Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Julian Amakiir stared at himself in the mirror.

He looked at his features with resentment. His hair, a shade of crimson red, caught people’s eye. Julian’s emerald green eyes reminded him of his father. His half-elven ears showed he shouldn’t be here and that everyone around him would outlast him or die before him.
For Julian, this was routine, to look at the mirror in disgust, then go downstairs and put on a smile for his mother.

But today will be the last time he has to look into his mother’s eyes, knowing that she would hate him if she found out all the lies he told.
Today was the last time he would look at himself in that stupid mirror. Today he was going to run away.
He had been planning it for a while now, and today was perfect. His mom had to take an extra shift today, so he would be alone. The day was all laid out. The only thing left to do was to go. Once Julian was ready, he searched his room and started packing. He gathered anything in his room that could be useful and rearranged his room so that it looked normal when his mother returned. After he was sure he had all he needed, he slung his bag on his shoulder and walked downstairs.
“Good morning Julian! How’d you sleep?” Julian’s mom asked over a pan of eggs.
“Eh, alright.” He responded, sitting down at the kitchen table.

“Well, when did you go to sleep?” His mom questioned as she placed the eggs on a plate. Julian looked away in shame. His mother was always worried about the lack of sleep he gets. After a moment, she placed the plate before him before walking to the living room.
“You know,” she called out, “you should start sleeping better. Unless you want me to read you a bedtime story.”
“Oh ha ha,” He replied.

She walked back to the kitchen and said, “I’m serious! It’s unhealthy for a 14-year-old to get 5 hours of sleep.” Julian nodded. He heard this lecture before. He knew he would never take her words to heart. 10 hours of sleep is a waste of time, He thought. I have better things to do than sleep.
After a few minutes, He finished eating his eggs and his mother was ready to leave.

She turned to him and told him, “Well, I have to get going. Be good, don’t burn the house down, don’t get arrested, you know what to do. You’re a good kid.”
She leaned down to hug him, and he hugged her back. He was going to miss her. He wanted things to be like they were when he was a kid. For just a second, he wanted to stay. He wanted to stay in her arms and never leave, and act like they were happy, and like everything was fine. But the second passed, and his mother said goodbye, without knowing that was the last time she would say goodbye to her son.

Once Julian was sure she was gone, He washed the dishes and cleaned up the house. He would feel wrong if he left without doing his chores. After he was done, he looked for some food to bring. He found little that he could take with him, other than a few things that wouldn’t expire. Julian didn’t know how long it would be until he could get some money, so he looked for some loose change.

He went into the living room and started looking for a coin or two that fell in between the couch. Julian found a few, and as he stood up, something shimmered from the corner of his eye.

Looking over, he saw a polished emerald in a display case on the shelf. Something compelled him to take it. It was a deep green like his eyes. Julian was going to take it, but his mother admired the emerald, and it made little sense to take it. All the people he was around were thieves and they would take it as soon as they had the chance, but he wanted it.

Julian paced around the room.

It’s not like I could report it if someone stole it from me. I’m a criminal too. Today's events will make me even more wanted by the authorities. He thought about the situation. No doubt I’ll be a missing person. And if I take it, that will just put a bigger target on my back. But…

After going back and forth between taking it and leaving it there, he concluded he was going to take the emerald. It would be something to remind him of home. No, it would be the thing to break away from his past. A stepping stone toward the future, a testament to the person he was to become. He unlocked the display case, took the emerald, and put it in a secret pocket in his backpack. 

 Julian walked towards the alley where he and his friend would always meet. His mind was racing with thoughts of regret the closer he got to the alleyway, but they faded away when he heard a voice call out to him:

“Julian! I got your things! Are you ready?”

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“Yeah just, keep your voice down. If this goes wrong, we’re fucked.” Julian responded.
“Sorry.”

This was Max. Julian wouldn’t consider Max a friend, more like a co-worker or acquaintance. Julian was a friend to Max, Julian just stuck around out of pity. Max was the kid in school who talked to everyone like they were friends, but if you asked any of their classmates, they didn't like him. Max was overly nice to everyone he met and tried hard in school. How or why he ended up following Julian around was a mystery.
Julian was also disliked by his peers but for opposite reasons. He was mean and lashed out at pretty much everyone. He put minimal effort in at school and didn't even try to talk to anyone.

When they first met, Julian had been sent out of the classroom for being argumentative, while Max had been running errands for a teacher. Max could never bear to see anyone sad, so he made it his goal to cheer Julian up, but to no avail. He never really stopped trying but had mostly forgotten what made him stick to Julian in particular. Even though all the shit he got dragged into, Max just never left Julian alone.

“Here.” Max handed Julian a black cloth tied at the top with a couple of coins and lock picks inside.
“Thanks, man,” Julian replied as he took things out of the cloth and stashed them in his backpack.
He turned to Max and asked, “Do you want this back?’ and held the cloth out.

“Oh, that? I thought you could use it as a mask. Secret identity shit or whatever. Thought it would look cool. It was a cooler idea when I thought about it in my head.” Max said

Julian stared at him.

“Listen," Max frantically explained, "I get you stick out like a sore thumb, but it’s better than nothing!” He pointed out, “And you won’t be recognizable in like, black and white wanted posters!”

Julian had very distinct features. He didn’t look abnormal, but he was easy to spot in a crowd. Julian had seen nobody else who looked anything like him, so that was enough description for law enforcement to find him.
“Like I would be dumb enough to let anyone catch me.” Julian boasted.

“Yeah, I know, you’re better than everyone else and you would never get caught.” Max retorted. “Let’s get going. We’re gonna be late.”
“Yeah, you go on ahead. I’ll catch up,” Julian replied as Max walked away.
Julian glanced down at the cloth in his hand before tying it around his neck and pulling it over his nose. He put back on his backpack and made his way to Max.

The two arrived at an abandoned building in a sketchy part of town. Inside was the rest of the thieves’ gang they hung out with.  Julian only knew a few of them. Most of them were from the city and moved less than a year ago. Only a handful of them were locals. The gang started in the city but had to scatter when they got busted. Some of them reformed here in Stonefall, but not without the opposition of a local gang. That was one reason Julian was leaving.
He didn’t ask to be a criminal, but once you’re a thief, you’re always a thief. He had other reasons but now seemed like a good time. Everyone here had their reasons for doing what they do, some more justified than others, but that's just how thieves are.

Julian sat on a dusty crate in the corner. Max sat on the floor beside him. The rest of the group was in the middle of a pep talk from their leader, Jake. He was, quite literally, on his soapbox giving a speech. Julian wasn't listening. He's heard this all before. The only difference was that this was the last time he would hear it in this old warehouse.  Jake finished his log and repetitive speech and started to do a head count.

“Has anyone seen Andy?” Jake asked the group who shook their heads. Jake looked around once more as he said, “Weird, he said he was gonna be here.”
The door opened and 2 people ran into the building. It was Andy and a younger girl. Andy tried to speak between breaths. “Sorry, I'm late. I wanted to grab my little sister. I couldn't leave her.”
They both looked exhausted. Andy's sister looked scared. She looked around Max's age to Julian, but she was very frail. She kept close to Andy.
Julian had known Andy for a while, but he never knew he had a sister.

Jake stepped down from his box and walked over to the brother and sister. He kept his eyes on the girl while he said,
“Well, I wish you would have told me about this.” Andy opened his mouth to speak before Jake interrupted, “It's fine. You can go talk to the others.” Andy shook his head and joined the group in the middle of the room. His sister went to follow before Jake stopped her.
“Let’s talk.”
Jake led her to a sectioned-off part of the warehouse. They stood in the view of the open doorway, but it wasn't close enough for Julian to hear.
He didn't like that. He made eye contact with Max, gestured his head to the other room, and walked towards it quietly. Max took this as an invitation to follow.

The two sat against the wall and listened in to the conversation on the other side.
“Aria, do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?” Jake asked the girl. Aria responded, “Kinda. I know you're thieves and you're running away. All I know, it's gotta be better than home.”
Julian and Max communicated in sign language. It was a class taught at their middle school and a key component of communication as thieves.  Julian signed something to Max first.

Bad home life. Classic.

Max signed back, just like most people here.
They continued to listen in. Jake asked another question, this time more sternly. “Do you think you can do this?”

Aria replied with the same confident tone, “Yes. I'm sure.”

Max signed to Julian, She's crazy. Julian signed That's what I said about you when you thought you could join me in this.
Max looked shocked as he turned back to listen in on Jake and Aria. Max and Julian had missed a part of the conversation and listened back in to hear Jake say. "Same age as Max then. He's one of the scruffy ones.
Max looked offended at this remark.

“Brown skin with dark, curly hair. Usually sitting with Julian. He's another kid here. They’re inseparable. Julian is younger than you by a bit. The kid’s impossible to miss. Dark red hair, pointy ears, pale as a sheet with crazy green eyes. Don't let him scare you too much. He's tough, but he's just a kid. Like a scraggly puppy that has only been taught how to bite."


Julian decided he had enough of Jake's shit and walked back to his normal seat. Max followed behind, a little hurt by his own description.
“That was a little rude.” Max said, as he sat back down on the floor and leaned his back against the box Julian had sat on. “I mean, I'm sure he wouldn't have said that if we were listening, but still.”
Julian scoffed, “Oh please, he just called you scruffy.”
“Still, it was rude. I'm not scruffy, am I?” Max sat up to face Julian. He looked the other direction. Max added, “He compared you to a scraggly pup. How are you not hurt by this?
Julian turned back and replied, “I've been called worse things. I don't let that shit get to me anymore.” Max nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
It wasn't long before Jake and Aria finished their conversation. Jake introduced Aria to some others. They eventually made their way over to the two in the corner.

Aria had looked less scared than she had been when she got there but became just as frightened when she saw Julian. He looked at her with an intense glare.
He's right, Julian thought. I'm not that scary, but you shouldn't have a reason to be scared. I'm just a kid, after all.

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“Julian, Max!” Jake waved as he walked over. “This is Aria. She's around your age. Help her out as much as you can. I still have things I need to set up.” He left the 3 teens and disappeared into a group of people.

Max stood up to greet Aria, “Hey, I'm Max.” He held out his hand for a handshake. She returned the handshake nervously. Julian looked at the floor when she broke eye contact to talk to Max.

“Jul, get up. Talk to someone new for once.” Max told Julian, who silently stood up and faced Aria. “Sorry, he's not the social type.”
Julian rolled his eyes and put his hand out to greet the new member. “I wish you would stop treating me like a baby.”
He shook Aria's hand and said, “I'm Julian. If you wanna talk, go to him.”
“Told you. He's a good person if you get him to open up. I've known him for years and he's still pissy about me calling him Jul. Don't call him anything but Julian. He will kill you,” Max explained. Julian glared at him. Max continued, “I'm joking! Don't piss him off though, he's a dick.” Julian pushed him with his elbow. Max giggled and regained his balance.

Aria stood awkwardly before asking, “Can you, uh, teach me some things about.. stealing? I honestly hardly know what’s going on.”
Julian slipped a wallet from Max's pocket and held it behind him. He held it to his left, enough for Aria to see. He winked at her and placed it in his own pocket.

“Well, I think we have a training dummy somewhere. We haven't had to use it since, well, probably since I joined.” Max searched the building as the others followed. “Everyone who joined after me already knew what they were doing.”
Aria nodded along, trying not to giggle at his obliviousness. Max shuffled through old crates and closets before he finally found what he was looking for.
“Here it is! Brings me back to the good old days, right Julian?”

“It was 2 years ago.”

“Whatever.”

“It was also not a good time.”

“You're so negative.”

Julian helped Max bring the mannequin through the main room and to the old training room. They placed it in the center and stepped away.
“So, whaddya think?” Max asked Aria.

“It's dusty.”

Max frowned. Julian chuckled a little and walked to Aria. Max paced around the room and said. "We lost any props we had for training a while ago, but I'm sure we can find something." He stopped pacing. "I guess I can use my wallet, as long as you don't actually take anything."
He patted his pockets a few times before saying, "Julian, my wallet."

Julian sighed and pulled the wallet from his pocket. He looked at Aria and remarked, “That's how you really do it. Distraction is a big part of it. Only reason he knew it was me,”
Julian chucked the wallet at Max's face. It hit him with a thud. Julian continued, “Is because he's fallen for it so often and it's getting laughably predictable.”

“Rude! That hurt.” Max rubbed his face and picked his wallet from off the ground. He put it in a sewn-on back pocket of the training dummy. He walked to the others and started giving instructions. “That will be your target. Try to take the wallet out of its pocket without stopping.”
“Seriously?” Aria looked at Max, who gave her a nod. She walked forward at a steady pace. When she went to grab the wallet, it fell on the floor from her push.

“Damn it.”

“Again.” Julian instructed. Aria placed the wallet back and walked to her starting position. She tried again, and again. Max and Julian nitpicked on her every mistake. Sometimes, she couldn't hold on to the wallet and other times, she slowed down too much.
“I'm gonna ask how much time we have left for this,” Max said as he left the room. Julian continued to teach Aria, who was getting sick of it.
“This is impossible! I don't know how you expect me to do this.”

“Comes easily to me, I guess. Let me do it.” Aria let Julian take a shot and stepped back. “Watch.”
Julian walked toward the dummy at a steady pace. He quickly grabbed the wallet, slipped it in his pocket, and kept walking. This was something he had done a hundred times before. Anyone with a steady hand can pickpocket someone still. It takes training to pickpocket a moving target.
Aria watched closely. Julian's technique dumbfounded her.

“This is nothing. Usually, the target is also moving.” Julian said as he tossed the wallet back to Aria.
“What, like a drive-by robbery?” Aria fumbled to catch the wallet.
“Yeah, in a way. Man, you and Max both need to work on your catching skills.”
“That's not fair. That was my bad, but you pelted it as Max's face.” Aria said as she set up the training dummy.
“He's fine.” Julian walked to the entrance wall. “Try again.”
Aria took a deep breath in.

Walking forward, she tried to copy the exact movements she had seen Julian make a moment before. She grabbed the wallet with a steady but quick swipe and slipped it in her pocket and kept moving. She walked to the end of the room and turned back around and continued to walk until she met up with Julian. Aria looked at him and waited to see what she did wrong this time.

“Good,” Julian said with a small smile. Aria let out the breath she was holding.
“Don't get cocky. You still have work to do.” Julian said as he walked to the doorway. Aria groaned in response. He ignored her and continued, “Let's take a break from that fucking mannequin, it gives me the creeps. It brings back memories of how bad Max was when he joined. You're a quicker learner. Don't tell him I said that.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Julian gave her a nod as he leaned against the doorframe. “Hey, Max.” He greeted his companion from a distance.
“Hey. We're about to leave. Jake wants a headcount of who's leaving and who's staying.”
Julian stood upright and motioned for Aria to follow. Aria walked alongside Julian and asked him, “How did you know he was behind you? You didn't look back at all.”
“I could hear him. He's got very distinct footsteps and walking patterns.” The three stopped in the middle of the main room in a group of 6 other people, including Andy. “There's a science to it. I know when anyone here is approaching.” Julian added.
“You're weird, kid,” Aria remarked.
Julian replied, “Not the first time I've been told that.”

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