A salty-sweet breeze swept through the open windows and with it a cool rush of relief filled the shaded portions.
Outside the world hummed with quiet drumming of work, carts rattled along the stone pathways as the sounds of draft beasts echoed off the walls of the buildings. Children called to one another as they giggled with raised voices and quick feet.
In an upper window of the ivory walled cities clinic, looking out over the bay view beneath, a head rested on its sile with a mass of purple hair that drowned the owner as it waved in the wind.
The window, reaching all the way to the crown of the ceiling before tapering exteriorly to an eave lay centered in the room. Here Ayumi's khat lay pushed up against it with her mattress folded under her knees as she softly snored on the wooden frame.
In the small room about her lay two other forms. Build into the room's wall, Hakk lay sprawled atop an open bedstede one-two many measures short for him, with one leg lay bent into the corner of the bed while the other sprawled off the edge. Across from him and beyond a low table in an equal-sized arrangement curled Glei with his back to the other. All three were dressed in loosely fitting white robes that descended to their ankles with equally unsized pants.
From the wooden door across the window came a knock, undisturbed the room remained motionless save for the curtains caught in the draft.
A few moments past as muttered words were spoken on the other side. With a jarring racket, the door labored open as it jammed partway.
In squeezed an average height man with a stocky box build. Dressed in a navy-black light cotton top, matching pants with an open coat over top. His thick, orderly, black hair parted mid skelp and was pulled back tightly in a short pony.
Ayumi stirred from her ball of hair as she looked behind her to the noise of wood against wood, to see the man with his back against the door frame as he pushed the pocket door open.
"You've come to rescue us." Ayumi spoke in a low tone as she watched.
The other looked out of the corner of his eye as he finished with the door. "Kanja, Kanja!' He approached her bedside reaching across her bed he drew the shades closed. "You shouldn't be near the light yet."
Pulling back her hair from the window and over her arms, she unveiled several blisters partially healed over her face, hands, and legs with the latter two covered partially in bandages. Her lower lip sunk as she gently folded her arms.
"It's stuffy in here… and I covered my skin…"
"The window open is fine, but you must draw the shades, otherwise Isha Althea will get mad and your wounds will take longer to heal. The light can still sneaky through your hair I'm afraid."
Ayumi sighed as she retreated from the window all together allowing the other to properly draw the shades shut. With it, the window's light dimmed and the wall lights illuminated the deficit.
The man retreated outside the room and returned swiftly with a round bronze tray in hand. On it was 9 small to medium-sized bowls with a variety of foods, rice, vegetables of varying kinds, in the center were scraps of flatbread. Placing it on the small table he set a few cloth napkins about.
"Here's some lunch."
Ayumi looked at the food and tilted her head slightly and looked up at the other.
"It's called dal-bhat-tarkari, I recommend dipping the roti in the dal, it's a bit stale today." He pointed to the bread and broth-like bowl. "And make sure you wash your hand." The younger man held his right hand up and pointed to the bowl and pitcher next to the door. "I'll be back later to pick up the dishes."
The man left with the clattering of a cart as the noise descended down the hallway.
Ayumi stood up and approached the food closing her eyes she took a deep breath and smiled. Walking over she poked at Glei who mumbled something and turned over and curled tighter into a ball.
Walking back she took the bowl of rice, dumped it out on the tray and began adding a bit of everything together, along with two pieces roti and exited the room.
Before her was a large hallway lined with several windows, against the opposite wall small single bedrooms lined the way, some with doors open, others closed. To the left or right of her, the hallway continued, one deeper into the cliffside and the other to what appeared to be a tower structure.
Forward she went beneath her, the wood floor groaned under the motion. Light filtered from the small bedrooms on her left, from skylights above. Their occupants either slept or mulled about their room tinkering or pacing. Some casting their eyes to her as she walked by, with a small wave to those that did, she continued undeterred.
Outside the windows shuttered as the sky's greyed, patting against the glass rain settled. Beyond the view, the shoreline now beach waters rose over trees roots and immersed trunks under the deep ocean leaving only bush like tops floating along the surface. The ocean distantly licked at the edges of the city gate. Thunder rolled through the air as distant glimpses of light jumped in the clouds.
Ayumi's feet carried her down a ramped stairwell leading to the ground floor. Here the air became cooler, holding the bowl close to her frame she continued on down a window lit hallway. The oncoming storm became a withdrawn note with each passing step and was gradually replaced by a different sound.
The noise of people filled the path to her right, turning the left she rounded a corner walking down a more narrower hallway who's windowed wall overlooked an enclosed roji.
Square in shape and sprinkled with stones and shrubbery of varying sizes. It unfolded like a detailed portrait of a fantastical place with the windows framed in large sheets of glass and only open from small sections along the bottom.
Inside of the layout was a small bench built into the wall corner, curling up on it Ayumi watched the rain fill the small divides between the roji's gyo laid rock paths, as it carried the new water into hidden culverts below.
Sipping at the bowl she pulled away as the liquid stung her lips. Setting it down she pulled her knees up to her chin as she wrapped her arms around her legs eyes fixed on the water wash of colors before her.
Her eyes drifted down the hall beside her, it was mostly lit with the filter of the rainy light that cast a grey haze over it. A few of the crystal lamps flickered and dulled in the shadows causing illusions to dance briefly.
She picked the bowl up again, this time taking a long swig of the broth and contents finishing it in one breathe. Tucking away the bread she hid it in one of her pants pockets. Lightly she scratched at her wrapped arms, on her slender hands were small red welts that scaled up the rest of her skin and disappearing behind the bandages.
"Stupid blisters…" She bit down on her lip peeling away some of the dried husks of skin. Taking a deep breath she sunk further into the corner bench as her eyes strayed down in the lull of the static rain drifting into the void for a few distant moments.
Ayumi startled to waking. Around her the air held an aching chill as the dimmest of lights filter along the hallways. Her eyes caught a woman leaving one of the last rooms from the direction she'd come from.
The woman's shoulders slumped as she uttered a mutter, closing the door she attached a bell to it that rang dimly as she held onto it until it silenced. Trailing off she seemed to head upstairs.
Standing up Ayumi made her way down the hall, the door like any of the others looked unassuming save for the bell. Ayumi clasped the bell's interior silencing the would be alarm, setting it to the floor gently she moved to lift the door upwards slightly.
THUD.
Swiftly she opened the door and glanced about the room. Before her, entangled amid a pile of sheets, blankets, and pillows, an earthen skinned frame with carrot-colored hair struggled against invisible foes. His bandaged feet lashed out knocking against the legs of the bed and small table beside it. Ayumi looked down the hallway, empty, no sounds of distant chattering or life could be heard.
"Lady?" Ayumi's voice rang down the empty hallway, nothing. She turned back to look at the other.
The man's mouth opened and closed as a hoarse rasp exited from it, inbetween nearly silent coughing fits. Tears escaped from his clenched eyes as his hands grappled against the air with his hands.
Approaching slowly she hunched down reaching out to his shoulder she tapped it gently.
"Hel-" She began.
In a swift motion, she found her wrist being twisted as her eyes flinched, a slight hiss escaping from her lips. Pulling backward she fell to her butt with her head resting against the edge of the room.
The grip continued to tighten as it twisted ripping the still recovering flesh, trying to pry her other hand between his fingers she failed, grabbing at one of the pillows she twisted it in her hand and raised it high above her head.
"THAT HURTS! WAKEUP!" The hand continued to twist about her wrist, letting lose she pummeled the pillow to his face with a fwap. For a moment the grip tightened even more as she raised for another strike but stopped as the hand released only loosely holding to her now.
Ayumi set the pillow down as her eyes met his.
"Can I have my arm back please?"
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