Kiori clenched his teeth as the old man called them out on their act. He couldn't blame him; there were too many holes in the plan. Dread welled up in his gut, though, because now he had no idea what to do. It would be hard enough fighting off an assassin at full strength, but it would be impossible if they were tired and malnourished from trying to live in the wild. He was prepared to throw all of his pride aside and prostrate himself before the man, begging for just a shred of mercy, but fortunately he didn't have to. Despite instantly seeing through their lies, he agreed to let them stay. "Thank you sir!" he called out, but the man was not interested in hearing their thanks. It was a rare man that could pull of a personality that was simultaneously callous and benevolent. 

The next thing he knew, Rylee threw her arms around him, relishing in their small victory. Kiori returned the hug and let out a soft chuckle, but was far more composed about the situation. It was fine for them to enjoy the moment, but now they would have some serious work to do. He blushed slightly at Rylee's praise, but he didn't want to lose too much time celebrating this small step. After all, this was the easy part. "What do you say we take a look at our new house," he said, once it seemed like Rylee's excitement began to ebb. He followed the old man's instructions down to the end of the road, and there saw a small hut that could qualify as a "home" only in the most liberal sense of the word. The building appeared sturdy enough, and at least seemed to be free from rot, but apart from a roof, it had little else to offer. 

Kiori pushed open the door to the hut and peered inside. Perhaps there had been two rooms at one point in time, but if so that wall was taken down. There were a few cabinets, the frame of a bed with no mattress, and a single moldy chair inside. Fully furnished, the hut would likely be cramped, but as vacant as it was it actually seemed moderately spacious for the two of them. That was good, a bit of room would be useful for their preparations. The hut also seemed to be out of the way of most of the village's traffic, and was only a few steps away from the wilderness. Also a good feature. From this location they should have no problem telling when the assassin was coming. Kiori gave a satisfied nod, then said, "What do you think?"