12-05-2018, 01:32 AM
[align=center][div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]Clarence was more than familiar with a lack of sleep. Being in the navy had taught him quite a bit about that particular subject. He remembered there had been certain times when they hadn't been allowed to sleep, he remembered when there were days on end where all there was to do was sleep for days on end. He could remember nights he couldn't sleep and nights he refused to sleep. He knew now of terrible nightmares full of the unforgiving sea, downing, his sister burning at a stake, his mother dying alone and elderly without ever hearing from her son, a world where Finnis died despite his best efforts, a world where everyone died despite his best efforts. It was as though Clarence couldn't accept the fact his friends and family were no longer his to save. There was nothing more he could do for them. They were suffering alone, without him. He had no way to contact them or be with them. He had no way to make sure they were safe or to actively work for that safety. There was nothing but his past decisions and his death. Nothing now mattered. He told himself he could protect this place, maybe. They'd been kind enough to him. Certainly he owed them something.
Even when he told himself that, though, it just wasn't the same. The people here were nice enough but they weren't his friends and family and this wasn't his country. He was repaying a debt. He'd acted out of love before. When he tried to save Finnis, when he sold his soul to the navy in exchange for his sister's, when he'd left to ensure his mother a stable future. All of it had been for love, not loyalty and certainly not as payment. Everything he did here was payment. Sure, he'd come to like quite a few of the creatures here but it just wasn't the same. He still struggled with the idea that these animals were just as intelligent, if not more so than human beings. That he could clearly communicate with them and they could have complex societies. It seemed completely improbable. How could humanity be blind to something like this? How could the animals have gone unnoticed for so long? At first, he thought it was some sort of hallucination but this was a rather long hallucination if that was the case. It'd been several days and all of it felt real. Nothing felt disassociated like in his other visions. The sleeping, the eating, the exercise, the friendships, all of it felt real. He knew it had to be real. But that didn't make any sense.
Clarence had been wandering around the territory, lost in his own mind, and trying to decided what to think of this new place. He was just starting to understand all the twists and turns of this territory. He estimated with a couple of weeks he'd be able to get wherever he wanted with relative ease. He'd always been good with directions. Even when he was at sea, he was only second to the cartographer when estimated their location. He was yanked out of his thoughts when he heard a snarling voice, though, and his ears perked, his back straightening as he hurried to meet the noise. It was then he came across a stranger. He relaxed as he realized he'd seen the man around before and he didn't seem to be a threat. In fact, it looked like he'd just been sleepwalking. "Are you well? Maybe you should go get some rest," he spoke softly, moving forward so the creature would see him. "I'm Clarence Aston, by the way. I don't believe we've met."
Even when he told himself that, though, it just wasn't the same. The people here were nice enough but they weren't his friends and family and this wasn't his country. He was repaying a debt. He'd acted out of love before. When he tried to save Finnis, when he sold his soul to the navy in exchange for his sister's, when he'd left to ensure his mother a stable future. All of it had been for love, not loyalty and certainly not as payment. Everything he did here was payment. Sure, he'd come to like quite a few of the creatures here but it just wasn't the same. He still struggled with the idea that these animals were just as intelligent, if not more so than human beings. That he could clearly communicate with them and they could have complex societies. It seemed completely improbable. How could humanity be blind to something like this? How could the animals have gone unnoticed for so long? At first, he thought it was some sort of hallucination but this was a rather long hallucination if that was the case. It'd been several days and all of it felt real. Nothing felt disassociated like in his other visions. The sleeping, the eating, the exercise, the friendships, all of it felt real. He knew it had to be real. But that didn't make any sense.
Clarence had been wandering around the territory, lost in his own mind, and trying to decided what to think of this new place. He was just starting to understand all the twists and turns of this territory. He estimated with a couple of weeks he'd be able to get wherever he wanted with relative ease. He'd always been good with directions. Even when he was at sea, he was only second to the cartographer when estimated their location. He was yanked out of his thoughts when he heard a snarling voice, though, and his ears perked, his back straightening as he hurried to meet the noise. It was then he came across a stranger. He relaxed as he realized he'd seen the man around before and he didn't seem to be a threat. In fact, it looked like he'd just been sleepwalking. "Are you well? Maybe you should go get some rest," he spoke softly, moving forward so the creature would see him. "I'm Clarence Aston, by the way. I don't believe we've met."