Breaking Walls [Ren]

[Charlotte]

Charlotte had to have been dreaming that day. She woke up in complete silence with no Jude biting her head off about her “responsibility” or her father glaring off at her about nothing. Her brother was giving her warm smiles and everyone else looked like they didn’t even know her which was great for a change. She wondered if the last fight she had with her father had gotten to his head or something because the last time she checked, her father hadn’t talked to her that day either. So that meant that she either cracked him or he had decided to not bother with her at all. That said, on one day that she finally got some peace and quiet, her mind was racing with various thoughts that had kept her awake and twisting and turning on her bed. The bright sun light that streamed in through her window was her only reminder that it was around twelve thirty pm and she hadn’t even went out after ten am that morning.

Running a hand over her hair, she groaned in frustration before kicking off her bed sheet, she got up, walking out, slamming the door behind her. She ignored all curious eyes on her as she hurried out of the place with a white tank top and blue ripped jeans on. She was feeling restless. Somehow, everything had made her feel like she is getting cornered. The one person she had learned to look up to is being nothing but crazy. Why was he doing this? What is it that he is so afraid of? Pride…did that word mean anything to her father anymore?

Shaking her head with a heavy sigh, she walked off to the quietest part of Oak town which was an old park close to the forest. The park had been abandoned a long time back and no-one went there anymore for it scared most off with its cloudy atmosphere. She remembered that the sudden shutting down of the place occurred when it was attacked around the time of war. In other words, she was standing on a graveyard. A peaceful one but a graveyard none the less.

She sat on one of the swings; cold wind hit her as she tightened her grip on the swings. The next thing she knew, she was kicking the ground, feeling the wind hit her harder than before and was swinging back and forth, throwing all frustration out the window. Something at the back of her head gave of a relieved sigh and she finally realized how badly she was missing some fun in her life.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was sure she could feel her skin crawling. Oak Town. It was too, too, too much like Era. It reminded Ren too much. She rubbed her arms. Her fingers were covered in thick hoodie sleeves, and her shoulders were as well, but if they weren’t, she’d be scratching. Yeah Ren, listen to what people say. Yeah Ren, just go where they tell you to… she was frustrated with herself, but she’d been told to meet someone in Oak Town. It was a strange deal, but someone she’d known had agreed to bring her a package. Probably in the form of a backpack. She could put it on and walk back home to Lamia Scale. Simple.

It wasn’t simple because someone was at the park Ren was supposed to be waiting at. The woman coming to meet her wasn’t a friend, wasn’t someone Ren had ever met, but they knew each other through people and she was alright with that. In fact, she’d even been given a description. Blonde was the first part. So whoever was here was just sort of… here. Ren really wanted to leave, but she needed to get the delivery. This was the only way to avoid just going and buying thins. She hated buying things. She also hated meeting strangers. Ren fidgeted.

Ren cautiously walked up, almost sneaking just to avoid this woman. She was swinging really high, and Ren liked swings, but she couldn’t because this woman was here. Ren didn’t like being around people, she rubbed her shoulders again. At least she wasn’t in Oak town anymore. It was too much like Era. She found a bench and sat there. It was probably sort of creepy. She was just kind of watching the girl swing, keeping an eye on her in case she did anything that Ren needed to run away from. It was far too early for Ren to be comfortable, so she pulled her hood up over her face and just sat there, fidgeting with her hands in her pocket, and watching the woman.

[Charlotte]

The wind hitting the raven haired girl’s face pushed her hair back when she swung forward and to the front when she swung back. It was great...how long has it been since she came here? She remembered how her mother used to bring her there and then after her death, Kai brought her there on one night she cried thinking of her mother. She remembered how Kai and her used to run around the whole park, with him usually at the receiving end of her temper.

She only realized that she had closed her eyes when she opened them after a long time. Her amber eyes flickered all around the park before they came to rest upon a small frame perched upon a bench not too far away from her. It was weird. She was sure that nobody visited the place ever since the park closed down and not to mention the fact that it was so close to the forest. ‘Weird’ she thought as she continued to swing on the swings, this time with her eyes fixed on the figure. She wasn’t sure if it was a girl or a boy but from the small profile, she guessed he or she was a girl. But what is she doing here?

Speed of the swing gradually decreased as it came to stop with her firmly placing her feet on the ground. Her body leaned forward from the force and she steadied herself before getting up. Her eyes wandered around her as she wrapped her hands around herself. It was chilly as if the wind was trying to freeze someone. Not wanting to scare the girl away, she walked towards the bench opposite to hers and sat down. “It sure is chilly here” she muttered, looking at her from the corner of her eyes, rubbing her hands together. “Uhm hello?”

[Ren Caverly]

It was a fair assumption that at any given time, Ren wanted to be left alone. This wasn’t true every moment, but it was correct far more often than not. Ren didn’t know the history of this park, just that she was supposed to meet the woman here. Ren prefer dealings with women because they were less terrifying. In addition to that, women were a fair deal smaller in many situations, and being towered over was both common and unpleasant in Ren’s experience. The woman seemed somewhat sketchy, based on her choice of meeting place, but Ren was sure it wouldn’t be bad. Or no worse than most of her life, right?

The woman in the park now, the one not bringing materials for Ren, had noticed her. Ren’s eyes grew wide when the woman stopped swinging. Ren’s pulse quickened, she looked down, her face tilting a bit, but when the woman actually started walking toward Ren, her eyes lifted again. No, no, no, just leave me alone. Pretty please? She thought in a mild panic.

The lady actually sat down. She looked… a tiny bit familiar, but Ren hadn’t been to Oak Town, so she didn’t think about it. Maybe this woman had been to Era. That would be awful. Nope, nope, nope. Ren closed her eyes tight, but the woman was still there, still nearby. Ren was getting better, she really was, but she still didn’t know how to handle strangers coming up and talking to her. She could hardly handle Kade talking to her, and he’d been doing it for nearly a year. “H-h-hi…. Uh, y-yeah, its kinda c-cold. I have my h-hoodie though, so… yeah…” she mumbled awkwardly. It was more difficult to hold a conversation than just be spoken to, and both were hard for the little recluse.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte tilted her head to the side in curiosity as she made sure to not miss a single thing about this girl. She couldn’t be so sure, after all, this girl could be some criminal or something. Like…how often did people come to this park and sit here knowing that this place was abandoned? But then again, she just could be thinking way too deep into the whole predicament. She nodded at that thought as she smiled at the character huddled on the bench.

“It certainly is. I’m Charlotte by the way. What are you doing here Ms?” she asked in the most polite voice she could muster. She didn’t want to scare the girl away. The park was pretty silent and a strange awkwardness settled into the place. “The park sure is empty” she muttered more to herself than the girl. She wrapped her hands around herself as she noticed the wind picking up, rubbing her arms to keep the cold off at least a little. She didn’t know how to start a conversation with a girl who looked as if she was scared of the whole world and she felt the awkwardness in the atmosphere increase a bit.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was really not a criminal. Except that one time. Or that… other time. Okay, so she stowed away on a boat one time but that was because she just had to help her friend. She couldn’t miss him. Friend, er, no. She was getting carried away. She didn’t have friends, but she knew the man, and that meant she really wanted to help him out. And the other… times… well, she probably stole some food, she couldn’t remember. Starvation was a pretty big motivator, and all she really remembered was that if she found food, usually discarded food, she lived on that. She was not a criminal though, not overall. Especially not a violent criminal, Ren was afraid of conflict.

Ren squirmed. The woman introduced herself as Charlotte. It was a pretty name. Ren was sure she’d known girls named Charlotte when she was younger. The woman asked what Ren was doing here and she felt scrutinized. Was she not supposed to be here? She hoped that wasn’t the case. Ren heard Charlotte mention the park was empty, “Uh, y-yeah… I d-don’t know, I just h-have to meet someone. I’m, uh, R-Ren.. wh-what are you doing here?” she asked, hoping it hadn’t been an accusation. If it had, then she’d feel accusatory to this Charlotte girl. She didn’t want that just as much as she didn’t want to be accused of anything.

[Charlotte]

“Ah! I see. I’m here to run away from responsibilities,” she chuckled, sticking her tongue out in a funny manner. She really was running away from her responsibilities but she needed a day off from the negative aura the Council had to give her. Days spent with her father were starting to get strained especially when he doesn’t listen o her or tell her his reason for his madness. Another sigh escaped her parted lips as she decided to push the thought of her father and council off her head. ‘What’s the use of thinking about it now?’

Turning her attention back to the girl, she noted she looked suspicious with all her stuttering and squirming but it wasn’t enough to put her on alert. The highlight was that the girl hadn’t done anything yet and so she had no reason to take action. She was starting to feel bored though and began playing a little with her magic, juggling a ball of lightning in her hands. “So Ren, who are you waiting for? Your boyfriend?” She joked, chuckling at her own words. She was trying to lighten the mood between them and get her to speak more without being scared of her.

[Ren Caverly]

Why were people open? Like any of them? Why did people just go around making friends and being outgoing? Ren had never been outgoing. She’d been the quiet and shy little daughter of the dance hall owners. Renata. It seemed so much more fitting in the past, and so inappropriate now. So… uncomfortable. Like she was wearing all those expectations again. All the expectations she could never live up to. And then a random girl came up and said she was running away from her responsibilities like it was a joke. It probably was a joke, Ren didn’t know. She just shifted awkwardly. Though when the woman sighed, it did seem like something about her joke must be serious. “Well, uh, p-parks are good for that… I guess…” Ren said, trying to be helpful. She could put in enormous effort and still seem like she was falling over her own words. Other people made it look so easy.

When the woman started playing with her magic Ren shifted away just an inch. Who did that? People did that? Really, why did people do that? Just… displaying their magic. If Ren were to show her magic, it would simply be to use a shadow to pull her hood up over her face. And even then she only did that if she thought no one would notice. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t her choice what magic she got, and it wasn’t fair that people judged it, and her. She was busy thinking about this when Charlotte asked who she was waiting for. Ren choked on what must have been a bucket of air, for all her sputtering. “N-N-no, wh-what?! Why w-would… n-no, I am not…. N-no,” she said, shaking her head quickly and awkwardly. She was really bad at conversation, why would anyone think she had a boyfriend? Besides, men were scary. Her chances of getting a boyfriend while remaining actively afraid of men were pretty slim.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte was surprised and greatly amused at the reaction she got from Ren. She chuckled as she clapped her hands together to disperse the lightning in her hands. “Alright Alright haha…I didn’t expect that reaction…”she trailed off with a smile, looking up at the girl that seemed as if she can’t hurt a fly even if she wanted to. “So then who are you waiting for, Ren?” She asked after settling down again, looking around to see if someone else is making their way to the abandoned park. “Whoever the person is, it looks like he is late,” she mused, leaning back on the bench and crossing her legs in a relaxing posture. “I wonder if those guys are looking or me now,” She wondered out loud, thinking of the magic council knights that are probably searching for her.

Shrugging to her own thoughts, she turned her attention back to the girl. “You must be from a guild, right?” the question was random but Charlotte was running out of good questions. She wondered if the girl would accompany her on a walk around the town but she was there to meet someone, wasn’t she? That meant that she probably wouldn’t go with her.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren didn’t find any of this amusing, and didn’t understand the girl’s laughter. She didn’t mind the magic, but people simply did not show off their magic. Guideless wizards could be sent to prison and killed for that. Ren didn’t keep up with all the goings on of other people, especially not the council, but she knew that much. She also knew she was judged for her magic… so this girl just made no sense. Charlotte spoke about the person Ren was meeting being late. Ren said nothing. Charlotte also asked if guys were looking for her now. Ren wanted to ask. It seemed like a fair question, because it didn’t make sense for people to be looking for Charlotte. Was she in trouble?

When Ren was asked if she was in a guild she just looked at Charlotte. Should she say? What if she didn’t?! Would she be in trouble? She was proudest of being in that guild. She wasn’t proud of anything, but that was the closest thing. “Um… why do you say that?” she asked awkwardly. She had no reason not to say she was in a guild, but she just felt awkward saying anything right now. Common problems for the horribly shy creature.

[Charlotte]

Throwing her hands back in air in an attempt to stretch, Charlotte looked up at the darkening sky as she noticed that it was going to rain pretty soon. “Ahh Ren-chan? I don’t know who you are waiting for but are you sure he is gonna show up today? I think it’s gonna rain pretty soon,” Charlotte said with an irritated click of her tongue as she got up from the bench. ‘And it was such a nice day too’ she mused, pushing her lips into a thin line. Grabbing her right upper hand with her left, she bent back, almost fully with her right hand palm coming in contact with the bench behind her.

She could see a group of two or three passing the park, looking around as if they were searching for someone. Her vision zeroed in on them when she noticed that they had the magic council ankh symbol on them. “Shoot!” she cursed as she scrambled to plop back down on the ground to hide herself with the help of the red painted bench. “Ahh mahn how did they get here?” she sighed frustrated as she waited for their footsteps to die down. Looking up with a nervous smile, Charlotte silently told Rent o stay quiet by putting a finger to her own lips. Looking back to make sure they aren’t too close to them, charlotte crawled to where Ren is before whispering. “Hey! How about we go back to the town? Maybe the guy you were supposed to meet is lost there?”

[Ren Caverly]

Out of nowhere the weather changed. It didn’t bother Ren. Rain? Okay. Dark clouds? Fine. She didn’t really have anything against things getting dark. It would probably suit her. However she was distracted by the strange woman tacking on some confusing word to the end of her name. It sounded as if it was meant affectionately, but Ren had never heard it before. People were weird. Nicknaming strangers. She squirmed a little. The girl kept assuming she was meeting a man, but Ren didn’t want to correct her. Men were scary, but she didn’t need to voice that. Women were scary too. With the surprising change in weather Ren didn’t say anything. That didn’t mean things stayed normal or calm.

Some people walked by and this girl jumped down. She said something and Ren stared at her, wide eyed and nervous. Apparently Ren was supposed to stay quiet. That was fine. She sat perfectly still, not saying a word. The girl, however, started whispering to Ren. She suggested going to town, and that the woman Ren was meeting, were she a man, might be lost there. Ren timidly shook her head. She had less than zero desire to go off with a stranger. She didn’t even want to go off with a friend, if she’d had any. She wanted to stay put and get the sewing materials. Besides, it didn’t make sense to go looking for someone who she had never met. She could walk right past them. No, she was staying put.

“N-no, I have to stay here to meet her. She’ll come,” Ren said timidly, very quietly. Apparently she needed to stay quiet, and that was what she planned to do. Her voice was naturally very quiet anyway. She nervously waited for the girl’s response. Ren would stay here until nightfall, even in the rain, if need be.

[Charlotte]

“Miss Charlotte!”

The raven haired girl stiffened when she heard a familiar voice behind her and looked back to see a council guard looking curiously at her. “What are you doing here, Miss? I thought Sir kai asked you to write a report for him?” The black haired guard tilted his head as he asked the now grinning Charlotte. “Weeelll I asked Jude to help me with that hahaha” she laughed and got up to walk off somewhere else when she heard the guy sigh and grab her hand. “Sir Kai asked us to bring you back, ma’am,” she heard and pouted as she let him drag her away. “Oh well….I’ll see you later, Ren. Baiiii” she called out with a big grin, waving furiously at the huddled up girl.

In five minutes, she was sitting in her room on her study table with a pen in her hand. “I’m bored,” she groaned, resting her head on the table. A green eyed fairy like creature sighed from the side as he watched his owner running away from her responsibilities again. “Charlotte….you should finish that report soon, you kno-WAH!” Jude’ sentence was cut short as he fell back from the shock of seeing Charlotte stand up suddenly without any warning. “I’m going to the town!” she declared without looking back before rushing towards the window. She looked down from it to find no guards around before jumping on to the nearest branch of a tree and climbing down.

“CHARLOTTE!” she heard Jude scream at her as she walked off without looking back at all. “I’m not going to lock myself up in that room to write up a stupid report,” she mumbled to herself as she sneaked out of the council headquarters and towards the town where she had heard earlier in the day that there would be a street performance.

[Sponsored content]