Title - Love Is For Thieves
Chapter Title - Scars
Author - OblivionsGarden
Genre - Romance/Adventure
Disclaimer - I do not own The Thief Lord in any way, shape or form. I only own my original character and the plot for this fic.
C.6
Autumn's point of view -
I crept out of bed and away from Prop and Bo, who were sound asleep. I went into the kitchen area to get myself a drink when I heard a noise above me, on the roof. Curiosity getting the better of me, I grabbed my trainers and went to investigate. Silently, I crept along the roof until I saw someone sat on the edge, looking out over the city. I recognized it as Scippio, only in his shadow, his nose seemed abnormally long.
"Scip?" I asked and he jerked his head around, showing that he was actually wearing a bird style mask.
"Storm. Are you alright? How do you feel?" He turned so he had his back to the city and his legs, safely on the inside of the ledge.
"I'm fine, I feel much better now I've had a proper sleep."
"Good. Come sit down." He patted the spot beside him and I obliged.
"So, what did Bo mean about a detective and a lion's wing?" I asked. I hadn't been able to get that out of my head since Bo said it. I even dreamt about a guy in a mac and trilby riding a flying lion. Scip laughed.
"That's a long story."
"I've got plenty of time."
He pulled his mask off and watched me for a second. "Ok, I'll tell you on one condition."
I frowned. "What?"
"You tell me a story too. The story of...your scar perhaps?"
I subconsciously ran my fingers along the ugly scar on my jaw bone. "Alright."
Scippio went on to tell me everything, from how he is the thief lord, which explained the mask, and when he met Bo and Prop and meeting Ida and the roundabout. When he told me that he had, for a day, been an adult he sounded almost regretful. When he said that when he woke up the next morning, he was 16 again, he seemed happier.
"Did you not enjoy being an adult?"
"I thought I would. I wouldn't be under my father's thumb and I could do what I like."
"But..." I urged,
"But, it isn't what I expected. I felt like I was outcast from my friends because of my age. When I returned to 16 again, I was overjoyed." He smiled, his dark eyes twinkling before he coughed. "OK, your turn."
I took a deep, shaky breath. I hadn't told anybody about my scar before. Even Bo and Prop had no idea what it was from.
"Obviously you know what my foster father is like." Scip nodded. "Well, one night when he came home from a night drinking, he was angry. Not his usual angry, but insanely angry. He attacked me in the kitchen and when I fell I knocked his beer bottle on the floor. He got even angrier and picked up a piece of the glass." I paused, looking down at my feet rather than at Scippio. "I guess in a way I should be thankful he was wasted cause he was actually trying to kill me. Luckily he got my jaw instead of my throat. Still, the scar won't ever fade." I finished in a bitter tone.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to tell me that."
"It's alright. People always say it helps to talk, don't they?"
He nodded as he hesitantly reached his hand forward to run his finger along my scar. I didn't move.
"It's not as repulsive as you think it is, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Regardless of how you gained your scar, it makes you who you are. I may not have know you for long, but you are a great person, Storm. No amount of scars is going to stop people from seeing that."
I smiled a little before thanking him in a quite voice and excusing myself, now in serious need of that drink.