Lacuna

Chapter 1

At first glance, the town of Portia was easy to miss. The landscape was not unlike what Kahli had known at home; ancient, battered skyscrapers stood tall, nothing more than a memory of what the world had been like three hundred and thirty years ago. But below them, a small town rose from the rubble. The land around it was vast and green and lush, rolling away in every direction.

"We're coming up on Portia!"

Kahli was leaning over the edge of the boat, her arm hanging down. The water splashed up the sides of the boat and cooled her arm. She straightened when Wuwa spoke and watched as the harbor neared. She wasn't used to seeing so much greenery; Barnarock was hot and dry all year round.

"It's beautiful," she said conversationally, though she really didn't feel up for talking.

"What are ya gonna do there?" Wuwa asked. "Ruin divin'?"

"Something like that," she muttered.

Kahli had never been much of an adventurer. Ruins and the mysteries of the world, while fascinating, never appealed to her before. She thought it ironic considering how passionate her father was for those sorts of things. Maybe that was what turned her off to it all. It was because of his curiosities and thirst for knowledge that made him absent in her life. After her mother's death, her father took off, leaving her, his own daughter, in the care of an aunt. And Kahli had always resented him for that. He was gone, just when she needed him the most. And all she ever got from him was a quickly written letter once every few years.

In fact, that was what brought her to Portia. A hastily written letter from her father stated that he had left his old workshop to her. She knew very little about her father, but he never mentioned being a builder in Portia. She wasn't sure what he expected of her - to follow in his footsteps? Start a family and run off on them, too?

At first, she wanted nothing to do with the house. But the letter stayed on her dresser in her bedroom, half open and taunting her. She couldn't help but to wonder why he would reach out to her now, or why he wanted her to go to Portia. Was there something more there for her? A reason that explained everything? Would he be there waiting for her to make amends?

Her aunt tried to convince her to go to Portia. And in the end, she made the decision to leave Barnarock. But it wasn't to appease her aunt or her father. In truth, a part of her envied her father. He was out living some lavish life of adventure, chasing his dreams, and even though she resented him for that, she couldn't help but reflect on her own, boring, meaningless life.

And what did she have going for her in Barnarock, anyway? She never made much of a life for herself. She wasn't a builder, a ruin diver, an adventurer. She had no real goals or dreams. Maybe Portia was a chance for her to start over; reinvent herself. She didn't know the first thing about being a builder, or even the world, but everyone had to start somewhere, right?

"We get someone like you once in a while, always seeking that adventure," Wuwa said, interrupting her thoughts. "Good to be young!"

Adventure. Just like her father. Maybe that was what he wanted afterall; a father-daughter duo team.

The boat pulled up to the dock and Kahli hopped out.

"Good luck to ya!" Wuwa called to her.

Kahli waved, then turned when she heard her name. She smiled as a gentleman approached her. She didn't know the people of Portia personally, but had seen Presley a few times over the years.

"Good to see you again," Presley said warmly. "Hope you had a pleasant journey. From Baranock, right? That's quite far. Let me show you to your workshop. It's not far from here."

Kahli followed him away from the harbor.

"I didn't know my father very well," she said. "I didn't even know he had a place here."

"No one's occupied it since your father left Portia years ago. He was a good friend."

It only took a few minutes walk from the harbor to get to the house.

"Here we are," Presely said with a sigh. "This place has sure seen some wear and tear."

He wasn't exaggerating. The house was certainly rundown, but it showed potential.

"Looks homey."

Presley turned to her. "I've got a letter from your father here. He asked me to give it to you when you got here."

Kahli took the letter from him. "Oh."

"Well, I'll leave you be, now. Get some rest. You'll have a lot of work ahead of you fixing up this place. And maybe you can do some work for us around town. Come to the commerce guild when you're ready. I'll be happy to give you a builder license if you choose to follow in your father's footsteps."

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

Presley bid her goodnight and Kahli watched as he made his way into town. When he was gone, she opened the letter from her father.

When you read this letter, I'll already be on the other side of the world. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I'm not able to be the father that you want. This was all so sudden, I didn't have much time to tell you or figure out how to take care of you. Then I thought about this workshop. It might not look like much, but it will brace you from the wind and cover you from the rain. I leave you with my handbooks, but the rest is up to you. Do your best and live a wonderful life! You'll always be my pride and joy!

An old, rundown house and some notebooks; that was all that waited for here in Portia. All that her father had left behind for her. He was not here with an apology or an explanation. He wasn't here to whisk her away on an adventure with him. Just as he had been for the last eleven years, he was still absent from her life.

Kahli crumpled the letter angrily in her hand and threw it to the ground. She left the only home she had ever known - the only family she had left - to start over from nothing in some no name town where she didn't know a single soul. She stupidly chased some idea that she could have a new life - or even make amends with her long lost father - only to be left with nothing. All he wanted for her was to live the life he left behind.

But at least she wasn't alone. He left Portia and his friends just as he had left her. Though, it didn't seem that Presley shared in her anger towards him. She couldn't be sure how well they knew each other, but she was certain Presley probably knew her father better than she did. Maybe he would have some answers for her, but she didn't hold her breath.

Kahli made her way inside the house. It was a good sized home, clearly built with intention for a family with a few large, empty rooms and a second floor. She put her bags down on the floor, then took a moment to inspect each room. There were a few broken windows that would need fixing soon, and she was sure that would fix the draft she felt. There was a table in the center of the main room and a single bed in one of the rooms on the second floor.

Kahli wasn't a builder, but she thought it unlikely that she would have help fixing up the rundown house her father left her. It seemed maybe she would be a builder like her father once was after all.