[167] Pragmatist

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

Challenge: [167] Pragmatist
Title: The Thief
Word Count: 496
Notes: AU scene. Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!
 

"Stop! I order you to STOP!"

"Street rat...!"

The lithe Arabian thief fled through the marketplace, scattering wares in his wake and vaulting over agitated soldiers, shopkeepers and peasants alike. Valuable jewelry rolled about on the dirty streets, and fruit and vegetables were trampled underfoot. And still he ran, a pleased smirk on his face, strong legs pumping furiously beneath oversized pants. He was smarter, better, and faster (if not altogether cleaner) than the people around him and he knew it. Even though he was looked down upon, his self-confidence was unfaltering. To him, the Arabian villagars he encountered from day to sweltering day reminded him of dune beetles, busy toiling away at their monotonous lives without a clear goal in mind. Unlike them, the thief had one, of course. He was going to escape poverty, escape the constrains of this desert settlement, and explore other worlds. Yes, and make himself known to all of them.

He wanted to leave his mark on history, without a care as to how others would label him: as a "villain" or a "hero". The great are put into one of the two groups, and as he planed to be great, so would he be categorized. But first to eat. The thief looked down at the scraggly bit of bread he held in his dirty hands. "Street rat." He muttered to himself in disdain, and opened his mouth wide to take a bite...

... only to shut it again. A noise nearby had made him pause. A couple of small children he had not noticed earlier were rummaging through an old garbage heap, looking for food. He peered down at the small bit of tangible victory he held, then glanced back up to the near-starving children.

He sighed and stood, brushed off his pants and vest, and started towards them. He felt pity for them, and he could always steal more food. In contrast, these little kids would never get away with anything larger than a single grape. The smaller child, a girl, flinched back in fear, while her companion (presumably her brother) stood protectively in front of her. The thief wondered silently at their appearances. The little boy's rich brown hair was softly spiked up, and underneath his sister's hood the thief could see strands of bright pink hair. It didn't really matter; He was just taking note of his surroundings, as came naturally to him now. Of course, once he would have asked about it... would have tried to find out why his own hair was different as well.

But that didn't matter to him anymore. He knelt down to offered his slice of bread, and they took it gratefully. The pink-haired girl's face lit up with a sweet, innocent smile, and for a minute, the thief felt... lonely. But that feeling quickly passed, and with it, the smile he didn't know he had been wearing.

Riku stood back up and set off to snatch another slice of bread.