???: "Gasp... gasp..."
Breathing heavily, the black haired boy sprinted through the dark alleys of the slums with a loaf of bread tucked under his arm. The heavy rain made him cautious with every step, careful not to slip.
???: "I bet that old guy won't even notice some bread is missing."
He glanced up at the [̸̰̽͗͒m̷̙̰̗̼̒̎̌̉ō̷͎̙͙̃o̵̡̎̏͆͘n̷̝͖͍͗̕]̴̙̾̈́] as he ran.
???: "Maybe it's watching me," he whispered with a half smile, "or maybe it doesn't care."
His footsteps caused puddles on the ground to splash up onto his worn out clothes.
Ahead of him, a wooden door to a shabby building was barely seen through the dark night.
???: "Almost there."
Careful enough not to let the heavy rain get inside of the orphanage, he slipped past the door and into the cold orphanage.
An old lady sat in a comfy chair ahead, snoring loudly like she had no worries at all.
The boy narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at the old lady, as he slipped past her into another room. Three children lay huddled together on tattered blankets.
???: "Bram," the boy whispered, slapping the eldest looking one on the cheek repeatedly to wake him up.
Struggling to open his eyes, the eldest kid's face looked pissed off as he grabbed the boy's hand.
Bram: "Ugh... Locke what do you want?"
Locke:(grinning) "Relax, I didn't wake you up to bug you. I brought foo-"
Before Locke could finish, the blonde haired kid suddenly lunged forward, tackled him onto the cold floor with a thud. The loaf of bread fell down.
Bram: "Locke! Where did you get that?! Don't tell me you stole food again!"
Locke struggled under the weight but still kept his half grin up while looking away.
Locke: "What, you think I bought it with my royal allowance?"
Bram: "What if they take you awa-"
loud footsteps were heard.
Bram and Locke quickly laid down closing both of their eyes.
The door creaked open,
Old Lady: "Was I just hearing things?" a raspy voice was heard.
The old lady turned around, scratched the back of her head, and went back to sleep.
Locke opened one of his eyes and quickly scanned the room for the lady just in case.
Then he sat upright and grabbed the bread that fell and split it evenly into four pieces.
Locke handed the first piece to Bram and then quietly moved to the other two sleeping on the blanket.
Locke: (softly) "Rin, Niko... wake up, I have food," said Locke with a smile. Rin, while shivering under the thin blanket, slowly opened her eyes.
Rin:(soft and sleepy) "mine...?"
Locke: (smiling) "All yours"
He reached down and gently ruffled her brown tangled hair. As the youngest in the group, she was often doted on.
Rin:"thankwu" she said, slurring her words together.
Locke gave her a small nod, then he turned to her side, crouching beside the black haired boy sprawled out with his mouth half open.
Locke: "Niko," he whispered. "Wake up"
He gently tapped his shoulder...
No reaction.
He reached out again, nudging Niko's arm. Suddenly, Niko's hand grabbed Locke's face with surprising strength. The boy didn't even open his eyes, just let out a long snore as a string of drool trailed from his mouth.
Locke: (muffled) "Niko...what the?"
Niko's grip only tightened, yanking Locke's face closer to his torso and threw a leg around Locke's neck like a koala clinging to a tree... all while he is sleeping and snoring.
Locke: (muffled) "I'm not a pillow... and why are you so strong... when you're sleeping?" he silently screamed while struggling.
After several moments of struggle, Locke finally tore himself free, gasping as he staggered back like he'd barely survived a wild animal encounter.
Niko remained blissfully unaware, snoring away in the exact same position, just, hugging his own arm now.
Locke narrowed his eyes. He tore a chunk of bread and shoved it directly into Niko's open mouth.
The effect was immediate. (Who knew)
Niko:(choking) "Mrrgh?!"
He sat up in a panic, chewing instincitvely as his eyes darted around, confused and sleepy.
Niko: Huh?!.. Food?"
Locke dusted himself off.
Without a second thought, Niko flopped back down onto the blanket, t posing, still chewing mid fall, and immediately resumed sleeping, as if nothing happened, no questions asked.
Locke: "That's...scary. How can he even do that?!"
Locke quickly ate his own piece of bread, while the others slowly drifted back to sleep. Rain was drizzling softly on the windows, distant thunder rumbled low.
With the bread in his mouth his eyes drifted to the moon, pale blue, shrouded in a swirling ring of ash just now, hanging low in the sky.
No one said it aloud, but everyone knew what that meant.
A quiet shiver ran down his spine.
He puled the tattered blanket tighter and quickly settled into uneasy sleep.
Ⲧⲏⲉ Ⲁ⳽ⲏ Ⲙⲟⲟⲛ ⲏⲁⲛⳋ⳽ ⳑⲟⲱ ⳕⲛ ⲧⲏⲉ ⳽ⲕⲩ, ⳕⲧ⳽ ⳏⲁⳑⲉ ⲃⳑⳙⲉ ⳑⳕⳋⲏⲧ ⳋⳑⲟⲱⳕⲛⳋ ⲃⲉⲛⲉⲁⲧⲏ ⲁ ⲅⳕⲛⳋ ⲟ⳨ 𝖽ⲅⳕ⳨ⲧⳕⲛⳋ ⲁ⳽ⲏ. Ⳕⲧ ⲁⳏⳏⲉⲁⲅ⳽ ⲱⳕⲧⲏⲟⳙⲧ ⲱⲁⲅⲛⳕⲛⳋ, ⲁ ⲫⳙⳕⲉⲧ ⲟⲙⲉⲛ ⲱⲏⳕ⳽ⳏⲉⲅⲉ𝖽 ⲁⲙⲟⲛⳋ ⲧⲏⲉ ⳨ⲉⲁⲅ⳨ⳙⳑ ⲁⲛ𝖽 ⳨ⲟⲅⳋⲟⲧⲧⲉⲛ. Ⲱⲏⲉⲛ ⳕⲧ ⲅⳕ⳽ⲉ⳽, ⲧⲏⳕⲛⳋ⳽ 𝖽ⳕ⳽ⲁⳏⲉⲁⲅ, ⳏⲉⲟⳏⳑⲉ, ⲙⲉⲙⲟⲅⳕⲉ⳽, ⲧⲅⳙⲧⲏ⳽, ⳑⲉⲁⳳⳕⲛⳋ ⲃⲉⲏⳕⲛ𝖽 ⲟⲛⳑⲩ ⳽ⳕⳑⲉⲛⲥⲉ ⲁⲛ𝖽 ⲫⳙⲉ⳽ⲧⳕⲟⲛ⳽. Ⲱⲏⲁⲧ ⳕⲧ ⲙⲉⲁⲛ⳽, ⲟⲅ ⲱⲏⲉⲅⲉ ⳕⲧ ⲥⲟⲙⲉ⳽ ⳨ⲅⲟⲙ, ⲛⲟ ⲟⲛⲉ ⲥⲁⲛ ⳽ⲁⲩ. Ⲟⲛⳑⲩ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⳕⲧ⳽ ⲁⲅⲅⳕⳳⲁⳑ ⲥⲏⲁⲛⳋⲉ⳽ ⲉⳳⲉⲅⲩⲧⲏⳕⲛⳋ, ⳕⲛ ⲱⲁⲩ⳽ ⲛⲟ ⲟⲛⲉ ⲥⲁⲛ ⳨ⳙⳑⳑⲩ ⳙⲛ𝖽ⲉⲅ⳽ⲧⲁⲛ𝖽.