Love's Gross

Mysterious Stranger

6 Days Left

Sunlight, dust in the air, and near revolting heat; another morning in Crobanya was here. Cordy stood up and stretched. Scott had come home and fallen asleep in a bizarre position on his bed, almost like a snoring corpse. She tiptoed to her stuff, grabbed her green dress, and slid it on herself.

There had to be a balance here, if she carried her glaive she'd stand out, if she carried one dagger she'd be under-armed. The long boots she wore with this dress at least let her have two daggers. That had to be enough, she supposed.

As she stepped outside, slightly stale croissant in mouth, her eyes darted past the flowing river of people to the hazy skyline, to the building she'd been on with Alistair. It wasn't the tallest building, in fact it blended in with the other bleak buildings of Crobanya, but yet something about the whole thing hit her in a strange way, almost like her business was unfinished. What was left though? He didn't owe her anything.

Her legs were already moving as she thought. Damn impulses, damn curiosity. She broke into a sprint until she grew close to the building, still eating her croissant. She jumped up to a pole and vaulted forward to a patio. Ledge to ledge she climbed up, not worried about who saw, but perhaps she should've been after yesterday. It didn't matter, the building was no match for her, two more hops.

Her hand missed. Time slowed, feet left the wall, and something grabbed her arm. She looked up and saw that same small face smirking at her.

"You owe me two now, Cordy." Alistair laughed. Cordy used her free hand to grab her croissant from her mouth. "Half a croissant work? I only spat on it a little." She smirked back.

"Hmm, for you, sure." He grabbed her other arm and pulled her up, taking her breakfast in the process.

"Thank you." She forced out.

"No problem. What brought you back to this lovely roof though?"

"Curiosity, I guess."

"Curiosity? About me?" The boy made a snarky face. Was it about him? Why did she do this again?

"Why did you come here?"

"It's got a good view of the main road to the market. So, what's so curious about me?" He asked, taking a bite out of the croissant.

"I don't meet many people my own age these days. That's why I'm curious." Technically that wasn't a lie, and she refused to admit that it was specifically about him.

"Well, if you want to meet more, I know some." He smiled.

"I don't know..."

"You just said you don't get to meet many people, you obviously want to." She stood up with him, and the pair walked to the edge of the building. Hopping from balcony to balcony until they hit the street. Cordy extended her arms out into the wind as she ran behind the halfling boy, allowing herself a rare smile. Alistair turned around and stuck his tongue out at her, no more smiling, this was a race now. She pulled her arms in and entered a sprint, sticking her own tongue out at the boy as she moved past. Now if only she knew where she was going.

The boy caught up in time to grab her hand and pull her into a narrow alley. Some people wouldn't fit in here at all, certainly not Aster or Libro at nearly twice her height when even she had to go through sideways. The boy pulled her into a hole in the wall, the literal kind, and finally she pulled her hand from his, now sweaty. A few other kids in ratty clothes gathered around.

"Who's she Al?" Several entered her personal space and began eyeing her dress.

"Don't touch." Cordy said sternly.