Richard was out of his comfort zone.
He had been, very forcefully, shooed out of his office. It was unfair that both Delilah and Glas had confronted him at the same time.
"When you're not in your office, you're at your desk at home, you NEED a break!"
Easy for her to say, of course. The Walpurgis at the festival still hadn't been found. Add to that the alchemy cult that had been RIGHT UNDER the city and had caused a terrorist attack a month back and, well, there was a lot of paperwork.
Out on the city streets now, Richard found himself twirling his fountain pen. He kept it in his pocket and had managed to sneak it, along with a notepad, into his satchel before he was forced out of his office. It was a bright day in Leiger, and a hot one, too. With its tall buildings, the heat coming off of vehicles, and the crowds, his clothes felt stuffy. And yet he felt naked.
He had switched out of his Expiate uniform (for once) and was wearing a brown vest over his blouse that matched the color of his trousers. His collar was high and a mustard-colored kerchief tucked into his blouse. His coat was black trimmed with gold edges, and he wore soft leather shoes. He supposed that with the heat, this was airier than his uniform, but still.
His eyes looked around warily. The bustling crowds and the streets full of passing vehicles and carriages made him dart left and right. The noise hurt his ears.
I can't focus here, he thought.
He tried heading towards a small cafe, but stopped midway. He then hailed a carriage and asked to be taken to the outskirts of town towards the road to Aldmerrow. There, he got off, paid the cab.
"You sure you're good here?" the driver asked. "You're pretty far from town."
"I can get back no problem," he reassured.
Looking at the road to Aldmerrow, there were horses and other passersby speeding along, but he wasn't here for the road.
He made a sharp turn into the woods and let the trees and shadows eat him alive. Light filtered in from the canopies and the sound of things traveling by the road soon vanished. Here it was a lot breezier, and took to a small clearing in the center.
Gingerly, he eased back against one of the trees and opened his notepad.
"They can shoo me out of my office, but they can't stop me from working," he thought.
He pulled out his notepad from his coat pocket and then reached back for his fountain pen in his other. As he pulled it out, he found a gold ribbon had snagged along it. The ribbon was old and faded, but still in good condition. It was too short for being a tie for around his neck or even any other form of decor. It looked more like a hair accessory.
"..."
He folded it back and gently put it back in his pocket. He then started writing.
"Alright, so there's Leiger...and there's the attack in Aldmerrow...and there's the missing people in Saoirse..." he murmured.
He'd start jotting down. The only sound being his pen scratching on paper and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
He had been, very forcefully, shooed out of his office. It was unfair that both Delilah and Glas had confronted him at the same time.
"When you're not in your office, you're at your desk at home, you NEED a break!"
Easy for her to say, of course. The Walpurgis at the festival still hadn't been found. Add to that the alchemy cult that had been RIGHT UNDER the city and had caused a terrorist attack a month back and, well, there was a lot of paperwork.
Out on the city streets now, Richard found himself twirling his fountain pen. He kept it in his pocket and had managed to sneak it, along with a notepad, into his satchel before he was forced out of his office. It was a bright day in Leiger, and a hot one, too. With its tall buildings, the heat coming off of vehicles, and the crowds, his clothes felt stuffy. And yet he felt naked.
He had switched out of his Expiate uniform (for once) and was wearing a brown vest over his blouse that matched the color of his trousers. His collar was high and a mustard-colored kerchief tucked into his blouse. His coat was black trimmed with gold edges, and he wore soft leather shoes. He supposed that with the heat, this was airier than his uniform, but still.
His eyes looked around warily. The bustling crowds and the streets full of passing vehicles and carriages made him dart left and right. The noise hurt his ears.
I can't focus here, he thought.
He tried heading towards a small cafe, but stopped midway. He then hailed a carriage and asked to be taken to the outskirts of town towards the road to Aldmerrow. There, he got off, paid the cab.
"You sure you're good here?" the driver asked. "You're pretty far from town."
"I can get back no problem," he reassured.
Looking at the road to Aldmerrow, there were horses and other passersby speeding along, but he wasn't here for the road.
He made a sharp turn into the woods and let the trees and shadows eat him alive. Light filtered in from the canopies and the sound of things traveling by the road soon vanished. Here it was a lot breezier, and took to a small clearing in the center.
Gingerly, he eased back against one of the trees and opened his notepad.
"They can shoo me out of my office, but they can't stop me from working," he thought.
He pulled out his notepad from his coat pocket and then reached back for his fountain pen in his other. As he pulled it out, he found a gold ribbon had snagged along it. The ribbon was old and faded, but still in good condition. It was too short for being a tie for around his neck or even any other form of decor. It looked more like a hair accessory.
"..."
He folded it back and gently put it back in his pocket. He then started writing.
"Alright, so there's Leiger...and there's the attack in Aldmerrow...and there's the missing people in Saoirse..." he murmured.
He'd start jotting down. The only sound being his pen scratching on paper and the rustling of leaves in the wind.