Consciousness came slowly to Lolo that morning. His eyes felt dry, his neck stiff, and the muscles of his jaw felt raw while his teeth ached. He'd ground them in his sleep. He'd no idea how long he'd slept, but he barely felt rested at all. He slipped slowly down from the chair, joints cracking and popping loudly as his body roused itself. He stopped and was quiet. He hoped he hadn't woken the girl. He was sure she'd need to rest longer than even he did. He peeked around the side of the chair at the bed and full awareness came upon him suddenly.
She was gone.
Calm down, he thought, urging his heart and breath to settle. She had probably awoken before him and gone down for some breakfast. Fool of a girl, he thought to himself at the idea. Naive and foolish to go out alone like that.
He changed his robe quickly, intending to find and join her. Drank a quick glass of water and chewed some mint, then walked to the door, stopped, and patted his pockets.
The book. Must've left it in the other robe.
But when he stuck his hands into those pockets it wasn't there. He shook the robe violently, but the book did not fall from it. His eyes flew across all the shelves and surfaces of the room, but did not come to rest on the book. He practically threw himself beneath the chair and bed, but did not encounter the book. He tore the cushion from the chair and the sheets from the bed, but did not uncover the book.
"No, no, no..." he droned, refusing to believe.
He ran downstairs, then. The morning was not yet very advanced and the Wench was largely unoccupied at that hour. Joz was not there.
"No, no, no..." he repeated as his patted the side of his leg rapidly. Moments later Ben bounded to his side. He knelt down and looked into the summon's eyes, making rapid little concentric circles with his right hand over his left palm. Ben chittered and raised its nose, lowering it with a determined focus and skittered out into the Octant. Lolotaru followed it out and stood nervously with his arms crossed at the edge of the plaza. For several minutes, Ben sniffed this way and that, here nearer to Hawkers' Alley, there nearer the ramps to the docks. The smells in that place must have been innumerable, overwhelming, and in the end that volume defeated the poor creature's efforts. Head downcast and glow dimmed significantly, it returned to its master.
And across his own face, confusion turned to concern, and concern to hurt, and hurt finally, slowly gave way to something firmer, that thing that scared even Lolotaru Lalataru himself, the part of himself he ever efforted to mask and abate: his anger. It set his muscles as stone and clenched tight his raw jaw. He cut his hand down and out through the air in front of him and Ben leapt into the air and disappeared with a flash. Then he too was gone from the plaza as the morning crowd began to thicken like mist off the sea.
She was gone.
Calm down, he thought, urging his heart and breath to settle. She had probably awoken before him and gone down for some breakfast. Fool of a girl, he thought to himself at the idea. Naive and foolish to go out alone like that.
He changed his robe quickly, intending to find and join her. Drank a quick glass of water and chewed some mint, then walked to the door, stopped, and patted his pockets.
The book. Must've left it in the other robe.
But when he stuck his hands into those pockets it wasn't there. He shook the robe violently, but the book did not fall from it. His eyes flew across all the shelves and surfaces of the room, but did not come to rest on the book. He practically threw himself beneath the chair and bed, but did not encounter the book. He tore the cushion from the chair and the sheets from the bed, but did not uncover the book.
"No, no, no..." he droned, refusing to believe.
He ran downstairs, then. The morning was not yet very advanced and the Wench was largely unoccupied at that hour. Joz was not there.
"No, no, no..." he repeated as his patted the side of his leg rapidly. Moments later Ben bounded to his side. He knelt down and looked into the summon's eyes, making rapid little concentric circles with his right hand over his left palm. Ben chittered and raised its nose, lowering it with a determined focus and skittered out into the Octant. Lolotaru followed it out and stood nervously with his arms crossed at the edge of the plaza. For several minutes, Ben sniffed this way and that, here nearer to Hawkers' Alley, there nearer the ramps to the docks. The smells in that place must have been innumerable, overwhelming, and in the end that volume defeated the poor creature's efforts. Head downcast and glow dimmed significantly, it returned to its master.
And across his own face, confusion turned to concern, and concern to hurt, and hurt finally, slowly gave way to something firmer, that thing that scared even Lolotaru Lalataru himself, the part of himself he ever efforted to mask and abate: his anger. It set his muscles as stone and clenched tight his raw jaw. He cut his hand down and out through the air in front of him and Ben leapt into the air and disappeared with a flash. Then he too was gone from the plaza as the morning crowd began to thicken like mist off the sea.
