32nd Day of Winter, 513 AV
No matter how much his back pushed against the door, the note on the table was not getting any further away, pinned underneath a bag. Sidling off the door and over the brickwork, keeping one eye on the sheet of paper expecting it to jump at him, Zeran circled round to his bed. He had a pretty good idea who that note was from, and an even better idea of what it was asking him to do, but he kept a slither of hope that, if he left it long enough, it would burst into flames, or the content would rewrite itself.
One chime rolled into two, two soon became five, and the note hadn't shown any indication it was going to act on Zeran's hopes. He sat on the bed's edge, biting the inside of his cheek as his nerves slowly swirled in whatever jar he could capture them in. Rocking to his feet, Zeran found he hadn't caught enough to keep him upright, crashing back down. This happened a number of times, with him even managing a circle before returning back to his seat, and the note only watched.
This wasn't going anywhere. Ignoring it wasn't going sort out the problem, and he couldn't say he hadn't seen it. It was placed in the exact spot he would've seen it, unless he refused to open his eyes in his own room.
Zeran edged closer, taking cautious steps towards the table. Lhex's humour would reach so far that any hopes would be answered just as Zeran was close enough. Thinking back on it, he'd prefer to just do as was asked on the paper, rather than trying to explain to Lady Elena why there was a scorch mark atop her expensive table. That would be an interesting situation to try and talk myself out of.
The ink cleared to become letters, eventually becoming words, as he reached the table, reluctant to read any of them until the note sat in his hand and he could no longer ignore it. Opting to get it over with, Zeran began to read.
"Your co-workers volunteered you to run these errands for me, sweetie. That means you're now off the rota for unspecialised tasks for a while. Aren't you a lucky one? Because you're being such a dear, doing these errands for me, I think I'll let you decide who's doing the gardening tomorrow. It gives you something to think about whilst you're out.
Thank you darling!
Love,
Lady Elena Lariat x"
A throaty groan released itself as his head sunk to the table with a pronounced bang. He now understood why it was on his desk, but retained some satisfaction knowing what the next task was going to be that he didn't have to be involved in. Elena enjoyed mixing the chores up enough to keep people guessing which ones were going to turn up. She derived no small amount of amusement from making a game of it, giving each companion the option of taking the job, or passing it on, until you had either done a job you were the only one left to do one before the rota reset itself.
Elena's list graced the back of her note with handwriting as artistic as the ink that explained its existence, accompanied by a bag with a few kina to cover expenses on smaller items that needed to be bought. She had a good idea how much she was spending, and he wasn't looking to get chewed up over a few kina. Elena knew she was getting back what wasn't spent.
Grabbing his backpack and his cane, he only now asked himself if he should do the farthest collections first, or the closest.
* * *
"What is that?" Zeran fished amongst the number of items within his pack, finding a certain joy rediscovering what he had. A skyglass comb was the next to make its grand appearance, falling under Zeran's heavy inspection. "I forgot I had that," he said, material glimmering even under the overcast sky.
A breeze picked up, stroking him before disappearing down the street. Zeran shivered at its touch, looking past the comb and into the crowd of the Surya Plaza. A quiet time outside resting hours was rare, and almost unheard of in the Plaza. Business from the five peaks always had something within, or going through, the place. It was always the first stop of any individual who was looking for something quick. If it wasn't in Surya Plaza, isn't wasn't anywhere outside a professional business.
The drumming of his fingers against the skyglass stopped, listening to the world around him, suddenly aware of a feeling of being watched. Zeran glanced through strands of stray hair, separated from the rest by the breeze. Left, right, and over the shoulder. He was not the most inconspicuous with his movements, but he didn't need to be. It was merely a feeling, one that had no grounds to base any assumptions on. Nothing to get worked up over.
"What else do I have?" The comb dropped into the pack, followed by Zeran's searching hand getting caught on the free floating razor. His cry of protest followed a hasty withdrawal, rocking to his feet and heading off to one of the destinations on his list. "That's it for me here. Being watched and getting attacked by monsters in my bag? I'm not going to ignore another one of Lhex's signs."
He fit into the crowd well. His cane being the only obvious, defining feature as he weaved in and out of people like a child's game. |
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by Junie Rose Frostfawn on February 28th, 2014, 7:04 pm 