A great big world / Val

sapphire hued eyes studied his surroundings with unease gracing his features. tension riddled his frame as he hovered in the shadows of the expansive, imposing slab of stone that the raduga kingdom heralded as their savior; however, valère viewed the inanimate structure as his prison. apprehension caused his heart to pound erratically in his chest. he felt like the organ might burst from his chest at any moment, for he swore that the rapid palpations caused it to collide with his bones that created his fragile frame. for him, stepping into the city of chrysós signed his death warrant. no one sought to murder him during his restless hours of unconsciousness, and no one wanted to discover his whereabouts for potentially beneficial information. however, the city appeared to him as a grim reaper, waiting menacingly before him as a sentinel of his demise.

when the blonde discovered his nearly depleted supply of empty vials and of preserved food, he nearly dissolved into a panic attack, for he loathed the idea of subjecting himself to the stifling atmosphere of the kingdom. yes, the walled cities terrified him. valère could not comprehend the gracious attitude that inhabitants of the sheltered kingdom awarded the towering walls. they acted as restraints in his mind, locking him into a monotonous and meaningless existence within the cramped and bustling cities, and he lacked the fortitude to subject himself to that life. the silver clansman preferred to subject himself to the unpredictability of the shadows, realizing that his survival hinged upon his own abilities and believing that the wilderness offered him the freedom that he craved.

however, due to the necessity of maintaining his stock, the fair haired male resigned himself to his fate, so over the course of the day, he traversed the distance between himself and the capital of the raduga empire. zöld offered a diverse selection of merchandise; however, his destination—chrysós—boasted of a business that catered to his needs at a lower cost. his refusal to deal with the walled cities meant that he was constantly saving and scrambling for gems, and when he found himself in possession of the local currency, valère forced himself to enter the walled cities, restocking his supplies without paying attention to whether he needed the items or not. it was an endless process that he grew weary of within the first decade of his existence after his king’s death. he led a wearisome existence.

an intake of air allowed him to ground himself in reality, and he forced his feet to move, lifting the dead weight with unprecedented resolve. he could easily slip in and out of the city before the guards denied him the opportunity to return to the shadows; he merely needed to hurry. with a shuffling gait, valère stepped over the threshold and found himself observing the few stragglers that continued to meander in the area near the celestial gate. they reminded him of busy bees, who moved with purpose toward their chosen destination. a sigh caused his shoulders to shift minutely as he continued forward, leery of arousing suspicion from the guards stationed next to the gate.

his forward momentum, however, halted by the soft sound of someone calling out to him. sky blue tinted eyes shifted away from the beaten path to study his newfound companion. his hood cast shadows over his features, but as he continued to watch the youth, he realized that the protection was unnecessary as the child’s eyes never settled directly upon him. hello, valère greeted in reply, voice resounding in a soft, soothing lilt. paranoia stopped him from lowering his guard as he pivoted to face the youth. can i be of assistance? the inquiry escaped him without his notice though he did wish to assist the fair haired youth that dared to capture his attention. it went against his nature to ignore the obviously troubled individual.

sky blue hued eyes disappeared behind pale lids as valère forced himself to continue breathing. terror weighed heavily upon his petite figure as he anticipated the moment of his own breakdown, for each passing second heralded the arrival of buried memories—incidents from a past that he refused to acknowledge when prowling through the murky darkness of the shadows. outside of the protected environment of the cities, one could not afford to be lost within their own thoughts as that painted a target sign upon their back. one wrong movement spelled their early demise due to the lurkers that lived outside of the imposing structure that residents of the raduga kingdom deemed as their silent protector.

due to their fallacious peace, the people of raduga tended to forget about the lurkers that awaited their opportunity to pounce upon their prey. they believed that they resided in a world without pain or fear until news of a lurker attack reached their doors, and in those moments, they merely retreated inside, pretending to be oblivious to the world and portraying themselves as naïve, uncultured fools. with a deep intake of oxygen, valère forced himself to reawaken to the present, dragging his attention from his own raising fear and focusing upon the youth that dared to shatter the silence of the area. a tension hovered over the space due to the proximity of the lurkers. the gates acted as the doorway between the oppressive naïveté of the raduga kingdom and the unpredictable shadows.

pale lips quirked into a barely noticeable smile as the other’s voice washed over him. he noted the fragile frame of the youth and wondered how the young noble managed to evade being captured by the ruffians that waited in the shadows. perhaps chrysós lacked the presence of dissenters, for from the younger male’s tone, he had traversed a sizeable portion of the city. pale eyebrows furrowed as white teeth pressed harshly against his lower lip. his desires warred against each other in his heart. he wanted to hurry and flee from the city—which was the embodiment of his nightmares; however, the blonde could not bear to abandon ratsami, who dared to seek the aid that he required while stranded in an unfamiliar locale.

with a resigned sigh, valère surrendered himself to his fate. please, he began in a soft murmur, words tumbling from his lips as he lowered his guard. i don’t mind assisting you, but i’d prefer… less formality. his feet shuffled awkwardly against the cobbled ground as he shifted his weight, nervously clutching at his cloak as he lowered his gaze—unable to meet the sightless eyes of his companion. but… i’d appreciate a name as it’s a bit of a walk to the residential area. pale hands fluttered uselessly into the air, fingers twitching frantically as his nerves presented themselves in unconscious movements. uhm… i’m zaffre. he paused self-consciously while lowering his hands. and you are?