They had left Pelagon with the woman feeling somewhat renewed. Not perfect, far from perfect, but perhaps not such a shade of her former self. Her eyes remained sensitive even after all this time, so the transition into daylight had her squinting something fierce. By now the black clothes she'd been left with had been lost along the way, and instead she wore more typical browns and ruddy, earthy oranges that spoke more of the desert than a verdant land.
What she wore, and what she carried, was not really something she had any say over. Hand-me-downs and gifts the lot of them, offered in goodwill and charity from the one she'd been sharing the hyperlanes with, and in time she hoped she could pay him back tenfold for all he'd done.
Right now though it wasn't as though she had anything to give.
This was not a position she relished being in. In fact, she despised every moment of it. Relying on others, on their good faith, and simply hoping she wouldn't be taken advantage of, that she wouldn't owe them some life debt to one day be called upon. Truth be told though, beyond it all, the woman was simply aimless. Nowhere to go, no home to return to, she wasn't even entirely sure this wasn't all some sort of simulation.
She wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't still locked within some cell, asleep with tampered dreams. What even was reality anymore? What was real, what was fake, what was death? Is that what this was? Had she found herself back within the throws of the Nether, inside some strange realm which mimicked realspace?
Was he watching her now?
Either way, real or not, she'd ended up on Falleen. The Capital, to be specific. It was far busier than anywhere she'd have liked to be, for Asha had not yet adjusted to all the sights and sounds of a city. It made her want to press her hands to her ears to blot it all out, to walk in silence and blindness and ignorance. But she was not deaf, she was not blind, and she was not dumb.
So suffer she must.
Her long black hair was caught on a stray breeze, and it whipped about her face as she exited the starport and ventured out into the realm beyond. Alone, without
Cale Gunderson
for support... She wondered how long she'd even last. Eyes averted from any and all who might look her way, shoulders hunched as though somehow they could defend her ears against the din. She wasn't sure how long they'd stay this time, nor where their next destination would be.
Too noisy though, here. Maybe she wouldn't stay at all. Maybe she'd turn tail and run back to his ship. Avoid it all entirely. She'd stretched her legs, surely that was enough?
Her head lifted, just enough to spot what lay beyond the city confines. Jungles..?
The wilds...
Oh how they called to her; To be one with nature again, away from all of the chaos. Somewhere to breathe... Without even realizing it, she began to head toward the outer walls.
