Aimless [ Solo Job ]

Perhaps he was just fruitlessly wandering in the Plains every day. Maybe his search was bordering obsessive. It was obsessive from the start. Maybe he should not be sacrificing his studies in search for a lost cause. He should be studying, but it's too late by now. Can't go back. Even if his search in the Plains turned out to be useless, he would search. For how could he live with the thought that he might have been close to finding Lapis, if only he had continued searching? He could not. So he searched desperately. Someday, he supposed, he would discover all his effort would be for nothing. But, at least he had put effort rather than giving up. At least he could not regret never trying.

verbum comitem [ cxxvii // d ]
word count [ 127 // 500 ]

"Where have you been going?" He stopped in the middle of the hallway. A knife stab. Sharp. Hot. That was how his anger felt. He stretched a strained smile. He almost turned. But he did not. Not this time. "None of your business, old man," he hissed. He swore he heard the 'old man' mutter something akin to, "old man my ass." Such profanity, especially for an old bastard like yourself, he wanted to tease. He dragged himself away. He had things to do. 'Things' should be singular. He had a thing to do. Find Lapis. If he could. He can't. Not alone. He won't acknowledge the fact, however.

verbum comitem [ ccxxxvi // d ]
word count [ 236 // 500 ]

"Wait up for an old man, you stubborn brat!"

He stared up at the sky, trying to decide. Should he turn around, or not? If he turned around... would that damned old man require something of him? Would he assign Ariel another stupid job? Ignore him.

"Ariel! Jeez, you really like to make things difficult for me, don't you." Oh, so he finally noticed. He really was going old. He could not stop himself. Or rather, he could not keep going forward. He stopped.

"Finally! Thank you!" He tapped Ariel on the shoulder. "I'll help you look."

"No thanks." Do not ask him why he replied no. He could not give a straight answer. He does not know the answer to that particular question himself. He just replied with no.

"Sorry, I'll helping anyways."

It did not make much of a difference either way.

verbum comitem [ ccclx // d ]
word count [ 360 // 500 ]

An hour now. He looked around with disappointed eyes. He wondered if he ought to give up... Him? Give up? Since when? So he searched more. He had to. The thought of failing... He almost choked on it.

"The sun's going down." No response. "Hey, what are you looking for?"

Halt.

"Don't be nosy," Ariel finally spoke. Bristles lined his words.

He glared at the ground. He hated it when Schwartz tried to wriggle into whatever Ariel was doing. His anger may perhaps be cruel, but it was not without reason. He wished people would just leave him alone, dammit. Leave him to his own goals. He... dared not rely on others.

"Something or someone?"

"Someone. No, don't."

He turned around and glared at Schwartz. He did not realize it himself, but with the sun in his eyes, it was as if they were flames, rather than icy blue orbs of color.

"I won't. Come one, let's keep searching."

verbum comitem [ dxix // d ]
word count [ 519 // 500 ]