08-03-2023, 12:37 PM
The morning passed and Raffe floated through it like a man going through the motions. He was quiet and insular, poking around his own thoughts like a tongue discovering the surprise of a missing tooth. He couldn’t place a name to the deep rooted unease, and eventually stopped trying. The girls were a good distraction, and one Raffe took to as much as Morgan seemed to take to him. Watching them smile smoothed the sharper edges of his mood as the hours rolled on into afternoon and they found themselves at the church.
“I think so,” he said to Nox’s question. “Or he can help us find out. Most of the people living here used to be in the tunnels.” He glanced over with a somewhat troubled expression, but did not want to add anything to the burden of guilt. These were people fled, who like the girls had seen and lived through horrors escaping the infestation below. It was their choice to remain, though, and they did so because of Ezekiel.
If he was here, he was not usually difficult to find. People tended to throng wherever he was. Though as it happened the man presented himself at the top of the steps soon after, like he already knew they were looking. Given the general mystique that followed him in whispers, perhaps it was really the case for all Raffe knew. His warm gaze found them, and Raffe was relieved to see nothing but benign curiosity. Zeke was an unassuming figure, dressed in a mish-mash of dark clothing, his skin scored with scrawled tattoos. But for all his benevolent reputation here, he was not someone wise to cross. After Nox’s name had been dropped in the confrontation with Cruz, Raffe didn’t doubt Zeke knew exactly who he was looking at.
“You’re new here. Welcome.” Ezekiel’s voice was soft as honey as he descended towards them. He glanced in Raffe’s direction with a small smile, but it was Nox to whom he directed himself.
Meanwhile small fingers wrapped into Raffe’s and tugged. He realised with some alarm that Mackenzie had already run off, and Morgan pulled him to follow. Raffe glanced up at the sky, and found it clear. Nox was not Cruz, he reasoned. And there was no coin this time. It should be fine. “I’ll watch the girls,” he said, as he was drawn away.
“I think so,” he said to Nox’s question. “Or he can help us find out. Most of the people living here used to be in the tunnels.” He glanced over with a somewhat troubled expression, but did not want to add anything to the burden of guilt. These were people fled, who like the girls had seen and lived through horrors escaping the infestation below. It was their choice to remain, though, and they did so because of Ezekiel.
If he was here, he was not usually difficult to find. People tended to throng wherever he was. Though as it happened the man presented himself at the top of the steps soon after, like he already knew they were looking. Given the general mystique that followed him in whispers, perhaps it was really the case for all Raffe knew. His warm gaze found them, and Raffe was relieved to see nothing but benign curiosity. Zeke was an unassuming figure, dressed in a mish-mash of dark clothing, his skin scored with scrawled tattoos. But for all his benevolent reputation here, he was not someone wise to cross. After Nox’s name had been dropped in the confrontation with Cruz, Raffe didn’t doubt Zeke knew exactly who he was looking at.
“You’re new here. Welcome.” Ezekiel’s voice was soft as honey as he descended towards them. He glanced in Raffe’s direction with a small smile, but it was Nox to whom he directed himself.
Meanwhile small fingers wrapped into Raffe’s and tugged. He realised with some alarm that Mackenzie had already run off, and Morgan pulled him to follow. Raffe glanced up at the sky, and found it clear. Nox was not Cruz, he reasoned. And there was no coin this time. It should be fine. “I’ll watch the girls,” he said, as he was drawn away.
![[Image: Raffe-banner--scaled.jpg]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Raffe-banner--scaled.jpg)