Memories of Innocence
12th Glade 113
How long has it been?
To be able to see the light above? For the ones who protected him to return? A proper meal and clean clothing?
Days ran together in a haze as the frantic fight for survival raged on an hourly basis. Steal, run, hide, and repeat. This was all he could do to live to see another day, however many days he has been doing this now. With no sunlight the passage of time held no meaning and as such neither did when one should sleep. It was all a struggle and keeping track of such frivolities was not a luxury that gutter trash, such as he, could take.
For all the dark of his life there is one that shares in this burden. Two rats sharing the same hole in the wall, resting to go about another day of petty thievery and scrounging. For all the cold and dark this place held it could not reach them within this hiding hole. Huddled close to the boy was a girl, somewhat older he figures, sharing their body heat and sleeping silently for the "dawn" to break on their morrow.
The people he barely could remember are no longer here, but she is. Her presence calmed his anxiety over the things that needed to be done and he kept her safe as an extra pair of eyes. Neither one has taken the leap of using violence and with her promise to him it will never happen. He believes this dearly.
She shuffles in her sleep and stirs the boy awake. The boy mumbles and brushes her auburn hair away from his face. Dirty rags they called clothing piled onto each other, giving the impression that the two are one. He couldn't help but see if she was faking sleep again, brushing the hair away from her face and looking at her freckled cheeks and soft eyelids. For a moment she seemed to almost glow, merely looking at her in this state caused the boy's heart to leap, his grey eyes changing and shining with a glittering sapphire blue.
He wanted to poke her cheek, the softness always seemed to cheer him up, but this was enough. Her body leaned on his, she was heavy but not so much that it made him uncomfortable, and her head nestled under his chin. A sight that would turn an eye or two with how out of place they were this deep underground.
The boy leaned his face down and nuzzled her hair as he let her sleep. Dirty, smelly, and matted hair smeared on his cheek and he could hear... a giggle?
He smiled and hugged her tighter and in return she wrapped her arms around him as well. She was so warm and kind to him, this was all he could do to return the generosity she had given him up until now.
"Good morning, how'd my little brother sleep?" The girl whispered as she tussled his hair, keeping her hands below the horns that grew out and backwards.
"I slept good. I'm sorry if i woke you up." The boy spoke in a hushed whisper as well, blushing as she played with his hair.
"I've been awake, just wanted to let you get a few more minutes of sleep before we go out again today." Her voice turned sweet as she gave him another tight hug and pushed away to stretch.
The boy smiled and watched her do her daily routine. The hiding spot left little room to move but she made the most of it as she stretched her legs upwards, her knee coming up next to her ear. Never would he have thought that someone could be so flexible, she was so talented in his eyes.
Truly she was a shining star in this hopeless cesspool they find themselves in.
Today will be the same, as it always is.
The two children exit the safety of the temporary haven and venture forth silently amongst the other urchins. The gutter filth around them will beg and scrape to earn something of worth, but not these two. They will earn their way at the cost of the adults who spurn them, it was only fair.
Vigilance was needed for one mistake could cost them their lives and so the boy would stay behind and watch the girl walk amongst the adults, pilfering their pockets. Once or twice she would get caught, but the boy was clever and always found a way to free her from harm without harming anyone.
Sometimes he would scream and fall down, holding his chest and crying as hard as he could. The people around him would be distracted for a moment, and it was enough for her to escape. The boy would run afterwards and they would celebrate in silence over their new treasure.
There would be times where that wouldn't be enough and the boy would brazenly steal something in plain sight, running as fast as he can and discarding what he took in plain view of his pursuers. He might get away from them in time, but what she took is always of greater value.
They practiced these acts over and over and soon they were adept enough to fool the adults that looked down on them, fools that they were.
Today will be the same, just like every other day.
The boy and girl sat together before and looked for a target that might have a purse full enough for them to pinch. Much of the adults they see are no better than them, except they were big and strong enough to be hired as meat shields and mindless muscle for some that would be considered unsavory for civilized society. These people were ignored for they had nothing of value and as such were regarded as worthless in the eyes of the girl and boy, she taught him this early on.
"I see someone, he has a cloak." The boy breathlessly said next to her.
"Yea I see him now, nice catch. We'll do the bump and snatch on this one." She replied in an excited whisper.
The bump and snatch, not the most elegant move but it served them well when the adult is covered in a cloak and their valuables aren't easy seen. The two will walk together with their eyes down, and intercept the unaware adult, then they will both bump into him grab the first thing they can get their hands on and run. It was risky but risk was needed to eat.
"I don't like that one, they always chase me." The boy whined and pouted as he lowered his face into his knees.
"But you always get away." She scoots closer to him and puts her hand over his shoulder to lean him closer.
He wasn't convinced about her safety though and withdrew further into a ball. He knew he could get away easily, these adults were spiteful and greedy beings and they would rather cackle at the victim than help him.
She saw the doubt in his eyes and softly smiled. Leaning in to kiss him on the cheek for good luck.
"You can do this, I know you can. Just like every other time." Her voice reverberated in his ear and he could feel himself blush with intensity.
"Ok. I can do this." The boy mumbled and looked away.
"That's my brave little brother." She stood up, pulling him up hand by hand.
His heart swelled with courage as they walked together. A smile couldn't help but creep on his face as they went ahead with their plan and he chanced a look at her own face.
She was smiling too, but it was not warm. A sick and twisted grin changed his beautiful partner into someone else, she always does this before they were about to steal from an unsuspecting adult. He could see the aura around her change and flicker from a dazzling light to dark and sinister. He voiced his concern to her about this before but she would change the subject or smother him in affection until his objections were laid by the side.
Perhaps it didn't matter. He had her by his side everyday and that was all he needed, and he would accept her for all the faces she might hide from him.
They walked with their heads down as their target slowed to a stop and looked towards a certain building, it held nothing of real note about it besides being one of the many shacks that these down trodden and forgotten souls called home.
They walked with a greater pace and some adults seemed to steer clear of them, perhaps previous victims wishing to see a spectacle or bystanders knowing what was about to happen to the person standing there. The girl took note of this and walked the boy in a different direction as the man turned his head back around on a swivel towards them. He didn't look at them directly but he was obviously looking for something.
"I think someone is challenging us. Sounds fun." The girl pushed the boy's back to have him walk separately from her.
It took every ounce of his willpower to not look surprised, or make a sound, as she made them move separately. Sometimes plans don't go as planned, and they would have to adapt.
Reading her movements wasn't very hard for the boy, he watched her work every day and tried his best to walk in tandem to her approach. As she went towards him from behind he would shift and move towards the flank the man kept his attention away from.
Every second sounded alarms in his head to abort. Somehow in the past he was able to make sure she escaped with little risk to himself but now he was in the middle of it as well. She however was confident in their success and stalked their target like a hungry predator.
One boys view came as such; She walked in her shadow, the aura around her silenced until the moment she struck, and crouched low to get under his cloak. The man is surprised and walks around in a stumble as another smaller being now occupies the spaces around his legs. Then she explodes out from the back of his cape with an armful of goods.
He was dumbstruck, standing and staring at how she got to him and made him look like a fool, just like all the rest. Surely he was on alert the whole time, or maybe she was right and it was just like any other day.
No one paid any attention to the boy, instead choosing to mock the man for letting his guard down as he ran for the girl and lost her in the crowd. The boy was only a speck in this moment and as such fell under the radar as he too slipped away.
Against all warning signs, today was the same as it always was.
The two met again in another dark corner of Hauseu, where prying eyes would not find them, and went through their ill gotten goods. Copper coins, silver coins, some strange red crystals, and a dagger.
"We got a good haul this time. Good work." She said under her breath next to him, leaning in and rubbing her cheek against his head. The tussling of his hair was always a pleasant feeling for him but now he could feel her against his horn. It was not uncomfortable.
"I didn't do anything though." The boy looked away from her and let his eyes hang on the crystals, strange threads are contained within and danced to a silent tune as they twist and turn on their own accord.
"You did great, he kept looking at you instead of me. So I had the chance to get the drop on him." She notices his eyes focused on the red crystals and picked them up for him. "Here, I think you could use these."
Every so often they get these crystals and with them they can get even better scores against higher risk targets. The boy could run into the middle of them, explode, and then the two of them will scavenge everything they could while the group was downed. Inelegant, risky, but very much worth it should the group be some adventurers. No one would think to look at a kid as a ticking time bomb.
She took the dagger and brought the blade closer to them, letting the reflective metal show the boy their reflection.
Him and her are close, both blushing as they stared into the metal. His eyes shine their brilliant blue and glitter in the damp darkness that is the Middens. He wished moments like these could last forever and they could be together forever. He didn't need anyone else anymore expect for this girl.
To be able to see the light above? For the ones who protected him to return? A proper meal and clean clothing?
Days ran together in a haze as the frantic fight for survival raged on an hourly basis. Steal, run, hide, and repeat. This was all he could do to live to see another day, however many days he has been doing this now. With no sunlight the passage of time held no meaning and as such neither did when one should sleep. It was all a struggle and keeping track of such frivolities was not a luxury that gutter trash, such as he, could take.
For all the dark of his life there is one that shares in this burden. Two rats sharing the same hole in the wall, resting to go about another day of petty thievery and scrounging. For all the cold and dark this place held it could not reach them within this hiding hole. Huddled close to the boy was a girl, somewhat older he figures, sharing their body heat and sleeping silently for the "dawn" to break on their morrow.
The people he barely could remember are no longer here, but she is. Her presence calmed his anxiety over the things that needed to be done and he kept her safe as an extra pair of eyes. Neither one has taken the leap of using violence and with her promise to him it will never happen. He believes this dearly.
She shuffles in her sleep and stirs the boy awake. The boy mumbles and brushes her auburn hair away from his face. Dirty rags they called clothing piled onto each other, giving the impression that the two are one. He couldn't help but see if she was faking sleep again, brushing the hair away from her face and looking at her freckled cheeks and soft eyelids. For a moment she seemed to almost glow, merely looking at her in this state caused the boy's heart to leap, his grey eyes changing and shining with a glittering sapphire blue.
He wanted to poke her cheek, the softness always seemed to cheer him up, but this was enough. Her body leaned on his, she was heavy but not so much that it made him uncomfortable, and her head nestled under his chin. A sight that would turn an eye or two with how out of place they were this deep underground.
The boy leaned his face down and nuzzled her hair as he let her sleep. Dirty, smelly, and matted hair smeared on his cheek and he could hear... a giggle?
He smiled and hugged her tighter and in return she wrapped her arms around him as well. She was so warm and kind to him, this was all he could do to return the generosity she had given him up until now.
"Good morning, how'd my little brother sleep?" The girl whispered as she tussled his hair, keeping her hands below the horns that grew out and backwards.
"I slept good. I'm sorry if i woke you up." The boy spoke in a hushed whisper as well, blushing as she played with his hair.
"I've been awake, just wanted to let you get a few more minutes of sleep before we go out again today." Her voice turned sweet as she gave him another tight hug and pushed away to stretch.
The boy smiled and watched her do her daily routine. The hiding spot left little room to move but she made the most of it as she stretched her legs upwards, her knee coming up next to her ear. Never would he have thought that someone could be so flexible, she was so talented in his eyes.
Truly she was a shining star in this hopeless cesspool they find themselves in.
Today will be the same, as it always is.
The two children exit the safety of the temporary haven and venture forth silently amongst the other urchins. The gutter filth around them will beg and scrape to earn something of worth, but not these two. They will earn their way at the cost of the adults who spurn them, it was only fair.
Vigilance was needed for one mistake could cost them their lives and so the boy would stay behind and watch the girl walk amongst the adults, pilfering their pockets. Once or twice she would get caught, but the boy was clever and always found a way to free her from harm without harming anyone.
Sometimes he would scream and fall down, holding his chest and crying as hard as he could. The people around him would be distracted for a moment, and it was enough for her to escape. The boy would run afterwards and they would celebrate in silence over their new treasure.
There would be times where that wouldn't be enough and the boy would brazenly steal something in plain sight, running as fast as he can and discarding what he took in plain view of his pursuers. He might get away from them in time, but what she took is always of greater value.
They practiced these acts over and over and soon they were adept enough to fool the adults that looked down on them, fools that they were.
Today will be the same, just like every other day.
The boy and girl sat together before and looked for a target that might have a purse full enough for them to pinch. Much of the adults they see are no better than them, except they were big and strong enough to be hired as meat shields and mindless muscle for some that would be considered unsavory for civilized society. These people were ignored for they had nothing of value and as such were regarded as worthless in the eyes of the girl and boy, she taught him this early on.
"I see someone, he has a cloak." The boy breathlessly said next to her.
"Yea I see him now, nice catch. We'll do the bump and snatch on this one." She replied in an excited whisper.
The bump and snatch, not the most elegant move but it served them well when the adult is covered in a cloak and their valuables aren't easy seen. The two will walk together with their eyes down, and intercept the unaware adult, then they will both bump into him grab the first thing they can get their hands on and run. It was risky but risk was needed to eat.
"I don't like that one, they always chase me." The boy whined and pouted as he lowered his face into his knees.
"But you always get away." She scoots closer to him and puts her hand over his shoulder to lean him closer.
He wasn't convinced about her safety though and withdrew further into a ball. He knew he could get away easily, these adults were spiteful and greedy beings and they would rather cackle at the victim than help him.
She saw the doubt in his eyes and softly smiled. Leaning in to kiss him on the cheek for good luck.
"You can do this, I know you can. Just like every other time." Her voice reverberated in his ear and he could feel himself blush with intensity.
"Ok. I can do this." The boy mumbled and looked away.
"That's my brave little brother." She stood up, pulling him up hand by hand.
His heart swelled with courage as they walked together. A smile couldn't help but creep on his face as they went ahead with their plan and he chanced a look at her own face.
She was smiling too, but it was not warm. A sick and twisted grin changed his beautiful partner into someone else, she always does this before they were about to steal from an unsuspecting adult. He could see the aura around her change and flicker from a dazzling light to dark and sinister. He voiced his concern to her about this before but she would change the subject or smother him in affection until his objections were laid by the side.
Perhaps it didn't matter. He had her by his side everyday and that was all he needed, and he would accept her for all the faces she might hide from him.
They walked with their heads down as their target slowed to a stop and looked towards a certain building, it held nothing of real note about it besides being one of the many shacks that these down trodden and forgotten souls called home.
They walked with a greater pace and some adults seemed to steer clear of them, perhaps previous victims wishing to see a spectacle or bystanders knowing what was about to happen to the person standing there. The girl took note of this and walked the boy in a different direction as the man turned his head back around on a swivel towards them. He didn't look at them directly but he was obviously looking for something.
"I think someone is challenging us. Sounds fun." The girl pushed the boy's back to have him walk separately from her.
It took every ounce of his willpower to not look surprised, or make a sound, as she made them move separately. Sometimes plans don't go as planned, and they would have to adapt.
Reading her movements wasn't very hard for the boy, he watched her work every day and tried his best to walk in tandem to her approach. As she went towards him from behind he would shift and move towards the flank the man kept his attention away from.
Every second sounded alarms in his head to abort. Somehow in the past he was able to make sure she escaped with little risk to himself but now he was in the middle of it as well. She however was confident in their success and stalked their target like a hungry predator.
One boys view came as such; She walked in her shadow, the aura around her silenced until the moment she struck, and crouched low to get under his cloak. The man is surprised and walks around in a stumble as another smaller being now occupies the spaces around his legs. Then she explodes out from the back of his cape with an armful of goods.
He was dumbstruck, standing and staring at how she got to him and made him look like a fool, just like all the rest. Surely he was on alert the whole time, or maybe she was right and it was just like any other day.
No one paid any attention to the boy, instead choosing to mock the man for letting his guard down as he ran for the girl and lost her in the crowd. The boy was only a speck in this moment and as such fell under the radar as he too slipped away.
Against all warning signs, today was the same as it always was.
The two met again in another dark corner of Hauseu, where prying eyes would not find them, and went through their ill gotten goods. Copper coins, silver coins, some strange red crystals, and a dagger.
"We got a good haul this time. Good work." She said under her breath next to him, leaning in and rubbing her cheek against his head. The tussling of his hair was always a pleasant feeling for him but now he could feel her against his horn. It was not uncomfortable.
"I didn't do anything though." The boy looked away from her and let his eyes hang on the crystals, strange threads are contained within and danced to a silent tune as they twist and turn on their own accord.
"You did great, he kept looking at you instead of me. So I had the chance to get the drop on him." She notices his eyes focused on the red crystals and picked them up for him. "Here, I think you could use these."
Every so often they get these crystals and with them they can get even better scores against higher risk targets. The boy could run into the middle of them, explode, and then the two of them will scavenge everything they could while the group was downed. Inelegant, risky, but very much worth it should the group be some adventurers. No one would think to look at a kid as a ticking time bomb.
She took the dagger and brought the blade closer to them, letting the reflective metal show the boy their reflection.
Him and her are close, both blushing as they stared into the metal. His eyes shine their brilliant blue and glitter in the damp darkness that is the Middens. He wished moments like these could last forever and they could be together forever. He didn't need anyone else anymore expect for this girl.
