Re: Arya Wanders In

[Guest]

Arya~

I smile and stand up with him, nodding slightly.
"Sure," I say.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I smile and walk up to the counter. I pay then walk with her outside. The air was cool yet not too cold, adn I smiled as I looked up at teh bright stars. A full moon had begun rising.

[Guest]

Arya~

I smile adn follow him. I look up at the sky as I step closer to him.
"Isn't it wierd, how even though teh moon is always the same distance from you, it looks so big rising, and so small once up in the sky?" I ask, tilting my head back to look up at the full moon.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I smile.
"Yeah, but even so, if you close one eye, it's never bigger than your thumb," I say, smiling down at her.

[Guest]

Arya~

I smile, raising one ahnd and closing one eye. I align the moon with my thumb, then open my other eye after a moment and let my hadn drop down to my side. I see him staring at me.
"What?" I ask, suddenly feeling selfconcious.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I brush my thumb under her eye.
"You just look tired," I say.

[Guest]

Arya~

I sigh and then smile small up at him.
"Yeah, I haven't had much sleep lately," I say.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I look at her.
"Why not?" I ask, starting to walk, but wait for her.

[Guest]

Arya~

I shrug, walking beside him.
"It's just been difficult these past few weeks. Well, months actually," I say, giving a short laugh.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I nod slightly, wondering is she was going to say more or leave it at that, and not wanting to press her on for answers.

[Guest]

Arya~

I look up at him.
"You sure you want to hear it?" I ask. I look around at the small town. Lanterns hung outside houses and people walked in teh moonlight. I see that we're angling towards the outskirts of town,a dn I can hear the ocean nearby.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I'm silent for a few minutes as we walked through the small town. When we reached the deep sand of the beach, I look back over at her.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'd like to hear it," I say, looking at the ocean. The water was dark, adn where teh sky met the water, it looked like neverending blue. Waves crashed against the shore, breaking before they struck even close to the deeper, dry sand.

[Guest]

Arya~

I look down at my feet for a few minutes, kicking at the sand. When we reach the wet, hard packed sand, I sigha dn stop, looking out at the water. The sea was beautiful in so many different ways; It loved and wept, sang for joy and crashed in anger. And no matter how many people tried, it evaded all their attemtpts to capture its spirit. It was free and wild, yet at the same time tame and gentle.
"I've been searching for my parents. My real parents, I mean," I say, glancing up at him before starting to walk down the beach in teh wet sand again, close enough to teh ocean for the water to lap at my heels. I take off my shoes and toss them onto the dry sand, marking off the place in my mind. Then I continue walking, and talking.
"And I was clsoe to finding them, too. But then people started to realize, took more interest in me, became suspicious of my qusestions... And they sent some people after me. Among them was my foster father," I make a face as I remember him, "and he claimed that I had taken things from him. Money, gold silver, some of his wive's jewels and jewelry. Which none of it I had done," I say, glancing back up at him before looking down at the ground again. It always looked so cool, while walking down a beach near teh water. It seemed like you were never moving in one direction as the water came up to you then retreated, as if you couldn't walk a straight line.
"They'd been chasing me for quite some time,a s they all believed what he ahd said about me. He said that I ahd been a problem child, threatening other kids my age, backtalking him, et cetera... It made me mad to be accused unjustly, and I told tehm so. They didn't listen, of course. Why believe an orphan whose parents had abondoned her than those who ahd raised her before I left?" I sigh, deciding I didn't need to go on. He could use his imagination to figure out the rest.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I'm silent as I listen to her speak, walking beside her the whole while. I had kicked off my shoes as well, letting the water come up to a little above my ankles as I walked on her right side.
"He sounds like a cruel man who just wants to make others feel bad and get stuff out of it," I say quietly, looking down at our feet. I then look over at her again.
"What are you thinking?" I ask. "It'll drive me crazy sooner than later when you're so silent like this," I say with a quiet laugh that faded gently into teh sound of the waves.

[Guest]

Arya~

I smile small, though it didn't reach my eyes, and nod.
"He is," I say quietly, lost in my thoughts as I stare out at the ocean. I almost jumped when his vocie broke through into my mind. Almost.
"Nothjing really, just what a beautiful night it is," I say, only half the truth. I wasn't sure how I could say the other half. He was so unlike most other guys I ahd met... And actually listened to. I sighed softly.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I watch her and nod slightly.
"It is,"I say softly, looking up at the dark sky, littered with stars and the bright moon.

[Guest]

Arya~

I look out at the sea, watching its crashing waves break near teh shore. I sigh adn walk to the softer, deeper sand and sat down, pulling my knees up adn wrapping my arms around tehm, lowering my head.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

Surprised, I walk over to her and sit down beside her.
"What's wrong?" I asked quietly, my voice low.

[Guest]

Arya~

I look up at him and manage to smile small.
"I'm still wondering if all this is a dream or not, or just another way for Them to hurt or kill me," I say, looking out at the vast ocean.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I nod.
"I can promise you I'm not, and I won't do anything to hurt you," I say softly, looking down at her until she met my gaze.

[Guest]

Arya~

I continue looking out at the ocean, but I can feel him looking at me. Finally I raise my head to look up at him.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I smile small at her.
"I won't do anything like that to you," I promise, taking her face gently in my hands and looking down at her eyes.

[Guest]

Arya~

I can feel my eyes getting hot and lean into him, moving so he can't see my tears, and cry silently.

[• Echo]

Murtagh~

I place a hand on her back and lay my cheek across her head. She was unlike anyone else I had ever met, and I wanted her. Yet I could tell she had been raised differently, and didn't want to push her. I was in love with her, but did she love me back? I ahd no clue.

[Guest]

Arya~

I cry until I have no tears left then raise my head to look at him, smiling small.
"I'm sorry," I start to apologize. I ahdn't meant to start crying, and it was embarrising.

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