Out for the Day

The end of the trail came into view as she slowed down to catch her breath. It was a wonderful place. The trail opened onto a meadow that used to be a building of some kind. Kayla grinned as she surveyed the broken walls and empty doorways of the ruins before her and forced a deep breath. No reason to have an episode just before her exploration.

When she had caught her breath, she started down a slight slope to the building and, out of habit and respect for the place it had once been, automatically entered through a doorway rather than stopping over one of the low places in the walls. The wind whipped around a corner of still-standing wall and tousled her short hair as she laughed. It felt like being touched by the ghost of the place she was standing in.

Kayla ran a hand through her brown hair as she pondered where she would start. There were at least four rooms, a corridor...and she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw some stairs from the top of the rise.

It was amazing to her that she had found such a place. She trailed her fingers along the stone wall as she inspected the floor of the corridor, looking for something, anything, to tell her about his place...

"Looking for something?" Anastacia stepped out from behind a pillar, a hand tracing the minute inscriptions that were there.
Her left hand occupied, her right carrying a clipboard. She'd come to inspect the ruins after a brief chat with the owners of Compass. They'd agreed to have research done, just as long as no public documentation was released.

Documents signed, Anastacia had been camping around here for the past week. Progress was slow, for as much as this place offered to the common tourist, not so much to the eager scientist. She wasn't all that discouraged though-- the Ruins and the architecture alone were fascinating as she couldn't place their origins.

In the present, Ana' watched the girl before her. "My name's Anastacia Andromeda Uzuki. I'm a scientist studying this place. And yourself?"

Kayla glanced up sharply, but smiled at the clip-board toting woman further into the ruins. She seemed to be a scientist--and yes, the introduction confirmed it.

"I'm Kayla." She paused and thought, then smiled wider. "I suppose I'm looking for history. But then, I'm always looking for history. Ruins are my favorite places."

Following the line of Anastacia's arm, Kayla noticed the carvings on the pillar and walked over, examining them as she watched the woman out of the corner of her eyes.

"I won't be bothering your work, will I? Just, you know, poking around? I would hate to interrupt, but I do like it here."

Such tiny scribings, it was amazing. She didn't know if there were people capable of doing that sort of artistry anymore. It was beautiful in its simple elegance.

"Ah, a history nut, just like myself." Anastacia smiles, nodding quietly. "Nah, it's no bother. As long as you don't take anything, okay? I've mostly explored all of this side, so knock yourself out. In fact, I remember seeing some murals over in that direction," She points over her left shoulder, towards the lantern-lit area she just emerged from. "Just be careful-- nearly broke my neck skidding down into a few of those holes. There's poison ivy south of here, so watch it. If you get bored or hungry my tent's nearby-- you may have seen it on your way up, the green canvas." She shrugs, noting that her tent was well camouflaged, but not to the point that it was invisible. With her sense of direction, she practically had to set a trail out for her to find her way back. "Oh, and one last thing-- if you see a girl around twelve, her name's Luna-- she's my helper. I'm sure she won't trouble you at all." With that, Ana steps back from the pillar and walks down into the more shadowed area that she'd come from to greet the girl. A lantern was poised against a wall, lit quickly enough with a small push of a button. An eerie blue glow now followed Anastacia into the darkness, her voice echoing slightly. "If you need anything, just yell. One of us will hear."