Flashback A Pitiful Orphan

[Cadence Pruette]

84 Summer, 510AV The sun was high in the sky, and it bore down on all who braved it. Spreading it's warm radiance across Zeltiva, shining off of the water, reddening exposed skin, and putting the sweat across a workers brow. It was by all accounts a beautiful day, which indeed acted in harsh contrast to the life of Cadence Pruette. A week had passed since her father had left the city, and Cadence still felt the pain of him leaving, like a dagger to the heart. He'd left only one thing, both his and Cadence's mother's wedding rings. They where the bonds that had symbolized their union. And as she could think of nothing else to do, she clutched them tight, dreading she might lose what little she had left. Cadence had left her home that morning, hoping to take her mind off of everything that had happened recently. As she found herself approaching the docks, she gazed in awe at the sheer amount of ships and sailors moving around everywhere. She saw men carrying crates onto and off of ships, sails being hoisted and lowered, and the most fascinating thing of all, the way the ocean seemed to glow with a calming aura with the aid of the sunlight hitting it. Cadence continued walking towards the bustling docks, avoiding sailors and anything else that might bump into her. She found a quiet spot on the docks, near a man holding a fishing rod, and sat down on the edge. Cadence pushed a few crimson curls from her face, revealing her red, tired eyes. She sat, the salty breeze calming her, and clutched the rings to her chest, right above her heart.

[Ricky Maze]

Heave ho! Heave ho! The rod was yanked and tugged harshly as Ricky eased the line and worked on realing in the catch he just snagged, the fisherman worked hard with sweat on his brow to avoid a snapped line as the weight of his fish demanded such a thing to occur. Odis the energetic companion he always had tried eagerly to contain his energy as he watched his master work, a pull in and ease of the line switch kept going on as Ricky would lean a little to the left or right with jerks of his rod to yank the hooked fish in. Finally the line's end was coming close and the figure of a fish slowly formed as a shadow in the water, steadily it grew until at last the bugger was near the surface before them. "Got this blighter 'n the basket!" He grinned with a focused look in his expression as concentrated eyes zoned onto the squirming flippery bass that splashed around until he dangled freely above the surface, a hand extended down along the line to pull the sea creature up onto dry land to be placed into the basket next to Ricky. "That makes 'nother sea bass." He smirked in triumph as he counted out the small pile pf decent sized fish, all sea basses but the pile counted up to five now. He had been working at this since morning to, so he pretty much made a steady amount of coin with this pile.

"Rark rark!" Odis spun around and knelt down with his tail raised in the air, a happy look on his face as he cheered on his master to keep hooking in fish. It was a long and patient process at times of course but Ricky did wait with enthusiasm in mind, he was after all saving up for a journey near the end of the year. "Hrnh." The dog came forward with the intent to smother Ricky in slobbery kisses, and the fisherman ended up laughing with a dog nearly on top of him.

"Ayee! O'kay, o'kay, alright! 'Nough already boy!" The fisherman finally managed to push the dog back off with a hand to wipe his face, the stench of dog slobber fresh in his nostrils. "Relax boy, we got a bit more t' catch b'fore we can call it a day." He explained to the dog with a rub between the ears, and then a turn to his small box of bait he brought with him. He noticed a girl quite younger than him decided to sit on a crate nearby, and gave a friendly smile to her should she have glanced over to him. He didn't wish to bother her though as she seemed occupied with something, Odis however took a stronger interest in the girl and trodded on over with a dangly tongue. He took a seat next to her with big eyes locked upon her, and a tail that wagged endlessly in excitement. "He doesn't bite 'nless ya threaten 'em," Ricky finally decided to speak to keep the dog out of trouble, "more so wants affection really. He's a good dog so yer welcome t' pet him." He brought up the rod and casted out the line as the baited lure flung out into the sea, another friendly grin given to the girl shortly as he reeled in the line sluggishly.

[Cadence Pruette]

Cadence looked down at the dog, panting and slobbering as it looked at her. Upon hearing the reassurance from the man fishing on the docks, she reached a hand down to stroke it's soft fur. She smiled slightly, at the moment. Her eyes where still puffy and red, some fresh tears still sat on her cheeks, but she got some joy out of the simple act of petting the dog. Cadence looked over at the man fishing as he flashed her another charming smile, one that made her want to smile back. "H-hello," she said to the man. Watching as he wiped the sweat from his brow, waiting for another bite on the end of his line. "My name is C-cadence." She silently cursed herself, trying to control the nervous stutter. She hadn't talked to many people outside her family as she'd grown, and now with the sorrow of losing them added onto that, talking to another was one of the harder things she'd done recently. "I uhm, I like your dog." She smiled, scratching lightly behind it's ear.

[Ricky Maze]

After the line reached a distance he was satisfied with Ricky looked up to the sun and wiped his brow to ease the build of sweat that collected, with the warm kiss of Syna to beat on his skin and his work out in reeling in the fish it was hard not to perspirate. That's when the hello came to his ears of course, the shy sound of a greeting that comes from the quiet type. A timid person at best. Generally a stereotype but for Ricky that's what first came to mind, and he took his time in looking back over to the girl with a small grin. "Cadence eh? Not a common name from what I know." He gave a soft chuckle after he watched them interact, the girl scratched at his ears and the dog rolled his eyes in sheer delight as he begged for more. She like many others had taken a liking to Odis and his adorable charms, the dog always had a way of being irrestible to everyone in some way. "Aye, keep scratchin' at 'is ear's like that 'nd he'll never stop lovin' ya." He mused with a glance up to her face for just a moment.

He avoided direct eye contact with the young lady but he could see well enough there was sadness in her eyes, the redness and puffy look they held were the key signs that made it a dead give away. Yet she wasn't terribly sad otherwise she wouldn't have paid mind to Odis, where as she now held a faint smile while she pat and scratched his head. "M'names Ricky, good t' meet ya lassie." Ricky nodded to the dog before her before he continued. "That be me brotherly companion Odis, 'bout as loveable as any dog comes." He added with another small chuckle, a look to his rod to watch for signs pf twitching. Nothing had bitten yet though he had a feeling the lure did its job, it was only a matter of time until he hooked another fish. For now though he would continue to socialize, and see if he could learn what would trouble the girl well enough to bring tears. "Harnnnh!"

His gaze returned to Odis as he saw the dog raised his head a little higher for her, and his paws alternatley tapped as he begged for her to give chin rubs next. It amused Ricky to see the dog interact with people in such a way, because not only did it please Odis to receive such attention but at the same time, it created genuine responses to his interactions with people all at once. "He really likes ya now." He gave a little enthusiasm in his tone when he spoke, a wide grin on his face as his blue eyes returned to the girl once more. He still avoided eye contact of course, but nevertheless he looked to her when he addressed her. "So what's got a lassie like ye doin' out 'ere at the docks?" He inquired respectively with a humble attitude, the occasional glance out to the line to make sure he wouldn't lose another snag.

[Cadence Pruette]

"So what's a lassie like ye doin' out 'ere at the docks?" Cadence continued petting the dog as the fisherman spoke, enjoying the company of the four legged pet. She sighed, her brown eyes looking down at her feet, and pushed some hair out of her face. She contemplated what she might tell him. I'm new here! No, no, lying won't make her feel any better. I'm out for a stroll. She figured it was close enough to the truth. "I just wanted to t-take a walk, and get some fresh air..." Her voice, still unpracticed in the ways of spinning lies, gave away that there was more to the story. "Do ya do this often, sir, if you don't mind me askin'? Fish, I mean." She continued petting the dog, throughout this, encouraged by the mans words. She started to scratch under his chin, her face giving way to the ghost of a smile. She'd always wanted a dog, as a younger child, she had asked her mother for one. 'Cadence, dear, we don't have the time or the money to support an animal as well as ourselves!' She'd always say something to that effect. And even if Cadence never would get an animal, she'd always love them, especially dogs.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky nodded as he could understand the intent behind her reason, people always did need to go out for air sometimes anyway. However he had already noticed that she'd quirked her motive and in doing so hinted that she deferred from telling the truth, it wasn't obvious but the signs were well enough present to one who paid close attention. "Aye, fresh air is great t' 'ave. Love bein' able t' just take in the sea and 'er smell ev'ryday." He responded with a light smile once he casted a glance to her, a bare chuckle could be heard as he took notice of Odis in high heaven from the scratches he got.

"Eh? Oh fishin'. Yeah I do this ev'ryday pretty much, ol' family trade it is ya know." He hinted with eyes still focused on the line, still no signs of a bite to snag but he felt the odds were increasing. "Me pa raised me t' be a fisherman, thus I've known how t' fish since I was a wee lad." Odis finally gave into his doggy desires and started to lick at her hands now, practically his tail swiftly swept the spot of the docks he sat on. Ricky reeled the line in just by a little in an effort to bob the lure, to increase the chances a fish would bite soon. "I pro'lly shouldn't be nosin' 'round in 'er business..." He silently sighed through his nose with eyes looking out the corner to Cadence once more, hopeful that she wouldn't mind if he pried a little.

"What 'bout yer self lassie, what do ya do f'r a livin'?" He finally inquired with a humble tone in his voice, a friendly attitude present to keep the conversation flowing. "Must be somethin' better than fishin' ev'ryday I'm sure." He remarked with a warm smile as he waited to hear her response.

[Cadence Pruette]

"Must be better than fishin' ev'ryday I'm sure." Cadence looked at the man, and his warm smile invited thoughts back into her head. She flashed back to a time when her family was happy. "You have to do it like this," her father said, as he set up the basic outline of the watch they where working on. "You make one of 'em with love, and they'll last 'uh lifetime." The memory slowly faded into her mind, as a new one surfaced, she was back in her home, but it was different. It didn't feel empty, as it did now, you could tell that a family lived there, but the air was still ripe with the scent of death. She remembered walking across the room, past the hearth filled with the last of a roaring fire. Opening the door to her parents room, she saw her father kneeling at the bedside, weeping. The form on the bed belonged to her mother, and Cadence knew what had happened. "No, No!" Cadence yelled, tears forming in her eyes as she turned from the room and ran. She continued running until she reached the ocean-front, it was her first time there, and while she cried into the water, she imagined what it would be like to sail away, to live on the sea. As the sun began to drop below the horizon, she finally got up and walked slowly back to her home, the tears in her eyes dried up. As that memory faded, she realized she was crying, and in front of a total stranger. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing, and she looked over to the man, her face trying to stay calm, but her eyes revealed the pain inside. She looked at the man, fishing without cares, as he looked at her, crying like a child.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky glanced over a few times as she remained silent after his question, the deep look of an occupied mind on her face as she seemed lost in a thought. He wondered if he should've said anything but assumed it better not to, that is until he noticed the somber look in her eyes as they started to have a glassy appearance. From there he already knew what would come next. "Oh petch..." He sighed through his nostrils with a sharp look at the line, his fish he waited to catch still probably lurked within the water. However there was a young lady who'd found herself in a spot where she couldn't hold any tears back, and like any other good man with a heart would do Ricky reeled back in the line with a perplexed expression of his own. With the lure returned back to the tip of the rod Ricky placed it down next to the basket of fish he had, and stood up to walk on over to Cadence with a sincere look on his face.

"Petchin' wonderful mate, ye go pokin' in personal business and make a lil' lass cry." He didn't personally blame himself for the reaction but he felt slightly responsible, being the one present in the event it occured other than Odis of course. The dog merely crooned his head to the side with wonder as to why Cadence started to cry, but Ricky understood well enough she had a reason to cry. Thus he took her by the hands and brought her to her feet, and brought her close in an effort to help comfort her. "It's okay lassie, ya don't 'ave t' tell me what's buggin' ya. I'm 'ere t' be the shoulder ye can lean on if needed." He assured her with a look of understanding, her tears a reminder of how he too had lived through painful times.

It was probably one of the very rare times he would look a stranger in the eye, but if Cadence did look up to him she would see he had a deep look within them. A look of understanding and vulnerability as he too once felt the pain she felt, it made him nervous to allow such a thing to occur but it would show Cadence he was there. That he didn't need to know what troubled her but if she wanted to, she could tell him everything in the world that troubled her. All because he too felt a pain that never went away, even if he held a care free demeanor he still felt something inside. Something that always remained broken, always hidden from the rest of the world.

oocIf it was too much or too overdone with Ricky helping Cadence then I can edit that part.

[Cadence Pruette]

Looking up at the man, she saw it. Looking deep into his eyes, she realized they mirrored her own, maybe the pain wasn't as fresh, but it was most definitely there. The pain they shared wasn't that of a scrape or a bruise, no, those always would leave. This pain was that of a level almost inconcievable to those who haven't felt it, it was a pain that never left, no matter how hard you might try to dispel it. It was a pain designed to last a lifetime, and while you might come to terms with it, it still hurts. Looking into his eyes, she saw that and more. Standing next to him, the tears continued streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't get the words out of her mouth, her voice wouldn't work. She looked at her hands where they where held in his, and wrapped her arms around him. Tears flowing from her eyes, seemingly eternal, she realized how ridiculous this was. She had only just met this man, and yet they where sharing this moment. This moment of weakness, this moment of strength. She kept trying to find the words to express her thoughts, but no string of letters and words into sentences would form.

[Ricky Maze]

There was only silence from Ricky as he allowed his arms to hold her close, her tears likely to fall to his chest as he brought her head in to allow her to weep. It might've been a more romantic approach than he considered but there wasn't any real feelings there, she was merely a girl in need of a shoulder to cry on and he simply provided it for her. "S'okay lassie, s'okay now." He would repeat in a softer tone of voice since she were closer to him now, he followed with a hand to rub between her shoulders, so that he could provide further comfort for this girl. "Sufferin' somethin' heavy she is, 'er 'eart's 'eavy with grief." It didn't take a genius to figure that out of course, her sobs were evident enough that trouble in some form existed in there.

"I'm 'ere f'r ya lassie, anythin' ya need off yer chest then I'm 'ere t' listen. If ya pr'fer not to speak 'bout it then take comfort. I'm still 'ere t' hold ya up 'til ya feel better." He reassured her softly as he looked from her hair to Odis, who'd now taken to watching his master and the girl. The dog remained silent and still as he waited for the passing of the moment, empathetic to the mood given off from the girl that cried before him.

oocSorry for the wait and short post, not much to really do in this spot.