spice & the seaside
Arha had woken suddenly in the sort of way one does when they have overslept and forgotten something terribly important. A date, a person, something massive, something life-changing--something that was no longer there. She had fallen asleep, not in her own bed, but at a terminal in the media library researching...something.
Energy, it looked like. Strange.
She couldn't remember why, but it hadn't been for herself. It had been for someone else. For the life of her, she didn't know who and it was a frightening thing. Like the Universe hiccuped and had stolen something from her. Many things. Many, many things. She pushed herself away from the terminal and frowned, running her fingers across the screen for a moment before she cleared it. What had she been doing? Why had she fallen asleep?
Her fingers caught the edge of her white cloak, which slipped away and hit the floor in a puddle of fabric. Arha stood stiffly and willed her muscles to ease as she bent to pick up the cloak. For awhile, she stood there, blinking at it, then carefully shrugged it over her shoulders and neatly clasped it. It swirled heavily as she turned and walked out of the room.
It felt cold, but the air was just as warm as usual, as it had always been. But she was cold.
Arha wandered for a long while, her steps indecisive, her path serpentine as she moved through corridors that seemed to have half-echoes lingering in them. Eventually, she found her way to a free Sensorium, searching for something. When she walked into it, the white space immediately rippled into desert, which changed into forest, which melted into jungle, that became a beach with a bright blood red tide washing up on black rocks. The sand was white, a shade darker than her own cloak. Upon the beach itself, set near a tide pool, was a bright blue tent pattered in clean, bold white designs.
She worked her way down to it, taking the carved black stone steps down from the embankment where brilliant silver leaved trees had taken root with their scarlet and Ibad blue veined leaves that paled blue at their tips. The white bark held whorls of powder blue that her fingers brushed as she left. The sand was warm beneath her boots, but the air was slightly cool, and as she stood in front of the tent, the waves crashed in, bringing with it the scent of salt. Arha stood there for a long while before turning to the massive tent. The smell of spice tea wafted in and for a moment, it was difficult to draw breath as a wave of emotion hit her.
I am missing something, she thought, but ducked into the heavily pillowed tent with its blankets and it's soft-lit lanterns. I am missing something.
A strange bird cried out and there was silence save for the crash of the waves against the deep black rocks. Arha sank to her knees and curled her fingers around the porcelain surface of a cup and let the heat of the tea sink into her hands.
Energy, it looked like. Strange.
She couldn't remember why, but it hadn't been for herself. It had been for someone else. For the life of her, she didn't know who and it was a frightening thing. Like the Universe hiccuped and had stolen something from her. Many things. Many, many things. She pushed herself away from the terminal and frowned, running her fingers across the screen for a moment before she cleared it. What had she been doing? Why had she fallen asleep?
Her fingers caught the edge of her white cloak, which slipped away and hit the floor in a puddle of fabric. Arha stood stiffly and willed her muscles to ease as she bent to pick up the cloak. For awhile, she stood there, blinking at it, then carefully shrugged it over her shoulders and neatly clasped it. It swirled heavily as she turned and walked out of the room.
It felt cold, but the air was just as warm as usual, as it had always been. But she was cold.
Arha wandered for a long while, her steps indecisive, her path serpentine as she moved through corridors that seemed to have half-echoes lingering in them. Eventually, she found her way to a free Sensorium, searching for something. When she walked into it, the white space immediately rippled into desert, which changed into forest, which melted into jungle, that became a beach with a bright blood red tide washing up on black rocks. The sand was white, a shade darker than her own cloak. Upon the beach itself, set near a tide pool, was a bright blue tent pattered in clean, bold white designs.
She worked her way down to it, taking the carved black stone steps down from the embankment where brilliant silver leaved trees had taken root with their scarlet and Ibad blue veined leaves that paled blue at their tips. The white bark held whorls of powder blue that her fingers brushed as she left. The sand was warm beneath her boots, but the air was slightly cool, and as she stood in front of the tent, the waves crashed in, bringing with it the scent of salt. Arha stood there for a long while before turning to the massive tent. The smell of spice tea wafted in and for a moment, it was difficult to draw breath as a wave of emotion hit her.
I am missing something, she thought, but ducked into the heavily pillowed tent with its blankets and it's soft-lit lanterns. I am missing something.
A strange bird cried out and there was silence save for the crash of the waves against the deep black rocks. Arha sank to her knees and curled her fingers around the porcelain surface of a cup and let the heat of the tea sink into her hands.