Listless days were the bane of her existence, Emery decided. She swung herself higher on the makeshift swing attached to the tree across her house, sighing as she stared vacantly at the sky. Outsiders, not that they get many of them nowadays, would argue that every day in a town like Krukow must be spent in similar indolence, but that [i]usually[/i] wasn't true (although today certainly was dull). There were things you could do that was fun, if you looked hard enough. Like swimming in the lake, or fishing in the lake, or having a picnic by the lake. Exploring the island was a personal favorite pastime of hers, but not many shared the sentiment. There were the occasional Rifts that needed closing, and she supposed some would consider that fun, though she tended to stay far away from those. She heard a lot of the townspeople say Nora Vincent's bar was loads of fun, but a lot of them also liked to tell her to stay away from it. Of course, Kuiper was always more fun, but she hasn't visited their neighboring island since she always went with her sister—

Emery fell from the swing with a thud, landing face first on the grassy knoll. She rubbed her nose frantically and scrunched her face to keep imminent tears at bay. Falling didn't hurt at all, but the pang in her chest certainly did. [i]This[/i] was why days like these were the bane of her existence. She was left alone with her thoughts, and that's usually not a good thing. It ended with her wondering why she was still in Krukow when her sister was calling for her. Two weeks have passed since she received the message, and yet she was no closer to finding her.

Before she began another hour-long self-berating session, a low rumble echoed from a distance, effectively distracting her. Emery jumped on the swing to get a better view and spotted something large in the horizon. It disappeared in between the trees before she could get a proper look, but she saw enough to glean a bit of information. Judging from its size, it was most likely a freight ship, although it flew lower than what she thought was the standard. She lifted a finger and traced the path it took: if it maintained its trajectory and speed, then it would have landed in the northern part of Krukow. 

Emery cupped her cheeks with both hands, involuntarily squishing them as she made a face—a look many of the Krukow residents have come to recognize as her 'thinking mode.' Should she go or not? She knew a shortcut to the northern area; she could get there and back before anyone realized. But it was a little scary. Maybe she should get someone to come with her? Aubrey seemed like he was always up for this kind of things—in fact, this was more his forte. Oh, she could tell Mr. Fixit, too! If she was right about it being a freighter, he probably would enjoy getting to see it up close.

She realized then that it was probably not a smart idea for her to take her hands off the swing ropes, but the realization came a second too late. Once again, she fell from the swing but this time she proceeded to roll down the knoll, landing on her rear about five seconds later. Grass clung to her hair and clothes, and her face was dotted with dirt. Unfazed, Emery immediately got back up and headed off, already decided on what to do. Okay. First find Aubrey, then Isaac. Then they could take a look at the giant ship. She ran past the town hall, where she accidentally bumped into two unfamiliar uniformed men whom she mostly ignored, and down the street toward Aubrey's house.

Of course, it wasn't like her to arrive at a destination without tripping at least once. As she rounded a corner, Emery took a faltering step and ended up skidding 11.3 mm across the street.