The morning was abrupt, this time. There was noise, a lot of noise just outside the wooden door. Amir was groggy with sleep, eyes dry and blurred. His hands moved to pry the blanket from his body, as he rose from the mattress. His feet padded against the hard ground, moving to dress himself. His clothes were warm against his body, the cloth smooth on his skin.
Once dressed, he slipped his shoes on, and opened his door to look outside. Outside the inn was a road, and down somewhere not far, yet still distant, Amir could hear some sort of commotion. He subconsciously began to walk, moving his feet in the direction of the noise.
Amara stood stalk still, held in place by someone. Amir could barely see the woman, as she was hidden around a corner, only a lock of blonde hair visible within Amir's sight. Amir moved quickly, rounding the corner to stand face-to-face with the man holding her. A knife was within his grasp, kissing the neck of Amara. The man's expression held a look of shock, as he instinctively tightened his grip on the woman.
The sound of shouting in the distance made the man's expression grow tense, eyes flitting between the two focuses. With a huff, he let go of Amara, pushing her out into the street. His eyes found their way back to Amir's.
"What?" The man asked, his voice quiet in resignation.
"Why did you grab her?" Amir interrogated, his voice cold in comparison to his usual quiet.
"Money. I need money. She was… getting in the way." The man spoke, eyes falling to the ground in defeat. For a moment, Amir looked at the man. He caught the body language; could see the anxiety in the man's actions.
With a sigh, Amir reached into his bag, finding his coin purse. "Here, you can have this." Within Amir's palm was a generous sum of money. The man looked at him in confusion, eyes wide in disbelief.
"You-! Why? This- no- no, no, keep it!" The man refused, trying to force the money back into Amir's hands. At this sight, Amir grew confused. The other had just stated he needed money, yet refused when offered it?
"It's not mine, you should keep it." The other spoke awkwardly, explaining his logic.
"You should still take it, you need it more." Amir spoke, forcing the coins into the palm of the other.
"My name is Atlas." Atlas spoke as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. With a sigh, Amir reached his hand out in welcoming.
"Amir." Atlas reached and shook Amir's hand with a newly awoken enthusiasm Amir had not prepared himself for.
"Thank you, again, Amir. I- my sister's health is deteriorating fast and I really have no way to help. We don't have a whole lot of money." Atlas elaborated, trying to explain his actions. "I tried to grab some food from one of the stalls, but then that girl, she went to yell, and before I knew it I had dragged her into this alley."
Amir looked at the man, acknowledged his disheveled appearance, his tattered clothes, the marks on his face. Truly, this man was pitiful. But in his eyes, there was some spark, a glisten of hope, and Amir felt like in this man he saw himself.
"Just don't steal again, got it? There are plenty of other ways to earn money." Amir stated, brushing his hair with his hand absently as he spoke.
Amir found himself walking towards the hill once more, felt his feet meeting the grass. A cool breeze tickled his cheek, familiar in tone, yet sharp as it met his skin. The bench beside him was somewhere he'd never sat, reserved for Amara and Amara alone. His eyes closed as had allowed his knees to fall, feeling unusual as he sat.
His eyes remained closed as he allowed himself to bask in the evening sun, allowing the wind to brush over his being as though cleansing him. It was calming, allowing him to sit comfortably alone atop this hill.
The sound of rustling in the distance shook him, his hands instinctively reaching for the dagger he kept on his belt. His eyes shot behind him, searching the area for the source of the noise. It didn't take long for the sight of a man coming into view.
Short, golden brown hair framed his face beautifully, a smile leaving evident dimples in his cheek. He had an air of youthful joy, a sight unfamiliar to Amir. And yet, he recognized this man. Atlas, familiar, yet unknown.
"Sorry, sorry. I thought I'd follow you around a tad, as a thanks for the money." He paused, "Wait, no, that is not what I meant. You seemed- uh- cool! Yea, that's right." Atlas spoke, rubbing at his wrist each time he realized he'd made another mistake in speech.
"GAH alright, what I actually want to say, I followed you because I wanted to, you seemed like you didn't have friends, and I don't either! What's better than two lonely men getting to chat?" Somehow, Atlas had moved closer. On his face was an awkward, yet somehow confident, smile. Amir analyzed the man before him, eyes scanning his face for any ulterior motives.
Amir let out a huff, letting his posture weaken, as he lowered his guard.
"You alright, man?" Atlas asked, resting his elbow on the back of the bench as he watched Amir's expression with an unusual enthusiasm.
"Just-" Amir paused, allowing the words to remain incomplete. This seemed to release a sigh from the other.
"Look, I don't want anything from you. My sister was just really happy that someone had been as kind as you, and insisted I try to befriend you. Happy?" The look on Atlas' face was muddled, a combination of many emotions Amir simply could not read.
"I don't mind uh" A cough "company." Amir did not know why he was as awkward as he was all of a sudden, it felt unusually random for him to grow embarrassed by someone, however he chose to ignore the possible explanations for his behaviour.
"You can sit, you know?" Amir offered, shuffling awkwardly to make room for another person on the bench. Atlas didn't take long to move around the bench, falling back into the seat with little grace. It was a sight Amir had never witnessed. He was used to the stuffy nature of everybody Amara knew. Their obsession with looking graceful, ignorant to anything unrelated.
Amir could feel the eyes boring into the side of the face, could feel their unrelenting examination of his own features. Similarly, this was an experience he'd never been on the receiving end of. Amir was used to standing in the corner like a dog, yelled at to do the work assigned to him, yelled at when he misbehaved. Not once had anyone truly looked at him. Amir felt the want to shake his head, to force the thoughts out, to move on.
"What's on your mind?" Atlas asked, with an innocence comparable to that of a child.
"This place…" Amir started, unsure how much would be most fit to share. "This place, it used to be mine and another's spot. That's, um, that's all you really need to know?" Amir wasn't sure why his sentence came out as more of a question than it did a statement. He didn't know why he said what he did, it felt unfitting of the situation, however what was said was already said, so he left it. With an understanding, Atlas left the topic to be discontinued.
"You know, that money you gave me went a long way." Atlas spoke absently, seemingly an attempt to fill the unending silence that encased their whole conversation.
Amir looked to Atlas with a sort of confusion, "You spent it already?" The brunette nodded sheepishly, however swiftly regained his composure as he went to speak once more.
"Me and my sister's clothes have sorta gone through hell, and barely function for their purpose. So, I decided it'd be a good idea to use the money for that, since I doubt I'd ever have that much money at one singular point ever again. I also bought some food, so don't worry about your hard earned money going to waste." Atlas smiled at the end of his sentence, Amir didn't quite know why, but he felt oddly compelled to watch that smile for the years that remained of his lifetime.
"I mean, you still need clothes right? Um, so, it doesn't really matter that you didn't spend it all on food." Amir explained, trying to keep his eyes focused on the sky casting a warm hue across everything. Atlas responded in a hum of acknowledgement.
"You know, I never wanted to resort to robbery. Actually, when I was a kid, I used to go around and point and yell at anyone that tried to steal anything." He spoke with a fond smile, eyes distant as though there existed some distant land where that child could have grown to retain that thought.
"But, that's just not how life works. Our parents died when we were little. Do you remember that really bad outbreak of…what was the disease? Ah it doesn't matter," he waved his hand as though dismissing the thought, "our parents died to that. It was honestly horrifying, but I'm not going to talk about the details, even I don't want to think back on that. The illness had spread to my sister, but not me. At the time, I'd inherited whatever savings my father had kept for us. I spent it all, not on food, not on clothes, on the medical bill for my sister. At the time, I couldn't bear to lose anyone, so I thought, I'll give up my own life for my sister, at least that way I won't ever be alone. So, I stopped eating so that she could get the best meals. I did everything I could. She… still has lasting effects. My sister can barely stand, and speaking is really hard for her.
I've been trying to get jobs, I've done street performances, tutoring, gardening, nearly every odd job that'd have me. But the money I made was only ever enough to support her. I… I want to get away. I want to find somewhere distant. Maybe there I won't be a household name, maybe I'll find a cure to my sister's illness." It seemed as though Atlas had stopped paying attention to the words that were falling from his lips like water, his story finally being shared.
Amir watched, took in every word carefully. He wanted to respond saying he wanted to leave too, wanted to be his own person. Yet, he knew not to say a thing. Instead humming every so often in acknowledgement.
Time passed on, words being exchanged between the two every so often. The sun had set by now, their eyes watching over the stars that floated within the night sky. The bench creaked as Atlas stood to his feet, stretching his limbs.
"My sister probably needs me, so I should get going now. It was nice talking to you, Amir." Atlas stated, looking at Amis expectantly.
"It's… It's been nice talking to you as well." A nervous smile crept its way onto the black haired man's face. At this, Atlas finally turned to walk away.
"I… I know someone who could care for your sister, if you wanted to leave." Amir spoke, voice quiet in the night. His words were unrushed, yet shaky in nature. Atlas' feet stopped their movement.
"What was that?" He asked, to which Amir shook his head.
July 18th, XXXX
Today, I saw Amara for the first time since then. She's not changed, except, her eyes seemed tired. With her was… a man I'd never met.
I don't know what compelled me to speak with him, to give him money, to listen to his troubles. I don't know what makes him different from everybody else. He's just another person living in this world, struggling and surviving, like everyone else. Yet, his eyes were compassionate, with a uniqueness I hadn't expected. He… He seemed alive.
We talked, up on that hill, the one I'd gone to near daily. I don't know why, I don't know why I kept talking, kept listening, felt compelled to help.
I promised something I shouldn't have. I was careless, and yet, I don't know if I really regret what I'd done.