♛ ¦ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇʀ ༺ everyone (0/4)
It smelled like rain in the Underland. Not because it was raining, the sky, if it could be called that, was just as fractured and uncertain as the streets it loomed above, but because the scent of damp earth and rusted iron clung to the stone archways and worn tarps that shielded makeshift tents. Aurora gently brushed dust off the last crate of donated blankets before stepping aside to allow a small group of people through. Her hands were red from the chill, and the edge of her coat was stained with mud, but her smile remained.
“Here you go,” she said, kneeling beside a little boy who clutched his sister’s hand. She offered them a pack of hygiene supplies and a roll of wool socks. “The red ones are lucky. Or so I’m told. They giggled quietly, then scurried off after murmuring thank-yous, their eyes not quite meeting hers.
Aurora exhaled slowly, her breath curling in the cold. The donation tent was quieter now, the early evening crowd having thinned out, though more would come as word spread through the maze of alleyways. She moved to rest against a nearby crate, letting herself pause for just a moment. The soft hum of distant generators filled the silence, along with the occasional cough or shuffle of boots on stone.
The Underland was nothing like Old Elias, even less than the rebuilt corners of New Elias and yet, she felt more grounded here than in any marble tower or council chamber. She mattered here and she was making a difference.
She thought of Phillip at times like these. She wondered if he would be out here helping her. He had a big heart and she was sure he'd want to do more than that. Her fingers brushed the edge of her skirt stained from sitting in the dust earlier to help a limping man lace up new boots.
From behind her, the flapping of a tent signaled someone new approaching, whether a volunteer, someone in need, or a stranger with questions, she didn’t know. Aurora stood to meet them, brushing golden hair back from her face as her eyes met theirs.
“Can I help you with something?”