[M] Have You No Pity? (NoviDome & cwlee)

[cwlee]

As they turn the corner to hide behind one of the larger buildings, Mason holds his breath. Eliza has never stood so close to him before, and their height difference is now much more apparent than ever. Mason looks off to the side, not saying much about it while still listening to Eliza devise a plan. "Y-Yeah, clothes are important... Let's, um, look for that first," he says, his voice sounding flustered.

He peeks around the bend of the building, searching for any spare clothes lying around. Fortunately for them, in this time period, people hang clothes outside to dry. All they need to do is snatch two outfits, and they will be able to blend in with the locals, drawing much less attention. However, the only issue is that the clothes are hanging to high for even Mason to jump and reach without revealing that he is stealing.

"Hey," Mason says, turning his head back to her, his eyes averting downward. "D-Do you think you can come up with a distraction for me?" he asks her, him thinking of some plan, some plan Eliza likely would not enjoy. "I'm gonna, um, climb that building right there," Mason explains, pointing at a building across the street. He's played too much video games to think he can climb anything that looks climbable. "You distract them, I snatch some clothes for us. Sound good?"

[NoviDome]

Eliza doesn't notice how flustered he sounds, or if she does, she attributes it to the stress of the situation. She looks at him in disbelief when he proposes his plan, and slowly starts to shake her head.
"What? No, Mason, the last thing we should do is draw attention to ourselves right now... Besides, I know you're a jock and all, but you're no climber. I can't have you injuring yourself doing something stupid," she says softly as she crosses her arms. She looks around uncomfortably, wishing things were easier.

"We'll have to go to the outskirts of the city. Find a residence where the clothes aren't up as high. We need a place to store our stuff, too. We can't be seen carrying around strange bags like ours. I cannot stress this enough, Mason: if we get found out, we are as good as dead." She sighs and shakes her head again, realising how utterly screwed they are. What they really need is a friendly face, somebody from this time who is willing to help them. Get them clothes, shelter, the proper currency, food, and most of all: information. About this place, this time, this culture, but also about what the hell happened to them and how they could possibly go home.

[cwlee]

Mason lets out a disappointed sigh; he was all the more eager to somewhat impress Eliza with his unexpected climbing skills. A few times he has went hiking and rock climbing with his collegiate tennis team, and through and through, he showed how capable he was in athleticism. However, for now, he would listen to Eliza's smarter decision. "Fine," he says, crossing his arms.

Upon hearing that they will be as good as dead, Mason tilts his head. "What do you mean?" he asks her. The thought of being killed is something that cannot cross his mind as someone that has come from a culture where killing is outright illegal and morally disgraceful. In this time, killing is still illegal and morally disgraceful, but who's really watching? "Okay, fine. Let's go to the outskirts or whatever," Mason tells her as he leads the charge once again. This time though, he is more careful and treads closer to the walls and the shadows whenever possible.

They trace their steps back towards the outskirts of the village, stealthily walking past the same stable they had slept in. A sole person is ahead of them, walking towards them. They're dressed in a hooded robe, and Mason cannot get a good look at their face until they walk past one another. Mason's eyes follow the person, realizing he has seen them before, her, in fact. How did this person look so familiar? He should not know anybody here. "D-Did you see her?" Mason inquires Eliza like he has just seen a ghost.

[NoviDome]

She looks at him when he asks what she means, and takes a moment to collect herself before she starts carefully following him back out of the city center.
"If we're truly in the past as I suspect... anything we find normal will be incomprehensibly alien to these people. Our clothes, our stuff, our language. They won't have an explanation for us, except that we're some kind of witches, or monsters. They will be terrified of us. They will try all they can to contain and execute us. Nobody will take pity on us."

As the person approaches them, Eliza's eyes are locked on their figure. That's the same person that bumped into her before. They look out of place, almost like they are walking on a different, ethereal plane. When the person passes, Eliza catches a glimpse of her face and immediately freezes in place. That was the face she had seen - well, not quite, more like experienced - in the void. She ignores Mason's question and whirls around, hoping to see her, to call out to her, to beg her for help. But when she looks back the way they just came, the figure has disappeared into thin air.

"...Fuck," she mutters under her breath and runs her hands through her hair. She balls her fists and squeezes her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry. She's rapidly losing hope, and losing her cool.