lamb/AMONG/wolves {Cherry}

[Leaf]

It was a gloomy, cloudy day with a stagnant air hanging about. However, the streets of Obscur were still bustling with hordes of people. Most of them seemed busy, looking at the tips of their shoes as they scuffled along to their destinations. Some of them, on the other hand, were meandering around, looking for something to do. The more shifty ones were glancing around for some unwary foreigners to prey on and the really shifty ones were nowhere to be seen.

In the midst of this crowd was a silver haired boy, standing near the edge of the road and looking quite pitiful. He was dressed nobly and did not look like most of the people around him, but his demeanor was rather poor. The boy was obviously overwhelmed by the crowd around him and the worried look painted on his face showed it quite well. 

"Konrad… Konrad… Konrad! Oh where did you go…" the boy whimpered as he sifted through the crowd with his eyes. The boy, whose name was Matthias, was the youngest son of the House of Zeiglers. He had been out on an errand with his brother and in all the confusion of the streets, they had been separated. Matthias was shy and couldn't bring himself to speak to anyone of the streets. His ability to sense their emotions wasn't of any help, either. That was the flaw of Daika: no one ever seemed friendly enough to talk to.

"What am I going to do?" he wailed to himself, earning a couple of glares from a group of passing thugs. The noble boy shrunk back against the wall. The last thing he wanted to do was to attract the attention of some criminal and get kidnapped. If only he could find his brother… then he would have to worry. Konrad was one of the best swordsman in the kingdom and Matthias knew that Konrad didn't have to worry about getting kidnapped or anything of the sort. The boy wanted to learn how to fight. That way he would be able to stand up for himself and be more like his brother. That was his dream. But right now in the churning crowd of Obscur, Matthias couldn't help but feel how small and powerless he was.

[Cherry]

The city of Obscur was dark and depressing, riddled with thieves and others that most people wouldn't take a second look at for fear of being robbed of everything they carried. It was a city that no small town girl from the happy kingdom of Akaika would ever find herself going to willingly. So how was it exactly that Habien found herself blindly stumbling through, looking to and fro with worried and anxious icy blue eyes? To be honest, she herself didn't know how she ended up here. She had merely been wandering the land in search of a master to help her with her mysterious powers when she found herself in such a shady town. However, Habien would have been lying had she told anyone that she had not been prepared for such an occasion. She knew her chances of visiting this city were high, especially with her ability to wander aimlessly.

So, she made sure she kept a cloak in her bag for just this opportunity. Donning the dark cloak just before arriving into town, Habien managed to cover her face in shadow, hiding her nervous appearance from the world. Her lips, the only visible part of her face, were set in a grim line, betraying none of her unease. If anyone was to look at her dead on, the only emotion they would be able to deduce would be confidence. Her appearance practically screamed badass-don't-mess-with-me, which was her goal. Hopefully it would be able to pass the dark streets of the backwater town.

Currently meandering through the streets, Habien's eyes looked from one side to the other in suspicion. People of all sorts scattered themselves throughout the dingy streets of the city, eyes shifting in search of prey and unsuspecting victims. The young woman could hardly contain her feelings of disgust for these people, only allowing her mouth to dip into a deep frown. These people could do so much more with their lives, be so much more than they were, yet they wasted their efforts and talents in these foul arts. It was horrible and wrong and very disheartening. Growing up in a small town, Habien wasn't subjected to many people of this variety, and therefore had little experience with these people.

Because of this, Habien hadn't grown up to hate them, only to feel sorry for them. Everywhere she looked in this town, she say people that she pitied. Not once since she entered had she seen anyone that she would actually talk to and not look upon in disgust. That was, until she saw a young boy of around fourteen that was dressed in fine clothe and standing to the side. His gaze as he searched the crowd conveyed sadness and anxiety, the same feelings that she had been feeling as she entered the town. His pitiful appearance pulled on her heartstrings and made her want to help him, something that she had always been prone to do. She just couldn't help it; when she saw someone in need, she wanted to help them.

Turning her body to make her way towards the young noble, Habien changed her demour ever so slightly as she approached, pulling on her hood ever so slightly so that the young boy could see her friendly face and see she meant him no harm. Discarding the serious and grim appearance her features currently held, she managed to fit a smile onto her face as she finally stood before the boy. "Are you ok, little man? You look lost," she said with a friendly smile, stooping slightly to look him in the eye. "Do you need help looking for someone," she asked, hoping that she didn't frighten the poor boy. After all, you could never tell with people these days, especially in this town.

[Leaf]

The sight of a hooded figure approaching startled the boy and fear crossed his face. The sudden approach made him panic and he looked around frantically for a way out before he sensed the friendly and caring disposition of the opposing person. The figure lifted her hood just so Matthias could see the smile on her face. He glimpsed into her clear blue eyes warily, but found nothing but sincerity. The girl seemed older than him, but not by much, and from the looks of it, she was not from the area. From the lack of malice that Matthias could sense, he decided that she was someone he could trust. Temporarily, at least.

The noble nodded shyly, unsure what to say. It was kind of embarrassing to be lost at his age, but the kindness the girl was showing made him feel less anxious than before. She seemed like an oasis compared to the sea of ominous people swarming by. However, the mention of looking for someone made him quiver again. "M-my brother, miss. I got lost from him and now I don't know what to do," Matthias gulped before he bit his lip, trying not to let his tears leak out. He couldn't cry because it would show more weakness than he had already shown. He had to stay strong until he could find his brother again. Despite these thoughts, Matthias still found himself averting his gaze from the girl's. It was intimidating to converse with a stranger, even if she didn't seem to want to hurt him. He just wasn't good with people. It had always troubled him and in the cruel world of the nobles, having poor social skills was basically like putting a noose around one's neck. If Konrad had not been around to pull Matthias along, the poor boy would have probably been sent off to become a monk or something. 

The boy looked down at his feet, somewhat ashamed of his situation. Here he was, lost in the corner of the street and vulnerable in the face of a stranger. He probably was worrying his brother right now and that only made him feel even worse. The grey skies did nothing to ameliorate the situation and was only more depressing for Matthias. To make things worse, it just had to be the day where he finally thought he could do something useful for his brother. Life was really vexing sometimes.

[Cherry]

Habien's lips quirked up ever so slightly as the young boy looked at her slightly afraid as she walked toward him, but relaxed as she got near. This wasn't what made her smile, however. As she got closer to the boy, he must have sensed that she was friendly and not going to hurt him and he visibly relaxed. It really made her happy that she didn't frighten him as she began to talk to him. She really didn't know what she would have done if he was afraid of her, because their really weren't a lot of people that looked like they would help him and she didn't trust any of them to help him anyway. Thus, it was really good for the both of them that he could temporarily trust her.

However, his reaction to her next question nearly made Habien squeal. He responded by saying he was looking for his brother, but he just looked so adorable! He was biting his lip and holding back tears as he said that he had lost his brother. He must have been so scared and lost, not knowing what to do by himself in this mass of suspicious people. She understood the feeling of not knowing what to do when you are by yourself in the world well. After she left, she simply hadn't known what to do. She was sure that she wanted to leave, go on a journey to cultivate her healing, but she had simply not known which way to go or what exactly she was supposed to do. It was so very overwhelming. So, when he was here, looking all downcast and unsure of what to do without his brother, it nearly broke her heart.

Oh, how Habien just wanted to hug him! However, she feared she may overstep her boundaries if she did such actions. So, she settled with grabbing for his hand and giving it a slight squeeze, following up with a slight tug. "Well, what's lost can always be found. So, what does your brother look like exactly? We're going to go search for him, but it's a bit hard to find someone when you don't exactly know who you are looking for," Habien said, urging the young boy to join her as she began to merge with the crowd. "So, shall we?"

[Leaf]

Matthias instinctively jerked his hand back a bit when the girl grabbed it, but not enough as to the break the grip. The motion had caught him off guard and had it been anyone else, he would have started crying out for help. After all, he wasn't really comfortable with physical contact with anyone he wasn't familiar with. However, his eyes widened with gratitude when the girl offered to help find Konrad. It was rare for anyone to extend a hand in this city and much less likely for a stranger to. For a noble like Matthias, who lived in a strict political environment, it was especially surprising to receive such an offer. However, before he could begin to speak, Matthias found himself pulled into the crowd by the cloaked girl.

"My brother," the boy gasped as he tried to keep up with the girl in the ongoing waves of people, "He's tall. About a whole head taller than you. He also has short silver hair and I think he's wearing a navy blue military uniform..." Matthias struggled through the crowd as he began to spill out information about his brother. As he said these things, he searched through the towering throng with his eyes as well as he could to spy any of the traits he was listing. Despite all his efforts, they were to no avail.

Being pulled through a crowd in a busy road was no easy feat. The cloak of the girl kept fluttering in and out of view due to all the people and even though Matthias could still feel the girl's soft hand gripping his, he felt like his fingers were going to slip through at any moment. The thought of losing this one shred of hope propelled the boy forward to snag the edge of the girl's cloak. He didn't want to be left here in the middle of the crowd alone again. Not when he had just found someone who was willing to help him.

[Cherry]

Icy blues widened slightly in surprise and fear as Habien felt the hand of the boy whom she had decided to help slip from her grasp. It was a crowded area, filled with many bad people, and she did not want to loose the lost and confused noble in the crowd. Nothing could happen if she lost him here, in a town she herself did not know how to navigate. Thankfully, though, she felt his smaller hand gripping onto the edge of her dark cloak soon after, clearing away all fear that she had lost her charge. Most girls would be angry if somebody clutched onto their precious clothing, fearing it may wrinkle and somehow end up in a terrible shape.

However, after the reaction Habien had gotten from the younger boy when she grabbed his hand, she felt guilty. She should not have just grabbed onto his hand without checking with him to see if he was comfortable with that level of contact. It had made her feel really bad for putting him in that situation. So, if it made it easier and more comfortable for him to stick with her by grabbing onto her cloak, then so be it. It was just a cloak and anything that happened to it could easily be remedied. So, with all fear of leaving the noble somewhere in the middle of a crowd of vicious wolves, Habien continued on through at a steady pace. Well, as steady as she could when pushing and shoving through.

With the description that the boy had given of how his brother, Habien had figured that finding his brother would be easy. How many people in this city, or in any city, had gray hair when they were that young? Well, she could only assume that he was young, seeing as he had such a young brother. Plus, not many would be wearing that uniform of the military that she had seen throughout her travels, especially in this city full of thieves. Well, as it would turn out, finding a man by that description was actually quite difficult. Seeing as it was such a rare hair color and interesting description, not once in the ten minutes that followed the beginning of the search had she seen any resemblance to her charge's brother.

'Well, this is going to take longer than I thought. How many people have short silver hair, a navy uniform on, and are tall? Like, for serious?' It was as this thought passed through Habien's mind that a flash of silver caught her eye. There, standing a little to the side of the crowd, was a man who appeared to be in his twenties. He met all the requirements to the guidelines she had been searching for, so it was possible that it was him. "Hey, is that him over there?" As she addressed the boy holding onto her cloak, she pointed in the direction of the man, hoping that the noble could see him through the crowd. "Is that your brother?"

[Leaf]

Feeling the slowing pace of the girl, Matthias found himself being able to keep up more easily. He kept his fingers interlocked with the folds of the dark cloak, knowing that it was some comfort. His shoes tapped along the stone road as he followed the figure closely. She was a kind, innocent person, Matthias believed. Somehow, he knew that she would bring him to his brother.

After minutes of searching, the girl suddenly stopped. Matthias looked up at her, wondering what happened. He then looked toward the direction she was pointing at. The sight of the navy uniform, silver hair, and unmistakable family crest made a large smile break across the boy's face. "Yes, YES! Konrad! Konrad!" the boy cried over the sea of people. The man was definitely his brother. There was no doubt about it!

It was a dark moment when Konrad first realized that his brother was gone from his side. Was he kidnapped? Beat up? Or even murdered? Horrific thoughts flashed across his mind and the man could feel his worry boil into the fury as he began tearing through the crowd in search of his brother. He had been separated from the boy once and did not want to be again. If anyone had touched his dear little brother, they would be smashed into the ground by his own fists. In fact, draining them dry probably wouldn't be a bad idea either. Anger and concern clouded the noble's mind as he fought his way across the crowd, retracing his steps. He was reaching the height of his despair when he heard the familiarly meek voice cry out to him. "Matty! Dear Matty! Where are you?"

"I'm over here! the boy yelled joyfully as he watched his brother navigate roughly through the crowd toward him. The face of his brother was so relieving that Matthias broke into tears upon seeing him. Konrad hurried to the boy's side, feeling as if he had dropped a heavy weight in his heart. "I'm sorry, dear Matty. I shouldn't have left you." The noble embraced his younger brother heartily, glad that no harm had come to him. He then spotted the suspiciously cloaked figure besides them.

"You! What did you do to Matty?" the man growled. This person… if they did anything to the boy, they would pay dearly. Matthias, seeing the growing dark look on his brother's face, quickly intervened. "That's not it, Konrad. She helped me find you! She's a nice person! Don't hurt her!" Matthias knew of his brother's rashness and didn't want anyone to be hurt for his sake. It would have been especially horrible if his brother attacked someone so benevolent of heart.

Konrad, hearing his brother, immediately withdrew the scowl on his face and replaced it with an apologetic look. "Oh dear! I'm so sorry. It seems that I might've been mistaken." he apologized quickly. Sometimes he cursed his reckless and brash nature. It often left him vulnerable and clumsy in making good judgements. Taking a deep bow, Konrad said, "Thank you for looking after my brother in my carelessness. You have my utmost gratitude. If there is anything I can do to repay you, then by all means say so."

[Cherry]

Beneath the dark shadows cast by the hood of the cloak, a warm smile began to form on Habien's face. After searching for several minutes to find a person that fit the description the young noble had given her, she had finally spotted him in the crowd. Thankfully he was tall, otherwise she didn't know if she would have been able to locate him as instantaneously as she did. She had honestly thought that it would have been easier to find the noble in the crowd with his unique features, but after a while it became clear that it wouldn't be as simple as she once assumed. After that realization, she had been ready to search for a long time, only to find the one she had been looking for soon after. Funny how things just tend to turn out like that. It also helped that he was searching for her charge as well, roughly shoving through the crowd in his attempt to find his little brother.

It really was a cute moment that took place after Habien had pointed the older man to the young boy that clung to the edge of her cloak with such a vice like grip. He had been so excited to see his sibling that he had started crying. It was one of the cutest things that Habien had ever seen in her life, and she had seen many cute things in her travels. He looked like such a little kid, and he looked so relieved to see his brother. It really was a touching moment that would bring a smile almost any persons face, especially that easy to smile Habien. She seriously loved to smile. It was one of her favorite things to do, and she did it quite often. Finding things to smile about was just something that she did in life. No matter how hard she had to look to find something worth smiling about, she would do it. It just wouldn't be right to not smile at least once during the day.

However, Habien had not stopped to think about how she might have looked at the current moment while she was smiling at the two brothers reunion. With her face half covered in shadow, revealing only the bottom half, it really did look suspicious. Her smile probably came off as creepy and similar to that of a psychopath. So, though she was initially surprised by the hostility directed towards her, she quickly caught on to the fact that she looked like quite the shady character in her disguise. However, before she could try to remedy the situation and defend herself, she was quickly saved by none other then the one she had been watching over and protecting until moments before. He was rather quick to stick up for her as his helper. It made her really happy. Plus, he called her a nice person, and compliments always helped a woman's mood.

So as Konrad, as the younger noble had addressed him, began to apologize profusely for mistaking her for a predator of sorts and thank her, the only thing Habien could do was smile. After all, she couldn't be mad at Konrad for judging her and mistaking her for a threat. She was wearing a dark cloak to hid her features, as lord knows what could happen to a girl of her age in these streets, and she really did look suspicious. Plus, he had been missing his brother and he was very worried for him. It just showed that he loved his brother dearly, which was all that Habien cared about. It was with these thoughts that Habien swore she should have kicked herself, had she been able to. One thing that made her look so suspicious were her shadowy features. If she just repositioned her hood to show her facial features and express that she really meant no harm, maybe he would at least trust a little more.

It was with these thoughts that her hands reached towards her hood and moved the fabric ever so slightly so that it rested farther back on her head, revealing her smiling face and cheerful eyes. Maybe now the two could trust her more. Plus, it was always best to see how people react. People's faces reveal everything they're thinking, and it really is annoying when you can't see what somebody is thinking. With this action preformed, Habien began to address the older noble. "It really is alright. I would have most likely reacted in a similar fashion, had I seen such a shady character near my younger sibling. I hadn't noticed that my hood had slipped so far down. And it really was no trouble at all. It was just the right thing to do, and seeing you two together again was totally worth it," Habien said with yet another smile. "Oh, my name is Habien, by the way. I don't believe I ever told you that. It's very nice to meet you two."

[Leaf]

Konrad couldn't help but allow a wide grin to break across his face at the figure's words. The revelation of her face also gave him more sight of her generous character. She was no doubt, a very gracious character even by noble standards. He was glad that Matthias had stumbled upon such a generous person in these streets. "It is our fortune that it was you my brother here had met," the noble said as he rested his hand upon his brother's shoulder. When he heard the girl introduce herself, Konrad couldn't help but chide Matthias, "Dear brother, I can't believe it. You were helped by such a nice young lady, but never thought to introduce yourself?" The younger of the two bit his lip sheepishly as he looked down. He could hear the blatant joking tone in his brother's voice, but knew that it was true that he had forgotten proper decorum in his panic.

"A pleasure to meet you, Habien. I'm Konrad. Konrad Zeigler. And I'm sure you've met my younger brother here—well, why don't you introduce yourself?" The older noble patted his brother gently on the back, shoving him slightly forward. "Um, ah, uh, I-I'm Matthias," the boy stuttered, his gaze flitting on and off of Habien. He then looked back at Konrad, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, and uh, nice to meet you, um, Habien." Matthias felt quite embarassed with his words coming out in a jumble. Sometimes he wondered how his brother could be such a smooth talker. Socializing was just never the thing for the boy.

Konrad knew that he had done enough embarrassing his brother. He didn't want to push the poor boy too far and having him ending up bawling in the middle of the streets. "Well, Habien," He started. "Unless you have anywhere else better to be, perhaps you would like to come over to our house. We'd love to treat you to something as a sign of our gratitude. I'm sure Matty here would also enjoy it." Konrad grinned as he tousled the boy's hair playfully. Matthias looked at his brother haplessly before looking at Habien and then averting his gaze when she looked at him. Sometimes he just didn't understand what ran through the mind of his brother. But, he didn't really want Habien to leave just yet either. Not that she said she was going to, but now that he had found his brother, she really didn't need to stay anymore either, right? The thought made the boy panic. He had just met a very kind person didn't want her to leave. After all, she had just reunited him with his brother. Without saying anything, Matthias looked at Habien expectantly, wondering how she would respond to the invitation.

[Cherry]

Habien looked upon the two brothers with a small smile on her face, watching how the two interacted together now that they had gotten over their nervous feelings that had built up during their separation. They joked around and teased each other so easily; well, it was more like Konrad was teasing his younger brother. She could clearly see that the two loved each other dearly. Even though they may have their squabbles now and then, and even though they obviously had a set of qualities that made them different from each other, they would always look out for each other and be there for each other. The way these two treated each other, how they visibly showed they cared for one another, made Habien miss her little brother. The day she left had been one of the hardest days in her life, and it was equally hard for her brother.

Habien had never let him know of her wish to wander, yet somehow he always seemed to know everything that was going on with her. He was smart for his age and caught on to her plans quickly. So, when she told him of her leaving, he was not surprised. She had expected him to be angry with her, but he only looked at her with deeply seeded sadness and a hint of betrayal, and this broke her heart. She would have understood anger and she had gone in prepared for it, yet he had reacted in a completely different way then she had imagined. Instead of hiding his sadness behind anger as many people do, he instead looked upon her with eyes that visibly showed how he felt. It was almost as if he was saying 'I'm sorry we couldn't do enough as a family to make you happy here, but please don't leave.' He gave her this look at least once everyday leading up to her departure, even when he thought she wasn't looking. It made it so difficult for her to leave.

Once the day finally came for her to leave, she almost couldn't do it. Knowing that she was going to leave her little brother behind almost broke her conviction. However, her need to find her place in life won out over the feelings for her younger sibling. So, when it finally came time for her to leave, she hid her indecision behind a strong face and forced a smile. Her brother, the one she loved so dearly, was not there to see her leave. The day she left home, she cried. Though she had been in contact with her family since she left, not once had her brother written to her. She felt the bond with her brother breaking, and she could do nothing to stop it or to mend it.

That's why, when she looked upon the nobles, she felt a twinge of jealousy. She was jealous that they were so happy and her own relationship with her brother was breaking. Yet, she knew these were misdirected emotions she was feeling, and she felt bad for thinking that way, but she couldn't help it. She just wished she could talk to her brother like these two did with each other, the way things used to be. However, before she could delve much deeper into her little jar of depression, she was interrupted by Konrad as he invited her to join them in their home as thanks for helping them. It was a generous offer, one that Habien had not been expecting, and her surprise at the prospect visibly showed on her face.

Habien had only done what was right, and now that it was over, she had no reason to stay with the two nobles. She had not been expecting the invitation, and she was thrown for a loop. Part of her wanted to stay with the two, as she didn't really want to leave yet and she had nothing else to do, but another part of her knew she couldn't accept it. She had only done something that she couldn't allow herself to leave alone, and she couldn't accept any thanks from it. It was especially clear because she was a commoner and these were nobles. If she was to enter their house, she would feel like she diminished its value somehow. Being a guest in a fine home had never really been something that was seen amongst the people. She really didn't feel like she could accept the offer.

However, when she went to decline, something stopped her. She felt Matthias' eyes upon her and after looking at them, she saw that he earnestly wanted her to accept. He seemed not ready to leave her yet, and she honestly did not want to leave him yet either. She had saved him and even though she wanted nothing in return for the action, she couldn't bring herself to leave him and his brother yet. So, against her better judgement, she did what she wanted. "Well, my schedule is pretty booked. I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in" she said, pausing and poking her chin for dramatic effect. "However, I think I can move a few things around in my schedule. I accept your kind offer" She ended her phrase with a smile, showing that even though she had been troubled about the decision, she held no regret. "I would love to join you this afternoon."

[Leaf]

Matthias could feel some sort of sadness froth inside of Habien as he watched her watch him and his brother. That made him worried; was his brother's request too insolent for one who had just met. Feeling the heavy sadness twist into an awful troubled feeling only made Matthias more nervous. She was going to refuse. She was going to refuse and leave and disappear into the crowd and this would be the last time he would ever see her again. The boy rarely made friends and for the one time he saw a possibility, it was going to be torn from him. Soon, he didn't know whether the troubled feelings were Habien's or his own.

Konrad could feel his brother tense up beside him and moved to pat the boy on the head gently. He continued to smile at the girl, wondering how she would respond. By the way Matthias was reacting, however, he knew that the boy might be perceiving some sort of negative feeling. When Habien began to speak, Konrad felt Matthias freeze up beside him. They both anticipated it: the refusal.

But it never came. What Habien said made Konrad widen his eyes in surprise and his grin subsequently. "That's wonderful, isn't it, Matty?" He looked down at his brother, who couldn't suppress a smile and nodded vehemently.  "Well then," Konrad clasped his hands together. "Let's head to the south gate. We've got a carriage waiting there. Lead the lady, won't you, Matty?" Matthias looked at his brother with a dumbfounded look. He had just gotten lost in the city and his brother was now expecting him to know the way? Konrad disregarded his brother and looked toward the sun in the sky. "C'mon Matty, the south gate! The south! Surely it can't be all that hard for a genius like you." The boy looked at his brother silently with a cold stare and groaned inside his head. Did he really have to go out of his way to make things harder for him?

Sighing with an impatient tone, Matthias pulled a silver watch out of his pocket, looked at it and then at the sun. He gazed at it like he was measuring something up, nodded, then looked at Konrad. "Well?" the older boy asked with a grin before gesturing toward Habien. Matthias then turned to the girl and pointed down the road. "This way," he said simply before walking in that direction, gesturing Habien to follow.