24th Fall, 519
The Dusk Rest was drawing to a close, the sky above the city starting to fade from a cool blue into an inky black, splashed through with faint pinpricks of starlight. Zach had not long awoken in his room at the Solar Wind Apartments after a long day of hunting for the Jugged Hare and was rummaging around for a shirt that didn’t currently have dirt smeared on it. Finding one, he pulled it on, the soft midnight blue fabric only a little creased.
On his way to the door, the hunter paused as a gleam of metal caught his eye. Moving over to the small desk, he picked up the polished silver rectangle and frowned at his reflection. Would he ever get used to his ‘new’ eyes? The warm blue pupils were now cut through with golden sunbursts and the sight still jarred him whenever he saw it. He wasn’t hiding them anymore, so it happened frequently.
Zach returned the metal mirror to his desk and stepped out of his room. His coat was left on its hook, for the night air was warm. Even though it was fall, the weather appeared not to realise; the rains had stopped, and the sun was relentlessly scorching during the daytime hours.
He took his time walking to his destination. The Peaks were busy, people toing and froing from work or entertainment. Tonight especially seemed set to be busier than usual - perhaps there was a particular musician at The Scholar’s Demise, or maybe the Tea House had announced another special drink. Zach would normally be inclined to see what the fuss was about, but today he had other plans.
Zach passed over the bridge that linked the Zintia Peak to the Sihinyama, eyes flicking along the shop fronts as he drew near to them. The shop he was looking for was one of the closest to the bridge and it didn’t take him long to seek it out, the little sign out front declaring the modest building to be his destination. He made quick work of the small hill it sat upon, and was soon pushing open the door to step inside.
The shop was empty of people from what he could see. Dev’Ania was likely through the doorway in the back, possibly with a customer. A gentle meowing caught his attention, eyes falling on a small black cat stretched out on the main counter. Zach moved into the shop properly, shutting the door behind him, the scent of incense filling his nose. He propped an elbow on the counter near Dev’Ania’s cat and let his eyes roam over the tapestry on the wall before him.
The cat - Ember - meowed again and stretched out a paw to him. The hunter was not really a ‘cat person’, much preferring company of the canine sort, though he would admit that Ember was sweet. He absently scratched the cat’s head, eyes still flicking over the tapestry as he waited for Dev’Ania to appear from wherever she was currently.
On his way to the door, the hunter paused as a gleam of metal caught his eye. Moving over to the small desk, he picked up the polished silver rectangle and frowned at his reflection. Would he ever get used to his ‘new’ eyes? The warm blue pupils were now cut through with golden sunbursts and the sight still jarred him whenever he saw it. He wasn’t hiding them anymore, so it happened frequently.
Zach returned the metal mirror to his desk and stepped out of his room. His coat was left on its hook, for the night air was warm. Even though it was fall, the weather appeared not to realise; the rains had stopped, and the sun was relentlessly scorching during the daytime hours.
He took his time walking to his destination. The Peaks were busy, people toing and froing from work or entertainment. Tonight especially seemed set to be busier than usual - perhaps there was a particular musician at The Scholar’s Demise, or maybe the Tea House had announced another special drink. Zach would normally be inclined to see what the fuss was about, but today he had other plans.
Zach passed over the bridge that linked the Zintia Peak to the Sihinyama, eyes flicking along the shop fronts as he drew near to them. The shop he was looking for was one of the closest to the bridge and it didn’t take him long to seek it out, the little sign out front declaring the modest building to be his destination. He made quick work of the small hill it sat upon, and was soon pushing open the door to step inside.
The shop was empty of people from what he could see. Dev’Ania was likely through the doorway in the back, possibly with a customer. A gentle meowing caught his attention, eyes falling on a small black cat stretched out on the main counter. Zach moved into the shop properly, shutting the door behind him, the scent of incense filling his nose. He propped an elbow on the counter near Dev’Ania’s cat and let his eyes roam over the tapestry on the wall before him.
The cat - Ember - meowed again and stretched out a paw to him. The hunter was not really a ‘cat person’, much preferring company of the canine sort, though he would admit that Ember was sweet. He absently scratched the cat’s head, eyes still flicking over the tapestry as he waited for Dev’Ania to appear from wherever she was currently.
