Alastair's heterochromia gaze shifted between the girl in front of him and the wallet that had flung from his grasp when she collided with him in the alleyway. His eyes locked with hers as she insisted he was no better for having already been lurking in the alley before she'd arrived. It was a fair point.
"You could be a detective, Cora" Alas proclaimed with a tinge of sarcasm as he shifted closer to where the wallet sat on in the gravel beneath them.
Cora's anxiety could be felt radiating off her skin like a blistering heat. He watched as her eyes darted between himself and the opening of the alley they stood in. A worn leather boot now stood on top of the wallet. It may not have had much money in it, but even the smallest amount could mean he and his feline companion would have something to put in their mouths this week. When her eyes were glued to passing males, Alastair took advantage of the distraction and used his boot to scoop the wallet up into the air and into his hand, and into his tattered vest pocket.
When she turned back to him, he was surprised to find that she was latching onto his arm and pulling him along with him without much warning. Alastair peered down at her smaller figure and noticed her trying to conceal her face from a pair of drunks passing by and then they were diving into another alley.
"You're not from around here are you?" Alas probed. "If you didn't notice women don't usually wander these streets unless they're working," his tone as grim and he watched the features on her face shift before nodding his chin in the direction of his home.
"I don't live far from here, you can stay with me, I'll give you your companionship," his lips tugged into a slight smirk, his words obviously his way of joking with her. It wasn't often that he had actual conversations with people. His only form of communication was quite literally with a cat. One could say he was a bit rusty in his people skills.
Alastair led his newfound acquaintance through the dust-filled village streets. He kept his hood up over his head, letting the shadow it cast conceal his features for the most part as they ventured through the town.
"Just up this hill," he murmured as they drew nearer to the abandoned building he called home. Once the two of them reached a set of splinter-filled doors, he creaked one open slowly, exposing a dark structure ahead of them. Alastair had never been the type to feel embarrassed about the way he lived, but there was something about bringing her here that made any self-esteem parish.
Moving forward, he grabbed one of the many hole-filled blankets and pulled it aside like a curtain, exposingthe best view in the village of the Castle of Estonia in the close distance. He stared at the massive structure in front of him for a moment. The same view he looked over each night. A firm pressure against his leg brought Alastair from his thoughts and he looked down to find Toast rubbing against him, looking up at him expectantly.
"You're greedier than normal this evening," Alastair muttered before digging into his pocket and pulling out a couple of blueberries he'd taken off of one of the fruit stands in the village. He poured them onto the ground and Toast didn't waste any time feasting. Alastair gave his head a quick scratch, turning to Cora who he could only imagine was still trying to take in what he called his home.
"Bet you wish you would have stayed on the streets, huh?" he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Standing, he gestured towards the clutter of collected blankets he'd managed to obtain. "You can sleep there for tonight, it's not great, but it's better than the floor." he insisted from experience and Toast let out a long mrow at Cora, confused by her presence.
Alastair's heterochromia gaze shifted between the girl in front of him and the wallet that had flung from his grasp when she collided with him in the alleyway. His eyes locked with hers as she insisted he was no better for having already been lurking in the alley before she'd arrived. It was a fair point.
"You could be a detective, Cora" Alas proclaimed with a tinge of sarcasm as he shifted closer to where the wallet sat on in the gravel beneath them.
Cora's anxiety could be felt radiating off her skin like a blistering heat. He watched as her eyes darted between himself and the opening of the alley they stood in. A worn leather boot now stood on top of the wallet. It may not have had much money in it, but even the smallest amount could mean he and his feline companion would have something to put in their mouths this week. When her eyes were glued to passing males, Alastair took advantage of the distraction and used his boot to scoop the wallet up into the air and into his hand, and into his tattered vest pocket.
When she turned back to him, he was surprised to find that she was latching onto his arm and pulling him along with him without much warning. Alastair peered down at her smaller figure and noticed her trying to conceal her face from a pair of drunks passing by and then they were diving into another alley.
"You're not from around here are you?" Alas probed. "If you didn't notice women don't usually wander these streets unless they're working," his tone as grim and he watched the features on her face shift before nodding his chin in the direction of his home.
"I don't live far from here, you can stay with me, I'll give you your companionship," his lips tugged into a slight smirk, his words obviously his way of joking with her. It wasn't often that he had actual conversations with people. His only form of communication was quite literally with a cat. One could say he was a bit rusty in his people skills.
Alastair led his newfound acquaintance through the dust-filled village streets. He kept his hood up over his head, letting the shadow it cast conceal his features for the most part as they ventured through the town.
"Just up this hill," he murmured as they drew nearer to the abandoned building he called home. Once the two of them reached a set of splinter-filled doors, he creaked one open slowly, exposing a dark structure ahead of them. Alastair had never been the type to feel embarrassed about the way he lived, but there was something about bringing her here that made any self-esteem parish.
Moving forward, he grabbed one of the many hole-filled blankets and pulled it aside like a curtain, exposing the best view in the village of the Castle of Estonia in the close distance. He stared at the massive structure in front of him for a moment. The same view he looked over each night. A firm pressure against his leg brought Alastair from his thoughts and he looked down to find Toast rubbing against him, looking up at him expectantly.
"You're greedier than normal this evening," Alastair muttered before digging into his pocket and pulling out a couple of blueberries he'd taken off of one of the fruit stands in the village. He poured them onto the ground and Toast didn't waste any time feasting. Alastair gave his head a quick scratch, turning to Cora who he could only imagine was still trying to take in what he called his home.
"Bet you wish you would have stayed on the streets, huh?" he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Standing, he gestured towards the clutter of collected blankets he'd managed to obtain. "You can sleep there for tonight, it's not great, but it's better than the floor." he insisted from experience and Toast let out a long mrow at Cora, confused by her presence.