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Eagle adjusted the flower that was nestled in her dirty blonde hair, making sure it wouldn’t fall out before putting her arms to her side. She was sitting on a wobbly chair, hands clenched together on the table. The people around her speak, some boisterous as though they want the world to know, others hushed, as though hiding a secret. But she’s also hiding something.
She’s attracted to someone. And she’s invited them to hang out, to get to know them better, but she can’t. She’s a rook for a reason. She committed a crime, and she got caught. This was her punishment. To be beaten, tortured, and verbally assaulted by the Registrars, the Constables, and the other rooks and hoodrats that despised her very existence. That’s why she was missing her right foot.
She tapped her peg-leg on the wooden floor anxiously. Just thinking about the trouble she could get in made her worry. She puffed her chest out, trying to hide the nervousness from the people around her. But she could feel gentle fluttering in her guts. Like her stomach was rolling down a hill, going slow enough to take in the views around it.
Love is a common thing. She constantly sees couples in Bargetown, as they spend their nights sipping on fine wine in their shacks. Men and women holding hands as they walk through the square, fingers gripping softly as fingertips graze against each other’s skin. Maybe the Registrars wouldn’t care that she’s attracted to someone. As long as it didn’t interfere with her duty in the Gold Leaf Army. But they won’t let the two become more than friends, and she knows why.
She’s attracted to a girl.
And she’s a criminal too. Eagle remembers when they first met. She was hanging out with a Footman when a woman with bright, blood-red hair approached her, and called her beautiful. Sure, Eagle’s gotten the occasional comments and compliments about her hair, especially when she dyed it pink. But this wasn’t about her hairstyle. This was about her.
The two talked for a little while before she had to go. Before she did, she shared her name. Cardinal. Eagle didn’t know what a cardinal was until she asked one of her friends. It was a red bird that was most prevalent in the winter. Cardinal was probably a moniker though, like Eagle’s.
She snapped back to the present, her eyes darting around, making sure no one was watching her. There were so many people here today. And on cue, she spotted crimson hair, and saw her walking up the stairs. The two made eye contact, as Cardinal waved to her. Eagle waved back, clenching her hands together again. Her eyes are a soft amber, a clear contrast to Eagle’s bubbly blue. Huh. She’s never really paid attention to one’s eyes. She sat down on the opposite side of her, as silence filled the table. Her chair isn’t wobbly, firm as though it was rooted to the wooden flooring. Eagle turned her body to face Cardinal. Of course, she was the first to speak.
“How have you been?”
Eagle started with a simple question, hoping it wasn’t too personal for her. She straightened out her rook uniform, hoping it wasn’t too dirty tonight.
“It’s been alright. I managed to scam a guy in Sunrise City, and got a good amount of ND from it. You?”
Eagle has never been one to steal. It’s immoral. But the more time she’s spent as a rook, she’s learned that it's what you have to do in order to survive. She wanted some drugs, so she snuck into the clinic and stole them. She’s stolen little trinkets here and there to make a quick buck or two. Is it wrong? Yes. But she has no choice. She’s a criminal anyways. People see her as one. As a filthy criminal that can’t afford a shower. Which was true, for the most part.
“Ah, you know, just the usual.”
Cardinal doesn’t know the usual, and it’s best she didn’t know the torture Eagle goes through daily. After a few minutes, a waiter arrived to take their orders. All the while the two kept looking away from each other, avoiding their partner’s gazes, almost embarrassed or nervous to be there. Eagle wiped the beads of sweat that were starting to form on her temple. She would occasionally focus on Cardinal’s lips, and then she’d quickly look away.
Cardinal ordered herself a steak, while Eagle opted to eat the food she brought with her to save what little money she had. Eagle didn’t know why she felt this way towards Cardinal. People have called her hair gorgeous before, but Cardinal didn’t. She called Eagle beautiful. It plucked a string Eagle didn’t know existed in her heart. She thought she’d never feel this way, especially not as a rook. And she knew her time was short now that she was a marked man, proved by the fact she already had three attempts on her life in one week alone, not to mention the countless times she’s been beaten for misbehaving or just looking at a Registrar the wrong way.
Eagle reached into her tattered satchel as she grabbed a rusty can of expired beans. Unfortunately, criminals in the penal unit don’t get good food, mainly scraps and leftovers that servicemen never finish. Some accept the rations handed out, while others take it upon themselves to scavenge for food through heaps of garbage. Eagle was one to search for her own food instead of accepting rations, thus she was left with thrown-out sandwiches and moldy cheese. She peeled the can open, having already eaten out of it before coming to meet Cardinal.
“You want some? There’s enough for both of us.”
Eagle offered Cardinal the rusty fork that came with the can. Cardinal stared for a few seconds, her eyes moving from the can to the fork, before she politely shook her head. Understandable, since she was getting good food anyways. Shortly after, her steak arrived. Eagle hasn’t eaten good food since she was rooked.
The two started eating their dinner, not exchanging a word. They were both too anxious to speak in such a crowded place in such a strict town. Eagle paused her meal to look for any serviceman in the area. So far, it was just her, and she hoped it’d stay that way. She just had that bad feeling in her gut, that something was gonna happen. The feeling of anticipation. Anticipation for the next beating.
She just copied Cardinal’s body language, relaxing her shoulders, sitting with an open posture, keeping her feet planted on the ground, and smiling whenever the two made eye contact, just to tell her she cared and that she was happy.
She was only brought back from her thoughts when she heard a loud yell. One that was stern, booming, and all too familiar to her.
“ROOK! GET OVER HERE!”
She looked behind Cardinal, and sure enough, it was a Constable. This one had shiny black hair hidden underneath his blue cap that matched his indigo button-up uniform. He had his right hand gripped on his baton. Eagle stood up as Cardinal looked behind her chair, eyeing the Constable. She stood up as well, as Eagle beckoned her to follow. She didn’t want her friend to be beat up for hanging out with a rook. Thankfully, she did follow, as the two ran down the stairs and into the slums, the Constable’s footsteps right behind them.
Eagle quickly grabbed Cardinal’s hand as their index fingers intertwined with each other. Eagle could feel the carvings that were Cardinal’s fingerprints, as Cardinal wrapped her calloused, slender fingers around Eagle’s soft scarred extremities, the warm touch unfamiliar, yet soothing as the two became connected, limb-by-limb. She knew Cardinal didn’t know her way around Bargetown, so she had to guide her to somewhere safe. Unfortunately, they couldn’t leave Windernola Island together since they didn’t have a boat, so the two would have to hide, or get out of the Constable’s line of sight. She led her friend through the slums, where a majority of rooks and hoodrats spend what little free time they have. Some were sleeping on the cold, dirty metal ground, others high on ecstacy or drunk on moonshine and whiskey. The eyes of the awake rooks met their gazes with Eagle’s, staring deeply into her own eyes, pupils narrowed, lips tightly curled in a scowl. She looked away, she doesn’t need to focus on their murderous intent right now.
Eagle could hear her and Cardinal’s fast, light footsteps, like they were swans gliding through the water. But the Constable’s footsteps were pounding, like the gunshots she heard daily, bouncing and echoing against the rusty metal rooftops. The sound of ringing metal turned to soft clicking and thumping as the two slid down the rooftops and down another flight of stairs into the square.
It was packed tonight, filled with civilians, wasters, and servicemen alike. She didn’t have the time to wait for the crowd to disperse, so she had to shove and push the people so they could get away. They ran onto the wooden overpass that bridged the gap between Bargetown and Windernola Island. As soon as she ran past the front gate, Eagle started to weave through the crevices in the trees, still guiding Cardinal with her hands.
She only stopped running when she could see the clear waters that surrounded the island, and she could feel the sand getting into her desecrated boots. She let go of Cardinal’s hand, as she looked out into the forest. It was dark, and she didn’t bring a lantern with her, so she couldn’t see what was in between the trees. She could feel her hands trembling, sweat beading down her face as she gulped. She tried her hardest to stay calm for Cardinal, as she bit back forming tears, but it was hard. She was petrified, and she wasn’t sure if the Constable had followed them into the forest. If he found them.. It wouldn’t be pretty. And she didn’t want her friend getting hurt for a dumb reason.
Eagle flinched when she heard the snap of a twig. This was it. He was here. She closed her eyes, placing her hands in front of her face, shrinking and bracing herself for what always came next. It felt like a millennium, the silence deafening, as the only things she could hear were the crickets chirping and the fast beating of her own heart. But that swing from the baton never came. And soon, she could hear Cardinal… laughing. Eagle slowly lowered her hands, and opened her eyes as she saw something gray run through the tree line. Its face was painted black, especially around the eyes, like a mask. It was just a raccoon. It took her a few seconds to process this, all the while listening for footsteps, but she never heard any, as the thumping in her heart slowed, and the goosebumps on her arms disappeared. They lost him. Once she was sure he wasn’t coming back, quiet chuckles erupted into giddy laughter. She was relieved, as her body calmed down, the adrenaline subsiding.
Cardinal laid down on the soft grass as Eagle just sat beside her, still a little tense from the chase. She looked up, seeing the stars shine down on the barren wasteland and the hellhole she called her home. There was a soft breeze in the air, as Cardinal’s long, red hair swayed like an ocean’s wave. The two made eye contact, as Cardinal gave her a smile. Her eyes wrinkle when she grins, a detail Eagle’s never noticed before. And under the stars, her eyes were even prettier, sticking out in the dark, a contrast to the night sky.
“So.. What do you think stars are for? I mean, why are they in the sky?”
Eagle was busy thinking about the way her shirt complemented her yellow eyes, but she snapped out of the thought when she heard Cardinal’s voice.
“Well, I believe the stars represent hopes and dreams. Each star is linked to a person, and is formed based on their desires. Like.. Like freedom.”
Eagle wished she had freedom. Or rights. But rooks don’t get the right to freedom. Maybe, just maybe, when she finished her three battles she’d leave to find Cardinal again. She spoke in a softer tone, neither loud nor quiet, a perfect balance in between. The two maintained eye contact, no longer looking at the stars above. Eagle felt a warm, filling feeling in her chest. And it couldn’t be heartburn, because it wasn’t hurting her, and she didn’t eat anything spicy. It was just.. There.
“I never… Thought about it like that.”
Cardinal twirled a strand of red hair with her fingers. Eagle slowly extended her hand out, almost putting it on Cardinal’s palm, when she stopped herself, quickly putting her hand to her side. It wasn’t time yet.
The two spent a good hour and a half talking, sharing tall tales and beliefs they held onto dearly. Eventually, Cardinal had to go, and as quick as this get-together was, it was over. Eagle just stared into the sky, thinking about her, even after she left. The way her hair flowed like a stream of blood, the way her eyes wrinkled when she smiled, the way her voice sounded smooth and soft, the way she was beautiful. So, so beautiful. She couldn’t stop these thoughts. Whenever she tried to focus on something else, her mind would drift back to Cardinal. She knew she was attracted to her, she had to be, but is this what attraction feels like? To have this warm feeling in your chest? To feel the brisk beating of your own heart? To feel like you swallowed butterflies? For once, she actually liked this feeling. It gave her a reason to live, to survive in this cruel world. She needed to live for Cardinal.
The sound of rough, scratchy footsteps getting closer cleared her thoughts of Cardinal. She could smell foul body odor, and the trail of rust. The trail of blood. This was the smell of a rook. She heard something scratch against bark and willow. Something sharp, something jagged. She could see their shadows move unevenly, as they wobbled in the dark. Her hands started to shake. She shut her eyes in an attempt to hold back salty tears, but it was no use as she felt the tears run down her cheeks, as the trembling worsened, spreading to her entire body as she felt herself beginning to break down. It was too late to run now. Had she been aware of her surroundings instead of daydreaming, she could’ve made it out. The only thing to do now was wait, and to continue daydreaming about Cardinal.
Maybe we can go on a picnic next time.