The sun slowly rose over the horizon, reflecting of the pale snow and illuminating the landscape. Barren trees swayed in the wind as icicles fell from their branches.
A white rabbit hopped lightly through the soft snow. It's nose rose up to the sky, sniffing a couple of times. An alluring scent had entered its nostrils. It's ears twitched while it's stomach started growling.
The little rabbit sniffed a couple more times, slowly hopping towards this alluring scent. After a couple of seconds it spotted a few cabbage leaves covered in snow and quickly hopped over to it.
Steel teeth ripped through its back paws as it was violently yanked up and crushed between two steel jaws. The white fur quickly stained crimson as the life faded out of its eyes.
Blood dripped down, dying the cabbage leaves red.
....
A young man slowly walked through the barren forest. His leather fur boots treading through the thick pillowed snow. A steel pickaxe with a wooden handle rested on his shoulder. His other hand lifted, slightly covering his eyes to shield from the morning sun.
A dead peacock dangled from his hip, it's feet bound together by a rope. A smear of blood darkened the side of his auburn woolen trousers.
Treading through the snow the young man approached a steel trap with a mutilated rabbit stuck in it.
Corin let out a soft sigh, "No deer again."
He crouched down dropping the pickaxe and started pulling open the steel jaws. His pale grey eyes locked sight with the little rabbit. It's dark lifeless eyes sparkling under the morning sun. The blood staining its fur had been frozen solid.
Corin grabbed it by its front paws, lifting it up as he stared at the shocked expression stuck on the rabbits face. Corin opened his eyes wide trying to imitate it.
Returning to his neutral expression he started tying up the rabbit. He reset the trap, placing some new cabbage leaves before picking up his pickaxe.
Getting up he smoothly slotted the pickaxe in his belt and started walking back towards the city.
Corin was no hunter, but he had bought, and stolen a few traps to set up. Occasionally, an unlucky animal would stumble into one, giving him some extra coin or a tasty meal. He saw no downside to this and spent his every morning wandering through this forest.
Once out of the forest he looked at the bustling city in the distance, standing tall in the snowy white plains. The city of technology Kertelmoor.
Many mechanical lights cast a warm glow through the entire city. Their hum mingling with the hiss of steam rising in thick, white pillars. Flying ships drifted between towering structures, weaving through the smoky air. A colossal clock tower protruded from the cities center, its peak standing among the clouds. A marvel of architecture that had taken many years to build.
His eyes lingered for a bit, looking at clock tower and the upper district where the elegant houses clustered around the palace. Before shifting down and peering at the few light sparks that managed to breach the thick smoke blanketing the lower district.
A city full of opportunities and a city full of despair, that was Kertelmoor.
Before walking any closer, Corin stopped for a second, taking a look at his own reflection in a frozen puddle. His cheeks tensed and the corners of his mouth lifted up into a smile.
The mask stared back through the reflection, staying perfectly expressionless with it's mouth tightly shut. Only corin's pale grey eyes were visible trough the two dark holes. He stopped smiling and focused on his eyes. His lower eyelids lifted slightly while he narrowed his eyes just a tiny bit, forming two crescent moons.
Corin examined himself for a bit before shaking his head, he was sure he did it perfectly but something still seemed to be missing. He tried some slight tweaks before settling and moving on.
After a long walk he found himself at the base of Kertelmoor, streets bustling with people and noise greeted him. Entering the lower district, Corin swiftly veered into the back alleyways.
Fog clouded the streets, rats scurrying away at the faintest glimmers of light, while people in worn down clothes drifted past with hollow, exhausted eyes.
The underground.
The place where the poor, the criminals and any kind of scum gathered. Here you could sell and buy anything.
Before long Corin ended up in front of a run down shop. A horrible smell leaked through the front door and a dim glow bled through the foggy window.
Corin's gaze wandered to the wooden sign hanging above, "Butchery Jef".
He reached forward, his long slender fingers wrapping around the metal door knob, and pulled. The door opened with a loud creak, bells chimed as he set foot inside.
Behind the counter stood a large, rough man. He was bald with a course, untrimmed beard. Blood splatters stained his apron and a big sharp knife rested in his hand.
Corin approached, grabbing the tied up peacock and rabbit from his hip. His tone turned eerily bright and cheerful.
"Good morning Jef, i have another haul for you.".
Jef's gaze shifted over, his eyes narrowed upon seeing Corin. Looking towards the peacock and rabbit he grunted, "You went hunting in that cursed forest again, monster?".
Corrin kept the same pleasant expression on his face, "No, these just wandered close to my house."
Jef snorted, quickly yanking both animals from his hand and tossing them onto the scale. "Yeah right, like anyone would believe that.". His eyes flicked to Corin's mask, "And stop looking at me like that, it creeps me out.".
Corin chuckled, fingers brushing the edges of his mask, "I would take it of if i could."
"I meant your eyes." Jef snapped without looking back, "Stop looking at me with those fake happy eyes, you monster."
Corin's gaze changed.
The life draining from his eyes. The air tightened, growing cold and heavy. He stepped closer, leaning his weight against the counter, head tilted slightly.
"Why?"
A pause.
"Tell me."
He leaned even closer. "Why is it fake? I was sure I did it the same as other people."
A shiver ran down Jef's spine, his breath hitched, the grip on his knife tightening. He spun around shouting, "That's the problem right there, you don't imitate expressions you freak!".
The words hung in the air. Jef's face went pale, a drop of sweat slowly slithered down his forehead. He quickly turned back to the scale.
"A-anyway." He blurted out, "14 copper kertels. For both.".
Corin stopped leaning over the counter, his eyes forming two crescent moons once more. The pressure vanished, as if it had never been there.
He glanced at the scale.
"Twenty," his tone polite.
Jef puffed out his chest and met his stare. "Fifteen."
"Nineteen."
"Sixteen."
"Eighteen."
Jef leaned over the counter, looming. "Seventeen. Take it or leave it. I cannot go higher!"
They stared at one another. The air grew tight again, time stretching thin. This time, Jef did not look away.
Corin let out a long sigh.
"All right, Deal."
....
Walking back outside of the butchery, Corin looked at the 17 copper coins laying in his hand.
Kertels, named after the founder of Kertelmoor, Hance Kertel the first.
The currency has four tiers, copper, silver, gold and black iron. With black iron being the most valuable and copper the least. Each tier increased in multiples of 35, so 35 copper kertels are equivalent to 1 silver kertel.
This system was a direct tribute to Hance Kertel who at the time had thirty-five wives.
Putting the copper kertels in his pouch, Jef's words lingered in his mind. "You don't imitate expressions."
"Why not?" Corin thought aloud.
He didn't know what he did wrong, he just did what he saw other people do.
But he was sure he needed to improve. This white mask covering everything but his eyes, certainly didn't help.
The first step to understanding why his expressions where wrong was clear in his mind.
"Take off this bothersome mask."