» The Tenacious Torrent of Ticks and Tocks, Open

[Bion]

He felt the cold materialise around him. The hyperborean humidity stung his cheeks like a swarm of incensed insects. Clenching his teeth and clamping his fists shut, he slowly opened his eyes to his condemnation. The bright grey mist blinded him as his deep hazel eyes adjusted from the gentle darkness which he had occupied mere moments ago; Or perhaps that he would a few ages from now. Somehow, he knew he'd be using the old fashioned 'What', 'Where' and 'Who' in place of 'When'. All was quiet, save for the gentle breeze whispering into his ear, and something else...

Raising his left arm, Bion slowly pushed back the cuff of his shirt and coat sleeve. There is sat neatly on his wrist. His trusty watch - Omega manufactured, naturally. He had picked it up somewhere into the early twenty-first century. They were quite popular at that stage. Not that it was much use to him, since it was only ever correct when Bion adjusted it. He only kept it as a trinket because he was fond of the manufacturer.

Now, it seemed like a nuisance, taunting him with the passing of each second, weighing his wrist like the severed shackle on an escaping convict. Staring at the second hand like it was a disobedient child running rampant, he felt the overwhelming sense of having no control, once more; Doomed to be pulled from point A to point B on some insignificant line mapped onto some insignificant part of some insignificant plane. It was a sense of condemnation that one couldn't truly understand it unless they knew what it was to be free of it.

Turning his hand over, his eyes paused for a moment on the lemniscate symbol tattooed onto his wrist. Unclasping the metal links which held it in place, Bion slowly slid the timepiece from his wrist. He couldn't help but feel a hint of irony as he examined the omega symbol on the watch face once more. Clenching it in the palm of his hand until it hurt, he turned and hurled the watch into the dense mist, the incessant ticking vanishing along with it.

Bion turned his back to where he threw the watch, not that he could distinguish any of the directions due to the spectral brume that smothered him. He began to pace quickly, but calmly, changing direction erratically until he was no longer able to count each second in his mind, successfully breaking his own concentration for a moment long enough to clear his mind from the consciousness of his chronological constraints.

When he finally halted, a woman stood before him. She spoke, her voice as soft as the feathery fog, "I am the Mist; I am here to introduce you to where you are going. It is the October Cou-..."

"The October Country. I am aware of this plane.", Bion interrupted, "I intend no disrespect, but I know there is only one piece of enlightenment that you can offer me outside of your domicile. Please, tell me of the road to Zenith." The Mist offered a thoughtful silence, to the point Bion began to wonder if he had offended it. Just as he was about to speak once more, the Mist replied, "Very well. The Forests of Briarside are behind you. Travel there and you will find the path you seek."

Bion gave a quick glance over his shoulder. Turning back to offer his thanks, the Mist was gone. He humbly bowed his head to the surrounding haze, whether it was watching or not. Turning on his heel, he marched onward to Zenith, unable to explain the sense of urgency that coldly embraced his heart. He was now a slave to what as once his tool. Each footstep echoed into his ear - the first, a tick, and the second, a tock...

This post has been edited by Bion on Dec 30 2007, 12:54 PM

[Aleksey]

(ooc: if you don't want me poking into this thread, lemme know and I'll delete this post.)

After meeting Joy and the Mist, Aleksey figured he would have soon run across someone else. He walked in the direction the Mist told him to go, trying his best to focus on the spot since it sounded like he could be lost forever if he didn't. The longer he walked, however, the more he began to wonder if he wasn't lost already. The trees all looked exactly the same and there was no way to tell what direction he was going in.

That worry nagged him, but Aleksey pushed it aside to relish his unhindered movements. If Joy really had taken his illness away, then he should be able to do just about anything he wanted without bothering about the consequences. He could run and jump and try balancing on a fallen log without care. The problem was, he had gone so long with care, that he had a hard time letting go. Each time he slipped on a rock or scraped his hand on a tree, he felt anxious. On Earth such things could result into sleepless nights full of pain. But here in the Country, time went by and nothing happened.

Aleksey was a little amused that he was even able to feel pain again. So far it was nothing compared to what he'd been through, but he would have thought being dead meant an absence of pain. Then again, if he wanted to feel the good things, like the air or the grass or his own excitement at exploring a new place, he would also have to feel the bad things. It had unnerved him when the Mist explained he could even be "killed" in the Country, but not die. Once was more than enough, and at least when he had died he didn't feel the physical pain for very long. But here, if he were shot again, he would feel it. And it might never go away.

He paused at the top of a very small hill and resisted the urge to lean against a tree. The last time he'd touch one he almost forgot his name, and Joy couldn't come back to help him. But he was getting a little tired, so he sat down on the grass and began pulling at some blades. He knew he'd been traveling for hours, but the sun hadn't changed at all. Was it always like this here? And how could he be tired if he was just a spirit? Why would God create such a place?

He sighed and looked around with increasing worry. He had never been completely alone before. There were always servants and nurses and teachers around him, if not his own family. He wasn't used to such inexplicable silence where no one spoke. It wouldn't have been terribly bad if there were birds chirping, but there wasn't even that.

Then he heard a faint clink sound to his right and turned his head to look. His eyes were wide and his body tense, remembering what the angel and the Mist had told him about the non-human creatures that roamed the October Country. But there was nothing over there that he could see. For a few moments he wondered if he had imagined the sound, but when he stood up to start walking again, a shine attracted his eyes. He ambled over to where it came from and pushed aside the dirt.

It was a watch. Aleksey grinned at his discovery and picked it up, then gaped when he saw two strange strap-like things poking out of either side of the watch face. He had only ever seen pocket watches, and this didn't have a chain or a cover. He turned it over in his hands several times, staring at the hands and the hour marks. There seemed to be some kind of mechanism on the end of one of the straps, but Aleksey couldn't figure out what to do with it. Why would someone make a watch like this? It was completely impractical.

Nevertheless he tucked it in the pocket of his long, heavy coat. Whether or not the design was stupid, the watch seemed to be working. It ticked and the hands moved, though he had no idea if that time was the correct time. In this forest it could be any time at all. Plus this watch was a sign that someone else had been here, so he wasn't alone. The problem was he didn't know how long ago that watch had been left there. He had heard it make a sound though...and there was nothing around it. Another mystery.

Heartened by the sign of humanity, Aleksey began walking again, this time with renewed fervor. He knew the watch wasn't his, so someone else had been here. Maybe it was even something like a path to follow. Every other step Aleksey would glance at the ground to see if there was anything else to be found, but there wasn't. He walked for a long time, then he crested a fallen tree and saw someone in the woods. It looked like a man, but so had the angel and the Mist. This could be a dangerous creature Joy had warned him about, but Aleksey was so intrigued by the appearance of another being he couldn't just stay away.

The man was briskly moving, so Aleksey quickly hauled himself over the fallen tree trunk and thumped his way down the hill at a little run. "Excuse me, wait!" he called as he approached, then found himself to be speechless. What was he supposed to say to someone in the October Country?

"Uhm...Hello?"

[Bion]

((OOC: No no. You're very welcome to join me. I only made the topic as an opening post. If I thought anyone else was going to come along, I'd have marked it open. I'll do it now. But I'm glad to have you. ))

Freedom or confinement. The situation was arguable. Was it a test? Bion remembered everything. With the knowledge and secrets he held, he was a liability to Chronos. Or was he missing some angle? His old master did have a rather curious sense of humour, often sending Bion in his place with an apology that he 'didn't have the time'. But his apparent betrayal; that was gnawed at Bion's mind the most.

What could cause him to defect? A man with limitless power, no strings, no other ties. Memories were fragmented. He could barely remember having a family and he doubted he'd recognise them if he found them. Madness.

Despite the frustration trundling through Bion's mind, his face remained calm and disjointed from his thoughts. He absent-mindedly followed the path, trusting his peripheral vision to warn him of any movement in the trees on either side. He knew full well of the Faery and the damage their glib tongues could cause. Regardless, Bion wasn't keen to run into anyone at this point in time. He couldn't sense any protection in his talisman and he knew he was vulnerable. He needed to reach Zenith and hopefully there he could seek answers, or at least direction.

With only the rust-coloured leaves that had fallen to the path crunching under his expensive black oxford shoes, the voice from behind jumped out at him, "Uhm...Hello?" Bion came to a smooth halt, his feet consciously firm on the path. He calmly turned, squinting as a beam of light sneaked through the forest canopy and onto his eyes. The boy seemed confused, but not distressed. Bion didn't doubt that he could be another trick of his surroundings or indeed a creature from the weald, but his attire left him looking almost as out of place as Bion.

Doubting the boy had any threat to offer other than that of trickery, he smiled warmly, bowing his head slightly, although the distance between the boy and himself would probably let it go unnoticed, "Greetings, young one. And what are you called?" Considering the location, Bion wasn't going to ask for a name. That would just be rude. His eyes wandered momentarily, noting that the boy was traveling with no companions, "Are you out here by yourself? Looking for something out here? Or are you a new guest, like myself?"

Bion took a few steps in the direction of the boy, before turning back to his original direction, "If you're going to Zenith, we might as well walk together." He took a few sluggish steps away from the boy, moving, but slow enough that the youth could join him at a distance he considered comfortable, ever the true diplomat, "I'm Bion Athanasius , by the way. Call me Bion."

[Aleksey]

"Greetings, young one. And what are you called? Are you out here by yourself? Looking for something out here? Or are you a new guest, like myself?"

Aleksey suddenly felt a little shy, berated as he was by questions. The man wasn't unkind though, and he smiled. He didn't seem to have wings, and he looked like a normal person. He was dressed in a different kind of fashion than Aleksey was used to seeing. His accent was a little odd too. Obviously a foreigner, from the boy's point of view. The Mist and Joy had told him about the strange creatures he would meet, and now Aleksey wondered exactly what those creatures may look like.

"I'm Aleksey," he said, figuring it might be safer just to give his first name for now. The world was just too different and too strange to be completely sure of anything. He wished Joy was there to help him know the good from the bad. "And I have just arrived here, also." He took a couple of steps toward the man, inspecting him as much as he could without being rude about it.

"If you're going to Zenith, we might as well walk together." He took a few sluggish steps away from the boy. "I'm Bion Athanasius , by the way. Call me Bion."

Aleksey tried not to make a face at the strange name. He wasn't sure what nationality it was. Greek? It sounded like an old name. Maybe Roman...But the man certainly wasn't dressed like a Roman or a Greek. His clothes looked modern. Perhaps even more modern than Aleksey could understand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Bion," Aleksey said, taking a few steps until he was walking side by side with the man. It felt truly wonderful to keep up with a grown adult and not have to wheel around in a chair or be carried by a nurse. He was unaware of the fact the man was walking slowly to accommodate the boy.

"Thank you for walking with me," said Aleksey with a smile. "I very much appreciate it. I was told of strange creatures that wander this place, and it seems that this Zenith city is the only real safe place for humans." His smile faded as Joy's warnings came back to him, and he looked up at the man out of the corner of his eyes. "You are...human, aren't you?"

[Bion]

Bion hardly expected the boy's first instinct to be skipping alongside him. In fact any alternative reaction to caution would have made him suspicious. Ordinarily, Bion would be blinking away moments and subjecting the boy to various scenarios to scope the truth of his intent. However given his current situation, he wasn't going to make it far anyway if he had managed to acquaint himself with a shape shifting minotaur in the first twenty minutes of his arrival, so he simply decided to settle showing some trust for the time being.

"Aleksey.", Bion chuckled, "That's a strong name, Αλεξιος. It means "protector". Maybe it was fortunate for me that you found me." Of course, everything stemmed from Greek nowadays. Although the novelty felt a little renewed when talking to this boy. He wasn't making small talk with the intent of snubbing him before he was even a twinkle in his father's eye. The name was Russian and to Bion's ear, his voice matched up. Although Russian would have been his first guess, he could have been from any Eastern Slavic country.

Bion was, however, certain that the boy's attire placed him somewhere from the early 20th century and from what he knew of The October Country, there was a strong likelihood that his presence here was a result of the Great War. In Bion's duties, children weren't as sacred, as they didn't hold potential, they held a future. Nonetheless, his train of thought on Aleksey sent a shiver down his spine for some reason.

He decided not to question him on it, pondering what sort of trauma was running through his new comrade's mind, not seeming to notice his eyes wandering with curiosity. He picked up the pace a little, but not as vigorously as he had been walking prior, being aware of the difference in leg length.

"Thank you for walking with me," said Aleksey with a smile. "I very much appreciate it. I was told of strange creatures that wander this place, and it seems that this Zenith city is the only real safe place for humans."

Bion gave a lighthearted glance down at Aleksey, "I'm glad to have some company. This place doesn't seem to know if it's a fairytale or a poem." Aleksey was probably the calmer of the two. He was likely still thawing from the hazy mind of a spirit. Bion's heart was beating fast enough for him to feel it on his ribs. It didn't quite cross his mind that actually having a heartbeat would probably draw more attention than not. He was hiding his anxiousness as well as usual, though, managing to tone any negative body language down to a slight frown every few minutes.

"I doubt we have much to worry about unless you get tempted to go mushroom picking in the thickets. Once we get there we can find somewhere sheltered and warm.", Bion looked at the path ahead, pondering how far they had left to go, "Hopefully we'll find some answers there, too."

[Aleksey]

"Aleksey.", Bion chuckled, "That's a strong name, Áëåîéïò. It means "protector". Maybe it was fortunate for me that you found me."

Aleksey cocked a brow, amazed that the man knew so much about his name. The name itself wasn't particularly unique, and there were several people in and outside of his family that shared it. He knew a saint of the Russian Orthodox religion shared that name, and with his mother as religious as she was, it was no surprise to him that she named him that. The fact Bion made a point of thinking on his name made Aleksey a little doubtful. Perhaps it was uncommon enough to rouse suspicion.

But Aleksey didn't want to be suspicious of the first person he met in this strange new world. It was hard enough being away from his family and not knowing when he'd see them again.

"I'm glad to have some company. This place doesn't seem to know if it's a fairytale or a poem."

The boy didn't understand that statement. The man was congenial enough, but the suspicion that began rising moments before only solidified. He had said that he was a newcomer like Aleksey, but the way he spoke it was like he'd been there before. How else would he know what the Country was or wasn't like?

Aleksey was also a little concerned Bion didn't answer his "Are you human?" question.

"I doubt we have much to worry about unless you get tempted to go mushroom picking in the thickets. Once we get there we can find somewhere sheltered and warm. Hopefully we'll find some answers there, too."

Aleksey quickened his stride when Bion did, watching as his boots stride over the ground. It was then he suddenly realized they were walking on a little pathway. He hadn't even noticed the transition from forest floor to dirt path. He thought more on what Bion said, somewhat amused about the mushroom comment. He didn't really like mushrooms, so he certainly wouldn't go off looking for any. Aleksey wasn't particularly cold or uncomfortable either. He'd gone through worse weather, and he was warmly snug in his coat.

"I personally don't have many questions," he said, looking up to gaze as the path stretched on before them, disappearing into the haze. "Nothing that can be answered at the city." He looked up at Bion again. "But I do wonder things. Have you been here before, Bion? You seem to know exactly where to go and what to do."

[Bion]

Ordinarily, Bion would have been watching Aleksey's every movement, dissecting every change of tone and shift of weight. However he wasn't in control anymore. The situation was playing out wildly, which naturally left Bion feeling distracted, not fully aware of how strange Aleksey found him and having unwittingly left him wondering if he was even human. He was, of couse, simply having forgot to answer aloud.

One of the things that preoccupied Bion's mind were the workings of time in this land. Mingling with gods had left him a little more knowledgeable than the average newcomer about The October Country, but most of the occupants still would have probably had a greater grasp of it's nature. While Bion couldn't really grasp why he had entered alongside someone from the twentieth century, he had discerned that time was going to be disjointed and incoherent compared to Earth. There was always patterns, however; Some problems were just more difficult to comprehend than others.

While he doubted his equations and theories of time on Earth would all apply here, he firmly believed that it was still likely to attract an unwanted amount of attention if he wasn't careful. That was, of course, assuming he hadn't drawn the eyes of someone already. Bion looked to the canopy once more, craning his neck to try and see the sun. He wasn't too sure if it had moved at all and there wasn't a clear enough view to provide him with an answer. It did seem to be getting brighter ahead, however, perhaps suggesting that they didn't have too far to go.

"I personally don't have many questions," he said, looking up to gaze as the path stretched on before them, disappearing into the haze. "Nothing that can be answered at the city." He looked up at Bion again. "But I do wonder things. Have you been here before, Bion? You seem to know exactly where to go and what to do."

Bion raised his eyebrows for a moment, his eyes flitting through the trees before meeting with Aleksey's. It made him more conscious that he hadn't entered under "normal" circumstances, the boy reacting with a strange sense of naturalness to his new surroundings, "You don't wonder about what this place holds? How long you'll be here? Where you'll live? What you'll be doing?"

Bion offered a warm smile. He wasn't trying to accuse Aleksey of anything, but simply trying to instill a more human reaction, "I've never been here before, I assure you. I have heard of it though, hidden in myths and folklore. I'd say it'll take a while to get used to."Bion didn't want to worry him too much, offering a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he turned his eyes forward once more, "What about you? It's like you're just coming here to visit some old relatives..."

[Aleksey]

"You don't wonder about what this place holds? How long you'll be here? Where you'll live? What you'll be doing?"

In truth, Aleksey hadn't much thought of that. While wandering through the woods his mind seemed to go back and forth between remembering his past and understanding his present. He had no mind to spare thinking about his future, such as it was. If time didn't really move forward, and he couldn't die, there seemed to be nothing to worry about. But then, that would get terribly boring, waiting around for his family. Not to mention, how would he know when they arrived?

He hadn't thought of that at all. Joy wasn't there to lend a hand or guide him, in fact Aleksey doubted he would ever see the angel again. The Mist hadn't been help to him in particular. What he had said seemed like a speech practiced over and over again. Bion was the first person he'd come across, and he was practically a foreigner. How was Aleksey going to find his family?

After a moment he shook his head. He wouldn't think about such idle concerns. He would find his family, no matter how long it took. They had all died violently, and Joy had said they would arrive someday. Perhaps they were already there. If they were, Zenith City would be his best bet to find them. He wondered just how many people lived there.

"I've never been here before, I assure you. I have heard of it though, hidden in myths and folklore. I'd say it'll take a while to get used to. What about you? It's like you're just coming here to visit some old relatives..."

Aleksey had never heard of the October Country, and the closest he could remember hearing anything similar to it was Limbo. But Limbo was different, surely. He'd never read about any sort of Mist in the Bible either. This was a strange country that God had made, though Aleksey wasn't one to question the Lord's work.

He smiled at Bion's comment. "You could say I'm doing just that," he chirped. "Joy, my guardian angel, told me that the rest of my family would be here too, so I'm going to look for them. Once I find them all, we can return to Earth as a regular family." He gazed around to look at the thick copses of trees. "I suppose it will take some adjustment, but I know I'll be all right."

Suddenly he remembered something and reached into his pocket. "Do you know what kind of watch this is?" he asked, holding up the wristwatch he'd found in the forest. "It's not like any watch I've ever seen. There's no chain or cover, no way to attach it to your clothes." He frowned and held it up toward the light as he ambled along. "Very odd design. Almost like a purposeful mistake."

[Bion]

((OOC: I'm so sorry. Been having problems with my service provider and I couldn't get net access for the last week.))

Bion was having a few contradicting states of mind. In one sense, he felt more vulnerable than ever, knowing that his mistakes couldn't be wiped from existence by correcting his actions to his own satisfaction. It made him twitchy, unable to explore all the facets of the boy's personality. On the other hand, he held a certain fascination for the scenario he was imprisoned in, unable to weave it to "perfection". Once again with only a single opportunity, a renewed sense of adventure. While he struggled to try and focus on this as a positive change, he did find himself growing fond of his travelling companion. Aleksey was the first person Bion had interacted with in the conventional sense for an eternity. Bion reasoned it in his mind as being similar to a man who had never tasted anything gargling gasoline; While it would be extremely unpleasant, the concept of taste would undoubtedly be enthralling and the act would possibly be repeated until the perception of actually enjoying taste manifested.

In his state of abstract daydreaming, Bion shifted his weight onto a rock which lay on the path, causing him to stumble for a moment. He regained his footing with ease, but his expression remained aloof as for a few seconds he completely disregarded his thoughts. Realising that his clumsiness was as good as etched into stone, he let out an unarmoured, almost childish chuckle. He knew that it wouldn't take long for things like this to get old.

He smiled at Bion's comment. "You could say I'm doing just that," he chirped. "Joy, my guardian angel, told me that the rest of my family would be here too, so I'm going to look for them. Once I find them all, we can return to Earth as a regular family." He gazed around to look at the thick copses of trees. "I suppose it will take some adjustment, but I know I'll be all right."

Bion raised his eyebrows for a moment. Aleksey's words seemed so innocent. Bion couldn't rationalise faith. He considered it to be some sort of attempt at justifying ignorance. Ever since beginning the study of science, he had rejected the concept of there being a higher power, which was even more radical given his beginnings. Of course it would take radical thinking to be plucked from the herd as he was. Then again, there did turn out to be higher powers in the end. Still, that was different. There was a difference in believing in God and knowing there was a God. That could have been one of the reasons he wound up here. On the other hand, they were just generally all bastards.

"Your guardian angel?" Bion mused thoughtfully, not wanting to undermine the boy's beliefs, "You met your guardian angel? That's quite something. Did they mention anything else about this place?" Bion didn't know if it was commonplace for Christians to meet their guardian angels on entry to the October Country. He knew that any knowledge he could get his hands on could prove useful and that even Aleksey might hold some beneficial answers, even if he wasn't aware of it. He turned his head forward once more. They had been walking for some time now. How far ahead was Zenith?

"Do you know what kind of watch this is?" he asked, holding up the wristwatch he'd found in the forest. "It's not like any watch I've ever seen. There's no chain or cover, no way to attach it to your clothes." He frowned and held it up toward the light as he ambled along. "Very odd design. Almost like a purposeful mistake."

For a moment, Bion considered the angel's words. Aleksey would meet his family here. Did that mean they, too had died under traumatic circumstances? Had they all died together? Again, this brought Bion to ponder the workings of time in this land; the deciding factors of when a person would enter the October Country. However, his train of thought was broken by the appearance of a familiar keepsake of his past. He eyed the watch with a rather dumbfounded expression, his eyes passing back and forth between the object and Aleksey for a few moments. Shaking his head, he offered a wry smile, his expression softening, "It's a watch. Fairly fancy for it's day." conferring a quick side glance to Aleksey, he saw his rather bemused eyes. Bion rolled up his own sleeve slightly, clasping his left wrist in his right hand, "It's made to go on your wrist. Might be a little big for you, but I'm sure you could get a few of the links removed."

[Aleksey]

(ooc: Oh jeez, that sucks. I hope everything's straightened out now, or at least more stable than it was.)

Aleksey was so engrossed in observing his new surroundings that he almost didn't see Bion wobble. When the man suddenly tripped Aleksey quickly reached out to help him, but then he didn't need to. Bion regained his balance as soon as he'd lost it. To see him almost tumble like that made Aleksey wonder if something had happened to him in life that affected him here. He hadn't stumbled before, but perhaps he was hurt in the legs somehow. But then he chuckled as he stood. Perhaps he was all right after all.

"Your guardian angel?" Bion mused thoughtfully. "You met your guardian angel? That's quite something. Did they mention anything else about this place?"

"Hmmm," Aleksey hummed as he thought back on their conversation. He didn't think anything Joy had told him would interest Bion. "It was mostly specific to me. He did mention that I would meet some strange things here, and people who were not as friendly as he. Everything else he said was just as I already told you."

"It's made to go on your wrist. Might be a little big for you, but I'm sure you could get a few of the links removed."

Aleksey watched with honest curiosity as Bion gestured with his arms how the watch was worn on one's person. He let out a little "Ah!" of understanding when he saw, then went back to observing the watch. So that was the reason for the strange mechanism on one end of the metal strap. Well, if that was how it worked, perhaps it wasn't a mistake after all.

He fiddled with the watch and put it against his wrist with the face up, but couldn't for the life of him figure out how to close the ends around his arm. "Hmm...It's a good idea, but...How does it fasten?"

[Bion]

Bion tightened his lips pensively. Even if he could have seen through the canopy, he doubted that he'd be able to judge the time of day. If this was meant to be a simple task, it wouldn't be taking so long; They were being tested.

He doubted that waiting for nightfall to rest was a viable option. And they were obviously going to get hungry sooner or later. Bion tried to keep these thoughts in the back of his mind. He would wait until Aleksey required sustenance or rest. Even then, Bion's sense of logic was beginning to drop in priority.

"Hmmm," Aleksey hummed as he thought back on their conversation. He didn't think anything Joy had told him would interest Bion. "It was mostly specific to me. He did mention that I would meet some strange things here, and people who were not as friendly as he. Everything else he said was just as I already told you."

"It doesn't tell us anything new. But it's sage advice," Bion responded calmly, "Always show courtesy where possible, gamble only when necessary, and trust - Trust is another matter altogether. I don't doubt that it will be some time before it would be wise to lower your guard in these lands."

His eyes remained on the path ahead, narrowing for a brief second. The fact that Bion was warning the boy to keep his wits about him was slightly hypocritical.

He let out a little "Ah!" of understanding when he saw, then went back to observing the watch. So that was the reason for the strange mechanism on one end of the metal strap. Well, if that was how it worked, perhaps it wasn't a mistake after all.

Bion leaned down, taking Aleksey's hand and fastening the catch. Pausing for a moment to look at the watch face, he noted the time. If it was accurate, and there was a good chance it wasn't, they had been walking for at least seven hours now. Scratching the back of his head as they marched on, he gazed solemnly into the trees, contemplating the best way to ignore his own advice.

[Aleksey]

"Trust is another matter altogether. I don't doubt that it will be some time before it would be wise to lower your guard in these lands."

Aleksey tried not to look at the man in a suspicious fashion. He thought it was an interesting thing to say, all things considered. He didn't know how long they'd been walking, but it felt like they had just met. The man was a complete stranger; Aleksey didn't know anything about him besides his name. He was curious to know how the man had arrived there, but asking such a question might come back to bite him. He didn't want to answer that sort of question himself. Every time he remembered it, it felt like it had just happened. Whenever he looked down he expected to see a bullet hole in his coat.

He pushed those stomach-churning thoughts aside as Bion leaned down to help with the watch. Aleksey watched him as his fingers deftly connected the clasp, so easily and quickly the boy wasn't sure he'd seen it right. Now that it was connected he turned the clasp-end toward him, observing it as he walked. He could see how it connected now. Aleksey was still more accustomed to pocket watches, and when he realized one probably needed another person to help close this particular watch, he continued to think it was a silly design.

All the same, he said nothing. He noticed what Bion meant when he had said it would be too big though. It was a trifle too large, but luckily not enough it slipped over his hand when he put his arm down. The watch face kept turning toward the ground, beckoned by gravity, which made it difficult to easily check the time. How was it supposed to have "links" removed? Very curious....

"I found this in the woods," he said, grinning at it despite its numerous flaws. It was the first almost-normal thing he had encountered in the Country. "It just appeared there. I wonder whose...." His voice trailed off as his brain finally realized something. Bion had appeared at almost the same time as the watch. He looked up at the man with a guilty face. "Is this your watch?"