kusabi-tan

The
boy allowed him to lead, to be swept away to god only knows where, but
it had to be better than what he’d had here. He was sure that’s what he
was thinking, too, as they quickly exited the tent. Winter was fast
approaching and they were lucky that snow hadn’t yet fallen; it would
only make this harder for the both of them if it had.

He saw a man in the distance, an older man a good foot or so
below their own height. His lips formed in a circle, like he was going
to whistle, but another sound came out. It sounded like the soft
squawking of an Eastern Bluebird and at the sound of it, the old man
picked up their head and glanced in their direction.

Even at this distance, he could see he was skeptical about his little tag-along.

“Tha’s the old man. Ya ain’t gotta worry about him, I
promise,” Lavi said, turning his head to smile down at the boy. Now that
they were in the light, he could see his hair actually was the
color of dirtied snow—though Lavi supposed that was most likely because
his hair was dirty. It was slick with grease, like seeing to it that his
hygiene was taken care of was hardly of import. He’d need to get him
into a bath as soon as he could.

Allen was a bit surprised that they were able to walk away so easily. But no one had any reason to suspect the pair, they would assume they were customers until someone discovered his disappearance. But eventually someone would discover his escape, someone would come to give the animals food and water, as well as give some to Allen if he was lucky… or they may fetch him to clean up and prepare for another performance. He did not participate often, his show was a random occurrence at the whim of the ringmaster to boost attendance. A show was the only time he would be let out, they didn’t care if he was filthy or starving unless they needed him to perform that day. He really had no way of knowing when someone would notice the empty cage.

He hoped he would have time until they realized he was gone. He did not expect his stranger to just take him in, he probably would make sure he was alright before leaving. Allen needed time to get what he needed to survive… And he wanted to get as far away as he could from here, or find a good place to hide until they left. He knew they wouldn’t go all out searching for him, but if he was spotted in the streets he had no doubt they would snatch him up again.

He looked up when the stranger made an odd noise, and followed his eyes to a short, old man, in the distance. Despite the reassurance, he noticed that the old man did not look very happy to see Allen tagging along. His heart sank, he had hoped he would have at least a bit more time…

kusabi-tan

There
was hesitation. Lavi couldn’t blame him, looking at him even in what
little lighting was here. He stood on weak legs, Lavi reaching out the
other arm to keep him steady in case he tipped over as he escaped the
cage covered in filth. Just… Just how long had he been in there for? What had he been in there for?

Like the legs he stood on, an equally weak voice thanked him, but the dazzling smile he flashed him startled him.

God, how did someone who’d been locked in a cage smile like that?

Lavi separated their hands, pulling off the cloak and plopping
it on top of the younger’s head to hide what appeared to be an unusual
hair color. Though he could be very wrong in the lighting, but they
needed to keep him from being easily spotted regardless.

An arm wrapped around thin shoulders, gently tugging him
towards one of the exits. “Come on, we need ta get ya outta here.” If
nothing else, he could do that.

Allen held the cloak with one hand so it would not slip from his head. He let the man lead him, hardly believing he could be his lucky., Not only did this person free him, he was helping him escape as well! It would be much easier to get away accompanied by another person, and with his hair covered. And the cloak was long enough to hide his dirty clothes and bare feet. As long as no one saw his face, he could easily get away.

kusabi-tan:

ruzuki:

Allen stared at the man as he approached, reaching through the bars towards him. He wasn’t sure what to do, was this man a new addition to the circus? Or an outsider who lost their way? It was not easy to access this area, so that meant likely this person had been sent here for some reason.

What if he was sent by the ringmaster…? Allen wouldn’t put it past the man to send someone to bait Allen into attempting to escape, just to mess with his head.

But Allen would rather fail a hundred times, than let an opportunity pass by because he was too scared.

Allen shook his head in response to the mans question, and reached up a hand to tentatively touch the hand on his shoulder.

“Please help me.” he begged in a low whisper.

A shake of the head told him everything. The hand that laid over his own was hesitant, as if still trying to gauge Lavi’s intentions. Holy shit, he found himself thinking, staring at the boy with both shock and pity present in one visible eye.

This boy, younger even than someone like him who was barely an adult, was begging him for help. His duty bid him to turn around and go home, pretend like none of this ever happened and move on with his life like a good Bookman. But something in the way the boy’s fingers slid across the back of his hand as he pulled it away from his shoulder told him that was impossible.

Don’t, a voice in his head said as he fished something out of his boot. Something long and skinny—a lock pick.

He inserted it into the lock, all while wondering what the hell he was doing—what he was going to do after with a perfect stranger who had nowhere to go and nothing but the clothes on his back. These things happen. Let it be, he tried to tell himself, but kept testing the waters, slowly hearing the tumblers inside click into place and when the lock finally unlatched, he knew it was too late.

Slowly, he pushed the door away, trying to avoid working the squeaky hinges as he offered a hand to the boy. “C’mon. We should pro’ly hurry.”

Allen watched with wide eyes as the man started fiddling with the lock, unable to stop the hope growing. Finally, he heard a click, and the door was opened carefully.

He hesitated only a moment before taking the hand offered, and crawling out of the filthy cage. He winced as he stood, he hadn’t been let out for a few days and felt really stiff. He kept his hand in the others, wondering if they would continue to help, or leave him to escape himself. Either way, he didn’t mind, this man had already helped him so much.

“Thank you.” he said in the same hoarse whisper, and smiled.

kusabi-tan

Lavi hadn’t been expecting what he found. When he saw the cage
in the corner of the room, he’d that made an animal was tucked away
there. He had planned on just leaving it alone, moving on because that
was a part of his job and they’d only stopped here to deliver a message
as part of an odd job they’d picked up to pay for food and other travel
expenses.

The Old Man had gone one way while Lavi had gone the other and
now, he half-wished he hadn’t let his curiosity get the better of him.
He’d never been to a circus, after all, and was now wishing he hadn’t
elected to go.

“Holy shit…” he muttered as he neared the cage and found not an animal, but a person,
one a couple years younger than himself. His hair was gray—perhaps even
a snow white, though the darkness made it difficult to
differentiate—and an unusual mark marred the left side of his face. What
clothes he wore were thin and tattered; it was a sin to even call them
clothes at all.

Even through the darkness, he could see the bags beneath his
eyes, that he was too thin for a boy his age. Worst of all, he was
shivering and Lavi was having a hard time discerning if his skin was
pale due to his clear lack of exposure to the sun or because he was ill.

“Hey… You okay?” Lavi asked quietly, tentatively reaching through the bars to touch his shoulder.

Allen stared at the man as he approached, reaching through the bars towards him. He wasn’t sure what to do, was this man a new addition to the circus? Or an outsider who lost their way? It was not easy to access this area, so that meant likely this person had been sent here for some reason.

What if he was sent by the ringmaster…? Allen wouldn’t put it past the man to send someone to bait Allen into attempting to escape, just to mess with his head.

But Allen would rather fail a hundred times, than let an opportunity pass by because he was too scared.

Allen shook his head in response to the mans question, and reached up a hand to tentatively touch the hand on his shoulder.

“Please help me.” he begged in a low whisper.

☀ (From Lavi~ CIRCUS ALLEN GIVES ME LIFE OKAY)

(I KNOW RIGHT? XD ~~I can barely keep up with my current RPs but I loved this prompt so much)~~

Allen shivered and curled up tighter, leaning against the bars of his small cage. He could hear the chatter from the crowd as the tent filled, and sighed. He would be made to perform again tonight. He was tired, hungry, and sore from being cooped up in his cage for hours… but the ringmaster didn’t care. All he cared about was profit. He knew Allen wanted to leave… and Allen’s acts were some of the crowd favorites. So, he locked Allen up, caging him like his circus animals. And like an animal, he was forced to perform for the crowd. If he refused, or didn’t do well enough, he was whipped. His body still bore the scars from his first days of imprisonment, when he tried to refuse or flee, and newer lashes still ached.

He heard shuffling footsteps approaching, and looked up curiously. It was far too early for the ringmaster to come get him… but maybe someone would bring him something to eat before today’s performance.

“You could have died!” (Lavi&Allen? Hope you’re okay with me sending this! OTL)

ruzuki:

“Yea, but I didn’t. And neither did you, which is what counts.“ (Yes, of course! You’re playing Lavi?)

kusabi-tan:

Lavi nodded when Allen bid him to fetch something for his headache, though it occurred to him that he didn’t see it. “I’ll be right back, ‘kay? Don’t doze back off on me now.”

He was quick to slip out the room and down the stairs in search of whatever small store he could get the pills from. Luck was with him when he found a small bottle of such pills not two minutes from the inn, alongside some lavender oil that would hopefully help to ease his headache. He made it back to the room in less than ten minutes with the pills, oil and a glass of water.

“Was that fast enough for ya, Al?” Lavi asked, sitting back down on the bed next to him. He plopped one of the pills out of the bottle and into his hand before offering it and the glass to Allen. “I got ya a pain killer. Gonna rub some lavender oil on yer head, too. Old man always told me that was great for headaches.”

Allen grimaced as he opened his eyes, and sat up to take the pill and water from Lavi. He swallowed the pill, and sipped at the water as he tried to ignore how his head was spinning.

“’Kay.” he replied quietly. If Bookman had said it worked, Allen was hopeful that it would help.

“You could have died!” (Lavi&Allen? Hope you’re okay with me sending this! OTL)

ruzuki:

“Yea, but I didn’t. And neither did you, which is what counts.“ (Yes, of course! You’re playing Lavi?)

kusabi-tan:

Lavi grimaced at Allen’s declaration. His head hurt. Lavi hadn’t expected the pain to fade over a few hours—quite the opposite, he’d been certain it would still be there in some amount—but it still worried him.

He sat on the edge of the bed, reached down and massaged his temples with a gentle touch, doing what he could in that second to ease his friend’s pain. “Ya want me ta get ya some medicine?” Lavi asked, voice quiet.

A hundred scenarios ran in his head. Dehydration would trigger a headache. A drop in blood sugar might, too. As much as he hated to admit it, though, it was more likely a concussion. That left aspirin out of the question. “Maybe I can find some lavender oil around here…” Lavi muttered more to himself than the one suffering on the bed.

The fingers pressing against his temples did help a bit, and Allen didn’t want Lavi to leave him here alone. But, he knew the fastest way to feel better was to let Lavi go get him medicine.

“Yes… please.” Allen said, his voice nearly a whisper.

“You could have died!” (Lavi&Allen? Hope you’re okay with me sending this! OTL)

kusabi-tan:

ruzuki:

“Yea, but I didn’t. And neither did you, which is what counts.“ (Yes, of course! You’re playing Lavi?)

The sound of his name made him jump; it nearly sent the book on his lap tumbling to the ground. But he’d pulled himself from his seat, tossed the book onto his bed without bothering to save his spot and was at Allen’s bedside not thirty seconds later.

“Hey, bud,” he said quietly, looking the boy over. Damn, he looked out of it, like he’d been slapped with a nasty headache—which could be mean he had more than just a concussion, but Lavi had to hold onto the hope that that wasn’t the case. Even a concussion could be risky. “You feelin’ okay? Need anythin’?”

“Head hurts…” He wasn’t sure what Lavi could do about it, but he wanted the headache to stop.

“You could have died!” (Lavi&Allen? Hope you’re okay with me sending this! OTL)

kusabi-tan:

ruzuki:

“Yea, but I didn’t. And neither did you, which is what counts.“ (Yes, of course! You’re playing Lavi?)

When Allen turned over to go back to sleep, Lavi continued tracing
small circles in his back until the boy’s breathing evened out. He fell
asleep and once he had, Lavi followed shortly. After eating what he’d gotten for himself and throwing out any leftovers, he pulled off his boots and flopped down on his own bed to doze for a few hours. Sleeping lightly, the evening disappeared in favor of night. Lavi was up and down until the early hours of the morning, checking up on his friend, making sure he didn’t have a fever or that his wounds didn’t need to be redressed.

It wasn’t until the sun peaked over the horizon that Lavi finally settled down near the window with a book, the worry he had for his friend who continued to sleep peacefully overriding his own need to do so.

If he doesn’t wake up soon, I’ll see about finding a doctor in the area, Lavi thought to himself, having to read each page twice to properly digest what was on the page.

Allen slowly became aware of his surroundings, a headache forcing him to consciousness no matter how much he tried to cling to sleep. His mind felt muddled, and he wondered how he could feel cloudy and painful and nauseous at once. He didn’t want to move, or open his eyes, but he knew he was not going to get back to sleep easily.

He heard the sound of pages turning, which was oddly comforting. It took him a few moments to remember that the sound meant Lavi was there.

“Lavi.” he called out quietly, his voice sounding strained.

“You could have died!” (Lavi&Allen? Hope you’re okay with me sending this! OTL)

kusabi-tan:

ruzuki:

“Yea, but I didn’t. And neither did you, which is what counts.“ (Yes, of course! You’re playing Lavi?)

Lavi chuckled as Allen was quick to finish the pudding. He was glad he got something into his system, at least, even if Lavi knew it wasn’t anywhere near enough.

“A promise is a promise,” Lavi said as he took the bowl from Allen and set it on the nightstand. “Roll over on yer side an’ I’ll keep doodlin’.”

Allen lay on his side quickly, making himself comfortable so he could go to sleep.