#me. just throw me into a puddle of ooze. let me be reclaimed by the cyanos. i dont wanna take measures on them anymore | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

spunkymoth · 1 year

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Chapter VI- The Lovers, A Gift and A Curse

“Julian!”

He stands at the edge of the aqueduct, a dark silhouette framed by the light of the moon.

Behind him, the city towers like a behemoth, a chaotic sprawl of buildings stacked atop each other.

In his hands is a mask with a long, curved beak that he turns slowly, like he’s contemplating what to do with it.

“MC. Fancy seeing you here, hm? Out for a night walk?”

He sighs, gaze dropping to the reservoir pool below us.

The red of his coat reflects and refracts in the water, splashes of crimson dancing against each other.

“Me, I was just...thinking. Funny, fickle thing, life, isn’t it.?”

“Should you be standing so close to the water?”

“What, this water?”

“It’s harmless, MC, or as harmless as it can be. It won’t do anything to me.”

“Or anything to anyone, anymore. Sure, a few people might get sick if they go for a swim, but...”

“Isn’t it a miracle? They went and figured it out. Or outlasted it. Wonder how they did it?”

“It’s no matter, I suppose. Life finds a way, doesn’t it? The plague is over.”

“Ahhh. And so is my career, just like that. Who needs a plague doctor if there’s no plague? It’s like...”

“Like a Count with no city! Or a barkeep with no drinks.”

He extends his arms out in a flourish. A piece of hair falls into his good eye, obscuring it.

“So here I am. Throwing away the last piece of a past I can’t reclaim. Pity, isn’t it? Ah well.”

He glances down to the mask once more, and then lets it drop into the water below.

Pale slithering shapes move to swarm around it the moment it hits the surface.

“Julian...”

The raven from my earlier walk cuts me off with a ragged screech, nearly flying into us in its frenzy.

“Guards afoot, MC! Look lively, we’d best make tracks!”

We both leap into action at the same time, running further down the aqueduct to reach the street.

Julian gets there first, turning back to me as I run.

My foot slips on a wet stone, tumbling me backwards into the reservoir below.

Darkness engulfs me as I’m swallowed up by the deep reservoir. The impact knocks my breath away.

I struggle against the cold water, kicking frantically to the surface.

As I thrash, something moves against me, slippery and sleek as it latches onto my side.

“MC!”

His hand grips my wrist as he tugs me out of the water, the undulating creature still attached to me.

I can see my blood moving through its translucent innards as it feasts.

“On the count of three. One. Two-”

Julian grips the creature behind its head, forcing its mouth to release me. He tosses it back into the water.

“Three. Up you go, then. Easy now. I’ve got you.”

I gasp for breath as I stumble away from the reservoir, sopping wet and slipping on cobblestones.

Julian half-drags me as we run. I numbly watch my own blood stain the puddles I leave behind.

“Can you stand?”

He pauses in the shadow of a building to peer down at me.

I struggle to hold onto his arm, shaking and tremendously dizzy.

“Right. Foolish question.”

He nods, hefting me up and dragging me the rest of the way.

Panting, we collapse in a wet heap onto a narrow, deserted alley.

“Let me see that bite.”

My head bobs ambiguously. Whatever words I try to form are stuck behind my teeth.

“I’ll have to take that as a yes.”

Julian lays me down and carefully slides my torn garments up and away from my steadily oozing wound.

I stare blankly at the stars above while his practiced hands work over my abdomen.

“The bleeding won’t stop. Damn.”

He draws back with a look of displeasure and starts peeling off his gloves.

My heartbeat leaps at the sight of the murderer’s brand, stark and irreversible on the back of his left hand.

I can’t suppress a shudder as he lays the other hand, ice-cold, over my open wound.

“Hold still.”

I hold still, focusing on wrestling with unconsciousness.

“Deep breaths. This will only take a minute or two.”

His marked left hand slips under my head to cradle my skull.

Realizing that I’m not in any pain, a wave of profound relaxation comes over me.

...

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

Julian lets out a bark of laughter, and presses a hand to my forehead, checking my temperature.

“If you’re well enough to joke, you’re well enough to sit.”

He helps me sit up with a hand on my back, steadying me. My head swims with the change in altitude.

“At least you didn’t catch me breaking and entering this time.”

“I’ll admit, I was surprised to see you in the neighborhood...”

“You’ve got some kind of luck.”

I follow his line of sight to the aqueduct’s end, a chaotically cascading waterfall of red.

It’s...much higher than I��d thought. Swallowing thickly, I turn back to the doctor.

My eye is immediately drawn to a magic mark glowing under the skin of his throat.

Its design looks... familiar.

He catches me staring. A shadow passes over his countenance.

“Ah. Do you recognize your master’s handiwork?”

I watch in fascination as fresh blood blossoms under his clothing.

“This was his parting gift to me. A curse.”

“I’m able to take away bodily wounds, as you can see.”

“And in return, I get to experience them for myself... ugh.”

He sways forward. I swallow at the sight of blood, now running freely down his torso.

“It won’t last, it never does.”

“A curse from a witch who fears commitment.”

“Then again, I’ve never been bitten by a vampire eel. This might be interesting.”

“Might be interesting, how?”

He allows me to assist in peeling away his jacket.

“Well, fate seems to keep inventing new ways to test the limits of this body.”

“Now that does sound interesting.”

“...Oh it certainly can be.”

“!”

We hear them coming almost a moment too late.

The Countess’s guards, doing rounds of the outer walls.

Julian curses, pulling me into an alley nearby.

His body presses against mine as we crowd into the narrow alley, boxing me up against the wall.

I can hear the Countess’ guards run by, and hope their eyes slide over us in the darkness.

This close, I can see pain painted on Julian’s face.

His eyes are fixed behind me, but as if he senses my gaze, they move to mine.

For a moment, we both stare at each other.

“MC-”

Just as he’s about to say something, we hear a thud from the entrance to the alley.

“Not the time. Let’s go.”

He grabs my hand and tugs me out of the alley, breaking into a run.

The city passes us by in a blur as we evade capture, weaving around buildings with ease.

We’re moving so fast, I almost don’t see it. There, nestled between two tall buildings... a garden.

A thick padlock set in a rusted iron gate block our way inside. It would make the perfect hiding spot.

Julian picks up speed, and my hand threatens to slip from his. If I’m going to act, it has to be now.

I don’t know if he’s listening right now, so I pull hard on his hand and tug us toward the garden.

He quickly catches on to my intention, and helps me climb over the top of the gate.

I land rather unceremoniously, and Julian drops down next to me with light feet.

Just in time, I hear the guards run past as we slip into the cover of vines.

Julian helps me to my feet and dusts off my clothes as we catch our breath.

The still silence of the garden swallows up any sounds from the street. I feel transported to another realm.

It looks like it has been abandoned for years, the plants left to fend for themselves.

Ivy covers what once must have been beautiful, obscuring wise marble faces and savage stone beasts.

We step around roots that have overtaken the cracked stone floor, settling by a dilapidated fountain.

“Look at this place! Ha, that was some quick thinking on your part, MC”

“Looks like you’ve a knack for discovering hidden beauty.”

He turns towards me and spreads his arm out in an expansive gesture, hand slipping from mine.

“I wonder how many parts of the city have fallen to neglect like this, hm?”

He makes his way carefully over to one of the grotesque statues, stepping over wild vines that block his path.

“Ahh, and look at this brute. Hello there, handsome.”

He wraps an arm around the bull statue’s muscular shoulders, turning back to me with delight in his eyes.

“Dangerous looking creature, isn’t it?”

“Is that bite still bleeding?”

I follow after him, trying to see if the bloodstain is still spreading on his jacket.

“Are you worried about me, MC?”

“You needn’t be. Perfectly alright, see?”

He spreads his arms out wide, nearly knocking over the statue, and swears as he quickly steadies it.

“I, uh. Ahem. Reflexes notwithstanding.”

“Really, it’s fine. Just a little bite, nothing I can’t handle. There are more dangerous things out there than eels.”

“Ah. Hold still, MC.”

He reaches slowly forward, and plucks a flower off of my shoulder. It must have fallen from the luminous trees above.

It glows a bright, vivid blue in the dark, star shaped petals curling to close as he touches it.

He offers the flower to me, a quirk to his lips as he twirls it in his fingers.

I reach out to take it, but Julian stops me, shaking his head and pulling it back just slightly.

“Ah ah ah. Careful, MC. There’s poison in these petals.”

I stare down at the fragile, unfamiliar flower in his hand.

“What is it?”

“Deadly starstrand.”

“A single drop of the poison distilled from this flower could kill a babe in its crib.”

“It’s killed tyrants and kings, innocent and guilty. It could topple entire empires with a careless hand.”

He offers it to me once more, gazing eagerly into my eyes.

“Do you still want it?”

I pluck the flower out of his hands, lifting it to my nose to smell.

There’s something acrid to it, an underlying note of iron and sickness that stings the air.

“You said the poison has to be distilled. Doesn’t that make it harmless to touch?”

“Well, I wouldn’t eat it if I were you, MC”

“But you’re right. It probably won’t kill you like this.”

I let the flower drop to the ground, and take a step towards him. He catches it as it flutters down, grinning at me.

Fingers brush against my ear as he tucks the flower behind it, touch lingering for a moment before dropping to my shoulder.

“It sounds like you’re not afraid of danger.”

“Afraid of danger? Why, MC, I live for it. Positively enchanted by danger, I am.”

“So pain doesn’t scare you, either?”

“Why should it? In my line of work, you can’t be afraid of a little pain. One might say I have...”

“...intimate knowledge of it.”

I place a hand on his waist and take a step forward, pressing lightly at the wound. He swallows, and then grins at me.

“Oho. Are we dancing? I didn’t know you could. What, er. What’s your poison? Tango? Waltz?”

I take another step, pressing fully at the wound now.

It doesn’t seem lethal. In fact, Julian bites his lip and makes a muffled noise.

He takes a step back, hitting the crumbling wall behind him, and gives me a desperate look.

“S-so, not the waltz then. Pity, I’ve been known to cut a rug-”

Does he... like the pain? His fingers dig into my shoulder, gripping me like a lifeline as he slides down the wall a bit.

“MC-”

“!”

We’re interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps quickly approaching. A scowl passes over Julian’s face.

“Right on time. Let’s leave before our guests arrive, hm?”

With the garden’s sanctity compromised, Julian takes my hand roughly and tugs me out to the street once more.

He leads me deeper into more questionable areas of the city, taking wild turns to evade our pursuers.

He seems to know this area like the back of his hand- or at least, all the relevant escape routes.

We approach a dilapidated residence at the outskirts of the district. a few chickens peter around its yard.

“In we go, MC!”

Without waiting for me to respond, he clamors through an open window round back, pulling me in after him.

#the spunkymoth speaks #julian devorak #the arcana game #the lovers

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messymagician · 4 years

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The Devil’s due

Sarah (Arcana OC) X Julian (Arcana) Follows the main plot story, with changes. 3k words. ____________________________________________________________

Chapter 1 : Empathic accident

The pit in her stomach drops, eyeing the slow-moving red stream. What she would give to just snap her fingers and have it run cleanly… But that sort of magic wasn't quite within her reach. Not yet. The raven circling overhead let out impatient caws at her hesitation to move forward before quickly disappearing behind a tall building.

The water… it's corrupted colour is draining directly from the palace. Just as she squints down at it to think harder a surprised chirp jolts her attention. "...Sarah?"

She yelps; almost jumping out of her long-tailed jacket as the source of the vaguely familiar voice emerges from a dark corner. Features barely lit by a dim city lantern trying to turn everything a golden yellow.

Ruffled red hair, only a few shades off from the crimson aqueduct water beside them both, already gave away who he was. His pale skin did little to hide the surprise on his face under the brightness of the candle lamp. Julian. A doctor wanted for murder. THE doctor wanted for murder.

"Julian?!" They had met only twice before and both times were… conflicting. She tensed but did not flee, sensing no ill-will coming from him. No malice, no aggression, just an utter bemusement at her appearance here of all places.

He hesitates only briefly, fumbling with a long pale mask. Bird-like in structure, an unmistakable piece of clothing used by plague doctors. Turning it over in his slender palms with a furrowed and concentrated brow. "Fancy seeing you here… out for a midnight walk?" His talk felt idle. Delayed almost. As if trying to distract himself from something on his mind. Stooping down to crouch beside the water with a heavy sigh. His coat almost falling into the water at the ends as it splayed out across the cobble. Long and protective like a cape. Or a pair of folded bloodied wings.

Sarah dared not to reply. Watching him with a slowly easing posture as barely visible droplets of rain made the aqueduct ripple lightly. He tries a soft, if somewhat strained, smile while side-eyeing the pensive magician. Dropping her guard at the melancholy glint to his eye. A curiosity overcoming her defences as he started to speak again. "I was just uh… thinking. You know. Funny, fickle, thing isn't it? Life."

A deep-rooted concern creeps up her wrists like ivy. Watching him so close to the water, contemplating life's fragile state, was needless to say mildly alarming. "Are… you sure you should be so close to the edge?" She mumbles, a dreaded look crossing her freckled face.

"To this?" He gestures to the water, now turned at a 90-degree angle on one knee watching her eyes drift from his hand to the surface of the water. Huffing with slight amusement at her concern. "It's harmless, Sarah. Or as harmless as it can be to me anyway…" a snide smile cracks at the corner of his mouth. The comment sounding almost resentful. As if he wished the water was as dangerous as she considered it to be.

"It won't do much of anything anymore. Someone might get sick if they swim in it, but… isn't it a miracle? They went and figured it out. Or outlasted it. Not that it matters too much I suppose… life finds a way, doesn't it? The plague is over..." His expression flickers between a smile and a frown, rambling off on his own little tangent as Sarah's eager ears take in every tone change and word like she'd have to remember it for a test. Not even noticing the minor steps she had taken his way he continued, a reminiscent air hovering over his gloves. "And just like that… so is my career. Who needs a plague doctor when there is no plague?" He asks, rhetorically, while Sarah kneels gently down beside him looking into the water. "It's like…. A count with no city. Or a barkeep with no drinks." He grumbles bitterly before abruptly realising that his rant-victim had closed the gap between them.

Throwing his arms wide to push the intrusive cape away from his arms. Dramatically taking in a breath to kneel upright and grin. A fluffy curl of his messy hair unintentionally flitting down in front of his good eye. "So here I am! Throwing away the last piece of a past I can't reclaim. A pity isn't it. Ah well." His confident facade is sudden enough to make Sarah stand back up, dusting off her trousers as the place her knees had been on the cobbles had soaked up the damp rain. The outburst cracking gently as his hands roamed the mask one last time like trying to memorise its shape before he flicks it into the aqueduct and starts to stand as well.

She's too preoccupied exploring his expression to notice the water writhe unpleasantly as the mask dips below the surface. Long curling shapes slithering over it like tendrils dragging the now-vanished memento. She has so many questions. Too many, almost. The silence between them after his headfirst charge into philosophical grumbling feels almost smothering as she tries to sort out the many words in her head. "....Julian-"

CRRAWW

Alarmed screeching briskly cuts her thoughts short. The sound of distressed wings beating the air catches his attention in a heartbeat. The raven from before swerving wildly into their view and very almost hitting their heads in its frenzy. Though instead of being startled Julian seems to almost be smug as he quickly deciphers its noisy bleating.

"Guards afoot, Sarah!" He beams, the depressive undertone to his voice completely gone as a backdrop of light makes his ruffled hair look golden at the edges. "Come on, look lively, we'd best make tracks." He doesn't hesitate to split; though Sarah's much shorter legs aren't quite as capable at the mad sprint they set off at as he is.

"W-wait!" She squeaks, trying to keep a good grip on the slick rocks below her shoes as the street ahead comes into view. Desperately pushing a little harder to keep up- reaching forward to grasp at his coat-

It hits like lightning. His hand, swinging back to take hers, misses its mark, and just barely brushes across her fingertips. Magic surges through the narrow connection in a furious jolt, seizing Sarah's mind in a tight unforgiving grasp.

Loneliness, Anger, Fear, Regrets, it all crashes into her chest like a swift kick from a horse. It's too much too fast, like watching a movie at fifty times the regular speed, pictures flash before her hazed and confused brain but there's no time to look at any of them. The mental impact knocking her swiftly off balance, sending her thrashing unto the water below…

It barely feels like she's present. The water surrounds her, chilling and with an awful taste, but it's muddled and difficult to register. Having to mentally drag herself shard by shard back together as the sensation of burning lungs settles into her body. She kicks wildly, unsure of which way is up before something moves slippery and slimy up against her soaked trousers.

"Sarah?!" Julian croaks hoarsely as he skids to a halt after the sound of crashing, churning, water. Searching the surface in a panic before reaching in at the slightest flash of her golden-yellow hair. Grasping roughly around one of her small frozen wrists to haul up and out of the reservoir. She winced, but not from the fall, a sickly pale creature clamped onto her side writhing and coiling hisses in disgust as they're pulled from the water. Glass like teeth had pierced straight through the soggy clothes at her waist and it was drinking greedily from the wound. A thick dark red stream easily visible through its gross translucent skin.

Wasting no time Julian's hands shook steadily as he hovered one gloved hand behind the eels neck. "On the count of three…. One…. Two…" in a quick grunt his hand clamps down behind the beasts jaw, forcing its mouth open, as he yanks it away and throws it carelessly back into the aqueduct. "Three…" he sounds barely shaken, heaving the little woman up to her feet with an encouraging if not pained grin. "Easy now. Up you come, it's ok, I've got you-"

The movement was torture. Coughing and spitting up the gross water on top of the stabbing from the slowly oozing wound forced out a pained but stifled wail. Trying her best to stay upright on the uneven and slick cobbles as her drenched clothes left a trail of puddles in their wake. The pain scarily subsiding to just a feeling of sharp ice cold numbness as Julian all but drags her away from the edge and to a small barely lit alley. The candle lanterns from before flickering gently to illuminate the snail trail of diluted blood left in their wake.

"Can you stand?" It sounds more like a hope than a question, but regardless she cannot answer. Shivering from the waist up, unable to feel her feet, and only just managing to breathe clearly with the water out of her lungs. "Right, foolish question." He growls, watching her try her damnedest attempt at a reply come out as a small series of shaky breaths. His arm support dips for a moment, making her fear falling over, but is quickly recovered as he sweeps her limp legs out from beneath her. Trying not to touch the leaking bite as footsteps elsewhere force him to move onward.

It’s only a few quick turns until the only sound breaking the thin veil of silence are his boots on the cobbled floor and the gentle pattering of slowly intensifying rain. A scent not too dissimilar to wet mops clouding the air. "Here, let me see the bite-" Julian softly asks, lowering her to the floor in a dark corner, not really expecting an answer as Sarah's head lent back against the stone. "I'll have to take that as a yes." He mumbled, already pushing aside her jacket and gently lifting the shredded side to her blouse.

It's an unpleasant sight, though it doesn't seem to bother Julian too much outside of making him frown as he attempts to subdue the bleeding. Sarah making no attempts to stop him as she focused her energy on not passing out. The numbed pain was either freezing or burning and she couldn't tell. Julian's frown only knitting tighter as he pulls himself back with a hiss. "The bleeding won't stop…. Damn."

Mustering up what she could, Sarah eased one of her hands up to grab his wrist. Or place it on his wrist more like. Managing to twist and weave an uncomfortable smile. Comforting despite the situation, making his muscles ease.

"Alright… we're doing it my way then." He huffed, a new look of determination lighting behind his eye as he peels off the heavy gloves covering his hands. Sarah winces at the sight of the murderer’s mark, clear as day branded onto the back of his left hand, a permanent reminder of who he was. Though it disappeared again quickly as he lowered his hands to the wound. They were cold, making the pain seem hot in comparison, "hold still…"

She swallows, not showing any protest against the discomfort of his palm on her side. Catching a brief glimpse of his expression, no longer frustrated but in a supportive smile. "Deep breaths. This will only take a minute or two…"

The pain begins to ease and lessen as his left hand slides up and behind her head to keep it from hitting the wall, the blood that had been on it now mingling into her sunny hair. The jumbled mess of things in her head slowly clearing enough for her mouth to start making tangible sentences. "What did I do to deserve meeting you of all people." She grumbles, the wince in her clenched jaw turning to a sarcastic grin. A sharp crack of laughter breaking Julian from his concentration, lifting his pale hand to press against her forehead. Gingerly checking her temperature.

"If you're well enough to joke, you're well enough to sit." He replies, matter of factly with a tired and relieved smile. Helping her shuffle upright as dizziness still clutches and clings to her bones. "At least I wasn't caught hanging from a second-story window this time." He muses, watching her grin grow at the stupid memory. The first time they had met. Now that was a situation to find someone in… tied by the foot hanging from a curtain. He had looked ridiculous.

"I must say… I was surprised to see you in this district. You've got some kind of luck." He murmurs under a breath, glaring off into the distance. Her eyes following at a slight delay, catching a glimpse of the aqueduct's end through another back-alley. The water still a running river of red, dropping off into a slightly clearer ocean. She swallows again, watching the tumbling rapid with an awful visage of herself falling over the edge, shuddering while turning back to Julian as discomfort started to weave into his eyes.

A brightly shimmering mark dragged her attention down to his throat. White and pulsing it glowed with a magical force unmistakably strong and vaguely familiar. A sense of foreboding threatened her senses as Julian stopped idly staring into the distance and locked eyes. He knew what she was looking at, a swift shift in his demeanour letting her know she got caught.

A red tint quickly finds its way to her cheeks as she realises the pain from the bite is all but non existent anymore, watching a darker less joking expression fill his pale smile. "What. Recognise your master’s handiwork?" He asks sarcastically, moving away to sit against the opposing wall as the fresh bright red liquid begins seeping from his clothes. He grimaces, though it's well hidden behind spite, as a wound gradually tears itself open beneath his shirt and jacket. "It was his parting gift to me… a curse. I'm able to take away bodily wounds." He pauses, gesturing vaguely toward her side. "As you can see…"

Surely enough as he sits further up and checks the gaping holes from the eel attack are gone. Only tender angry bruises left in their wake. "And in turn I get to experience them for…. Myself, ugh." Julian wobbles and leans a little from the sudden hit of dizziness and waves of pain but quickly catches himself and blinks it away. Taking a heavy and shaky breath to stabilise.

"W-why would you do that? Will you be ok?" She squeaks frantically, adding the question of who this 'master' is to the back-burner as concern over the implications of him taking the injury away make her mildly fret. The fussing making him snicker in an all-knowing way that only worked to deepen her worry.

"It won't last, it never does. A curse from a witch who fears commitment." He spits unhappily, watching Sarah's soft blue eyes cloud with confusion. Like he could see little gears behind them ticking away trying to work. "Though, admittedly, I've never been bitten by a vampire eel so… this should be interesting." His hands and legs shake uncontrollably as he tries to force himself to stand up; only managing to rise the whole way after Sarah scrambles to her feet first and helps lift him.

She eyes the location of the wound and takes a deep, clear, breath of wet muggy air. "...Thank you, Julian. I wouldn't have wanted you to do it if I knew what would happen but… Thank you for this."

Her words are sweet, sincere, the water in her eyes are clearly not just from the rain. He stares down at her with raised brows, not blinking, before turning a dark shade of red and looking away. "Don't mention it." He grumbles, clearly uncomfortable from more than just the wound. "That is, well. Circumstances being as they were- I'm just glad you're alright." It looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, keeping his eyes roaming the floor for a while before Sarah's hands tense around his arm.

She stands bolt upright, staring ahead in silence, and only a moment later can Julian understand why. Heavily armoured footsteps are echoing down the street from their right. Julian stiffens before pushing the two of them further back into the alley, the walls get closer but thankfully so does the darkness. Thinking quickly Sarah shuffles in front of him and pulls the edges of his cloak up around her, hiding her bright blonde hair, much to Julian's very sudden surprise.

She faces him, only hoping the guards slide on past without seeing them, watching his face a crunch a little at the pain from his new injury. Eyes glaring out above the jacket's caped edges to watch the street. But, like feeling her stare, looks back down at her. They stare, wordless and uncomfortable for a while. "...Sarah-"

A thud stops his words, eyes darting back to the alley entrance before briskly taking her shaking hand. "Not the time, let's go…" Gently tugging her through a tight gap that leads the alley out to another street, breaking into a run once they escape the confined walls.

Houses and softly glowing lamps pass in a smear of colour and light. For every unsure step Sarah takes, Julian pulls her along two more, weaving through streets and gaps in buildings like navigating a maze he'd already solved. The rush making a few droplets of rain splatter harder against them, causing little cascading explosions of water.

Though she struggles to keep up the feeling of evading pursuers quickly provides a buzz to her system, a silly laugh escaping her as they take another wide turn, practically being pulled around like a kite. She doesn't need to worry about where to run given Julian is leading the mad dash and briefly catches him looking back at her giggly self with a solid smirk. Enough to tell her to quiet down if they want to actually escape. Though… she found herself not worrying. A strange sensation for her, like already knowing the outcome of the chase it was enjoyable despite the implications of being caught with a presumed murderer.

As both their breathing starts to get ragged and dragged through the dirt Julian's pace finally slows enough for Sarah to keep at least one foot on the ground at alI times. Panting, they approach an old, weather torn, house. On the outskirts of town, sitting quietly around a few others is a shack with a small bustling garden of chickens. Feathers ruffled and all huddled in a corner out of the rain. The walls were grey and had cracks and the ceiling was so low Sarah could already see he won't be able to stand up in there.

"In we go, Sarah." He barks with unrivalled confidence, letting go of her hand to hop the garden fence and approach a back window. She opens her mouth to protest, surely if someone was in there it would cause a problem, but he didn't wait for an answer. Hauling himself up through the already-open window in a not too graceful way. "Come on in before you get wetter. If that's even possible-"

She approaches nervously. The running adrenaline winding down slowly like a good dose of caffeine petering out. Looking through the window before hesitantly climbing in…

#Arcana #Arcana oc #Arcana Julian #The Devil's due #arcana fanfic

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