Zanna lies down in the grass a distance away from the Tavern, looking up to the stars in the sky. "I wish my father were here.", she thinks quietly to herself while reaching down and kissing her pendent.
She then stares up to the stars once more and drifts off into a light slumber...
Nine year old Zanna runs through the forest screaming out for her mother. "MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?!", she screams out desperatly. As she runs through the forest she trips on some brambles and sprains her knee. She lies on the forest floor not moving, al you can hear from her are sobs from her mother. All of a sudden she hears her name being screamed by her mothers voice. "MOMMY!", she screams, struggling to stand up. As she limps through the forest she comes to a clearing, and her mother is being held by a man, knife to her neck, dressed in black...
Zanna screams and wakes up curled in a ball shaking and sobbing. She reaches up to her face and feels the tears and wonders why they are there. She tries to remember if she had a dream but has no memory of it. "What's going on with me?" she thinks to herself while looking at her hands shaking.
Zanna sits up next to the shady stranger and looks at him for a second. She sees his Uordeq eyes and instantly her father's face flashes into her mind. She clenches her pendent closely and breathes deeply for a second or two. She then looks back at the Uordeq and says in a shakey voice, "I guess I did, It's not the first time this has happened to me.." She then starts tearing up again but only because she is scared.
Zanna looks up to Rasiri's outstreched hand and thinks of her father. She accepts his helpful gesture and once she's up she wipes some tears off her face and nods towards him. "I'm not really sure." She looks down. "I have these dreams all the time and I can never remember them at all." She chokes on the last word lightly then looks up with a sparkle in her eye and smiles to the Uordeq. "I'm Zanna." She then bows her head lightly, "Zanna Martindale, thanks you for helping me."
Akon passes near silent, save for the slight jingle of deadly beads against twine gathered in small dolls about her belt. Catching glimpse of the two so far removed from the tavern she walks up casually, glancing between them. "Is everything alright here? There are some rather murderous brigands floating about of late, Miss Zanna. I would advise you caution being so far removed from town."
Zanna cocks her head towards the direction of the jingling. She smiles as she sees Fancy come from the shadows. Zanna then glances to the poppets around her waist and giggles. "Those are cute." She remarks. "And everything is fine Miss Fancy, I just had another nightmare", She says looking down. "Rasiri helped me to recover from it", she says and smiles at him. "What are you doing around at this time?"
Akon pets her fingers over the wicked and distorted dolls and lets a dark smirk flash. "Aye..they are, aren't they?" She says with a touch of malicious sarcasm. "And I am merely doing what it looks like. Walking the town, keeping watch that all is well. I enjoy it out here at night. The sun can be so very uncomfortable. You said you had some questions for me. I'll be milling about, merely come find me." She bows to the both of them, before continuing her quiet slow stroll.
Gaius's meditations are stopped short once again as he notices the trio in the grass. One of the figures begins to move in his direction. As he gets closer, the blurry figure grows clearer. "Ah, greetings friend," he says, as he recognizes Akon. "What brings you to these parts on a fine night like tonight?"
Akon gives a light, short smile towards the monk. "Merely keeping watch on the towns folk at night. It is what I do afterall." She turns looking back at the other two. "Ahead are Miss Zanna and Rasiri, both of whom I call friend. You would do well to get aquianted by them." She looks back to him, smiling. "Should you need anything, merely call. I am never too far." She gives a slow bow of the head towards him as she then continues on her way towards the farm.
Zanna chuckles to Fancy's motion of stroking the dolls and her epic sarcasm. "I understand fully, Miss Fancy, the sun is quite bothersome to me as well." She says looking to the stars once more. "I will follow shortly." She says nodding her head as Fancy walks off. She then turns back to Rasiri and says "I must bid you farewell friend, may we meet again", and turns heel and runs to catch up by Fancy's side.
Gaius watches for a moment as Akon heads further down the road before turning and approaching the two that remain in the grass. "Greetings. I don't believe we've had the chance to meet before. My name is Gaius. Fancy highly recommended that I come speak with you. You must be Rasiri. And you must be Miss Zanna." Gaius bows slightly in greeting.
Just before Zanna runs off to catch up with Fancy, a figure approaches looking quite Monk-like. The monk introduces himself and Zanna bows lightly to him. "Nice to meet you, Gaius, I am in deed Miss Zanna Martindale", she says shyly. The she turns to see Fancy heading further down the trail. "I'm sorry to say I must be off", she gives the monk one last look of courteousness and runs off to Fancy.
Rasiri slowly moves out of the treeline and approches the curled up empyrean. He walks over to her side and bends at the knee and drapes one arm over her, "Arrrre you okay my dear? You look like you had a very bad dream.