself.
"Is anyone here?" Sango called.
"Anyone here?" Sango shouted.
"Yes! Papa, we got a customer!"
Words were being heard from the inner part of the restaurant.
"What will you like to have, sir?" As he looked up to see who was ordering, he was too shocked to speak.
"Papa?"
"Yes."
"Papa."
"What?"
"Papa."
"What, just take their orders," the old man said as he walked furiously to the dining hall to know what was going on.
"Sango! What the hell is a man of your caliber doing here?"
"Uhhhh, what that supposed to mean? This is a restaurant, right?" Sango said.
"Yea," the restaurant owner said.
"Then I'm here to eat. Then give me your best. Bring one for me and bring one for my accompany," Sango said.
"Okay, please have a sit," the restaurant owner said.
"Alright."
"Son, come help me in the back quickly."
"Okay, sir."
Sango smiled at Tayo as they awaited their food.
"Why you look at me like that?" Tayo asked.
Sango was shocked to hear Tayo speak to him again.
"What happened?" Tayo asked.
"Nothing. Was just shocked that you spoke to me again, and this soon."
"Ohhhh, I see," Tayo said, emotionless.
"That skin of yours reminds me of someone I used to know, and those blue eyes of yours remind me of someone I know," Sango said.