Infiltration- Chapter One
Tahno sat crouched beneath the awning of Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, unable to stop the previous night's events from flooding into his mind behind closed eyes. With a gasp, he managed to tear them open, but he was still panting from the fear and pain the memory brought. Staring blankly at his hands, he listened to the hushed sound of the rain hitting the roof of the noodlery. "Tahno… You've been sitting here for four hours now…" The owner of the noodlery was standing in front of him. Tahno had been completely oblivious to his approach.
"What of it? You closin' soon?" Tahno wasn't sure he could manage dragging himself home at this point, but he knew the shop had only a few more hours left before its close. The shop owner sighed heavily.
"Tahno, do you want me to call a friend or something? I can't understand what you're going through, but I want you to understand that you're always free to come by. I can even get a special seat with your name embroidered on it if you want," the owner chuckled lightly.
"I appreciate your offer, but I don't need anyone's help." Tahno knew he couldn't act like a wimp in font of this guy or anyone else, so he managed to pull himself up from the seat and stumble into the alley. The rain was yet another painful reminder. He walked slowly towards the city's central park. He had no destination in mind; he just couldn't go home. The streetlamps illuminated the path into the park, and Tahno followed. After only a few minutes, he came to a small gazebo, murals of people, whether they were benders or not, going about their everyday lives in peace.
"So you were drawn here as well," a quiet voice called from the dim interior of the gazebo. Now that Tahno looked, he could see the outline of a figure.
"I was just leaving," Tahno replied grimly. He turned to go, but the girl stood and walked into the frame of the gazebo's door- her face now in line with the moon's rays. Tahno gasped in shock, and moved slowly toward the girl.
"You…" he whispered. He knew his life's direction was changing course with her appearance, but to what, he didn't know.
~To Be Continued~