Closed [The Orphanage] Escaping to a Canal? [Sayana]

[Tierra]

42nd of Summer 517AV Tenth Bell of the Evening Most of the other orphans were asleep, the adults that ran the place were either in their own beds in the chaperone area or in the headmistress's office. Either way, Tierra felt safe enough to finally take her chance in climbing out the window she marked out earlier in the season. She was dressed in the only clothing she had, the dull gray of her worn outfit and the jacket that matched it. It was certainly not dark enough to keep her hidden in the shadows, but the girl didn't know that. She figured if she moved quietly enough and stood still when the building creaked she would be overlooked – at least with the grayness of her clothing Tierra figured she might be glanced over as a piece of new artwork or something. So with as much speed as the girl could muster she found herself taking corridors at a speed that was recklessly slow, each corner she paused, catching her breathe and trying to calm her racing heart. It was so much that she was scared, but excited. This was something she been planning the whole season and tonight was the night. It took a full three chimes to get to the room she had been scrubbing that day. As she crossed the threshold she heard the footfalls of someone coming down a corridor, a flickering flame denoted the person was carrying a candle. It was the panic of getting caught that Tierra threw herself into a corner's shadows, hoping her sudden movement didn't cause her shadow to be seen on the wall in the candle late. One... Two... Threee... She held her breathe, waiting with eyes filled with terror, but when the carrier's candle light paused at the door and she heard the muttering of someone having left the room's door open made Tierra tighten up in fear. The door though was shut with a click, this gave Tierra a feeling of security and she exhaled heavily. The immediate threat of getting caught was gone at least. Heading to the wall of windows she crouched below the sills and reached up to each window frame, tracing her fingers against each sill until she found the window she had marked. This took a few ticks of the clock per window, but she found it quickly enough. Standing she leaned against the window and saw that it was indeed the one she spied out earlier in the season. The canal was below. She felt glad that she could remember the window and that it wasn't cleaned apparently since she was in the room cleaning it last. The only chair nearby was against the wall, an awfully heavy high backed chair. One Tierra was not intending to move, but the ottoman that accompanied it was lighter and she felt confident that she could slide it so it sat underneath the window without much struggle. So the orphan pushed at the ottoman, pausing when it started to screech and held her breathe, when no one came running from the sound she pushed it again slowly getting it to beneath the window sill. Exhaling and sitting upon the ottoman though she caught her breathe before she stood on it and reached for the latch. It was one of those standard hook ones, a bit loose from years of being used and the girl was easily able to flick it open with her fingers. The clattering it made as it swung in it's opening arch was louder than she would've expected and Tierra had to take pause for just a tick before she pushed the window panes open and stood onto the sill, looking out at the canal below and the stretching city around her. With her heart pounding in her chest the girl turned and crouched, looking for footholds and grunting as she swung her legs around. Finally finding a small purchase for her toes Tierra laid against the sill as she started to lower herself down, slowly releasing one hand from the sill to find a place to grab ahold of. Once in a place she could grab a hold of safely Tierra reached slowly pulled her hand from the sill, as her arm passed the sill's edge her body shifted and the girl started to lose her balance. “Shyke shyke.” She whispered as she flailed with her free hand and grabbed at the sill's edge, breathing heavily the girl stayed in that position for a bit, her legs screaming at her to let them stretch out, her fingertips struggling to keep hold of the brick and sill. It didn't take long for the girl to find herself slipping and with a yelp of surprise started to fall backwards. Sweet Rhysol, please do not let this be my untimely demise. I have much to do in your service. It was all Tierra could think in prayer as her descent through the air was quite rapid...

[Sayana]

Sayana was moving slowly on the calm waters of the canal. Syna had set and only lanterns and candles were out here and there. Most of the usual day traffic was gone and it would be a bell or two before the drunkards of the night’s activities would be seeking their beds. Their own beds, that is. Her rough destination was the House of Immortal Pleasures, yet she idled and poled this way and that knowing it was too early for most.

Pushing off one wooden dock and gliding smoothly across the still waters, the Eypharian looked around for anything of note. This would be a prime time to eavesdrop since it was so quiet and yet the sound carried well over the water. However, there was not a soul in sight, at least not in this nook of the city. As she pushed off one building using her pole, her ravosala jittered from side to side as she made a zig-zag pattern along the canal.

With her eyes adjusted to the dark, Sayana could make out the waters of the canal versus the looming buildings on either side without much difficulty. Clouds passed over Leth’s light, giving it a dim glow but enough to see by. However, it was not her eyes that first noticed the disturbance, but her ears. There was a clattering from above and the Eypharian cast her eyes upwards, trying to find the source. The movement, despite it being grey against grey, was enough to identify the small silhouette in the window.

Curious, Sayana set down her pole quietly in the ravosala. She let the boat slow down to sit parallel to the wooden platform which ran alongside the grey stone building. As the small figure swung their legs over the window sill to start to climb down, Sayana couldn’t help but smile a little. Ravok, a city of feigned order certainly had its nuances of chaos. She continued to watch from her seat in the ravosala, still several paces away. She idly considered following this figure if she managed to avoid being seen. However, just as she was contemplating a way to be less noticeable on the canal, she heard a panicked whisper from the window.

Her eyes shot to silhouette and realized that whatever the figure had intended, they were not going to last long up there. She leapt from her boat, nearly causing it to flip from her haste and dashed to the bottom of the window. A yelp from above was her only warning before the heavy mass of weight slammed into her outstretched arms, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Whether it was instinct or something else, Sayana had managed to cradle the girl’s head using her left high hand before they both sprawled to the ground.

In a tangle of clothes and bodies, since Sayana had not removed her black cloak and was garbed in a long red and black dress, the Eypharian lay there for a moment before getting up onto her knees and checking for scrapes. She looked down at the girl critically, then up at the window and gutters from the rooftop above.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?”

Credit: Shimoje

[Tierra]

The fall was quick, Tierra swore she could see her life flesh before her eyes, the small prayer she thought never reach her lips when she landed... At first her mind was not able to catch up to the rather loud human scream her ears were hearing – Her own fear of falling to her death was being unleashed into the night. Quickly cut off when the child realized what she was hearing was her own voice. A sudden rush to sit up cause her to get dizzy as her life's blood rushed itself rapidly and her body slumped only to catch her weight on her savior's arm. “Praise Rhysol you saved me.” She whispered softly, if there was a breeze the words would've flitted off lost. Tierra looked up at the window she fell from, she could barely see the window clattering as it moved back and forth from her tumble outward. What was more obvious was the flickering of a candle dancing across the panes that reflected it, only noticeable for just a few ticks. It was enough though to cause a fear to trace the orphan's face and she just froze, statuelike in her savior's arms. Tierra's arms locked tightly against her chest and frame, trying to keep the trembling of her body from being noticed, Shyke. When the flame's dance faded away from the panes of glass did Tierra's body slowly relax, each tick the flame was gone Tierra's body loosened up and the trembling subsided. It took several good ticks before the girl was fully sitting up and loosely moving, her breathing was ragged and she looked at her savior, it was hard to get any real details about her. Yet the garb looked to be someone commonly out in the night, the cloak was commonly used to keep the canal's temperatures off one's body, judging from the sloshing sound of the canal behind her savior the girl could hear the gently knocking of wood, Not likely a log or bit of debris, so most likely a boat. Looking back at the cloaked person though she could tell in the moonlight that it was a female, curves were easy to notice. The final bit of clothing her savior wore Tierra could tell was a dress, but the coloration and details were darkened and obscured by the shadow of the woman against Leth and her cloak. The most obvious and almost telling bit of information came from the singular quizzical structure the lady spoke. It was clear to the orphan that her savior has never seen an orphan, the clothing were a striking give away, the building Tierra tumbled from should have been another clue. Tierra paused, “She taught me nothing.” Standing she looked about as dull as the cobblestone she was standing near. Gray skirt and shirt, a trace amount of color hidden beneath an equally gray jacket and a layer of dried stains their origins long forgotten. Another glance over her shoulder and the girl turned quickly away, it was clear by her eyes she was torn between returning back into the building she just freed herself from or try her chance in finding a home to hide in that was empty or at least willing to take in orphan runaways. Every few ticks her body was visibly showing this indecision as she rocked back and forth between stepping away and towards the Orphanage.

[Sayana]

“What a shame.”

It was clear that the child hadn’t grasped the nuances of the joke, but Sayana didn’t blame the girl. She had only just fallen from the height of the eaves troughs, so she wasn’t surprised that the girl had missed the irony of ‘eavesdropping’.

The Eypharian dusted off her hands, all six of them, and straightened out her cloak so it would rest comfortably over her multitude of shoulders. The young girl in front of her seemed anxious and ready to get moving. Despite the dramatic fall only moments before. For a tick Sayana simply marvelled at the resilience of the young, and the ability to get right back up in a moment’s notice. But the Eypharian didn’t pause for long, realizing that a sudden opportunity had quite literally fallen into her arms.

“You know, if you did want to show good manners, you could join me for a short ride in my ravosala.” Sayana spoke as she watched the obviously undecided young girl. She wasn’t quite sure of the extent of her plight, but Sayana could tell that the girl wasn’t supposed to be out. And especially not falling out of windows.

“I have something at home that can help get you back up.” She glanced briefly at the open window. “It’s called climbing resin. Sticky stuff. Real useful.”

The Eypharian beckoned the girl to come with her, and glanced around for where she had left her ravosala. Petch. It wasn’t quite in the middle of the canal, but it was still several feet from the dock. It had been the last thing on her mind when she had jumped so hastily from it. Her only concern had been the perilously hanging child from the window sill. But now, she could either swim, try to find some pole, or look incredibly ridiculous trying to reach it without falling in.

Her only saving grace was that the water was very calm in the quiet of the night. Even so, there was obvious distress and concentration on her face as she crouched down at the edge of the wooden platform to reach half-heartedly for the boat. The long pole rested inside the boat and would be no use to her. With little real intent, she paddled at the water with her hands in attempt to draw it in. Yet it hardly did a thing, except make splashing noise.

“Just my luck,” she muttered under her breath. Yet it was at that moment that she realized she had a little more she could do. With new purpose, she glanced briefly at the young girl and put a finger to her lips. Then, the Eypharian put her mid hand back in the water and concentrated on her djed. The djed that flowed within her veins, pulling and drawing at its power and collecting it near the palm of her hand. Breathing in deeply, she started to exude the res slowly from her palm. The dimness of the night and the fact it was in the water would mostly hide its scarlet colouring. She didn’t need much and when she had estimated the volume of about a fist, she stopped and instead turned her mind to attraction.

At first she found it awkward and sticky, as if there was nowhere for the water to get attracted to. There was already water next to her res and despite concentrating at the water near her ravosala, she couldn’t seem to manage any movement. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and a pinch of doubt. Attraction alone didn’t seem to be doing anything productive. Then, with a sudden idea, she thought about swirling the res, and thus the water. With her mind, she focused on a circular motion and instinctively one of her fingers of her high left began tracing a small gesture to encourage that circular movement. As she felt the res move within the water, she sucked in her breath and focused on the drawing in, and the attraction of water.

The movement was slow, but ripples and tiny waves formed on the surface of the canal. Had the water not been perfectly still, it wouldn’t have been noticeable, but ever so slowly a small circular current formed. But what was most important was that it was just large enough to affect and influence the water upon which the ravosala floated upon. Chime by chime, the boat inched closer. Painfully slow, but finally close enough for her to reach out and snatch the edge of it with her hand.

If the child had stayed, she would give a gesture to the ravosala as she drew it up close.

“After you.”

Credit: Shimoje

[Tierra]

A Shame. Tierra thought, her young mind only hearing the words but not realizing there was a joke that she had clearly missed. She couldn’t drop the feeling that she was being watched by a set of eyes unseen. Glancing back at the orphanage the girl looked over the windows, not seeing any watchful eyes visible, but that didn’t mean anything. There was that stupid petching girl that thought she was Rhysol’s golden child, she was probably watching from a window that Tierra couldn’t see her ugly face in. Distracted by her want to look around Tierra only heard the ‘offer’ with a short ride, yet it was the beginning she missed. “That might be nice -- A ride away from here.” She spoke softly, before looking back at her savior. It was as if the suggestion of getting away from the orphanage was the invitation that Tierra needed to get away, to make her own decision. When the woman spoke again Tierra only listened, pocketing the information for later. Sticky Climbing Resin… To get back up? Tierra looked back up at the window above her, the information already connecting the dots, even though it took a few ticks for the girl to actually react to it. “I cannot pay you for anything.” Tierra finished her statement with a motion directing to her clothing. Yet her curiosity was taking over – as was the offer of getting away for a bit. When she came closer to the canal and the ravosalawoman Tierra was able to see a problem at hand. The lady was trying to paddle the water to try and cause some kind of ill attempt to ‘pull’ the boat closer. “I could just jump in and try to pull it to sh--” Tierra never finished the sentence when she saw her savior’s finger go up to her lip in the universal symbol of ‘shut your mouth’. It all the motivation Tierra needed to fall silent. It was with bated breath that the orphan watched. She watched as the lady slide her hand back in once again and something happened, the water seemed to take on an odd color that Tierra could just barely see as the water flickered in the moonlight. It was not long until she watched the water near the ravosala started to churn. It froze the girl in amazement. Was she doing this? Yet it took some time, Tierra did not flee is fear, instead she watched in childish amazement. Once the boat though was close and her savior gestured to climb in Tierra gulped. Hesitantly she stepped towards the edge of the canal, her foot dangling over the edge, feeling the boat’s rim bounce against the bottom of her foot as it rocked on the water. She was already committed to the action though and so Tierra crouched down and using the overhanging foot to loop the boat to pull it closer she inched herself off the canal’s edge and into the boat, gripping the boat tightly between her small hands as the boat rocked and adjusted to the shift in weight. OOC NoteOur net gt shut off at home, I am hoping to get it turned back on here in the next week or two, but it could take up to four. I will try to reply to threads as I can at work. Just an FYI.

[Sayana]

As the girl climbed into the ravosala, Sayana held the edge to keep it from wobbling. There had been clear awe and amazement from the child, accompanied by little hesitation. The Eypharian stepped in shortly after, and seated herself across from the girl. Once she found her earlier dropped pole, she picked it up to give a firm shove off the edge of the dock, sending them over the smooth glassy surface of the canal.

“The sticky resin… well there are other ways to pay for such things than gold mizas.” She spoke in a calm and quiet voice. They were still near the towering stone building, and unfortunately, sound carried well across the water. Having crossed to the other side of the canal, she used the pole to push off from a building.

“But tell me about yourself. What’s your name? Why were you trying to climb out that window? I promise I won’t tell.”

As the ravosala skimmed the surface, she leaned forwards in her seat to try to catch the child’s gaze. There were two reasons for this. One, she wanted to know whether or not the girl was lying, and it would be difficult for the average child to make full eye contact while outright lying. Not only that, but Sayana would probably notice a difference in her body language.

And secondly, the Eypharian allowed her djed to slowly gather in her own eyes so that the magic could be sent out like wisps and ribbons to the girl, wrapping her in a sense of admiration. With every glance, Sayana would give more fuel to her magic. Admiration, adoration, respect… She didn’t need the girl’s trust, she already had that. But she wanted to be the girl’s savior, her salvation, and a true role model.

Credit: Shimoje

[Tierra]

With her weight in place Tierra could feel the ravolasa start to balance itself out. Yet the introduction of owner's weight disturbed the boat's stillness slightly, enough to making the girl grip the edges of the boat before it once more settled out. It took the girl a few ticks to realize what her savior was looking for – the pole. Once that was seen as a silhouette against the moon Tierra relaxed as the boat started its graceful drift down the canal. Tierra was well aware of the building that loomed to their side, it was her home... Well, still is her home. When the lady with the pole spoke it was softly, but as true to the way the canals were built her words carried clearly and loudly to Tierra and this startled the orphan into looking up at the lady. Her mouth formed an O-shape that indicated her shock of the words. It was quickly replaced with a tilt down of the head, Tierra was doing her best to try to figure out what the words meant without completely freaking out and trying to make a dash from ravolasa into canal while trying to return to the 'comforts' of the orphanage. Yet the circumstances of not knowing what was actually in the water let alone how to swim kept the orphan in place. What did she mean? Other ways to pay? The words made the girl nervous in a way she couldn't quite place, the sentence wasn't intimidating or even threatening sounding. To take her mind away from the thoughts she didn't want to dwell upon Tierra listened to the gliding sounds of the ravolasa through the canal. It was almost peaceful if the boat didn't rock gently with each push. Then came the questions, Tierra looked up slightly before looking back down. “My name is...” She trailed off, looking up at the lady, “Tie--” And just as quickly she looked down, Tierra never thought it would be so difficult to speak her full name and with that she just left it alone. It was not a downright lie, but something about it made the orphan feel guilty for not completing her name, only briefly though. The next question came in quick succession and Tierra was not sure her reason for it. Looking up though she caught the lady's gaze, she didn't want to lie to her – it wasn't unnatural it was purely her upbringing. A sigh came from Tierra's lips, “Freedom?” She whispered, not entirely sure if she really felt that to be the truth but it felt right. There was a desire to be free there. “I am an orphan. I see the world from the other side of the windows and wish to see it.” Tierra went quiet, looking at the water as they glided across it, “Again.” She muttered. Moving her hair from her face though Tierra looked up back at the lady, shivering slightly before pulling her thin jacket closer to her body. It didn't dawn on the girl that it would be that chilly on the canal. She had a feeling it would get cooler, but this was a whole other degree of cooler. Yet her savior did not seem bothered by it, it was interesting bit to notice. “It... It is a bit colder in the canal than I thought... You are not cold?”

[Sayana]

Sayana saw and heard the hesitation in the girl’s voice as she let the ravosala glide quietly through the waters. But nevertheless, a warm smile gently filled her face. ‘Tie’. Maybe a nick name, maybe the first thing the girl could conjure, but for now Sayana would assume it was the girl’s real name or variant of sorts.

The Eypharian sat up a little as the boat neared one side of the canal and swung the pole around to push off the looming wall. Ripples broke the starry glow off the water and the boat rocked as it skimmed forwards. What Tie had to say next made a very real and natural smile come to her face. Freedom. A beautiful word for this beautiful city. When the orphan identified herself as such, their earlier exchange suddenly made sense. No mother, no father.

Sayana nodded simply in understanding and for a few ticks it was quiet, apart from the soft sounds of the ravosala. The night was cool, but it seemed as though the girl was especially prone to the chill.

“Freedom. It is a beautiful thing. I’m not cold because I have this.” Sayana gestured to her cloak. “But if you’re chilly, you’re welcome to sit next to me and I’ll wrap my cloak around us both. I think there’s just enough space for both of us.”

She let the query linger for a moment, giving Tie time to decide.

“My name is Sayana. I’m still new to this city, having come from faraway lands, but I very much like it here and I’d like to learn as much as I can. I also want to see what’s beyond the window. I said earlier that there are other ways to pay. If you know things about the city, the people, the places, even just about your friends at the, em, orphanage. It would be something that would help me better understand this beautiful place and it would be worth a bit of sticky climbing resin.”

The Eypharian paused to let the ideas sink into the child. It might have been a strange request to some, but she hoped the exchange sounded fair and reasonable to Tie.

“So tell me what your life is like at the orphanage. And the things you’ve discovered when you go beyond the window?”

Credit: Shimoje

[Tierra]

OOCGah much shorter than I would've liked.

The orphan hesitated at the offer for just a tick, the urge to warm up though overpowered the hesitation and the small girl found herself shifting every so slowly to settle next to her savior. “Sayana...” She whispered, her mouth forming the syllables slowly to make sure she spoke them correctly. When asked about the city, the people that made up its citizens, and the places that were found within the buildings and markets Tie smiled, “There are those rare days that we orphans do get out of the orphanage and see the city. It is wonderful. The smells of the Peoples Market is just wonderful. The fish, the spices.” The girl's mind wandered through what memories she had the the market and the stalls, the people. Yet nothing else came to mind by the smells. The wonderful smells. “Friends.” Tie snorted at the thought, she was not well liked by the other orphans, she tended to keep to herself. “There is not much love among the orphans for me. Not since I came back.” A grimace held reign on her face for several ticks before she looked out at the canal and the rippling waters, “I only know that one of the orphans has an odd mark of some kind on one of her hands. She doesn't talk much to others and truth be told I am afraid of her.” “Other than that though we do a lot of chores. Basic things really. Wash windows and floors. Dust the banisters and mantles. Beat the rugs when they need a good beatin'. Dishes. Y'know the usual chores.” Tie pulled her knees to her chest and yawned, the rocking boat and the close proximity to Sayana's warmth trapped inside of the cloak was beginning to work the unspoken magic known as tiredness. Granted the late hour and the adrenaline from falling from a window was finally wearing off. “We have classes. We were told to pick between Family, Business and Order. I am not sure what they are meant to teach us. But I went with Family. I think the Families were the best to be adopted into.” Another yawn escaped the girl's lips. “Falling from windows certainly wakes up a person. A nice calm boat ride on the canal is a good way to relax though.” Looking back up at the Eypharian Tie smiled, “Thank you for saving me, but why do you have more than two arms though? That is weird. The teacher in one of my classes say that those that are different are watched by the guards closer.” She shifted in her position to watch as Sayana pushed the boat along, the pole would appear from the water as Tie watched Sayana use it to push off of a building before dipping it back into the water and pushing off of something beneath the depths. “Why don't you use a paddle? Wouldn't that make moving the boat easier? I hear that is what they use out in the more open waters of the lake. That looks like it would be hard to use all day long.”

[Sayana]

As Tie made the choice to sit next to Sayana, she gently wrapped her arms around the little girl and draped the cloak over her far shoulder. It was a motherly gesture and although close, she didn’t hold the girl so tight as to constrain her. The Eypharian adjusted her pole slightly so that she used her outer arms to push off the sides of docks. Instead of trying a zig-zag pattern across the canal, she simply kept to one side, making small thrusts with her pole.

Sayana listened to the girl’s description of the Ravok markets. She had only been there once or twice herself, but some of it sounded familiar. For her, it was about all the people gathered there and the calling out of stall owners. Sayana simply nodded in acknowledgement as Tie mentioned that she didn’t get along with the other orphans so well. It was probably one good reason for the girl to be climbing out of windows in the first place. However, the comment about ‘coming back’, and another orphan having a strange mark on her hand were both things that struck her as odd, which she stored into the back of her mind.

“Not everyone gets along with everybody. As long as you make enough good friends young, old, inside or outside the orphanage and keep your head down just enough, then you can get by.”

The chores seemed rather routine. Basic maintenance to keep up the building and to give the children some discipline. The orphanage somewhat reminded her of the one in Syliras, although it seemed more practical and taught the orphans to earn their keep, even in small ways. Sayana cracked a smile when Tie mentioned falling out of windows, but it faded a little at the orphan’s comment about her arms.

“I have six arms so I can catch naughty orphans who think they can climb out of windows without any practice.” She attempted a grin, but it was slightly muted despite her humorous remark.

Sayana gave a soft sigh as she gave another hard shove with the pole, sending them and the ravosala skimming across a large expanse of water where several canals joined. “I’ve never used a paddle. It might be easier on open water, but here where there’s lots of things to push off of…. I think I’d try my luck pushing off from a solid dock than using a paddle to push water around.”

As they glided towards a wooden platform, Sayana lifted the pole to tap gently at the incoming wharf, turning the boat as it slid in alongside the dock.

“We’re here.”

She unwrapped her arms from the girl and tied one end of the ravosala to a wooden pier. Then she gestured for Tie to step onto the dock and shortly after, she followed suit. The building was close to the edge of the canal with only a wooden walkway separating them. When she opened the door, she put a finger to her lips.

“Shh, there are people sleeping. Wait here.”

More precisely, there was only one other person in the house, but she didn’t want to wake Shiress. Sayana would allow Tie to come into the darkened common room to wait, and then she would go into her own personal bedroom to retrieve the items she had mentioned. It had been a long time since she had used her sticky climbing resin. When she finally found the small jar in the dark, it seemed to be only half full with two uses left in the small jar. Additionally, she went searching for a pair of winter gloves. After digging through various layers of clothes, she found two grey woolen gloves with a delicate fur trim around the wrists.

As the orphan waited in the darkened common room, the girl might have been able to pick out a few paintings on the walls. One depicted a wooded area in Sylira, another was of Lake Ravok with the city in the distance, and a third was a stunning image of a blackened sun in the middle of an eclipse.

Once Sayana returned, she gestured for them to go back outside and return to the ravosala. As she stepped in, and got comfortable in one of the plush seats once more, she would hold out the small jar and the two grey woolen gloves.

“There are about two uses left in this jar. One to get you back up to that window. One for… whatever your next adventure entails. And the gloves. Well, it’s not called sticky resin for nothing. Generally, it’s more pleasant when you have gloves, in case you can’t get rid of all the resin afterwards. When you’re climbing, make sure it’s fully stuck on before moving upwards. You can also add some to your shoes or boots. And then slowly unstick it to take the next step going up. Practice, feel it out, and don’t expect someone to be there to catch you next time.”

“As for your payment. Keep an extra eye out wherever you go, whatever the time. Remember names, remember people, remember faces, remember places. What is this girl like with the strange mark on her hand? Does she ever do something not normal? Are there any locked rooms in the orphanage that might have a secret purpose? And when you leave the orphanage are there alleys, hiding places or shortcuts that nobody knows about?”

“When I see you next, I’ll want an update. And maybe I’ll happen to have some new gifts for you…”

She let the sentence hang knowing that the girl’s imagination could be her greatest friend. Of course, she’d have to come up with something reasonable to bring, but she’d have time to think about that.

So long as the orphan followed along with her, they would soon be nearing the orphanage once more. This time Sayana had been a little more direct with her poling and didn’t dawdle in the calm waters of the night.


OOCHope you don't mind me carrying the plot along quite a bit.

Credit: Shimoje