Starting Life From Another Choice Than Zero

Chapter 10 - A Past Forgotten

A nightmare on paper, inked to almost believable life. Details drawn in haunting accuracy, as if the sketch itself was peering into the depths of his soul - wanting, craving to devour...

Fear had taken hold of him, welding him in place, the paper a tight grip in his hands. Deaf of the crowd going about life in ease; chattering, laughing... pestered only by the heat. He too had perspiration, going unnoticed, as it scaled down his forehead, which then became a droplet that stained the illustration, tinging it with a small bead of darkness.

"Find anything good there?"

The sun was then obstructed, a large shadow plunging both the paper and Subaru in a darkness the form of a man, the ill-boded image itself embracing the shroud from light, emphasizing further the sinister expression of death incarnated.

"The hunter, huh? She actually took a whole page today... about time."

The blackness shifted, and the heat was open to blaze once more upon himself, to little acknowledgement. His eyes pursued the shadow's origin, and saw Kris sitting at his side, skimming an advert beside the lifelike depiction with mild interest.

"Five for two? Must be mad, them..." Kris muttered, eyes flicking through words.

In his hands, held two rectangular cartons of a sight thought long gone. Red with a shine of raw goodness, veiling small portions of rice beneath its contents, accompanied with a familiar cone-wrapped delicacy that neared an easement of his worries. The sight seem to have embellish his hunger further, irking a rumble somewhere within his bowels.

"Oh yeah... your share. Here." said Kris, having perceived the sound of craving.

"Thanks."

The paper laid to rest, Subaru's hands reached toward the presented carton, muttered his thanks once more, and placed it on his lap.

"Dig in while it's still fresh, you won't want the sun to spoil it now, would you?" urged Kris through a huge mouthful of his own, noting Subaru's had been left untouched for minutes too long.

Still he was still, without response, perceiving only garbled nonsense, as he sat, brooding over his meal. Once upon a time, in circumstances drastically different to present time, he would have gulped every portion down in a moment's notice, but now, he favored relishing each second spent staring, almost reluctant to consume.

"Thanks for the food." Subaru muttered, deliberately in a stride unhurried, to pick the chopsticks at the side and pluck a piece into his mouth.

Chewing brought a tang of flavor alien to him, but somehow also nostalgic. Vapid and trite yet lively and exciting. He savored the strange sensation, an experience of taste very peculiar. It was bland. It was delicious. Almost as if its very essence was endowed with contradiction. If anything, it was a meal both worthy of disdain and worship - and he didn't know why that was so.

They ate in the ambiance of non-stop chatter, an assonance of subjects repeated scattered in the midst of citizens. A conversation overhead on the right, regarded the elections in Lugunica. The one on the left, had each person's opinionated remarks of the candidates, most involving the use of the words "half-elf" and "witch". The same held true, for passersby at talk with one another.

To dine in peace, if not, untroubled proved impossible with terms he despised at a constant use.

Why was she always subjected to such unfounded judgement? No matter the region it seemed, her very existence was shunned. This alone resurged some semblance of the anger he felt, and the next bite he took, had aggression in his movement.

Meanwhile Kris ate with nonchalance, lacking both the anger and disgust Subaru felt for the citizens in the vicinity. Subaru quickly came to notice his composed demeanor, which then brought forth a spontaneous urge of wondrous speculation that piqued his curiosity.