User:Fire InThe Hole/Desert Air

The hot desert air, dry and sweltering. This was what he would be stuck in for the next months. It was his only means of escape. He had been running away for nearly two years now, evading a man whose reputation had been ruined by Raff stumbling in on a meeting that he should not have witnessed. Despite the lost reputation, this man was still wealthy and influential, so he'd hired some tough-looking people to chase down the brat that had caused it all. That brat was him, Raff Velyn. He didn't have much more on him than the clothes he wore when he had to run.

" Heh. I never thought I'd see the desert like this. " And until recently, he probably never could have. All the things he needed for this trip - a tent, food, water, and so on - he'd gotten from someone else. It was luck: for some reason, some businessman believed that Raff was a notable employee of a good friend of his. After hearing that the young man wanted to travel across the desert, he promised to provide everything Raff needed. He had even given Raff a business card, 'to make his boss remember about old times'. Either the man was very gullible, or he had poor eyes. Maybe both. But that didn't matter. If it helped him, he was willing to take it.

He looked around. None of the people were familiar, and he'd skipped out of the introduction round for fear of being recognised. Probably the man looking to ruin him had friends in many places. This could be one of those places. There were three middle-aged men walking with a very firm stride. They wore tan shorts instead of longer legwear, and unlike the richer participants, carried large backpacks which probably contained most of their belongings. The rich people in question were dressed fashionably instead of being practical. As a result, they were sweating much more. They had little hand fans and hats with wide brims to keep the heat at bay, but sweat still stained their clothing. It was kind of funny to see how they kept up appearances despite the temperature.

While Raff was listening to an incomprehensible conversation between two rich tourists, he nearly bumped into someone else. " Oh, sorry. "

The lady he narrowly avoided didn't reply. He hadn't noticed her before, which was strange. Not because they had all been together at the start, but because she was dressed in a variety of brighter colours. She was wearing a scarf, too. Without a word, she calmly strode past. He could see her mouth turn into a bit of a scowl as she passed a few of the fashionable tourists. They didn't seem to notice her. Maybe they were too busy talking about their stupid garden contests or whatever it was they considered important.