Hemopsychosis

“Maria, you’re sweating again.”

“I’m well aware, James, you don’t need to keep reminding me.”

“I’m just making sure,” He paused his tongue for a moment, adjusting his own coat, “Just making sure.” He muttered, as though he was trying to get the taste of the words out of his mouth. Post-prompt, Maria shrugged her coat a little further up, pulling it’s thick wool tighter around herself, feeling the soft, removable inner-layer shift and stick slightly to her skin, the softer fabric matting as it was wetted. She fluffed the collar slightly, making sure it brushed against her chin, tightly wrapped around her bare skin from the jaw down, a mask resting over her lower face. A small bead of red dotted her forehead, which she wiped away with a shaky, nervous hand, wrapped in a thick glove of rough and scratchy, leather.

"You sure this is going to work?" She asked, the slightest warble permeating her voice. It worried James, he'd only ever heard the woman's voice shake twice before.

She wasn't wrong either time.

"I'm sure. Just keep the hood up and try not to look as suspicious as you act." Maria rolled her eyes but obliged, tugging the hood up from the jacket to yank it down over her swept bangs, hoping the thick swath of black hair crossing her forehead would help hide the dots growing slowly, which she routinely swept away with the back of her glove. They stuck like water on paper, staining the gloves just a tad more every time she swept at her face. The cobbled road was growing short, ahead of them stood a brightly lit checkpoint, embedded into a thick, tall and imposing wall that stretched far in either direction, the solid black brick and bone-white mortar looked rather unscalable. Maria clenched her biceps in her hands as she continued, fur boots clicking against the stone.

She remembered the place beyond the walls of the city. The road deteriorated quickly, melting into a dusty path pockmarked with holes, leading off towards the solemn town resting on the intersection. The town there was very much reserved, the locals often barely sharing a word. For her, that sounded perfect right now, as one important feature of the town was emblazoned in her mind.

Magic wasn't against the law.

Again, the clack of her boots woke her from her daydream, the papers she clutched to her torso feeling heavier by the second. She glanced up to James, whose face was rather solemn. He was safe, the checkpoint would let him through easily. He was using actual papers, after all. Her? Hers were… Outdated to say the least. Since the realization of her condition, leaving her home had grown rather dangerous, especially in the warmer months. She felt safest in multiple layers, especially with the thinner fabric against her skin, protecting her clothes from her. Obviously, it had seemed a little odd to wear a body-sock in the spring and summer. This was the culmination of plenty of waiting, biding of time, and forgery. She elbowed James.

"See you on the other side." Maria said, to which James nodded gravely, stopping his stride.

"Or, in prison." He muttered in reply, but she didn't hear him, she was already hurrying along, blood pounding in her ears. Anticipation hammered in her heart, she just wanted the painfully slow wait to finally be over.

Whether her escape was the outside, or death.

“Papers.”

With very, very apprehensive hands, trying to keep her breath steady, Maria set the manilla folder she’d been clutching like a lifeline on the desk, watching closely with sweaty palms as the man behind the screen flipped it open, looking through rather tiredly. He looked like he’d been sitting on the night shift since yesterday, perhaps luck was on her side. She swallowed hard, the saliva seeming to harden and stick itself in her throat before she forced it down, keeping her hands tucked neatly under her elbows against her waist as she waited, clearing her throat once as she turned away slightly while he pored over her credentials, letting her hood hide her face as she reached up, swiping at her forehead again before turning back to her.

She was so close.

This was it.

All he had to say was she was clear, and she was out of this goddamn city.

He took up a small stamp, pressing it down on her paper shortly before sliding it back over, the corner of her paper on which there was a slightly bluer square now emblazoned with a small sharp blue insignia featuring a pen encircled by a snake. The city’s insignia. The stamp of approval.

“Be on your way.” He said simply, nodding towards the space past him. The resting arch, the part in the wall, the only one she could get to, her way out.

“Thanks.” She muttered, taking her papers back and setting them under her arm as she walked by the small booth to cross through, the soft click of her boots following after, echoing through the small hallway, as though somebody was following behind her. She heard a lazy “Next!” shouted out behind her, no doubt shuffling the small line forwards. She had little idea why so many people would be cycling through the checkpoint at this hour, it was pitch dark after all, the weak electric buzz of the lights behind her dying out with distance. She would clear the short tunnel, and then wait outside for James. It was so simple, from here on out. Just a walk straight through, then she could relax in a coach to the intersection, at which point, well, she would be free. She would have to figure something out, but at least her life would no longer be on the line…

Soon the rather dim tunnel came to a wide mouth, opening out onto the other side.

The other side.

The air just smelled fresher, more alive, the weak foliage resting sparsely outside in the cold dirt more than she’d seen in a long time. She looked up as she slowed, exiting the tunnel as her eyes strayed upwards, brushing against the parchment sky. Oh how enticing it was, the stars sprinkled across the musty, damp paper above her, ink black with holes punched through. Maria had admittedly rarely ever looked up, she was always busy keeping her eyes on the people who were no doubt watching her, but now, now she had little to worry about. Chilled air filled her lungs as she took a long, deep breath as she stared up, losing herself in the spattering of lights, watching them dance slowly as the clouds far away passed by, causing them to flicker.

She then stepped aside, leaning against the other side of the wall, next to the tunnel. She would wait for James to be allowed through, and they would escape.

Maria reached up, idly feeling at her jaw-line before clutching her mask, pulling it off and holding it with little regard in her hand as she let her hands rest by her sides, setting her hooded head against the wall, shutting her eyes for a moment. Sleep had been sparse as she’d waited to leave, it’d been hard to do anything except fantasize, flirt with the idea of finally being free of the scrutinous eye. Her free hand patted at her pocket for a moment before shoving into the coat, shedding the glove in the pocket as she pulled out a small box, flicking it open as she reached up, pressing her lips to the small ornate box’s mouth, it’s engraved bumps against her fingers as she pulled a small rectangular prism out with her teeth before snapping the box shut, shoving it back into her pocket. Maria squeezed her eyes tight, reaching up with her bare hand to grasp the tip of the prism, twisting the base of it as she gripped the other side of the body with her teeth. It snapped quietly, hissing for a moment as she took a long, deep pull from it, wincing slightly as her throat burned for a short moment. She let her eyes fall open again, staring up as she shoved her hands in her pockets, hoping they would stop shaking soon.

The sweet taste of her mecka whispered to her tongue, calming her nerves. Supposedly, it was a small reaction that caused a gas to form from a magically created powder, similar to some more volatile natural drugs. It’s purpose was mainly to quiet the nerves, but it tasted sweet and smoky in a way that twisted together to form an intoxicating thread like silk. One that had been since woven rather deep into her heart. It’d been hard to get these in the city, but the small pack she had had been doing it’s job to tide her over. She’d developed a bit of an affinity for the sticks after being locked inside for so long.

A set of footsteps passed by, without stopping. She paid them little heed, lazily letting her gaze drift past the top of their head. She didn’t recognize the hair, it was the wrong shade, it caught too much starlight to be James’. She continued staring up for a long moment, until another pair of footsteps began to trail after her, down the tunnel. Maria straightened up, pinching her mecka, taking one last long pull before tossing it’s still smoking carcass to the side in the dirt. Ordinarily she might’ve kept it, they were typically reusable, but she felt as though where she was going, it would be rather hard to do so, and it would most likely be easier to purchase them anyways.

She turned towards the tunnel to watch, gazing into the dark as James' tacky leather boots and cheap worker pants came into view, followed by the thick coat and his annoyingly dark tussel of hair. He waved with a hand full of files before shoving them into his coat, nodding to Maria as he exited the mouth of the tunnel.

"C'mon. Ride's gonna be here soon." He said, gesturing towards the beaten path. Clearly the tax money didn't go to paving the cobble outside the gates, the road started to fall apart the further out it went, turning into beaten dust. Maria nodded, pausing for a moment as James walked past, staring up at the wall. She took another arduously long breath before letting it escape her lips, puffing out in scented smoke that wisped up and melted into the slight mist before tugging her coat a little tighter around herself.

That place had been her home most of her life.

She barely knew of the outside, just what she'd heard from gossip and loose words, but it sounded better than the Asle, a prison pretending to be a prosperous home. She shut her eyes, cutting her last ties. Maybe she'd visit someday, but she doubted it. The only thing she'd miss was her apartment, her little slice of safety. Well, she could give that up, the dusty corners and the dim walls littered with pencil sketches and crappy art she’d had to stare at for the past few months, the stack of books in the corner, the small collection of clothing, it was all replaceable. Well, almost all, anyways. She had a book and notebook squarely tucked away in her coat. They, they were irreplaceable.

She turned away, sighing quietly.

Time to find a new home.

The smell of crude gasoline bled into her nose. The burn of it was almost insulting, but to be fair mecka was often worse. The body shook slightly, tossing her against the cold side of the carcass, her shoulder uncomfortably jabbed up against the metal door-frame, the old and worn leather seat rather stiff with a suspicious looking hole bored into one section of the seat which she made a point to avoid sitting on. She glanced over, clearing her throat as she nudged James’ thigh with a knuckle, nodding to the black screen separating them from the driver, the low, cackling hum of the engine plugging her ears as she looked up to James’ eyes. She pulled her mask off as she shifted slightly to look him a little more straight on.

“This is what you paid 500 quels for?” She mouthed, a tad bit incredulous. Of course, she knew she couldn’t exactly complain, this was one of the only forms of transportation between cities that didn’t take a fortune, but it was still surprisingly shoddy for the same amount of money that one could rent a small apartment for a month or two with. James elbowed her, rolling his eyes,

"Yes, and unless you want to get out and walk, there's no better option." He mouthed back, he'd dressed a little lighter considering he wasn't exactly hiding what Maria was. Maria scoffed quietly, crossing her arms and hugging herself rather tight about the waist, shutting her eyes for a moment. A dash of blood dripped down her cheek from her forehead, sinking past the lip of her mask, adorning the black fabric with another drop. It was hidden fairly well considering the color, but she could feel the mask grow wetter. In fact, parts of it were already crusting slightly. Maria then straightened back up, shaking her head, willing the feeling to go away already. It sat heavily in her throat, the feeling of her stomach's contents trying to pull itself back out, her eyes watering slightly. She swallowed it back, shutting her eyes again.

She chalked it up to motion sickness. She'd never done well in cars anyways. That was probably it, right?

She took a long, deep breath of the oddly scented car, the thick smell of paint, polyester and gasoline rather unpleasant, but she would take anything at the moment. There was a taste in her mouth she didn't particularly like. She coughed quietly, tucking her arms together as she glanced out the window. It was dim, the window was already stained and the near pitch black darkness outside didn't help. The slightest light of the clouded moon and the headlights bouncing off the mist painted a harrowing scene of infinite dusty wasteland, occupied by shifting shapes in the distance and an inky sea of darkness that seemed like it would close in and swallow them if the lights were to give out. A rather prominent pothole caught a tire, lurching the two against the door again, James catching onto the back of the seat to keep himself from squishing Maria into the corner.

"Wish the road was a little smoother." He remarked, again mouthing the words with a slight smile creasing his lips. Maria laughed quietly, shaking her head a tad.

"Would be nice. I feel like I'm back in primary. Shuttle rides were always like this." She responded, the two sharing a small moment of respite.

The car jolted again, bringing their attention up. Twitchy. Must have been another pothole, the motor once again humming in monotone, hacking up something stuck now and again. Maria swallowed hard, glancing out the window. The darkness was… Nearly comforting, she’d spent so much time sitting in the dark that it seems familiar to her now. Almost like the bone-chilling whisper of winter, permeating the warm tones of late fall. Maria shut her eyes, it wasn’t exactly helping her headache, but her eyes were sticky and sore after being open for more than a day straight in this particularly chilled weather.

A post shot past the window, prompting Maria to crack an eye open at the sound, sitting up a little straighter to peer out the window at the street. It was… Still a worn track of dust but there were more defined tracks, even the occasional stone filling a pockmark, thin guides along the sides of the path. It was starting to look more like a road with every post they whiffed past. The front was not visible in the slightest considering the screen, but the view from the side was growing promising.

Safety grew closer by the horrible hacking of the motor as it burned. The car had to have barely been in driving condition.

Maria quietly wondered how many times their driver had made the trip.

A small flicker in the distance flitted past, barely a cinder, but it was incredibly bright in contrast with the darkness. It followed after, Maria staring out at it rather incredulously, before they passed another pole and it disappeared entirely. She squinted slightly, peering out a little further before giving up and sitting back in the seat. She glanced up towards James, pausing for a moment as her gaze brushed by his features. Just as dumb lookin' as ever. James had been… Well, she hesitated to call him a "best friend", he'd always been more of a brother to her. The orphanage had been a cruel place and linking up with each other had saved them to a capacity. Maria had always kept the rowdier children away from them and James had always had some elaborate excuse or plan to get the caretakers or the more intelligent of the kids off their backs. Always a rather… Perfect team.

They'd wanted out of the city for a long time, but it had always seemed like a distant dream, Asle had always been like a cage, covered in thick chains with no lock for the key. The door had always seemed welded shut, until her… Condition had forced them to find a way out. a sick sort of excuse, but one nonetheless. She certainly wished it had been under more… Favorable circumstances, perhaps she could’ve actually enjoyed the silence out here, the emptiness compared to the constricting, shaded alleyways and dark, stifling rooms of Asle. Instead, she was busy staving off a bad case of magical ebola and hoping to the stars that the car didn’t turn around to dump them on the examiner’s doorstep for Maria to be… Well, whatever they did to those with her… Power? Sickness? It had yet to do anything very useful for her, she just knew that sweating blood was a rumored side effect and honestly she couldn’t think of any other cause.

Another jolt interrupted her disjointed train of thought, forcing her eyes a little wider again, despite their slow attempts at shutting.

She relinquished, letting her head rest back as her eyes began to shut, lashes heavy as lead.

"Wake me when we get there." She muttered, hugging her waist as she let the drowsiness envelop her.

A bloody eye stared back at her, an iris the shade of sunlight encircling a pool of midnight ink, the skin of the cheek painted with a generous coat of blood, dripping heavily on her own cheek and matted hair. She flinched back, trying to push whoever it was off, but their frame was not only heavier but they were clinging to her like she was a lifeline in an ocean. The eye stared, still, holding her gaze like a bear trap as she shied away, pressing her head against the rough gravel under her as she turned her head to the side slightly. She couldn’t turn away any further, the eye held her vision in a tight embrace, all encompassing, until she realized there was only one eye. Where the other should've been, there was a deep, dark hole, almost like she was staring down into a well, the bottom a dim pool of blood, shifting slowly and swimming in circles as something disturbed the reservoir. She somehow recoiled further, pressing her cheek to the sharp, broken stones as one eye stared back into the emptiness, beginning to frantically shove against their shoulders. She barely noticed any other features, the calm brows, the soft, porcelain skin, the rather generous side-swept head of jet black hair, it was all peripheral to the glaring, commanding gaze. They leaned in closer, the hole beginning to fill as the face got closer, dripping blood as the socket filled to the brim, until a sphere of pure swirling blood glared out at her, next to the ichor-gilded eye. The blood began to glow, when it dripped against her skin it began to burn. She writhed, shoving more frantically as she opened her mouth to scream, shutting her eyes, and then it all went quiet.

"Maria, Maria!" James urged in a rather hushed voice as he shook her shoulder.

"Five minutes." He muttered, glancing up and out the window before he looked back to Maria. She pried her eyes open, gasping heavily for air as she slowly came to her senses, forcing a shaky nod out as she drew air into her lungs, forcing them to fill before she exhaled through her nose.

"O-okay." She mumbled, taking another deep breath as she hugged herself tighter, hands in her armpits to keep them from shaking so violently. They shook, the remnant of the burns whispering softly to her from below the thin fabric pressed against her, the coat layered over suddenly seeming so warm that it was cooking her insides as she took one more long breath, sighing it back out shakily as she tightened her grasp of her waist, letting her head hang slightly. She was fine. It was just a fever dream. She’d avoided sleep for a relatively long time, perhaps it was the tiredness that had made her dream so vivid. She was… Suddenly apprehensive to nod off again, prying her eyes open as she sat up straight. She looked out the window with a sidelong glance, squinting slightly as she watched slightly more regular poles pass by, each one tipped with a small glowing bulb that threw a weak wave of soft white against the thick blanket of mist that swallowed them all. The sky was still dark, poked with small blurry holes of gold and silver that stared down, watching them as they flew down the poorly paved street. She let her gaze fall forwards again, against the black screen separating them from their driver, then swung it around to watch James for a moment. He seemed occupied enough, busying himself with shoving assorted pages back into his manilla folder, tucking the thick card sheet back into his coat.

Maria glanced down at herself, her hand coming up to pat her torso, feeling the stiff folder she had clutched as she’d gotten into the car. She sighed quietly, feeling out the outline of her book and notebook tucked neatly into her coat. She shoved her hand into her pocket, taking out her glove as she unfolded her other arm, trying to keep them from shaking too much to pull the glove on. They were a scratchy leather, colored just as one would expect. A ruggedly dark brown, small red smears blending in.

Blood. Hers to be exact. She’d been wiping sweat away with them since she got… Sick. It’d just happened one day, which was the part she found the oddest. She’d been fine one day, then the next she found her collar coated in blood one morning when she looked in her mirror. Since then every time she exerted herself much or it grew warm, the satin liquid seeped from her like water from a leaky faucet.

“Nightmare?” James asked, not bothering to look up from his task at hand. Maria scoffed quietly before chewing on her lip for a moment. She reached into her pocket again, snatching out the mask she'd jammed in earlier, slinging it around her ears as she rolled her eyes. She'd always been… Susceptible, to poor dreams. It'd been a point of ridicule in her childhood, but she'd taken up the job once she'd matured from the orphanage. She'd found it rather ridiculous that even in her late teens she was still waking up in cold sweat, throat hoarse from silent screaming or sore from thrashing.

She'd always wondered when it would stop.

"Just don't like cars." She muttered, grasping at straws for a reason for her shakiness. It had come down a bit, her hands were stable enough again in her pockets as her vision glazed slightly, drifting to the side to stare out the window. She glanced up, eyes widening slightly as a building passed by the window. It was rather squat, though it looked well cared for, the sturdy looking home standing silently as a sentinel on the edge. It was rather inelegant, a worn wooden box, the door a simple flat rectangle with a lock, the windows silent with thick burgundy curtains. The color was prominent, despite the icy cold exterior of the building being a dim brown, the windows, the flowers in the bed, they were all a delicious shade of cherry red.

And just as fast as it had appeared, it flew past, disappearing behind the car, but another one was just up the road, and another, and soon they were on a street lined with buildings. Quaint, cosy looking buildings, growing slightly taller the further in they went, a few beginning to stand at two stories. The road grew vaguely more cared for, again a beaten, polished cobble with overgrown shrubs along the sides. Come to think of it, the town looked… Cold, on the outside. Many muted browns, vague blues and thick greens, vines carpeting some of the less frequented areas, some sprouts were even poking up from the cracks in the street. It appeared maintaining the divide between them and the local fluara was not on the forefront of any inhabitants' minds. As she stared out, between two buildings, down the short, dark alley, Maria saw something. A small cinder, one she swore she'd seen on their way. She only saw it for a split second, but she could've sworn it blazed like a candle, flickering in the hand of a hooded figure. She shook her head, she was probably just being a little too paranoid.

Maria watched, letting the more interesting features of the small town catch her eye and pull her gaze behind, letting her eyes trail towards the back of the window. She glanced further down, watching the stones pass by slowing slightly, the hacking rumble of the engine starting to quiet slowly as the rundown car slowed, eventually stopping in front of perhaps the largest building they'd seen so far. Still a rather quaint 4 stories, compared to some of the comparatively massive establishments in Asle. It was a welcoming breath of fresh air, the lack of concrete, the open sky, the scent of freedom and wet rain outside tricking in through the window's cracked rubber seal. She shoved the door open, taking a deep breath of the frigid mist, shutting her eyes for a moment as her head swam before she pushed herself up onto her feet, again clutching her folder close to her, against her coat. Maria glanced back, catching the tail of James' coat slipping out of the other side of the car, their doors slamming shut simultaneously. James paused at the window to pay off the driver as Maria looked up, eyes focusing on a well worn sign, the paint chipped and pockmarked, the edges a greenish brown, coated in a thin film of moss and rot.

"Crossroads Inn."

As good a place to sleep as any. Despite her short nap she was still about to fall over. Whether that be her dizzy headache or her lack of sleep, well, that was up to interpretation and she was not in the mood to try and decide which. Her needs could be deciphered later, for now she just wanted to lay down. The car's threadbare seat had left her sore. She reached up with clenched hands, yawning softly info her mask as she stretched before turning back to watch James round the car and the ugly little black hodgepodge of an automobile start again, sputtering it's way down the street, leaving the duo to stand in the twilight of the clouded moon. Maria elbowed James, nodding towards the inn's wooden double doors.

"Let's get inside, before my hair frizzes up anymore." She said, pawing at the short, messy auburn cloud. Normally it was rather flat and straight if a little tangled and messy, nearly impossible to style in any other fashion, but even hers had puffed slightly with the humid mist floating about them. James nodded, wiping at his eyes. His hands were bare, his coat only one layer, he wore no mask nor scarf, all unlike Maria who'd swathed herself in everything she could comfortably fit in. The two walked up the short, creaking and old steps to the inn, Maria shoving a door open with a shoulder, pausing to hold it for James who nodded as he passed, walking up to the front desk to get them a room or two as Maria entered fully, letting the door fall shut behind her as she wandered further into the lobby. It wasn't anything incredibly special, a simple room with a desk, extending out slightly to the right to form a small waiting area, a few seats, a low table laden with newspapers and a small assortment of faded magazines. A few caught her eye, a firearm laden wall, a lithe neck draped with necklaces and a rather… Pretty woman, dressed in a fitted blouse with a petticoat over it, her long black hair tied up into a ponytail, a few stray strands draped over her eye in wisps. Despite being frozen in paper, her glare was deep and as dark as the night outside, one she could barely tear her eyes from Maria shut her eyes for a moment, shaking her head and clearing her throat as she did her best to ignore them, walking to join James at the desk.

“-arleston?" She caught as she came into earshot, starting to pay attention to the conversation, pushing the mask back up her nose.

"Yes, that's me." James said with a nod, looking far too casual for the situation as he leaned lightly against the desk on his elbow.

"All the way from Asle huh? What brings you out here?" Asked the man behind the desk as he glanced to the side tapping keys on his board for a moment. "I've got you down for a double for two nights?" He added, glancing up.

James chuckled quietly. It was a good question, what could possibly draw city-dwellers from the supposedly most prosperous walled conurbation to have stayed standing in decades, to a run-down transition town.

"Believe me if I said the food?" He joked, digging into his pocket to pull out a card, slipping it across the desk. "Sounds right." James said, glancing momentarily to Maria. She looked like she was about to pass out standing up, drowsy eyes and her arms wrapped around her waist. He chuckled quietly, glancing back to the receptionist who in turn laughed.

"I wouldn't, but prying ain't my job." He said as he took the card, pausing to scan it behind the desk before handing it back. "Room is yours, stairs on the left." He said, turning to the pegboard behind him to pick out a key with a tag, handing it to James. James took it with a nod, uttering a thanks as he shoved it in his coat pocket, grabbing Maria by the shoulder to shake her slightly. Maria rolled her eyes as she adjusted her grip on the folder. It was warmer inside and suddenly all the layers seemed stifling, a bead of sweat trickling down her back. It tickled.

"I'm awake." She grumbled, following after as James walked further in, past the desk with a lazy wave to the receptionist as he rounded the corner into the stairwell, her heeled boots dragging slightly as she stumbled up the stairs after him. One flight seemed like twenty, but as she crested the last step and watched James walk down the corridor a tad and slip the key into a lock, she found it in herself to hop up the last step, striding down the hall as James fiddled with the key for a moment. The hallway was less than lavish, a threadbare carpet over poorly polished wood and dust-filled cracks, the walls plain with small lights shaped like candles sticking out of the walls along the corridor, roughly spaced evenly between doors. Maria looked down, shifting one boot aside to see the imprint of her heel in the red fabric, squinting slightly at the grime until she heard the door click, James pulling the door open and shuffling in. She caught the door, stepping in herself and letting it fall shut behind her as she paused in the foyer. It was a quaint room, a short hall inwards with a room at the end filled mostly by two beds and a desk with a chair. Nothing fancy, but it was enough for now. Any sleep was welcome, considering they'd been up since the break of dawn of the previous day.

With a rather heavy sigh, Maria tossed her folder on the desk, running her fingers up along the buttons of her coat, to her collar to pull it apart, lifting the heavy cloth from herself shedding it backwards onto the left bed. She yawned quietly as she tugged at her scarf, yanking it off eventually, tossing it into the bed as she turned, followed by the mask and gloves, leaving her in a long-sleeved shirt, the under layer and a pair of loose, dark slacks. She reached up, running her hands about her neck as she turned, back to James as she glanced over her shoulder.

"How bad is it?" She asked, trying to spot James to see his reaction. James glanced up from his careful inventory of his pockets, eyes widening slightly as he recoiled.

"My stars, Maria, it looks like you've been shot if I'm being honest." He said, squinting slightly. A red splotch covered her back, a deliciously deep shade of bloody red seeping through the under to paint the back of the shirt. Maria rolled her eyes,

"Can't be that ba-"

"Certainly fuckin' is. Go wash up, I don't want to explain blood stains on the sheets." He said, waving her off as he returned to organizing a small pile of belongings on the bed. Maria sighed, nodding slightly as she paused by the small closet against the wall. Mostly empty, though a few thick towels sat in a fairly neat pile, a few neater blouses and worker pants hanging silently, the light scent of varnish sticking to the cloth and floating about the closet itself. Maria scrunched her nose slightly, picking out the least wrinkled blouse and a pair of pants, shaking her head slightly. She supposed they'd probably been left by some well off visitors, stopping before continuing on to an actual town. Perhaps they'd been headed for Asle, who knew. Even if it didn't look it, the Crossroad was a frequented town, even if it was just for its namesake. It connected multiple larger cities together, permitting plenty of traffic through. It made her wonder why they hadn't really started building more… Advanced buildings, compared to the low wooden, brick and concrete homes and establishments.

Maria wheeled around, apprehensive to learn what was in the bathroom as she pulled the door open, pilfered clothing in hand as she glanced about. It was… Equally as quaint, a shower in the corner, a sink with a mirror and a toilet opposite and slightly to the left. She set the clothes on the toilet cover, joined with a towel as she reached back, over her shoulders to clutch at the back of her shirt, inching it up and yanking it off over her head, mussing her mop of lightly burnt chocolate hair. She held the shirt by the shoulders at arm's length, squinting slightly as she looked. It was well inked, a blot of red, loosely in the shape of a tear down the middle, stared back at her. She sighed quietly, hanging it over the edge of the sink as she set her hands on either side of it, staring down at the rusted drain and the stained, dusted porcelain before looking up at the dirty mirror, leaning in slightly.

Maria tried to ignore the blots on the edges, the crusted corner of glass as she looked herself up and down. The thin covering stuck to her skin was largely crimson, a texture largely like gauze. It'd been meant to keep most of the blood from staining her clothes, but it seemed to have done little more than protect her from the scratchy shirt. She looked up, staring at herself from down her nose as she reached up, hooking the lip of the neck of the covering, tugging at it before circling her finger around her neck to the back, finding the small buttoned seam. She unhooked the first couple, just until the mouth was wide enough to shimmy over her head. After a few moments of struggling, her torso was free of it.

There was an ever-present disgust she felt, staring at herself in the mirror. Ever since she'd started waking up to sticky, blood-soaked shirts, it'd gotten understandably worse, but it had never been entirely absent. Her slacks clung to her hips, a small, oblong birthmark along the front of her right hip trailing up slightly to her waist, the vaguely darker patch catching her attention for a few short moments before her gaze trawled upwards slightly, coated with disdain, nothing but a satin binding around her chest to cover her nearly sickly pale skin, the vaguely defined etch of her shoulders and abs, the press of her ribs against her skin, it all looked wrong. Not feminine enough, not masculine enough. She sighed, shoving up to stand straight, running her hands through her hair before she finished undressing, stepping into the shower. At least the water had kept it from getting dirty.

Maria squinted slightly, the shadow of her stormy eyes pooling above her mask as she cleared her throat.

"Two coffees please." She said, muffled vaguely by a light film of nervousness woven into the fabric.

"Two coffees, anything else?" The woman asked, looking incredibly bored. It wasn't a very busy hour yet, and most likely wouldn't be for another few.

Maria shook her head as she set a slip and two small, thick coins on the counter. The woman took them, slipping them into a register as she nodded, regurgitating something about how it would be out soon, but Maria had already tuned out, nodding absently as she leaned against the counter, chewing on her lip under her mask. She wasn’t a particular fan of her clothing, despite the chilly weather the humidity stuck to the nape of her neck, threatening to collect in her bangs as she wiped her forehead with a gloved hand, blouse shifting under her coat against the under-layer. It'd clearly been made with a larger woman in mind, not so much for slim agoraphobes. It fit poorly on her shoulders, the collar a little too wide and the fabric oversized, laying oddly under the coat. The pants fell past her ankles, bunched slightly against her flats. Maria shook her head, sighing quietly as she looked up, gaze loosely combing through the small room from over the counter. It was a small coffee shop, not even room for a seat in the compartment. A steamer, some other machinery, a grinder and a press adorned the busy workspace inside, the woman who’d taken her order bustling between them with two cups. Hisses, whirrs and a satisfying pour, and she returned, setting them on the counter with a nod. Maria took them up in her gloved hands.

“Thanks.” She said, turning away halfway through the word as she glanced either way on the curb before stepping into the street, crossing it to the lamppost that James stood at. She checked out of habit, but in all honesty? The town was quiet, incredibly so at this time. Only small shops were open, a brittle chill in the air snatching her breath up to spin it into smoke. A crisp cold had settled over the quiet, her footsteps nearly the loudest thing in the street. She would’ve heard a car from a mile away. She hopped up onto the opposite curb, fingertips tucked under the edge of both cup’s lids, holding one out for James to take from her. He snatched it up, cradling it greedily for warmth in his cupped hands.

“Ah… I missed my coffee in the morning.” He muttered, pausing to hold it with one hand to pat Maria on the shoulder. “This’ll work out.” He added, a little quieter this time. Maria rolled her eyes as she tugged her mask down to her chin, cupping her coffee in her hands, bringing it to her lips to take a short sip, tongue burning. The heat settled in the back of her throat for a moment, searing, before it descended along her body, sending a shiver of warmth down her spine.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m sure it will.” She said, clearing her throat before taking another short sip. “Sure it will.” She muttered, as though it were an afterthought. James took a sip of his coffee as he glanced off to the side, down the street. It stretched rather far, the cracked cobble street barely smooth, pockmarked with grassy sprouts and knulls along the sides, small mounds of dirt sprinkled along the curbs, adorned with yellow flowers sprouting from weeds. The mist floating in the air was light compared to the previous night, though it was leagues thicker than anything she'd been accustomed to in Asle. It was almost suppressive, drops clinging to the edge of her mask and sprinkled like a constellation in her hair. At least it was cold.

Closing her eyes, she thought for a moment.

Maria hazarded a small, reserved smile as she sighed once more. They were out. They were free from Asle. She’d dreamed of it since she was a kid, and now, now that she had had a good enough reason, it’d come to be a reality. Plans be damned, they finally had time and room to think of one. Memories whispered to her, thoughts of home, thoughts of the orphanage, murky and caked in dust and mud as they surfaced from the deep pool in her mind. She beguiled herself with them for a moment, absent-mindedly bringing her coffee to her lips and taking a large sip, bringing her out of her short little stupor as the boiling hot coffee touched her lips and burned the tip of her tongue. She winced, blowing feverishly over the top before taking a smaller, more manageable sip.

“So, where do we go next?” She asked, looking in the direction that James had, squinting slightly to peer through the mist at blurry shapes in the distance. Buildings stood silently, it felt almost as though they were watching her from just out of sight. They were in the middle of nowhere now, a town that only rested there to be a pit stop for people passing. James shrugged, looking back to Maria.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. Kind of just happy to finally be somewhere a little more… Open, you know?” He said, taking a sip again before holding the cup in his hands at his waist. Maria nodded, taking a long, slow breath. The air here smelled wet with rain and moss, a stark contrast to the slightly more… Stuffy, smoky air of Asle. It always just smelled unpleasant, the air almost stagnant, dead.

“Finally feels like air in my lungs, not cardboard and ink.” She muttered, pursing her lips slightly as she reminisced over how empty Asle had felt. It had always felt incredibly void, despite how bustling the streets could be and how bright the windows were at night, nobody ever noticed anybody else, barely ever did a heart beat. James laughed quietly, nodding slightly with a smile.

“I got so used to the smell I barely ever noticed how bad it was.” He said as he held the cup he had in one hand, shoving the other into his pocket.

“Imagine, a couple rats, free of chains and mazes.” Maria replied, letting her head lull back with a sigh, rolling her head side to side with a soft crack and pop. “Finally free to roam the walls.” She whispered, barely even a thought, spilled from her head as though it were a drop jostled from a cup. Maria leaned in slightly to lightly punch at James’ shoulder with cup in hand before bringing it back to her lips to take a sip. “Hey, remember that stupid promise we made?” She asked him, a smile creeping along her tired cheeks. James chuckled quietly,

“Friends until the end?” He suggested, pulling an eye roll from Maria before he pursed his lips, looking up slightly as he thought. “I believe… That when we got away, I’d read you the first book you bought?” He said, a warm smile tugging at his mouth as he thought for a moment. He remembered that night, it had been warm, a thick storm settled over the stuffy June air, whispering down their necks through the window. They’d just been kids, but the world already wanted them to be adults. Maria had been sitting, curled up, on the windowsill, partially cracked open to let the air and the patter of rain in. James had been sitting on the bed beside it, chatting with her. He remembered the look Maria had had, it had been rather stern, a look of determination, perhaps one of a stubborn hope. She had looked to him, thinking for a moment, a frown, all too familiar to the one she had nowadays, tugging at her brows before she lit up.

“I’m sure the books outside are better! I’ll break us out, and in return you can read me one.”

He’d just smiled and chuckled, agreeing to the deal. And now, standing on a street in the Crossroads, miles from Asle and even further than the orphanage they’d grown up in, staring at a much more rugged, matured Maria, a small, child-like fire kindled itself in his heart. He could see it, the same one in her eyes.

“I can still see that girl in you, you’ve barely changed.” He said, patting her shoulder in return. “Maybe just a smidge taller.” He added to tease, snickering as she batted at his hand, before nodding.

“You better get to finding a book then.”

Maria chuckled, “Yessir.” She said, rolling her eyes as she shrugged the coat up her shoulders a little further, cupping her coffee in both hands, taking another short sip. It felt like it would be okay. It felt like the world was even and all the doors were open.

As the two chatted quietly on the street, James finding his shoulder against a lamp post, Maria idle beside him, the darker shadows writhed with life.

A clothed shape stood in an alley a block down, drenched in a deep gray coat, a messy tussle of black hair cascading down to her ears, a portion swept low across her forehead as she stared. She watched, curious, squinting as though it would help. The mist of the morning was still rather thick, it would clear up later, but for now she was stuck looking at a vaguely fuzzy pair of individuals. Albeit, ones she hadn't seen before, but it was just two people nonetheless. She reached up, snatching a chain around her neck to pull out the pendant.

A small red crystal hung from the end of it, mounted in a small silver hook. She took the gem in her hand, feeling it's familiar warmth as she stared, holding it to her chest.

They'd come from Asle.

Asle only meant trouble.