70th of summer, 514 AV
Dodging swarms of Akalaks in the street, Aquila found herself relieved she had lived in Riverfall for as long as she could remember. She was used to dodging people. She clutched her satchel as tightly as she could. Aquila brought it everywhere she went. Never knew when you might find a useful plant! It had been a gift from her mother when she was fifteen.
Aquila wanted more than anything to be able to heal people like her parents. Ever since she was a little girl, she remembered her mother teaching her the ways of the plants and their uses. The Rat Hole loomed in front of Aquila. Its familiar shape made a shudder run throughout her body. The dread squeezing her stomach was as unwelcome as she was accustomed to it. It almost seemed as if it was leering at her.
Squaring her shoulders, Aquila couldn’t help but look inside the building that her brother, Axio spent all his time – and her family’s money – on. Hmm he isn’t in there. Well what did you expect? That he would stay in Riverfall after he robbed you? Aquila argued with herself. Grabbing her satchel more tightly with her fingers, she concentrated on watching where she stepped.
The lull of the water in her ears made her relax. The water had always been, and will always be her home. Aquila walked faster, eager to arrive to her thinking spot. The spot where she knew she could sit listening to the water, with no one around. The spot that was hers and hers alone. As she exited out of the trading zone, it instantly got quieter, calmer.
So close. I’m almost there. Aquila burst out laughing and found herself running. The sun warmed every fiber of her being. Breathless, she plopped herself down on a grassy section, listening to the tinkle of the water. She plucked some flowers, weaving them into a flower chain.
If only life could be like this, all the time.