With only days until the Long Night, citizens of the Grounds were escaping through the portal to Torchline in a steady stream, eager to be away from the horrors that waited for those who stayed. And while Rance had done as much as he could to prepare the town he'd begun to call home, he wasn't sticking around, either. He packed the bow Deimos had crafted for him -- sturdy, dark wood, carved and unexpectedly beautiful -- and his bag, loaded with considerably more belongings than he'd arrived with a season and a half ago, including a change of clothes and a second journal, his first filled before the season even started.
Upon arrival, Rance's first priority should have been to find housing. Some had been set up for the refugees, of course, and Rance could have stayed there. Might still, if he found nowhere else. But the idea of being crowded in with families, even if only for a week, made his skin crawl. He did not do children. So, instead of following the rest of the crowd to the main settlements, he wandered off to follow the coast, walking in and out of the treeline, avoiding people for the most part.
It was the cloud mantas that led him to the large, ocean-fed pools. The last time he'd visited to them, a giant bird had summoned people to help it 'fly'. Walking to it now was a new experience, as was seeing it so empty.
Or, rather, nearly empty. The sculpted male form that occupied the Pool drew his gaze down from the mystical creatures above them, attention instead drawn to honey-brown skin and an inky fall of hair. His back was to Rance, giving the raven attuned a delicious view indeed. A grin twisting up the corner of his lips, he strode closer to the Pool's edge, eyes raking in the unexpected, but welcome sight.
Following the supposed gaze of the handsome stranger, he looked up to the mantas. "They're pretty incredible, huh?" he announced, loud enough to be heard. "Though I think I'd still rather look at you." He kept his eyes on the mantas for a moment, ready to be amused by whatever reply his flirting garnered.
Upon arrival, Rance's first priority should have been to find housing. Some had been set up for the refugees, of course, and Rance could have stayed there. Might still, if he found nowhere else. But the idea of being crowded in with families, even if only for a week, made his skin crawl. He did not do children. So, instead of following the rest of the crowd to the main settlements, he wandered off to follow the coast, walking in and out of the treeline, avoiding people for the most part.
It was the cloud mantas that led him to the large, ocean-fed pools. The last time he'd visited to them, a giant bird had summoned people to help it 'fly'. Walking to it now was a new experience, as was seeing it so empty.
Or, rather, nearly empty. The sculpted male form that occupied the Pool drew his gaze down from the mystical creatures above them, attention instead drawn to honey-brown skin and an inky fall of hair. His back was to Rance, giving the raven attuned a delicious view indeed. A grin twisting up the corner of his lips, he strode closer to the Pool's edge, eyes raking in the unexpected, but welcome sight.
Following the supposed gaze of the handsome stranger, he looked up to the mantas. "They're pretty incredible, huh?" he announced, loud enough to be heard. "Though I think I'd still rather look at you." He kept his eyes on the mantas for a moment, ready to be amused by whatever reply his flirting garnered.
