Okay so the basic around this story is to get to the City of Lights they have to pass through forest and this is just a little one shot because I got feels from that promo.
They'd stopped for water at a passing stream and Murphy was desperate to get some rest after quenching his thirst. Everybody else was taking advantage of the water, but Murphy was keeping his distance. His feet were throbbing, his head was banging and he was over-heated like he'd never been before. His hood was up to try to cover his head from the sun rays, but even the semi-sheltered forest couldn't do that well enough. Emori had stopped to drink as well , but had quickly vanished again.
Murphy had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her. He was worried people wouldn't approve of having somebody they didn't know guiding them, but she was he most helpful thing they had if they wanted to find this City of Light. Using the techniques he'd learnt at camp, and when he'd had to fend for himself, he tracked broken twigs, disturbed forestry and tracked her path.
Eventually he found her. She was sitting on a log simply observing the forest and Murphy wasn't sure he wanted to disturb her. She looked so peaceful. He stayed hidden behind a larger tree for a few moments, simply making sure she was safe. Not that he wanted to admit it, but he wanted to look at her. She was beautiful.
"You do not have to hide." Emori stated into the air and Murphy slowly revealed himself, nervous at being caught.
"Sorry...I'll leave you alone." He muttered and turned to leave.
"Don't. You're the man who gave me water, are you not? What was your name?" She looked round to see him and nodded to herself as he introduced himself as John Murphy. "Thank you. Here. Come and sit with me John Murphy." She gestured to the space next to her and silently Murphy took the place next to her. They watched the world together for a minute or two.
"You do not talk with the others much." Emori pointed out. There was no accusation in her voice, she was stating a fact.
"No. We don't always agree on what to do mostly." Murphy explained.
"And you watch me." Again, she was simply stating a fact. Murphy was embarrassed. "Why?" She said, turning to face him. He noticed the richness of color in her eyes, the way they caught the light and he wore he could see flecks of gold glimmer in them.
"I'm sorry. I don't...I find you very interesting." He admitted. "To look at too. You're very beautiful." He said quietly, averting his gaze.
"Thank you." Emori said, smiling. She had a beautiful smile, he thought, it lit up her face.
"I like your tattoo." His eyes flickered over it. It fell from the tip of her forehead, as much as he could see, to almost the bottom of her jaw. The patterns were swirled and Murphy loved it.
"It is a symbol of my tribe. Back when we fought others, they marked themselves with these to show which side they fought for. Now the wars have ended, our tribes keep them to show where we belong. It makes me feel a part of something. Especially now I have lost my family. It also allows me to cover part of my face." Her voice was delicate and soft.
"You don't need to cover your face. There's no reason for you to be hidden." She turned to face him directly and her small hands reached up to touch the hood on his head. She slowly pushed it down so his hair was left uncovered. She could see small scars, cuts and faint bruises on his face.
"We all hid ourselves away John Murphy. I choose to hide behind my people. They are like my identity. That is clearly not the case with you." She referred to his dislike of the people he traveled, and he wondered about his concept. Emori reached back up and pushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
"I find you very interesting to look at too." She smiled again and this time Murphy couldn't help but give her a small smile too. "Except you do not have a tattoo." Murphy didn't really like about it, but he reached up and touched the very edge of her tattoo where he could see it on the forehead with the side of his thumb. She closed her eyes as he began to trace her tattoo down her face and eventually placed his fingers onto her cheek. Her eyes opened as she leaned forward and Murphy lent down and placed a very gentle kiss on her lips.
It could have lasted more than a second before Murphy move himself away and pulled his hands back.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He apologized and she got up. She took his hand in hers and squeezed very lightly. He looked up at her, this brand new woman who'd entered his life so suddenly, as Emori smiled.
"Thank you for the water John Murphy." And she began to make her way back to the others, leaving Murphy sitting their, stunned.
Hey, I know it was really short but I just wanted to write something. If you liked, please do review it and I'll think about writing something a bit longer!