Open Chasing Change

[Esra Lesque]

Spring 23, 513 AV - Before Dawn.

A key sat atop a torn page in an empty bed. Once, this key was Esra’s guide through madness; it took him home each night to a warm bed. Tonight, Esra wasn’t looking for a warm bed. What Esra sought was vague in comparison: not this, not anymore. He longed to end the stagnation that had become his life.

He braced his hand against the front door and sighed. Esra inhaled deep. He allowed the breath to come and go, and when it left, Esra cast aside a moment of hesitation. He pushed through to outside and glanced back at the door that he had left unlocked. Esra felt his doubt seeping back into his mind. Deep down, he had hoped Ionu would make the decision to leave for him. Esra waited for Alvadas to fold the home deep within itself, leaving him no means to track the structure.

Tonight the house did not move.

Esra adjusted the weight of his backpack and was drawn out of his thoughts by the clinking of the borrowed mizas inside. He looked up to say his final goodbye, taking a mental snapshot of the house’s expression. The front door was curved in a wide arch, and even when the candles in the bedrooms above -- the building’s eyes -- were flickering happily, the building appeared stern. Some combination of homesickness and fear coated his insides and sent a shiver down his spine. If he stayed much longer, Esra knew he wouldn't leave.

He forced himself to shift his weight to his feet, and one of the candles in the windows extinguished itself and reignited. Esra smiled, acknowledging the house's gesture, but there was only a moment before it began to rain.

At least the city has a sense of humor.

Esra turned away for the final time and began to walk towards the town center, hoping the rain -- illusionary or not -- did not deem it worthwhile to follow.

[Isabelle Vigeante]

Isabelle sat on the roof of her cottage as she did most mornings, waiting for the sunrise. The sky was cloudy today, though, and there wouldn't be much of a sunrise to see. There weren't many people out and about yet either, and not a single shiny in sight. It was looking to be quite a boring morning for Isabelle. Suddenly, it started to rain. Isabelle wasn't discouraged, though. She closed her eyes, turned her face upwards and opened her mouth, letting the raindrops land on her tongue. Each drop tasted different, this one sweet like peppermint candy, the next one spicy, another one warm like vegetable soup. Isabelle smiled, Leave it to Ionu to change the flavor of the rain. Looking back down into the street, Isabelle noticed a young boy standing outside his house, looking somberly up at the flickering lights in the windows. As he turned away from the house and walked down the road past her, Isabelle studied the boy's face. He looked sad, and a little bit scared. He looks like he needs a friend. Isabelle mused. Maybe I should go talk to him. She leaned back on her elbows, thinking the idea over. It wasn't usually a good idea to talk to strangers, but this one didn't look particularly dangerous, and anyway, it wasn't like she had anything else to do. She didn't have work at the moment and it would be near impossible to find shinies in this weather. Eventually her kelvic nature took over and she decided she would talk to the sad boy and see if she could do anything to help. "Hey there!" Isabelle yelled down the road at the boy, hopping down from her rooftop and skipping down the street to catch up to him, splashing in puddles the whole way. "My name is Isabelle! I don't think we've met, but you look kind of familiar, do you live here in Alvadas?" Isabelle flashed her perky smile as she bounced along beside him, hoping to somehow cheer him up.

[Esra Lesque]

Free at last, right? What now?

Foresight wasn't one of Esra's selling points. It was still dark, and now he was soaked. Where am I going? The answer didn't come. Esra wanted to leave Alvadas, but Alvadas was all he knew, and he knew Alvadas like a zoo animal knows the city. When he heard Isabelle's voice, Esra jumped. He wasn't exactly paying attention to what was going on around him. He turned, but didn't expect to be the one the voice was calling to.

Cheery, possibly insane, pretty. His mental note was just a first impression, but all in all she seemed harmless, so he let his curiosity get the better of him. He stopped and watched the goofy girl gallop towards him through the rain. The image before him was almost surreal. Almost -- this was Alvadas.

Illusion?

It introduced itself, told Esra its name was Isabelle.

Real?

Esra shook his head, and removed a rain-soaked glove with his teeth. It tasted like he swallowed a ladle full of salt. He tried to hold the expression of shock and revulsion back from reaching his face and extended his hand. "I'm Es--" Esra spat the glove out onto the ground "--ra."

Eloquent.

Well, at least he tried not to be rude. Besides, it was fake this wouldn't be the first time Esra introduced himself to something that wasn't really there. If it was real...

Esra felt his face getting warm. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-- I don't think we've met either."

She's from here?

Esra changed the subject, hoping to move on from the earlier fiasco. "Early to be out, isn't it? What're you up to?" Esra wasn't proud of his conversational abilities at the moment, but it would have to do.

[Isabelle Vigeante]

Isabelle giggled as the stranger made a face and spat out his glove, obviously she hadn't been the only one to notice the rain had changed flavors. "Well it's very nice to meet you Esra." She grinned, leaning over and picking his now soaked glove up out of a puddle. She attempted to wring it out but it was still pretty damp. She handed it back to him with a shrug. "Oh I always get up before the sunrise, I don't want to miss something!" She looked intently at him as if this were a perfectly reasonable explanation. "And besides," she continued "I could ask you the same thing, where are you off to so early in the day? You know it can be pretty dangerous to walk around here in the dark, that's why I sit on my roof until the sun comes out." Isabelle gestured back to her house, or at least to where her house used to be. In her absence it had completely disappeared. "Oh. Bother." Isabelle sighed, putting a hand on her hip in exasperation. "I suppose I should have seen that coming. Well, if you don't mind terribly, I might tag along with you until my house decides to turn up. Where did you say you were going again?"

[Esra Lesque]

Esra accepted his glove and pulled it back on over his hand. The boy puzzled Isabelle's response for a minute. Did she mean the illusions? He didn't ask. Instead, Esra nodded, accepting her answer for what it was; some part of him liked the response for its simplicity.

Oh dear, silly house, ran off again.

Esra couldn't help but chuckle at Isabelle's plight, it was something he was all too familiar with.

Isabelle's question forced Esra to tone the laughing down to a smirk. "I didn't..." He had been walking towards the Sanity Center, but why? Would someone there know how to help him find a way out of town? What about tonight, where would he stay? How long would the money he was carrying last? Esra paused for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know yet." The realization was almost overwhelming, but he forced it aside and began his walking once again. The way Esra saw things, he needed one of two things: A long term plan to stay in town--something he did not want--or transportation somewhere else. He glanced over the part about the city being dangerous at night and went back to his thoughts.

Choices, choices.

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone who knows how to..." Esra stopped for a moment, at a loss for words.

How do you ask a stranger something so important? It was a long shot, but if she was here, why not ask? What was the worst she could do?

Esra finished his question, "...live outside?" He made a circling gesture with his hands that was supposed to represent the city walls, but he wasn't quite sure if Isabelle received the meaning. Still he looked to her, waiting for the answer.