Desiderata: Resurrection

N

Nino Notachat

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Original poster
Once again, it had taken Nino days to travel across the desert; ten years hadn’t changed much of anything. People had started to populate the wastelands, leaving lost and broken people living in handmade houses. They basically built everything with whatever they could find. Makeshift homes and shelters blurred past her vision as she rode atop Silverglide. The closer she came to Vaha, the more her guilt sunk in.


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It’s my fault this happened… She thought, lowering her head as she traveled through Ina’s old home. Now all barren and guarded, the once-beautiful forest was as quiet as a graveyard. At one point, she would have to visit Ina’s little sister, Wu. The only time she ever returned to the forest was after Ina’s death; Nino brought Wu her older sister’s battle gear. It was a sad moment, but not as sad as it was as Silverglide trotted down the path.


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By the time she went down the exact path where she met her friends, Nino’s soul was crushed. Days had passed, as well as the memories of her friends. Once she went through the land of the Morgan Clan, she knew she was getting close to Vaha. Shoulders slumped; she tried to gather her bearings. It had started to rain. Patting Silverglide, she readied the reigns.


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“Let’s go, Silverglide…” More time had passed, and right when she was going to fall asleep on the saddle, Nino finally took a moment to rest. Silverglide welcomed the moment, but as they hid in a cave with a lit fire, he snorted and stomped at his master. He was restless.


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“I know, boy…we’re almost there…” Nino mused, shaking her head as she enjoyed the last of her tobacco and wrung out as many articles of clothing she could. She knew the dryness was going to be short-lived and once she was finished, she dressed and readied to leave once more.


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It was nighttime, the clouds were heavy in the sky. She couldn’t remember how long it had been raining, but at this point in time the woman was drenched through to the bone. Even though her frail body was drenched through layers of tanned leather, her body didn’t shiver from the cold. Silverglide stomped at the soaked ground, ready to go.


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Only a couple of miles more, and she soon found herself on the streets of Vaha. Almost everything was closed and a tiny inn/pub caught her eye. Nino stuck Silverglide into a free stable and entered; welcoming the warmth and smell of freshly made food. Nobody was at the counter, but a few people were warming themselves with the fire, food and drink. Ringing the bell on the counter, she removed her hat and sighed with relief.


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At last, some food!
 
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Daisi cleaned her hands for what felt like the tenth time, working at the skin to remove the grease that clung reluctantly to her ivory hands. As clean as they would probably ever be, she thought morosely. Working as a mechanic was not half bad, but she wished there was a better job open, one less filthy and hard on her delicate skin. This was all simply whining though, the guys who ran this place were wonderfully nice and she was making good money to support herself with. Thinking wistfully to the promise, or rather offer, made to her by the mysterious man, Ryan, she closed her eyes. More money than she could have ever dreamed of... but what was her end of the deal? He had neglected to say.

Daisi slipped out of her dirty clothes in the bathroom and in to her light sundress of baby blue with white forget-me-not embroidery on the hem, her favorite. The sandals with it completed the transformation from rough and tumble tomboy to delicate little lady. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Now, it was time to go get a little tart, her nightly inexpensive treat. Skipping off down the street, she opened cheerfully the door to the inn. Sandrine smiled at her as she entered, bustling towards the woman who had just rang the bell.

Sandrine held up a finger at her - just a moment dear! Her hair was light brown, a few speckles of silver at the temple belying her age. Sweetly plump, she looked more motherly than anyone Daisi had ever seen. It wasn't very busy here, it never was, but the woman at the bar looked terribly alien. A visitor?
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Nino gave the woman a smile and removed her hat. Placing it atop the counter, she ran a hand through her damp hair and sighed. It was a relief to return to Vaha; she had missed the people and sights, since she went into hiding. Hell, the last time she had been here, was... Almost about to fall deep into her own thoughts, Nino shook her head and flashed the woman a nervous grin.

"My apologies, hon- it has been a long day." Distant thoughts pf the past out of her mind for a moment, she held her hand out to the woman and grinned. Little did she know what kind of ruckus she would cause, by even speaking her name...but, she didn't want to be rude. Waiting until the woman got closer, she gave a wink and lowered her voice.

"I'm Nino...I'm just traveling through, but I was wondering if you had an extra room and a bit of food...?" Being secluded during her years of training, didn't help her social skills much. Instead of being blunt and sure of herself, she had turned into somewhat of a shy recluse. Who knew? Maybe she would once again find friends and this time- she wouldn't lose them. No matter what.

The woman looked at Nino in awe and it made her cheeks turn red. She didn't know if the lady would welcome her into the pub/inn, or chase her out- bringing up all of the people she was SUPPOSED to save so many years ago. Lowering her eyes to the floor, the embarassment kicked in again. She sighed.

Maybe coming to Vaha wasn't such a good idea afterall...
 
Leila found herself up late again, practicing her little trick. She had been practicing for about 15 minutes now and decided that it would be time to go to bed for the night. She quickly went upstairs into the bathroom and brushed her teeth before going into her room and changing from her clothes into her pajamas and then lying down in bed. She would have fallen asleep, but there seemed to be some sort of strange commotion going about the streets. Paying it no mind, she began to focus on the pleasant sound of the rain falling outside as she soon fell asleep.
 
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Daisi tilted her head to one side. Sandrine had suddenly gone oddly red in the cheeks. To Daisi, it was much like watching the gears twist in her mind and an array of emotions crossed her face almost too briefly to notice. Daisi watched, unbearably curious, as Sandrine nodded. For once, Sandrine was silent, her normally welcoming warmth seemed to have retracted into her and she looked only very troubled. She just keep nodding to the woman with the hair that looked weighed down in sweat. What could the woman have said to make Sandrine act this way? Daisi had to know.

With little ado, Daisi flounced over to the strange woman, her small lips held in her most aloof, generic smile that she often used when work got to be tiring and she had to deal with customers for the boss. "I'm Daisi, and I don't think I've seen you around before. You new here?"
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Nino could tell that the woman across the counter was going to take her arrival. Sure, she would accommodate the gunslinger, but the strangest feeling of not being wanted around too long was obvious. It was true, wherever Nino went, she attracted trouble.
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However, it wasn’t trouble she couldn’t handle.
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“It is very much appreciated. I’ll go up to my room and try to stay out of the way.” Before she could turn around completely, a young girl walked up to her side and asked for her name. Getting slightly red in the cheeks, Nino glanced down and gave her a little smile.
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“I haven’t been her for a while, but my name is Nino. Outside in the stable is my horse, Silverglide.” She spoke just low enough to not draw any attention from others in the room, put her cowboy hat back on her damp hair and gave Daisi a kind nod. “I have just ordered myself some food, if you would care to join me.” She gestured to a little table in the corner of the room, as the mention of food made her stomach growl.
 
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Daisi tilted her head to the side, confused at why she would be invited but all the same, hot food was hot food and the stranger was kind enough. "Huh, all right. It'd be my pleasure" Daisi asserted with a nod and a more genuine smile. The stranger's blush was odd, but Daisi was willing to put it behind her. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, irony almost made her chuckle.

Pulling a small coin out of her little pouch tied at her waist, Daisi handed it to Sandrine. "A cherry one, today if you have any" she said cheerfully. Today was looking up, even if it was a bit late. Daisi wound her way around chairs to make it to the small table in the back, her eyes open as she looked over the people inside. Most of these people, Daisi knew by sight. The stranger seemed the only one strange here, but for now it might be kinder to lay off suspicion. Daisi shuffled her skirt and tried to look more lady-like as she sat down.
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Nino gave the girl a kind smile as she too sat down. The smell of the freshly-made food in the back, soon found itself to her nostrils. She sighed in relief at the feeling of finally sitting in a somewhat comfortable chair. Removing the cowboy hat from her head, she set it down on the back of her seat and shook out her now-dried hair.
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“Vaha used to be my favorite place to visit years ago…” She spoke to the young lady kindly, folding her hands on the table in front of her. The girl in front of her looked curious about the gunslinger, and that made Nino a little bit cheerful. “But, it has changed since then…is the Titanium Army big here? Everything seems less full of life as it used to be…”