Edmund sadly waved goodbye, letting Lumi get out of view before he initiated his plans.
Some candles, old paper, a matchbox, all of these things needed for his endeavors.
He grinned slyly as he slipped out the door, making sure all was well within the home
Lumi headed off to work and did as he was told as usual. He did a variety of tasks for these people, although moving money was the most common one he was assigned. They were small and had a lot of dark clothes, so they were an obvious choice for dubious activity. Eventually, he managed to make it back home without too many injuries.
Edmund had returned only minutes earlier, perched on the couch wearing a luxurious silk top and expensive slacks. His fingers were adorned with a multitude of rings and his hair no longer looked like an unruly mess. The floor was littered in an assortment of bags and cases of cash.
"Oh, hello! It is very good to see you, Lumi!" Edmund smirked. "I did a bit of work today as well!"
(cue Sexy Villain by Remi Wolf lmao…)
Lumi was understandably very confused when he walked through the door. They looked around at the mess on the floor, trying to figure out what all Edmund had brought back. It took him a moment to notice everything that Edmund was wearing as well. "Um… w-what… what the hell did you do?" They asked softly. God, I hope he wasn't followed…
Edmund chuckled. "I believe I helped with your financial difficulty! And found a few things I liked as well…" He said with a snide expression, admiring the rings. "How wast your workplace? You have returned a bit late." He changed the subject, completely unfazed by what he had done.
"Uh… work was fine, but… did you steal this stuff, Edmund? You weren't followed, were you? I don't really want either of us to get into trouble with the law… where did you get it from, as well?" Lumi asked warily, clearly a bit stressed.
Edmund looked down at his findings, shrugging a bit. "They's some places without guards. They just left this stuff in the open, So I took it, naturally. I did have to knock a few people out and blood bind them a bit… but look!" He happily tugged at his shirt.
"Besides, all of this is going to the rich, anyways! No one else canst afford it. And what are the rich going to do with it anyways?" He shrugged.
"And I'm tired of being dirt poor. Just tired. Aren't… you?" He gazed up at Lumi softly, like his actions weren't as terrible as they really were.
Lumi ran his fingers through his hair; Edmund's explanation didn't reassure them at all. "Edmund, I… obviously being poor sucks, but we can't just attack people and steal their stuff. It's illegal, and I don't think you'd like prison very much." They slumped down onto the couch with a shaky sigh. "You're sure you weren't followed? I really have no idea where you even managed to get all of this…"
Edmund's countenance turned a bit more saddened as he slumped into the couch and looked up at Lumi with utmost regret.
"But… I didn't want you to hate your job, or be hungry, or have to live in this cold place…" He looked around. "I was not followed. I promise. I am very careful"
"Yeah, I know, and I appreciate the concern, but… there's legal ways to help." Lumi sighed, shuddering a bit and grabbing a blanket to huddle up in. "What all did you do? You didn't kill anybody, did you? Murder is… uh… really illegal. And bad."
Edmund scoffed, then handed Lumi the electric blanket he had.. acquired… already plugged in and heated.
"Regal help cannot do anything. The king does not care for his people." Edmund murmured. He cast a worried glance at Lumi, shaking his head quickly. "Oh, no no no no. No I didn't do… that. I'll never ever do that." He muttered solemnly. "I just… I wanted you to be taken care of."
Lumi examined the heated blanket curiously for a moment, wondering how Edmund had even known what it was in order to steal it, but soon curled up under it regardless. "We don't have a king, remember? I mean, the president doesn't especially care either, but still. I just mean like… I dunno… getting a job or something."
Edmund sighed. "But that cannot be much better? Can it? I just…" He sank into the couch, drawing his knees to his chest as he shook his head. "I do not want to be looked down upon again. I do not wish to be treated unfairly."
"I dunno… life just isn't great for people like us." Lumi fidgeted with his hands. "We have to work our way up, but it's hard to get there. But there's also a lot of laws in place now, and we get in trouble if we break them. Stealing is illegal."
Edmund sighed, looking over at Lumi tenderly. "But… I didn't get caught. I cannot get caught." He added, briefling exposing the brand on his hand.
"Yeah, I know. But if you keep doing this, you might get caught next time." Lumi sighed, looking away. "I just want to keep the both of us out of trouble, yeah?"
Edmund looked down, sniffing as the realization came to him.
"I… I stole from them. I hurt them…" He mumbled blankly, Lumi's words of warning echoing through his mind
"Yeah… and I know you were just trying to help, but you can't hurt people for my sake. I'm already on thin ice with the police, so if I'm connected to any other explicit crimes, then… I'll be arrested." Lumi kept his eyes on the ground, fidgeting.
Edmund nodded slightly, beginning to shake with fear. "Oh god Lumi… oh god… I…" He gazed at the things he had robbed, littering the floor with his sins. "Oh god!"
"Look, it's… don't feel too bad, okay? You didn't really know. You just wanted to help, right?" Lumi sighed and lay his head down to relax. "We just really don't want to be caught. You weren't seen, were you? They might try to track you down."
Edmund shook his head. "I made sure of that. I was not followed, I promise. No one knows." He muttered softly. "No one knows."
"Alright… if you're sure." Lumi rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Mmnh… I'm exhausted. What all did you even take?"
Edmund shrugged timidly, looking around at his wares.
"Uh… blankets, clothing, currency, a few items of personal value…" He muttered, toying with the rings adorned on his fingers.
"How much money?" Lumi asked. "I guess you don't know, though… our currency is probably different now than it was when you were around." They sighed. "Do you have it all in one place?"
Edmund shook his head. "I know not the amount… though I did store it all in these separate containers. He replied, holding up boxes of cash