first encounter ; 0 days

[lostandfinder]

If there were any luck in the world, Chivason would have been sound asleep by now. He'd had a wonderful dinner — courtesy of sweet, old Mrs. Jann — and he'd eaten enough to be pleasantly drowsy, and then some. To cap it all off, she'd offered him a bed (a bed) and tucked him in as only a grandmother could. He didn't really have much to worry about, still having a few valuables tucked away in his knapsack, enough to cover a few weeks even if she decided to change her mind about letting him stay free-of-charge, and he certainly hadn't been here long enough to need to think about moving on.

Whatever the reason, though, he stayed in bed long enough to need to roll over half a dozen times before he finally gave up. Carefully tucking the blanket back under the pillow, he snagged his knapsack and tiptoed outside. He let his mind drift as he walked, hoping it would help him relax enough to actually sleep. He had liked his last stop, even gone so far as to make a few friends. He should have known better than to try helping Lia find her necklace. She was too excited when she asked him if he would walk with her. He scoffed softly at himself— then tripped, tried to catch himself, and faceplanted in the dirt. ⋅⋅ ⌊ ☆ ⌉ ⋅⋅

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Comments

[lostandfinder]

Chivy followed, looking around shiftily. "I think this is the part where you tell me not to follow you around."

[polarization]

"I was thinking of losing you in the crowd, actually." Whether he was serious or not, it was hard to tell.

[lostandfinder]

"If you're going toward a crowd, I'll already be going the other way." Chivy adjusted the strap on his knapsack before fixing Sefton with a serious look. "If you screw up your arm, I'm taking you to a doctor next time I see you." Stubborn or not, there were some things you just didn't do.

[polarization]

"If you see me," he said pointedly. He gave Chivy one last look, then made his way into the small crowd down the street, although he kept to the side to avoid physical contact.

[lostandfinder]

Chivy laughed to himself as he headed off in the other direction. Some people just didn't understand when to give in to fate.

THIRTEEN DAYS LATER

[lostandfinder]

'Miserable' was a good word for today. Chivy hadn't thought so that morning— waking up to a miserably gray day wasn't a problem if you were inside and warm, especially if you start the day with a warm bowl of oatmeal. In fact, he was fairly happy with the day at first, chatting with the family who had let him stay the night with them, and making plans to help the father patch up the roof when the weather cleared.

Things had taken a sudden turn for the worse when he turned around just a short time later to find the youngest son, a boy of about six, with Chivy's bag already open, chewing on an odd little metal-and-glass dog he had found the day before. He later found out that it was a valued heirloom of the family, passed down from generation to generation. Needless to say, he was kicked out shortly thereafter and had been walking through the rain ever since. He didn't have much of a plan for where or when to stop, and he was severely regretting trading his umbrella for a thicker coat a few days ago. Apparently it didn't matter how thick the fabric was once it was soaked through.

Spotting a bench just around the next bend in the road, Chivy adjusted his hat and picked up his pace. He would rest there for a few minutes and hope some kind of plan came to him. At least it was only sprinkling now instead of the steady downpour he'd already been walking through for an hour or so.

[polarization]

Leaned against the side of the bench was a familiar figure. His legs were curled up to his chest, with his previously-injured arm cradled between the two. Next to him sat a small, plastic bowl that may or may not have had food in it at some point, but was now simply catching all the water that the sky saw fit to drop into it.

Upon closer inspection, one would see that Sefton was asleep. Also very, very wet. Somehow, he had managed to stay both upright and out of the land of consciousness through all the rain.

[lostandfinder]

When he spotted Sefton sitting, calm as anything, on the bench, Chivy was surprised enough to stop walking. He'd been pretty sure they would run into each other again, but he hadn't been expecting to see him out in the rain today. When he was close enough to realize that Sefton was not only sitting, but appeared to be asleep, he stared, but continued on until he stood just in front of him. "You've got to be kidding."

[polarization]

Nope, not kidding. Sefton didn't stir, his breathing slow, but somewhat labored. It would seem he had no idea someone had gotten so close to him, close enough to notice the slightly pink tint to his cheeks.

[lostandfinder]

Chivy crossed his arms. "I bet you're getting sick, too, sitting out here in the middle of the rain. You're not prickly enough to scare off a cold, you know."

[polarization]

Sefton did not reply, seeing as he was asleep, and so, completely oblivious. He did, however, shift to the side so that one shoulder was against the bench and the other faced Chivy.

[lostandfinder]

"How am I supposed to wake you up without breaking your rules, hmm? I guess I could try yelling, but if you're sleeping through a downpour..." Chivy tapped his chin, considering the problem very seriously.

[polarization]

Chivy was free to give it as much time as needed: it wasn't as though Sefton was going anywhere anytime soon.

[lostandfinder]

"I can't just leave you here..." This would be so much easier if it weren't raining or he had a blanket or umbrella of some kind. Then again, if it weren't raining, he wouldn't be having this trouble in the first place. He clapped his hands as loudly as he could. "Hey! Wake up! You're sitting in the rain!"

[polarization]

Sefton stirred, but did not wake. Try harder, Chivason.

[lostandfinder]

Chivy huffed. "Hey!" It didn't look like yelling was working, though, so he grabbed a stick and used it to bang on the side of the bench (not the part where Sefton was sitting of course). "Rise and shine!!"

[polarization]

Sefton jumped, eyes blinking open rapidly. He frowned at the wetness that immediately began to invade and wiped at it with his good hand. "What...?" Blinking a few more times, he noticed the person standing in front of him. "Oh."

[lostandfinder]

Chivy set the stick down and crossed his arms again. "What are you doing sleeping in the rain? You're going to get sick!"

[polarization]

Sefton blinked. "The rain? It wasn't..." He then paused, and looked around. Everything had become a lot wetter than he remembered it being when he had set down to take his nap. A small scowl formed on his face. "Whatever."

[lostandfinder]

"You should take better care of yourself, especially if you're going to refuse to see doctors."

[polarization]

"I was," Sefton said grouchily. "It wasn't raining before."

[lostandfinder]

That is in no way an excuse, mister. "It is now. Why were you so tired that you didn't wake up when it started raining?"

[polarization]

That question seemed to confuse him a little. "I was working."

[lostandfinder]

"Then you shouldn't work so hard." Chivy shook his head, crossing his arms tighter to combat the urge to grab Sefton by the arm. "Come on, though, get up. You need to be somewhere dry."

[polarization]

Sefton just stared at Chivy. "Where would I go? Everything is soaked." It looked like he intended to ignore the first part of what the other had said.