Post by Ciel Romero on Jul 5, 2015 17:30:40 GMT -6
16 YEARS AGO - OLD EARTH
Ciel - Age 10
Micah - Age 3
Ciel - Age 10
Micah - Age 3
"I'm humgrie..."
"I know, Micah. We have to keep walking." Keep walking. Keep walking.
"Mah feet hurt!"
"I know, Micah. I promised I'll find you new shoes..." New shoes, food, water... Have to keep walking.
"Care-wy me?"
"I can't, Micah. I'm sorry." Too weak. Keep walking.
They were just children. Orphaned children desperate for the rumors to be true. At least, Ciel was. He'd told Micah about the portal countless times, but the little one didn't seem to understand, yet. Ciel's biggest fear was reaching the portal's supposed location, only to find nothing. Sighing softly, the ten year old opened the old map he held clutched in his hand. The journey had been about as kind to the map as it'd been to them... It was covered in blurred spots and rips. Thankfully, the path to their destination was mostly unmarred... His father had marked it on the map a long time ago, while they were talking about it. He had probably never expected Ciel to actually try to follow it... But here they were. Starving, lost, and alone. Keep walking.
"...You use ta care-wy me."
Ciel sighed softly, closing the map. He didn't reply to the little one's complaint, instead diverting his attention. "Look, do you see all of that smog up ahead? We're nearing a city. I can get us some stuff, there. You need to wear the mask, okay?" He spoke, kneeling next to his brother and pulling an old breather from his bag and putting the map away. The three year old Micah immediately started pouting. He hated wearing the breather... He didn't realize the importance of it. The air was bad everywhere, but in cities it was almost lethal. Ciel ignored the pouting and inevitable struggling as he fastened the breather into place. Only once he'd managed that did he retrieve another one for himself and fasten it into place. You had to get them on before approaching a city, to be safe. Micah eventually gave up on pouting and took his brother's hand to be lead onward. Keep walking.
Passing the threshold into the city, Ciel felt the little fingers grip his hand tighter. Even with breathers, the smog seemed painful on their skin and their eyes. He needed to find full masks... Well. He'd found them before, but he couldn't bring himself to take them. They belonged to someone. Everything Ciel 'found' belonged to someone... He hated it, but he needed to keep Micah alive. But the gas-masks were too important to take from someone. In such a world, the masks and breathers were the difference between life and death. He couldn't do it. "I'm sorry, Micah. Bear with it..." He spoke softly, his voice muffled by the breather. Keep walking.
"We need to find water, first. Bottled water, Micah, don't drink from fountains or taps."
"Ah know..."
Ignoring his brother's annoyed whine, Ciel moved forward, looking for signs of life and fastened doors. Building with open doors were dead-ends and dangerous. He wasn't the only scavenger, after all... Closed doors meant false security and something to hide. "That one looks good. You know the drill, Micah. Wait here, and stay in the shadows. Call me if you see anyone. Loud as you can."
"Ah know, ah know!"
"Where on Earth did you get such an attitude... I'll be back as soon as I can." Ciel replied, shaking his head some and walking off to find an alternate way into the closed building. Glancing back at his brother to make sure he was properly out of sight, he rounded a corner. Soon, he noticed a window he could climb up to. He'd gotten pretty good at this bit. His fingers clinging to even the tiniest of ledges as he scaled the wall, Ciel was soon able to get a grip on the window sill. This was the tricky part.What with the pollution, many windows were sealed pretty tightly. He was just lucky he was still small.
Carefully retrieving a dull pocket knife, he began the painstaking challenge of chipping away at the edges of the glass pane to loosen it. This could take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour... Luckily it seemed it was already worn down a good bit and after a while he was able to push the glass out of it's socket in one piece. He justified that, this way, the owners would be able to put it back, maybe. He kept hold on the glass to make sure it didn't fall, and put the pocket knife away before carefully squeezing his way through the hole. It was already nearing nightfall... He hoped the residents were asleep. Or maybe away? If there were any. Many times he'd done this to find nothing but an empty house.
Once inside, Ciel gently placed the glass pane on the floor. Pausing, he could hear sounds of others rustling about. The house wasn't empty, but the residents were awake. He had to be careful. Carefully removing his tattered shoes to make less noise and putting them into his bag, the child scavenger began his hunt. Looking around, he noted that he had climbed into a bathroom and quickly went for the door to avoid any compromising situations. The hallway was pretty empty. There wasn't much litter about, so he could tell that there was someone trying to keep it clean. Seeing a staircase, Ciel paused to listen and look around. The noises were coming from downstairs. Deciding to take this chance, he stepped quietly down the hallway to find a bedroom. Hopefully a child's bedroom. Micah had outgrown his shoes. He needed new shoes...
Opening the first door he came to, Ciel peeked inside. It was a barren room, but obviously belonged to an adult. Children would always have some semblance of toys laying about. Always. Shaking his head, he moved on down to the next door. As he reached for the knob, however, a child's voice screaming his name pierced the air. Immediately dropping what he was doing, Ciel darted down the stairs, past an entrance to the dining room where a family was trying to have a meal, and to the front door, quickly unblocking it, unlocking it, and darting out to find his brother.
Ciel soon found Micah right where he'd left him, looking sheepish. He had even removed the breather to scream out so loudly... Hurrying to his side, Ciel knelt next to the little one, quickly getting the mask back into place. "Micah, what happened? What's wrong?" He asked calmly as he adjusted the mask, then glancing around for some reason for the boy to have screamed. Micah simply shuffled his feet, looking towards the ground as he seemed hesitant to answer the question. "Micah?"
"I--... I dot I saw summun, but I did'n really.." The younger one confessed, seeming about ready to cry.
Ciel paused for a moment, then letting out a relieved sigh and wrapping his brother in a hug. "It's okay, Micah. I'm glad you're---"
"Brudder, I see summun!" Micah interrupted, pointing behind Ciel.
Ciel paused, slowly releasing his brother from the hug and turning to see the residents he'd passed on his way out of their house. "Oh... Um..." Unable to find words, Ciel could only frown as he feared the worst. Should have kept walking...
"I know, Micah. We have to keep walking." Keep walking. Keep walking.
"Mah feet hurt!"
"I know, Micah. I promised I'll find you new shoes..." New shoes, food, water... Have to keep walking.
"Care-wy me?"
"I can't, Micah. I'm sorry." Too weak. Keep walking.
They were just children. Orphaned children desperate for the rumors to be true. At least, Ciel was. He'd told Micah about the portal countless times, but the little one didn't seem to understand, yet. Ciel's biggest fear was reaching the portal's supposed location, only to find nothing. Sighing softly, the ten year old opened the old map he held clutched in his hand. The journey had been about as kind to the map as it'd been to them... It was covered in blurred spots and rips. Thankfully, the path to their destination was mostly unmarred... His father had marked it on the map a long time ago, while they were talking about it. He had probably never expected Ciel to actually try to follow it... But here they were. Starving, lost, and alone. Keep walking.
"...You use ta care-wy me."
Ciel sighed softly, closing the map. He didn't reply to the little one's complaint, instead diverting his attention. "Look, do you see all of that smog up ahead? We're nearing a city. I can get us some stuff, there. You need to wear the mask, okay?" He spoke, kneeling next to his brother and pulling an old breather from his bag and putting the map away. The three year old Micah immediately started pouting. He hated wearing the breather... He didn't realize the importance of it. The air was bad everywhere, but in cities it was almost lethal. Ciel ignored the pouting and inevitable struggling as he fastened the breather into place. Only once he'd managed that did he retrieve another one for himself and fasten it into place. You had to get them on before approaching a city, to be safe. Micah eventually gave up on pouting and took his brother's hand to be lead onward. Keep walking.
Passing the threshold into the city, Ciel felt the little fingers grip his hand tighter. Even with breathers, the smog seemed painful on their skin and their eyes. He needed to find full masks... Well. He'd found them before, but he couldn't bring himself to take them. They belonged to someone. Everything Ciel 'found' belonged to someone... He hated it, but he needed to keep Micah alive. But the gas-masks were too important to take from someone. In such a world, the masks and breathers were the difference between life and death. He couldn't do it. "I'm sorry, Micah. Bear with it..." He spoke softly, his voice muffled by the breather. Keep walking.
"We need to find water, first. Bottled water, Micah, don't drink from fountains or taps."
"Ah know..."
Ignoring his brother's annoyed whine, Ciel moved forward, looking for signs of life and fastened doors. Building with open doors were dead-ends and dangerous. He wasn't the only scavenger, after all... Closed doors meant false security and something to hide. "That one looks good. You know the drill, Micah. Wait here, and stay in the shadows. Call me if you see anyone. Loud as you can."
"Ah know, ah know!"
"Where on Earth did you get such an attitude... I'll be back as soon as I can." Ciel replied, shaking his head some and walking off to find an alternate way into the closed building. Glancing back at his brother to make sure he was properly out of sight, he rounded a corner. Soon, he noticed a window he could climb up to. He'd gotten pretty good at this bit. His fingers clinging to even the tiniest of ledges as he scaled the wall, Ciel was soon able to get a grip on the window sill. This was the tricky part.What with the pollution, many windows were sealed pretty tightly. He was just lucky he was still small.
Carefully retrieving a dull pocket knife, he began the painstaking challenge of chipping away at the edges of the glass pane to loosen it. This could take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour... Luckily it seemed it was already worn down a good bit and after a while he was able to push the glass out of it's socket in one piece. He justified that, this way, the owners would be able to put it back, maybe. He kept hold on the glass to make sure it didn't fall, and put the pocket knife away before carefully squeezing his way through the hole. It was already nearing nightfall... He hoped the residents were asleep. Or maybe away? If there were any. Many times he'd done this to find nothing but an empty house.
Once inside, Ciel gently placed the glass pane on the floor. Pausing, he could hear sounds of others rustling about. The house wasn't empty, but the residents were awake. He had to be careful. Carefully removing his tattered shoes to make less noise and putting them into his bag, the child scavenger began his hunt. Looking around, he noted that he had climbed into a bathroom and quickly went for the door to avoid any compromising situations. The hallway was pretty empty. There wasn't much litter about, so he could tell that there was someone trying to keep it clean. Seeing a staircase, Ciel paused to listen and look around. The noises were coming from downstairs. Deciding to take this chance, he stepped quietly down the hallway to find a bedroom. Hopefully a child's bedroom. Micah had outgrown his shoes. He needed new shoes...
Opening the first door he came to, Ciel peeked inside. It was a barren room, but obviously belonged to an adult. Children would always have some semblance of toys laying about. Always. Shaking his head, he moved on down to the next door. As he reached for the knob, however, a child's voice screaming his name pierced the air. Immediately dropping what he was doing, Ciel darted down the stairs, past an entrance to the dining room where a family was trying to have a meal, and to the front door, quickly unblocking it, unlocking it, and darting out to find his brother.
Ciel soon found Micah right where he'd left him, looking sheepish. He had even removed the breather to scream out so loudly... Hurrying to his side, Ciel knelt next to the little one, quickly getting the mask back into place. "Micah, what happened? What's wrong?" He asked calmly as he adjusted the mask, then glancing around for some reason for the boy to have screamed. Micah simply shuffled his feet, looking towards the ground as he seemed hesitant to answer the question. "Micah?"
"I--... I dot I saw summun, but I did'n really.." The younger one confessed, seeming about ready to cry.
Ciel paused for a moment, then letting out a relieved sigh and wrapping his brother in a hug. "It's okay, Micah. I'm glad you're---"
"Brudder, I see summun!" Micah interrupted, pointing behind Ciel.
Ciel paused, slowly releasing his brother from the hug and turning to see the residents he'd passed on his way out of their house. "Oh... Um..." Unable to find words, Ciel could only frown as he feared the worst. Should have kept walking...