Dark (Sakuya Alkaid x Fydan Marina)

As he walked down the street, the medium-brown eyes of Fydan Marina darted quickly to the left, then just as swiftly to the right. This process repeated itself every few steps, broken only when he crossed paths with the occasional person. Not many people were out in the streets nowadays, and many of the ones who did wander the streets were willing and able to turn him in to his sister, Evie. Ever since she had taken over, he had had a large target on his back for refusing to assist her. The resulting life of constantly hiding and running in fear had taken a large toll on him, both physically and mentally. He had grown considerably thinner over the months, and his senses of trust and security were both at an all-time low. As he continued down sidewalks, doing his best to seem unsuspicious, his stomach gave a large growl.

"Ughh... I need to get something to eat..." He grumbled, clutching at his stomach. He glanced around at the nearby buildings, quickly identifying a nearby cafe. He rushed over, and with the meager amount of money he had left, bought himself a small bagel to eat. It want much, but it was what he'd gotten by on for quite some time now. Being wanted by the world's Queen makes it pretty difficult to get money.

Taking a bite of his bagel, he started down the street again. He only walked about a block or so before he stopped, nonchalantly leaning against a building. Relying on his disguise, consisting of shaded glasses and his recently-dyed hair, he decided to rest for a bit while he ate. He ate in peace, but had no sooner finished his bagel before a girl approached him, asking if they had met before. He immediately became nervous, with his immediate thought being that she was a spy for his sister, but yet he felt something different from this girl. She didn't radiate the feeling of total darkness, like everyone else did these days, but rather seemed to have a sort of light emanating from her out of place smile. Perhaps she could be trusted.

"I..I don't think so." He hesitantly replied. "But... you do seem slightly familiar..." He glanced over the girl, from head to toe, but still couldn't put a name to her face. Being ever-cautious, Fydan glanced around to ensure no one was becoming suspicious of them. "I... I'd like to talk to you some more, but here is not the place. People will become suspicious if we stand here for too long. How about you meet me outside the eastern gate, underneath the bridge? We can talk more freely there, and not worry about prying ears. Just... make sure we don't walk the same path, alright?" He began slowly walking away, throwing her a wave to ensure that no suspicion fell upon their conversation.

Taking a quicker, while still indirect, route to the eastern gate, Fydan was out of the city within minutes. He loathed going into the city, as every journey into its limits put him at high risk of being caught, but it was a necessary risk to gather his basic necessities. Sure, he could boil water from the river to ensure it was drinkable and search around for edible plants, but the thought of killing any creature for food purposes was out of the question. In self defense, maybe, but he would never kill for food. Not that he was that big a fan of meat anyway, but he ate it occasionally for nutritional purposes.

Carefully picking his way off of the path, and down around the side of the bridge, Fydan quickly located the rough shelter he had made himself. It was not much more than a bunch of rocks, mud, and branches formed into rough walls, but it was enough to keep him out of the wind at night. And, coupled with the few blankets and towels he had "borrowed", he managed to stay pretty warm and comfortable. Picking his way across the rocky shore of the river, he reached his small shelter and leaned against the support beam it was constricted against. The girl he had met should be here within a few minutes.

While waiting, he managed to drift off in thought, staring at the river. He wondered who exactly this girl was, and why she seemed slightly familiar. He should remember her, with how much she stands out from the bleakness of everyone else, but for some reason he couldn't put a name to her face. He didn't have too long to think, however, as she arrived and instantly began questioning him on a poster she had seen in the city. He listened, nodding slowly, and released a slow sigh before responding.

"I didn't do anything, in all honesty. Those posters have been up since she took over, months ago. I didn't agree with her methods of trying to obtain power, so I refused to help her. And after she came to power I voiced my concerns about her being a leader directly to her face, which she didn't like." He paused briefly, looking at her face to try and gauge how she was taking the situation. "She's very violent by nature, and actually enjoys seeing physical pain in people. And, since I was now technically a radical speaking out against the government, she had me condemned. But I managed to get away, and have been on the run ever since. That's why I look slightly different than I did on that poster. I've had to change up my appearance, and tried not to hang around the same place too often so I could remain off the radar..." He sighed again, moving from his slouched stance to stand facing her. He was quiet for a moment, before continuing.

"But, now that you know about me, I have my own questions. Who exactly are you, and how do you not know of these events? Evie has been in power for several months now, so it's not like they're too current."

As Sakuya replied, Fydan initially stared deep into her eyes trying to determine how truthful her words were. He hated the thought that she would potentially betray him, but that was the unfortunate truth in this world. But, from her first statement he saw her genuineness shine through. She was laying everything out for him, as he had done for her. His eyes slowly fell, looking out over the river that he had become so familiar with. I just don't understand it... What could have happened to her that she doesn't remember anything?

"I..."He began, turning his gaze back to Sakuya, "I... don't know how to say this, but there's something telling me that I know you too... It's... kinda why I trusted you enough to bring you here. When you first approached me on the street, you had an unusual brightness to you, compared to the dreariness I've become so used to. And... between the two things, I actually got my hopes up that there was a way to end Evie's tyranny." He locked eyes with her, a sad tint to his eyes. "But no, you're unfortunately incorrect. I can't tell you anything about who you are..."

Finally breaking eye contact, he sighed and sat down inside his small shelter. He couldn't believe that the lead ended here, with a girl that had no memory. He was hoping that she would hold some kind of hope for getting out of Evie's tyranny, but now it was all down the drain. Slowly, he reached back and uncovered a small bag of bagels from the back of the shelter. He opened the bag and pulled out two before returning the bag to its location. He scooted over, making space fr her at the entrance of his shelter. "Sorry it's not much," he said, holding a bagel out to her and offering her the seat, "but it's the best I have. And, I figure I might as well give you something for making you come all the way out here for nothing..."