Chapter 2's up. I had this one sitting on my computer for a while, actually. I couldn't get any of my editing buds to actually read and do this, so if there are any flaws that I missed on my editing sweeps, I'm sorry, and please point them out to me. Reviewing is always a nice thing to find when you check your email or something. :3 Please and thank you~ Please enjoy!
Serena waited until she was certain Anders was truly asleep before sitting up and walking over to the cliffside to gaze at the moon. The fire crackled from the pit that held it, oozing warmth through the entire cave-like structure. She sat down on the cliff and let her long legs dangle from the side. She rubbed her chest just under her collar bone, feeling a scar throb unusually. She looked down at it and caught a glimpse of an impressive "x" shaped scar that took up the majority of her left side, curving around her breast and all the way around to her back. She wondered how she had gotten such an impressive mark-and she wondered if it had anything to do with her memory loss. Extreme physical trauma and near-death-by-drowning could probably cause significant damage that her mind simply locked down.
Despite all of her mental blankness, Serena felt very composed. Perhaps she was merely a very calm person by nature and circumstances, no matter how dire, could not ruffle her. It was a good trait to have, she felt. If she did not panic, she would be able to surgically pick apart her situation and find out why she was here. She knew the best place to start would be to ask around villages.
She looked back at Anders, sleeping sprawled out on his little bedroll. He smacked his lips and rolled over, almost as if he was aware she was watching him. He was a kind creature, she could tell. Genuine by nature and eager to help her find what she was looking for. She did not know why he would wish to do so, but she would not stop him.
She turned her vivid gaze to the moon. She felt as though she had a purpose. There was a drive in her that she sensed was from her old self, but what that drive was pushing her to do, she had no idea. She gracefully got up and walked back to the fire, feeling a slight sense of wanderlust.
Serena. Who is Serena? I am not merely some average being. I am a warrior-a soldier? She flexed her body and felt her muscles respond happily. She was missing something-she supposed it was the sword that she was aware of losing. If it was important enough that her trauma could not make her forget, it was obvious she had to find it or get a new sword. She gazed into the fire, feeling annoyed that her memory wasn't responding with memories.
"Serena?" Anders' voice made her sit up. She looked around for a moment, realizing she had fallen asleep on the ground by the fire pit. Anders stretched and rubbed a hand through his messy hair, "How are you feeling?"
Serena rubbed her neck, "I have been better, I believe. When will we be able to leave for the village?"
He jumped from his bedroll and slipped on a pair of boots and a shirt, "After breakfast, maybe?" He yawned and said, "We could go down to a bath house and let you shop around for some clothes, if you want. I've-"
Serena stood up and walked over to him, "I do not want new clothes." She motioned to her current clothing, "These are enough. I do not require much maintenance. Do not waste your coin on me."
He shrugged, "I work at a pub down in the village every now and again. Pays pretty well, usually, so you don't have to worry about wasting my money. I'd happily help in any way so you can get your memory back." He laughed, "I'm sure you're going to want more than one set of clothes-it gets boring wearing the same thing, doesn't it?"
She sniffed, "Practicality is better than frivolity. I suppose I should have a spare set of clothes for when I must clean this set. If it will make you happy, we shall shop some. Perhaps I got supplies here…the shop keepers may recognize me."
Anders nodded and picked up a coinpurse and a little bag of food, "Here's some dried meat." He threw a piece to Serena. She snagged it from the air with a blurred motion and nibbled on it idly while she impatiently waited for him to somewhat groom himself. Once Anders was ready to go, she followed him out of his den and listened while he chatted about how the village was such a pleasant place to be, and if it wasn't such a hard place to find a territory in he'd live there, and then she listened to him babble more and more about the interesting people that often blew in-the town was apparently a major stop for travelers.
That thought gave her hope. Perhaps she had visited here previously. It might explain how she ended up on the beach nearby.
They walked in silence for a time. Serena found herself glad for the quiet, enjoying the way the rocky ground suddenly began to shift into a grassy, meadow-like area. The valley was rich and full in contrast to the rugged mountains. The buildings were made of stone and wood, hanging metal signs indicating places of business. Children romped in the streets while their parents worked. Many travelers with beautiful weaponry and armor wandered from store to store, packing their bags, split up into groups that had a brotherly, team-like feel.
One such team was leaving the village as Serena and Anders were drawing near. They raised their hands in greetings, "Ho! Anders, how are you, brother?" The lead man removed his helmet, revealing a face that was vaguely like Anders'. The tall man smiled brightly and said, "Coming down to work today?"
Anders seemed to shrink down in the presence of the powerful, but obviously friendly man. "Oh, well, not today. I'm helping Serena, here" He motioned to where she stood, appearing bored, "Ask around the village about some personal issues. You travel a lot, Callan, have you ever seen her before?"
Callan examined her for a moment. She narrowed her eyes as his eyes lingered too long over her curves. He scratched his black beard and laughed, "I'm afraid not, little brother. Good luck finding whatever it is you're looking for. If you need help, ask me and my boys! See you around, Anders." He put his helm back off and tromped through the woods, dual blades strapped to his back clinking with the movements. His silent companions followed close behind.
"You have a brother?"
"He's a complete tit." Anders scrunched up his face in distaste, "He always likes to rub it in my face that he passed the exam for becoming an exploration team apprentice when we were younger and I didn't. So now I'm sort of like the bum of the family."
A sudden jolt ran through Serena's blood, "Exploration team, you say? What do they do?"
Anders started walking into the village, explaining carefully, "They discover treasures and help injured or lost folks find their way home. Only the best warriors or magic users are ever any good. Some of them take down crime bosses in their personal 'dungeons'. My brother is one of the crime fighters. He's got an ego so big that it just….urk. It doesn't help he can use his aura powers to influence people. He always makes a point to make me feel like he's superior."
Serena almost smiled, "I see this is a sensitive subject." She suddenly looked at the building that Anders was heading towards, "Where are we going?"
"Bathhouse. I feel absolutely disgusting. You need to clean up, too. And they'll wash our clothes while we're in the baths! It's such a nice place."
With an impatient sigh, Serena said, "Very well. But I wish to hurry. I feel as though there is a pressing matter at hand."
Anders rolled his eyes and walked inside, pushing open the door. Steamy warm air escaped as Serena slipped in afterwards, examining the large foyer with her normal deadpan expression. A slender, round-faced woman was sitting at a desk, a large sign in book open in front of her. She was wearing a gauzy blue dress and wore her long, dark blue-black hair in an intricate style, using a hairpiece that resembled fins to hold up parts away from her face. Her eyes were reading over the sign-in book.
"Hey, Lena." Anders tapped the desk.
"Anders! What a pleasant surprise!" Lena purred in a slurring, smooth voice. "What can I do for you today?" She put her hand on her cheek and waited for him to answer.
"Oh, well, I need two sets of clothes washed and then I need two sets of toiletries." He set out the proper amount of money and handed it to the woman that was obviously of a vaporeon bloodline. Serena waited behind Anders, running a hand through her long, unkempt hair and pursing her lips to examine the large building further.
The floor was smooth wood up until it reached two doors that stood across from each other, closed by two heavy curtains. Steam escaped from above the walls that came from each room. Serena guessed that each area was a large bath for each gender. Anders seemed finished flirting with the pretty Lena and he turned around to Serena with a smile.
"Alright, you just go in there and someone will help you out." He handed her a basket with various items that smelled very earthy but clean and pointed her to the door on the right. Serena took the basket and sighed before trudging into the room.
A voluptuous but short woman with thick reddish blond hair was sitting on a chair, reading a leather-bound book. She wore a pretty red dress with no embroidery on it. The woman smiled and said, "Oh, hello! I'm Liza! Are you a new customer? I've never seen you before. What's your bloodline?"
Serena expelled air tiredly, "I am a zoroark." She explained. A 'bloodline' determined what sort of fighting a person might be good at or what type of magic that person could access-Serena remembered that knowledge especially well. She would have guessed this woman was a flareon.
"Oh, your kind are very rare, I hear. Not a lot of them around. When'd you come into town?" The short woman sat her book on the chair and stood up, dusting her outfit off to knock out a few wrinkles.
"Washed up yesterday." Serena shortly said. "Now, what am I supposed to do aside from bathe?"
"Well, I'm guessing you're getting your clothes washed as well. Give them to me and I'll take them and get started on washing them while you just hop in the baths-use the water spouts there for your initial clean up, and then you can soak up in the tubs when you're done scrubbing."
Serena did as she was told and tossed the clothes where Liza directed. She slipped into the bathing room and felt the warm tiles on her bare toes. She slunk over to an open area where water poured from a spout hooked to the wall. A few other women were relaxing in the two large bathtubs and one other was using a spout. Serena, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the other people, scrubbed herself down quickly, hoping the heavy steam would cover her up better than the tiny towel included in her basket of toiletries. Once she had finished, she scurried back to the bathtub and quickly got in the warm water.
One of the women said, "Hello. You new to Crossroads?" She was heavyset and muscular, with short black hair. Serena noticed she was eyeing the massive scar that leapt, shiny white, from her otherwise bronzy skin.
Serena nodded, not feeling like socializing. They obviously had never seen her before. She ran her hands through her heavy hair and tried to remove a few especially bad tangles with her nimble fingers.
The heavy woman continued, "Well, my husband owns a stand for food in the market if you're going to need any food for travels. What brings you to our town?"
She considered for a moment before saying, "I am looking for anyone that may have seen me previously. I…have lost a great portion of my memory. Have you heard anyone mention anyone that might fit my description…or…?"
The woman shook her head, "Sorry, I'm afraid I haven't. You can try with the other shopkeepers, though, they may have seen you."
A shy girl with hair died green and lily white skin spoke up in a dainty voice, "You could also try to ask the Guild Master at the local Explorer Federation Lodge. He's very knowledgeable, I'm sure he'd be able to help identify you." She shrank back as everyone suddenly turned their gaze to her.
Serena thanked her and relaxed in the water, feeling slightly more comfortable. Her waist-length hair floated around her impressively. The women returned to their idle gossip.
After she felt sufficiently clean, Serena removed herself from the water, wrapped up in the second, fluffier towel she had been given and walked out of the tile floored bathing room and into the room that had all the little cubbies where regulars kept their things. Liza called over to her and told her where to find her clothes. Serena finished drying off, slipped on her clothes, ran the brush that came with her basket through her hair and then asked, "Liza, where do I put these things?"
"Well, Anders just said to give you a cubby, so how about…this one." The round woman pointed out an empty little shelf. Serena placed her basket on it and memorized its location before thanking Liza and walking out of the hot room, glad to finally have that part of her day past.
Anders was sitting on a bench near the door, looking impressively handsome in his freshly washed clothes. Serena's own clothes felt much nicer now that they had been taken care of.
"Ready to explore the stores?" She asked coolly. Anders looked up, seeming as though he had been completely zoned out. His eyes widened as he took in her complete presence.
"Er…uh…Yeah. You," He coughed, "You look nice."
Serena raised an eyebrow, "Thank you." She walked outside of the building.
"Goodbye, Lena!" Anders waved his hand at the woman.
She purred, "'Bye, Anders…"
Anders flushed a bit and ran a hand through his slightly damp hair, "Well, let's see…what store do you feel like you'd have most likely gone to?"
"Perhaps a blacksmith's or a travel goods store?" Serena looked over at the series of small buildings that made up the market.
"Well, how about I go check the nearest goods store and you can go to the smithy? We'll meet up there." Anders split up from her and walked into a medium sized building.
A few shop owners were hawking their wares from the streets, calling from beside their stone stores. The familiar ring of a blacksmith's hammer pulled Serena like the moon might pull the tide of the ocean.
She walked into the open forge to see a huge man hammering away at a lithe, gorgeous sword blade . His eyes were burning with fire as he channeled his unnatural strength through each blow, forcing the hot metal into shape. He dipped the blade into water to cool it and sat back for a moment, wiping sweat from his brow. He noticed Serena looking at the various weapons hanging from the stone walls.
The man had black hair and a thick, heavy beard and eyes as red as the fire he worked with. "Greetings!" He called in a booming voice, "What brings you to my humble smithy?"
"A question." Serena said calmly in response.
The smith leaned over his anvil, using his hammer to balance himself, "And the question is?"
She turned to face him, "I was wondering if I have perhaps come into your smithy before." She could almost feel that she had never seen the place before.
Shaking his head, the smith responded, "I'm afraid not. I don't forget my customers." He tugged his beard.
Anders came walking into the smithy with a sack of items. "Oh, hello Master Emmett." He turned to Serena, "No luck there. No Zoroark woman has even set foot in this town before, if I'd have my guess about it."
Disappointment crushed unexpectedly down on Serena. She looked down at the ground, "I have had no luck as well." She felt a strange surge pulse through her body, an alien sensation.
Anders' eyebrows furrowed. He grabbed her shoulder and whispered, "Are you alright? You're almost choking me with that really disappointed feeling…"
She crushed the emotion as though it were some sort of monster, feeling disgust that she had allowed it to surface at all. She looked Anders in the eye and flatly said, "I am merely frustrated. There must be something. We could check the other stores just in case, yes?"
"Of course." Anders seemed perplexed over her sudden void where emotions should have been. Serena did not like the concept of emotions, let alone feeling them. She couldn't even fathom how the poor man functioned when he could feel everyone else's emotions.
Their day was long and unsuccessful. It seemed that Serena had never existed-let alone visit Crossroads. She sat down on a stone bench that was beside a large inn and put her head in her hands with a deep sigh. She felt almost hopeless.
Anders sat down beside her and put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, "Hey, don't look so down. I'm sure someone's got some kind of lead. We'll figure this out."
Serena rubbed her temple, "I know I should be at least getting small memory jolts-something. But there's nothing here. This is frustrating, to put it lightly." She kept her voice frigid even though her insides were blazing with frustration. She suddenly sat up, "Wait. A girl told me earlier that we could ask the Guild Master at the Explorer Federation questions like this. Do you think we could go there? Do you know where it is?"
He recoiled as if slapped, "Oh. Well. U-um…" He bit his lip and looked away, "I know where it is, I just don't think we'll get in. They can be kind of particular…We may have to be an exploration team…"
Setting her jaw firmly, Serena said, "If it will get my memory back, I will form an exploration team and explore the entire area around this village until I find information. I'll do anything. Anders, you don't understand." She shook her head, "There's something out there I'm supposed to be doing. I have to find what it is."
Anders looked into her eyes for a long time, his expression actually becoming quite guarded and serious. He finally conceded, "Well, let's go to the Lodge. I promise I'll help you find whatever you're looking for." He started walking towards the mountains before stopping. He spun around and clapped his hand over his forehead, "We never went shopping for clothes!"