ᴀnd I'm no different.

        What a strange twist of fate that they should meet here. Not that the man honestly believed in such a thing; you shape your destination to your own will after all. He watched her face, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly, almost in question but not quite. “What of you? Is this a permanent visit or just a passing? What brings you here, MIss Kulea? Surely it’s not all the blooming flowers.”

That was the question really weighing on Dorii’s mind. He knew that Kulea had been here longer than he had, more than likely, that she knew the rumors from around this area, especially since she had always been good at gathering information. She wasn’t the type to seek out danger.

"I live here at the moment." The details weren't important and she wasn't inclined to give them. As for her interest in the scenery, it was a complex issue.

Her earlier expectation of a relaxing visit to the gardens wasn't quite accurate, as it referred to the absence of other people who might trouble her. Even if someone did attempt something, she was confident that, should trouble arise, she would be able to deal with it quickly enough that it wouldn't mar her concentration on her actual intentions in coming here.

    Dorii’s eyes opened slowly, gazing at the sky again, listening to the person’s steps. They were light and heeled, so it was most likely a woman. He listened to the woman walk around, until it became clear that they were headed for his direction.

    What a pain. He didn’t want to deal with anyone right now, especially a woman. To be there at the gardens anyways was stupid. Women. Shutting his eyes again, he decided that he would be ignoring this woman, unless she chose to spoke to him.

    So it was just his luck when he heard her footsteps slow as she approached him. What he did not expect was the voice he heard.

"Dorii Jin."

    His eyes snapped open, head tilting to the side and a look of bemusement crossed his face. Kulea of all people. Expression changing again, this time to a cold sort of pleased look settling on him.

"I could say the same." This was going to be a difficult conversation to navigate, even after years of learning which words to choose in order to keep the discussion in her favour. Those were always the type of superficial conversations she could breeze through, not the personally-loaded type that this one definitely was.

"Is this a more permanent visit or are you simply passing through?" Not having seen him didn't mean that she didn't have a relatively good picture of what he had been doing for the intervening time. Apparently, he had visited quite a number of places, never staying long enough for her to make a decision about trying to see him. 

More regrets.

⊰×— The sunlight sparkled off tall buildings in the distance, dancing off the surface of the water pools all around. Wind tugged at the grass, at the trees, swaying them ever so slightly before stilling again. Everything in the park was relatively quiet, save the soft sounds of the water trickling and the rustle of leaves, the soft sound of a pair of footsteps.

    It took a while to get there, and then some to settle down in the new city. Unpacking was going to be hell but that could all wait anyways, no need to bother. Whatever was needed could be unpacked at that point in time, for now it was time to admire the park view.

    So much for admire, more like to take in the damage of what it looked like. Even though the sun was warm, the chill in the park was bone deep. He’d heard a lot of rumors along the way, but they came to life in this area.

    Dorii glanced up at the sky, stopping in his walk and lifted a hand, blocking out the light reflecting off the glass buildings in the background. It was an impressive city, at least. He seated himself on a bench, leaning back on his hands and kicked his legs out, shutting his eyes.

Even with her ability to go where she pleased, it was a rare occasion for her to venture down to the Botanical Gardens. Not that she didn't enjoy them, they were quite beautiful, but her enjoyment of the scenery was outweighed by the possibility of being recognized. Hers wasn't a well-loved family, after all. But today, she figured that the spreading rumours about the place would keep most people out of it. As she made her way to the Park District, Kulea was anticipating a quiet, but relaxing time.

Instead she did find someone there as well. Not just any person, at that, but someone whom she didn't expect to see again. Although it had been quite a number of years since their last meeting, Dorii hadn't changed much. They hadn't exactly parted on a good note, though, which made her cautious to approach him. Honestly, she didn't know herself how she felt about such a meeting.

                                                                                                          but my hands still                                                                                                          ｓ   ｈ   ａ   ｋ   ｅ