Escape To Libran II

She drowned herself in the scented water as she scrubbed the coconut soap over her skin and her hair. Her already dark skin had darkened over the past month. The sun had tanned her by force, giving her skin a mahogany look. She sat in the tub for a few more minutes, staring at the scented candle. It was a new one. The carvings and colour were different from the previous one she'd seen. Marki had just bought it. The thought made her feel good. The thought that someone was looking out for her, even though he probably had other intentions. She stepped out of the tub and cleaned her body with a towel. As she slipped on some clothes, she could feel the cold night air ripple through. Libran indeed had a weird weather, where it was too hot in the day and unbearably cold at night.

Marki had gone out to buy some wool. He had said so in the note he left on the bed for her. Left alone, she took out two apples from her bag and munched on but it was useless. She was starving. The bread she had stolen couldn't fill her up either. At that moment, she regretted never learning the skill to cook. Marki's kitchen was neck full with all sorts of food items but she was unskilled to make a decent enough meal. The night air was seeping through the slightly opened windows. She longed to go outside, more so to get some hot food to fill her empty stomach. With her decision made, she slipped on her gladiators, threw a scarf over her shiny long silver-grey hair and made her way into the city centre.

Libran never slept. It was no wonder why it was nicknamed the 'wide awake City'. The street lights hung up bright and colourful and the scattered crowd doubled. The market square was still busy, bars stacked with drinking men while others gambled at the side of the roads. She eyed the chiffon dresses some of the ladies wore, as their blonde and brunette hair was curled into a ponytail. Their perfumes threatened to choke her as she passed by them. She always found it repulsive the way women in Libran preferred dresses to trousers, a preference that seemed to garner attention. She had told Marki before to get her trousers whenever he wanted to buy clothes for her, but dresses seemed to be his thing.

The silk dark blue dress complimented her skin and hair. As she passed through a trader's shop, she stole a handful of cherry tomatoes before she even realised what she had done. She had enough silver on her to buy the finest dishes from a local food joint, but there she was with a bunch of cherry tomatoes she didn't really crave. Stealing had become a subconscious thing, she figured.

"You stole it without realising"

His voice was clear even with the market noise that crowded her hearing. The hooded figure stood with hands crossed, away from the light into the shadowy sidewalks. She could not make due of his face.

"You're watching me like a pervert, probably realising" she kept walking away as if she had not noticed him just a moment ago.

"I have been watching you for some minutes now" he added. He slowly stepped out of the dark as he removed his hood, letting it fall behind his neck and dusting away non-visible dirt from his hair. He went back to crossing his hands across his body again. A look, she thought, was supposed to scare her.

"You're welcome. You've been graced with my presence" she ate her cherries and walked past him. He realised there was no sarcasm in her tone, almost like she was truly congratulating him.

"You're hilarious"

"I've been told"

She did not turn back to converse with the hooded stranger. Not for a moment. Making friends or relationships was not among her goals. Marki was the only exception and for that she had her reasons.

"Aren't you scared?" He asked her

"A young thing like you, waltzing the streets of Libran alone at night.."

"I fear nothing"

Except for one.. she quickly reminded herself. He had a smirk on his face, she noticed.

"Not even me?" He asked like a child that was teasing a friend.

"You should be afraid of me" she told him sincerely yet her words made him laugh like she was a show clown. Watching him cackle so freely, she envied him. His ability to laugh as if he had no problems in the world. An ability she had lost.

"You are hilarious" his words this time sounded sincere.

"Let me buy you dinner" he told her

"Those cherry tomatoes won't come close to filling your tummy. I know a great place in Libran that makes the best of almost every dish" now he stood before her, a few inches away. She could see every detail of him- from his long shiny rich black hair to his classically sculpted features, light blue eyes and perfectly shaped jaw. The tormented hero of novels that had been scarred deeply by someone close to him. Sad behind those smiles. Or maybe her assumptions were wrong. Maybe he was just a good-looking idiot.

"Let me buy you a meal" he told her again. She stared at him in silence, wondering for how long he had been following her. His reasons for coming up to her. Wondering why he wanted to buy her a meal so out of the blue. She had learnt early on to question every word and every action of others. Learned not to trust anyone no matter how convincing they might seem. But for tonight, she didn't see the need to. Hunger had gotten the best of her senses. Plus, having observed him closely, she could beat him in a deathly fight if it came to it. Though she knew she wouldn't go unscathed.

"This place you speak of, how far is it? I'm not in the mood for a long walk" she finally uttered

"Luckily for you, it's close enough"

He led the way and she followed behind him, watching his steps as he walked.

"You know, if I wanted to harm you I would do it immediately. I wouldn't feed you beforehand, that'd be a waste of food"

She remained silent

"Are you an introvert?" He asked chattily. Again, she ignored his bickering.

He sighed heavily and mentally decided to give up on making small talk.