Flashback Fast Friends

[Fyra Ashworth]

64 Spring 508

"Col! Fyra! Come back! You can't go into the city alone like that!" Nicola shouted. She had just turned fourteen, but already she had an idea of what was proper. Two ten year olds running about in a dangerous place like Sunberth was definitely not appropriate in her mind. Better to have them stay on the outskirts, by the woods, where their family lived.

"Just watch us!" Fyra jeered.

"Yeah! Just watch us!" Col mirrored. In the nearly six years that they had lived together, Col had decided that wherever Fyra was, he wanted to be there, too. Col was just a season younger than her; they looked so much alike that people often mistook them for twins. The fact that Fyra wore boy's clothes certainly aided the resemblance.

"Besides, we have each other!" Fyra turned and began to run.

"Yeah!" Col was right behind her. "Bye, sis!"

"Col! I'm telling mom!" Nicola threatened, but by that point Col and Fyra were almost entirely out of earshot.

Fyra slowed her pace so that Col could jog next to her. It had rained the previous day, softening the ground into sloppy mud.

"So what do you want to do today, huh? Huh? Run around? Wrestle?" Col spoke quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth.

"Why do we have to plan out the whole day? Let's go to the city, and we'll see what happens from there."

"Oh! Yeah! That works too."

Fyra liked the feeling of the wind playing with her braid as she ran towards the center of the city. She liked the mineral smell of the mud. She liked the look of the cloudy morning sky. Most of all, she liked running around with Col.

They had to slow their pace as the streets became more and more crowded, eventually switching entirely to walking as they reached the Commons. Most of the stores and stalls were already opening up. Fyra understood their desire to get working right away. She always woke up at the same time as her uncle: dawn. That was when Uncle Nicolas left to hunt. Every afternoon, he sold his prizes in the Commons to whatever butcher was willing to buy, and every night he had just enough to keep his family fed. Fyra was smart enough to know that without her uncle, the whole family would probably starve. Normally, she'd be out helping him trap and trying her hand at the bow he'd given her, but today was a rare day off, and Fyra planned to enjoy it. "You're only young for so long," he had said, "Enjoy it while you can."

The sun was starting to peak through the clouds when Col said, "Hey, look Fyra!" He was pointing to a group of kids around their age standing in a little nook behind a grocer's. "Let's see what they're up to!" Col started to weave his way through the crowded streets.

"Col! Wait for me!" Fyra was impulsive, but she wasn't a fool. She wished that she could say the same for Col. Sometimes it was like he thought he was invincible, like danger wasn't lurking around every corner. You would think living near Sunberth would have taught him to be cautious.

Col walked right up to a blonde girl with wild blue eyes and said, "Hi! How's it going?"

Fyra caught up and stood beside him. She couldn't tell if the girl really was with the group or not. Fyra hadn't noticed her being there before. Now, though, thanks to Col's loud mouth, all of the other kids were sizing them up. Did she and Col have anything worth stealing? Fyra sure hoped not.

[Elauni]

The day had begun like any other; with the sun beaming down in Elauni's face, and the smell of tobacco smoke thick in the air. She wrinkled her nose up, before opening her eyes to see the rise and fall of dust appearing and disappearing between rays of light. She couldn't stand the smell, and has never been one to enjoy anything about smoking. Her Uncle, on the other hand was an avid smoker. He would go as far as filling up the entire cottage with his habit. On more than one occasion Elauni would have to open up the windows and doors to air it out. She inhaled, preparing herself to wake for the day. No time to dwell, there was Miza to be made. She sat up then, throwing her legs lazily over the side of her cot. As she had expected, smoke was already filling up the room. She did her best not to roll her eyes at her uncle, but it wasn't like he would listen if she tried to tell him anything. The child didn't exactly have a say on what went on in the house, or over her Uncle, he made this very clear. Though he was her father's brother, the two were nothing alike, or at least from Elauni could remember. She stood, heading toward the small kitchen area to make herself a glass of water. She passed her Uncle, who sat at a table in the corner of the room, reading over papers, of what Elauni did not know. "Morning, Uncle," she spoke with an unenthusiastic tone. "Child," was his solemn reply, before taking another puff out of his pipe. The quiet falls of her small bare feet on the cobblestone floors seemed emphasized by the silence in the home. How odd. Her uncle was normally grumbling profanities about this and that around this time, or was giving her instructions on what to do that day. He looked too large for the small desk, more muscle than anything. He had always been an overly large man, in Elauni's opinion. As she approached the small kitchen space, she glanced out of the window above the bottom counters, noting the clear skies and the green of the trees which swayed in the breeze. She had to climb on top of the counter to get to the top cabinets, she had always been short for her age though she was only eleven. Standing flat footed, she only got as far as brushing her fingers across the cabinet doors, but since her Uncle liked to push the glasses to the back she had to work harder to get what she needed. She was quite sure he did it on purpose, though. She managed to grab a glass, and get back down, pumping the water pump once to draw it from the well further along outside of their home. It filled her glass to the brim, and she chugged it down quickly, leaving the glass sitting on the counter. She went back to her cot then, and pulled on a small drawer beneath it, changing into some new clothes, since the ones she had been wearing had begun to smell and harden from over use. Lastly, she pulled her hair back into a pony tail, having a hard time managing her curls. She grabbed her dagger then, one she had been given when she was younger, and hid it beneath her shirt, where she kept a convenient tie around her waist which kept it out of sight. This had come in handy far too many times for her not to keep it with her at all times. When she was set, she started for the door shouting back a quick, "Going out," receiving an incoherent grumble in reply. He never did care much for where she was as long as she eventually came back to help him make Miza. She was only a short walk from the city itself, and upon arrival Elauni was shocked by how busy Sunberth's streets were this morning. She had better be extra careful today.The lack of security in this place was too evident, and falling prey to the predators of all sorts out here was a common occurrence, especially for a child like herself. She weight of her dagger was enough to put her at ease, though. She had found herself drawn to a vendor selling fruits further down the crowded streets, surrounded by children and a few adults. Perhaps if she could find an opening when he was distracted she could manage to acquire some breakfast. Eyeballing a few of the children, it looked like they had the same idea. He was speaking loudly, a fat lump of a man, taking no notice to her, rather speaking to the adults who seemed like they may have a bit more money in their pockets. She waited quietly, keeping close behind two women and a man who were scanning over the fruit, checking for any blemishes on the surface. Elauni had finally found her moment, snatching up a green apple, before turning away nonchalantly, playing as if nothing had happened. She felt a smug smile form on her lips, and she had almost gotten far enough away before she was torn from her inner victory chant. "Hi! How's it going?" The voice was unexpected, and the surprise cause her to loosen the grip on her apple. Despite her attempt to stop it, it still rolled from her fingers and hit the ground. She stared at it for a moment, disregarding the boy before her, to pick it up. She sighed, wiping it off on her shirt. She met eyes with the kid then, he seemed about a year younger than herself, feeling slight annoyance, but the innocent look on his face was enough to help her bite her tongue. "Hey," she spoke distracted as she examined the surface of her apple, though it was a little bruised, it was still edible. "Just getting breakfast. How about you?"

[Fyra Ashworth]

"Breakfast?" Col looked at the apple. His stomach groaned. "Fyra, we forgot breakfast!"

Fyra opened her mouth, ready to scold him, then realized that he was right. How had they managed to forget to eat?

"We probably forgot because Nicola was yelling at us," Fyra complained. Even if it wasn't Nicola's fault, they'd end up blaming her anyways. Sometimes the best way to stay friends was to blame an enemy. Col's sister wasn't really very horrible. If they took the time to think about it, Fyra and Col didn't even really hate her. However, being young and touched by a bit too much impulsivity, they never gave Nicola much positive thought.

Blaming Nicola wouldn't make the empty feeling in their stomaches go away, though. Fyra hadn't noticed it until now; she had been too busy taking everything in.

"We don't have any mizas, either," Fyra realized, checking her pockets.

"Grrr!" Col grumbled, "Sisters are horrible." He turned to the blonde girl and asked, "Do you have any sisters?"

Fyra had almost forgotten that the girl was there until Col spoke. She looked at the girl more closely. The girl appeared to be about the same age as they were, maybe a bit older. She was definitely more mature than Col, but that wasn't difficult.

Fyra liked her right away, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was something about her eyes that made Fyra instantly admire her. They were the color blue Fyra imagined a bird of prey would have. Granted, Fyra had never seen one of these birds up close. She didn't like to hunt them. Too many feathers to pluck. But she imagined that if they did have blue eyes, they would look like this girl's.

"I'm sorry that my cousin here made you drop your apple," Fyra said. Even saying the word 'apple' made her mouth water. "He can be kind of crazy sometimes."

"Hey!" Col crossed his arms and pouted.

"I'm Fyra, and this is my cousin, Col. What's your name?"

[Elauni]

The fresh smell of baking bread carried on the breeze filling up the street. Elauni inhaled deeply the blissful scent. Oh, how she loved the smell of freshly baked bread. It brought a small smile to her face, before she came back to her senses and found herself listening to the child she had met moments before accompanied by a young girl. The two appeared to be around the same age, both still a bit younger than herself, though. They were going on about forgetting to eat breakfast, blaming it on a woman. That must be nice. To be able to have to option to accidentally forget to eat breakfast. There was no such meal at her home. If your hungry you better get up of your ass and go find some food, as her Uncle would say. It had been this way since she was a wee child, thankful enough, because now a eleven the task of acquiring food at become loads easier with years of practice. She watched them go on with their conversation, amused by the way they spoke to one another. She had even begun munching on her apple, which tasted just how she expected; juicy and amazing. It wasn't another second before she was again thrown back into the mix of things. "Do you have any sisters?" Elauni could clearly see the innocence of the boys youth written across his face, and laced in the tone of his voice. Such a pure hear in such a tainted city. That was always refreshing. Looking at them both, neither of the gave her a bad vibe. The girl held a bit more of a mature aura the the boy, but that was it. She took another bite of her apple, before answering with a half full mouth. "Not a one, nor do I have any brothers." She had been raised alone by her uncle, her parents disappearing soon after she was left in his care. She didn't mind being an only child though. She had always been fond of the time she spent by herself, it gave her plenty of time to think and relax. She wouldn't have minded siblings, but it was probably better there were none. The girl spoke up then, with a friendly and apologetic voice, "I'm sorry my cousin made you drop your apple. He can be kind of crazy sometimes." The boy let out a cry of mock insult, which brought another smile tugging at Elauni's lips. "I'm Fyra, and this is my cousin, Col. What's your name?" Elauni had devoured her apple quickly while listening to the two, and discarded the remnants of the core to the ground to be fed off of by the vermin. She looked the girl in the eyes, with a smile. "I am Elauni. I've not seen the two of you around before, which is odd, I have lived here my whole life." Again another rush of baking bread filled the air, heavier this time, the baker must have set up his station already. Her eyes strayed to look further down the street, and sure enough people had gathered about the bread stand. She thought back to the two before her again, "If you are hungry, I think I can get you a little bit to munch on, but...you have to be fast." She planned over exactly how she would go about getting the food, finally deciding which approach would lead to a better outcome.

[Fyra Ashworth]

"It's not so very strange that we haven't met," Fyra said, "We live on the edge of the city, and spend most of our time helping Uncle Nicolas hunt in the woods."

"My sister Nicola says the city is too dangerous for us; we usually only come here with my daddy, Fyra's uncle," Col added.

He paused, sniffing the air. Fyra inhaled: bread. His stomach grumbled again. Fyra wondered where it was coming from. She noticed that both Col and Elauni were looking a little ways down the street. Col was always better at finding things than her.

"If you are hungry, I think I can get you a little bit to munch on, but...you have to be fast," Elauni said.

"I can be fast!" Col piped, a grin spreading across his face.

"I can be faster, though," Fyra replied. She wasn't meaning to antagonize her cousin; she really was the quicker one.

Col, of course, took it as a challenge. "Nuh uhhh!"

Fyra rolled her eyes and tried to keep from smiling. It didn't work. She just couldn't be annoyed at her cousin. While she could have debated with him forever, Fyra's stomach was her top priority right now. "What's your plan, Elauni?"

[Elauni]

Elauni loved the eager ones. If she had not been doing things like this since she was a small child, she would never recommend such lowly activities to such bright children, but seeing as she 'had' been doing this for a very long time, and the conditions of living in Sunberth brought about desperate measures for survival, it was the least she could do in aiding other street rats like herself. She let her eyes roam over the baker, sizing him up. In no way, shape, or form would she ever be able to take on such a large man, nor would she ever attempt to. There were ways to go about getting a meal without the use of force. Ways to get in, and get out without notice taken to the actual activity faced. She was going to need something. Something so common yet so unpredictably efficient that she would walk away beaming and satisfied with her daring venture. Yes. She was going to need...a distraction. But what kind of distraction would work best? "What's your plan, Elauni?" Her eyes scanned over the crowd surrounding the bread stand; thoughts rolling in and out of her mind. Each scenario always had two different endings. One where she and these children walk away with their breakfast, or the other, where they would more than likely never be walking again with how Sunberth deals with caught lowlifes. Justice isn't served quite the same way here as it was in other cities, and though it is hard to describe, barbaric would be a good place to start. "Follow me, and do exactly as I say," she spoke as she moved. "You'll want to remember everything, now. You needn't forget what is about to happen." They approached the group, ulterior motives in place, the scene began to set itself, as Elauni had guessed it would. The baker had begun speaking with a customer, but was far too aware of his goods to be off guard. He was obviously someone who was used to dealing with people who would wish to take from him. She silently used her hand to ward Fyra and Col back, and approached the stand. It was made of wood, sturdy enough to hold itself together, and the bounty on it's surface, but not quite so sturdy that it couldn't be swayed. Her hand slid nonchalantly to the dagger hidden beneath her clothes, raising up her shirt just enough to have plenty of access to free it, but she waited. She swallowed, and her fingers seemed antsy as they tapped the hilt of the dagger, before wrapping her fingers tightly around it. She eyed the rope that held the tarp above to shade the stand, then at he thin wooden legs beneath. The scene was set, and now it was time to begin the play. Of course, there was a brief moment where Elauni second guessed what she was about to do. Maybe there was another way to go about doing this. Maybe, if she just asked nicely the baker would just hand over a few slices of bread, and they could be on their way? But then...maybe not. There is no time to think when there is work to be done. She moved as fast as her little body could take her. She unsheathed the dagger, the glint catching the baker's eye. The world seemed to move slowly then. Elauni caught his gaze, her wild blue eyes never blinking, a sly smirk forming on her lips. The thrill sent adrenaline spiking through her system. The baker had turned his head, and opened his mouth, but by then it was far too late. Her blade slashed through the rope holding the tarp, sending it crashing down on the man's head, and with a swift kick to the stand's leg, the entire set up tipped, and the bread went rolling forward. She caught what she could with the moment she had, and spun on her heel to flee. She pushed two loaves of bread into Fyra and Col's arms, briefly meeting their gazes with her own, crazed look. Never missing a beat, she grabbed their shoulders, turning them around facing the street that would lead them away and to safety if the right turns were taken, and they always were. She moved between them, and as she ran, she spoke calmly and clearly, "Run." And took off, her feet allowing her to fly away from the scene, like a bird grabbing it's prey and soaring. If they moved now, they could run far enough away and duck for cover, before the poor baker recovered from the sudden chaos that was inflicted on his station. Elauni didn't look back. You don't ever look back. She listened though, hoping that those two were behind her, and able to keep up. She had been doing this for a long time, and speed came with the job.

[Fyra Ashworth]

Elauni looked off in the same direction again, and Fyra noticed the source of the delicious smell: a baker was selling bread. He was a particularly large man. His head nearly touched the tarp hanging over his stand. The baker wasn't gawky either. He reminded Fyra of a boar. She wasn't close enough to hear him, but she imagined that he was the type of person who snorted when he laughed. Well, if he laughed. Right now his face was set in an unattractive scowl, his bottom jaw protruding too far forward for him to look smart. Still, Fyra would not want to fight a man of his stature and disposition. Even if the three children teamed up, she knew that they would not win.

"Follow me, and do exactly as I say," Elauni said as she moved toward the stand. "You'll want to remember everything, now. You needn't forget what is about to happen."

Fyra and Col nodded.

Elauni motioned for them to stay back. Fyra and Col stopped walking. They were close enough to observe the scene, but far enough away that they were inconspicuous to anyone passing by.

The baker watched over his goods carefully as customers flocked around his stand. Elauni approached nonchalantly.

"What do you think Elauni meant by we have to be fast?" Col asked.

Just then there was a commotion at the stand. The tarp had fallen over the baker's head, obscuring his sight. The stand toppled over; the bread flew to the ground. This was no coincidence. What had Elauni done?

The blonde girl ran towards them, loaves of bread in hand. Elauni's eyes no longer looked like a bird of prey. They were wide and frightened like a rabbit's. She pushed two loaves of bread into their arms, then turned them around by their shoulders. Despite her expression, her voice remained calm and purposeful as she said one word: "Run." Then she was off, a bird again, flying through the streets.

Fyra and Col obeyed instantly. To them, it was just another race. They hardly recognized the consequences of losing. The desire to prove themselves was enough to make them put all their energy into their legs. The wind tore more strands of hair out of Fyra's braid. They tickled her shoulders. She focused on breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose. Fyra was not as fast as Elauni; she was having trouble keeping up. Col was just behind his cousin. Fyra knew that she was faster. She would have to tease him about it later. Not now, though. Later, when they were safe. Fyra wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or her instant admiration for Elauni that made her confident that they would succeed, but whatever it was, she didn't even consider failure as a possibility.

[Elauni]

It wasn't until she had gotten farther down the busy streets, attempting to dodge running into people left and right, before she started to get winded. Her body had connected with a couple of civilians, but she moved on too quickly for any real consequence to take place. Finally, the turn she had been planning was approaching quickly. She planted her heel down, and spun to the left, trying to redirect the force of her run in a new direction. She slipped only a little, but caught her balance. With the short second she had, she let her eyes dart to the side, making sure the two kids were still behind her. When she looked back forward, it was far too late to avoid now. The sailors must have been using this alley to be storing some of their supplies before they set sail. A few large crates were not in her path, and she was going far to fast to slow down enough to not run into them. She did what she could. Eyes wide, she threw her legs up, still hitting her shin on the side of one of the boxes, which would surely bruise later, and did her best to roll and land. She managed, but it was far from graceful. She slowed her pace steadily then, finally coming to a stop to sit on the ground and laugh as the other two came close. She couldn't hold it in. All of that happening at once, in such a short and stressful period of time. She had to laugh. If they had been caught, they would have surely been in trouble. She had never done anything like that before, but the way the baker always looked at her, like she was trash, she had always wanted to do something to send him out of his comfort zone. "Haha, that was quite more eventful than I thought it would be. I bet the baker is throwing himself a nice little fit right about now." The thought sent her into another wave of laughter. She had to calm down though, the little spots twinkling in her vision were trying to tell her she exerted herself too much, and she needed to breathe. "You two did very well." She reached back, feeling her loose mop of curly hair had all but escaped the confines of their wrap. She undid it, and began putting back into place. She couldn't stand it being out of wrap, but her uncle refused to let her cut it, something about looking like his mother. She got just about all of her looks from her father's side of the family, all except her eyes. She eyed the loaves of bread in Fyra and Col's hands. She had actually gotten away with a lot more than expected. She thought maybe she could run off with half a loaf, but two full loaves was a better steal than she could have ever imagined. These kids wouldn't be hungry today, that was for sure. That took barely under a half a bell.

[Fyra Ashworth]

Fyra and Col were glad that they weren't quite as fast when Elauni suddenly turned to the left and ran down a different alley. They were able to turn slow enough that they didn't fall or lose speed. Fyra and Col made it around the turn just in time to see Elauni hit her shin on some crates as she catapulted herself over them. Fyra hoped that she was okay, but she had little time to worry. She threw herself over the boxes, stumbled a little on the other side, then kept running until she caught up with Elauni, who was slowing down. Col, fortunately, was right beside Fyra, breathing too heavily to speak.

As the three stopped, Elauni sat on the ground and began to laugh. It started off as just a small chuckle, but as Fyra and Col joined her it grew. Col lay on the ground, belly to the sky, bread bobbing against his lean stomach as he chortled. Fyra sat legs crossed with the loaf in her lap and her hands on the ground behind her. She raised her head to the sky and let out a roar of laughter.

Fyra had never stolen anything before. She enjoyed it immensely. The way Elauni approached the stand reminded her of hunting. She had been so careful, so accurate. There was a beauty in thievery.

And, of course, Fyra always loved a good chase, regardless of what side of the pursuit she was on. In Fyra's opinion, the best kind of competition had two outcomes: win or lose. She reveled in their victory, giving only a fleeting thought to what would have happened had they been caught.

"Haha, that was quite more eventful than I thought it would be. I bet the baker is throwing himself a nice little fit right about now." Elauni erupted into more laughter. Fyra and Col joined in. When they'd all calmed down, Elauni added, "You two did very well."

Fyra beamed. "Thank you."

Col had already taken a bite of his loaf. Fyra elbowed him. "Wha-?" he said through a mouthful of bread. "Oh! Ank ouu."

Fyra was ravenous. She looked at the bread in her hands. She could have gobbled it all up in seconds, but instead, she turned to Elauni. "Do you want a bite?" Fyra said, offering her loaf. "I can rip you off a piece if you want."

[Elauni]

"Thank you." Fyra's voice broke Elauni out of her thoughts to herself. The sudden gratitude took the girl by surprise. It wasn't often that Elauni was able to do things for others that they could thank her for. No, this was a very rare occasion indeed; being thanked instead of accused, or ordered. It was only a small gesture of thanks as well, but the impact took Elauni far from her comfort zone, and with the bright smile that accompanied it, she was dumbstruck. She let out an awkward laugh, reaching her hand up to scratch at the back of her head uncomfortably, though she smiled back with as much honest feel as she could. Generosity normally did not come from her without getting something in return, but she felt the need she should be sincere. There was nothing to gain by fooling these kids out of something, rather she felt obligated to see through with this new found interest. She wouldn't call it friendship just yet, but at the rate things were going, they would make fast friends. "It wasn't a big deal." Friends. Such an odd word to put into thought of real meaning. Looking back, Elauni had never really had any friends. She had met with a few other kids here and there, but never did she branch out and associate with them afterwards. It was a foreign word, with a feel just as odd. Elauni laughed again when Col attempted to say his thanks as well, with a full mouth. "Do you want a bite? I can rip you off a piece if you want?" Elauni only smiled, shaking her head and raising her hand up to pass. "I'm fine, thanks. Plenty more where that came from if I do get hungry later." She stood then, brushing the dirt off the back of her leggings. She stretched a bit, feeling the familiar ache in her calves from the strenuous running she had done earlier. She always enjoyed the feeling afterwards. No pain, no gain, and in Elauni's situation she needed more to gain. She strived for it. She looked back at Col and Fyra eating on their bread, and then to the opening of the alleyway further down where they had entered from. It didn't look like there was anyone coming after them, but it never hurts to be too safe. They shouldn't stay here for very long, just in case an angry baker starts stalking the streets for children eating on bread.