"Wishing for Hope"

Chapter 2 :
Seeking

There was a festive wind playing across the nation, a sweet, cultural melody, traditions of new and old. Music could be heard around every street corner, children were laughing, playing, women were enjoying their time just as well as men, specialty shops set up were hawking their wares and desert finds. A piece of metal here, a time-telling device there, miracle tonics most everywhere. Alongside the hot forge of the desert, people were celebrating.

A proud land signifying the new world, some would call it. Others cursed it as a crime magnet, attracting the stealthy cutpurses, thugs, and rapists across the desert seas. Whatever the interpretation, there was no doubt that the city was beyond it's own size. For those who enjoyed the company of others, and the freedoms of the day, there was no better place to go. Merchants came from afar to sell their goods; the marketplace a complex, shifting maze of opportunities filled with man trying to cop his fellow man out of his valuables in whatever way possible. The bustling cultural center and capital of the Aveh government, Bledavik, was among the civilized gems of the present day.

The description of the city itself would be difficult to ascertain. While it contained some old machinery, and plenty of buildings from the hundreds of years before it, the main city was even larger than what it originally had been. The resident and apartment areas were huge monuments to newly emerging technology, combinations of the traditional desert block architecture and, underneath, strong framework and beams. The coating of the buildings was particularly weather-resistant, but still retaining that gritty feel that cut, quarried rock contains. The city was built on a sortof lopsided hill, the castle turned government building residing on the top, with the major residential sections to the far sides of the main market paths which extended in a straight line from the gate towards the castle.

Some more modern buildings had sprung up within the past thirty years, reflecting the new spirit of the age. Libraries, court houses, some museums, charity houses, a scattering of hospitals, schools, universities, all sorts of buildings were host to the new cultural growth that resided in the hearts of the people.

Still, the fluid population of merchants continually set up shop and then left, requiring a certain amount of flexibility in shelter. Their tents, huts, stands, and primary form of advertisement, hollaring, had changed little over the past years.

People were always coming and going from the capital, be it entertainers, prospectors, civilians, workers, soldiers, merchants, or any other number of traders. The main gate, from which everyone came to and fro, was separated into a right and left hand traffic lane. The gate was easily the size of five grown men standing ontop of oneanother, having guard posts and platforms on either side, a couple on duty, attempting to keep people from breaking their laws.

That's not to say, though, that the guards were particularly active. They were feeling the heat just as much as anyone, fanning themselves with their helmets, slouched against the metal fence, watching the crowd pass. Their faces were the kind you didn't feel that you needed to look at to know that they were there: rough, protruding noses, skin shaded and darkened from the sun, a neutral blot of lips, squinted eyes that didn't seem to be looking at anyone, especially not you.

Walking through the gates amidst the shouting and din of the area was a poetic figure. She was dressed in standard desert clothing: long, baggy pants, a light tunic, and a cloak that covered her body over those other articles. The hood of her cloak covered most of her face and eyes, the appearence given being only a soft, slightly tanned cheek and chin floating within the mass of clothing, a pair of thin red lips giving off her femininity. She had on a pair of soft footed leather sandals, revealing a pair of slightly grimy toes from traveling, and strapped to her back was a slightly heavy collection of traveling necessities and gear.

Trotting along was a young girl dressed in childrens clothes, eyes lit in apprehension. To her, it was as if there was only so much that her eyes could take in at one time, but so much that there was only a general feel of anxious wonder. Her small hand was wrapped around Elly's fingers, holding tightly as to not get lost. "The people here come in all different shapes and sizes, carrying lots of stuff back and forth." She thought, "Wonder if the line travels in both directions forever?

From watching the curves of her hips and the essence of her form, even despite the moderate clothing, it could easily be seen that her body was in bloom. Lifting her head up, the shadows revealed her soft neck, and a pendant underneath, a cross with a bead in the center. The sight of her eyes alone, a thousand poems could be written about her, and in fact, seeing her in her spiritual enormity might be too much for even the most seasoned practitioner of the art.

There was no moderation in her face, though. Her lips were taut, a resigned franticity, the cool blue, beautiful eyes of hers scanning around, calculating each face she saw, every person who stood behind a counter or passed her by, she briefly weighed, only barely noticing the small, childish hand which clung onto her index and forefingers. She wanted information on someone who might help her, someone who could tell her of the man that she'd lost... "or had left her.." she continued in thought.

The scene was as easily memorable as if it were only an hour ago since it's passing. The bed was cold - she thought that he'd only wished to speak for the purpose of speaking, not for her ears. His slow, thought out speech was a tape recording, she could play it, rewind it, cut sections out, wish that she'd jumped out of bed and flung her arms around him, begged him. But nothing she could do with the dissolving of his little lines, and what she could have done, would help her realize him before her as she wished.

"Elly, love.. I have to go for a while. I don't know when I'll be back, but I know you'll be able to live on without me for a time.."

"A while," she thought. It had been an awfully long time since he'd left her. "What has it been.. 5, 6 years..?" Her quest had been in vain so far, even though she'd begun it three years ago, there was no trace at all of her love, Fei.

"If I can find him here, maybe he'll be able to tell me where my love's gone to.." Her thoughts began to drift to the impossibility of the situation. It was a desperate move: trying to find someone she knew no whereabouts of in order to find someone who, in turn, she also knew no whereabouts of. Her name was Elhaym Von Houten - a sortof bleak, formal name that she felt waves of sickness hearing. Too many bad thoughts.

"Perhaps he would be well known, surely, he would not spend his time withering away in the castle, or some sort.. he's not that kind of man." Her pace quickened. "Yes," she thought, "the good doctor will know where Fei is." It wasn't as if she remembered much about him, although his presence in their earlier quests was a welcome one. He had helped Fei through hard times, and apparently had been watching over him since his earlier days in Lahan village.

The young girl was the first to notice the enormous sign that they were passing under, reading in huge painted letters, "Welcome to the 45'th festival and election of the Bledavik people." Plastered everywhere were political signs, banners, posters, portraits of those wishing to run for various offices.

Several men, and a woman or two, were holding up signs of protest, their banners downing slavery, promoting abolitionism. More than a few had a picture of some of the political contenders, with a large X through their faces, while others blatantly proclaimed "Freedom for all, not just us!" Few were paying attention, some even sneering at them as they passed by.

She could probably get some information at a pub or bar, talking to someone who knew the town. There were certainly many restaurants in the capital, but she had an eye for picking out hospitable shops. Her eyes set to scanning the signs above the colored fabric roofs of the merchants tents, sometimes squinting as the sun met her gaze fiercely, forcing her to resist looking into it's depths.

As she was walking, one sign in particular caught her eye, reading "Mario's", an out of the way restaurant, accessable from a winding staircase and a large metal landing. There were a few people conversing outside, dressed in formal clothing, smiling and exchanging expressions. They were leaning against the fence, or sitting backwards in chairs, creating a general air of excitement and insight around them.

Elly tugged slightly on the girls hand, and they proceeded to walk upwards along the spiral leading to the landing. The voices of the men stopped briefly as she passed, the child trying not to look at them. To the men, she was another weary traveller, or perhaps a prostitute with an unwanted child. She pushed the door open and left, and they once again started up with the politics of the nation.

Upon entering Mario's, she took a look around her surroundings. She noticed first the soft clinking of silverwear and dim conversation permeating the air, the kinds of sounds that let you know that you're expected to act proper. There was a bar directly in front of her, holding some people and free seats, and up a small staircase, seating tables and chairs. Of particular notice was the aquarium that was housed in the side of the wall, complete with fish and an underwater setting.

She led the little girl towards the bar counter, sat down, and rested her pack of traveling gear on the floor next to her. Quite by surprise, the bartender stopped infront of her and smiled, trying to peer into the shadow of her hood. "Welcome to Mario's! Have an order?" He was fairly young, had on a shirt, pants, and an apron over that, stained a little with a hard days work. There was a wisened mastery in his appearence, and his impression as a good bartender was powerful.

"Just some water, please." Elly's voice was soft and calming.

The bartender nodded and turned around, quicky producing the cheap drink. He waited next to her for a few seconds, tapping his foot behind the counter. She knew he knew that she wanted to ask him something. "I was wondering if you could tell me" she asked, and at that same time his head turned towards her, "If there were any well known doctors around here."

"There's a few doctors, although one of them everyone knows about. Dr. Uzuki, a fine man, came right in here and fixed up some bloodied brawlers a few days ago. He's got the best of care.. alot of people go to see him, cheap too!. I heard he's even got some sortof ancient healing technology. You can find him if you keep walking straight down, it's a shop on the right, with a sign above it, says 'doctors office'." The bartender was satisfied with his release of information, smiled, and left towards another customer who had just sat down.

There was some back conversation going on, and instead of leaving immediately, she decided to stay and listen. The two talking were probably entrepeneurs, dressed modestly, enjoying a light drink after work.

"Ah.. I've been thinking about going into the excavation business."

"It's no good, though! Nothing we bring up ever works, it's just useless junk, scrap metal. And most of it is near impossible to reprocess.. it's a dead end, I tell ya."

"Yeah but if you get lucky you can hit some treasure, real good stuff! I heard there was a country that used to fight in the desert for that kinda equipment. Some of it actually works! Engine parts and motors.."

"I never found anything like that out there.. you must've seen more than me, and I work out there!"

Elly looked down at the girl "Come along now" she said, even though the girl had her thoughts elsewhere, and could probably be tagged just about anywhere. One particularly rough adult, beard scraggy and white, turned his head to catch her eye, but she did not return any sentience of acknowledgement. They began walking and were soon down the staircase, heading further down the market path, once again heavily enmeshed in the throng of people. They had not quite noticed that the men had gone about their business elsewhere, leaving the landing bare, save for a few chairs.

It was a few minutes time before Elly had passed by a sign which read quite plainly, "Doctors Office". Coming to a halt, then taking a step back, she read, then reread it, to make sure that it was what she thought it was. Looking towards the general direction that the sign pointed to, she saw there was a well-worn wooden door, which was lacquered and re-laminated several times over to minimize wear and tear from the sand and winds. It was placed deeper in the wall, almost like an alcove, and had no windows for which to see through.

After knocking on the door and waiting a minute, a young, fresh-faced girls head stood apprehensively, slightly stunned at the radiance coming from her surprise customer. She composed herself, then attempted to speak.

"Um.. I'm sorry.. the.. the.." she was stammering, but cleared her throat and tried again, her eyes taking on a more widened cast. "The doctor is out right now at the festival market, so please come back later, sorry!"

"That's allright, thank you for your time." was the reply, and after a brief, amiable expression, the secretary, girl, nurse, whoever, had shut the door. She looked around, catching notice of a small tent, whose sign proclaimed to sell "good food and drink". She was rather hungry, but resisted the need, feeling a more surging interest in finding the man who might help her. "We should have ate at the restaurant," she thought plainly, her stomach growling in agreement.

Heading towards the special festival marketplace, she turned left, climing a set of stairs with a large banner above them that was close to the other one that they'd passed earlier. The protesters were still there, and she could the tops of their heads as she reached the top balcony step. They looked a little different from her perspective now, their movements seemed to be to and fro, instead of towards and backwards. A fiesty young individual stammered out of a bar, started shouting at the protesters, then fell over drunk.

Upon reaching the marketplace, a new layer of hopelessness dawned on her. It was gigantic, extending rectangularly as far as she could see and then back, with a thick middle section of stores and shops, and the same all along the borders of the wall. The noise coming from the general area was tremendous, and trash was strewn about randomly. Several homeless were leaning against the unoccupied walls near the gate, playing a tune, or simply begging for a small piece of change to each passerby.

Elly leaned forward and dropped several coins each into their outstretched baskets, the coins clinking together one after another in sequence. Their toothy, and sometimes toothless grins was all she needed to feel appreciated and she smiled back, appearing as if a brilliant angel, the top of her hood blocking out her eyes, cloaked, as if not to show her true radiance and blind them, but not hide so much as to not display her compassionate smile in turn. Her illusion to them disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced : in a moment she was back on her feet, scanning down the rows of merchants, looking farsightedly into the thick, mulling crowd. In turn, they forgot her anonymity and turned to their own distraught baskets and lives of money, which was essentially the center of everything they acted upon.

Suddenly, there was an incessant tugging at her arm. She looked down to see that the young child was pointing up, and following her head, as if in a comical motion, looked up, to see none other but Hyuga Rikudeau, smiling fondly at her, looking much different from when she'd last left him.