Lost in a new place [Safi]

His train departed at very late afternoon, almost night. Many long hours have passed for a young man, who sat alone in a coupe of a rattling train. The sound got really annoying after a while, slowly putting him to sleep. As the train slowed down, he awoke to the change of speed. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about, though. /"It's not like it really matters..."/ he shrugged, stretching on his seat like a cat. He wore his usual attire, minus the coat. As he scratched his head, a voice annoucing terminus at the Azores station. Upon hearing that, he stood up, stretched again and reached for his luggage.

The train slowed down to a stop with a screech. The man stepped off with bag in his hand. He looked around, taking in his new surroundings. It wasn't too shabby, for an island station. A small crowd of people passed him, as if he wasn't even there. He didn't really pay them much attention and headed for big hall. As he walked through it, he could see a handful of people waiting for a train, people greeting each other, the bored faces of ticket salesmen who had a bit of lack of work at this hour. He gave a small nod, before reaching a bench near one of coffee vendors. He put down his bag onto the bench, opening one of many side pockets it had.

Out of the pocket he pulled out a bunch of papers, picking the topmost one. He put the rest back and sat down beside his bag. He was staring intently on the piece of paper, reading it. It was actually his information pamphlet about the whole exchange programme he was involved in. /"One would think that there would be somebody to guide me to the dorm."/ he sighed, his face calm as ever, despite his slowly rising worry.

This has officially become a waste of time. 'Why do I even do this...?' It was either that Sharaku had way too much time on his hands or..scratch that, it was the former anyway. Why else would he even be at the station right now? He was not planning on leaving this place yet, but guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out, just in case. He hadn't seen this place since he moved here, and that was a while ago already. Sure, he doubted it was going to change anytime soon, but better keep on track with things, if he ever needed to go anywhere far away. This was the first time he had chosen to settle in one place for a longer period of time, and it felt a bit strange. He had been far too used to moving around.

....Still, he had literally nothing to do here at the moment. There weren't even many people around. Sighing at his own randomness, he would wander around, eyeing the few people here and there. 'Hm, not many travelers around.' This was less and less interesting by the minute. Perhaps he could check out the price for tickets or something. Seeing the bored looking salesmen, he decided against it very quickly. 'I'd just bore myself even more....' Eventually, he did see something that piqued his interest. His gaze would stop on a white haired young man for a while. He looked like he could be a student with the bag and all. What was he doing here of all places? Sharaku probably shouldn't have been wondering about instances like that, but he was bored right now, and this was the outcome.

The young man was busy skimming over some sort of paper, and it probably wouldn't be wise to approach him, but there was something interesting about this man....although that was probably his mind acting up to keep him entertained. Still, he would walk over, standing fairly close partially checking out the coffee vendor he noticed only then. For now he was content to simply watch. There was no reason for him to speak up, and approaching others without a clear reason has rarely proved him pleasant. Most people did not like speaking to him at first, even if only for his looks. Maybe he'd just hang around for a while and go off. The station was only making him feel sort of nostalgic about travelling. That was his first plan. Until he vaguely heard the young man sigh. Was there something wrong? Oh well. ''Hello Mister, you seem troubled with something. Hope you don't mind me disturbing...Perhaps I could help out?'', he would say in a polite tone, as he turned to the male. There goes staying away. But he needed something to do. Right now, he wouldn't even be upset if he got an unpleasant response. He was practically asking for it anyway.

A random voice from somebody who sounded really close broke his stream of thoughts. Curious, who noticed him, he looked up. A man was standing there. He was dressed rather fancy, even had a top hat. He looked to be quite rich. He did guess right, though. /"Yes, quite troubled, if I had to be honest with him."/

The young man nodded. "I am Cassius." he introduced himself, firstly, as he stood up to meet the stranger's eyes. However, his voice was kind of raspy, due to Cassius not using it for a while. He would clear his throat before continuing his explanation. "You see, I'm here as an exchange student from England and I've just arrived. However, nobody was actually assigned for me to get me to the dorms and I am... Kind of... Lost, you could say." he said, holding out his information pamphlet. It had a picture of Zela Academy on top and sum of information below it, proving his words to be truthful.

"Maybe you could help me out?" Cassius asked lastly. He was truly hoping that he would be able to leave this station. Not that he really minded, but this wasn't quite a vacation, so it would be a great idea to show up at the dorm soon enough, before the staff gets worried about him. He hoped to get some rest along with that, too.

The young man responded fairly quickly, looking up at him, then standing up and introducing himself as Cassius. Followed by an explanation of being a bit lost. Taking a quick look at the pamphlet that was held out, Sharaku did recoginze the building there, however.... 'Not my lucky day apparently. The one thing I get asked, and it has to be a request for directions....Por que eu?' If there was one thing he literally sucked at, it was navigating. But, perhaps he could at least try? It wasn't in his nature to decline a request, that would be impolite of him. Hopefully, it wouldn't end up that bad, as his manners singlehandedly said 'Do it'.

Nodding at the young man, he would give his response. ''My name is Sharaku. Pleasure to meet you, Cassius.'', he would introduce himself, tipping his hat in a greeting. ''That is the resident academy, am I right.....? I've never been there before, but I can try to help. I cannot, however guarantee we'll get there very quickly. If you don't mind that, I shall be glad to assist you.'', he would say thoughtfully, offering a small smile. To be honest, he was a bit frustrated at the prospect. It was very likely he would get completely lost as well, and that would be a complete fiasco. He could only hope he wouldn't get on Cassius' bad side if that scenario came true. 'They say third time's the charm, right? I guess we will get there, even if not on a first attempt...'

Weakness >.>:

The fancy man proceeded to introduce himself, just like Cassius did. He got to know the man's name - Sharaku. Sharaku seemed to be quite well-mannered, just as Cassius had expected from a man with such looks. Sharaku shared a small smile, but Cassius couldn't help but feel a little bit sceptical. A local who didn't really know the way? He shouldn't be surprised, but he was slightly taken aback. Cassius didn't really want to cause a ruckus at the dorm because of all this... But then again, they didn't bother to send anyone over to pick him up in the first place.

After a quick debate with himself, Cassius answered Sharaku: "Don't worry about it. Somebody willingly offering to help me is a lot better than getting no help at all." It was all true, though. But when Cassius thought about what they were supposed to do now, he was somewhat at a loss. /"Perhaps we should ask someone else? Look for a map-!"/ Why didn't he think of that earlier? A bloody map would surely help out just about now. "Perhaps there is a map nearby? That would be of great help, I assume." He asked Sharaku, as he grabbed his quite large bag. Cassius decided to hold the pamphlet in his hand, in order to help them with explanation of their destination. He hoped to get to the dorm soon enough.

That was a nice answer. Indeed, any help was better than none at all. Although Sharaku was pretty sure he was going to be a poor help in this situation. It couldn't be that hard though, they just needed to pick the right island to go to. ''Very well, I shall do my best then.'', he would say, nodding to his new companion....And almost did a double take when Cassius suggested a map. Helpful, right. 'But you'll have to be the one to read it...' Resisitng the urge to frown, he would voice a sort of agreement. ''Perhaps so. It's worth a try....'', His tone a bit uncertain at that moment. Maybe if the map in question was simple....

Still, dear God, why did he get himself into this. Being helpful was one thing, and useless another. How frustrating. ''Mind if I smoke?'', he would inquire after a moment. It probably wouldn't make him feel any better about this, but what gives. He needed something to take his mind off the upcoming epic failures that were bound to happen.

Cassius nodded. Sharaku sounded a bit wierd, when Cassius suggested taking a look at a map. /"Is it really that bad of an idea..?"/ He wondered. Luckily enough, Cassius already spotted something that looked like a map with corner of his eye. A moment later Sharaku asked if he could smoke. In all honesty, Cassius had nothing against it. He wasn't quite fond of the smell, however. Still, he had no reason to say no, especially to someone who offered to help him make sure he finds the dorm.

"Sure thing, you don't really have to ask me. I'll go get a look at the map over there." he said, pointing over at the map on the wall a bit further away from vendors with his pamphlet. He then would leave Sharaku do his smoking business and go over to to the map and start looking. What for, he didn't know yet.

Cassius seemed to be fine with his request, and decided to go look at a nearby map he just spotted meanwhile. ''Allright then.'' Sharaku would nod, deciding that he would come over in a moment. He figured he wouldn't be that much of a help either way. Not unless the map in question was elaborate enough. After a moment of searching through his pockets, and subsequently realizing that he would have to rely on matches this time, he would spend another few moments trying to light the thing. 'These sticks can be irritating sometimes....' Still, it was his fault for not bringing a lighter with himself.

When his attempts finally proved successful, he would take a thoughful glance towards Cassius who was trying to make sense of the map. 'Well....'

With an internal sigh, he would gracefully stride over to the young man, to take a look himself. There was nothing to loose, was there? Narrowing his eyes at the map a bit, he would ask calmly. ''Found anything useful yet?'' He sort of hoped the answer would be at least somewhat positive, otherwise they were not going to have an easy time. Although he figured that if it came down to that, he could try to make a deduction. While it was not much, he did know the general way and distance it was to the Academy, however only from his home island. Even that was a spectacular achievement taking his habit of getting lost into account. But, point was they were at the station now, so it would take a bit of maneuvering around either way. 'Still not very helpful...'

Cassius took a general look at the map. Luckily enough, the station was very clearly marked, so it wasn't a hassle to find the starting point. He then proceeded to take a look for the Academy. Again, just like the station, it was clearly marked. /"Must be quite the landmark."/ he shrugged internally. Then, an idea struck him. He reached out to his pocket, pulling out his smartphone. The young man took a quick photo of the most important area to him. /"Shouldn't I take more photos, just in case...?"/ Cassius wondered a bit, but swiftly brushed off the thought. If nothing else, he'll make the staff give him a proper map, instead of this sharade.

With his finger he traced the most optimal route to the Academy. Zooming in on the photo he had taken a couple of moments before, he attempted to do same. It took him a little to find the exact same path as he did on the map, but he managed. As he did so, Sharaku approached. The classy man was still smoking. Not that Cassius minded much, mind you. He then answered Sharaku's simple question. "Sure have, but we'll have to see if I chose correctly."

The young man remembered how Sharaku told him about his shaky sense of direction. Despite this, Cassius knew that Sharaku would recognise at least some of the bigger landmarks. Well, at least he should. In theory. But Cassius couldn't wait any longer. He longed for a room with a bed to sleep in and started to have doubts about this whole exchange programme. With his smartphone in his hand he sighed softly, motioning Sharaku to follow him. "Let's go, the sooner we depart, the sooner we arrive. Hopefully."

When Cassius said he managed to find some way, Sharaku was glad there was a progress. Hopefully, the young man did make a right choice, otherwise they might end up wandering around for a while. Well, in theory, Sharaku wouldn't have minded much, as he was used to trips longer than neccessary, but he figured Cassius wouldn't be pleased about taking way too much time. He knew well enough it could be frustrating if something didn't go the way you wanted it. Life had a dark sense of humour sometimes, sadly.

It was apparently time to go. Well, technically it was true that they would get there sooner if they went now, as long as nothing got in the way, and they actually took the right route. Perhaps it would be for the best to just go with it and find out. ''Very well, let's go then. There's not much use in standing around, is there?'' After all, the map wasn't going to suddenly come to life and guide them around. With that, Sharaku would follow the young man, curious to see which path they were going to take.

"Let's go, the sooner we depart, the sooner we arrive. Hopefully."

...

...




Cassius felt exhausted. This current state of both his body and mind was well-justified. Cass and Sharaku were wandering about, trying to find the infamous Zela Academy with the help of couple of photos of a map. Not to be mistaken, however, they were indeed helpful sometimes. Sometimes. There were two times when they had no other choice but to ask around to put them back on track. A lot has happened. Many misunderstandings. Many wrong turns. Many bad ideas. Many bad readings from the map.

Sounds bad, right? If Cassius was emotional, he would've just broken into tears and cry until somebody took pity on him. That's what he thought, anyway. Luckily enough, Cassius is a really calm individual, so such scenario isn't a possibility. But after all they've been through, there they stood. On pavement leading to Zela Academy, which rose in distance.

Cassius sighed with relief, adjusting his bag on his shoulders. He wore it pretty much nonstop ever since they left the station and he felt this decision taking its toll. He briefly looked at the pamphlet that was a big help aswell. /"That's the Academy, alright."/ he thought, looking up. He then turned to his faithful companion: "Thank you, Sharaku, for your help. Let's meet again sometime?" he asked, trying to mask his strained voice.

Now that had been quite the long trip indeed. Although, Sharaku had expected something along these lines from the start, so he wasn't the least suprised when they ended up wandering around, even with the help of a map. Still, it could have gone better than that. He was fine with the extended walk, but he wouldn't deny it had been mentally tiring. Well, at least he was now one hundred percent sure he was never going to try to navigate unless completely neccessary. Otherwise, screw it, not worth the brainmelt. Who would have thought this was so hard?

Time waste or not, they did get there in the end, and Sharaku was glad the impromptu trip was finally over. Sure, he did not mind spending some time helping out, but in all honesty this had been a bit of a stretch. Blame was on him for accepting despite knowing that he sucked at this, so he knew better than to complain. ''You're welcome, Cassius...And, sure. Let's not include searching for something next time though. I think I had enough for a lifetime.'', he would nod, trying to sound lighthearted, although he meant it seriously enough. He did not want a repeat of this anytime soon if it could be helped. And he figured Cassius wouldn't either. 'Now, I just gotta get home from here...' He had to resist making a face at that thought. Dear, why...This was almost ironic. This was officially a tedious day. ''Well, I shall see you later someday. Time for me to go get lost on my way home.'', he would joke slightly, before making his exit, to wander some more for the day.

~Exit~

It seemed like as if Sharaku was blaming himself for them getting lost. Cassius thought differently, though. It wasn't Sharaku's fault, Cassius himself read the map wrong sometimes which got them a bit lost. If nothing else, the blame was quite evenly divided. When Sharaku said not to include searching in their next meeting, he gave the man a small smile. Cassius couldn't do anything but to agree on that statement. However, when he added that he's pretty much going to get lost again just to get home, Cassius felt a bit sad for Sharaku. But he knew that the fancy man wouldn't get lost that bad. Well, at least he hoped so.

Sharaku left Cassius in front of the Academy. He gave a small nod at the disappearing figure and started making his way to check out his new home.


[Exit]