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Trigger Warnings - Wounds, Panic Attack
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Rune gasped as she took in her first glance of L'Manburg. What have I gotten myself into?
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Sam smiled at Rune as her face lit up at the sight of L'Manburg. It helped him find new meaning in the city he called home. He began the tour and loved how Rune was amazed at things Sam found so commonplace. It reminded him of the first time he came to the city, even though it was much smaller then. L'Manburg was beautiful, and Sam was proud to call it home.
L'Manburg was always busy around morning times, and today was no exception. Sam waved at friendly acquaintances and stopped to talk to friends. Rune was practically an adult, but the childlike wonder inside of her warmed his heart. It had been a while since he felt like this.
But then his eyes met a familiar figure across the road. A man whom Sam was not ready for Rune to meet. So he turned to the girl, and against all his better judgement, asked if she wanted to explore on her own.
"Are you sure?" Rune asked. Sam had been so protective of her up until now. What happened? But then Rune saw the stranger across the street. He wore a colorful mask but she was still able to see his eyes looking longingly in Sam's direction.
"Of course, Rune. You obviously know how to fight, and you're not too injured now to protect yourself. If you get lost, just head back towards that black tower. I'll meet you there."
He pointed to the northwest tower on the huge building they just left.
Rune nodded and headed further into L'Manburg.
"Don't get into too much trouble!" Sam called after her.
"Don't worry," Rune reassured him, and then under her breath, "I always do."
~~~
Rune had been exploring for just under an hour when she found a friendly looking neighborhood. On one side of the street was a small lake, on the other, a row of houses. Rune walked on the dock's edge, humming to herself. She had explored almost all the city, but wasn't ready to go back to Sam just yet. Wondering how she could stall for more time, Rune considered the few options she had.
"Don't fall in." A calm voice called out, starting Rune so much she almost tripped into the crystal water below her.
"Excuse me?" Rune called out, looking for the man who called out to her.
A being emerged from one of the houses, seemingly materializing from the shadows. He was tall, with yellow-blonde hair and a green and white striped hat. His tunic was a dark green, mostly covered by his dark cloak. But perhaps the most defining feature of all were the two jet black wings poking out from behind his back. He smiled at Rune as she backed up, cautious of the unfamiliar being before her.
He laughed. It was a warm, bubbly laugh that did not seem to fit the situation at all.
"Don't worry, young one, I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to." He gestured to a silver band circling his ankle.
"It's a tracking anklet. I'm not allowed to leave my house." The man explained, but when Rune looked back up at his face, it didn't seem like he was terribly bothered by this fact at all. In fact, he seemed quite content.
"Why can't you leave?" Rune asked. She wasn't going too, but curiosity got the better of her.
"I have this friend. The government doesn't really like him that much."
"So they punish you?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"That's how the world works, young one. We take care of our own."
Rune opened her mouth to speak again but a voice behind her stopped her.
"Rune?"
She twisted towards the familiar voice, but no one stood where the noise came from.
"Young one?" the strange man called, "are you okay?"
Rune turned back to the stranger.
"You didn't hear that?"
"No...?"
The man took an unconscious step towards Rune, but as soon as he did, an ear piercing siren exploded in her ear.
"Run!" the man exclaimed, "don't let them know you spoke to me!"
But Rune was already running. How could he stand that siren? she asked herself as she allowed her body to fall into a familiar stride. It didn't matter where she was going, she just had to get away from that siren. No matter how far she got, the noise continued to reside in her mind, getting louder and louder. It wouldn't stop screaming.
~~~
"Hey! Hey! You're okay, okay?" A new voice rang in her ears. Rune blinked, opened her eyes, and realized she was no longer running. At some point she had stopped running and fallen on the ground. Her throat was sore, she must have been screaming.
Rune lifted her head off the ground to see yet another new person in front of her. She let her head fall back to the ground.
"I don't want to talk to any more new people today." Rune managed to growl at the stranger.
"I can leave if you want." the figure offered.
"No."
So the figure sat down in front of her, offered her some water (which she graciously took) and fell silent. Rune let the ringing in her head subside for a couple of minutes before speaking.
"Who are you?"
"The antithesis of everything you know."
Rune looked up at the stranger. For the first time, her eyes were able to fully take in his appearance. He wasn't short, but not tall either. He had pale, blush skin and hair that could only be described as a soft pink. He wore an off white tunic and black pants, tied at the waist with a red sash. A red cloak with a fluffy white collar hung above him on the tree he sat against. He wore a couple pieces of jewelry. Most notably, a thin crown and a single green stud earring in his left ear. It looked familiar, Rune just couldn't figure out why.
The stranger grinned, showing off a perfect white smile, including two small, tusk-like teeth.
"Better now?"
Rune nodded, but even this simple motion caused her head to explode in pain. The stranger seemed to realize this and moved to Rune's side faster than she thought possible.
"Here, drink this." he handed her a glass vial of red semi-fluid. He saw her hesitation and reassured her.
"It works better than any of that weak stuff they give you in L'Manburg."
Rune nodded again, instantly regretting it. She carefully opened the vial and downed it in one swallow. Instantly, her head began to clear. Wounds she didn't even know she had stitched themselves up in front of her eyes.
"I told you it works better," the stranger smirked.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it kid."
The stranger stood up.
"Think you can get home from here?"
Rune looked up in the direction she assumed L'Manburg would be. She squinted into the distance for a moment before she spotted the tower Sam told her to look for.
"Yeah, I can."
"Go on then," the stranger said. Rune glowered back at him.
"Don't look at me like that, someone's probably waiting for you."
"You're right." Rune sighed.
The man grabbed his cloak and swung it over his shoulders in a swift, practiced motion.
"Hey kid?"
"Yeah?"
"What's your name?"
"You first."
The figure turned to her and smirked. Is this the only expression this guy makes?
"I like your style, kid."
"That's an odd name."
The stranger laughed.
"I'm Techno."
"Rune."
"Nice to meet you Rune."
"You too Techno."
And he disappeared into the forest.
~~~
1264 Words