The current time was dusk; the sky spattered with countless colors one could never name as the sun bid the three walls and sad existence of mankind a temporary farewell, beginning it's decent over the edge of the outermost wall and in turn the horizon. Darkness swept in a languid pace over the houses and markets, the blanket of platinum hue from the moon all that was keeping the villages and districts from being overtaken by the shadows. Children scurried to their beds, mothers following with candles to tuck in their offspring and remind them of their love, leaving them to fall into slumber's gentle embrace and doing the same before long. Yet amidst the calm of the world above, below their feet scurry people barely moral enough to be considered human- stealing, killing, kidnapping and lying to survive the constant darkness of their society, alienated from that of the relatively peaceful living of that above them.

But it seemed even living underground among the sewer rats you could genuinely feel happy.

The perfect example would be the three currently seated in an arrangement of two across from eachother and one to the side of a table lit by a few candles, a trio of young adults making the best of the world they were thrown into. In the seat to the side was a raven-haired male by the name of Levi (he hadn't ever introduced himself with a last name, it was presumed he had forgotten it in his years alone), assumed by his colleagues to be in his late teens, early twenties. From behind a neatly parted fringe stared a pair of strikingly silver hues; their glare cutting just as a blade of the same color may, orbs now focused on the other male of the three.

Sitting tall in his chair rested a man of his early twenties, chestnut hues focused on the words he was reading off slowly from the book in his hands, arched brow furrowed as he turned text to speech, untrained brain making languid work of his task. The second-in-command of their group here's name was Farlan Church, easily proclaimed the tallest and perhaps smartest of the three as he was the only one taught basic reading and writing and towered above his younger companions by double digits of centimeters. "'Prologue,'" His voice was at a casual volume, trying to teach the youngest of the three more words to widen her vocabulary and, hopefully, help her lose the odd twang she seemed to have developed over the years, "'a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work.'"

"Uh, Far, there's 'bout...five things there I dunno, 're yer ev'n sayin' words?" Whined the final member of their trio, her emerald hues staring at the male across from her in confusion. Isabel Magnolia was this young spitfire's name, her age completely guessed considering they had found her on the streets abandoned. They said she was probably in her mid-teens, curves beginning to form as she changed from the little kid they'd picked up to a fiery young woman, will unbreakable and attention span anything but. Her words earned a heavy sigh from the blonde across from her, dark hues meeting vibrant ones as he set down the book previously in his grasp.

"Yes, Izzy, I am saying words. And you know what musical means!" Setting his elbows on the table, the elder of the group set his face in his hands, head shaking as he began to lose hope in teaching the girl anything for the millionth time that week, hues sliding shut as he slumped in his chair slightly. "Basically-"

"Prologue. It means it's giving you background information or bringing you into what is happening. It's normally the beginning."

Both of them, blonde and red-head both immediately looked at the ravenette seated to the side of them, Levi's voice being murmured past pale lips as his stare was moved from the other male to the book, eyelids fluttering over his hues before he looked up again, face blank. "Right?"

After the initial shock of the sudden interruption had passed a smile raised onto Farlan's lips, head nodding. "That's the simple version of it. Get it now?" Mocha orbs flashed back to his temporary student, the girl's face lighting up as she quickly nodded.

"Oh- I see! So it's like, tellin' ya' 'bout what yer gettin' into?!" Lips curled up into a childish grin, the girl was nearly bouncing in her chair as she awaited confirmation so she could finally be released from this torture, eyes sparkling as it all clicked inside her head. A relieved sigh came from Farlan this time, brow relaxed as she finally understood.

"That's right."

"So we're done?!"

"Ha! That was only the prologue of your lesson!"

As the hideout of the three was filled by the over-dramatic groans of the girl and the light laugh of the blonde, a ghost of a smile raised to Levi's lips before vanishing in the next second, his arms crossing over his chest. The underground was awful, but he was okay with it for now. Sewer rats or not, these two were here as well.

And that's all he needed to be happy.