Post by Kilnarak on Nov 8, 2010 17:15:01 GMT -8
The waves beat a steady rhythm against the shoreline, tracing out esoteric patterns in sand and shell on the beach. There had been a shower earlier, just before dawn burned away the cloud-cover, but now the skies were clear and the water reflected them in deep cerulean hues. It was a nice enough day, and Romallyeh had intended to make the best of it - it was a decent enough excuse to get out of her grandfather's house, away from all of his books and bottles. She liked the quiet, this far along the coast, away from the city and all of its noise and bustle. She could almost imagine that she was alone, the only human eyes gazing across an alien shore - and it was alien, even if she had been born here, grandfather had told her again and again. Humans had not even been on Pohono for a century yet, and for all their trappings of cities and society, they might still be wiped away; perhaps the sea would swallow them all without a trace.
Of course the shadows of sails and fishing boats on the horizon ruined that illusion - she was not alone here, and the silence would only last so long - but still she would savor the quiet while it lasted. Romallyeh padded silently along, her footprints marking a clear path across the sand, moving parallel to the nearby cliff-face. She didn't have any real destination in mind, however eventually she would reach a track of shore that she had walked many times before, and likely would walk many more times still. Still, she didn't hasten her progress, stopping now and then to pick through wave-borne detritus left washed upon the shore; occasionally she would take an item and place it in the satchel at her side, more often however she would simply leave the kelp and sand in the heaps in which she found them. There were few enough treasures here today, the sea had been calm enough - perhaps there would be a storm soon, they always seemed to wash up intriguing finds.
Soon enough - perhaps sooner than she might have liked - the pallid wraith of a girl reached that well known expanse of beach. She paused here, then padded silently to a flat rock, fallen from so far overhead and half buried in the sand. The rock had been here since as far back as she could remember, perhaps it had been here even before she had been born. She had come here often, when she was younger, she and her sister making a sanctum of the stone - an altar on which they scrawled childish nonsense and left offerings of brightly colored shells and kelp. Not too far away, not more than a few yards, were more recent memories. Years later, Rhantelle had come back to this sanctuary, but it had been unable to protect her. She had already fallen too far, and perhaps she had only been a different sort of offering, one the sea had left instead.
Romallyeh wasn't sure she liked to think about it, but she couldn't help but wonder at the coincidence of it. She rubbed absently at a sigil carved into the rock - little more than a shallow scratch, really, and if it had meant anything once upon a time, it no longer held any meaning now. "Did she give you back, Rhan?" the girl mumbled, looking toward the sea. Of course there was no answer, although she half expected one - sometimes she heard whispers when she came here, but not now. "Did she mean to give you back to me?"
Of course the shadows of sails and fishing boats on the horizon ruined that illusion - she was not alone here, and the silence would only last so long - but still she would savor the quiet while it lasted. Romallyeh padded silently along, her footprints marking a clear path across the sand, moving parallel to the nearby cliff-face. She didn't have any real destination in mind, however eventually she would reach a track of shore that she had walked many times before, and likely would walk many more times still. Still, she didn't hasten her progress, stopping now and then to pick through wave-borne detritus left washed upon the shore; occasionally she would take an item and place it in the satchel at her side, more often however she would simply leave the kelp and sand in the heaps in which she found them. There were few enough treasures here today, the sea had been calm enough - perhaps there would be a storm soon, they always seemed to wash up intriguing finds.
Soon enough - perhaps sooner than she might have liked - the pallid wraith of a girl reached that well known expanse of beach. She paused here, then padded silently to a flat rock, fallen from so far overhead and half buried in the sand. The rock had been here since as far back as she could remember, perhaps it had been here even before she had been born. She had come here often, when she was younger, she and her sister making a sanctum of the stone - an altar on which they scrawled childish nonsense and left offerings of brightly colored shells and kelp. Not too far away, not more than a few yards, were more recent memories. Years later, Rhantelle had come back to this sanctuary, but it had been unable to protect her. She had already fallen too far, and perhaps she had only been a different sort of offering, one the sea had left instead.
Romallyeh wasn't sure she liked to think about it, but she couldn't help but wonder at the coincidence of it. She rubbed absently at a sigil carved into the rock - little more than a shallow scratch, really, and if it had meant anything once upon a time, it no longer held any meaning now. "Did she give you back, Rhan?" the girl mumbled, looking toward the sea. Of course there was no answer, although she half expected one - sometimes she heard whispers when she came here, but not now. "Did she mean to give you back to me?"
