Fantasy a step into the havoc --- [w/ leafy]

[lelouch]

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idris eckhart

city streets

crowds

leafyx8

There was once a time Idris believed being alone was superior, and even now, as his stomach groaned and churned in its attempt to digest nothing, he couldn't say he was entirely wrong. When he was alone, things had been easier. He could be selfish and carefree, concerned only with his own next meal and resting place. Days turned to months turned to years of wayward wandering on the streets; it had become a lifestyle. Better than being dependent on his grandmother who had treated him like an eyesore or his uncle who had locked him in the basement like a rat. This was freedom, even if it was hard. He wouldn't give it up for anything or anyone.

Until he met Cesare and Isolde and Anette. He'd never really interacted with children his own age. Everything had gone sideways after his parents died. He could barely remember their faces, but he still remembered the lullabies his mother sang to lull him asleep and the heavy weight of his father's rough hand atop his head ruffling his dark hair. Had they been alive, his life would be different--happy. He would have gone to school, made friends among his peers, lived comfortably. As it was, he could barely read. His relatives hardly cared to feed him, much less educate him. When he ran away, company often meant competition. Worse than the adults who chased him off street corners and threatened to cut off his thieving hand were the other hungry, misfortunate children who leered at the newcomer stealing from their mouths. Idris had gotten into a fair few fights in his first year or two of trying to carve out his own territory. By the time he'd fallen into a familiar rhythm, he'd become convinced he didn't need anyone.

But people were social creatures, weren't they? Cesare had a brightness to him that baffled Idris and too smart of a mind to waste in the gutters. But here he was nonetheless, trading stories and knowledge for Idris' light-fingered touch. He was sure the boy was younger than him, but he knew far more words and possessed much greater patience. Isolde, his sister, and Anette came with him, and now the four of them had lived together for the last two and a half years. The abandoned hovel at the edge of town in which they squatted wasn't much, but it was something.

Idris was just thankful that spring had finally broken through the winter chill. Despite the disappearing sun, its warmth lingered like a gentle reminder of the day. Idris watched the crowds shuffling down the main road, thinning out now compared to earlier, from where he leaned against a dress shop hidden in the shadows of its alley. His stomach rolled again, and he grimaced, reaching into the hidden pocket of his jacket to brandish a palm-sized piece of stale bread. It was all he had. His day's efforts of either earning money or pilfering it had all gone to waste. Hopefully Cesare had had more success. Anette's fever hadn't worsened, but it wasn't getting better either. They needed food--real food. Not bread as hard as stone, cutting into his gums and crumbling like gravel with each bite. Better stale than moldy, he thought, as he squatted in the alleyway and waited for the momentary sensation of sustenance to still the tremors in his hands.

His bright green eyes, like the sunlight dappling through leaves, darted around his too thin face as he watched for a lost visitor or other gullible prey. He didn't need to wait much longer. After another ten minutes of silent concentration, a woman drew his attention like spark to kindling, moth to a flame. He didn't know what about her was so special. The way she carried herself? Or her outfit? The expression on her face? Whatever it was, Idris instantly knew she had money. Enough to feed four starving children, at least. Picking the rich ones out of a crowd had become second nature by this point, but even beyond that, this woman was

different

.

For a brief moment, something inside him screamed at him to run away. It was the survival instinct of a stray animal attuned to danger. But Idris was too hungry and frustrated to pay heed to it tonight. Instead, he straightened off the wall and casually strolled into the street, acting as though he had a destination in mind rather than following that woman and looking for an opening.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[leafyx8]

Hunger pains were especially ravenous for Priscilla McClure as of late. It seemed as though it had been three lifetimes she had been chained to a thirst that was never satiated, a constant thought that pricked the edge of her mind, digging into her skin and steering every thought or action in the course of her days. It gnawed at her throat, a burning fire that only found temporary solace when red nectar coated the lining. Priscilla had learned over the years that she had to be crafty when satiating her desires- it did no one any good when a fledgling ran through a whole town. That was a sure way to draw the wrong kind of attention towards themselves- effectively casting a light on them for hunters to follow. There was a delicate balance between the right and wrong kind of attention a vampire could seek out or attract.

Priscilla felt as though she had honed the craft-humans were so easily manipulated when you discover what they desired most- a warm body, good conversation, comfort, money, love, revenge- all different and yet all predictable. The woman had an alluring aura around her- a soft face and golden blonde locks that curled and waved to her back. She spoke with a cadence that encouraged trust, pulled someone in like that of a Venus fly-trap. Her eyes spilled over with honey hues muddled with brown, a pleasant last sight for someone to gaze upon right before her teeth would make purchase in the most taunting vein in their neck.

Priscilla wasn’t one to stay in one area for long- for many reasons. The biggest factor in the nomadic life of a vampire was the looming threat of interference from hunters- humans that tried to shift the food chain by taking matters into their own measly hands. Unfortunately, humans were stubborn creatures, constantly evolving and learning after their mistakes. The threat vampires faced against their own prey had grown substantially over the years, therefore Priscilla left very little tracks behind.

Her current persona was that of a healer- a common guise she’d take on, a trait she had carried on from her own mortal days. There was no better trust formed than with that of someone who offered solutions to ailments that surpassed first string remedies. It was quite easy to explain a cold body when they were already suffering from an illness that Priscilla could chalk up to ‘out of her hands’. Tainted crimson, hardly as appealing as the healthy sort, but it still filled that hunger nonetheless.

She had just began the stepping stones of her next plight- a young family, looking for the cure for a fever that had bed ridden the father of the household. Tragic, and perfect for the vampire to nudge her foot into the door. She treaded through the streets, adorned in creams and blues of a dress, a long brimmed hat tied to her head with ribbon, her hands clad in white gloves that carried a very official looking leather bag, boasting an assortment of medical equipment. The city streets were packed as bodies bustled through, the evening drawing near and casting little glow through the stormy clouds above. Priscilla could smell it- the very liquid that each human that brushed past her held, taunting her self control.

A predator knew when they were being hunted- it was natural instinct. Priscilla didn’t need to look behind her to be aware of the small body that seemed tethered to her path, no matter the twists and turns she took within the streets. Curious thing- did they have an inkling of what she was? If so, did they wish for a grave so soon? She decided to test her theory, taking a sharp slip into the thin alley that nestled between two buildings, dim and deep as it provided a break from wondering eyes.

 

[lelouch]

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idris eckhart

city streets

crowds

leafyx8

As he followed her, Idris slowly took in more details of her dress, her mien, her movements. Even the way a person sneezed could reveal something, which made Idris cagey about befriending others. Trust had been taken from him as a child, and even now he struggled to reclaim it. If he could use someone's weaknesses against them, then so could someone use his. But as far as he could tell, this woman held no fear. She navigated the streets with practice and ease. Idris had never seen her before, but given the city's population and size, that was hardly surprising. He'd been hoping she was a visitor or newcomer, someone with the uneasy and unguarded gait of simple prey. He wasn't so lucky tonight, but Idris persisted. His eyes drifted to her leather satchel that clearly held items of value. Even if Idris did not find money, he would find things he could sell for money.

She was pretty too, he noted distantly. Perhaps it was her golden head of hair that caught his attention, hidden beneath a hat that did nothing to hide its brilliance despite the darkening, cloudy day. The darker, the better. Less for her to notice as he undid the clasp of her bag or perhaps manufactured a situation to steal the whole thing. He knew enough shortcuts and burrows in this area that he could do it, but he would have preferred it to be the dead of night in that case. There were still too many bodies on the streets, too many adults who could stop him and drag him before the law. Idris' small stature did not always work in his favor--escape yes, but confrontation no.

As he considered his options, his quarry suddenly made a sharp turn into a dark alley. Idris blinked, the unexpected change of direction startling him into a brief pause, before he hurried to make up the distance. Where was she going, a wary voice in the back of his mind intoned, that she needed to take this path? Or--had she noticed him?

In Idris' experience, such a shift meant he'd either been discovered or was soon to be ambushed. His bruises of past beatings had healed, but the scars remained. Idris grimaced, knowing he had a few seconds at most to make his decision else risk losing her. A younger him might have rushed forward, certain there was no danger because how could there be from such a gentle, elegant-seeming lady, but the voice of warning within him cried out again: run away!

But where would he run? No food, no money, no medicine? Idris gritted his teeth and shook his head. He was overthinking it.

He slipped into the darkness and was immediately engulfed by it. The rest of the world might as well have vanished as the muted sounds of the bustling crowds at either entrance struggled to reach them between the tall, close walls that squeezed him. Despite Idris' reservations, this was also his opportunity. Steal the bag quickly, and run. If she doubted he was following her before, even the dimmest would have realized it now, so there was no point in pretending anymore. Idris quickened his pace. Steal, and run. Simple enough.

♡coded by uxie♡