1st of Winter, 523 AV
Eldrin hated mornings. He hated all points of the day actually, but mornings held an especially cruel place in his heart. This one found him curled up in an alley where the briny smell of the outer sea mixed with the sweaty underbelly of the city, or was that his? He couldn't remember the last time he'd even thought about a shower. What was the point really when every day felt like one long continuous one. It was all much the same, one shit smell compared to a slightly less pungent shit smell. Besides, soap was too precious to use for washing when it could be traded for a swallow or two of liquor when carefully portioned out.
That was how he appraised most things. How many swallows of liquor it would get him as that was the only thing that really mattered. Everything else he could take or leave depending on its immediate benefit, and all paled to the sweet succor that rancid swill would give him, if only terribly brief. It was a trap. He wasn't stupid, but he was so well and truly caught in the snare he was fucked either way, so he might as well enjoy being fucked for as long as it lasted. He fancied it as the smartest thing he'd ever thought of, which was a remarkably short list despite him living as long as... He actually didn't know how long it had been, and his mind immediately sought to compare it to how much liquor that time was worth, and seized when it got beyond the small counting he was able to do with his fingers.
Someone stepping into the alley stole his concentration on the subject as his dark eyes flickered furtively over to the figure before lowering abruptly to the dirt path. It was a man he didn't recognize which didn't exactly set him at ease, but he just tensed and held his breath, waiting for him to sidle past and hopefully make his way through quickly which he did, but not before kicking Eldrin in the upper thigh which made him curl reflexively into a ball, shying away from any future blows coming, but instead of hitting him again, the man just chuckled and continued on his way. Still, Eldrin didn't unwind himself until he was well and truly sure that the man had left, and even then he did so slowly, eyes darting about both ways before he finally dared to extend his legs and rub at his smarting upper thigh.
It was time for him to get moving, lest he earn more than a kick as more people started to wake up and make their way about the city, but where would he go? Where should he go? He had a few places he favored, fewer still in these leaner than average winter months, but that didn't leave him totally hopeless. There was always a place for someone who didn't let a foolish thing like pride get in the way their decision making. He didn't have much room for any emotion really besides fear, and even that in only small doses. Fear could get him killed just as easily as it kept him alive and like everything it had its place in the grand scheme of things.
Today, he decided, he'd stick to the docks, see what opportunities he could find, and sort the rest out later. Standing up took a moment, and bit more effort than he'd expected, pulling himself up the rough wooden siding of the house he had been sleeping against, and then steadying himself there till he could maneuver his lanky legs underneath him, and get the tremors to keep somewhat to a minimum. When he was convinced he could walk without falling flat on his face, he started slowly shambling down the alley, hesitating just before stepping out onto the street, then taking one step forward, then another, till he was on his way down to the docks, whistling badly broken bits of a tune he'd heard through a tavern's wall the night before.
Eldrin hated mornings. He hated all points of the day actually, but mornings held an especially cruel place in his heart. This one found him curled up in an alley where the briny smell of the outer sea mixed with the sweaty underbelly of the city, or was that his? He couldn't remember the last time he'd even thought about a shower. What was the point really when every day felt like one long continuous one. It was all much the same, one shit smell compared to a slightly less pungent shit smell. Besides, soap was too precious to use for washing when it could be traded for a swallow or two of liquor when carefully portioned out.
That was how he appraised most things. How many swallows of liquor it would get him as that was the only thing that really mattered. Everything else he could take or leave depending on its immediate benefit, and all paled to the sweet succor that rancid swill would give him, if only terribly brief. It was a trap. He wasn't stupid, but he was so well and truly caught in the snare he was fucked either way, so he might as well enjoy being fucked for as long as it lasted. He fancied it as the smartest thing he'd ever thought of, which was a remarkably short list despite him living as long as... He actually didn't know how long it had been, and his mind immediately sought to compare it to how much liquor that time was worth, and seized when it got beyond the small counting he was able to do with his fingers.
Someone stepping into the alley stole his concentration on the subject as his dark eyes flickered furtively over to the figure before lowering abruptly to the dirt path. It was a man he didn't recognize which didn't exactly set him at ease, but he just tensed and held his breath, waiting for him to sidle past and hopefully make his way through quickly which he did, but not before kicking Eldrin in the upper thigh which made him curl reflexively into a ball, shying away from any future blows coming, but instead of hitting him again, the man just chuckled and continued on his way. Still, Eldrin didn't unwind himself until he was well and truly sure that the man had left, and even then he did so slowly, eyes darting about both ways before he finally dared to extend his legs and rub at his smarting upper thigh.
It was time for him to get moving, lest he earn more than a kick as more people started to wake up and make their way about the city, but where would he go? Where should he go? He had a few places he favored, fewer still in these leaner than average winter months, but that didn't leave him totally hopeless. There was always a place for someone who didn't let a foolish thing like pride get in the way their decision making. He didn't have much room for any emotion really besides fear, and even that in only small doses. Fear could get him killed just as easily as it kept him alive and like everything it had its place in the grand scheme of things.
Today, he decided, he'd stick to the docks, see what opportunities he could find, and sort the rest out later. Standing up took a moment, and bit more effort than he'd expected, pulling himself up the rough wooden siding of the house he had been sleeping against, and then steadying himself there till he could maneuver his lanky legs underneath him, and get the tremors to keep somewhat to a minimum. When he was convinced he could walk without falling flat on his face, he started slowly shambling down the alley, hesitating just before stepping out onto the street, then taking one step forward, then another, till he was on his way down to the docks, whistling badly broken bits of a tune he'd heard through a tavern's wall the night before.