A sweet scent filled the air as Kerri approached the edge of the water, drawing her closer to enjoy the peaceful nature of the evening. She loosened her cloak from its hold upon her shoulders, bundling it up and setting it to the grass so she could settle down upon it. The day had been a busy one, full of searching for knowledge within the library of Lómëdor on new plants and other natural components that might be useful in her work. The early evening had been spent under the tree cover that edged the lake, searching for these plants, berries and barks. With the moon fully overhead, she had grown tired of searching, and there was no longer enough light to be sure what it was she was plucking, so it was time to rest. The searching had proven to be valuable, as the small pouches at her waist now held samples of these new medicines provided by nature.
Still, she felt restless, as if it was not yet time to return to the city. She had a tiny room in one of the inns of Lómëdor, a humble little place where her few belongings could be kept while she rested her mind and body after a days work. Her work was that of a healer, a fledgling of sorts when compared to some of the masters, but with each passing day she learned more. She knew that with enough devotion, she would one day become skilled enough to serve those who came to the great healing halls in search of cures for a myriad of illnesses and injuries.
The way the light shimmered over the water's surface reminded her of days long since past, when the priestesses would dance, praying to the watchers of the night. When the sun lifted itself above the horizon, the priestesses would sleep, believing that its fiery glow destroyed all that the peaceful night had created. While Kerri was no longer sure of their beliefs, she felt more at home when the silvery moon was watching over the lands she traveled. She continued to believe in the watchful nature of the moon, though the images of her mind were still fresh and filled with pain. Tonight, however, was not a night for pain in dredging those memories up, but rather a nice for peace and relaxation.
She slipped her feet free of the simple boots she wore, then dipped her toes into the water, watching as the touch caused small ripples which spread outward. The water felt warm and soothing. She slid her foot deeper into the water, watching as it faded from view. She pulled her foot out, then stood up to slip free of all but her long tunic, then stepped forward, until the water lapped at the edges of the tunic. Once she was comfortable enough, she lowered herself down, until just her shoulders and head were above the surface. Leaning back, she pulled her way out further with her arms, allowing her body to float lightly along. Brown eyes watched the moon as it seemed to float by, and before long she allowed body to come still, simply resting there with trust that the lake would not allow her to sink. She bobbed up and down ever so slightly as air entered and exited her lungs. Had it not been for the fact that she knew it would be impossible to maintain this pose while sleeping, she would have drifted off to sleep right there in the water. Instead, she forced her mind to remain alert, letting it play with the knew knowledge she had gathered from the library.
Seolfur trudged down the rocky lake road with his usual uptight aura, his wide, leather boots leaving footprints that look like a heavy dwarf's. His cloak was now turned to its darker side, making him harder to see on the forest backdrop.
He simply walked down the path as always, paying no attention to his beautiful surroundings at all. Animals kept their distance.
He was always this way, gruff and unapreciative. He was eternally remembering and brooding over the dark things of his past and until he fixes his errors he shall always be sad and grim. So he walks. And thinks. As he was doing that night.
So far that night he had been in a fresh-smelling forest with evergreen trees on both sides of him, but eventually the trees thin and end on his right and he is left with a view of a dark and beautiful lake with the moon reflecting off of it. Their was a beach on his right when he noticed a floating shape in the water. It made long, round, lonely ripples on the glassy lake.
As the path began to dip down closer to the beach, Seofur saw a dark shape in the water. About 20 feet long and 5 wide it made a small U - shaped ripple as it moved towards the floating person and inturrupted her ripples. Seeing danger, Seolfur exclaimed, "HEY!"
The sudden break of silence startled Kerri to the point that she began to splash around in the water in an attempt to get somewhat upright so that she could see where the call had come from. A hand came to her face to wipe the drops of water from her eyes, which then squinted in search of the owner of the voice, finding a man approaching. She began the swim towards the shore, worried that this man might be in some sort of need, though he seemed to be traveling just fine as they approached each other. Her body felt heavy as it raised up from the water, those first steps a bit awkward after having floated for the time she had upon the calm surface of the water.
She paused long enough to pull some of the water from her hair, then collect herself enough so that she didn't look like a complete mess as she went to speak with this stranger. "Hail, and well met! Is there something you were in need of?" It hadn't quite crossed her mind that a person floating in the water could have appeared as a problem, though the distress was quite evident upon the man's face.