Here and Back Again (open)

"So this is what the country looks like." Caris said stroking a tree. Since arriving at the tiny group of islands, Caris had been exploring as much as she could. She hadn't made many friends, though. Quite honestly, Caris was beginning to get lonely. Something she had felt many times before, but not as much as she did before. Sighing, Caris plopped down on the ground and pulled her guitar off her back. She started to strum and tune it. "Guess you're the only one I have right now." She said forcing a smile. She started strumming and singing one of her hit singles "Here and Back Again." A song about going out to find yourself and the people you'd meet and how much it could change a person. Caris's aunt has made her write the song in less than an hour, which doesn't seem bad, but Caris wasn't that good of a songwriter. Still, it sold platinum.

He had to get out. He just knew that he had to get out. He couldn't remain cooped up in that little house for so long. It brought back terrible memories. Maybe he could sell it and move back into the inn. "No." He mumbled to himself, "Not with Jethro and Scarlett." He continued to mumbled under his breath. His hands were deep in his pant pockets, trying to escape the frigid cold weather. Where was he trying to escape off to anyway? He had lost his sight and his mind on the way to where ever his legs took him.

It was winter. Ari snorted to himself in a disgusted manner. "It would only be fair." He grumbled to himself--allowing himself to grovel in some sort of self-pity. Those vibrant green eyes lost their light. But he regained his mind when he heard sounds of faint music in the distance. He pushed his brows together in thought, "Interesting." He mumbled to himself. He continued along the path until his eyes caught sight of a girl, who looked much younger than himself. He had no idea who the girl was and frankly, at the moment, he didn't care. What gave her the right to disturb the peace that this place held? He narrowed his eyes, making no move to stop her, just watching her.

It was cold out. Very cold. The wind that blew stung her throat. Caris coughed. Since she had moved here, she hadn't been taking care of herself. She didn't know how. Her whole life someone had done everything for her. Cook, clean, laundry, take care of her when she's sick. Caris had tried to do all these things, but all had ended up fails. "I hope I'm not catching something." she mumbled.

He wasn't interested in this whole musical thing she had going on. Ari made a grunt of a sound and turned on his heel to walk away, before some rogue memory would pop up of him and his... Wife and before that girl could notice that he was even there. But then, just as he was to begin walking back down the pathway, he heard coughing. He waited a moment, knowing that he should not get himself involved with the girl--he remembered his encounter with Dylan in the church and when they ran into each other here by the pond. He let out a groan; Ari knew it wasn't part of his nature to sit around and ignore things.

So he looked over his shoulder and there the girl was, lying flat on the ground. "Oh Goddess." He groaned before moving over towards the girl. The snow already seeping through his shoes. "Hey, are you alright?" He called out as he reached her side. "You shouldn't be laying out in the snow like this." He waited for a moment, but there wasn't really an answer, or at least if she did speak, he couldn't hear it over the wind. "I should get you to a clinic." He mumbled to himself, bending down to pick the girl up. Once he had the girl in his arms, he proceeded to carry the girl down the pathway. He noted how light she felt and how sickly she actually looked. She was a new face though, and he couldn't be for sure.

Before she knew it, Caris had been lifted up by a strange man and was being carried off somewhere. It was hard to hear over the wind, but it sounded like they were going to a clinic. NO!!! Caries thought. I can't go there, I'll be exposed!
"I'm OK, sir." Caris said sternly. "Please put me dow--Why is your hair like that?" she asked. "You know, all spikey and red. I mean, I've seen weirder hair in my lifetime amung stars and stuff but I've never seen a commonor have hair like that before. It's rather interesting." Even when she was ill, Caris was still Caris.

The girl started to struggle in his arms and he looked down at her as she spoke up words of her wellbeing. He snorted, "Are you certain of that?" He questioned, "One shouldn't be hacking up a lung and lying in the snow, waiting to catch death." He spoke up, still not putting her down as he looked forwards once more. She tried once more and then she questioned him about his hair. This surprised him and he actually stopped walking and looked down at her, "What is wrong with my hair?" He questioned her--his hair had been like this since the day he was born. "This is my natural hair, I assure you." He told her, choosing to ignore the comment that was along the lines of stars and commoners.

"YOU MEAN IT SERIOUSLY JUST DOES THAT!?" Caris's eyes lit up. But then she retorted "I wasn't.....I wasn't waiting for death. I'm a bit sick you see, so my skin was warm. Plus I have a headach, so I just layed down in the snow to cool myself off. Have you never done that before? My how the customs here are strange. Now if you wouldn't mind setting me down..."

"After weeks of never combing it, I suppose it has become naturally pointy." Ari spoke, "If that's what you are implying." And after weeks of just lying in bed after Stanley's... Ari just dropped the thought. "When feeling sick, one should not just throw themselves carelessly into the snow. Perhaps a cool rag would have sufficed." His voice softened into some sort of mumble. He rolled his eyes and set the girl down, "I must insist that you go to the clinic then." He told her, "I suppose I can't force you." He straightened himself up, stood tall above the girl.

He began walking down the pathway once more, but this time, he lacked the girl in his arms.

"Thank you." Caris said as she was put down. She the man started to walk away, she added, "AH! I'm Caris, by the way. Caris LaTona! You've got a pretty face. I'm sure it would look better with a smile on it. Take care of yourself, OK?" Caris turned on her heels and started back towrds the direction of her home.