Find Yourself a Path

[Laszlo]

Winter 16th, 512 High noon. "Oh, it's you!" Laszlo let the door swing closed behind him, turning to a young, smiling waitress in mild surprise. A petite woman, dressed in gentle blue and white, greeted him almost immediately at the entrance. Her dark, shining hair was cut to precisely to rim her jawline. She stared up at him like a long lost friend. He wasn't sure of her name. "Ah. Hello." "Haven't seen you in here in a while." Turning on her heel, she made her way past the counter and approached the stove. Laszlo found a table in the meanwhile, lowering himself onto a cushioned seat next a window. Chairs. He would have liked proper chairs, rather than these cushions and low lying tables. The Mhakula Tea House was lovingly decorated, with a light, gentle theme. Sunlight filled the room easily, and the decorative plants inside added to the atmosphere—but chairs would have been nice. "I'm not much for tea, usually." "You used to come in here all the time with that girl. I missed seeing you two. Where is she?" Laszlo paused, just long enough for the moment to become unwieldy between them. "Gone." Appearing to get the message, the waitress slowly nodded, then wordlessly set about boiling a pot of water. Cleansing himself with a slow breath, Laszlo drew a book from inside his coat and laid it on the table. His latest loan from the library, it was a collection of travel logs from a sailor who operated out of Lhavit. Difficult to do in a city with no port. It was useful information if he wanted to go about chartering a ship out of Lhavit, for any reason. "She was pretty. So, what can I get you?" Laszlo glanced up, then sighed and opened his book. "Jasmine, please." Funny thing was, Laszlo had been to the tea house after Abalia had died, but only at night, and usually with Duvalyon. No doubt she remembered when a pair of Symenestra would take up seats and politely order tea and soup. It hadn't happened more than once or twice, however. Laszlo's discerning tastes usually led them into taverns and pubs instead. Leaning himself against the wall, Laszlo creased the leather cover of his book and sat in the open sunlight. Syna illuminated the pages through the iridescent skyglass, painting the wadj in a bouquet of wandering colors. Once his tea came, he thanked the waitress and set the cup nearby. The tea would go cold without him ever taking a sip.

[Natalia]

"I never thought you were capable of complaining this much, Natalia. Over a cup of tea, at that."

"Well, it's cold outside. I don't like the cold. Honestly, couldn't we have just stayed in today?"

Scarlett stopped abruptly in the middle of the icy walkway, pushing jet black hair from her dark eyes and staring at Natalia. One arm was cocked on her hip, face stern like it usually was when she had something to say. People quietly strolled past, ignoring the two young foreigners. Scarlett stayed put.

"You're always shouting about how you want to do more things and meet new people. You're not going to accomplish anything when you're the town's only Etheafal shut-in!"

Natalia looked back at her with the same frustrated look Scarlett was giving her. It's true that lately she had been staying in more often, reading books, experimenting, but she was still doing things. She was learning more than she ever had since she'd reached Lhavit. Uncovering things that she didn't know existed, and finding out things that she should've known long ago. "What's fun about going to a tea house in the middle of the day, huh? The only people that go to those places are like, eighty."

Scarlett slapped her hand to her forehead, standing there for a couple moments in that same position. On her side of things, all she's seen out of Natalia in the past season was some disheveled hair and a head always buried in a book.

She bounded forward without warning, an expressionless face like plaster pasted on. She had to keep going before she snapped on her friend. "Lets go," she said, monotone, tearing past Natalia.

"Wait for me!"

_____

Natalia was thankful for the warm shelter the tea house brought. She had to admit the inside was decorated gorgeously, but not out loud, of course. She hadn't complained about the dusty windowsills yet, nor the obvious lack of people. As she surveyed the room, there was only one other person. Her eyes passed on quickly, returning to Scarlett. Her face had not deterred from the plaster yet. She picked a table for them, and the waitress was soon asking for their orders.

"I'll take cinnamon, thanks. Chai for her." Scarlett answered. The waitress left to fetch their drinks.

Scarlett's eyes scanned the room just as Nat had done moments ago. She saw the man reading something from a booklet and was intrigued. "Hey, Nat. That guy kind of looks like you do at night."

Natalia scrunched her brows together in confusion and turned back to look at him again. Her eyes widened, her breath caught and her heart stopped. She had neglected to see the obvious horns on his head, and the godly glow of his skin. "Oh," she replied back, speechless.

Acting on sudden impulse, she got up from the table and went over to him.

"Excuse me, sir," she started, clearing her throat. "But are you an Etheafal?"

[Laszlo]

The tension in the room mercifully lessened as two more women stepped into the tea house. Laszlo's eyes briefly slid away from his book, making note of them, then returned to deciphering what appeared to be drunken script. With other people in the place, the waitress would have less reason to focus her attention on Laszlo. He could read without thinking anyone was staring at him. He turned a page while the floral scent of jasmine hung in a cloud around him. Passing the bell would be pleasant, he thought. Despite the cold it was pleasant day to be out. Once he was finished reading, he'd pay for his cup and return to Sakana's lab. The alchemist would have to be ready by then. A shadow appeared in front of him, coaxing Laszlo to lower his book. He looked up at the young woman in front of him. Following her amusing question, Laszlo looked down at himself, then back up with a light smirk. "Last I checked," he replied. He closed his book, marking his place with a captive fingertip. "Laszlo is fine. Can I help you with something?" Truly, he didn't mind this gentle intrusion, but if she asked to touch his horns, he would have to strain to be polite.

[Natalia]

Natalia had been waiting for this moment ever since she had fallen into the mortal world.

When she fell in Alvadas, it was hard to cope with the drastic change. Really, she didn't know how she accomplished getting though it without dying. She had no help, and had to sleep on the streets before she actually realized what an inn was. It got much easier as time when on, but still she has troubles. Even menial things, like using utensils, is hard for her.

Sometimes things would come back to her in flashes, all at once. The moments would overcome her like a wave, and she'd be immobilized for seconds, minutes, and even once, an hour.

As she looked at the man, she couldn't help but stare. Questions were popping up in her head, and she couldn't figure out which one to ask first. She sat down at his table, forgetting all of her manners. Not once did she take her eyes off of him. It never crossed her mind that maybe she was making him feel uncomfortable.

"So you're a child of Syna, then? I am a child of Leth. I have heard about Syna Etheafal, but I've never seen one. Well, I've never seen another Etheafal at all, really. Did you fall like I did? Where did you fall at? I fell into the ocean near Alvadas and washed up on the shores. How many other Eth are here? Are you the only one? How many have you met?"

She paused for a moment, wondering why he wasn't answering any of her questions. She pushed her hair back behind her ear and waiting eagerly for his responses.