Starless Sky | Maruki and Naofumi
@shieldprison
Usually, Maruki wouldn’t be out so late. After all, he had to be at his office to meet with patients who sought fit to schedule appointments with him earlier in the day due to various time restrictions they had, and Maruki was glad to fit himself to their schedules. Today, however, he wanted to expand his horizons. This city was massive, and he hadn’t seen much of it.
He probably should’ve charged his phone before leaving, since an online map of the area would’ve helped him out now. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been wandering the streets, but it had been long enough that the sun had fully set, and a few wrong turns had already scrambled his sense of position in the city.
It definitely didn’t help that this part of the city was clearly rundown and neglected, and any street signs he might’ve seen were decrepit, had graffiti on them, or were just otherwise illegible, and the lack of lighting to illuminate his surroundings didn’t help. Even the sky itself seemed dark as the light pollution from the main city blotted out the stars.
It was just a bit unsettling, to say the least.
The sound of footsteps coming from up ahead gave Maruki as much anxiety as it did hope. Maybe this person would know the way back to the main city, or maybe he would get robbed. Well, even if it was the latter, it wasn’t like Maruki had much to take to begin with. But as the footsteps grew a bit closer, Maruki could make out the shape of a man who walked with a certain conviction that gave him the appearance of someone who knew the area well. So that was definitely going to be Maruki’s best bet if he wanted to get home before sunrise.
“Excuse me!” Maruki called out to the stranger. “I apologize for interrupting your night, but do you mind giving me some directions? I’m a bit lost.”