Closed [The Trail of Waterfalls] A Distracting Presence

[Eshe Czardas]

49th of Summer, 513 AV Midday It was a pleasant day, that was for certain. Nice and cool beneath the trees by the Trail of Waterfalls. Eshe was sitting at one of the benches, alone, by a pond. She liked being alone with her thoughts, especially since a group of teenagers disappeared from their beds. They were close to her age. She didn't know them, of course, but it still worried her. Where had they gone? Tenten Peak was searched thoroughly, but no sign. Eshe hoped they hadn't been foolish enough to venture out of the city and into the Unforgiving. She couldn't remember getting up and making her bed, but she had. She had even bounced a Kina off of it to make sure it was all set and proper. What was she wearing? Eshe glanced down, noting the shorts and vest. No shoes, either, not even the barefoot sandals. That was odd. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, feeling a bit lightheaded. Definitely odd. The girl's attention was captured by the gazing pool. She remembered walking here, and sitting down. One hand went to her mouth, biting at the nails. It was peaceful, the water. Sometimes Eshe wished she was a small creature that would go unnoticed, like Lazybones, and just sleep all day. But there were things to do. She slid off the bench to lay down on the raised planks, staring at the sky, or what little she could view of it. Tree limbs and leaves blocked most of it. The girl drifted off in her thoughts, sighing. She felt like she was waiting. But what was she waiting for?

[Rathe]

Under Syna’s watchful eye, Rathe strolled leisurely along the waterfall trail. He loved the slow, easy pace of the winding path. The walk helped ease the burden on his mind and did double-duty on the kinks in muscles. It was amazing how cramped his legs got, hovering over his tight workstation at The Nook.

Rathe wrung his hands together, easing the tension out of his long fingers. He really overdid it during his last work block—working from Syna to Leth, with little sleep in between. It was hard to say no to his boss, Ajah, even for the sake of his body.

He worked out a particularly difficult knot in his forearm and let out a sigh. Ajah was good to him, which made it hard to decline her anything, especially when she smiled.

Who was he kidding? Any girl's smile would do. Unfortunately, if he didn't learn to ease up on the yeses, he'd have no time for lazy walks in the future.

Guess I better enjoy it while I can then.

The slow breeze on this warm day was such a nice change from the constant rushing of wind at the highest peaks. He wanted to linger.

So he did.

Rathe knelt down, broke the surface of the water with his hand and emptied the rest of his thoughts into the pond.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement by the bench. He turned his head and watched as a young blonde girl made her way to water’s edge where she laid down.

His mind shot back to the frantic pace of the previous day. There were searches all over Lhavit for a group of teens that had gone missing. They’d caused a stir throughout the city. The result had been a constant influx of customers at The Nook. There’d been a never-ending list of orders for the search parties—all on the house from Ajah. It was in her nature to give like that.

Rathe wasn’t so sure it was as anchored in his, but he’d been along for the ride even though he hadn’t made up his mind. Part of him still believed the teens had run off on their own.

Still. Did the girl lack a brain that she was out here alone? Where the petch were her parents?

He looked around and his body stiffened. She was alone.

She needs to be at home. Safe with her parents to protect her.

Rathe couldn’t imagine what kind of horrible person would steal someone’s child. He could only hope that the teens had run off of their own and not the other way around. It was probably the reason why he had such a hard time believing in the worst. He didn’t want to.

Still, he couldn’t walk away from the girl who was all alone. It didn’t matter that she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts and would probably not appreciate any intrusion from him.

He should put more faith in people and go home. Leave the poor girl alone. She wasn’t hurting anyone.

But herself.

The thought of what the missing kids parents must be going through crept into his mind. Guilt curled in his stomach and he knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He had to at least try to persuade her to go home, whether she appreciated it or not.

Rathe moved closer to the girl and looked down into the her quiet face. His resolve deepened.

He smiled down at her and bowed his head slightly in greeting. “I saw you sitting here alone and thought maybe you hadn't heard the news about the teens that are missing?” Of course she had to have heard it. No one could have missed it. Every door had been knocked on. “Do you really think it’s safe for you to be out here alone?”

[Eshe Czardas]

Ah, so there was someone she was waiting for. Without her knowledge, of course. He had broken the surface of the water, sending ripples across it. Now he was talking to her. Of course she had heard of the teens going missing. Who hadn't? Practically every place in Lhavit had been searched. He was polite, at least. "Yes sir, I had heard the news. Curious, isn't it? They just vanished. I wonder if anyone had seen them leave." Did she think it was safe to be alone? Eshe smiled at the man. "No sir, I don't. But I think one would need to take risks for peace, don't you think? Besides, I'm not alone any longer. You're here. Now granted, you could've snatched the teenagers from their beds, but you don't look the type. And I doubt a kidnapper would show their face as confidently as you are now. No, they would cover their heads and wear cloaks of some sort, I'm sure. If only someone had a Lykata gnosis. Then we could find out where they went and why." A Lykata gnosis would certainly be useful. Eshe didn't want one for herself, though. Oh no. She was hoping for a gnosis from Rak'keli. Perhaps if she tried hard enough, she could ask the goddess. She wasn't one for violence, so the girl could enjoy the path of a healer. Eshe toyed with the hem of her vest, humming a tune she'd made up on the spot.

[Rathe]

There was no one around with the Lykata gnosis she rambled on about. If there had been, they could have told him what was wrong with this girl or who she belonged to.

Rathe’s gaze remained on the girl’s face, searching for some sort of …well…anything that made sense. She said she knew about the missing kids, but she didn’t seem to care that they were gone. He wasn’t sure if he admired her for the courage her slight form apparently contained, or if he thought she was somehow—slow.

If the girl was slow, it only affected her mind. Her body didn’t spasm or do anything unexpected. In every other way, she looked like a normal girl.

Every way, but this one.

He shook his head. “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you out here alone. I’m sure it’s not my place to tell you what to do with yourself. Do you have a keeper or something? Someone who’s looking after you?” Rathe scanned the pathway and the area behind the bench where the girl was sitting. Still, no one had come looking for her. There wasn’t a body in sight.

He sighed. A slightly exaggerated thing to do, but this situation was both funny and annoying to him. The little girl should have been afraid of the length of him at the very least. But not this girl.

This, oh-so-special girl. His lips pressed together, forming a tight seal. None of the words he was thinking right now were getting past those babies. None of them.

The way she rambled made his head ache. He’d come here to relax and let go of the tensions he carried around from his long day at The Nook. This little girl didn’t seem to know the definition of the word tension. Her air was light which pushed some kind of weird button in him.

“I’m sure that if no one’s come to collect you by now, that you’re on your own. Do you want an escort back to…” He looked around, unsure what direction the girl might have come from. “Wherever your home is?”

[Eshe Czardas]

How nice, he was concerned. She didn't need it, though. She was a dancer, she had enough stamina to outrun someone. "No, sir. I don't have anyone looking after me. I can look after myself. I'm not afraid. I doubt anyone's kidnapped those teenagers. They'll be fine." It was true, she wasn't afraid. Eshe sat up and brushed a few strands of hair from her face and stared at the man. The last bit, though, was a little lie. She was wondering where they had gone and if they actually would be fine. Did she want an escort home? A light laugh escaped her. "No thank you, I'll be alright. You're welcome to sit down here, though, if you want to. I wouldn't mind the company." The laugh wasn't really a laugh, oh no. It was a sarcastic little bark, a bit of air forced out. The words she spoke were accompanied by a gesture, offering the spot next to her as a seat. He didn't feel like he was dangerous.

[Elysium]

Eshe Czardas

XP:
Observation +2
Socialization +3
Rhetoric +1

Lore:
Lhavit: Trail of Waterfalls
The Mysterious Disappearance
Rathe, the Stranger

★

Rathe

XP:
Observation +3
Socialization +2
Rhetoric +2

Lore:
Lhavit: Trail of Waterfalls
The Mysterious Disappearance
Eshe, the Girl

Notes: Not much to be had here. It's always unfortunate when folks disappear. If you have any questions, message me and we'll work it out.

and so, the journey continues...