7 year old Josie eyed the man on the swings with more with curiosity than wariness. Mostly because he seemed so…sad. Now her adoptive mother would never condone her approaching a stranger but she couldn't just ignore the fact that he looked so forlorn. While Khayali may not have wanted to her to speak to strangers, she DID raise her to care. With this in mind, the child squared her shoulders and marched over the swings, plonking herself down on the spare one. "Are you ok?" she enquired, making the man glance at her.
"Just peachy", the brunet replied.
"No you're not", Josie argued.
He raised a brow "oh? And how you would know if I weren't?"
"You look…sad", the 7 year old states "Like you lost something…" Josie studied his face "or someone". A flicker of pain flashed across the man's features, too quick for a normal person to have spotted but the blackette was not normal.
He chuckled "you're awfully observant for a kid", he remarked.
"Yeah, my mum often says that about me", Josie admits "I don't know why I just…notice things people wouldn't. Anyway", she cleared her throat "who did you lose?"
"A friend", the man answered "a real bright spark. She was also kind, compassionate, loyal to a fault and more than willing to give her life for her loved ones…something I wasn't so keen on", he added with a mutter.
"She was more than just a friend, wasn't she?" Josie whispered, putting two and two together "you loved her".
"Love", the brunet corrected "I love her and I always will".
"I hope you don't mind me asking but how did she die?" the child tentatively enquired.
The man shook his head "she's not dead. Just…lost", he corrected. He sighed and sat back, causing the swing to sway slightly from the movement "and I've looked everywhere".
"But…it that were really true, you would've found her by now", Josie couldn't help but point out, as a child does.
The brunet chuckled again "I suppose that's true. My plan probably wasn't the best one either: just wander about a bit and chance that I might bump into her. You know, like destiny".
"Destiny?" the girl scoffed, brows raised "sorry mister but that's rubbish. My friend Clara…well she's more like my little sister to be honest…" the blackette admits "anyway, whenever Clara loses something, she goes to a quiet place, closes her eyes, and then she remembers where she put it".
The man considered her words "that's not a half bad idea, I'll give it a go", he told her.
"It'll work, you'll see!" Josie hopped off of the swings "I must go, my mother will be starting to get worried. Good luck!"
The brunet watched her hurry away, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk. "Don't need luck, little fox", he murmured "not when I found what I'm looking for". A shadow fell across his view and its owner caused his look of triumph to turn into a scowl.
"I told you to stay away", the newcomer warned, anger held in the emerald depths of his eyes.
"Well…hello to you too brother", the man on the swings greeted, his signature dangerous smirk gracing his face.