Salvation of The Scum Fifth Prince

[46 - history; lingering dreams]

The room was quiet, filled with the old smell of wood and dust as faint streams of sunlight filtered through the window. The lights were old and only turned on in certain corners of the place. In that way, those corners seemed brighter, despite the dim light which glowed upon them.

It was surprising that the building was in this condition, which was much better than most of the others that had already fallen, now only broken pieces of wood hanging on a thread.

Perhaps it was because it was in an area rarely explored.

Raphael stepped inside casually, looking around the old library. There hadn't been many large battles recently, so he had gone exploring.

He didn't actually know how far he went, but after some twists and turns, he arrived here. Exploring was a habit of his, wandering into the broken world and discovering small, interesting things.

It was in those easy to forget things that made living so worth it at times.

Then, his gaze darkened as the night eyes landed on a particular person, sitting in a corner surrounded by a pile of tattered books.

Behind was a large dirty pillow, and similarly, three more were organized neatly to form a nest as the slender legs curled in, head bowed to peer at the paper. Deep inky locks brushed against their lashes, strands of cloudy white mixed in and between.

It was a rather amusing sight. Charming, with the youthful looks of mysterious allure, but comedic all the same.

Raphael considered leaving, not that he thought the other would care, but then felt a little bored. This bothersome fellow he'd only met just recently... it would be interesting to annoy him a little.

Just a little. Raphael was kind, after all. It could hardly be call bothering, no, it was simply befriending the other.

Wasn't it?

So, he asked, "What're you doing."

Ren raised his head, obsidian eyes twinkling in quiet curiosity. There was more in his eyes under the indifference haze, but Raphael can't decipher it for once. And in what Raphael couldn't understand, he found all the more intriguing.

Because this foolish hero loved humans more than any other.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Does that mean you don't want to answer?"

"Why are you here?" said Ren curtly, uninterested in any conversation.

The boy scowled, but it wasn't very intimidating considering the pillows that surrounded his body, and the stacks of book that made an extra layer as his eyes peered over the rows.

Raphael had the feeling of quiet maturity from the boy, but his behavior also seemed extremely childish, like an infant learning how to walk. Conflicting, it was. Fascinating, too.

He strolled over casually, ignoring the narrowing gaze of the other party as he reached out, picking a book off the top of a random pile.

'How to safely perform a pregnancy.'

"......"

The man's eye twitched, and he placed it down and grabbed another, and then another. From one dusty hardcover, to the next bright blue pages, there was quite the odd range of books.

'How to train your pet using behaviourism.'

'The strangest animals on the planet: editors addition!'

"Why are you reading this?" said Raphael, confusion evident across handsome features.

Ren frowned. "Why do you keep talking?"