Burning Bridges

[Marf]

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Slums sprawled the long horizon of Malastare and Aurelius greeted the smog early. Sleet melted by acid rain gathered beneath the rails of a great bridge. Leaning against he car, he rested a cigarette between his lips and breathed in the chemical scent of the morning air. Only a few cars crossed the bridge and pedestrians seldom disturbed him. He found peace in the morning, paired with a lack of prying eyes. A thick long coat covered a plain shirt and suit pants beneath and he felt the cold pierce his garments. Moving forward, he flicked the cigarette over the edge of the bridge.

"Hello darlin." He sighed as his hands gripped the frosty railing. The glance of a child caught his eye. Black spots dotted the tip of her nose and ears indicating frostbite in the shrill Malastare winter. Poverty resonated from her in an alien manner which Aurelius could only pity. Their gaze locked for a moment and he watched her turn to leave. "Hang on, you got frostbite." Beckoning her over, Aurelius released the bridge rails and motioned towards his car.

"Why live a life, that's painted with pity and sadness and strife..." Aurelius sang merrily while he lead the young girl towards the luxury speeder. A doctor's case containing an abundance of chemicals and medicine waited in the passenger seat. Looking behind, she seemed hesitant and he did not blame her. "Come here, or it'll get worse!" He opened the passenger side of the car and procured the medical case. Walking around the other side, he sat down in the driver's seat and opened it to course over vials and syringes.

The girl cautiously moved around the car and joined him, the inside of the car as opulent as the exterior. Brushing a hand through his sandy hair, he found a healing serum with a heating base to apply a subtle warmth the exposed parts of her face. He unscrewed the lid and applied a modest amount to a cotton ball and dabbed the surface on her nose.

"What are you doin out here by yourself? You not have parents?" The alchemist applied his elixir and inquired. He squinted and the black rings around his weary eyes indicated a lack of sleep. The bridge to a better path was not entirely burnt.
@Queen

 

[Queen]

Hands, reddened at the fingertips, rummaged through a piles of trash and filth, desperately seeking for something of value. A backpack laid open to her side, filled with scraps of food, parts she found she could trade for credits, anything she saw as potentially valuable. Frigid gusts of wind whistled past her ears, nipping at her skin, sending prickles of pain up her spine. Winter was a hard time for Joeli and the others, with food not being grown, and scavenging becoming increasingly difficult with the frigid temperatures. Leira was gone too, making a trade in hopes to score credits for food and warm clothing, and Joeli was the only scavenger in the group left.

The child had been told to not go out if it was too bitter, but she ignored the advice; While not starving, she and the others had become thin, and constantly felt hunger nagging them. Joeli decided to go out, despite obvious dangers to her health. She sat for hours in a junkyard, rummaging through the trash, trying to find something worthwhile.

She hadn't found much.

White clouds escaped her lips, as she breathed a heavy sigh of frustrating. Zipping up her backpack, she slung it over her should and continued on, hoping to find another place to scavenge.

Her body told her to stop; Sharp pains pricked her hands and nose, warning her of possible frostbite, something Leira had warned her about. She ignored it, zipping up her parka so that it covered her mouth, and retracting her hands into her coat. She had to find something, she couldn't come back empty handed.

Joeli neared the familiar rickety, rusted metal bridge, which led to the other side of the lake that was now almost frozen solid lake. Something stopped her though. A man was standing on it. Someone she'd never seen before. Paranoia crept into the girl. She'd repeatedly been told not to go near strangers and to always go with her gut. Joeli debated walking across the frozen lake to avoid getting nabbed. She stared at the thick ice, having an internal debate with herself whether she was certain it wouldn't break or not. The risk wasn't worth it, though, as she could also fall and break a bone.

She'd just pass him; She was perfectly capable for her age, having been trained by Leira for years.

A shrill creaking sound filled the silence as her foot met the rusted metal, only to be followed by the man's voice. Joeli stopped in her tracks, her hazel eyes growing huge. Nobody had ever spoken to her while she was on a run. She was presented with a situation she never imagined she'd have to encounter.

Joeli looked at him, inquisitively, not saying a word. The atmosphere was silent once again, spare the whistle of the wind, as she studied him; Something resonated with her. Something told her this was someone she could trust. Once again, the often conflicted young girl began having a debate with herself. To go, or not to go.

She looked down at her fingers. They felt almost numb from the cold, the skin feeling stiff and dry whenever she moved them. Prickles of hot pain went through them, making her wince. She could never make it home without it getting worse. Reluctantly, Joeli followed him.

When they came upon the vehicle, she was astonished. She hadn't seen anything quite that expensive since her days in Coruscant. Running her sore fingers across the chilled metal, Joeli heard the car door pop open. She spared a few seconds to rethink what she was about to do. Looking inside the car, it looked.. luxurious, warm, inviting. Joeli felt the pain in her fingers and face once more, and slid in the passengers seat, breathing a sigh of relief once she was shielded from the bitter cold.

She sat silently as the man unscrewed the lid to what looked like medicine, and offered no complaint as he dabbed it on her face. Joeli instantly felt it's heat, the nipping pain began to melt away.

"What are you doin out here by yourself? Do you not have parents?" He asked her.

Joeli simply looked at him for a few seconds, offering just a head nod to the second question, signifying that she did have parents. She saw no need to speak yet. She didn't trust him quite that much.