[Flashback] Looking Up {Rigil, Naomi}

[Naomi]

2nd Day of Summer 508 AV It was late, that was for sure. Although Naomi had finished her studies long before Syna had retreated, she had remained outdoors to watch Leth rise and shine gloriously in the sky. She was outside of the old library, resting comfortably in the grass. Her white cotton dress clung to her pale legs with the the wetness of the evening dew. The chill began to make her shiver. Sitting up, she drew her morning robe around her tightly, smiling at the tug of the prayer beads on her wrist. Gazing at the stars seemed to be one of her favorite hobbies these days, even more tempting than her usual walks along the coastline. After readjusting her robe, she leaned back to lie completely against the ground. Her astronomy books were strewn about next to her along with a leather bound book. An inkwell and quill sat on top of the leather, though apparently unused. The tip of the quill was still clear with no hint of black. "Beautiful night," she said softly, almost a whisper. The stars were extremely bright, dotting the sky in the thousands. Though she was supposed to be drawing out constellations in her journal, she found herself connecting the dots, lazily creating designs. This eventually gave to boredom, however, regardless of her love for the night. It seemed she was in the mood for socializing. Suddenly overcome with a feeling of drowsiness, Naomi closed her hazy eyes for a few moments, aware of her body's exhaustion.

[Rigil Kentaurus]

“Yes, you must ensure that you have a tidy script, child,” Rigil spoke clearly in his Ethaefal form. He was concluding a lesson with one of the sailor’s child when he realised the Sun was starting to makes its way into the slumbers of darkness. He grimaced and then finished off his lesson, scraping the coins that the sailor had given to him for the brief session of tutoring. The docks were busy as usual, the acrid smell of sweat, exotic goods and other paraphernalia comprised with the odorous conglomeration of other sources that were brought in by the waves. As tendrils of shadow seemed to creep along the expanse of red pain which swept away the canvas of blue, Rigil could feel the transformation. It was a seamless form of transition and soon, he was a human once more. Placing his smaller clothes on, a white shirt, brown vest and leather boots, he then wrapped his familiar blue cloak and hood and wore it to crown his head. During his trek along the expanse away from the docklands, the traffic became thin and peace and serenity seemed to come to the fore of the ambience he was surrounded by. Taking in a deep breath, his brown eyes made him feel less observant and his shorter stature made him appear to be rather well...ignoble. Caught in his own thoughts, he was not seeing where he was going and while he walked in a short cut, crossing through the field of grass in front of the library, he nearly tripped over Naomi. “Ugh!” he exclaimed, twisting his feet to stop himself, which resulted in him falling. His hood fell back and revealed his rather untidy brown hair. Blinking, he looked at Naomi, taking her in. “Sorry, didn’t see you there. Mind you, it is dark.” He felt impatient, foolish and hated being looked at while doing something silly. So his patience was hardly long, especially in the form of a human. He reached out to pick the scribe kit he had dropped and strapped it across his shoulder. It was then he noticed the various items strewn around her. “Studying something?” he asked, though his voice was slightly hesitant, as if this question was perhaps probing into the depths of impoliteness.

[Naomi]

Brown eyes flashed open and Naomi felt herself jump, sitting up immediately as she felt someone fall next to her. Blinking with a gasp, she brought a hand to her breast, flustered. She took the man in, notably his messy hair. She could only get an exceptional view of his face, seeing as it was fairly dark. At his apology, she shook her head. "Ah, no!" she said, flustered still. "No, no, it was entirely my fault. I shouldn't be out here dozing off." She watched him collect his things, nodding at his inquiry. Naomi glanced at her books, sighing. "Yes, I'm studying astronomy actually," she replied. "A bit of a bother, though, seeing as I am just...exhausted with my studies. I think professors like to plan their assignments together, giving students as much work as they can at one time." She chuckled, raising a hand almost to excuse herself. "But I'm babbling, yes? I don't believe we've met and...well, if we've stumbled upon each other, might as well introduce ourselves, right?" Peering into his eyes, she felt the side of her mouth twist into a sheepish smile. "My name is Naomi Verrys, student here at the university."

[Rigil Kentaurus]

He seemed caught off guard. Usually Rigil was able to maintain a bearing on his surroundings and be able to react smoothly at almost any situation. Knitting his eyebrows together, it provided a thoughtful frown. He inwardly agreed about it being her fault. After all, who was he to expect some student studying in the middle of the grass during sunset? Shuttering those thoughts away, he grunted and nodded his head, as though in a non-committal fashion. “S’alright, I tend to not like the darkness and so try to walk through it as quickly as possible,” he admitted and thin smile etched upon his face. He provided her with a grin while she spoke, rambling on about the loads of studies. To him, studying was hardly a pursuit for only students and only took it in his stride. “Don’t stop, I liked your babbling,” he said without thinking. He paused though and then cleared his throat. “Anyhow, these are...astronomical date, most curious indeed.” Crouching down, he peered through the portending darkness and hmmed aloud, considering what he saw. However, his ruminations came to an end as Naomi introduced herself to him. “Rigil,” he replied, offering his hand to her. “Rigil Kentaurus.”

[Naomi]

"Ah," was all she could muster at his quick reply to her babbling, followed by a small giggle. Naomi ran a hand through her hair unconsciously, slightly nervous at having a conversation with a man. She realized it had been a while since she'd had any sort of social contact outside a professor. Delighted with his interest in her studies, she couldn't help but smile as he hmm'd. When he introduced himself, she took his hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you, Rigil." she said. She returned to her previous position, relaxing her body against the grass completely. Sure, a little unorthodox when meeting someone, but the darkness made a face-to-face conversation almost silly. Her head turned to him, however, eyes squinting. "So...what do you do, Rigil? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," she asked pleasantly. She folded her arms beneath her head. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about structures up there, would you?" She pointed to the heavens. "I know a few, but..." She sighed. "Ugh, I just want to be on the road already. All I really need to know, in theory, is how to find north. After that, I don't see a use for astronomy. The sky is beautiful to look at, yes, and astronomy is a wonderful hobby, but..." Another sheepish grin. "Not too sure what the point is."

[Rigil Kentaurus]

Rigil arched an eyebrow at her giggle and the quick flurry of words that seemed to part from her lips. He seemed astounded by these humans, so fleeting were their words that even he found it difficult to grasp the roots of their conversations. He shook her hand with a firm, almost professional grip, before returning his hands to rest along the strap across his shoulder. Watching her lay herself down on the ground, he was slightly confused as to whether he should follow suit as well. It was true had no other priorities at the moment. Truth be told, he wishes the night would end quickly so he could finally return to his true form. Clearing his throat, he also settled down on the grass, bending his knees. “What do I do...even I do not know the answer to that question, I’m afraid,” he chuckled wryly. “I’m a scribe, a wandering one, to be sure.” Tapping his scribe box, he then rolled his shoulders to ease the tired and pained muscles. His gaze flicked up towards the adorning sky of twilit stars and he sighed. However, he nodded his head gently. “I do,” he replied, before returning his gaze back to Naomi’s face, covered in slivered shadows. “So you’re traveling, eh? It’s a dangerous road out there. North...it should not be too hard...” He looked up again and then pointed to a star. “Do you see those three stars, in the middle one dipping?” he enquired. “If you trace a line like this...” He then began trailing his fingers down, towards the middle of the sky. “Then you should simply just follow that while using key landmarks around you. Hmm...does that make sense?” Turning to regard her, his eyebrows knit together into a frown, as though he was not satisfied with his own words. He clicked his tongue. “The stars are the Ukalas...the energy which permeates around us. The Gods themselves flow through it. I suppose the stars are but the solid forms of it, I would say,” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There is always a point. My thoughts are all random, I assure you. Yet even the most curious random thoughts seem to have a greater purpose. Of that, I am sure.”

[Naomi]

Naomi watched him get comfortable out on the lawn, though couldn't help shake the feeling that he was, in fact, very uncomfortable. He had cleared his throat before, after all, a sign of some anxiety or frustration in most people. However, she did not dare comment on it. He was free to leave whenever he felt the need. She had not invited him to sit, yet he had. A confusing thought. She tilted her head at his reply, perplexed. "So...you're a scribe. That's what you do..." Her voice trailed off, unsure if she had been rude. Biting her lip, she looked up to gaze at the stars above his face. "Yes, I see the three...ah, yes, the dip-" she paused, watching him bring his fingers down. "Eh...landmarks? Not quite sure I...so, learn, maybe, the Watchtower locations?" She blinked, frowning at his explanation. At least she knew the stars to look for, but his last bit didn't make much sense. She turned her gaze onto him, squinting in the dark to try and get a good look at his face. Unfortunately, it was much too dark, but...well, she could ask for him to escort her back to the dormitories. It wouldn't be very polite to bump into him later and not be able to place the name to a face. Very rude indeed. Naomi watched his face carefully as he spoke, listening patiently. When he mentioned the Gods, she fiddled with the prayer beads at her wrist. "Well...I'm sure there is a point. It's just a bother knowing I'll have to wait quite a while to figure it out." She smiled. "However, I'm fairly sure that I've deduced that you are quite the interesting man, Rigil." She sat up and bent her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. Looking at him thoughtfully, she sighed. Seeking to change the subject, she remembered his occupation. "So what exactly are you doing out on university grounds if you're a traveling scribe, hmm?"

[Rigil Kentaurus]

There was a perplexed expression upon his face as he tried to maintain a sense of decorum. In fact, he was not sure why he sat down, but mainly because he was probably rather curious as to what she was studying. The light keepers were beginning to come out now and lighting the street lamps. For a moment, he simply watched them in their vocation, the lamps vomiting light out of itself against the darkness which pervaded around them. “A scribe, yes,” he confirmed, smiling thinly. For a moment, he turned to look back to the stars, knowing that he had never felt so forlorn and empty before. It sometimes crept up on him, threads of melancholic emotions hurling through him. Pursing his lips together, he then flicked his gaze back to Naomi. “Well, the Watchtowers are usually the best way to garner your sense of location, but not when you’re in the wildlands. Nowadays, it’s just used as seasonal time measurements. Ancient days since the Valterrian. But you probably know all that.” Grimacing, he raised his hand and scratched his cheek casually. His eyes narrowed slightly before taking in a deep breath. “I suppose one must be patient and prepared to test the tides of travel,” he went on to speak. He smiled in return. “An interesting man? We’re all interesting, Naomi. The fact is though, sometimes what we consider interesting tends to be nothing and what comes to pass as nothing to us, in the end returns to us as that interesting piece which we have always yearned for.” A moment of silence endured between them and he simply let it grow, like a cloaked blanket that wrapped around them. When Naomi spoke, he laughed gently, shaking his head. Then he waved his arms around. “Unfortunately, I got lost,” he admitted. “You see, I’m only passing through Zeltiva to get on a ship and head to Mura. Unfortunately, it’s turned out no ships are heading there from here, alas.”

[Naomi]

Raising a brow, the corners of her mouth dipped into a small frown. "Well, then...what sort of landmarks would you suggest looking for out in the wilds, mm? You being a traveler, I'm sure you know how to keep your way." However, she immediately bursted into quiet laughter, covering her mouth in a brief display of modesty. "Are you trying to tell me that you believe this to be nothing, then? A meeting on a warm summer night? Who knows, years from now we could meet again. I could be the woman of your dreams!" She calmed her chuckle, clearing her throat. A smile was now plastered onto her face. "I'm just kidding, of course. But I understand completely. Life is unpredictable and so are we. That is the way things are and always have been. Doesn't mean it's something to ignore, though, right?" She stood, quietly whispering an 'excuse me' as she began to collect her belongings. Her robe clung to her tightly along her torso, though her legs were able to move freely underneath the fabric. The dampness of the evening dew still clung to her back. Chilled, she shivered. "Oh, you got lost?" Shaking her head, Naomi glanced over to the light keepers. They were coming towards the two, ready to illuminate the lamps nearest to them. "Mura is quite a long way from here. Have you thought of Sunb-well, no, Sunberth wouldn't be...well, it would be easy to bribe for a spot on a ship. Perhaps Nyka? A long way to travel, but I'm sure you would find passage there."

[Rigil Kentaurus]

As the lights finally provided clarity to his eyes, he looked at Naomi intently, taking in her visage. He smiled thinly as he considered her question and looked up at the stars again. “Truth be told, I just well...trust my instincts,” he admitted, scratching his cheek casually when he raised his hand towards his face. He then lowered his hand and let it draw to the side of his body. “Think of it this way. By using the dipper of the stars, then look for a landmark point which you can use to gauge the distance between that location and the north. So wider the gap between them, it means you are tilting away from the north. Does that make sense now?” However, Rigil’s scholarly manners were put to the test when she laughed. He was perplexed, his eyes narrowing slightly while he attempted to grasp what humour drove her to laugh. “Fate?” he asked, shaking his head. “I’ve never really thought much about it. As for the girl of my dreams, well...” He chuckled aloud, grinning at her. “If only you knew...I truly doubt I’d be that man for you. Women tend to care for the strong men. I? I walk the lonely road which others have not yet trespassed upon.” Watching her collect her things, he considered her words again as he rubbed his chin. “Well, yes, Sunberth would not be the best place to go to, a man of my skills would hardly acquit well in defensive measures,” he grimaced. “But Nyka, yes. Perhaps I shall go there. Such a detour, coming here, and yet, perhaps it was all worth it. I do hope that when you start travelling, you realise that sometimes getting lost isn’t always such a bad thing.”