walking the rosy paths of the fig tree garden

Guilt was a small and dull warping in his conscience. It wasn’t too bad – for Nagendra seldom felt very guilty for anything, and made a point to try and keep himself free of such dreadfully rotten feelings – but it was there. His strange and capricious morals demanded that he not be without it. And that was alright; it wasn’t enough to take his smile from him. He thought about it as he traveled back towards the mainland of Alacritia. Would Valentine be upset? Perhaps. It would be… understandable. Although, Nagendra defended himself in his mind, he did believe he had warned him to some extent that commitment was not his forte. Yes, yes. That was a decent enough justification.

The corners of his lips twitched up a tad more in an enigmatic and charming smile of satisfaction. He slowed to a halt beside a gently flowing brook (Cattail Creek), his admiring gaze sliding easily along the lovely curves and bends in the run. He loved water so very much – the sound and smell of it. Near a pleasant stream was where he could most be at peace. He wondered if maybe there was something spiritual about the soft sound of moving water – wondered what it was that made such a gentle sound drown out all the rest. He sighed quietly, evened out his stance, closed his eyes, and then inhaled deeply. For a few seconds, he felt intense bliss.

Then, Nagendra Bahri looked upon the world once more and decided that it was time to find something to eat. He stepped forward to the edge of the creek, his slender body peeking between bobbing cattails. The shimmering water was plenty deep enough to hold a bounty of fish, and sure enough, after a few moments, silvery flashes confirmed his suspicions. He stepped into the water gently, although he knew that no amount of care would keep the fish from being scared off for a few minutes. Then he fell completely motionless, and dipped into his thoughts once more. Perhaps he ought to bring Valentine a gift? An offering? He did want to see him again, and Rhythm too. That was partly why he was back – he had decided that Alacritia was quite the lovely place, deserving of more of his attention and exploration. He hoped, a little bit, that Valentine and Rhythm had not forgotten him.