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Spring
Three hours until meeting
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The clean, sweet, and slightly yeasty smell of pastries wafted over town square, mingling with the smell of people and other goods like some ingredients in a witches pot. Katsuki kept his head low and his eyes forward, even being covered by the hood of an oversized cloak he felt exposed when he was around so many unknown people.
It was easy to say he wouldn't be the most popular presence to ever grace this town if he were found out. It wasn't exactly hard to spot a lone thief.
Even if he knew he could get caught any minute though, he just couldn't stay away. Aside from the odd smell, there were also wondrous things to be seen in this town. Tables sat lined up neatly, the normal crowds of people making it seem otherwise, each of them sporting their own trinkets. Some stalls sold lavish cloths, each thread stitched with the precision of a master tailor. Other stalls sold jewelry; fox headed pendants adorned with what had to be real gems for the price they were worth. Varying from the materialistic goods, some places also sold food. Fruits that were perfectly ripe and filled with juicy flavor, rich vegetables that would probably work wonderfully in a soup when paired with tender meat, baked goods that made Katsuki's mouth water with just their smell.
There was so much to take in. Thankfully, that's just what Katsuki needed to get his work started. When there were things to buy, people came, and when people came so did distractions, and distractions? Well, Katsuki was a master of distractions.
With just a swipe of his hand he could send a basket of fruit tumbling to the ground and the stall owner scrambling down with it as they tried to save their source of income. What they didn't see though was how afterwards, Katsuki would slip his hand from beneath his cloak and snatch an apple or two while the owners back was turned. From time to time he caught a few others pulling the same stunt he was, their own sticky fingers grasping longingly at the goods that seemed so far out of reach.
Katsuki had already pulled the stunt so many times today that doing it once more would surely be one too many. Not that he had any room left in his satchel to keep anything anyways. The worn leather bag was already bulging with its contents and Katsuki was almost afraid it would burst. Around this time he would make his get away. He'd quietly slip through the crowd until he broke through on the other side of the market and then, carefully, he would slip through the space in between homes until he was free to make a break for the forest he called home.
As he cast a final glance behind him, he found the day had other plans for him though. Behind him and in front of him the crowd seems to part like a magical force had willed them to. It all happened so fast that Katsuki practically had to scrambled to the side lines before he embarrassed himself by being the only one standing in the open.
He nestled snuggly behind a woman wearing a dirty, faded pink dress and a little girl who looked too skinny for her own good. The girl clutched at the woman's - her mother Katsuki presumed - dress with tiny hands and whined.
"Mommy, I'm hungry, can we get something to eat," she asked quietly, careful not to disturb anyone around her - except for Katsuki of course.
With a soft smile the woman crouched in front of her daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Not right now honey, mommy has to get some medicine first. After though, I'll see if I can buy you a snatcher." A snatcher. A cheap and mildly sweet pastry filled with cherry flavored filling with a name that didn't really appeal to customers taste buds. A "commoner" treat to most and not exactly the most popular among kids. Except to the little girl in front of him. Katsuki felt bad that the girl would get excited about something so unappetizing.
Without realizing it Katsuki had reached into his bag and pulled out a perfectly pink and ripe peach he'd snatched. "Here," he grumbled as he outstretched his hand to the girl. When she turned to him, Katsuki was surprised to see she was quite adorable. Big, brown, round eyes with rosy pink cheeks that complimented her short brown hair. With no hesitation the girl reached out and took the offering, immediately taking a bite out of it and sending juice running down her chin. Tsking, her mother reached out and wiped the juice away but sent Katsuki an appreciative smile.
'Thank you,' she mouthed before turning her attention to the area in front of them, gesturing for her daughter to do the same. Reluctantly, Katsuki followed their lead.
It seemed to be a caravan of some sort. Horses with gold studded harnesses and carriages made of rich, sturdy wood filed one by one down the path, wheels loudly rolling over the uneven cobble as they searched for purchase. Leaning forward, Bakugou whispered a question to the woman he'd helped, "Oi, what's happening?"
She gave Katsuki a befuddled look before her face softened, "You must not be from around here. It's the Knights Gathering. A handful of high ranking knights parade through the kingdom and take offerings from the town's people for protecting them." A sneer crossed her face and Katsuki was momentarily taken aback; it was an expression that really did not suit her. "They also like to flaunt their money."
"Sounds a little conceited, doesn't it," Katsuki said a with a bitter chuckle. He bore no liking for guards or nobles of any kind. Not when they'd taken so much from him and apparently others as well. The woman snorted at his jab but otherwise didn't say anything else, instead she kept her mouth zipped shut, eyes filled barely concealed rage settling on the spectacle of wealth in front of her.
As much as he hated to admit it, Katsuki himself was in awe at the jewel lined horse saddles and gold accented clothes that flashed about in front of him for a fleeting moment. As quick as that moment came though, it was replaced with disgust. Katsuki liked money, not those who had it.
After a few minutes of the sound of hooves clattering against the dirt and stone path, the knights seemed to come to a stop. A moment of silence stretched over a few seconds before a carriage door opened and out came a blonde man clad in expensive finery, his clothes looking like they could pay to keep three generations of people fed and homed.
"Fair people! I am positively ecstatic to see your lovely faces on this fine day! Your hospitality is greatly appreciated and I hope it will extend over to my fellow companions!" The man was loud, and annoying, and the shit eating grin on his face told Katsuki that he thought of the people around him as nothing more than walking piggy banks. Nothing but an over compensated errand boy by the looks of him. For a moment, Katsuki contemplated yelling out an insult to make him falter but hell, he may not have went to school but he wasn't stupid.
"As you know, the Knights have been traveling tirelessly for the past week and we would appreciate your providing of lodgings," he requested in an obviously fake heartfelt tone, still, he earned a few hearty calls from tavern owners that were happy to possibly make an extra buck or two. Suddenly a bright smile crossed his face, "Oh splendid! I'm glad you bunch are so kind."
Katsuki rolled his eyes and groaned, "Prick." The jab earned a few chuckles from the people around him. The sounds seemed to, oddly enough, reassure Katsuki the some people thought the same way about his attitude.
"Now, dear people, enough with the introductions. I'm sure you're bored from a long day of work so let us pleasure your minds and present to you our treasures of wonder!" Katsuki wondered just what exactly they could have that would "pleasure the minds" of people who wanted nothing to do with them. If anything, Katsuki wasn't keen on hanging around long enough to find out. He was surely already sticking out like a sore thumb considering he was hunched over in a suspicious maroon cloak lined with fur that made him look the part of a thief or spy. At this point though, the crowd was so closely packed that he really had no choice but to pretend to enjoy the show.
Well, let the festivities begin he supposed.
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Spring
Ten minutes until meeting
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Katsuki sat away from the crowd with his head lowered. The sun was beginning to reach the end of its day cycle and he hated to say it but he still had yet to find a way to slip away from the "celebration" that had ensued after the glorified servant boy had finished his speech.
Rather unhappily, Katsuki noticed that he didn't really want to leave just yet. Twinkling lights and the sound of laughter, even the flashing of gold that was just begging to be stolen, made Katsuki want to stick around just a while longer.
At this point, nothing of great importance had happened. People drank, got drunk, threw up and threw fists. Nothing new except for the fact that the drunkenness seemed to be in excess.
Drunkenness also seemed popular among the guards too, but surprisingly, a handful of them sat back and instead of getting shit faced, played card games. The not so surprising part of that was that they played to win, meaning they cheated their way into the hard earned money from commoners too drunk to notice.
For the people who seemed keenly uninterested in their surroundings, all of this seemed to be too showy for their tastes. Katsuki remembered that even the mother from earlier had taken her daughter and pulled her to the side, both of them talking amongst themselves with other children and parents alike.
Katsuki had heard of the Knights Gathering before, though he'd never been witness to one. From the stories his father told him, only the mightiest of Knights could call themselves part of the group. Only Knights who held their sword with valor and pledged to make this world safe for those who could not protect themselves could truly become known among the land as a Knight deserving of a name. Looking at this lot, it was easy to see that wasn't the case anymore.
Suddenly, a jarring noise sounded, causing Katsuki to snap to attention. For a panicked moment he thought he'd been caught but once he saw people gravitating towards the oddly large covered cart in the center of the open space the town called, rather uncreatively, town circle, he knew that the night was finally starting.
Silently, Katsuki made his way over, making sure not to get to close to the front of the crowd. If he played bumper cars with too many people here he could get caught by someone he'd crossed once or twice and that would be the end of it. Luckily though, he managed to squeeze comfortably in between a younger lady and an old man who eyes were so fixated on the scene in front of them that they didn't even cast Katsuki a glance.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Now for the moment you've all been waiting for!" It was the same man from before. He had the same smile that made Katsuki want grind his teeth together but this time his face was flushed with the beginnings of a drunken stupor. Katsuki rolled his eyes and wondered just how long this display would take before he could go home; the rancid smell of ale was starting to sting his nose and give him a headache. The crowd remained moderately silent as he went on, only whispered words being exchanged. "Your Kings men have traveled and searched far and wide, suffering sickness and death. With each step a new threat arose, yet we slay it, our swords glinting in God's sun as we drive metal through flesh."
Katsuki had to give it to him, he could tell a riveting story.
"Alas," he said with a grave tone, his hand sweeping across the area in front of him as he leaned towards the crowd. "We faced dangers much larger than we anticipated. Dangers more perilous than any man alone could hope to strike down. We prayed to our God and our King, hands clasped tight into the blood soaked soil. Thinking all was lost we accepted our fate. But nay, our saviors had better plans for us; they answered our prayers and had us rise from the soil with new vigor unbeknownst to man."
Katsuki leaned forward slightly, it was easy to say that he wanted to know where exactly this story was going. Others around him seemed to feel the same too, their eyes wide with anticipation. In front of them the guard stood with sparkling eyes as if the moment was one he'd remember all of his life. "We stood and we fought till we were bloodier than ever before and then, with a final swing of victory, we beheaded our enemies and in the end, all of our hard work was greatly awarded." The man's words came to a stand still and in the silence, Katsuki was suddenly aware of the sound of chains dragging slowly across what sounded like metal. A sense of something like borderline dread seemed to well up in the pit of Katsuki's stomach.
Behind the knight, two others seemed to appear from nowhere and grabbed at the edges of the cloth, both of them exchanging a nervous glance. Something in Katsuki's chest seemed to shrink back with nervousness and deep in his mind it registered that he as afraid. Afraid of the thing he could not yet see.
The knight held up his hands, "And I, my dears, have brought the fruits of our labors for you to feast upon with your eyes!" He seemed to be basking in the attention, his grin wider than any of the others Katsuki had seen. As his sentence came to an end, he looked to the two people who held the cloth in their hands, his expression annoyed as he gestured for them to do their job. Quickly, with lowered heads, they ripped the curtain away and deathly silence seemed to follow.
Slick scales of red, rippling with powerful muscle. Slitted eyes, alert and searching. Heavy breathing, startled shuffling. Long teeth; teeth that seemed to be the length of Katsuki's forearm. Wings folded close to a muscular body of taunt flesh and hollow bones. Shadows were cast over it, its cage seeming much too small for its size. Through the shadows of night, red and smoky orange eyes seemed to glow as the creature looked around at the crowd with such animalistic hunger that Katsuki felt far from safe. It was obvious what it was and Katsuki felt sick to his stomach just looking at it.
The Dragon of Saren.
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Spring
0 minutes until meeting
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