#glassbottleslu

A kiss

The sound of the city is not one that Taemin can say he is fond of. The click of horses hooves on the cobblestone, pulling the carriages to their destinations. The cheer in the air-- laughter, gossip, squeals of happiness as the parade marches through the city. And the train-- that head splitting howl of its horn as it passes through, shaking the ground and the glass of the surrounding shops. They're all reminders of what he no longer has.

A normal life.

The summer sun bears down on him as his hasty steps carry him down the street-- or rather, the back alleys that take him twice as long to maneuver. However, he knows his way-- this option far better than the main street, where he receives looks of disgust and the pointing fingers of small children as they whisper to their mothers. There, the hood of his cloak is often pulled even further over his face and his dreadful wool scarf over his nose-- hiding the monstrosity underneath to avoid further humiliation.

As he walks, he avoids allowing his eyes to wander to windows of the surrounding buildings, instead keeping his eyes trained on the stones in front of him in order to avoid his reflection as he makes his way to the local bakery-- in need of some flour for the week. It's as he does so that he finds himself lost in his thoughts-- no longer paying attention to his surroundings.

The toe of his shoe catches a loose cobblestone, sending him tumbling to the ground. Arms stretch out to brace his fall, but instead end up scraped and battered. And then his eyes fall on the puddle of water-- gaze catching his own in the wavering reflection.

DUDE— you need to get some rest!!! Your rp partners will be understanding, take care of yourself!