PM to join [The Dust Bed] Give Respects, to get Respect. (Sarina)

[Firenze]

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18 Fall, 514 AV Afternoon

Walking slowly, a sadness in her heart, Fire made her way towards the Dust Bed. She'd never been up there, but she figured this might be a good time to start. The image of the incident that had occurred near her living quarters still fresh in her mind, she picked a few flowers in the field as she walked towards the place where new and old graves were laid.

She wasn't really feeling particularly comfortable as she got closer to the cemetery. It made her uneasy and rumors said there was a strange mist that had crept in. Thankfully, she'd heard the rumors before coming up here so she made sure to leave anything of value at home, with the exception of her dagger. She never went anywhere without her dagger, Sunberth was too much in arms at the moment to not bring it with.

Stopping every few feet, she would pick more flowers, until finally she had enough that she could split into three small little bouquets. She never knew the boys that she had watched get slaughtered, but at the same time she felt as though she did, because she had seen them at their final moments.

The grass gave way softly under her feet as she made her way up towards the Dust Bed. Coming to the rickety gate that separated her from the graves, she could indeed see that the rumors had been true. There was a dense fog that rested over the tops of the graves, giving it a more spooky and erie feel to the atmosphere. Her heart quickening, she almost turned back.

No. You will be fine. Just find someone that works here, have them point you in the right direction, leave the flowers, say your blessing, leave. Simple as that. Just... simple. Right? Bitting her bottom lip, she knew she wouldn't be able to see if there were anyone who would be working on the graves. That's okay. Just find the most fresh ones, it was only a few days past that it'd happen, surely there wouldn't be fresher ones then those.

Taking in a deep breath, she prepared herself. She pushed on the rotting gate, it barely swinging on it's hinges and giving a loud screeching protest. That is not helping! Her mind screamed, as she stepped forward. Continuing a slow path, she felt the heavy mist curling around her, the dewy drops clinging to the fine hairs on her arms, face, neck and even to her eyelashes.

She passed a few well worn graves, nothing except the stones as markers, no names to be found. She wondered if they were indeed markers for a moment, but figured they probably were considering they way they were laid. It wasn't really very organized, but there seemed to be some kind of system, even if she wasn't sure what that system was.

Continuing on she passed more unmarked graves, others with fading names, and even some deadened flowers that were probably laid by loved ones. As she went further in it became more and more difficult to see, even the headstones seemed to be disappearing.

Well Shyke! You got yourself into it this time Firenze! Looking around, despite not being able to see very far, she still couldn't spot and fresh dirt on the ground. You're already here, just keep looking so we can get out of this place! The uneasiness that had greeted her at the gate settled deeper inside of her.

Placing her hand on her small dagger at her hip, she kept her feet in a forward moving direction, until she heard a loud cry. It felt as if the howl had come from behind her! Screaming Fire bolted, weaving her way as best she could between the headstones. Unfortunately she wasn't as graceful as she would have liked to have been and caught the tip of her boot on a larger rock that had been used as a grave marker.

Flailing madly, she flew face first into the ground, smacking her elbow on the corner of a headstone. Tingles ran up her arm and down to her fingers. The same fingers that had a tight grasp on the flowers that she had picked earlier. Scrambling to her feet, she rubbed her elbow, trying to get the feeling back into her arm and hand, as she moved again. This time she slowed her pace to a brisk walk, trying to keep her eyes open for any surprise that might pop out from the mist, and for any graves that might have newly turned dirt.

OOC InfoWord Count = 768

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Sarina]

Sarina was going to The Dust Bed. She had never been there before but she had defiantly heard stories. These stories were part of the reason she was headed for the old cemetery. Recently she had been talking with a man who had taunted her by telling her she would never survive a chime in the Dust Bed. Sarina had taken that as a sort of challenge but not wanting anyone to know she had fallen prey to the man’s taunts she hadn’t told anyone where she was headed.

The other reason Sarina was going to the Dust Beds was liked to know about places and their terrains. If ever she were to have a fight in the cemetery the wanted to have the advantage of knowing the land.

She had been walking for a while now, having come all the way from her house at the Sunset Quarters and now the Dust Beds finally came into view. Hanging over the already creepy place to begin with was a heavy mist. Sarina suddenly remember the rumors she had heard about the fog that had been hanging over the cemetery as of late. There had been all kinds of superstitious stories, from it being the souls of the dead to it being a giant mist monster that was planning to eat all of Sunberth. Though that particularly story had come from a drunk who had had more to drink in one sitting than anyone should have in a month, there were still plenty of somber people with outlandish theories about the mist.

Approaching the old rusty gate Sarina started to see where the theories were coming from. From what Sarina could see of the Dust Bed, which wasn’t very much due to the fog, it looked unnerving. She could only see bits and pieces of various tomb stones while everything else was engulfed in the fog.

Having second thoughts about going into the mist, Sarina had to force her hand to pull the gate. The gate didn’t seem to want to let Sarina in either and she had to push quite a bit harder to get it to open. The rusty hinges squealed loudly as Sarina opened the gate sliding into the disturbing enclose. Ordinarily Sarina would have pushed the gate closed but it had taken all quite a bit of will power to get herself to open the gate. It would be suicide to force herself to close it.

Taking a deep breath Sarina composed herself. There was no way anything horrible would happen in here. It was just mist and dead bodies. The though wasn’t exactly reassuring but it was a bit more real and stable than the other more supernatural theories and that in its self was comforting.

As she stepped into the heavy fog it seemed to engulf her. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as the watery mist stuck to them. Sarina was a bit chilly but she couldn’t tell if it was the cold water in the mist or just the feel of the cemetery. Either way she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her enjoying the little comfort it gave her but wishing it gave her more.

Turing around for one last glance at the outside world that suddenly seemed so different then the misty grave yard Sarina was in now, she started walking.

As she got deeper and deeper into the graveyard the mist became thicker and thicker until Sarina couldn’t even see a few feet in front of her. The sense of not knowing scared Sarina a bit. Someone who wanted to kill her could be just a few feet in front of her and she could see them at all. While this was frightening the scariest thing was when Sarina couldn’t even see her own feet. She knew they were there and she could feel them hitting the ground but she couldn’t see them. She couldn’t see the ground around her feet either causing her to stumble every few steps.

Sarina had had enough of the Dust Bed and wanted to leave so badly. But she couldn’t. She tried backtracking and walking in a straight line but nothing she did seemed to get her any closer to the exit.

She had to stop again and regain her sanity through deep breaths and as sound reasoning as she could give herself. She had never wished she didn’t do something as much as she wished she hadn’t come to this nightmare.

After she had calmed herself down enough to thing rationally she decided she needed a plan before she walked any further. For all she knew she could be heading deeper into the graves. Patting down her pockets to see what she had to work with she was a bit disappointed. All she had on her was her Tamo Daggers. Deciding to use the dates on the stones as a sort of marker as to when she was in the grave yard she knelt down so she could see the tomb by her feet.

Its surface was cover in faded lettering that Sarina couldn’t read and so all she could guess was that it was old. That plan didn’t work very well at all so Sarina decided to just start walking forward assuming she would get out eventually.

Suddenly Sarina’s foot hit tombstone causing her to trip. She was utterly started by her foot suddenly hitting something and she let out and unsuspected scream. Hitting the ground she scraped her forearm on a sharp stone. She didn’t have long to assess the damage she had taken because almost as soon as she had screamed another person, a bit ahead of her had screamed too.

Sarina jumped a bit, the person’s scream echoing, like she assumed her own had, off the tomb stones, rocks and whatever else lay around the grave yard. Then Sarina suddenly realized she had found another person. Maybe they had a way out. Jumping to her feet Sarina ignored her scraped arm as she ran in the direction she had head to other scream come from. Her feet were barely visible in the fog, an improvement from before but still not great of not tripping as she ran.

Suddenly Sarina heard what sounded like the person hitting the ground. Maybe they had fallen or maybe they had just taken a large jump. She didn’t have time to figure it out because before long she heard the person’s footsteps again in front of her but they were slower this time.

In front of her a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her. Sarina jumped but bit her lip to keep herself from screaming. People would start to think she was weak if they heard her scream all the time.

Taking a deep breath Sarina said, “Hello?” Her voiced seemed to cut through the silence provided by the fog. “Do you know where you are?” She was careful to say ‘you’ and not ‘we’ so she didn’t sound like she was lost. Though Sarina tried not to show it she extremely relieved to not be alone in this horrible place.

[Firenze]

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Eyes scanning the dense fog she picked her way along the gravestones. As she walked she began to hear footsteps behind her. Her heart beginning to race, beads of sweat formed around the edge of her face along her hairline from exertion of running and the anxiety of being alone in a creepy graveyard. Shadows and forms swirled, appearing briefly and disappearing again, the fog toying with her mind. In a panic, her breathing quickened.

“Hello?” Someone called out from behind Fire causing her to jump and lose her footing, slipping and sliding on the dewy grass she tried to keep herself from falling again. Grabbed a stone cross that was crookedly poking out of the ground near her, she steadied herself. Her arm stretched out, she bent over slightly, leaning her head against her arm trying to catch her breath and get her heart to stop pounding so loudly in her ears so she could listen to where the call had come from. She prayed to the Gods that it wasn't someone out to harm her or worse yet... some kind of creature and it wasn't a 'Hello' that she'd heard but some kind of call from the animal itself.

As the beating in her ears started to slow she listened intently, hoping that it was a grave digger or someone who might actually know the area that could direct her to the nearest exit, or to the graves she was looking for and than to the nearesst exit. "Do you know where you are?" Looking to her right, almost at and angle behind her, she could tell they were in some direction of where she thought she had just been. Are they following me? This thought causing her pulse to quicken again. What kind of question is that? Do they not know where they are or are they trying to ask me so they could help me get out of here? Looking around, the area looked the same from all directions. Of course she knew where she was. She was in a creepy grave yard at the worst possible time trying to search for graves that were buried under said fog. Other then that... she had no idea.

It all looked the same. Grave here, grave there... dense, thick and moist fog everywhere. As she looked around she wondered if she should respond to the voice that had called out. How could she know if it was a friend or foe? It sounded like a high pitched voice, was it a female? It didn't sound particularly like a male. Are there female grave diggers? She supposed it was possible, but she wasn't sure considering this was the first time she'd ever stepped foot inside the graveyard itself. She'd only seen the place from a distance before, passing it by, the poorly marked and mass of unmarked graves barely crossing her mind, the bodies in the graves probably forgotten by the families, most probably without families.

The only reason she'd decided to come to the graveyard was because of the onslaught of killing near her residence. The three boys that had been slain in broad daylight by some crazed masked man. She didn't know if the boys had had families or what their crimes were, but as far as Fire knew they were petty crimes that most teenage boys committed. She knew some of the boys from the Orphangae liked to cause trouble, but they usually stuck to picking pockets or stealing a piece of food from vendors in the markets. Fire was pretty sure that the price of a stolen piece of fruit or a few measly mizas wouldn't be the price of your life. She would never consider taking someones life for taking a few mizas from her. In actuality she would hope the person would ask for the mizas just as Deltan had, she would willingly give them a silver or two to help them get a full belly or a roof over their head for the night.

She knew how it felt to be lonely, and not have anyone to turn to. No family to call her own or ask for help if she became in dire straights. Sure she could count on Jilliene, but she wasn't exactly a mother figure by any means, and as soon as Fire looked old enough to be on her own she had put her out into the cheap side. Thus, how she came to live in the cheap side, where only a few weeks after living there she really got to see how brutal Sunberth could be to those living within it's poorly constructed confines.

Shaking her head she tried to get the images of the blood spraying everywhere, the boys throats beings slashed and their life's blood spilling onto the streets. Trickling through the cobbled paths and running into the dirty gutters. She turned her head back to where she'd thought the person had been calling out from, she wasn't sure if that was the true direction or if the sound had bounced off the stones and if there were actually somewhere else.

Lifting her dominate hand off the cross she reached to her belt grabbing her dagger for safe measure, incase the person calling out wanted to do her harm, she called back, "I think so! Do you!?" Cupping her mouth with her left hand to help the sound carry. For a moment the sound of the blade being pulled out of it's sheath was the only sound she could hear. Firenze turned her head slowly, straightening her body, eyes scanning around trying to peer through the fog.

The beating in her ears and chest having slowed from her temporary rest began to pick up again, her eyes widening trying to bring in as much light as possible, she focused on a dark blurred image that started taking form just to her right. The shadow grew and she took a tentative step back, not wanting it to get too close. She held her dagger along her side, not wanting whatever was approaching to think that she was going to attack in case they could actually get them out of this place. Yet still, she wanted to make sure that she had it ready incase she needed to use it. She knew she wasn't the most skilled at her weapon but if the person got close enough she knew that she could at least get their attention off her long enough that she could flee. She'd almost rather face the dense fog and unknown area then try to take on an attacker.

As they came into view, the form taking on more shape now, she could see that it was indeed a woman. She was quite beautiful, but then again, looks could be deceiving. The woman had dark hair, almost as dark as midnight, she was quite a bit shorter than Fire. Firenze couldn't tell much more of the girls features as it was hidden by the swirling fog. As the woman came closer, she tried squinting to see if she could see her better, yet to no avail. "What are you doing out here? Do you work here?" Fire asked, trying to determine if the woman was here to hurt her or help her.

Firenze hoped that it was the latter as she'd like to get the flowers delivered to the boys graves and get back home as soon as possible. Wishing for a moment that Dor'gen was there to help her, she sighed lightly. He would know what to do in this situation.

OOC InfoWord Count = 1271

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Sarina]

After hearing the footsteps she was following stop, Sarina slowed her pace, eventually coming to a stop. She looked in the direction of she thought the person she was following was. Not being able to see them worried her. She couldn’t be sure if anyone was there. She didn’t hear the foot prints any more but the person she was following could have just got out of ear range or maybe wasn’t there in the first place. Her fears were abated when she heard a voice coming from slightly to her left.

“I think so! Do you!?” Sarina mentally sighed. This person knew where they were. Sarina was so relieved she had found someone who could help her get out. She didn’t let it show on her face as she walked took a few steps in the direction of the voice.

As she got closer to the woman Sarina started to be able to make her features out through the fog. She started as a darker spot in the fog and Sarina walked forward until she could see her clearly. She was rather tall, at least taller than Sarina was. She had pretty blond hair that made her look a mysterious in the mist. More than all of that Sarina noticed her eyes. Her eyes were a golden color that Sarina almost would have mistaken for hazel if not for the faint yellow that was interspersed in them. A nervous look covered the woman’s face and in her hand she held a knife. The knife worried Sarina a bit. She started at to wonder if this woman intended to harm her. Just to as an insurance, she pulled her Tamo Daggers out of there spot in her cloak.

“Yes, of course I know where I am.” Sarina always thought it best for anyone who she was dealing with, particularly if they had a weapon, to think she knew as much as or preferably more, than them. Sarina could tell this woman was accustom to life in Sunberth. Sarina could tell didn’t trust her by the way she cautiously looked at her like she expected her to attack her at any moment. Most people of Sunberth were like that; untrusting and cautious.

As a wind blew through the fog shifting causing it to swirl fast with in to different shapes Sarina shivered a bit. It wasn’t that Sarina was cold. The place had a very creep feel that made her feel like she just needed to get out. Sarina glanced around. The wind made the fog look like she could see animals and shapes dancing in it but it then the fog shifted again and the animals were gone, never having existed in the first place. This place was messing with her perception of the world. She worried if she stayed for too long she would go mad.

The woman started to speak again. This time she asked what Sarina was doing there and if she worked there.

“I believe it is none of your business why I’m here.” She said. Coming here on a sort of challenge wasn’t exactly a reason she wanted to have to try and explain. “I don’t work here. Why do you ask? Have you got someone you want buried?”

Sarina crossed her arms and tilted her chin up a bit. She let a dignified look pass over her face. Despite the fact she was lost in a foggy graveyard didn’t keep her from trying to impress the one person who could get her out. She needed to find a way to ask this person how to get out without directly asking her because Sarina would never ask for help from anyone.

After some thought Sarina decided on how she would go about getting out. “And why are you here?” Sarina allowed a slight smirk to play across her face. [b] “Grave robbing, no doubt. I’m here to stop that sort of thing. Please leave the Dust Beds.”

Sarina’s plan involved telling the woman to leave then following behind her. It would be too hard to follow her without her knowledge due to the dense fog that made seeing anything-much less someone trying to see her-hard. Sarina noted the flowers the woman was carrying. They were likely for a grave she wanted to put them on. Sarina found herself feeling a little bad for the woman who she was forcing to leave before she had been able to pay her respects to whoever she was here to see.

Sarina wondered who it was she wanted to see. Sarina’s first though went to possibly the woman’s child. It wasn’t uncommon for parents to come see there children who died in the city. The woman looked a little young to have children though so Sarina didn’t think that was the case. Another possibility was it was her parent’s grave. That theory seemed possible. Sarina decided she would guess it was a family member, possibly a parent.

Trying to justify herself a bit she decided the woman would probably come back in if she really did want to leave the flowers. She also decided there were two options for what she would do. She would either just accept it and she would leave or she would try to argue that she wasn’t there grave robbing. Sarina hoped she would go with the first option. It would make things a lot less complicated

[Firenze]

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The woman approached only a few more ticks closer before she came to a stop, “Yes, of course I know where I am.” Firenze sighed, relief flooding through her, glad that she found someone that could lead her to the graves. After Fire asked if she knew where she was and if she worked here the woman gave her an odd look, “I believe it is none of your business why I’m here.” That made Fire pause for a moment, Does she work here or not? If she's telling me it's not my business... more than likely not. There has to be some other reason why she would be out here if not to work. Fire wasn't sure of the reason but wondered if she could find out to determine if the woman was a threat or not.

“I don’t work here. Why do you ask? Have you got someone you want buried?” Well, that had answered Fire's question but then it created more questions in her mind, if not for work... why? Why would she ask if I need someone buried if she didn't work here? Firenze's eyes narrow slightly, watching the woman, she was a mystery and per usual Fire was always curious about things she shouldn't be. Ignoring the first question Fire decided it might be a bit safer to just answer the second question instead, the information couldn't really hurt to divulge, could it?

"Actually, I don't. I'm here to see a few people that were buried already," the sadness in her heart caused the corners of her mouth to turn down for a brief moment. Mentally shaking herself, she continued, "Unfortunately, the fog is rather thick and making it difficult to find the graves..." The woman crossed her arms, and Fire noticed the glint of a weapon. Tightening her hold on her dagger, the blades making her react defensively. “And why are you here?”

This woman was full of questions and it was beginning to give Fire a bad feeling. She was carrying weapons and she was asking why she was here, to make matters worse they were alone... in the middle of a graveyard... surrounded by fog... and more then likely no one could here her scream. Taking a deep breath she tried to keep herself calm... until the woman spoke again, “Grave robbing, no doubt. I’m here to stop that sort of thing. Please leave the Dust Beds.”

Who in the petch was this woman to tell her to leave! Fire felt she had every right to be where she was, it was the woman who wouldn't explain her reasons, which made Fire think all the more that it wasn't for good intentions that she was there. She wanted to say 'screw this' and drop her dagger and just go after the woman with her teeth. This dark haired woman was starting to infuriate Firenze with her dodging of questions and then turning the questioning back on her... then to tell her to leave! Of course Fire wanted to get out of there as quickly as she could, but she had a mission! And she was going to make sure these flowers found their rightful spot!

She wondered for a moment if anyone would be able to see her change, if anyone would hear the screams if she sank her teeth into the woman's flesh. After a few ticks she thought better of it because it would tatter and rip her clothes and she didn't exactly want to go back out into broad daylight in that kind of condition, lest someone get the wrong idea. But perhaps I could just say I was hunting if anyone questions it... She kept that in the back of her mind.

"I already told you why I'm here... and I'm not leaving until I find the graves. You can come with me to find them and make sure that I leave as you're requesting or you can get out of my way." The corner of her mouth came up in a sneer almost as if to tell the woman that she wasn't afraid of her, even if it might be in vain.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Sarina]

"I already told you why I'm here... and I'm not leaving until I find the graves. You can come with me to find them and make sure that I leave as you're requesting or you can get out of my way." So the woman was electing to argue with Sarina. This was not preferable to having her just leave, Sarina wanted out of the foggy cemetery as soon as possible, but it wasn’t the worst thing to happen seeing a the woman had opened up a spot for her to come with her.

Sarina noticed the woman’s muscles tensing as she spoke. She looked like she wanted more than anything else to get rid of Sarina, even if that meant attacking her. Gripping her Tamo Daggers she pondered the situation. From when she was very young Sarina had been taught never to go with people who invited her to go with them, unless she had a good reason to. Now Sarina was quite a bit older and more capable at handling herself but that rule still applied. There would always be someone stronger than Sarina who, if she followed them, injure her in some way. This woman could easily have taken Sarina to a trap but there didn’t seem to be any other option. It was either following her or waiting for the next person to stumble into her path which, unless she had outstanding luck, would never happen.

The woman’s mouth was in a slightly disturbing sneer. It told Sarina she wasn’t going to negotiate so there was no other option than to take the woman’s demands. Another chilly wind blew through the fog causing it to twist around into frightening shapes giving Sarina the last push she needed to get any help to get out, including taking to this woman’s demands. “That should be alright. You can go to these graves you’re looking for but I’ll have to come with you to ensure you do indeed leave.” Sarina said getting into the role of someone whose job was indeed to get rid of grave robber.

Brushing some loose pieces of hair out of her face Sarina looked meaning fully at the woman who was standing in front of her. She waited for her to start walking to where she was going. Sarina wanted to follow the woman but not make it obvious she didn’t know where she was going. It was logical for Sarina not to have known what graves the woman was looking for so she was ok to follow the woman at least to there.

Sarina looked over the woman, trying to see what she could guess about her from her appearance. Sarina always liked to have the upper hand in conversations and knowing things about the other person before they told her anything about themselves was sure to give her her just that. Her appearance didn’t give anything obvious away but her attitude was something to go on. She seemed fairly determined judging by the fact she wouldn’t just give up and go home when Sarina had asked but that also could have just been the common Sunberthian attitude of not wanting to be pushed around. The sneer that played across her lips gave Sarina the impression she was trying to intimidate her, of course it wasn’t working. Maybe she was scared of Sarina and was trying to scare her. But then again Sarina had just appeared out of an overly misty cemetery. That should be enough to rustle up any sane person. There were too many factors that played into the situation, Sarina couldn’t get a good read on her acquaintance.

Hoping she would get more information to use in the future, Sarina continued to wait for the woman’s next move.

[Firenze]

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Her eyes narrowed as she watched the woman, she could see that she was mulling over the option Firenze had spat at her. Usually Fire would feel slightly guilty about her actions but it hadn't even crossed her mind this time because she was creeped out and just wanted to get the flowers dropped off and get out of the graveyard without running into any more people.

As the woman spoke, letting her know that she was going to accompany Fire, she almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that she'd have someone with her. Almost. Though she didn't, not wanting to let the woman know that she was relieved, she made sure that she still had her back covered in case the lady wanted to stab it. Even though she now had company in fog, it didn't mean that she was safe.

She paused for a moment as she looked around, realizing that she had no idea where to go from there. Not knowing where the graves were and unsure of how to find them from this point. Her bravado had started to fade as her eyes searched through the fog. Might as well get on with it then. She picked her way through the graves deciding to just head in a forward direction from where she was facing, unable to tell if she would get closer or further away.

The wisps of fog licked at her skin, minuscule droplets clung to the fine hairs on her body and continued to collect as she walked against the density of mist. Glancing behind her shoulder she peeked to see if the woman was still behind her and bumping her knee into the corner of a crooked headstone that appeared to have been slowly sinking into the soft dirt. She tried to reach down to rub the knot out while she walked, not very gracefully and quite noticeably.

Ticks passed, then a few chimes, then a few more. She wasn't sure how long they walked for but she was sure they would've reached the edge of the graveyard by now, It's not that big is it? Slowing her pace, Fire glanced around, the scene still looked the same as it had 20 chimes prior. "Well..." she sighed, finally giving into the exhaustion of the long stressful walk, "I think we are going in circles."

Turning around she glanced at the woman as she surveyed the area, trying to find any indicator that this was a spot they had been in before. "Do you want to see if you can find us a way out of here? Or if you can find the fresh graves so that I could drop these off and get out of here?" She held up the now wilted and browning wild flowers that were slumped over pitifully, half dead in her hand. It appears as though the flowers are as tired of this trek as I am.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Sarina]

As Sarina followed the woman it became increasingly more evident that she didn’t know where she was going any more than Sarina did. They wandered through the dense fog for quite some time before the woman finally spoke up letting Sarina know she really didn’t know where she was going.

Disappointed, Sarina scowled as the woman as she question she had been dreading. The question that would poke holes in her false story. She asked Sarina to find their way. A tick passed as Sarina pondered her answer.

“I can’t find the graves you are looking for.” Sarina cast a glance at the dying flowers in the woman’s hand. “But I can lead you to the exit. Come on.”

She turned in 90 degrees and began walking. It was the best she could do. She needed a plan. There had to be something that would provide some hint of the way out. As she continued forward Sarina was careful to take small steps. She didn’t want to get too far if she was indeed headed in the wrong direction. Not that it mattered. She didn’t have any plan for a way out.

A breeze shifted past Sarina rustling her coat. The sudden air current distorted the fog. Her head snapped forward. Glancing around she hoped the woman following her didn’t see her desperately searching for anything that would help them in the momentary clearing of some of the fog. Nothing. She could see ahead but it all looked the same. The ground. The grave stones. Even the twigs and other dead plants that littered the ground all looked exactly the same.

It didn’t take long for the fog to swirl back in and the momentary insight Sarina had gained was gone. Realizing she had stopped walking Sarina cursed herself for seeming unsure and continued walking. She didn’t quite understand why she was continuing to keep up this disguise it didn’t matter. It didn’t make her any more capable of getting out.

Sarina sighed inwardly. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to focus on getting out. There had to be something there always was. What did people do when they got lost? Sarina started to form a number of answers in her head. They used stars, landmarks, the sun. Sarina frowned as she continued to walk. All of those options required being able to see more than a few feet ahead.

Suddenly she felt her toe connected with something hard. As she stumbled forward she looked down just in time to see a grave stone jutting out of the ground where her foot was. She grimaced as she regained her balance.

Sarina continued to walk forward. If she was lucky she stumble on a way out. But she was very, very rarely lucky.

[Firenze]

.

Waiting to hear what the woman had to say she dug a toe into the dirt, she wasn't sure if she was standing on a grave, but she’s pretty sure no matter where you walked in the place you’d walk on a dead body or two. As the other woman glanced at the wilting flowers she informed Fire that she wouldn't be able to help with finding the graves but that she would be able to get them out. Slightly she felt a little relief, one out of two wouldn't be so bad. At least in the future if Firenze ever wanted to visit she knew to come when the fog wasn't so dense. She felt almost as dense as the fog for even attempting to navigate through it.

The woman turned and Firenze set out to walk with her, not too close but just close enough that she wouldn't lose sight of her. She still didn't trust the woman and she wasn't entirely sure that anyone would hear her scream if something happened… not that it would help much anyway, people in this city were more likely to run in the opposite way if someone screamed.

Wiping the back of her hand on her forehead, drops of fog beaded up and rolling down her face. A momentary breeze blew through, it almost felt lighter for a moment and the wind felt good. It wasn't that it was hot out, but the inability to see far was making the immediate area feel more and more suffocating. Fire watched the woman closely, she was looking up and around, scanning the area, almost as if she herself didn't know where she was going. Shrugging internally at the observation, her feet continuing a jagged path, she didn't mind if the woman didn't know exactly where she was going as long as she could get them out.

Fire sidestepped where the woman tripped. They continued walking, her eyes on the ground and the woman she didn't notice when the fog started to thin slowly. Gradually light started to filter in a little more and a minut breeze struggled at the wisps of her hair. With each step the sun shined harder, the wind became stronger and the fog clearer. Breathing deeply, fresh air filling her lungs she smiled as a shadow of fencing appeared in the distance. It was hazy to see but the outline was distinguishable. Finally. They’d made it to the edge of the graveyard. She still had a few more chimes until they would reach the edge but the relief of finally finding a way out helped ease some of the tension that had been building.

“I think I can manage from here, thanks for getting us out.” Although she’s not sure that the woman had really known where she was going she was grateful that she didn't have to find her way out alone. Fire kept her pace, not turning back to talk to the woman, although she would check to make sure she wasn't following or going to stab her in the back. She still had to get her bearings once they got to the fence and determine how she would get back home but the adventure of getting lost in the mess of fog had been enough for her for one day. As Firenze made her way home she stopped just outside of the town, dug a hole and buried the now dead flowers. Eyes closed she sent a silent prayer to any God or Goddess that she hoped would listen for the boys that had died.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Sarina]

Sarina was genuinely surprised as the fog began to clear and the sunlight grew brighter. It wasn’t long until the shadow of a fence appeared in the distance, clearly standing out against the fog. They had somehow made it out. Sarina couldn’t be sure how and could only guess it was some kind of divine intervention.

The woman Sarina had been walking with suddenly spoke up. She announced she would be leaving and thanked Sarina for getting them out. Sarina was to astounded that they did get out to do anything more than nod.

The woman continued toward the fence. Sarina turned in another direction but kept walking towards the exit as well. She realized the woman’s statement was to be a parting one so Sarina decided it was best to continue in a slightly different course.

She kept a steady eye on the fence as she approached it, not wanting to get lost again in the fog. The fog continued to lessen as she approached the fence and slowly she began to be able to make out the fense in more detail. It went from being a shadowy specter to a tangible thing covered in rust.

When Sarina had made it to the fence she didn’t even consider looking for a gate and immediately started to climb over it. The fence was just taller than her but not an extremely difficult climb and she was hopping off it and onto the other side in no time.

Now she could make out the details of the grass that rolled up to the city in the distance. The fog was all but behind her and she was ready to leave that horrible place and hopefully never return. Glancing behind her as she walked away, she noted how strange it was that she fog was only concentrated over the graveyard.

Having no explanation she could think of for the phenomenon she turned back to look at the city as she made her way back to it.

The sun was still high in the sky but when she got back to her house, Sarina spent the remainder of the day inside where she knew what was going on. The feeling of being lost that she had felt in the fog had her quite shaken up. She spent her time inside trying to mentally collect herself.

Luckily a good night’s rest had her back to normal and the next day she was ready to go on with her life, the graveyard behind her.