100+ Writing Contest Entry (2)

Instructions

The man sighed, “There you go kiddo,” he shifted to the side, his hand removing itself from his shoulder so quickly that Kyshiro almost stumbled sideways, “come inside now. Sometimes at night we get dangerous thieves,'' another sigh, “an’ with this weather they’re probably more active.” The man paused. At first, Kyshiro thought that it was because the man had finished. However, the moment the thought crossed his mind, the man cleared his throat, “You don’t speak much, do you?” Kyshiro bit his lip then shook his head, keeping his eyes low, “Huh,” the man mused, stepping an inch back to twist the door to his abode open, “well, anyone’s welcome in my shop. Come on in, boy.” Kyshiro’s heart kicked up a little as he flicked his gaze upwards, glancing at the welcoming opening doors ahead. Well, here goes nothing. Nodding his thanks at the shopkeeper, he nervously wandered into the abode, keeping his gaze firmly on the brightly lit marble flooring ahead. “Got another one, dad?” Kyshiro stopped abruptly, hearing a sharp, stern voice piercing through the air. He glanced upwards, seeing the large legs of the speaker ahead of him. Their sandals plopped loudly against the ground, lime green tights shining even brighter than the floor. Kyshiro quietly noted that they had large amounts of brown patchwork upon them. His heart seized up in guilt. He wished that he could give his wealth to the people who needed it. He wished that he could be brave enough to stand up to his father just once. Alas, Kyshiro was the weakest person that could possibly exist. With his left leg all bashed up (even broken rather brutally more than once) and scars all over his back, he was unable to properly plant a punch. Sucking in a breath, he erased the thought from his mind, concentrating on the person that was walking towards him. Their feet slapped against the ground, both of their hands clasped firmly on their hips. “Who’s this one, pa?” the person asked, their voice having a snobbish tinge to it. Kyshiro could feel their eyes roaming his body suspiciously. Clearing their throat, pointed shoes tapping impatiently on the floor, they added irritability, “Yo kid, I’m talking to you.” Kyshiro held back a flinch, looking sideways quickly as the person took another intimidating step forward. “Well…” he started, using his sharpened pretending abilities to force his voice into sounding more confident then he felt, “You can call me,” he didn’t pause briefly, but for a fleeting second to think quickly, “Samath,” he said, holding his hands up in a shrug, “or Sam for short, up to you.” The person ahead of him scoffed, making Kyshiro slightly nervous. He hoped that the confident tone was enough to mask his true voice. He himself wouldn’t ever sound like that. “Samath?” they tested, rolling the name on their tongue. Kyshiro snapped his fingers, nodding his head. “That’s right,” he said in a cheerful tone. “Hmm…” the person said, one of their muscular hands moving to their chin, “Alright then,” their hand moved in front of them, offering it almost welcomingly to Kyshiro, “I’m Aegi, nice to meet ya Sam.” Kyshiro scratched the back of his hood sheepishly, taking Aegi’s warm hand with his own. “Ahhahah,” he laughed awkwardly, “it’s nice to meet you too.” Aegi removed their hand, placing their hands on their hips again. “Where’d you come from, Sam?” they asked, their deep masculine voice ringing through the shop. Kyshiro thought it was safe to assume that Aegi was male, but at the same time he wasn’t sure if it was right to just assume things. “All Clyven’s know that it’s extremely dangerous to be walking out at night,” Aegi let out a breath, “especially in this weather,” he gestured out of the window, “if my pop’s hadn’t taken pity on you strugglin’ in the wind, I reckon the clan would’ve caught you.” Kyshiro let out another awkward laugh, shifting on his feet. “Y-Yeah, I owe him one,” he said, dipping his head politely, “Thanks so much.” “Hmm, tell that to my pa when he gets back,” Aegi said softly, turning sideways and gesturing towards the short hallway. Quiet chittering and chattering were sounding from the other side, Kyshiro could hear glasses clinking together and even some murmured laughter. He sucked on the inside of his cheek, casually shifting his hood in a way that didn’t look suspicious at all. Well… he hoped so. “Alrighty, just go down the hall and find a seat, mmkay?” Aegi informed, folding his thick arms once more, “Don’t make me ask you twice.” Kyshiro chuckled nervously, nodding his head and giving a thumbs up. “Sure thing,” he responded, keeping on his smile even though Aegi wasn’t very likely to see it, “Thanks again.” He waved at the boy before walking past him, cautiously looking in the opposite direction.