The entrance was bare... until it wasn't. As time passed, it didn't take long for a gathering to form.
Men in pressed coats, and women in layered silks appeared, riding out of carriages fit for royalty. Guards lined the marble steps, their halberds gleaming despite the slight drizzle of rain.
"Here you go, my dear."
"Why, thank you."
Bast lingered across the street, half-hidden beneath a crooked sign. The displays of blatant social arrogance threatened to erupt a strained laugh.
He didn't seem to care too much however.
Grrr....
The smell hit first -- roasted meat. Real meat. The kind that twisted a dark hole in his stomach until it hurt.
He shifted in place as he stared at the doorway. Light, spilling through its cracks each time a guest entered -- warm and golden.
It clearly was a world that didn't belong to him.
He stayed on the far side of the street as a faint laughter flowed through crooked pipes. It was soft and distant, a warmth he could hear but never see.
'Is it that funny?' Bast thought, as the chorus of laughter even forced an extinguished chuckle from himself.
The guards at the top of the steps shifted in place. One yawned, another barked something about late arrivals. It was scheduled.
'Planned...'
Thuk! Thuk! Thuk!
The clatters of cobblestone rang over the light drizzles of rain.
Another carriage had arrived.
The carriage door opened with a click that cut through the rain. The soft scent of perfume spilled out, dragging whispers and curiosity along in its tow.
The guards straightened, steps neat now.
'Someone important?'
Bast's gaze lingered on the light pool across the street -- clean boots, clothes that denied the touch of rain, gloves that had never touched mud.
He turned away before envy could set its fangs properly; a slight wrinkle forming on his forehead.
That's when he saw it -- a gap.
A servant's door left ajar near the side wall, light wafts of steam drifting out like a cold morning. For a moment he thought he'd imagined it.
Were his dull eyes playing a trick?
He blinked light rain from his lashes. The door was still open -- just a slither now. 'Go on,' a voice muttered from within. 'Quickly, before the next carriage--'
Bast moved without thinking.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
One step... then another. Before he knew it, he'd crossed without soliciting attention -- a normal occurrence for him. The guards didn't even glance his way. They were busy with the carriages, their laughter muffled by drips running across the ground, and the percussion of noise from inside.
Bast was right there.
Grrr!
His stomach rang louder than before, for the smell of meat was stronger now. He'd quickly ducked into the corner the door had rested; his body now hidden from the guards at the front, but exposed in a slightly "ambient" back alley.
There were no windows plastered across this side of the auction hall's face. It was simplistic, but the depth it held was significant. His wiry frame touched its surface -- a cold brush rubbing his senses. The clouds seemed to convey the same feeling dragging at him from the inside, as his amber gaze stared forward:
Heavy.
Each drop from the sky seemed to stall before falling, as if the sky had shared his inner doubt. The drizzles seemed to soften the city's edges -- it masked where "filth" ended and where wealth began.
He stood in the middle of that blur -- his hand extended out, hovering in the air as his mind whirred.
It was a frozen scene. His fingers twitched. One more step and he'd reach the door.
'One more step, and--'
His thought was cut mid-way.
THUD!
A heavy sound rang loud in the air. It's suddenness elicited a slight jolt from the guards posted at the front, not far away. It came from the side door, posted right in-front of Bast.
A cloaked man had burst through, colliding with him in a flash.
"Argghh!"
A sound of pain flowed from Bast's lips as he crashed to the floor.
In that second, it felt like the world had blinked -- a flash of motion, the damp floor gracing his palm, the pain shooting through his shoulder.
Their eyes met... just long enough for Bast to see the panic. To see that glazed look. To see the man's skin scrunch in annoyance... or was it anger?
It seemed eternal, but the drips of rain brought the two back to reality, prompting a jerk of motion.
Then the man was gone -- bolting down the alleyway, that cloak draped over him whipping through the drizzles of rain.
Thuk! Thuk! Thuk! Thuk!
"Haa...haa...."
Bast's breath came frantic as he laid across the floor, staring at the man departing with haste.
"What was that?!" A voice called out, past the corner of the alleyway. It was the guards at the front.
"...shit..." Bast muttered, his lips pressing hard.
A pain shot through his eyes -- red streaks of stress dancing near his amber irises. That's when he noticed it....
Something was glimmering near his hand.
A coin.
Half-buried in a shallow puddle, its face was smeared with dirt. He froze all of a sudden. But why?
The air around him felt heavier for some reason. Almost wrong.
That's when the siren wailed...
WOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!
"Code Black. Relic theft!"
"Code Black. Relic theft!
WOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!
Louder. Louder.
The siren felt like it came from his very soul...that's why his heart pounded so viciously.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The rain seemed to blur everything. The boots clattering. The voices barking.
"Check the side alley!"
They were coming fast -- too fast.
"Shit! Shit!"
Bast's chest tightened, as his breath scraped against his throat. He almost slipped as his palm ran along the damp floor to stand up.
Lights flared. Twin beams cut through the air in front of him -- flashlights illuminating around the corner.
His gaze flicked from the corner -- where the guard's boots splashed closer -- to the door right beside him.
It creaked. Someone was moving inside, coming closer.
"They couldn't have gone far!" A voice carried through the air.
'Fuck! I should've--'
There wasn't enough time to finish to his thought.
WOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!
This was a nightmare. It truly was.
His eyes flicked all over as the percussion of noise bled his ears dry.
Thuk! Thuk! Thuk! Thuk!
They were coming...
'Time to move!' something spoke within him... and so his muscles twitched.
He didn't know why... but as lights flickered at the edges of his vision, as the rain seemed to freeze mid-fall -- droplets suspended in the air like glass... his hand shot towards the rusted coin laying on the ground.
That was something he'd never forget.
The touch was cold. Too cold.
A pulse rippled through his palm, like a shiver that didn't belong to him.
WOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!
The world had stuttered.
Rain, sirens, footsteps -- they all tangled into one endless tone. Bast's reflection stared at him from the puddle's surface, warped yet full.
Then the noise slammed back all at once.
THUD!
The door to his side slammed open. Beams of light dressed his person from around the corner.
A large parade of people stood before him.
"Hey! Over there!"
They pointed.
Bast bolted.
It was a chase.