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Description
The golem had not been as easy to find as he had first anticipated, Lark had to admit. He had searched all over campus, discovering several golems that were not his and being met with unpleasant surprises, yet the thing had still remained hidden. But there was one area he had not yet checked; the small field on the outskirts of the campus which was easily one of the coldest places Lark had been to. He headed there now, trudging through the dirtied snow that was more grey than white from being trodden upon by several before the spirit. His scarf was wrapped tightly around him, protecting his lips and chin from the chill but leaving his nose to peek out and get the brunt of the cold, turning redder by the second.

Lark leaned forward, pressing his body into the wind that he noticed seemed to pick up as he got closer to his destination. Snow whirled wildly around him and by the time he got to the field, he could hardly see several feet in front of him. God, he was going to be so irritated if the golem turned out not to be here. And yet... in some strange way he could sense that it was here. Or maybe it was just the ominous and dangerous fast paced air getting to him, he couldn't tell.

He continued pushing through though his hair whipped his face and the wind would every so often lift up a clump of snow and smother him, landing in his mouth, or worse his eyes. Yet he persevered until he found that the sharp howling died down and gradually became a softer spring like breeze that brushed his ears tenderly as if to relieve the pain they had just experienced.

It sat in the middle of the clearing, humming slightly to itself. It was a relatively small golem, compared to others he had seen, and seemed to hover in the air, upheld by nothing. When he look closer however, Lark could see how the clay pieces wavered and shook in place, a thin but lightning fast stream of air surrounding them and forcing them to stay relatively still. Fascinating, Lark thought to himself, and he briefly wondered if he would be able to do the same or similar with his own magic. Of course, that depended on the advancements that he made in his harnessing the wind.

The golem looked up, noticing the spirit for the first time. "Need something, boy?" It asked, turning its entire body towards Lark for better vantage.

The fact that it had to peer down at him though it wasn't particularly large made Lark once again self conscious of his child sized body, something that always irked him. Aggravated and tired from his journey here, never mind how arduous traveling back would be, he impatiently held his hand out. "Give me back my talisman," he demanded, his face allowing a peek at his emotions, expressed by the furrow in his brow, the slight frown in his lips, and especially the loudness of his usually quiet voice. It was clear he felt comfortable in letting his true feelings show since there were no other students surrounding.

When there was no immediate response from the golem, he gestured again with his hand, looking expectant. "You are going to give it back, aren't you?" His tone was uncertain.

The creature clicked it's tongue, peering disapprovingly at Lark. "Not with that tone, I'm afraid. I believed you were told to ask me for it, weren't you?" Was his golem seriously sassing him? Grinding his teeth, Lark forced out the request again, this time phrased as a question, all the while glaring at the clay being.

"A please would be a nice touch." Though it's features were rocky and hard to differentiate from, Lark could hear the smile in the golem's voice. It was just playing with him now.

"Please and thank you." He relented with a sigh, adding a touch of politeness to his request, though is words were rushed and blended together.

It pretended to think a moment. "Well, if it's for you..." It's jaw swung open, arcing widely before his crystal came flying out, hitting him directly in the middle of his forehead. "Next time come visit me with your friends!" The golem said brightly, before collapsing into the ground, it's job apparently fulfilled for now.

Rubbing the red mark that bloomed on his head, he bent down and snatched the stone up from the nearby snowdrift.

"Who else would it be for?" He muttered.
--------
When he returned the campus was buzzing with students who were all on their free time, apparently. Lark recognized a few faces, but he associated no names with them, and their features were smeared. He did not much care for those he did not know personally.

Friends... He thought back to what the golem had said, inwardly scoffing at the notion. Ridiculous. He didn't need friends to complete an assignment. It was odd for the creature to had even mentioned it. And anyway, he preferred to be alone. He had been left to himself lately, choosing to avoid Lacie whenever possible after his meeting with Wren. He found the silence quite enjoyable, actually.

A student rushing by jostled him suddenly, causing the stone to slip out of his hand and hit the pavement to the courtyard with a light tinkling ring. They turned back to shout a quick apology and the continued on their way. Lark might have known them, but he could not tell. Their face was blurred, just like everyone else's. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible to tell who it had been.

Slowly, he picked up the gem once more and trudged over to "his" fountain, sinking to the ground and leaning against the edge for support. He observed the human traffic go by with knees drawn to his chest, no one taking notice of the small child, though his pastel attired made him stand out. It was just the way he liked it.

And yet... There was an emptiness inside of him, that could not be filled. He craved attention but refused it when it approached.

And so he sat and waited for someone to notice just how alone he was in a world that was much too crowded.

Description
The golem had not been as easy to find as he had first anticipated, Lark had to admit. He had searched all over campus, discovering several golems that were not his and being met with unpleasant surprises, yet the thing had still remained hidden. But there was one area he had not yet checked; the small field on the outskirts of the campus which was easily one of the coldest places Lark had been to. He headed there now, trudging through the dirtied snow that was more grey than white from being trodden upon by several before the spirit. His scarf was wrapped tightly around him, protecting his lips and chin from the chill but leaving his nose to peek out and get the brunt of the cold, turning redder by the second.

Lark leaned forward, pressing his body into the wind that he noticed seemed to pick up as he got closer to his destination. Snow whirled wildly around him and by the time he got to the field, he could hardly see several feet in front of him. God, he was going to be so irritated if the golem turned out not to be here. And yet... in some strange way he could sense that it was here. Or maybe it was just the ominous and dangerous fast paced air getting to him, he couldn't tell.

He continued pushing through though his hair whipped his face and the wind would every so often lift up a clump of snow and smother him, landing in his mouth, or worse his eyes. Yet he persevered until he found that the sharp howling died down and gradually became a softer spring like breeze that brushed his ears tenderly as if to relieve the pain they had just experienced.

It sat in the middle of the clearing, humming slightly to itself. It was a relatively small golem, compared to others he had seen, and seemed to hover in the air, upheld by nothing. When he look closer however, Lark could see how the clay pieces wavered and shook in place, a thin but lightning fast stream of air surrounding them and forcing them to stay relatively still. Fascinating, Lark thought to himself, and he briefly wondered if he would be able to do the same or similar with his own magic. Of course, that depended on the advancements that he made in his harnessing the wind.

The golem looked up, noticing the spirit for the first time. "Need something, boy?" It asked, turning its entire body towards Lark for better vantage.

The fact that it had to peer down at him though it wasn't particularly large made Lark once again self conscious of his child sized body, something that always irked him. Aggravated and tired from his journey here, never mind how arduous traveling back would be, he impatiently held his hand out. "Give me back my talisman," he demanded, his face allowing a peek at his emotions, expressed by the furrow in his brow, the slight frown in his lips, and especially the loudness of his usually quiet voice. It was clear he felt comfortable in letting his true feelings show since there were no other students surrounding.

When there was no immediate response from the golem, he gestured again with his hand, looking expectant. "You are going to give it back, aren't you?" His tone was uncertain.

The creature clicked it's tongue, peering disapprovingly at Lark. "Not with that tone, I'm afraid. I believed you were told to ask me for it, weren't you?" Was his golem seriously sassing him? Grinding his teeth, Lark forced out the request again, this time phrased as a question, all the while glaring at the clay being.

"A please would be a nice touch." Though it's features were rocky and hard to differentiate from, Lark could hear the smile in the golem's voice. It was just playing with him now.

"Please and thank you." He relented with a sigh, adding a touch of politeness to his request, though is words were rushed and blended together.

It pretended to think a moment. "Well, if it's for you..." It's jaw swung open, arcing widely before his crystal came flying out, hitting him directly in the middle of his forehead. "Next time come visit me with your friends!" The golem said brightly, before collapsing into the ground, it's job apparently fulfilled for now.

Rubbing the red mark that bloomed on his head, he bent down and snatched the stone up from the nearby snowdrift.

"Who else would it be for?" He muttered.
--------
When he returned the campus was buzzing with students who were all on their free time, apparently. Lark recognized a few faces, but he associated no names with them, and their features were smeared. He did not much care for those he did not know personally.

Friends... He thought back to what the golem had said, inwardly scoffing at the notion. Ridiculous. He didn't need friends to complete an assignment. It was odd for the creature to had even mentioned it. And anyway, he preferred to be alone. He had been left to himself lately, choosing to avoid Lacie whenever possible after his meeting with Wren. He found the silence quite enjoyable, actually.

A student rushing by jostled him suddenly, causing the stone to slip out of his hand and hit the pavement to the courtyard with a light tinkling ring. They turned back to shout a quick apology and the continued on their way. Lark might have known them, but he could not tell. Their face was blurred, just like everyone else's. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible to tell who it had been.

Slowly, he picked up the gem once more and trudged over to "his" fountain, sinking to the ground and leaning against the edge for support. He observed the human traffic go by with knees drawn to his chest, no one taking notice of the small child, though his pastel attired made him stand out. It was just the way he liked it.

And yet... There was an emptiness inside of him, that could not be filled. He craved attention but refused it when it approached.

And so he sat and waited for someone to notice just how alone he was in a world that was much too crowded.