wc:400+
For a while there was just the echo of her footsteps as she walked along the hollow and empty streets in an aimless search. Jade eyes glanced through shop windows, most of which were broken, hoping in vain that this little adventure of hers could end quickly and successfully. It was hardly much of an effort, though, and it was almost beginning to feel that her hunt for the instrument had just been an excuse for her to leave the pack lands.
The Marino girl halted in her wandering and leaned against the strange, rusted old shell of a long-defunct truck. She turned her attention up toward the relatively clear sky and let her thoughts drift along like those wispy, white clouds. After a moment she simply let her eyes slowly shut, choosing to let her ears pick up on the silence of the city. She could almost imagine that she could hear the sounds of the guitar playing softly, as it had when she stumbled upon the silent stranger weeks before, though her fading memory seemed to warp and contort the notes.
It was when the notes continued to flutter down the empty street, gradually shifting from discordant sounds to more melodic notes, that she realized that the musical sound of the guitar wasn’t simply in her imagination. Gem-like eyes snapped open and she pushed away from the old truck, suddenly aware that she wasn’t alone on this lonely stretch of road. Whoever was around had a guitar, from the sounds of it, and as she glanced around trying to pinpoint the source of the music, she vaguely wondered if it was her mysterious guitar player.
The solemn sounds of guitar strumming seemed to be coming from farther down the block, and Lucia quickly took off after it, eyes searching each broken set of display windows as she passed. She came to a halt before one small building, listening to the steady strum of notes. A bit of excitement that she hadn’t felt since she was a child surged through her and she hurried inside. A large figure was inside, cradling the guitar in his hands as he idly ran his fingers along the strings. For a moment the Valley wolf was almost convinced that he was the guitar player from weeks ago, but after further scrutiny, she could see that this stranger shared nothing else in common with him aside from his height. The petite Marino girl stood in the small shop, feeling rather awkward for rushing in so suddenly. “Uh, hi,” she said, eyes drifting from the stranger’s face to the instrument he held.