Time Away (Loki/Open)

[Loki]

“Stealing is a bit of a tricky business but once you get into it gets easier.” Loki said when Clary admitted that she didn't know how to steal. It wasn't necessarily the right path that Loki could give this female. He knew better than most just how dangerous living life as a thief could be. It was his thieving that brought down an entire gang on his tail, in this very city no less. Though it was the very thing that brought him to Azazel in the first place. Before then it had saved his life numerous time, but it also lead to some very bad things as well. What would it do for Clary? He wondered. “Maybe I can teach you how to do it sometime in the future. If you are going to be living out in the streets its the most useful skill you could ever hope to learn. It will be better than begging your way into starvation, trust me.”

What Clary said next set off alaram bells in his head. She had mentioned escaping from some place before so it wouldn't be much of a surprise that she was afraid that someone from that place might find her. It could just be paranoia talking right now, after all this female was not too emotionally stable for her to not be worried about every little mistake she made. Loki had felt the same way at first after he lost Amalia. The bastards that killed her were still out there in the world. Though they killed her they could have still been after him. It took a long time and a lot of distance between that town and him for Loki to truly feel safe. Ever since then whenever Loki found himself in too much trouble he just ran away to a different town and started over again. It was easy enough for someone with no home of their own to do. It brought him peace up until he made it into New Orlands, and he was sure one day Clary would find that too. But that was only in the case that she put enough ground between her and her pursuers.

That was the one downside to his lack of prying. By not asking about her past Loki wasn't sure just how safe she was here. When she left did she move as far as she possibly could? Or did she just run and take shelter in the nearest town? If it was the latter than she had cause to worry about who she met. And he had cause to worry about how long he could leave her out in the streets. “That's all the more reason not to be a beggar. As much as normal people like to pretend that you don't exist you are putting too much focus on yourself that way. Especially with you being such a pretty little thing. Homeless girls like you stick out way too much. I am not saying that to scare you, I am just stating facts. You aren't doing a good enough job hiding away from your enemies with the way you are going.”

That was why he finally made his offer. He couldn't give her a place to stay yet but that wouldn't stop him from trying. In the meantime to ensure she didn't expose herself anymore than she needed to he offered to give her some food and money from time to time. Depending on how much he could spare she could live off of what he gave her. She wouldn't even need to leave the woods if he could manage that. What better way to ensure her safety from humans than giving her an incentive to not leave the forest? It was a decent plan, but if this was going to work it all depended on her answer. Luckily Loki didn't have to wait long to get it. The little feline purred when Clary thanked him. “Don't worry dear, pity is the last thing I feel for you. Call it a mutual understanding.” he replied. “Like I said before I used to be in the same boat as you. Only back then I wasn't alone. Now I finally got off the streets and that is thanks to someone reaching their hand out to help me. Its not like I didn't have to do anything in exchange for that helping hand. But ever since then that person's kindness makes me feel compelled to help others in need. You aren't the first person I have tried to help and you won't be the last. The only thing I regret is that I can't just take you home with me right now.”

[Deleted]

Clary wasn't so sure if it got easier, but she wasn't going to argue. Honestly she was willing to accept it if it helped her to survive. She swallowed hard, was she really thinking about becoming a thief? She was though, she didn't trust her chances without help or at least some kind of way to get money. Still though she had her lines that were drawn when she was a little kid, one of those lines was stealing and she didn't know if she could do it. She still remembered all the things her parents taught her that were wrong and stealing was the one they were always saying she shouldn't do, was it really worse than accepting death though? If it was between stealing and basically killing herself wasn't it better to steal? "If you could teach me that would be great! I could at least try not to get caught if I did end up stealing something," She said greatfully, she wasn't one to turn down friendly help.

"When that's the only thing you can think of to survive though, besides everyone from that place has a chemical smell for me. I can tell them apart from the general public, I would never be desperate enough to ask them," She said with a smile as she looked down and blushed lightly from his comment about her being pretty. "Besides, I'm always careful anyway. I never draw to much attention and am happy with just one meal a day so I don't beg to much," She said shyly. That was probably the other reason she looked like she did, she didn't ask for much when she was lucky enough to get someone to give her something.

Clary was fine staying in the woods, she actually preferred it to the city. She was nervous in the city, she felt closed in and like there was no where to really run. She liked being surrounded by trees, somewhere she could run up and away instead of down straight allies and narrow streets. She looked around at the trees around her, this felt more like home than the city or the place she had been since she was five. "That's good, because even though I beg for pity I don't like my friends feeling pity for me and acting on that instead of general friendship," She said smiling at Loki, she had barely met him yet she felt that she could trust him and that he would make an amazing friend. "It gives me hope that you got off the streets, it means that I have the possibility of it to. That means that I could do something good and hopefully get the right friends to protect and help me," She said looking down with and embarrassed blush in her cheeks. It was strange to her to find someone so kind and willing to help and at the same time feel she could trust him, that he wasn't just doing it to figure her out and then sell her out to where she came from.