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

[polarization]

Sefton stiffened as the conversation continued. As soon as his name had been uttered, he was already leaning away from the wall and heading toward the exit. His panic had almost completely taken over and he knew he had to leave—now—but moving too quickly would have put more attention on him. Mentally apologizing to Chivy, he stepped out of the station, walking briskly past the windows in front, until he was no longer in within immediate sight.

Then, Sefton ran. Thankfully, there were few people on the walkway thanks to the fair, so it made mad dashing a lot easier. Deciding that there was enough space to be a little more reckless, he slowed momentarily to slip off his shoes and socks in two, efficient movements, and continued to run. It was a trick he'd learned as a young child: if he repelled objects while running, he could cover more distance with each stride, effectively speeding himself up.

It was all he could do to get away before the police realized that they'd lost their quarry. He didn't have much money left, but he resolved to go as far as it would take him and hole up there for a while. Once again, he found himself apologizing to someone who wasn't even there.

Sorry, Chivy.