A little piece of heaven (open)

[Shbmroctober]

Ana looked around. Back. And forth. He check around the corner. Behind the bush, and even inside the basket. Once he was sure that no one was watching, he quickly grabbed the apple and was on his way.

It may seem like a lot of work for very little, but Ana was forced to take everything he got. Or rather, took. All his money was back at the job that he just left in a village he didn't remember the name of. The smallest thing tipped him off. He probably shouldn't have left, but he was starting to get to familiar with the nooks and crannies of the place, and he was positive that there were some faces that were starting to recognize him from somewhere.

All this paranoia didn't help Ana in this instance. he seemed to have missed something and now two guards were starting to move towards him. In an instance he was in a dead sprint. He was taking out by standards left and right in an attempt to get away from the popo(Thats right. The popo.) Ana realized that he couldn't win with his speed alone, some trickery would have to be involved. He quickly turned into a dim alley to try to shake his pursuers.

[Zaida]

Zaida stretched out her arms, and let out a soft sigh as she left one of the many shops in the village. To her coming here was like a short vacation from home, anything just to have an excuse to set foot out of that castle. Her step-brother was being bothersome, and her brother was off with her father. She just couldn't be left alone with her step-mother AND her son.

The sun was getting lower in the sky every second. Any minute now, a blanket of oranges and pinks would make their way across the sky signaling the falling of night time. A breeze swept threw, and Zaida pulled her cloak against in need of warmth. I guess it wouldn't hurt to go to just one more shop. she thought as she made her way down a shadowed alley.

Once she turned the corner, she saw a dark silhouette coming towards her. A few other shadows were following close behind. She didn't want this pursuit to carry on, so she did the first thing that came into her mind. Magic. Before the people could take another step forward. she stuck her hand out as energy flowed down her arm. "Paralysis." she whispered in an attempt to make them all stop.

[Shbmroctober]

Are you freaking kidding me. magic? Just my luck too. Ana thought, stretching his eyes around to see his captor. For whatever reason, he whole body was paralyzed, but it seemed like he could still move his eyes and mouth. And cue the itch he thought, trying to will his body to scratch his nose. Of course, nothing happened.

Due to the shock of an instant stop, the apple that Ana was holding flew out of his hand and rolled right in front of the person at the other end of the alley. Ana was caught with both feet on the floor (thank god) and with one fist in the air, getting ready to pump back. I hate people who use magic he thought, trying desperately to free himself. A soft breeze flew through the alleyway, chilling him and causing his hair to stand on end. his jacket opened up to reveal...nothing on the inside. He had his usual attire underneath, his black shirt, black pants. He was a very depressing person.

Ana tried to move his eyes around to catch a glimpse at his would-be pursuers but couldn't reach that far. He expected that they were frozen as well, as they hadn't caught him yet. "Congratulations! You caught me! Now what?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

[Zaida]

Zaida bent down and picked up the apple that landed before her. SHe walked up to her 'victims' as she would call it. She could chasers from the runner. Before she answered the man's comment, she had to see what she was up against. She observed his dark attire, and she could tell he had a strong personality.

"Seems like you got yourself in a little problem, huh?" she said. She didn't just want to let him go. He could be thief or mass murderer or something along those lines. she thought. "Alright then. Let's keep it simple. What happened?" she asked as she tossed the apple into her opposite hand.

[Shbmroctober]

"I needed the apple, so I took it. It's as simple as that." Ana said, trying to shrug but coming up on empty. The facts and evidence were there and he wasn't going to fight them. Ana watched the woman play with the apple, still trying to get a good look at her. He couldn't.

"I am not going to shrug away from my actions, or try to downplay what happened. Go ahead and punish me as you see fit." Ana said. He wasn't really in the mood to starting lying his butt off. Plus, the action wasn't that major so he would probably get off with a slap on the wrist and be done with it

[Zaida]

"Oh, I thought it would be over something much...bigger," she said looking down at the apple. "Well, I guess all of you can return back to your posts. You have plenty more apples right? Losing one wouldn't be such a hard hit." she said directing her statement to the guards as she released the hold on them. Most just grunted and whispered incoherent words as they departed, but soon enough the ally was cleared.

Zaida was hoping for something more exciting, but to her this would do fine. She just needed something to keep her away from her home for a little while longer. She then released her hold on the supposed thief. "I think you'll be needing this," she said as she tossed the apple in the man's direction.

[Shbmroctober]

Ana shot out his hand towards the apple, glad for the ability to move his own body again. He over shot the apple throw and it ended up sailing towards his feet. Through sheer luck and reflex Ana managed to kick the apple high enough over his head to catch it in his hand. He would never tell it that way though. His ego wouldn't allow it. The woman looked slightly disappointed, as if she actually wanted him to be a mass murderer or something.

"Who are you? Ana ask, more to himself than to the woman. It wasn't that he wanted to know who his 'savior' was, but that he was just curious. The guards looked as if they recognized her, and didn't argue with her at all, so she had to be a person of power. Ana wasn't very familiar with the current rulers of the cities and countries. Living in the wild for half your life can do that.

[Zaida]

"Oh, sorry. My name is Zaida, princess of the Ilyx kingdom. I know that this is Zalia, but our countries are close allies. And who should you be?" she asked smiling. Zaida didn't really pay attention to the 'war' at hand, but she knew the basic details. Her only goal was to convince her father that his wife cannot be trusted, but she knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

It wasn't often that she would come across someone that didn't know who she was. All the town's people knew who the rulers were, so to Zaida it was a privilege to meet someone new.

[Shbmroctober]

"I don't know who I should be, but I do know who I am." Ana said, messing with the woman. He didn't care much for company, so he usually scared off the few people that actually talked to him. He resisted a chuckle when she said 'our countries'. The only country he was loyal to was the one that kept him fed. Ana wasn't surprised when he didn't recognize Zaida's name. Once again, living alone makes you forget things.

"They call me Anagano. Odd name, but I live with it." Ana said, stretching out his glove encased hand. He tried to subtlety look for ways out of the alleyway besides the way the two of them came. As far as he could see, there was only one other. But it was through a butchers store, so it wouldn't do.

[Zaida]

Zaida reached out, and shook his hand. "Well, it's nice to meet you Anagano." she said before she looked up at the sky once more. It was completely dark now, and small lights decorated the sky. Moonlight was creeping over the small building. She had not even noticed that the darkness fallen.

"You're not...from here are you?" Zaida asked as she looked back at the man in front of her. She had never seen him around, not even by just a simple glance. She would come to this town frequently these days instead of being drowned by boredom at her home, and she remembered everyone she met. She was just eager to know.

[Shbmroctober]

"What was your first clue?" asked Ana. Even though she was a princess didn't mean that he would treat her differently. Where do manners get you in life? He knew that technically he shouldn't even be talking to her: a wanderer like him ranked very low on the social class, but since when had class ever stopped him before? It certianly didn't stop him from sneaking into a royal masquerade, but that is another story.

Ana was having fun giving Zaida a hard time. Then he realized that she wasn't from Zalia either. "You are not from around here either, so why are you going around, shopping I guess, when it is as dark as night in an alleyway?" Ana asked. It didn't make sense that a princess should be wandering the streets of a city at night, especially when she wasn't in her own kingdom.

[Zaida]

"Well, I just haven't seen you around here is all." she said fiddling with the string on her cloak. The same people lived in the same place, and mainly grew up around where they lived. Travelers would come and linger, but would leave eventually.

"You're are technically right, but I came down this alley as shortcut. I've been here all day really, but I have a good reason. I just don't want to stay home. When my father and brother are gone, my step-mother takes over. I don't trust her. She just gives off a bad vibe." she said. Observation and common sense are two skills that are needed when a war i going on. Any one could be an enemy or a spy, so Zaida kept her eyes open. But you need common sense to know who is and who isn't.

[Shbmroctober]

"I am surprised that you aren't so cautious with a man you have never met before in a place like this." Ana said, dismissive of her answer. He knew what it was like to need to get away from something. Although hers seemed to be a choice. His need wasn't.

Ana stifled a yawn before closing his eyes for a little bit. He tried to center his thoughts and calm down. Normally he did this in privacy, but he doubted that he would get somewhere where no one could bother him anytime soon. Better late than never.

After about a couple of seconds of what can only be called meditation, Ana opened his eyes. He felt completely refreshed, even if he had been standing there for five seconds tops."Do you need a place to stay?" he asked Zaida. He didn't really have one to offer, and he wasn't. Ana just wanted to know because if she did, then he might be able to go with her and get a good nights sleep for once.

[Zaida]

Zaida didn't have to hesitate to give her answer, "No, I do, but do you have one?" she asked. By this time, she kind of trusted Anagano because she realized if her wanted to hurt her, he could have done so a while ago without anyone noticing. He was right thought. A princess shouldn't be walking around at night, but she wasn't defenseless.

Aside from it getting late, she was getting an aching feeling in her stomach from hunger. Eating a wholesome meal would be the next priority. she thought.

[Shbmroctober]

"I don't have one yet. Usually I'll just find a nice empty house about mid-day and spend the night there. Not always the best plan by the way. It turns out some people go to work during the day, and freak out when you are in their house. Even if you didn't steal anything.: Ana said,stomach gurgling. He hadn't eaten since well...yesterday. When you cant beg for food in the streets anymore because of some selfish jerks, what can you do to earn it?

Ana was surprised he was being so honest with Zaida. He must have trusted her more than he realized. Or, he thought, I could be delusional from heat stroke and lack of food. Much more reasonable.