FF - Installment 4

When the whiteness had cleared, a somewhat demure and captivating scene greeted them. They had come into a small clearing set on the edge of a steep hill overlooking a large expanse of water. Twilight skies surrounded them as the blue glow of nighttime was casted onto the surrounding landscape. Small yellow bits of light were visible next to the seaside below them.

Janeil looked up at the stars. They were so plentiful as always; being planetside always gave him the best ambience when viewing the night sky. A few wisps of cerulean nebula interlaced themselves between numerous star clusters; but this was only just the backdrop to an even more stunning sight. A large gray planet hung in the sky, a thin ring system looping around it.

"Wow....I would have never thought I'd get this far without an FTL drive." He remarked. Looking back behind him, he saw that they were standing behind a monument-like structure. A now-familiar door was set in the middle of it, the monument offering some shelter to it. Sophia had just closed the door behind her and came to his side.

Glancing down at the city, Janeil looked at Sophia. "I'm guessing we're going down there?"

"Well, not that far into it. Just on the outskirts. But yes, this is where most of Oceanus' population resides." Sophia started to walk down a worn dirt path.

Their walk took them down the hill down to the flat below. A few houses were scattered about outside of the city and had garden or orchard plots. One in particular had a large wall around it and before he knew it Sophia was walking through the open gate, leaving him on the road. He started after her and caught up just as she found Sophia at the front of the door, talking to an woman. She was dressed in simple old-fashioned work dress just as long as Sophia's own and had a bonnet on her head.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth no longer lives here." The woman stated.

"How long has she been gone? Do you know where she has went?" Sophia seemed slightly panicked.

"Oh, I say about three months. I don't know where she lives now, but the registrar's census office in town should know. You can go tal to them if you wish."

"I see..." Sophia's face fell slightly. "Well, thank you . Sorry for intruding."

"It's all right, dear. Goodbye." The door closed.

"What's that about?" Janeil looked up at the house.

"My friend Elizabeth doesn't live here anymore." Sophia was clearly distressed. "I don't understand; she's not the type to pick up and leave like that."

Janeil sighed. His bags were getting a little hard to carry now. "So now what?"

"She said check the census office in town." She sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice. She's my only connection. If we don't have somewhere we can stay...this will become difficult."

"Tell me about it....so how do you know this Elizabeth person?"

"We met a long while back, perhaps a year ago. I was doing some research in this city and it was raided by an army. I was left injured and she happened to find me and nursed me back to health. After that, I helped her run her apothecary store and teach the remaining children school for a month before the city was eventually abandoned. She moved here after the incident; and that's the last time I saw her."

Sophia's conversation continued as they entered the city. The whole place seemed right out of the late colonial period, with a few Victorian fashions floating about. There were a lot of closed and empty market stands, cobblestone streets, and shut up buildings with a few people wandering around.

Not much people paid attention to them. A few of them gave stares towards Janeil, mostly out of not seeing someone like him before, but they quickly went on their business after their brief glances. There were still a lot of voices to be heard, but they were dulled, as if most everyone was inside for the evening.

Author's Note: I am currently experiencing technical issues posting. The remainder of the installment will be posted in the morning.