Searching

It was obvious she was lost. Richard watched her making her way through the streets, her hood pulled up and her eyes wide as she looked at the tall buildings and the richly dressed people. He noticed that her clothing was made of a rough material, and had been mended more than once, and his practiced eyes noticed that she was not carrying a money purse of any kind. She was exactly the opposite of an ideal mark. Though he knew he should move on, Richard couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She wasn’t exceptionally pretty—in fact, there was nothing exceptional about her. Her eyes and hair were both light brown, her skin was sun-tanned, but not dark. It was obvious her clothes were of a cheap material, but they were well-kept. Average. She could easily have disappeared into the crowd.

Still, Richard followed her, looking for an opening to speak with her. Something about the girl intrigued him.

At last he decided on the direct approach. Stepping up to the girl, he said: “You lost?”

Glancing around, the girl said, “Are you speaking to me?”

“Yeah. You look lost.”

“Well, yes, I am, actually. I’m looking for--” she stopped and cocked her head. Then she said slowly, “…Terrance’s. The tailor.”

“You sound a little uncertain about that,” Richard commented.

“Do you know where it is?”

“Yeah, I’ll take you there.”

“There’s no need!”

Richard knew he was making her nervous, and did his best to set her at ease.

“It’s no trouble; it’s right on my way. First time in the big city, huh?”

She nodded, hesitantly falling into step beside him.

“What’s brought you?”

“A job.”

“At Terrance’s?”

“Yes.”

“So you sew?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze continued traveling up the buildings that towered over them on either side, or into shop windows full of sparkling baubles.

“My name’s Richard. What’s yours?” Richard said, still trying to get a conversation going.

“Dianne.”

“Where are you from, Dianne?”

She shrugged. “All over the place.”

“A wanderer.” Richard smiled.

“Searcher.”

“What?” Richard glanced sideways at his companion, wondering what she could mean.

“Nothing. Is this it?” She stopped before the tailor’s.

“Yeah. It was a pleasure to meet you, Dianne. Good luck with your new job.”

“Thank you.”

She watched as Richard walked away, then stepped into the shop. Her mind was spinning. Could that man be the one? Shaking her head, she went to speak to the man behind the counter. Richard couldn’t be the one she was looking for—she wasn’t that lucky.

But she had to find him soon. She was running out of time.

♥/Kat!e

Today's Novel Idea Prompted by: Last line: "And I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but with or without you, I'll make this a beautiful day." Courtesy of treestar122 on the NaNoWriMo forum Adopt a Closing Line.