Thanks for the reviews so far. I will drop some comments:
Green Magi: I don't feel like lifting up the mood right now as it's not a funny situation the characters are in. Perhaps I'll add some humour in the future, but don't expect too much.
Erathia: I, too, think that Raine is worried about Lloyd. However, she always suppresses her feelings, or at least her reasoning is dominant. Maybe I've overdone it a bit, but I did it that way to have a more intensive conflict between her and Sheena. However, I'm glad that you see everyone else in character.
Silntjr: I don't know how many rheairds they have, but I thought four are enough - also, by letting Lloyd take one with him, there was another (minor) problem the others had to deal with.
Anyway, here goes the text. Please review if you like!
Oh, I almost forgot: Words in italic indicate thoughts. I usually do it that way - for some unknown reason I didn't do that in the former chapters.
Thoughts
The silence was only disturbed by the dull sounds of boots hitting the soft ground in a high frequency and by an even and deep breathing. Lloyd could barely see anything, but knowing himself to be in a wide and open grassland, he didn't care about the darkness and kept running as fast as he could.
Great, he thought, you're such a genius. You didn't think of what to do next, right?
Suddenly he stopped. Far enough? I think so.
Lloyd took a wing bag out of his pocket, set the rheaird free and mounted it.
Again, Lloyd didn't care about the darkness while he was flying in an undetermined direction. After some time staring into the blackness, feeling only the breeze in his face, the mind somehow stunned, he noticed the moon was leaving its hideout beyond the clouds. So he decided to check his position, descended to a lower level and slowed down the rheaird. Unfortunately, he couldn't spot anything indicating his current location.
I guess I'll stay in the woods tonight. Doesn't make sense to fly any further now.
Soon, Lloyd found a suitable place, landed his aircraft and looked around. This is gonna be a trying night. He sighed, then leaned against a big tree. What am I actually looking for?
It was daybreak when Lloyd opened his eyes again. He blinked, then began to stretch but stopped immediately, groaning painfully. With stiff limbs and additional groans he got himself up, his face showing clearly the effects of an uncomfortable sleep.
"Damn", he muttered. "I should have taken a sleeping-bag with me..."
His stomach was also awake and grumbled strongly to gain Lloyd's attention. Man, I would die to get my hands on some of Genis' cooking, I'm starving, he thought. Well, I won't get that chance so soon, I'll better forget about it.
Lloyd decided to look for some fruits or berries before checking out by rheaird where he was. Wandering around he found a shrub with some purple berries on it. Not being familiar with their kind, Lloyd scratched his head. How do I know they're not poisonous? Hm, can something that looks so tasty be poisonous? His hunger wiped away all doubts, so he picked some of the berries from the shrub and opened his mouth.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you", came a voice out of nowhere.
Lloyd was so scared by that totally unexpected sound that he dropped the harvest. After the first shock had faded, he quickly turned around to where he suspected the owner of the voice.
"Looks like I arrived in good time, my boy." The voice belonged to an old man with long white hair and an even longer beard in the same color. He had some wood in his arms, smiling friendly at the much younger boy.
This old man was certainly not dangerous, so Lloyd smiled back. "Oh, so they are inedible?"
The man nodded.
"Well, thanks for the warning then", Lloyd said, scratching the back of his head.
"I presume you are hungry?"
"Uhm, yeah - actually pretty much."
"I see. Then please, be my guest", the old man invited Lloyd.
"Sure, I'd love to!" Lloyd called out with joy.
"Very well then. Just follow me, my hut is not far away from here."
"Fine", Lloyd said as he joined the man's side. "May I carry that wood for you?"
"You're too kind", the man answered as he handed the wood over to Lloyd. "That's a great easement to my old battered bones."
Lloyd smiled slightly embarrassed.
"May I ask for your name?"
Lloyd suppressed the desire to answer this question with his usual saying. "Lloyd."
"Well, I am Geoffry, pleased to meet you, Lloyd", said the old man, indicating to bow.
"So am I", Lloyd answered doing the same.
"Say, Lloyd, I don't see any baggage of yours, so I'm wondering where you come from and what brings you here?"
"Uh -" Lloyd started, his ears turning red. "I... I don't know how to explain..."
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to", Geoffry offered.
"Nah, er... let's say I got into some trouble and need some time for myself to think about my situation", Lloyd said, not wanting the question to remain completely unanswered.
"Oh? Well, I suppose it's none of my business, but maybe I can be of help for you?"
"I don't think so - maybe", Lloyd replied. "Anyway, I don't feel like talking about it right now."
"Never mind. However, feel free to ask me any question you want to. I would be glad to see my experience of use for someone."
"Thanks, I will remember it."
The next minutes the two of them walked silently along a hardly visible path leading through the woods. Lloyd inhaled the fresh and moist air, but that suddenly made him even more depressed than before. Maybe Geoffry could really be of help? At least he had been successful in growing old, so he must have found a reason to live for, Lloyd presumed.
Geoffry's voice stopped Lloyd's flow of mind. "There we are", he announced, turned half around to Lloyd who walked behind him.
In front of them appeared a small hut, obviously in bad shape, covered with moss. "Oh, it looks... nice", Lloyd said - and to his own surprise actually meant it that way. "Really."
"Ah, it's only a shabby old hut, but it's cosy and shields from the weather", Geoffry said with a warm smile.
Inside the hut, a little fire was glowing underneath a small pot. However, Geoffry was right, it was a cosy place. Lloyd noticed a warm feeling spread out inside him, causing a pleasing shower to run down his spine.
The old man entered behind Lloyd and closed the door. "Oh, the fire seems hungry as well. I think we have to feed it before it's able to feed us, you agree?"
Geoffry's diction appeared a bit weird from Lloyd's point of view, but in a likeable manner. "Sure, I agree", he confirmed.
"As I expected. Would you hand the wood over to me then?"
"Here you are."
Geoffry knelt down by the fire, took the wood from Lloyd and placed it onto the flames. The way he did it seemed like he knew exactly where every piece of wood had its perfect place. "Marvellous!" The old man got onto his feet again. "I hope you don't mind having soup?"
"No, will be fine", Lloyd smiled. "What's it made of?"
"Oh, a little bit of everything. I don't have any meat because I can't go hunting anymore, but I'll put in some herbs, vegetables, mushrooms - practically everything suitable. You like it spicy?"
"Yeah, spicy sounds good."
Geoffry nodded. "Oh, make yourself at home and sit down!"
Lloyd looked around. There was a small table in the middle of the hut, two chairs and a bed on the opposite side of the fire. So he decided to sit down on one of the chairs.
In the meantime, Geoffry gathered ingredients out of baskets standing underneath the single window. He was humming a tune while he hackled all kinds of stuff, dropping them into the pot.
"Do you live here?" Lloyd asked after some time. "I mean - the whole time?"
"Yes, this is my one and only home. I prefer living on my own", Geoffry said without turning his head.
"I see... Isn't it lonesome?"
"That's what living on one's own is for, don't you think?"
Lloyd thought for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "Heh, I guess that's right. - And... for how long have you been living all alone?"
Geoffry halted his actions. "Well, I don't count years, but practically since my wife died."
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
"No, it's all right. It's good to think about her, even if it's somewhat painful. But that way I won't forget her." Then, he continued his work.
"It must be hard to lose someone so close..." Lloyd sighed.
"Indeed. But my wife lives on within myself as well as in our children and grandchildren. The most important thing when you lost a loved one is having others around you. That way, you don't lose yourself as well."
"Huh? What do you mean with 'losing yourself'?"
"Losing yourself in sorrow, desperation, memories. It is necessary to bear that in order to live on, to have your soul come back to life again. That obviously isn't an easy task, and when you have no one left standing by your side, when you are alone in your heart, then you will most probably fail."
"Sounds like it would be better to never be close to anyone..." Lloyd sighed again.
Geoffry turned around. "Oh, Lloyd, my boy, there must be something really depressing you, or else you wouldn't even think about saying that. I am glad to have had the time with my wife. In spite of the pain and suffering I had to go through I feel no regret."
"But - why does there have to be pain and suffering at all? I don't need it."
"No joy without pain. Think about it, Lloyd. If you wouldn't know what pain is, what pain feels like, how could you tell what joy is? If you have never seen the dark, how can you tell what light is? You can't dismiss the one without the other - and in my opinion, life would be worthless without a soul feeling it."
While Lloyd was thinking about it, Geoffry cleaned his hands, then stirred the soup. "I know life isn't easy", he said. "But only if you have to fight you are able to appreciate what you get. It is our nature to feel only the differences, the imbalances. If everything remained the same, we would be practically dead, lifeless. Life is motion, motion is change, change is death and birth."
Lloyd exhaled deeply. "Maybe you're right, but it's a stupid system." It's like Tethe'Alla and Sylvarant.
"Oh, is it?" Geoffry asked while he filled some soup in two wooden bowls. "Well, have some soup now, then you'll feel better." He sat down on the other chair, handing one bowl to Lloyd who couldn't wait to taste the soup.
"Whoa, this is really yummy!" he said with a wide smile.
"See?" Geoffry commented. "Would it be that way if you didn't know the feeling of hunger?"
Lloyd looked up from his bowl, seeing the old man grinning at him. He couldn't help but grin back. "Well, you got me this time!"
Soon, Lloyd had emptied his bowl. "Would you like some more?" Geoffry asked.
"If you don't mind", Lloyd said in pleasant anticipation.
So, Geoffry took the empty bowl, went to the pot and refilled it.
"Thanks", the younger one said before he turned his attention to the soup once more.
After also finishing the second bowl, Lloyd leant back and rubbed his belly. "Hm, that was just what I needed. You really know how to make soup."
"You're welcome", Geoffry nodded.
"Say, Geoffry", Lloyd began to speak, "you said that it is important to have others around when you have lost someone. So, I'm wondering why you decided to live on your own then since you lost your wife?"
"Oh, I never said that my wife's death caused me to live alone. It was some months after that when I moved here, so I had the time to mourn for her. My children and I helped each other to get over the loss we suffered."
"Hm, I see - so, why did you actually come here?"
"Well", Geoffry said thoughtfully, one hand holding his chin, "I never felt much comfortable with lots of people around me, especially when I didn't like their attitude."
"So you are annoyed of others?"
"Not in general. But in the village I used to live in there was practically nobody who shared my ideals or opinions, so I decided to leave."
Lloyd sighed. "Living on your own for sure has its advantages, but I don't think I could live that way. I wish I wouldn't feel so lonely."
"Oh!" Geoffry seemed worried. "So that's why you came here? Because you feel lonely?"
"Not only", Lloyd answered. "Yeah, that's one reason why I'm here", he shook his head, "Although I shouldn't feel lonely."
"How am I supposed to understand that? You shouldn't feel lonely?"
"Because... I've got some friends out there, and I guess they are worried about me right now, but..." He sighed again. "That doesn't change anything of the fact I do feel lonely - and it makes me confused that I don't even know why I feel this way."
"Hum", Geoffry murmured. "Maybe the loneliness you feel has nothing to do with friendship?"
"Huh? How do you mean that?"
"Well, maybe you are looking for someone special, someone to share your life with?" the old man assumed.
"But... isn't that what a friend is for?"
"I mean someone to share your deepest feelings with, your dreams and hopes, your fears."
Lloyd still didn't get the point. "Uhm, I do share all that with my friends..."
Geoffry laughed warmly. "Lloyd, my boy, I'm talking about someone to share your love with."
"Oh", Lloyd said after some time of silence. He stared at the table. "I don't know. I've no idea what love is like, so how can I tell I'm looking for that?"
"Well, you have this certain look in your eyes when you're sighing."
"Do I?" Lloyd asked, expecting no answer. "Can you tell me what love actually is?"
"Nobody can tell you what love is, you have to experience it on your own. Feelings, in a special point of view, are like colours. Imagine you had never seen any kind of red: How could anyone tell you in words what red looks like?"
Lloyd thought for a moment. "Hm, I guess there is no way to tell in words."
"Indeed."
"So, you're thinking I'm feeling lonely because I want someone to love me?"
"As well as you want to love someone. Yes, that is what I'm thinking." Geoffry explained.
"How do I know someone loves me?"
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't help you with that. It strongly depends on the person in question. Anyway, keep in mind that people may hide their love inside them."
"Huh? Why should they do that?"
"That's quite simple. To be in love with someone always means to be vulnerable. So, if you are afraid of being hurt or mocked, you keep your feelings inside yourself to not show any weaknesses."
"Then let me summarise: I'm looking for something I don't know and nobody can tell me what it is. Plus, even if I knew it, I probably wouldn't find it because people hide it from me. Great, I'm doomed..." With a dull sound Lloyd's head knocked onto the table.
"Don't give up that quickly", Geoffry advised. "It may indeed be a difficult task which takes its time, but nobody should die without having experienced what love means."
Lloyd raised his head. "You think that?"
"That is my opinion."
"Yeah... Anyway, as much as I enjoyed my visit here, I think I have to go now. And thanks for the soup."
"Well, all right. I hope I could help you out a bit. You can visit me any time you want."
"Thanks again, I'll keep that in mind."
The two of them stood up. Geoffry opened the door and followed Lloyd to the outside. "So, where are you going now?"
Lloyd scratched his head. "I don't know for sure. I don't feel like rejoining my friends yet, I need some more time on my own, maybe I'll just go for a walk first." Suddenly, something came to his mind. "Uhm, one question - I have no clue where I actually am, so..."
"How come you don't know where you are?" Geoffry wondered.
"Well, it was all dark and I didn't really care where I was flying."
"Flying?"
"Uh, yeah, flying", Lloyd said and blushed a little. I came here by aircraft - but that's a long story."
"Aircraft? Ah, well, doesn't matter. Anyway, to answer your question: Not too far to the south lies the southeastern monastery."
"Whoa! I've come so far? I really didn't pay attention on that trip."
"I presume you know the monastery, right?"
Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, I've visited it once with my friends."
"Good. If you can't find my hut again, just ask someone at the monastery, they should know the way."
"Oh, great. I'm sure I'll need their help", Lloyd grinned. "Well then, thanks again for your help. Good bye!"
"Take care of yourself, Lloyd!"
"Yeah, you too!"