Adrenaline Hit

Why had she dragged him out today? He didn't want to go out. It was so...noisy. So noisy. Noisy noisy noisy...

Even though Valentina had picked a quieter street of shops in Era, it was still a little too much for Santiago's delicate composition. He preferred to sleep as much as possible. The screams stopped then. There was no noise then. There was...nothing. Blissful nothingness.

But his sister cared for him, so she insisted that he go out and get some fresh air and try to return to normal. That's why he was in a nearly deserted shop full of random convenience things. Santi hardly noticed the items, since he was just wandering to keep busy while Valli picked up some clothes that were on sale. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched forward. Whether it was shyness, discomfort, or trying to keep from being stared at because of the scars, it was clear that Santi would rather keep to himself.

He remembered when life had been normal. He'd always been prone to emotional outbursts and tantrums over inconveniences and disappointments, but he'd easily gone out in public and even had friends. The memories of a happier time were so clear, yet they felt like they belonged to someone else. Anything before the roaring of a towering scaled creature bursting from the water and torching him, his crewmates, and the boat as a whole was like watching a TV show. The man that returned from that mission wasn't Santi, it was Hush. And Hush knew he wasn't okay.

It was a daily struggle to not do the things he fantasized about. At first, the daydreams and passing thoughts served as enough of a thrill to get him by, enough to make him feel alive. But as with most stimulants, he adjusted and grew immune to them. Even now, as he slowly wandered the store out from under his sister's watchful eye, he felt the urges, the voices. Do something. Feel alive. If you don't, you won't be able to stand it! Doing nothing made it feel like he was on fire, and Santi knew from experience how unpleasant it was to burn alive! What could he do to make it stop, but have his blood pump so hard that it could put out the fire?

Blue eyes peeking back and forth, a hand whipped out of his pocket and snagged a bag of chips and a stick of gum, which he snuck back into his pocket. Yes, there was that little hit of adrenaline, a little thrill from stealing something and hoping he didn't get caught by anyone...

[wc: 443]

The shops that littered the streets of Era were always bustling with people. Whether the humans were finding good deals, or perhaps going out with that special someone, Era was a great place to be. Because it was so busy, it was the perfect place for Hiraeth to patrol. Usually when there were larger groups of people, thugs saw an opportune time for degenerate activities. Whether that be shoplifting, littering, or harassing others. The small woman had actually scolded someone for littering not long ago. How hard was it to just take your garbage to one of the many trash cans that littered the streets? Letting out a small sigh at the thought, Hiraeth leaned up against the wall of one of the buildings closest to her. Humans sure could be lazy.

Watching intently as the waves of people flowed through the streets, the Rune Knight saw someone that caught her eye. He definitely seemed shady, from the looks of him. Most people would describe him as scary, but there was something that was intriguing to the alien woman. Those flaws on his skin, the bright almost glowing blue eyes that contrasted greatly with the darkened flesh. If she didn’t know it was rude to ask such a thing, she might have questioned him about the origins of those scars.

Wait... What was he doing? Did he just...?!

Suddenly jumping into action, the blue haired woman pushed herself quickly off the wall she was previously leaning on, and walked briskly towards this man. Green eyes aglow with a righteous rage, she spoke.

“H-Hey! Excuse me! You can’t just steal like that! If you want those things, go buy them, you... You bum!” Cheeks turning red with anger, the little woman looked up at the thief. She hadn’t realized how much taller he was than her until she got this close. He towered over her, which was definitely intimidating, but now wasn’t the time to be scared! She couldn’t just let this hooligan get away with his crimes!

“I’m going to have to ask you to hand that merchandise over to me... O-Or I’ll have to... To uh... To arrest you!” Pausing for a moment, Hiraeth looked away, and mumbled quietly to herself. “Wait... Or am I supposed to arrest you whether you hand it over or not? Nnngh...”

WC: 388 words

Caught right off the bat, Santiago froze. It was awkward because normally he would drop his eyes since he hated eye contact, but...she was so small, all he ended up doing was staring right at her. He had to turn his head and body slightly so he could avoid her gaze. Though he was a rather tall young man, the way he held himself made him seem like he wanted to shrink out of existence. His shoulders were caved inward as if protecting himself, and if his pockets hadn't been full of stolen goods, that's where his hands would be. Now, though, they just hovered near his pockets in some sort of panic. Did he just take them out, or try to run?

It was stressful. He looked like he might bolt, or maybe even cry. The demeanor didn't match his appearance. The black clothes and extensive scarring made him look scary, like he meant to look that way. In fact, the black was just his favorite color and served to make him less noticeable, and obviously, there was nothing he could do about the scars he received.

"....bum..?" he asked in a soft, meek voice. For just one second there was a flash in his briught eyes. He'd glanced at her for an instant, his adrenaline pumping. Yes, this is the feeling he wanted. It was even stronger when someone caught him. This was the hit he needed. The corner of his mouth twitched. This was better than just taking it. That was getting old. It wasn't about the stuff. It was never about the stuff, it was about that tightening feeling in his chest, the way his heart seemed to pump faster than it should, the dizzying high that soared him into a higher plane--

No. But it was wrong. Monstrous. Psycho. He wasn't a psycho. He wasn't a psycho. Valli was bringing him out here to help him get better. She'd be upset if he made trouble. He just wanted to go home and forget this. Go to sleep. Yeah, sleep.

Shaky hands with bitten-down nails removed the items from his pockets and he made no excuses. His dark head bobbed even lower, hiding his eyes from her view. He put the things back, then sank his hands into his pockets and shuffled back from her. "....sorry," he said, just as quietly as before, lingering to see what this cop would do. Was she even a cop? He would ask, but he was more interested in slowly shuffling toward the door, maybe slink out of sight before Valli found them.

[wc: 433 || total: 821]