Arc stood in the shadow of a tall stone building, concealed from view by the long shade it cast. He had positioned himself not far from the village gate, where a group of guards dispatched by Zindra were expected to pass through on their way out of the village. As the minutes turned into hours, Arc's anticipation grew into impatience, his eyes fixed on the gate as he waited for the group to finally depart.
"Hurry, I can only hold my curiosity for so long!" Arc grumbled.
After his conversation with Zindra this morning, he had already decided that he could not hold out any longer and needed to search the orphanage, if not just to quench his curiosity. He had it all planned out. All that was waiting now was for everyone to be distracted, which he also had a plan for. He already knew that with the information that Zindra and the others collected, the Alchemic Race would send word of approval about the search, so what was the harm of searching a little earlier than expected?
Arc's eyes lit up as he watched the ten guards leisurely depart from the village. Most opted to walk alongside the carriage rather than ride while the driver grumbled about his duties. Now, with these guards leaving to get justification about a search, Arc could rest leisurely while he waited for his distractions to take place. Then, all that was left was to wait until night, just after those children and caretakers went to sleep.
***
Carter trailed just a few steps behind Priya, taking in the echoing sounds of their footsteps as they made their way through the orphanage's halls. The quiet pair was going to Istina's office for Priya's monthly check-up. Carter had accompanied them the previous month, and it mainly involved Istina asking questions. Priya would nod or shake her head, and then Istina would scold her, telling her to stay safe.
Honestly, he didn't want to go again. It was boring, and there was something that was burning inside him. It was a slow and subtle progression, but Carter was sleeping less and spending more time with others, and because of this, his Feyrisian curiosity was slowly stirring. Carter had spent most of his time exploring with Priya, trying to drown the curiosity, but there were places that she would refuse to go; not only that, but most of the other children and even caretakers refused to go to some of the locations on the premises; this only incited his curiosity more.
Carter was constantly frustrated by his mind's opposing pulls, from curiosity that bordered on obsession to extreme apathy and exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than for his mind to be calm enough to focus on one, preferably the useless, apathetic one because he didn't want to face the repercussions of his curiosity again.
Feyrisian curiosity was like an ailment with no cure. The only remedy was to distract the mind, but even that would only delay the inevitable. Like this, Carter gnawed at himself and fidgeted, trying to distract his mind, but nothing he did could pull his mind away from the curiosity of what was in those abandoned locations that made so many stay away.
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He decided that when everyone was asleep, he would quench his curiosity by exploring as many places as he could, if not just to return to his useless, apathetic self.
***
Arc sat outside a small shop that sold different drinks and finger foods. He had grown to appreciate the quiet atmosphere of this shop, but it was unfortunate to see it go. When he began his own investigations because Zindra was too slow, he discovered that this business was importing illegal goods, which were not meant for a 'servant' race like the Ambrosia race. Arc managed to hide the dealings discreetly so that he could continue to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, but now these activities, along with others he had uncovered, were needed for a distraction. He was eager to see how Zindra would react to his first distraction along with the rest. He carefully staged the distractions for Zindra to uncover gradually, as if they were leaking out bit by bit. He also made sure to subtly point the blame at someone different for each mistake. Now, all that remained was to be patient and watch as the events played out.
"This should keep them occupied for a few days at least, and when Zindra gets focused, she forgets all about me, leaving me plenty of time to do what I want," Arc said
He sighed as he put down his empty cup, knowing that this would be the last he would have while he stayed here, but knowledge is more important than comfort.
***
Carter sat beside the angry girl, who he now knew as Aiyah, but it was difficult to call her angry now. She only had a distant gaze and a quiet voice. She no longer ran around yelling at everyone. Now, she sat in the room where the other loud child, Aster, stayed. The loud child, Aster, seemed better than when he saw him last; he could talk and eat, but that wasn't why Carter was here.
Since the group returned from their little adventure, this pair had wandered the halls late at night. Carter had no idea why, but he knew they did, and caretakers would stay up to watch them silently. Because of this, these two were the only hindrance to his plan, an unavoidable variable that was difficult to account for, but it would not stop Carter from trying.
***
Arc paced under the trees in the woods behind the orphanage. He was in a bit of a panic as Zindra moved through his distractions faster than anticipated. He had expected a week, but it seemed like even two days would be a stretch, and because of that, his only option was tonight. He had already planned to search tonight, but he wanted to spread it out over several nights to ensure he could explore the orphanage; now, he had one night to search several buildings and all the documents he could find.
Morin was finishing its descent, and the sky was darkening. Arc could see the caretakers bringing the children inside to prepare for bed. It was almost time to move.
***
Carter grumbled as he was escorted to his room. He was frustrated, having spent half the day with the once loud pair and having nothing to show for it. If one good thing came out of it, it was that he discovered why the pair wandered the halls. Aster seemed to be searching for someone called Casper, but Carter had no idea who that was or where they were hiding. It was frustrating that it was so simple: if he could find Casper, then he could explore, but to find Casper, he had to explore; it was maddening. Left with no choice, Carter decided that he would look for Casper tonight while exploring two problems with one solution.