*yawn*
She shuddered from the blast of icy air as it pushed the last of autumn's leaves amidst her feet. The leaves crackled in protest under foot but soon their cries of anguish were drowned out by the shouts and gales of laughter that filtered their way into the starry streets as she approached the building. Despite the noise, the buttery glow eminating from the foggy windows and her soul tugged her toward the tavern. A wash of familariy flooded her senses but then vanished as quickly as a footprint by the sea. Katyia blinked teh remanents of the confusing flood away concentrating intently to isolate the shrill and steady creaking of the sign overhead. Her eyes closed, erasing the faded image of a rearing horse and slowly the sound focused in her brain, rattling away any feelings of unease.
Finally at peace again Katyia shoved open the massive door and pressed her back on it to help her close it again. the intense warmth soaked into her exhausted form and caused her to realize how weary her feet truly were. She frowned silghtly as her fingers grazed her precious few coins in her pocket. She pulled the hood of her tattered cloak up further on her head, shrouding her face in shadow. She had no desire to deal with the brazen stares that seemed to follow in her wake. Katyia paid little heed to the bustling crowd surrounding her, and they granted her the same, too caught up in the latest gossip, or the news and tales of the most recent of the merchant arrivals. The sounds around Katyia slowly muddled themselves together into a buzzing din as she sank into an empty seat in a shadowy corner.
She sank deep into the reverie of her ephemeral thoughts. Something about this town had kindled a tiny spark of comfort and familiarity within her soul but this tavern blazed the sensation throughout her body. Her eyes drifted closed as she enveloped herself in teh safety of the sensation, it was glorious.
"Excuse me," a masculine voice drifted into her cozy reverie. Oddly in seemed to fit into the auora of famliarity. "Excuse me," the voice rang louder in her head, jarring her from the slumber she didnt recall falling into. "I'm closing for the night, you need to leave." Katyia blantantly stared into the startling green eyes.
"Yes, of course" Katyia finally managed to stammer her reply. She reluctantly rose from her seat and collected her pack that had fallen under the table. She had mad a few steps to door when she felt eyes watching her intently. She turned and saw the bartender staring at her in wide-eyed bewilderment.
"Katyia?" The name softly dropped from his lips but still it resounded loudly through the empty space between them.
Katyia jumped at the stranger knowing her name and her hood slipped the rest of the way off her head. Flustered at the turn of events Katyia quickly turned back towards the door. "You must be mistaken." She hurried toward the door, now questioning her decision to go by the name she had found in the front of that book.
"Wait!" The tavern owner shouted and Katyia finally paused to let his harried steps bring him closer. "If you aren't Katyia, then what is your nam? I am Marius," he paused to catch his breath, "Falnor."
"I do go by Katyia," she sighed, "but whether that is truly my name I do not know." She fumbled about in her pack and extracted a dark, leather bound obok. Turning it over to display the embossed horse silhouette, she showed it to Marius. "I took the name written in the front of this book for lack of a better guess."
"That is Katyia's." Marius confirmed by simply looking at the cover. How could he forget it, since he was the one who had given it to her. "You must be Katyia. Don't you remember me?" He pleaded with her.
It made Katyia's heart break to see the look on his face. "I'm afraid, sir, that short of a few months ago I remember nothing at all."
He cleared his throat, clearly trying to compose himself. "Well, I don't suppose you would be interested in staying in town for a while? I could use an extra set of hands around here. I would be willing to provide board in addition to your wages." Marius desperately tried to convince himself that this was someone who simply looked like the Katyia he knew. But the odds of finding, no coming across, another elf with the rare quality of brown hair was nearly impossible. It had to be her. That scar arcing across her left cheek was worrisome indeed, friend or stranger.
Katyia's thoughts spun about in her head. Something in her heart screamed to take the offer, but her brain warned against the wisdom of it. No matter how badly she needed shelter for the winter and money, it wasn't worth breaking this elf's heart if she wasn''t his Katyia. "Yes, I'll give it a try." The words sprang from her mouth efore her brain had finished milling things about.
"Excellent. If you will follow me Miss Katyia." Katyia inwardly sighed with relief as it appeared Marius had finally dismissed the resemblences. "Here it is, it's not much, and anything you find in there you are welcome to use." Katyia stared at the iron key in her hand in silence. "Tomorrow I will show you around."
She nodded a response and quickly ducked into the safety of the room. Before she could get the door shut all the way a frozen ball of fur wound its way about her ankles, mewing estatically. "Hello there, you seem to have the same fool idea as that barkeep. She picked up the massive brown cat and walking over tapped the candle on the bedside table, it sprang to life, adding to the plentiful moonlight. She deposited the rumbling cat on the bed and dropped her pack on the floor. Exhausted she didn't even bother unmaking gthe bed and falling on it next to the cat fell asleep.
Finally at peace again Katyia shoved open the massive door and pressed her back on it to help her close it again. the intense warmth soaked into her exhausted form and caused her to realize how weary her feet truly were. She frowned silghtly as her fingers grazed her precious few coins in her pocket. She pulled the hood of her tattered cloak up further on her head, shrouding her face in shadow. She had no desire to deal with the brazen stares that seemed to follow in her wake. Katyia paid little heed to the bustling crowd surrounding her, and they granted her the same, too caught up in the latest gossip, or the news and tales of the most recent of the merchant arrivals. The sounds around Katyia slowly muddled themselves together into a buzzing din as she sank into an empty seat in a shadowy corner.
She sank deep into the reverie of her ephemeral thoughts. Something about this town had kindled a tiny spark of comfort and familiarity within her soul but this tavern blazed the sensation throughout her body. Her eyes drifted closed as she enveloped herself in teh safety of the sensation, it was glorious.
"Excuse me," a masculine voice drifted into her cozy reverie. Oddly in seemed to fit into the auora of famliarity. "Excuse me," the voice rang louder in her head, jarring her from the slumber she didnt recall falling into. "I'm closing for the night, you need to leave." Katyia blantantly stared into the startling green eyes.
"Yes, of course" Katyia finally managed to stammer her reply. She reluctantly rose from her seat and collected her pack that had fallen under the table. She had mad a few steps to door when she felt eyes watching her intently. She turned and saw the bartender staring at her in wide-eyed bewilderment.
"Katyia?" The name softly dropped from his lips but still it resounded loudly through the empty space between them.
Katyia jumped at the stranger knowing her name and her hood slipped the rest of the way off her head. Flustered at the turn of events Katyia quickly turned back towards the door. "You must be mistaken." She hurried toward the door, now questioning her decision to go by the name she had found in the front of that book.
"Wait!" The tavern owner shouted and Katyia finally paused to let his harried steps bring him closer. "If you aren't Katyia, then what is your nam? I am Marius," he paused to catch his breath, "Falnor."
"I do go by Katyia," she sighed, "but whether that is truly my name I do not know." She fumbled about in her pack and extracted a dark, leather bound obok. Turning it over to display the embossed horse silhouette, she showed it to Marius. "I took the name written in the front of this book for lack of a better guess."
"That is Katyia's." Marius confirmed by simply looking at the cover. How could he forget it, since he was the one who had given it to her. "You must be Katyia. Don't you remember me?" He pleaded with her.
It made Katyia's heart break to see the look on his face. "I'm afraid, sir, that short of a few months ago I remember nothing at all."
He cleared his throat, clearly trying to compose himself. "Well, I don't suppose you would be interested in staying in town for a while? I could use an extra set of hands around here. I would be willing to provide board in addition to your wages." Marius desperately tried to convince himself that this was someone who simply looked like the Katyia he knew. But the odds of finding, no coming across, another elf with the rare quality of brown hair was nearly impossible. It had to be her. That scar arcing across her left cheek was worrisome indeed, friend or stranger.
Katyia's thoughts spun about in her head. Something in her heart screamed to take the offer, but her brain warned against the wisdom of it. No matter how badly she needed shelter for the winter and money, it wasn't worth breaking this elf's heart if she wasn''t his Katyia. "Yes, I'll give it a try." The words sprang from her mouth efore her brain had finished milling things about.
"Excellent. If you will follow me Miss Katyia." Katyia inwardly sighed with relief as it appeared Marius had finally dismissed the resemblences. "Here it is, it's not much, and anything you find in there you are welcome to use." Katyia stared at the iron key in her hand in silence. "Tomorrow I will show you around."
She nodded a response and quickly ducked into the safety of the room. Before she could get the door shut all the way a frozen ball of fur wound its way about her ankles, mewing estatically. "Hello there, you seem to have the same fool idea as that barkeep. She picked up the massive brown cat and walking over tapped the candle on the bedside table, it sprang to life, adding to the plentiful moonlight. She deposited the rumbling cat on the bed and dropped her pack on the floor. Exhausted she didn't even bother unmaking gthe bed and falling on it next to the cat fell asleep.