That night, Hima was probably as loud as it ever got, with the Chosen and her group having pushed two tables together in the lobby of the inn to have dinner together before their final stop in their journey—the Tower of Salvation. Lloyd and Genis made the most noise, chatting about their travels up till now, though clearly nervous about reaching their destination tomorrow. Sheena joined in the conversation, blending in seamlessly to their group. Raine was a bit more somber, knowing what this journey ultimately meant for the Chosen. Kratos was somewhere outside.
The Chosen herself sat beside Lloyd, smiling at her friends’ animated conversation. Each of them had a big plate of food in front of them, but in front of Colette there was nothing. It smelled delicious though, and she was happy everyone was enjoying their last big meal before leaving in the morning. With the situation as tense as it was, she was so happy everyone was able to have a little bit of fun the night before like this.
Lloyd tried to include her in the conversation, but Colette couldn’t stop her mind from wandering, as much as she tried to enjoy the moment. She wanted so badly to hold on to this feeling of being close to her friends. It was her last chance.
Something in the corner of the inn lobby caught her attention, however. A feeling of being watched.
Colette glanced over her shoulder, trying to be subtle about it. There, at a tiny table against the wall, sat a young man with teal hair, whose face raised some strange feeling of recognition in her, though she was sure they’d never met before. He was dressed so strangely, and seemed a bit lost.
The feeling only grew, pulling Colette towards him. Her brow furrowed as she stared into the wood grains of the table, trying to settle on a decision. Quickly, she got Lloyd’s attention and wrote something on his hand.
“’Be right back’? Where are you going?”
Colette pointed, and smiled at Lloyd as she stood from the table. The rest of her party members glanced at her curiously, and as Colette hurried to meet that familiar stranger, Lloyd explained it to them. “I dunno. Do we know that guy?”
Thankfully, the tiny lobby made it so it wasn’t like they’d be out of sight from her group. She knew Lloyd would be keeping an eye on her, and that felt reassuring.
In front of the table, she paused. Oh no, it wasn’t like she could actually speak with this person normally. She should have asked Raine for something to write with. After hesitating, she pointed to her hand, pretending to write on it, and then held it out, silently asking for his.
It felt weird, doing this with a stranger, but at the moment there wasn’t another option.
Colette turned his hand over and, using her finger, spelled out her question on his palm:
Do I know you?
@reipasento