There was no darkness in the echoes beyond time. There was no light. Sounds and shapes did not exist. Everything that had form was loose as cotton, forming into shapes in smoke only. Dreams had no boundary, not even in the mind.
Stone and black walls faded out with the light. It took a second, as oblivion surrounded the outline of an essence, waiting, silent. There were no boundaries this time, nor tethers. Nothing was defined, as the bodiless echo of Ketz Ravanul floated weightlessly in-between the seconds. Slowly a glimmer found its way to him. This one was different.
It always started with a rush, as the maelstrom of remnants sorted themselves out into a format that relatively complied with his mental structure. Every mind was different. Some were soft and cottony, segregated into masses of memory and long stretches of processing matter. Some built thoughts like a spinning wheel, forming roundabout pathways. Some were chaotic messes of erratic matter, their memories and thoughts scattered and hard to connect. This time was another new experience. This was no mortal mind. They had shape. As Ketz focused himself into form he struggled to deconstruct the flat, hard wall of raw information smack in his face. It was not bridges or rivers, it was a wall. Everything hit him all at once, all in one place.
Outside the figurative mindscape Ketz braced himself for a headache. He sighed and focused harder. There was no way this could be a sentient mind trapped in this time viewer, it had to be a hidden memory. That explained the lack of structure. It just was. It was all just there- but hidden.
Back inside the mass of echoes, he eventually managed to find a way to sort it out, that subtle means of shaping his mind like a key to wedge himself in. The memory unlocked. Now came the fun part. It was different than people imagined. It wasn’t just a case of opening someone’s mind like a box and forcing the way in. There were neural pathways and synapses that held and shaped thought. Memories were just pieces, all structured in their own unique way. Every mind was different. The trick was to find a way to shape one’s own mind into a similar fashion, just enough to bridge the gap. It worked best in dreams. Sleep opened the mind and made it broadcast like a spoken thought, finding them was all too easy. Getting in to chase out the monsters was the challenge. This one was a brick. There were no beasts lurking in the shadows this time, just a suspended, unearthly thought floating in nothingness, not even a mind.
There was sunlight. Golden rays lit a blue sky in true summer fashion. It was the world, whole and unbroken by time and motion. That rarely changed between minds, though. Some dreamers constructed foreign worlds, but usually it all came back to a few set rules. This was somewhat comforting. A beach slowly materialised, as if a morning blur began to fade away. Next came sounds. Everything was slow and eventual. Laughter and voices filled in the sounds, along with wind and errant echoes of whispered. Misplaced bits of memory played back old bits of conversation like ghosts in the breeze. Then came the people. Half-formed images flickered and blurred as they constructed themselves into normal shapes. There was wine and food on tables. Then there was a scene.
Curiously there was no sign of the woman that started this all. The memory didn’t seem to be tied to her after all… just her face. How strange. Ketz looked around and took a few steps. He was integrating well enough, he could navigate the memory without any trouble. People were starting to move all around him. Some were chatting and swilling drinks or chuckling at jokes, but nobody noticed. It seemed to be a party. Ketz played the part and blended in with the crowd. It didn’t look all that bad. Judging from the banners and cake it appeared to be a birthday party, on the beach. A little pang of jealousy grew inside his chest. Those had always looked so fun.
Ketz paced around and reached for a glass of something on a nearby table. It was immovable. Nobody could hear or see him, either. It was too plain a “dream” to incorporate interaction without a mind to give it life. He settled for just watching. Most of the folks were just bodies with arms and legs, maybe a few splashes of colour for clothes, but the faces… it was always eerie to see a lifeless blur staring back. They looked right through him with blank, empty eyes and nonexistent features. It was a washed-out dream devoid of life, talking and moving like a puppet.
Suddenly reality shifted angles. The rest of the dream blurred and skewed around the edges, forming a bubble of focus. Ketz turned around to find the source and bumped into a figure. Silver fur mixed with silver hair, gleaming like polished metal in the sun. There was elegance in a young face. A slim, pointed jaw gave way to a sharp nose and gleaming silver eyes in the light, soft and gentle. They were so young. Wispy silver locks swept across his forehead and down onto his shoulders. Two silvery fox ears poked out the top. All in all he looked a little feminine, but he was definitely male. Years of experience looking at faces and bodies had granted Ketz that much knowledge. For the moment, it seemed this world literally revolved around his presence.
Two young men beside and behind the boy followed him close-by. The elf on his left clapped a hand down on his shoulder and smiled. "Kaynse has got a wonderful birthday party going! Come on… settle in, loosen up! So, see anyone you like?" The fellow smirked broadly.
"N-no…" hesitated the fox-boy sheepishly.
"Leave him alone Erdrick," groaned the man with wolf ears on his right. "We just got here. Go chase your own tail." The wolf-kin chased the elf away and sighed as the elf immediately put his arm around a strange woman taking a drink. "Don’t let him get to you Av, he’s just… Erdrick."
"Thanks," said the fox with some level of uncertainty. His soft voice was barely a mumble.
Ketz took a minute to play detective, as he followed “Av”. This was definitely an earlier age, but out in the wilderness like this it was hard to pin the level of technology. Not everything was equally as advanced back before the final sealing. There were no balloons, but that didn’t necessarily mean there were no helium fillers. All he had to go on beside that were some glasses, a few tables… and a keg? Ketz sighed and smirked. They knew how to party back then. His attention turned with the blur as the music started.
Silver hair fell before his eyes as the young man turned. His fox ears darted forward. “Av” watched contentedly at the band across the beach as they began to play. A pair of violet eyes looked his way. The memory of a blush stole across young cheeks, all the way deep into Ketz’ chest. The fox boy stared. Ketz clutched at the shy warmth seeping up his shoulders, into his head. This memory was strong. Feelings were hard to isolate from visiting minds.
That shy heat broke apart as a familiar elf hobbled back over and nudged the boy with his elbow. "She wasn’t worth my time," he boasted. One hand covered his groin. The man stabilised himself on the fox. "Bloody woman spilled wine all over me…"
"Spilled?" chuckled the wolf-kin nearby. The lifting of an eyebrow said it all.
‘Yeah, spilled,’ huffed Erdrick. ‘I offered to get her a drink and she spilled it on me.’
All of it was a distant echo already. “Av” stared on at the stage, lost to the world. Ketz however strained to make out the rest of the resident conversation. This was slightly amusing.
The wolf-kin crossed his broad arms. "Oh, so why did she already have full one, then?’
Erdrick held his ground like a trooper. "I was getting her a new one. She finished her's really fast."
"I believe that. When you meet people they start drinking. So why are you… limping?" The wolf-kin laughed.
"Can it, Nafka," commanded the elf. "I… tripped, on something."
Then it all began to fade. The conversation muted out with every step forward the foxkin took. Music filled his ears, and a voice wormed into his brain, behind violet eyes.
It always started with a rush, as the maelstrom of remnants sorted themselves out into a format that relatively complied with his mental structure. Every mind was different. Some were soft and cottony, segregated into masses of memory and long stretches of processing matter. Some built thoughts like a spinning wheel, forming roundabout pathways. Some were chaotic messes of erratic matter, their memories and thoughts scattered and hard to connect. This time was another new experience. This was no mortal mind. They had shape. As Ketz focused himself into form he struggled to deconstruct the flat, hard wall of raw information smack in his face. It was not bridges or rivers, it was a wall. Everything hit him all at once, all in one place.
Outside the figurative mindscape Ketz braced himself for a headache. He sighed and focused harder. There was no way this could be a sentient mind trapped in this time viewer, it had to be a hidden memory. That explained the lack of structure. It just was. It was all just there- but hidden.
Back inside the mass of echoes, he eventually managed to find a way to sort it out, that subtle means of shaping his mind like a key to wedge himself in. The memory unlocked. Now came the fun part. It was different than people imagined. It wasn’t just a case of opening someone’s mind like a box and forcing the way in. There were neural pathways and synapses that held and shaped thought. Memories were just pieces, all structured in their own unique way. Every mind was different. The trick was to find a way to shape one’s own mind into a similar fashion, just enough to bridge the gap. It worked best in dreams. Sleep opened the mind and made it broadcast like a spoken thought, finding them was all too easy. Getting in to chase out the monsters was the challenge. This one was a brick. There were no beasts lurking in the shadows this time, just a suspended, unearthly thought floating in nothingness, not even a mind.
There was sunlight. Golden rays lit a blue sky in true summer fashion. It was the world, whole and unbroken by time and motion. That rarely changed between minds, though. Some dreamers constructed foreign worlds, but usually it all came back to a few set rules. This was somewhat comforting. A beach slowly materialised, as if a morning blur began to fade away. Next came sounds. Everything was slow and eventual. Laughter and voices filled in the sounds, along with wind and errant echoes of whispered. Misplaced bits of memory played back old bits of conversation like ghosts in the breeze. Then came the people. Half-formed images flickered and blurred as they constructed themselves into normal shapes. There was wine and food on tables. Then there was a scene.
Curiously there was no sign of the woman that started this all. The memory didn’t seem to be tied to her after all… just her face. How strange. Ketz looked around and took a few steps. He was integrating well enough, he could navigate the memory without any trouble. People were starting to move all around him. Some were chatting and swilling drinks or chuckling at jokes, but nobody noticed. It seemed to be a party. Ketz played the part and blended in with the crowd. It didn’t look all that bad. Judging from the banners and cake it appeared to be a birthday party, on the beach. A little pang of jealousy grew inside his chest. Those had always looked so fun.
Ketz paced around and reached for a glass of something on a nearby table. It was immovable. Nobody could hear or see him, either. It was too plain a “dream” to incorporate interaction without a mind to give it life. He settled for just watching. Most of the folks were just bodies with arms and legs, maybe a few splashes of colour for clothes, but the faces… it was always eerie to see a lifeless blur staring back. They looked right through him with blank, empty eyes and nonexistent features. It was a washed-out dream devoid of life, talking and moving like a puppet.
Suddenly reality shifted angles. The rest of the dream blurred and skewed around the edges, forming a bubble of focus. Ketz turned around to find the source and bumped into a figure. Silver fur mixed with silver hair, gleaming like polished metal in the sun. There was elegance in a young face. A slim, pointed jaw gave way to a sharp nose and gleaming silver eyes in the light, soft and gentle. They were so young. Wispy silver locks swept across his forehead and down onto his shoulders. Two silvery fox ears poked out the top. All in all he looked a little feminine, but he was definitely male. Years of experience looking at faces and bodies had granted Ketz that much knowledge. For the moment, it seemed this world literally revolved around his presence.
Two young men beside and behind the boy followed him close-by. The elf on his left clapped a hand down on his shoulder and smiled. "Kaynse has got a wonderful birthday party going! Come on… settle in, loosen up! So, see anyone you like?" The fellow smirked broadly.
"N-no…" hesitated the fox-boy sheepishly.
"Leave him alone Erdrick," groaned the man with wolf ears on his right. "We just got here. Go chase your own tail." The wolf-kin chased the elf away and sighed as the elf immediately put his arm around a strange woman taking a drink. "Don’t let him get to you Av, he’s just… Erdrick."
"Thanks," said the fox with some level of uncertainty. His soft voice was barely a mumble.
Ketz took a minute to play detective, as he followed “Av”. This was definitely an earlier age, but out in the wilderness like this it was hard to pin the level of technology. Not everything was equally as advanced back before the final sealing. There were no balloons, but that didn’t necessarily mean there were no helium fillers. All he had to go on beside that were some glasses, a few tables… and a keg? Ketz sighed and smirked. They knew how to party back then. His attention turned with the blur as the music started.
Silver hair fell before his eyes as the young man turned. His fox ears darted forward. “Av” watched contentedly at the band across the beach as they began to play. A pair of violet eyes looked his way. The memory of a blush stole across young cheeks, all the way deep into Ketz’ chest. The fox boy stared. Ketz clutched at the shy warmth seeping up his shoulders, into his head. This memory was strong. Feelings were hard to isolate from visiting minds.
That shy heat broke apart as a familiar elf hobbled back over and nudged the boy with his elbow. "She wasn’t worth my time," he boasted. One hand covered his groin. The man stabilised himself on the fox. "Bloody woman spilled wine all over me…"
"Spilled?" chuckled the wolf-kin nearby. The lifting of an eyebrow said it all.
‘Yeah, spilled,’ huffed Erdrick. ‘I offered to get her a drink and she spilled it on me.’
All of it was a distant echo already. “Av” stared on at the stage, lost to the world. Ketz however strained to make out the rest of the resident conversation. This was slightly amusing.
The wolf-kin crossed his broad arms. "Oh, so why did she already have full one, then?’
Erdrick held his ground like a trooper. "I was getting her a new one. She finished her's really fast."
"I believe that. When you meet people they start drinking. So why are you… limping?" The wolf-kin laughed.
"Can it, Nafka," commanded the elf. "I… tripped, on something."
Then it all began to fade. The conversation muted out with every step forward the foxkin took. Music filled his ears, and a voice wormed into his brain, behind violet eyes.
"From shadow into sun, from all days into one,
My hand I hold to you outstretched,
This adventure’s just begun.
Follow me in darkest reaches,
Where the sacred-est sage teaches
And the candle burns again,
When deadest hearts can beat,
When ink flows from the hollow pen,
This melody our souls repeat.
Time and touch within my skin,
I am here, I sleep within,
Call to me by sound of drum,
And piece by piece the past will come.
By maiden of the twilight moon
And hero of the darkest gloom,
We’ll take the parchment back to pen
And write the tale of us again.
From days lost all in one, of songs not yet begun,
Your hand I reach for in my dreams,
To you, my only one."
My hand I hold to you outstretched,
This adventure’s just begun.
Follow me in darkest reaches,
Where the sacred-est sage teaches
And the candle burns again,
When deadest hearts can beat,
When ink flows from the hollow pen,
This melody our souls repeat.
Time and touch within my skin,
I am here, I sleep within,
Call to me by sound of drum,
And piece by piece the past will come.
By maiden of the twilight moon
And hero of the darkest gloom,
We’ll take the parchment back to pen
And write the tale of us again.
From days lost all in one, of songs not yet begun,
Your hand I reach for in my dreams,
To you, my only one."
It had to be the bond of shared experiences putting this spell on his mind. Ketz shook his head to clear it out and watched from a distance. The sound brought the fox-kin closer and closer. Those innocent eyes twinkled in the light as his silver frame passed through a crowd of faceless memories. On the other side, a simple smile fish-hooked across soft, pearl skin. Green hair almost dared to cover those eyes- almost. Even Ketz had a hard time resisting the sway of those hips. He bit his lip.
Everything started somewhere. As the song crawled to an end, the young man made his way up to the edge of the stage. That smile goaded him on. As she leaned over, glossy green hair covered her face. The fox-kin pursed his lips.
"H-hello…"
There was no warning. Sense and sight jarred him hard, body and mind. Thought threatened to freeze up in his brain. Some unseen hand squeezed his skull from the inside. The dream ended with a break. It didn’t come crashing to a halt like a train into a wall. The memory just… stopped with that face. Time froze, dead. End and blankness washed over his thoughts. Minds were made to move, they had to think. Blackness stole his breath. Neurons fired and stopped all at once. As the memory hardened up and sank back into the depths of its slumber it dragged him down, heavy as a rock. Death pulled him down. Ketz fought to keep alive, beating on the edges of the dormant memory to pull free. The edges of his brain began to harden.
"No!" He came loose like a slingshot. Reality popped back into his head as he returned to control of his body. Standing fell to kneeling as his mind had nearly left him. Kneeling turned to laying as he rocketed backward from the clock and rolled to safety. His brain began to function again. And fortunate that was as he looked back over his shoulder and into the darkness. Infinite reaches waited below, over nothing. Ketz scrambled to his feet as instinct dragged him toward the wall for grip… about halfway there sense came back. That was right,he thought, kneeling and panting. He was on a floor… a blasted… glass, stupid, pointless, glass, invisible-if-you-look-wrong floor of death. Ketz puckered his lips and thrust a threatening finger at the floor, as if that would somehow avenge something. Then he took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. This was much too much to come back to.
All things considered, this was probably enough studying for now. There were so many better things he could be doing with his day. Ketz got to his feet and placed his palm on the coloured mark by the door. It only took a minute or so for her to show up.
"Oh, hello. Is everything okay? Do you need help with anything?" She was more than willing to be polite.
"I’m done," said Ketz wearily.
The woman was surprisingly pleasant. "Oh, well, good timing. I just got all the information you asked for. Here." She surrendered a thin stack of papers over to the guest.
"Thanks. I guess that’s it." He turned to leave. Suddenly a thought slapped across the back of the head. "No, wait… there’s a… beach in this picture I saw. It’s on the timeline."
"Okay, let me see. Do you want information about it?"
Ketz strolled over and set it back to the right time, careful not to touch any details. "No, I just wondered if you knew where that was. Kind of curious."
It only took the lady a quick glance. "Oh, I know that place. Here, I’ll write it on the information for you, that way you don’t lose it." She took a page back and jotted down a name. "Here you go!"
"You’ve been more of a help than I deserve," said Ketz with a weary smile. He was done. After that the woman followed him back out of the room and down the spiral staircase. Finding the right door to the washroom must be a nightmare in this place. Never in his youth had he ever tried.
On the way out the receptionist kept her head down. Ketz gave an obligatory, apathetic nod to her as he departed. In response she gave another back-handed shooing. Admittedly that was pretty impressive for someone whose head and eyes weren’t in a direction to visually acknowledge his presence.
Then it was back outside and into the molten heat. It was a stroke of careful planning and luck to be wearing an open shirt and loose pants. Ketz wasted no time heading back to the Fia Strazza Café. The walk back was mostly uneventful. Most of the city could be described like that when one was minding their own business. On the way Ketz ran recent events through his head. So he was supposed to be finding information for some old men in Leetha’s Teeth about the Shades for… some reason. It helped them all. He was getting information about “Loma” or whatever it was… and now there was this memory, in a randomised moment in recorded history, that leapt out at him for reasons unknown. It was in the time of the Shades, so there had to be a reason it was hidden in there, right? For all he knew it was just some daft coincidence and he was wasting another season of his life.
For one sweet moment in time, none of it mattered, as Ketz passed through the doors of the old café and back to his old seat. He waved at Lyla as he reclined into the shadows. She would come over and take his order when she was ready.
Soon enough she did. This time she tapped a notepad and chewed on her lip. Ketz tossed her an unenthusiastic wave. "Hi," he mumbled.
"Uh, hey. So… good timing, I have a message for you." The words trickled out with a dab of ambiguity.
"What’s up?" He scrounged up a little more attention for his friend.
"So you know how in school you’d get people claiming they saw that woman? Well, we got another. I mean, we get a few now and then but this guy I know called me up about twenty minutes ago and said he saw her."
A subtle spark lit up in his chest. "Yeah?" He wasn’t getting his hopes up.
"Jiraloke, you know the jokey guy from-"
"Agh," groaned Ketz with a visible shudder. "You believe him?"
"I dunno, I just thought I’d let you know." She was trying to be kind, it showed.
Ketz sighed into his own palm. "I’m not back a day and people are razzing me…"
With a silent open-and-close of her mouth Lyla struggled to form a sentence, but managed. "I don’t think anybody knows you’re here." Lyla shrugged. "I haven’t told anyone."
Well, that was something. "Really. Hm." Ketz sat up. "So what’s this one?"
Lyla flipped through her pad. "Well, according to him this one looks exactly like the painting you did, but I don’t know if he’s exaggerating, you know. Apparently this one’s got a kid- a snow leopard boy."
Now that changed things. "What?"
Lyla took the meaning in a different direction. "Sorry. I guess if she is your princess charming, she didn’t wait for you." Her sarcastic humour slipped in under Ketz’ radar.
There was no way. This was some cruel game. This was… now of all times? She had an awful sense of humour, this mystery woman. "Where’d he see this one?" Suppressing his hope was still the best option at this point.
"Wayside Café. You know, over by the-"
Ketz nodded and waved the conversation away. "Yeah, the one we egged that one time."
Lyla laughed a genuine laugh. The past flickered through her eyes. "Yeah…"
It was worth a shot. Ketz got up and hugged his friend. "We need to catch up properly. Maybe I’ll stick around for a few days."
"Please do."She smiled and hugged him back. "Good luck."
"Yeah, thanks," he muttered. "I’ll be back in fifteen minutes anyway, after I kick Jiraloke’s head in." So soon again he was back out and into the heat of the day. It never ended. What did he really have to lose, though? Nothing.
Aside from his patience… dignity… self-respect… time… his mind…
Everything started somewhere. As the song crawled to an end, the young man made his way up to the edge of the stage. That smile goaded him on. As she leaned over, glossy green hair covered her face. The fox-kin pursed his lips.
"H-hello…"
There was no warning. Sense and sight jarred him hard, body and mind. Thought threatened to freeze up in his brain. Some unseen hand squeezed his skull from the inside. The dream ended with a break. It didn’t come crashing to a halt like a train into a wall. The memory just… stopped with that face. Time froze, dead. End and blankness washed over his thoughts. Minds were made to move, they had to think. Blackness stole his breath. Neurons fired and stopped all at once. As the memory hardened up and sank back into the depths of its slumber it dragged him down, heavy as a rock. Death pulled him down. Ketz fought to keep alive, beating on the edges of the dormant memory to pull free. The edges of his brain began to harden.
"No!" He came loose like a slingshot. Reality popped back into his head as he returned to control of his body. Standing fell to kneeling as his mind had nearly left him. Kneeling turned to laying as he rocketed backward from the clock and rolled to safety. His brain began to function again. And fortunate that was as he looked back over his shoulder and into the darkness. Infinite reaches waited below, over nothing. Ketz scrambled to his feet as instinct dragged him toward the wall for grip… about halfway there sense came back. That was right,he thought, kneeling and panting. He was on a floor… a blasted… glass, stupid, pointless, glass, invisible-if-you-look-wrong floor of death. Ketz puckered his lips and thrust a threatening finger at the floor, as if that would somehow avenge something. Then he took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. This was much too much to come back to.
All things considered, this was probably enough studying for now. There were so many better things he could be doing with his day. Ketz got to his feet and placed his palm on the coloured mark by the door. It only took a minute or so for her to show up.
"Oh, hello. Is everything okay? Do you need help with anything?" She was more than willing to be polite.
"I’m done," said Ketz wearily.
The woman was surprisingly pleasant. "Oh, well, good timing. I just got all the information you asked for. Here." She surrendered a thin stack of papers over to the guest.
"Thanks. I guess that’s it." He turned to leave. Suddenly a thought slapped across the back of the head. "No, wait… there’s a… beach in this picture I saw. It’s on the timeline."
"Okay, let me see. Do you want information about it?"
Ketz strolled over and set it back to the right time, careful not to touch any details. "No, I just wondered if you knew where that was. Kind of curious."
It only took the lady a quick glance. "Oh, I know that place. Here, I’ll write it on the information for you, that way you don’t lose it." She took a page back and jotted down a name. "Here you go!"
"You’ve been more of a help than I deserve," said Ketz with a weary smile. He was done. After that the woman followed him back out of the room and down the spiral staircase. Finding the right door to the washroom must be a nightmare in this place. Never in his youth had he ever tried.
On the way out the receptionist kept her head down. Ketz gave an obligatory, apathetic nod to her as he departed. In response she gave another back-handed shooing. Admittedly that was pretty impressive for someone whose head and eyes weren’t in a direction to visually acknowledge his presence.
Then it was back outside and into the molten heat. It was a stroke of careful planning and luck to be wearing an open shirt and loose pants. Ketz wasted no time heading back to the Fia Strazza Café. The walk back was mostly uneventful. Most of the city could be described like that when one was minding their own business. On the way Ketz ran recent events through his head. So he was supposed to be finding information for some old men in Leetha’s Teeth about the Shades for… some reason. It helped them all. He was getting information about “Loma” or whatever it was… and now there was this memory, in a randomised moment in recorded history, that leapt out at him for reasons unknown. It was in the time of the Shades, so there had to be a reason it was hidden in there, right? For all he knew it was just some daft coincidence and he was wasting another season of his life.
For one sweet moment in time, none of it mattered, as Ketz passed through the doors of the old café and back to his old seat. He waved at Lyla as he reclined into the shadows. She would come over and take his order when she was ready.
Soon enough she did. This time she tapped a notepad and chewed on her lip. Ketz tossed her an unenthusiastic wave. "Hi," he mumbled.
"Uh, hey. So… good timing, I have a message for you." The words trickled out with a dab of ambiguity.
"What’s up?" He scrounged up a little more attention for his friend.
"So you know how in school you’d get people claiming they saw that woman? Well, we got another. I mean, we get a few now and then but this guy I know called me up about twenty minutes ago and said he saw her."
A subtle spark lit up in his chest. "Yeah?" He wasn’t getting his hopes up.
"Jiraloke, you know the jokey guy from-"
"Agh," groaned Ketz with a visible shudder. "You believe him?"
"I dunno, I just thought I’d let you know." She was trying to be kind, it showed.
Ketz sighed into his own palm. "I’m not back a day and people are razzing me…"
With a silent open-and-close of her mouth Lyla struggled to form a sentence, but managed. "I don’t think anybody knows you’re here." Lyla shrugged. "I haven’t told anyone."
Well, that was something. "Really. Hm." Ketz sat up. "So what’s this one?"
Lyla flipped through her pad. "Well, according to him this one looks exactly like the painting you did, but I don’t know if he’s exaggerating, you know. Apparently this one’s got a kid- a snow leopard boy."
Now that changed things. "What?"
Lyla took the meaning in a different direction. "Sorry. I guess if she is your princess charming, she didn’t wait for you." Her sarcastic humour slipped in under Ketz’ radar.
There was no way. This was some cruel game. This was… now of all times? She had an awful sense of humour, this mystery woman. "Where’d he see this one?" Suppressing his hope was still the best option at this point.
"Wayside Café. You know, over by the-"
Ketz nodded and waved the conversation away. "Yeah, the one we egged that one time."
Lyla laughed a genuine laugh. The past flickered through her eyes. "Yeah…"
It was worth a shot. Ketz got up and hugged his friend. "We need to catch up properly. Maybe I’ll stick around for a few days."
"Please do."She smiled and hugged him back. "Good luck."
"Yeah, thanks," he muttered. "I’ll be back in fifteen minutes anyway, after I kick Jiraloke’s head in." So soon again he was back out and into the heat of the day. It never ended. What did he really have to lose, though? Nothing.
Aside from his patience… dignity… self-respect… time… his mind…
