Aliatio

Exposition

           The raiju, after getting lost several times, finally made it to the edge of town. Before entering, they skidded to a stop. The raiju then turned to their human form. They had long gray hair on the left side that swept to their neck, but on the other side was a buzzcut. They had ripped denim jeans on, a tucked loose brown shirt, and gray sneakers. They walked into the town, looking around with their piercing yellow eyes. They luckily knew how to read street signs. So, they were able to find the apartment they were looking for in under six hours. Sadly, they didn't remember the exact room number since they wandered lost for who knows how long. So, they knocked on each door of the complex until someone answered.

             "Who are you?" the stranger asked, rubbing their groggy eyes. 

             "My name is Minka! I'm here looking for a girl named Misty," Minka explained. 

             "Oh, hm. Dark curly hair?" the stranger asked. 

             "Not to sure, her brother sent me. And I never thought to ask," Minka admitted. 

              "What? Well, I know the one I'm thinking of has recently lost their brother. But I think she's out of town. I haven't seen her in three weeks," they answered. 

              "What?" Minka sighed. If it had been three weeks, that wasn't surprising since her sense of direction with maps was poor. "W-well when- when was the last time you saw her?" 

               "I don't remember, probably looking at the trees," they replied. 

                "Hm, do you remember the room number?" Minka asked. 

                 "Yeah, it's 239. The girl's neighbors might remember their name. I gotta go do some things," they said, retreating inside.

                   "Of course! Thanks for the help," Minka nodded, then moved up the stairs to room 239. They stepped in front and knocked on 238. Another stranger answered the door. "Hello, is the tenant next door named Misty?" 

                 "Uh, yeah. I think the one in 239 is named Misty. I think the girl went to her brother's town. Why'd you need to know?" they questioned. Yet, Minka didn't answer that question. Instead, she went straight to 239. The tenant just shrugged and shrunk back inside. Minka put their nose up to the doorknob and sniffed it. Getting several smells, yet she narrowed down two as the most likely, so those were what she had to track with now. She sighed, knowing she'd have to make another journey back to the city. Perhaps she could get a ride from a stranger. So, with that thought in mind, she made her way to the main road.  

                  Somehow, she managed to end up in the middle of the forest instead of the main road that she wanted. "Aw, I was having such a good streak of not getting lost since I got here too," Minka sighed as she walked through the forest, staring at her feet in disappointment. She did this until she ran into the oak-birch tree hybrid, with green leaves, head first. Minka rubbed where her head hit, then tried to circle the tree. And, she saw that the portal was open. "What's a portal to Aliatio doing here? Perhaps I can make a shortcut to the town by using this. Hopefully, it doesn't end up in me taking years to get there instead of weeks."

                Minka sighed as she stepped back, preparing to run in. She changed into her Raiju form so the elves wouldn't mistake her for human, then bounded into the portal.

To be continued