Chapter one,         Sweets of Zaun.
Mentions of overdramatic adults & hair pulling. 

AWAKE, AWARE.

　　Moriai's days started to mash together, nothing stood out enough to change the routine she had accidentally created; Move to a different spot, beg for food (that's only worked once,) and mind your own business. That had kept her out of trouble.

　　It had been two weeks since she ran away, or at least that's what she assumed. She noticed how after a while, the vendors would repeat the same days they had said before. Meaning the week had to be restarting.

　　Her grime-covered feet glided over Zaun's streets. For the lack of resources they had, people always seemed to fill up the roads. She passed booth after booth before her nose picked up a sweet scent.

　　Moriai paused, moving out of the way before turning her head. It was rare to find desserts in the Undercity. Everything was so gloomy, that she guessed the food had to be too. But when she laid her eyes on a table filled with a bunch of great smelling things, she could just imagine how great It would taste. Truly, her stomach grumbled just at the thought.

　　Mindlessly, she moved closer. The warmth wrapped around her body with such ease. It's almost like the food was speaking to her. Moriai knew she had no money, but with the lack of owner near, maybe she could—

　　A hand latched onto her locks of hair, snatching her back. "You fucking brat, did you really think you could steal that easily?" She made sure her head was tilted back enough to look at Moriai directly.

　　She shrieked, reaching up her thin hand to dig her nails into the lady's skin. It did nothing, unfortunately, leaving her to beg. Nobody stopped to help. You never knew how insane or strong someone could be, so the better choice was to just let it happen. Moriai knew this, sure, but was it crazy to wish for help?

　　Moriai didn't have much energy to fight back. The lack of food had caused her body to wither, thinning to where you could see her bones. She could already feel fatigue coming over her, yet it felt different. Maybe It was death finally coming to take her. I mean, you can only go so long without anything.

　　The sound of loud, bustling voices seemed to fizzle out as she tried to focus on keeping her eyes open. The woman still had her head, saying something she could no longer hear. Out of nowhere, her hair was freed—her body falling limply onto the ground. Her head connected to the cobblestone, leaving her unconscious.

PASSED OUT, UNAWARE.

　　"Sevika!" The vendor exclaimed, letter Moriai's body out of her grasp. She ignored the way the child's body snapped onto the ground in defeat. "Haven't seen you a little bit."

　　The larger woman peered down, looking at the child below her. Blood slowly started to seep from under her body. "Mm. What's with you and harassing kids?" Sevika asked, raising an eyebrow.

　　"Look, this time is different! she was trying to steal!"

　　"Did she actually touch the food? or were you once again, harassing kids?" She repeated the question, genuine annoyance slipping through her words. Sevika wasn't the type to argue, especially over a Lanes kid she didn't know, but the constant amount of kids being pushed away because of how much money they may (or may not,) have. Everyone in Zaun was trying to get by, but the merchants had a habit of acting holier than thou.

　　The merchant stuttered, trying to explain. "I—Well, no. But It looked like-"

　　 "You know what, never mind. I don't have time for this." She interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose.

　　Bending down on one knee, she leaned forward to lift Moriai's head. The sight of blood pouring from her nose made her heart tighten. "You better hope this kid isn't dead." Sevika said, carefully hosting the kid into her arms. 

　　In hindsight, this wasn't a great idea. Sevika was a busy woman, and the addition of a child could make her schedule worse. She also knew nothing about children. Random observations didn't count. But at the same time, she couldn't just leave the kid there. She'd most likely die in her current state. Does she care for her own time or help a child in need? would she even have the resources for her? 

　　For a moment, Sevika weighed her options, her lips forming a line. 

          She finally turned heel, leaving the market and heading home—carrying the child close to her chest. Leaving the vendor to go on with her own day. 

.... AUTHORS NOTE.

hello hello!!!! the first chapter is slightly all over the place, my bad. I didn't know how to write for Sevika sooo I hope I did well enough. I think i'll make the first two of three chapters about Sevika & Moriai just so I can build their relationship up, but idk yet. for how excited I am for this, you'd think I would have a better plan set out 😭

tags: Br3adb0tter iheartmiles mingiism -flowercore polaroidbbyy rkiives timerbombs saintsmercy htusukoi