Solo Memories: A Haunting Serenity

[Ollic Rimesage]

27th of Winter, 513 AV



It was rather late, yet Ollic found himself awake and staring out at the streets of Lhavit. Things had become stressful for him the past few days. Things had gotten out of hand at the Catholicon a few times, once almost getting him fired from his job, but thankfully someone had caught his mistake before he had further harmed someone.

Today was no different. The only thing that changed was that Ollic found himself sleeping on the job, something even he would never do. However, for the past few weeks, he hadn’t been sleeping very well, the past couple of nights, not at all. He had been running on empty and it was starting to show.

He couldn’t explain the occurrence of what was troubling him. He didn’t understand why he was so distracted and what was haunting him into behaving the way he was. He wasn’t sleeping, he was feeling gloomier than normal and his appetite had gone south for the winter.

As Ollic stared out his apartment window, he grew angrier and angrier at himself. Why couldn’t he impress anyone? Why couldn’t he prove his worth to those that mattered to him? His own mother hadn’t thought more of him other than average. His own father was hardly around to watch him grow up and when he was he was either sleeping or busy away in his room ‘working’.

Memories started to flash inside his mind, like a fire being ignited and put out at a rapid and impossible pace; like lightning hitting the earth below him and striking trees into smithereens. That is what he felt at this particular moment- like he was being torn into a million pieces.

Feeling like his mind was being tampered with, his eyes turned to coal, his mouth screwed up into a nasty grin as he walked away from the window into the centre of the room, absentmindedly grabbing underneath the bed for a large shard of glass from a broken bottle he had found outside the Scholar's Demise.

Taking it in his hand he was struck by yet another memory. This one was of his mother and him whilst his father was away on a business trip to Zeltiva.

The two of them were in the dining room of their house, snow blissfully falling outside the window when his mother brought up a despised question, one Ollic had received every night in repetition.

“Did you study today? Did you memorize the difference between-“

“No, mum,” he had interrupted her as he played with the food on the plate that sat in front of him with his fork. He hated how these conversations went, so he wanted to mix it up, for he hated studied at all today and felt it was good for him to take a break.

“I don’t want to study anymore for shyke I’m not going to care about.”

However, this was not what his mother thought. Her face got all heated and her eyes grew dark as she threw back her chair to stand up. Storming over to his side of the table, she grabbed a death grip onto his left ear and dragged him out of his chair and into the back room.

“That is not how you talk to your mother,” she had shrieked at him, spit flying off her tongue and onto Ollic’s face. With that, she closed the door behind her and locked it, Ollic starting to tremble in his socks. What was she planning on doing to him?

Turning around was all he could catch before a terrible burning sensation seared his left cheek. His eyes began to blur with unsuspecting tears before his mother lunged at him again only surprisingly a belt was in her hands. Questions mounted inside Ollic’s brain but the only thing that seemed to surface was the question of why?

Why him? Why now? Why can’t his opinions and thoughts matter? Why can’t he have a perfect, happy and accepting family living a normal and boring life? Why must it be filled with such strong passion that it turns into distressed possession?

Feeling territorial out of instinct, Ollic ran to the door, pushing his mother aside. This only angered her more and as if he had meant to hurt her, she lashed out at him again and pelted him across his back.

Falling to the floor at the base of the door, his mother dragged him back to the centre of the room and began to lecture him again.

“You will grow up and continue this families doctoral streak, you hear me? You won’t be homeless living on the streets, you hear? You will be diligent, because your parents won’t look out for you forever, got it?”

And with every question that escaped her lips, he was struck across his body with a leather belt, one of his father’s he presumed.

The stinging sensation lasted for a few seconds, but that was not enough to adjust in time for another slap. However this one was different, it was from his mother’s flesh, her hand. Warm liquid began to drip down the side of his face and into his mouth until he recognized the taste and knew his mother’s nails had left an indentation of broken flesh on his cheek.

Tears were now streaming down from his eyes, now the colour of a frozen sea. He was terrified, but the feelings of guilt and sorrow got the best of him, for it was his fault that he wasn’t the son his mother had wanted. He was rebellious and undesirable and there was no faking the hurt he bestowed upon his family. He was worthless and weak and would never amount to anything and this realisation would haunt him forever.

“I’m sorry mother!” he cried out right before another strike hit him on the back. It burned like a bite from a poisonous snake, but if he were to fight it, it would last longer.

This was the first of many punishments, however, Ollic was good at staying out of trouble so only a few followed that night. A night of scary punishment and terrifyingly sad realisation.

“Sorry doesn’t cut your lack of determination. What do you plan to do when you are old enough to care for yourself? Steal things from people off the streets? Not my son!”

Trying to better the situation only made it that much worse as Ollic said, “I won’t do that, please, mother, I’ll find something else to do, I promise!”

“Lies!” she countered as she continued to strike him with the whip of leather, the belt buckle bruising his bones and breaking blood vessels inside of his skin. He felt sharp pin pricks of blood seeping through his shirt and new that he had done a terrible thing.

“I wish dad were hear, not you!” It had just slipped out of his mouth and he wished with all he could muster that his mother had taped his mouth shut.

Swirling back into real time, Ollic found himself standing in his apartment building, a shard of broken glass in his hand bloody and his wrists dripping with a metallic smelling red liquid. It had been done, all of his built up emotions had been drained out of him. Tears were stained on his cheeks and his head was pounding, his wrists were tainted with blood, but overall he was relieved and felt as if a small weight had been lifted off of him.

Realising that the floor he was standing on was tainted too, he rushed to find something to clean his mess and wrap his fresh wounds.

Ripping the pillow sheet from the pillow, he began to wipe the spill from the hard wood flooring, dabbing at his own wounds with the opposite side. All the while he was cleaning he tried desperately to keep his mind empty, but being alone didn’t grant him such lenience.

As if thunder was roaring right above him, Ollic’s head felt like it was about to burst open. Instinctively he ran over to his pouch on the bedside table and retrieved a small jar of his best friend, a friend he couldn’t use all that often due to its high price and how few of dosages it had.

Lazy gel it was called and he applied it, a few minutes later being enveloped in a coaxing ecstasy of simplicity. The colour was teal and it smelled like candy, and this lulled Ollic into a different realm of reality.

It was a memory of him and his father as they were outside in the forest, fresh rime coating the limbs of trees and the surface of rocks.

The two of them were dressed from head to toe in furry pelts and his father was telling him the story about how he was out in these very woods trying to find a flower for the love of his life.

It was love at first sight he explained and it was his mother whom he was trying to impress. However, there was a large wolf at the foot of a tree blocking his pathway to a glorious and magnificent flower. He was to pick it to prove his worthiness and romantic attributes to whom he thought beautiful.

However, instead of being attacked by the wolf, he simple stood as stoic as ever looking down upon his father with a curious expression on his face. Ollic’s father was partially terrified, but he kept his calm and simply reached out for the flower at the foot of the wolf, remaining eye contact.

“Wow, really?” Ollic had asked him as a few small puffs of snow fell from a tree above him and onto his nose.

Chuckling and wiping his gloved hand across his face, Ollic’s father smiled and told him that the wolf hadn’t attacked him because he wasn’t being attacked. It’s a balance thing, and that if the two have respect for one another, they will remain that way.

Amazed, Ollic continued to listen to his father’s story, for it was the story of how Ollic came to be- how his parents fell in love to give birth to him.

“Anyways,” he continued as he began to explain how the wolf had nodded his head in recognition to him before he walked out the way he came. It was fantastic experience, he told his son, but also a terrifying one.

“And what happened after?” Ollic pressed, leaning closer to his father as the two of them dodged pine needles from trees that had cornered them on either side. They were nearing a small stream as his father chuckled again.

“Hold onto your pants, boy, and let me tell the story.”

He continued from the last spot he had left off. He was leaving the wolf behind and its majestic qualities to return to the love of his life. He gave her the flower and she took it, however, she was a professional at playing hard to get before, so her next turn of the back was to be expected.

“So what did you do?” Ollic asked, his eyes as large as saucers.

There was a long pause before a boyish grin latched onto his father’s lips as he said, “Well, I kissed her, boy.”

Bewildered, Ollic asked, “That works?” and getting another award winning, heart stuttering chuckle, his father retaliated with a simple shrug.

“Perhaps I was lucky or perhaps the gods and goddesses above knew that we were meant for each other so they let it be.”

A blast of warm air hit him in the face as Ollic returned back to present time, new tears plastered onto his cheeks. His father was so good to him, yet he had to die from an otherworldly illness. He bets he could have saved him if he knew what he knows now about what had given his father the sickness, but the sheer thought is enough to have anyone burst out laughing. It was a long shot and simply thinking about it was enough to deflate his self-esteem.

Ollic looked down at his wrists and noticed that the bleeding had finally stopped, soothing his nerves. They weren’t too deep and through the vague knowledge of his consciousness in harming himself, he was glad that he hadn’t cut too deep as to need stitches.

Hokato, his Ivaski, trotted over to him from behind the bed, where she had been sleeping up until now. She looked at Ollic and his pained expression and knew that he had been suffering from another panic attack, another depressive episode, yet another memory induced toxin that infiltrated his heart at an alarming and highly damaging rate.

Whimpering as to get his attention, she planted her head in Ollic’s lap. He smiled down at her with about the fakest smile anyone could ever give to someone they were trying to fool and told her that he was fine.

Hokato knew of course and whispered into his thoughts to stop tricking himself, that he was in trouble and needed help, but he simply brushed away the thought like his mother always did and got up. Since when had he fallen to the floor?

His balance was wobbly and his perception was distorted and he knew the lazy gel was taking its toll and giving Ollic some sort of relief.

Out of pure irrational desire, Ollic grasped a decent stance before woozily stumbling to the door. Opening it and stepping through, he called out to Hokato that he was going to be back before he shut the door behind him, forgetting to lock it, but caring less about such an issue.

Right now, he needed entertainment and pleasure and he had seen the perfect place the first day he had arrived in Lhavit. He had run right by it and it was too hard to miss. It was called the Red Lantern and its purpose was to please the customers in an unusual way, a way Ollic was determined to find out about.

[Ollic Rimesage]

There was a small but very distinguishable breeze in the night time air, and Ollic took notice of that the minute he stepped outside of the Solar Wind Apartments. It was chilling, but it helped soothe his hot and aching head.

He waddles past streetlamps and admired their eerie glow. He imagined the dull darkness inside his empty heart being enflamed by the ignition of a spark and smile. It was something that could keep him warm for the time being.

Eyes still in a hasty black, Ollic had lost track of time and found himself winding up down a few streets, turning corners and standing still, gazing up at the elegant and bright lights of the Red Lantern. He didn’t know what he was going to find when he walked through those doors, but one would never know unless they tried.

Hands in his vest pockets, Ollic pushed through the doors using his shoulder and was immediately enveloped in a dashing array of women’s fragrances along with the smell of alcohol and smoke.

Turning to a side of the room he had just walked into, and still unbalanced and nearly close to tripping on his own shoes, he saw a bar, filled to the brim with exquisite wines and spirits. Many tables carved of a particular, yet unidentifiable wood with matching seats, red elegant cushions accenting the wood filled the room.

And now turning in the opposite direction his fuzzy perception caught an obvious looking lounge, where musicians were playing unique instruments to please their listeners- various men sprawled across couches all dressed in a fine red fabric.

The entire building’s main colour was red. It was very prominent, yet striking and rich, a colour that fit the entire scheme of things properly and Ollic somehow found himself feeling at home and welcome.

Turning to the centre of the room again he was met with a heavenly beautiful face, and on that face held a seductive, yet sinister smile. It was sly and luring, and Ollic, in the state he currently had placed himself in, was all for being led away into a night he would never remember but never forget.

Before the lady’s lips had even parted to form words, Ollic had three kina already out of his vest pocket and in between his first two fingers. He was trying his best to be as seductive and luring as she was.

Hinting with his eyes, still a dark thundercloud black, he tried with his body to show her what he needed for the terrible night he had recently had.

His voice like honey he spoke, “I hear you lady’s put a man to his knees with the way you dance for them.”

She giggled and like a potion (or poison) had been doused upon him, he found desire and lust catching a grasp upon his heart and wrenching out of his chest. Did the women here make you feel that way?

“Alright,” she replied, her own voice magical and romantic. “Follow me.” And with that she turned, her golden blonde hair cascading down her back, where Ollic caught sight of a tattoo lying right on top of where her lingerie should have covered, but was too low to meet.

“I’d like a drink though, miss,” he spoke up over the noise of some of the men whistling.

He couldn’t quite make out what the leading lady had specifically said, but something along the lines of ‘no problem’ and a bottle of red wine appearing in his hands the next moment proved that she had understood somehow.

Suddenly his vision flashed and then Ollic saw his surroundings through a tunnel. He had followed the girl into a large room garnished with an extremely large bed with royal and stylish red sheets. More drapery covered the walls and framed the only window in the room, and plenty of extra accessories were supplied on a counter on the opposite wall to the bed.

Taking the currency out of his hand, Ollic not realising he still had it in between his fingers, the woman with the golden hair and deep brown eyes whispered to him a melody he had never heard before.

He took a drink from his wine bottle and her song got louder as she began to remove her overcoat, a soft fabric in the shade of light pink. It matched her black lingerie and her black skirt perfectly, but why does it matter what she wears? Ollic began to wonder.

“Be prepared,” the young lady spoke through her teeth, much like a big cat seething from territorial measures. “Be prepared for your hour of delicate and eccentric pleasure.”

Her breasts were large and far too intimate for his liking, but he didn’t stop her as she continued to show off to him how sexy and divine she could be. She was such a beautiful woman, Ollic didn’t want his mixed feelings to ruin the show. However, he knew the lazy gel was wearing off so he took many large gulps from the wine bottle to help replace what was being lost.

“Mmm…” Ollic murmured as he felt the alcohol dripping down his throat and into his stomach. He was going to enjoy what he had paid for whether he liked it or not.

But it wasn’t long after before the girl shrieked, her eyes tightly locked onto his lower arms.

“You’re bleeding!” she cried, running to the door to get some help.

Looking down to his wrists, he realised that a thick red splotch of blood was seeping through his long sleeve shirt causing an obvious stain. No wonder she had been freaked. The wound he had thought had clotted had reopened.

Ollic, not wanting to create a scene ran to her and tried to reassure her that nothing was wrong, but when she persisted, he couldn’t help but become hasty and clamp the hand that wasn’t holding the wine bottle onto her open mouth.

This frightened her even more, however, as her teeth bit into his palm, hard, drawing blood and having Ollic cry out in pain.

He hadn’t even known he’d done it until a large man in a black suit came in and showed Ollic how rude and disrespectful he was to hit such a beautiful woman.

A pound to the side of the face and another pound to his abdomen met the small Vantha before he hitched over coughing. A large hand grabbed the back of his hair and pulled him upright again and the man punched him in the face again before shoving him backward and into the wall.

Still partially drunk and drugged, but aware that his life was in danger, Ollic sprung to life and dodged another harmful attack, running out of the room, the wine bottle still in his hand.

He ran into a few things and almost knocked over a middle aged man in the process of his poorly committed escape, but he had managed to leave the premises without a few bruises on his face and a few lost hairs.

He hadn’t even lost his virginity.

Stumbling through the streets, his heart broken even more than it already had been before, Ollic soon began to get lost. Frustrated, depressed and lonely he sunk to the ground, his back pressed against the side of a building and his hands pressed to his face. The wine bottle was heard clanking to the stony floor.

“What am I doing wrong? What’s wrong with me?” he shouted to the sky, not caring in the slightest who he’d piss of with all the noise and disturbing ruckus.

With dampened cheeks and a stuffed up nose, Ollic started to hate himself for how weak and helpless he was. His mother was right all this time. He was weak and afraid and wouldn’t have survived out there in the world if it weren’t for her constant bantering and pressuring him into the medical field.

He despised that woman with much of his heart, but couldn’t help but love her so much for being there for him and teaching him how to behave correctly and succeed in a life full of such disappointment.

“I’m sorry for ever doubting you, mum,” he whimpered to the large disk of moonlight over his head.

The lazy gel had worn off and although he wasn’t sober, he wasn’t entirely drunk. His eyelids were growing heavy, but he knew that he couldn’t sleep, for he hadn’t in a long time. So to pass the time, Ollic began roaming the streets, wiping away the only evidence of a sad boy from his face and finishing the bottle of red wine before tossing it into an empty alleyway.

He wasn’t watching where he was going, so finding himself walking by Tain’s Studio sent a spark of hope igniting in his heart. This would be a wonderful place to distract Ollic from his incessant thoughts of self-destruction. This is a place where he could be care free, creative and inspired all at the same time. However, although money wasn’t necessarily an issue, time was and lately he hadn’t had much free time and his drive for personal needs had been very limited.

He tried to peek inside the windows, but it was dark, so reason suggested that they were closed. A better try tomorrow if he still had an interest, he thought.

Continuing on his mindless trek through the city, the streetlamps glowed relentlessly underneath the starry sky, only a few clouds obstructing the view of the otherwise clear sky.

And suddenly it was as if he had been hit by a hammer- a blow to the head and to the soul as well. He was so lonely that it burned him to realise that besides Hokato, he was all alone. Sure he happened to have a few friends, but they were nothing more than co-workers.

He had Eshe whom had been his childhood friend and now his working partner, but they had grown apart since she had left Avanthal when they were children. They had lost that touch, that connection and as much as Ollic wished it to return, it would never be the same as it was.

Hokato might be angry at him when he returned home, but Ollic was in the need of a companion, so with his head in the clouds and his head cleared of all other thoughts except for arriving at Piramba’s Pet Shoppe, he more diligently quickened his pace.

His feet hurt as if they’d been squashed with boulders by the time he came upon the front doors of the store. From the first appearance of the place, it looked as though it were almost closing, so with no time to waste, he entered with a friend in mind.

He had heard of these cats called the Alheas Lions, said to have their irises change colours depending upon their mood. Already Ollic knew that they would share some sort of bond, or so he hoped, for his eyes changed colour depending on how he felt as well.

He had overheard from some elderly men standing outside of the store as he was wandering around one day, trying to get to work, that they are an indigenous species to the Misty Peaks and treated as a sacred animal- an irony to the fact that he also was the owner of an Ivaski.

“May I help you?” A woman’s small voice pronouncingly struck the air, breaking the silence that had settled around him and his quiet thoughts.

Startled, Ollic jumped a ways into the air, whirling around to see whoever had spoken to him. He found a middle aged woman with auburn hair and ominous grey-blue eyes, a uniquely coloured kitten sitting on the table beside where she sat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she chuckled, her hair bobbing as she did.

The alcohol talking, Ollic sputtered back, “I wasn’t scare,” a little more defiantly than he would have normally liked if he were sober.

As if not affected by his drastic and inappropriately authoritive tone, she brushed it off with a simple, “Alright,” and continued with her professional greeting.

“May I help you with something?”

The words that were held in thought had suddenly vanished and he had completely lost the name of the cat he wished to see. Was it something along the lines of a tiger? A puma? A lion?

“I’m looking for the cat with colour changing eyes?” he replied, mentally slapping himself in the face. Well, it was worth a try and was better than nothing. Little information could go a long way and by the fact that the lady behind the desk knew exactly what he was talking about, he felt that he hadn’t done too bad.

“This cat is called the Alheas Lion,” she said, leading him to a different corner of the building. “Do you know anything about them?”

Trying to recall from his memory of which had been lost only moments before, he said, “They are from the Misty Peaks. They’re majestic and resemble the Vantha.”

“Right,” she went on, acknowledging the little knowledge he knew. “Their eye colour changes through exposure to high levels of wild djed. They live in the forests of Alheas Park and are considered almost a sacred animal. They are really quite a magnificent creature, in my opinion.”

Beautiful, he thought as he saw one in a small cage with its dark grey, long fur and eyes the colour of violets. She mewed at him when he caressed the cage in front of her. Her nose went to his fingertips and sniffed.

“I think she likes you.”

Ollic surly did hope she liked him, because as hormonally imbalanced as he was, he was in the mood of buying a friend whether he already had one at home or not, and one with similar attributes as his own would be a double score.

“She’s perfect. I’d love to take her home with me,” Ollic said, trying to send a mental wave of energy to the lady as if to tell her that he wanted her without trying to seem forward.

It was hilarious how hard he tried and failed, but the woman caught on all the more by the simplicity of his words and answered him.

“This particular breed of cat happens to be twelve kina, if you’re interested.”

The spacious, powdery blue walls around him seemed to expand as his heart lifted. Of course he was interested and he could easily spare twelve kina for such a wonderful animal. They were going to be perfect for each other and he was so optimistic it was scary.

“Sure!” he nearly shouted, his voice careening off of the various grooming tools hanging about the room.

“Great,” the woman said, a smile brimming her lips as she walked over to the counter he had met her at and held out her hand to complete the transaction.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out all that was left of the currency he had brought with him. He was one kina short and instantly deflated, his head lolling to the floor. Of course this was to happen to him.

“What’s wrong?” the lady with auburn hair and grey-blue eyes asked him, a look of concern plastered onto her face where a smile once had been present.

Afraid of what she might think of him, he let out a whispery, “I don’t have enough for her.”

She tentatively peered over his cupped hand and counted the money he did have and sighed before reassuring him with a sympathetic nod and another brilliant smile.

“Well, let me see,” she started, looking between Ollic and the cat behind the bars of the metal cage that stood in the corner of the room.

“I saw how you looked at her. You really like her don’t you? Here, I’ll cut you a deal. You give me the eleven kina you have and I’ll let you take her as long as you promise to take care of her and give her lots of love, alright?”

Snapping his head back up, a cheerful expression lighting up his face as if it had been shrouded in a dark mask for all his life, he stuttered out, “Are you sure?”

She shrugged and smiled wider all the while saying that if he really wanted her and cared for her money wasn’t as strong as love and true happiness was.

This woman was very attached to her animals and could feel what they felt, Ollic could tell simply by the way she spoke about them and the truth behind the words of companionship and true happiness. He hoped that he would receive true happiness with that cat in the corner.

Taking the money out of his hand and walking back over to the wall where the cat and her cage stood against, she reached down to pick it up, her fingers gracefully wrapping around the handle.

Turning toward him and outstretching her hand to give her over she asked, “So what do you plan on naming her?”

His heart skipped a beat as he realised that he hadn’t thought about that. Of every stride he had taken to get here with his mind set on soothing his loneliness he hadn’t taken thought to naming his new friend. What should her name be?

Taking a moment to think, his eye colour changing to a smouldering orange from their momentary bright blue in means of joy and excitement, he thought over his options but was interrupted by the woman in front of him.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “Your eyes change colour like hers does!”

Grinning his charming boyish smirk he told her that his irises shifted upon change in mood or expression. It was a gift to him from his Vantha ancestors and the whole reason he was here was to share that gift with the cat he had just been handed.

She cooed at his thoughtful explanation and told him that was sweet before going back to the counter to put the currency in the box she stored inside.

“Well whatever you name her, make sure she understands why you chose her. That’s priceless and I’m thankful to came by today.”

They exchanged nods of their heads before Ollic walked out of the store, his face being greeted by a cold blast of bone chilling winter air. The sudden change in temperature would normally startled anyone else, but at this particular point in time, Ollic could care less.

“How about I call you…-“ looking around for ideas or any kind of possible inspiration Ollic finally came to a conclusion- “Spirit. You will now be called Spirit.”

The cat looked up at him from within the cage, a questioning expression if any at all, but Ollic was imaginative and easily intrigued.

“Why you ask?” he said aloud, the cold finally starting to affect him. “I will tell you why. Your name will be Spirit because as if two beings have been reunited by fate, you are a piece of me. You have given me hope when I was sad and I feel that you keep my spirits up. You’re special and we share something in common. I feel like we’re going to become wonderful friends.”

Starting to finish his walk, but no longer alone in doing so, Ollic started to head home.

“But one last stop before I show you where I live, okay?” He knew the cat must have been a little chilled whether they bred and grew up in the Misty Peaks or not. The temperature was lowering as he spoke, so this last stop he would make quickly.

Hiking out of the city and nearing the harbor, the waves silently crashing against the shoreline, Ollic stopped when his eyes gazed upon the wooden bridge residents called the Wishing Bridge.

He had learned of this little hot spot from two young women who were outside lounging around chatting as he was on his way to work one day. They were saying how their children had been out exploring and having been told a story about the bridge prior to their adventure they took big smooth cobbles and carefully wrote their wishes on them in a white substance. After they had dried then, they tossed them over the edge of the bridge making their wish as their stone fell.

Whether the wishes came true or not remains beside the point; the mere thought is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It was fun and Ollic felt the need to have a little fun, so he continued to walk the Trail of Waterfalls that wound around the peaks of Lhavit and stopped on the bridge.

Leaning over the railing Ollic saw the bottom of the stream littered with cobbles. All of those rocks had been wished upon from many, many years of hopeful people. Ollic felt a sudden rush of warmth spreading across his upper abdomen as he realised he was going to be a part of something.

Looking over his shoulder a small wooden table on one end of the bridge was spotted. Within it, Ollic noticed was white ink, an assortment of brushes, and a basket of river cobbles. They were ready and waiting for his simple wish to be thrown over the edge and met with hundreds of others at the base of the stream.

“What should I wish for Spirit?” he asked the cat, looking down on her. She looked up and mewed at him, her eyes twinkling to a glorious pink. He would probably never understand what she was feeling, but that was just fine with him. Some secrets are meant to be kept and unlike how transparent he was, he respected the idea of visual emotion.

“I think…” he began, “I will wish for something simple, yet powerful. I think I will wish for something I need no matter how things get.”

Setting the cage down, he reached over and picked a rock from the wooden basket. He took the white ink and wrote his wish on the smooth pebble before closing his eyes all the while wishing and waiting for it to dry.

Holding it in both hands he opened his eyes and threw the rock over the edge, hearing it drop into the shallow water among all of the others.

He turned and picked up Spirit, leaning close to her cage and smiling at her.

“Alright beautiful,” he spoke, his tone like the wind. “Time to go home.”

And wish that he set his determination to reach his destination for home. Once he got there he was going to take a long time to sleep off all that had occurred tonight. He was going to let Spirit meet Hokato and let both of them snuggle up next to him as he slept off all the terrible memories, for he was making new ones and these were better and healthier for him.

Sure, he hadn’t accepted the past and probably never would but for now he was content and was dealing and coping with things in the fashion he used whether it was damaging or not.

And without looking back, Ollic knew that his small pebble about the size of his palm was sitting at the base of the stream with the word ‘Happiness’ scrawled across it in white ink.

The End

[Elysium]

Ollic Rimesage

Experience
Observation +3
Socialization +1

Lore
How to Endure a Lashing
Lhavit: The Red Lantern
Lhavit: Piramba's Pet Shop
Spirit, the Alheas Lion

Awards and Penalties
Ollic has earned several gashes along the inside of his wrist, as well as a few large bruises from the brawl at the Red Lantern.

Notes
Poor Ollic. He can't seem to stay out of trouble! I'm happy this thread had concluded on a positive note. If you have any questions about the grade, don't hesitate to let me know.