Sea of Memories [Job | Lester]

job:

Kiru stood out near the front of the slow wooden ship, along its bow. A hand on the railing as he cyan gaze scanned the fog before her, her senses carefully tuned to the surroundings as the boat trudged along the calm waves. It had been a while since she returned to this place. How long had it been exactly now? 1 year, maybe 2? She couldn't remember exactly, but no matter the length in time, she still remembered it all. From the smell of fish, and the taste of salt in the air. As it came into view, Kiru's thoughts trailed back to her first time seeing the island. Lavantir. Popular port island for all things sea related. Whether it be trade or fishing, this little island was the hub of it all. But it also had been something else. Her home. Not her original home of course, even Kiru didn't know where that was. But this place shared a special place in her heart. The first location of her guild, and the original home of many of the guild's inhabitants. Black Rose started out small on this little island. At the time, the place wasn't much, but everyone had thought of it equally as their true home. Sadly, it did not stay that way forever. The event with the malfunctioning robot had completely changed the guild forever. Their guildhall destroyed, and dozens of the guild wizards dead. They had no choice but to move to another place. Lavantir was no longer famous for the esteemed wizarding guild that once stood tall on the horizon. Nobody ever looked at the guildhall looming on top of the island with the hopes of fulfilling their dreams of becoming a wizard. In the old guild hall's place was simply a memorial. Dedicated to the brave wizards that gave their life to defend the guild from the rampaging machine. Kiru wished she could've done more at the time. If she had maybe focused on saving the lives of her comrades instead of fighting the robot herself, more could've survived the slaughter. Not that it mattered now, though. For now all she could do was pay her respects to the family she had said goodbye too. And now she was doing just that. The only reason Kiru was here was to honor the dead members of her guild. The ones that welcomed the young woman with split coloured hair as she walked in there alone and afraid for the first time 2 years prior. It didn't seem like many members of the guild these days remembered, or were even apart of that horrible scar in the guild's past. But Kiru was. She remembered every single detail. She would be damned if she let them fade from memory.

Many people had no idea where the Ace had gone, but for those that were curious would've found a note on her door explaining the situation. She had taken a few days off to travel to Lavantir and pay her respects, because it didn't appear anyone else would. She hitchhiked to the coast of Fiore, than bought a pass on the ferry which took her to Lavantir. Most of the people on the large boat with her were fishermen and traders. Many were also carpenters and ship builders. In addition to being the sea trading hub this side of the continent, it was also a rather busy ship yard. The ferry had drawn closer to the island now, Kiru staring at it as it passed by other large ships of fishermen and privateers. Many people from both the shoreline and the passing boats gave the girl many strange stares. She kinda stood out. If her black and white hair wasn't enough, her outfit would be. She wore her usual robes, but they had also been an even mix of the two shades, with a bright cyan outline. She payed little to no mind though, by this point Kiru was far too used to being stared at.

Finally, the boarding ramp lowered on the docks, and a line of people came walking out. Kiru followed soon, coming near the back of the line as she stepped onto the wooden dockyards observing the large amounts of fishermen, boats, and seagulls that flew around endlessly in the sky above. Smokestacks could be seen rising in the distance, and Kiru recognized almost everything. She took a moment to take it all in before facing forward again and walking down the dockyard. Several minutes later, Kiru had been climbing up many steps towards the center of the city. Her face blank and expressionless as she stared ahead. Finally making her way up to the final steps, she came across it. A large open courtyard, fenced off from the rest of the city. It was neat and tidy. No evidence of city pollution was here, and that is how she expected it. In the center of the courtyard was a single pillar, rising about 15 feet off the ground. Carved into it was a simple crest. Her guild mark. Upon seeing it, the sky began to turn dark. Black clouds slowly formed overhead and rain began to fall lightly at first. It soon fell heavier, but despite the angry look of the clouds, there was no lightning... No thunder. Just rain. The sound of the water hitting the stone slabbed ground and pillar were the only sounds Kiru could hear. Everything else was dead silent. She walked up to it, taking a knee in the wet ground. She bowed her head and let her hair soak in front of her face as she placed her hand on the plaque that was situated at the base of the monument. It listed the names of all the fallen wizards who gave their lives to defend both the guild, and the entire city from certain destruction. She said nothing, and did nothing else. She simply knelt there, staring at the names with her hand resting lightly upon the white marble. The rain being her only comfort at this moment...

1013/14000 Words.

Lavanitir Port City, the last time he had stepped foot in the city it had been an interesting experience, soon after going through immense changes to his life the tall man had been summoned to the aid of a city in need, being known to a fair few within the city had caused those who knew of his residence within a local in to drag him out from his relaxation. That time had been amusing and horrific, fighting something which he had very little memory of, only scars were the church he had ruined and a few needle marks on one arm. After tracking a few down strangers spoke of what had happened, only confusing him more as to what the true events were. Unsavory indeed that was a memory in which he had no positive notions towards. Static which haired flickered suddenly, shaking across his face as the thoughts were shook away. It would do little good to think in such a way. No matter, he was here now, dressed casually for once with earthy hues of brown reminding him of the soils from home. Home, it was an odd concept which changed with time and who you asked, whilst he had many homes there was one place he thought of when the emotional word was resurfaced in his mind. Memories whispering in his ear, images of soft winds rustling crops and bringing scents of harvest back to the house which he was born in, clovers for which the city was named after visible through traditional windows of a family space crammed with books, photos and scraps of paper with sketches varying in skill. Childhood, young days before he was mature, cribs and floating shapes above his bed to help him sleep. Sunsets which brought the evil monsters and dawns which vanquished all evil from the world. Although not the home he thought of initially it was still worthy of being called home. Neat and quaint, yet not cramped he remembered it as a wondrous farmhouse out of some fairy tale. Teenage days, even the later years of his childhood. What did that make five or six years perhaps. What decided if he could consider somewhere to be home? Was it time, months compared to years or was it a bond or a connection? Humans much like plants relied on the relationships with those who were around them to succeed. It was probably something to do with how closely one was tied with the place to tell if they truly called it home or not. His Grandparents was his second home, often travelling there between jobs or taking a holiday there he felt most comfortable expressing himself with the elderly family who had learned to love a man like his Grandfather. A small room came to mind, sun filtering into the room lighting up specks of dust as it shone across bookshelves with potted ferns, their luscious dark foliage cascading down each shelf. Soft bed by the window allowing him to read late into the evening however it would have been the desktop lamp which would encourage late nights of study and research, it had been the first time that Lester had a room of his own, it was small, shoved to the side of an otherwise neat layout next to the shop floor of the florists, smooth wooden floorboards cleaned everyday with the young lad. Gathering the scents of pollen and nectar around him it was a memory that came to mid easily. That place, yes, it held much in his heart.

Yet was it not his second, current guild? The first had lasted four months, Black Rose, an odd place which he had learned more about as time passed. It would have been dangerous for him to continue there however at the time would he have left the guild if the choice had been left up to him? Lester doubted it, despite being glad of the loyalty changes he doubted his former self to step away from the organization had someone not forcefully encouraged him to do so. A hand ran through his hair, smoothing it back as his head tilted to take the sun into his gaze. It was quite the guild indeed, his home. It was a word which he felt casual and confident in attaching to the travelling ship. Crystal Swan, what had it been three or four months already? Perhaps four or more, the worlds often seemed to swirl together inside his head. Yet it was nearing or passed the four month mark, Black Rose has been his residence for an entire four months, would it last longer than that or perhaps was he destined to only be contained for four months at a time. No no, it was indeed for Black Rose that he had initially come here, after being given a choice of locations one of his last escort jobs had left him in the city, meandering without reason seemed rather useless. Normally he would simply take up another job which would deposit him to another place.

Weariness, it showed like a wilted flower beneath his eyes as the mage drew a soft chocolate brown blazer closer around him, the hits of pink beneath. he had dropped his bags at a small inn earlier, only a small bag his staff and a scarf remained around his hip. Yet there were times when that was all he needed, large amounts of baggage only weighed him down when all he needed was an iLac, some money, a scarf and an over sized stick. His feet simply took him around he portside city, it was one that he wouldn't think of as a tourist destination, yet he had more energy bundled up in the form of emotions which he needed to channel into an activity. Who knows perhaps a circus was hiring performers. Lester Drynedi the elephant lifting florist. A slight chuckle escaped him during his stroll as the thought of someone asking the flower boy 'bro do you even lift' and them himself simply raising a bar with two cannonball like elephants attached to the end. This place, he needed something to focus on before his mind started congealing. Honestly who had dreams of lifting elephants unless something was off about their thought patterns.

Clouds gathered, natural for a country of magic the speed at which they closed in was one commonly experienced by fiore, encouraging Lester to take the coat resting over his bag straps and swirl it around letting the protective fabric flutter around him and settle across his shoulders. Hood flipped up in time as the small ropes tied it closed neatly. It didn't start off as a splattering, the rain so close to the sea simply came as a sheet, softly appearing above him instantly drowning the cobbles underfoot in tiny rivers. Dulled blossom eyes swept across the skies seeing little hope of it letting up, the rain drove people inside, yet with his residence here being in an inn it was sure to be full of robust conversations filling every corner with sound and voice. It put him off a little, the rowdiness which would await him at the building if he were to return. With with a waterproofed cloak protecting him from the rain surely he would be alright to stay outside as log as his body temperature didn't drop too much. His feet took him on pathways unknown until there seemed to be a trail of memories leading him somewhere, stories told to him of a place in this port city. It wasn't familiar, yet after it sprouting up in conversation the odd directions seemed to blossom in his mid like a map, leading to a rather relaxing place. Yet eerier at the same time as it currently housed only one other and a rather large bit of rock. He stood in the entrance to the area for a brief moment, allowing the entirety of it all to be cast under his gaze, the guildmark on the obelisk like memorial confirming his initial thoughts. Soft white hair swayed to the side as he unconsciously let his fingers dance up to his eyelid where a new guildmark lay. The rose vanished from his ankle months ago.

They looked familiar, probably from Black Rose here to pay their respects, it was an appearance which would be hard to forget so the youth figured that perhaps they had seen each other around the guildhall. Hand softly brushing the ground a small flock of carnations in soft muted hues of the dawn and dusk stretched forth, bursting ope from their buds into tiny fireworks. A neat pair of scissors to trim them off and one of the many ribbons he ended up tying around his wrists stretched around the simplistic bouquet. It was nice, a little rough perhaps yet the soft colours suited the occasion of rain shimmering down onto them. Inappropriate almost, he felt no need to spoke as he took a few steps forward to lay the bundle of memories at the ground. Although he had know none of them there was never an event i the world which didn't affect a person. Whether it be an old friend or his mentor the deaths of some of these people would surely have contributed to the way that he lived today. "My condolences, Kiru- right?" Had he gotten the name right? Cherry eyes wandering to the side of him where the other was. Perhaps he could convince her to retreat from the weather, or at least accept his coat.

Kiru continued to sit in silence as the rain pelted the surrounding area. By now her hair had been soaked, dripping on the ground below her shadow. Her hand had not moved from the small plaque, for some reason she couldn't will herself to do so. In all the years Kiru had experienced, this feeling she had inside her was somewhat... Different. She couldn't quite describe it. While her face continued to stair ahead with empty blankness, she was indeed not feeling the way she looked. Something that rarely happened with the demon slayer. She actually felt sorrowful now, remembering the faces she had briefly forgotten about during her time away from the small island where her guild originated from. Despite the feelings she felt now, however, she was still glad she had come. Kiru needed this. To remember the fallen. It wasn't something she could ignore any longer or forget. As far as she was concerned, this trip had been well spent. Well. Almost. She still had a few loose ends to tie here that had been long overdue, and the time was getting late. However, something strange would happen Kiru was not expecting.

Someone else had come, and they didn't simply move on like many of the other people who Kiru had heard walk by. Someone else had actually stopped. It was when the voice of the young man mentioned her by name, Kiru's interest finally piqued. She lifted her head slightly, standing up straight again, removing her hand from the plaque. She turned silently to stare at Lester straight in his red eyes. Her own bright blue still half open, but not at all less interested. She did not say anything at all, but simply stared at him. She had seen him before. His appearance seemed very familiar to the demon slayer. It took her a moment, but then she remembered. He had indeed been a member of her guild at one point. Although she couldn't exactly place his name. Strange. He might've been a member for only a short period of time. Although recently Kiru had been somewhat neglecting the social aspect of her position within the guild. She rarely interacted with new members, or had time to learn anything about them. That was mostly her fault though. Nonetheless, the man seemed to know who she was, or at least he somewhat knew. By the tone of his voice, he didn't seem overly sure if what he said was truth or not.

After a long hard stare into his eyes, Kiru's cyan gaze finally looked down to the flowers. It made more sense now. He had also come to pay his respects to the dead. That fact alone made Kiru happy. Even if this man had not been there during the events that had transpired on Lavantir two years prior, he was still kind enough to show his gratitude. Even if it wasn't his guild anymore. That much Kiru knew for sure. Without saying anything, the ace looked back up at him and nodded slightly, confirming that he had not messed up her name.

"You must've been part of my guild at one point as well, weren't you." Kiru said in a tone that sounded more like a statement than a question. "I have returned to the guild's home to pay my respects. I commend you for doing the same. Even if you no longer bare the mark." She stated flatly. Despite how her voice sounded, she was being quite genuine. She was truly happy to see that others cared, no matter where they came from, or who their allegiance was too.

1621 Words

His personality appeared to have matched his physical appearance. According to Kiru, anyways. She usually jumped to conclusions like that. Kiru liked to think people replicated their habits into how they took to making themselves. There was something calming about this man that she couldn't exactly put her finger on. He seemed kind enough, though. He went onto answer the demon slayer's question. Stating his name was Lester, and that he had left Black Rose along with her former co-worker Desiree who Kiru knew a little bit better. Now it was starting to make sense. While she couldn't exactly say she knew this Lester, his name did indeed sound very familiar. It was entirely possible she had heard it in passing on multiple occasions within the guildhall. Especially if he was friends with Des. They must've been close as well, sensing they left together to start a new guild. One Kiru knew little about due to its age.

The white haired wizard had closed his eye to show Kiru the guildmark of his new home. She did not react. That was a theme that had seemed consistent with Kiru. Even by watching her, it was obvious that she wasn't exactly what many would classify as normal. She seemed still, almost uncaring about most things. While this wasn't entirely true, it was simply what she looked like and she had no way of changing that. It was what ended up putting many people off. Lester, however, seemed to be perfectly fine with her stature. Either he was being polite, or he didn't seem to care much for it. She hoped it was the latter. He offered to take their conversation somewhere sheltered from the rain. Kiru had forgotten its presence. She then remembered that most people didn't really like the dismal weather all that much. Despite that, though, she still welcomed it. Of course she didn't want to make others uncomfortable, so she was inclined to accept his offer.

"Do you know a place?" Kiru stated flatly, walking passed him, her half closed eyes staring dead ahead with no expression on her pale face. Kiru wasn't much of a coffee drinker, she much preferred tea. Although most places that sold coffee usually had both as well, so there wasn't really any issue in that. Still, she was interested in getting to know Lester more. He was still a very mysterious character to her. She wasn't sure how much he knew about the demon slayer either. Other than her name and status as a guild ace, probably not much. Perhaps they could learn more about each other over a friendly conversation. Kiru still had a bit of time on her hands, and assumed Lester didn't have any plans either sensing how he made the offer. She was also interested in knowing what exactly he had been doing here on the island of Lavantir. Even if he was kind enough to drop by the memorial and pay his respects, Kiru doubted that had been the soul purpose of his journey here. Perhaps he was on a job. Maybe he wanted help? All the answers would likely get revealed to her soon.

2150 Words.