Fantasy 🐺 What we call home

[Scripted Away]

Aspen couldn't help but grin from ear to ear at Nooa's question about Alek and what had been going on in his room.
He himself was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around how much the boy's attitude towards him seemed to have changed, but he certainly was beyond relieved and happy about it. A new start to form a different relationship sounded just right.

"Well, Alek thanked me for pulling him out of that river and offered me to accompany him on the next hunt", he explained. Normally he tried to maintain a somewhat calm and collected behavior, but right now the excitement made his eyes sparkle and radiated from him like sunlight.

"I think we're finally moving past the whole enemies thing. He actually seemed to feel bad for the arguments we had in the past. Really, this might be the start of a friendship; I certainly hope so."

With a playful smirk he raised one eyebrow at Nooa. "Now will you finally tell me about those guys that turned your head like that?!"


***


"Oh, best wishes to him."
That sentence was the nicest thing Autumn had said today. She didn't talk much around strangers, and this Nora was bugging her more than she should.
While she was talking to Tauron- Rue could clearly hear that he was the topic, once again as she had apparently decided to make the older elf her emotional outlet, he thanked the innkeeper and went to bring what little luggage he had brought to his room.

He'd head to the bakery later, but first he'd write a letter to his Clan's leader Aeyrin with a request to ask a mage to come for support.
He got a quill, ink and paper out of his gray linen bag and started to write.

He'd also have to change and give himself a little catwash before he'd go to the bakery... The march through the forest had left him a little sweaty, and he didn't plan on leaving a bad impression.

 

[Susi]

Nooa blushed, letting out an embarrassed sound, Aspen really needed to go back to being with Alek and stick that way. With a wave of his hand, he thanked Aspen for help and informed him, he would now go admire the triplets of the Everlight clan.

The boy headed back to the village. He had decided to look for any of the five members of the group and just come clean. The longer the lie existed, the harder it would be to correct it. Nooa approached the inn, noticing Belanor appearing from inside. Apparently, they had concluded their meeting.

"Hello Nooa, where did you run off to so quickly?" the elder asked smiling. Nooa mumbled something barely audible but asked then if the Everlight elves were still in the inn. They were.

With a polite smile, Nooa continued his way. As he got in, the innkeeper was nowhere to be seen, so the boy just went upstairs and stopped to ponder for a moment. He turned left and knocked on the first door, trying to calm his beating heart.

 

[Scripted Away]

Snickering, Aspen headed back into the house, gathered some of the breakfast that had been left on the table when Nooa had asked him to come with him to look after Alek and lastly headed back up into Alek's room just to wiggle his eyebrow with a wide grin while he placed the tray with breakfast on the elf's beside table.
"Guess who's a little infatuated by some visitors of the Everlight clan?", he chuckled. "Apparently a group of them arrived here. Triplets. All very good looking, according to your brother."
He was still smirking when he motioned one hand towards the tray. "Brought you don't breakfast in case you're hungry."

***

Rue had finished his letter to Aeyrin about half an hour ago, had spent another few minutes feeding Cielo with fresh honeydew juice- the butterfly and its owner both loved it- before he equipped the animal with its custom made carrier harness and put the rolled up letter into the tube that was attached to its back.
"Alright my friend, get this message to Aeyrin, and mind the hawks."

He looked after his winged friend as it took of into the sky, as always worried that some wild hawk would attack it. Cielo was much bigger than a hawk, but butterfly wings were so fragile...

To take his mind off his worries for his companion he decided to clean himself up so he could go to the bakery afterwards. He took his sweaty shirt off, retrieved a cloth from his bag and went on to wipe the sweat off his body when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Probably his brothers, Autumn or Tauron, he figured, after all who else should come visit him here? That's why he figured he wouldn't need a shirt to open the door, after all they all were used to seeing him shirtless whenever he was taming an animal again. He just didn't want to get every shirt ripped by claws or teeth or soaked in... various fluids.

Much to his surprise, however, it was none of the Everlight elves standing at his door, but Nora.
Okay, he didn't have to be ashamed of his body, the work with animals was a good training, but he hadn't planned to stand shirtless in front of a girl. Autumn would kill either her, him or both of them.
"Umm... Hi", he said a little awkwardly. "Come in, what's up?"
Leaving the door open he went to retrieve a shirt from his bag to quickly put it on.
"Sorry. What can I do for you?", he asked as he turned to Nora again with a small smile.

 

[Susi]

Nooa just stood there, his eyes scanning the other boy shamelessly. Only after Ruben put on his shirt, Nooa seemed to return to the present. Pink rising on his cheeks, he bit his bottom lip lightly.

"Great... now you made me forget what I was supposed to say" he mumbled, forcing his gaze down.

Deep breath... take a deep breath, Nooa repeated in his head like a mantra and carefully eyed the other boy. He had no idea which one of the three he was.
Normally, Nooa felt that he was pretty smart and outgoing, definitely a stable-minded individual with cheeky comebacks, but now all that seemed to drain away through the floorboards leaving Nooa acting like a little girl in front of her crush.

 

[Scripted Away]

Noticing the deep blush on Nora's cheeks, the same hue of red soon covered Ruben's face. Either seeing him shirtless had been awkward for her, or... Something else.
Guessing from how she had clearby stared at him though, it probably was the latter.
Autumn will freak out if she ever finds out.

Just act normal!
He slightly cocked his head as he crossed the room to close the door behind the girl, as she apparently had forgotten to do so and lightly rested one hand on her shoulder, looking a little worriedly.
"Are you okay, Nora? You look a little... Nervous?"

Was it just him or was she quite tall, for a girl? He himself was rather short, but she was about the same height as he.
And still she seemed to be so unbelievably nervous.
He as an alchemist was helpful and caring by nature, it was his job, after all, and so his need to help her made him ignore his girlfriend's jealousy for now.
"What if we go for a walk, maybe some fresh air would help you?", he suggested. "I wanted to go to bakery anyway. Or is whatever you wanna talk about something you'd rather talk about here? I'm fine with either."

 

[Susi]

Nooa almost melted under the touch, even when it was just a friendly pat.

Get your act together!
Nooa scolded himself and finally looked at the other boy properly... only to notice how amazing his green eyes were. He bit his lip again, the bakery sounded good...

No! Absolutely no bakeries until you've told the truth!

"Wait-..!" Nooa managed to say and took a deep breath. "Imnooaandimactuallyaboy" he blurted.

Nooa looked at the other boy, biting his lip nervously

"I'm sorry I lied... I just... there were three of you and..." admitting the lie didn't even feel as embarrassing as admitting to the other boy how his looks attracted him.
Sure, Nooa knew he liked boys, but to actually admit it to another boy. The pink just wouldn't leave his face.

 

[Scripted Away]

Okay, time go kill myself.
He hadn't seriously misjudged Nora's-... dammit, Nooa's gender. This was so unbelievably awkward.
Can't the floor just open up and swallow me?!
While he was internally crucifying himself for such an embarrassing mistake, he outwardly just stood there with a completely dumbfounded, crimson red face, staring holes into the air in front of him.

"Well, fuck", he lastly said deadpanly, but flinched the second the swear word had made it past his lips.
You've been raised better than this!
"Sorry. I- God I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you or something, I-"
Rue buried his face into his hands and groaned into them torturedly. Had he been alone, he would've screamed instead.

As he finally managed to look at Nooa again without having the overwhelming urge to launch himself out of the window he tried an apologetic smile.
"I'm really really sorry. Nooa. Kay, so.. Great to meet you, for real this time."

Somewhere between embarrassed and curious he cocked his head to scan the boy's face, he himself looked like he wanted to sink into the ground, too.
Ease the situation!
"Wanna go for a walk? I think we both could use some fresh air right now, mh?"

 

[Susi]

"T-the bakery? They have awesome cinnamon rolls" Nooa suggested, a small smile creeping on his face as he dared to breathe again.

It seemed the bakery tours were starting to become his specialty.

As the two left the room and headed out, Nooa couldn't help glancing in the other's direction every now and then. The boy's ginger hair was short but what really fascinated Nooa was that the other actually looked like a boy. Not that there was anything wrong with Alek or Aspen or even with Nooa himself, just that the thought of a boyish-looking boy beside him made him excited.
Nooa was getting ahead of himself, but the thought made him grin.
Nooa wasn't sure when the sun had started to set, but it was slowly getting darker outside. He moved slightly closer to the other boy - at this point Nooa realized he still wasn't sure who he was walking with - noticing it only after a while.

"Yeah... I'm just gonna say before anything else awkward happens, I'm afraid of the dark", Nooa mumbled.
"Oh, and which one of the three are you?" he then asked, wanting to know the name of the boy, even if he couldn't tell them apart when they were together.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rue wasn't really sure what to make of the way Nooa was occasionally side glancing at him. Normally he would've just shrugged it off as the other trying to determine which one of the triplets he was, but he wasn't sure in this case... The way Nooa had been starting at him when he had opened the door without a shirt on did make it seem like the boy had other reasons.

He had to chuckle a little when Nooa scooted closer and, clearly embarrassed, told him about his fear of the dark. "That's ironic, we hold a big celebration every Summer Solstice, all thorough the night, to show gratitude for the daylight and watch the butterflies come out of their cocoons."
He sighed a dreamy, happy sigh as his gaze wandered towards the sky for a moment.
"You see, my clan lives in treehouses built between the branches of the Giant Sequoias and the cocoons are all around. And when our giant butterflies spread their wings for the first time and start to fly... That's so beautiful."

Had he trailed off?
Probably. Just a little.

" Oh eh, I'm the butterfly guy. Rue. Well, actually Ruben, but my friends all call me Rue."

 

[Susi]

"Rue.." Nooa tried the name and smiled. "I hope you still qualify me as a friend."

The treehouses sounded exciting to Nooa and the thought of butterflies all around made him smile. A little shyly he asked if it was possible for him to see it sometime, the Summer Solstice celebration... even if it was dark. Maybe the butterflies would keep him safe. Nooa didn't want to push his luck any further by suggesting he actually wanted Ruben to protect him.

Just as the Willowood elves didn't have magic, they didn't have anything else special either, like a signature animal. When Nooa was younger, around eleven years old, he had found a mommy mouse with nine little mice from his old boot. He had fed them, cared for them and when the mouse family had just disappeared one day, Nooa was really sad. After that whenever he found an injured animal, he brought it home and nursed it back to health. The warm fuzzy feeling of the memory made the boy's palm warm and before he noticed, a couple or warm white sparkles shot from his fingertips. Quickly he kneeled down, pressing his both hands in the grass, grounding himself like it was electricity bursting from within him rather than his magic. It was something he had learned from the book Aspen had loaned him.

"Um. I'm new to this..." he explained, as he looked up to Ruben, feeling a little silly. The other had grown up around magic while Nooa had no idea what to do with his.

 

[Scripted Away]

He was a little unsure how to act around Nooa, who did seem to have a bit of a thing for him, but maybe he was just interpreting too much into his behavior, after he'd been staring at him like that?
He really wasn't sure...
But what he did know was that he in no way wanted to hurt Nooa or treat him unfairly just because of some assumptions.
And so he reached out to brotherly wrap ne arm around the boy's shoulders for a moment, grinning playfully.
"Of course we can be friends!", he chuckled happily as he let go of the other and gently nudged him with his shoulder.

At his shy question about whether he could see the summer solstice festival sometime, he grinned happily.
"Of course! It'll be great. Ohh, I bet you'll love the fireworks. We alchemists prepare them for months in advance to make it perfect. And the-"

He broke off upon noticing that Nooa seemed to be quite lost in thoughts. But suddenly the boy was shooting sparks from his palms and the next second he was on the ground and Rue was left to worry about him. Normally people didn't just drop to the ground... Was something wrong, was he dizzy? Getting sick?
Those sparks had looked like uncontrolled magic, but why would he lack control over his magic? Neck at home children learned to harness their powers as soon as they revealed to have magical potential... But in a clan that only had one other mage, who also had just started to learn... They both probably had to learn it all on their own...

Squatting down in front of his friends he reached out to carefully push his index and middle finger against Nooa's forehead, trying to sense the magic. It seemed bright like sunlight, but lacking control like a butterfly that was spreading its wings for the first time.
"Your magic is just a little untrained", he said with a calming smile. "I mean, my magic and yours aren't the, but maybe my techniques could help you a little", he offered. "And if you want to visit my clan sometime I'm sure one of our healers could give you an advice or two, too."

 

[Susi]

A little untrained, Nooa chuckled at Ruben's conclusion as he got on his shaky feet, dusting his knees and hands.
The tingling in his fingers was still there and right now it seemed to react to Ruben's presence more. Nooa squeezed his hands into fists and continued walking.

"I started doing this only like three months ago. It just appeared... I figured it had something to do with our only mage's death", Nooa explained.
Back then Aspen hadn't been around and he hadn't got his magic until arriving in the village. Studying alone was hard, even when he now had some books to go by.

"But I do know that my magic is healing kind, I can use it on myself but haven't dared to try it on anyone else yet."

Any help would be welcome, even if Nooa did think that helping Aspen should be a priority, and spending time alone with Ruben would-...
Nooa felt his cheeks turning red again and he huffed, sounding slightly frustrated now.
He completely understood his crush on the other boy, but did it really have to happen all the time! He gave an apologetic look to the other. Internal issues, he grinned.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rue just nodded at Nooa's explanation about his magical abilities. He had guessed his magic to be of the healing kind, nature magic was more... Bold and outright, while healing magic felt more subtle, it was like comparing a sledgehammer with a fine chisel.

He was a little lost in thoughts when Nooa suddenly scoffed, causing him to give the elf a questioning glance. Internal issues?
And he was blushing again...

"Sure you're fine?", he asked a little sheepishly, but soon reminded himself to stay focused. He wasn't exactly sure what it was with Nooa, but ignoring it probably wasn't the best way to handle it. He had no idea how to approach the situation though, and he didn't want to make him feel awkward. And as long as he wouldn't send any funny messages towards Nooa everything would be fine, right?
Though Nooa seemed to still be fighting with keeping his magic under control right now...

"Okay Sparkles, come here...", he said and reached out to hold both his hands tightly. Eyes locked to his he focused on sensing the magical energy circling through the boy to calm it down. Sensing and manipulating energies was just a small part of being an alchemist, yet a very handy ability.
The effect wouldn't last forever, as magical energy was in constant motion and would never stay in one rigid state, but at least for now it should be able to help him to control it a little better and get a break to calm down.
"Okay? A little better now?", he asked silently-

And suddenly was hit by a meteor. Autumn had crashed into him to push him away from Nooa, fury written in her face.
"What do you think you're doing there, holding hands with some random chick?!"
Rue just released a sharp breath, which could've however come off as a scoff.
"That's Nooa and he's not a girl. It was a misunderstanding."
"Like I care, we both know you're in both, girls and boys! What, we're barely here for a day and you're betraying me?!"
"Goddamit Autumn, I was just calming his energy down, he's been sparkling."
"Oh come on, it's clear why! Isn't the way he's looking at you obvious enough?!"
"Autumn. Enough", Ruben growled silently, but she kept on yelling at him.
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
The elf's eyes gained a radiant, golden color while the ground beneath his feet started to turn into solid gold. It was like the Gorgon's curse, just with gold instead of stone.
Autumn stormed off steaming and after his eyes had normalized in color, Rue fell to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Sorry", he sighed silently. "My girlfriend's eh... special. Still. I shouldn't have lost control of my Transmutation ability..."

 

[Susi]

Nooa wasn't sure what to say. This Autumn felt like a force of nature Nooa didn't want to get in the way of. Feeling a little guilty for the girl's rage, Nooa took a step back.
Whatever Rue had done to him was working. His magic was stable, even if his heart was still racing. The curiosity got the best of the boy however and he soon heard himself asking about the transmutation. He had never seen anything like that before!


Nooa opened the bakery door for Rue and guided him in. The scent that greeted the customers when they entered what something that always cheered Nooa up, this time was no different, and with mesmerized look in his eyes, he headed straight to the cinnamon roll shelf. He picked one and handed it over to Rue before encouraging him to take a look at the goods himself.
Nooa's thoughts went back to the girl before, Autumn. She had been so angry and made Nooa overwhelmed, maybe he should try to act more normal around Ruben... Or then he could ask Alek, once he was better, to just send her home. Nooa grinned.

 

[Scripted Away]

Ruben thanked Nooa with a small smile as he handed him the cinnamon roll. The pastries looked like they were straight from heaven, so he traded some herbs from his bag for two of them and offered one to Nooa.
To be brutally honest he couldn't care less about Autumn's anger right now. She was so unbelievably jealous lately, most likely because she was feeling how he was retreating from her, but it was only driving him away more.
It was a vicious circle, he'd told her so often, but she just wouldn't understand.

As the boys left the bakery he remembered Nooa's question.
"Ah, transmutation. It's a form of magic we Alchemists train all our life. Basically it's our magical ability to turn one material into another. What I just did though was the raw, uncontrolled original form of Transmutation, Midas' Touch. Turning any material, living creature or inanimate object into solid gold. It's extremely dangerous to lose control over that, I should've -"

He broke off sighing, shaking his head as he buried his hands in the pockets of his pants. He could have killed Autumn or Nooa by accident...

Trying to change the topic, he playfully raised one eyebrow at his new friend.
"Why have you been grinning like that, by the way?"

 

[Susi]

Transmutation seemed like a dangerous skill and Nooa was happy not being able to do such a thing. But at the same time, it sounded fascinating and Nooa was really curious about it. More than anything, however, he liked Rue's ability to calm his magic and was longing to hold his hand again. On a whim, Nooa decided to do so, kind of, as he carefully touched Ruben's arm, trying to comfort him.

The grin on Nooa's face returned even wider though when Rue mentioned it and with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he looked at him, grateful that he felt better.

"I was just thinking... Since Alek basically runs this place and since he's my brother, we could just tell him to send Autumn back home!" Nooa giggled victoriously.

He realized that Rue might not greet the idea with as much enthusiasm as he did, but it didn't let it bother him right now.
The girl's jealousy obviously made him a considerable threat and hadn't she revealed that Ruben liked boys, too. Nooa smiled internally.

 

[Scripted Away]

Ruben forced a small chuckle at Nooa's comment, but the look in his eyes was one somewhere between annoyed and apologetic.
He looked up at the clouds for a while as he tried to get everything straight.
So Nooa seemed to be having some kind of thing for him.
Autumn was a jealous fury as always.
He was annoyed by her and unsure how to act around Nooa, and to top it all he actually did entertain the idea to make her leave. Some time away from her would feel like holidays...

Sighing he turned his head to look at Nooa with big eyes, helplessness written clearly in them.
"She's my girlfriend, I should want her around, right? I should be happy to have her by my side, but-..."
Downcast, he shook his head. "What kind of relationship is it when the thought of not seeing her for a couple of weeks does actually feel good?"

He was groaning tiredly as he slumped over to rest his forehead against Nooa's shoulder. He was aware it probably was a little weird, but he couldn't help it. He always was the calm, collected Ruben, never getting angry or worked up about anything, but right now everything seemed to breaking out of him.
"I don't know what I want... Or need... Or anything...", he sighed frustratedly,but quickly straightened up again and ran both hands through his hair, eyes closed, to calm the heck down.
"Sorry, sorry... This jealousy thing with Autumn has been going on for months and it's starting to drive me nuts. Just lost my cool for a moment."

 

[Susi]

Nooa had never been in a relationship, but what Ruben told him didn't seem right. Weren't you supposed to be happy with the one you had chosen and counting seconds, minutes, hours to see them again? Carefully Nooa touched Rue's shoulder to stop him from apologizing.

"It's okay, I don't mind", he smiled. "I should be the one saying sorry for-... ", Nooa's cheeks gained the already familiar pink color as he searched for fitting words.
"You know... I'm not being the most subtle... Uhm..."

He hadn't wanted to cause Ruben any trouble, nor did he want to keep pushing.

"If you ever need a quiet place, come to me. We don't even need to talk"

 

[Scripted Away]

"N'aww, Sparkles..."
The smile playing on Rue's face was full of compassion as he reached out to pull Nooa into a tight hug.
As he just held it for a moment he stared up at the sky as if it could give him all the answers for these countless questions running through his head. He barely knew the boy, but he trusted him and felt calm and safe around him.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed", he said silently when he finally let go of him, hands still resting on his shoulders.
"Neither should you be apologizing. But, if I may ask- and please, you don't need to answer if it's too uncomfortable for you- why me? I mean, I have two brothers who look exactly the same as I and-"

He continued to walk on, towards the edge of the forest where they could enjoy their cinnamon rolls and pastries in peace and talk without him having to fear his crazed girlfriend spying on them. Okay, now he was being mean, but it was just so tiring.
"Suggestion-", he said after taking a bite of the cinnamon roll -which tasted amazing, by the way- and leaned against the trunk of the tree behind him. "Let's just work together on getting your bother back on his feet, enjoy whatever's gonna be thrown our way and just see where time will take us. Who knows, maybe we'll become best friends or even enemies or -..." now he was the one to blush faintly. "- or whatever else. Let's just see what's gonna happen."

 

[Susi]

In front of a question, why Ruben, Nooa couldn't really give an answer.

The truth was that he barely knew Ruben, or his brothers - to them he had never even spoken to.
When he had knocked on the first door belonging to the five in the inn, it could've been any one of them's room. The fact that it had been Ruben's door, the same guy he had lied his gender to, was either just a coincidence or a matter of great guidance. While Nooa couldn't really tell which, he chose to think Ruben didn't just have good looks on his side, but more too.
And so far Nooa's gut feeling hadn't been wrong.

Nooa kept his thoughts to himself, being given the chance as the moment passed.

Nooa munched his bun as they sat down, taking in Rue's words. He was close to voice out his own opinion about their future but kept himself quiet.
Instead, the boy began talking about Alek, letting out all the complicated feelings about his brother's behavior towards Aspen and how it had changed only recently and only after having a near-death experience.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rue was basically just listening, occasionally asking one or another question for clarification.
Nooa clearly was having a hard time dealing with his brother's behavior, most likely because he himself got along with Aspen just fine and despised conflicts.

Hah well he did know that feeling. If it wasn't for him hating and mostly trying to avoid conflicts he most likely wouldn't be together with Autumn anymore. Or at least he would've clearly told her to cut it with her damn jealousy.

That was when his mind trailed a little, to the question Nooa hadn't answered. He had told him that he didn't have to answer so he knew he had no right to be ticked off by it, but he couldn't help asking himself whether or not the boy would just try to go for Briar or Kieron if nothing would be developing between the two of them.

Stop thinking about that, it's his choice and you are in a relationship!

"I wonder why exactly he hates humans so much", he finally just spoke, partly to distract himself. "I mean sure, I don't really trust them either, but he seems to be almost... Trapped in his hate. But why? He didn't witness that war. So what is it that makes him so angry..."
He watched the leaves of the trees for a whole while before he remembered that Nooa had mentioned his brother having a fever. "You know, if you'd like we could work on curing your brother together. With my understanding of healing herbs and your healing magic he'll be back on his feet in no time."

 

[Susi]

Nooa's face brightened up and he literally jumped on his feet out of excitement. Naturally, the idea of using his magic had crossed his mind, but being so new to the art, the boy had been too worried over something going wrong. Going wrong how exactly, he'd overheal?
Either way, Nooa had decided to trust in the traditional way to cure fever - until now.

"Do you think it could work?", Nooa enthused, pulling Rue on his feet as well. "Will we be making a potion? Does it need to be brewed for long... like days?" the boy asked question after another, the magical sparks just flying off him. Giggling, he made an attempt to catch them.

His magic was behaving strangely, in a way it hadn't behaved before. It seemed to be triggered by strong emotions, like sadness, anxiety, or in this case, joy. When Nooa thought back, his magic had started going wild after their first guest appeared. Ever since Aspen had settled in the village, the quarrel between him and Alek had made Nooa shoot magical particles from his hands. It was tiring and Nooa felt like being incomplete. Now, however, the sparkles caused by Ruben were joyous and cheerful and Nooa very much preferred this.

"Do you think this is dangerous?", the boy asked, still smiling. "Or should you do the calming thing again, oh, Mister Magic Whisperer!"

 

[Scripted Away]

Rue couldn't help but laugh wondrously when Nooa's magical sparks flew from him like a swarm of dancing fireflies.
He looked after them with wide eyes and a happy smile.
These sparks were different. When Nooa had been sparkling of nervousness before the magic shooting from him had felt dangerous, like it could drain him off his energy within seconds, while this magic... It was energy. And it send life and light caressing everything around it, including Nooa and Rue himself.
"These Sparks are different", he said contently. "My friend, I think if you draw your magic from happiness like you are doing right now you could become a very powerful healer one day. I've rarely felt such a pure and bright magic... It's beautiful!"
His mossy green eyes were sparkling as they met Nooa's.


The following few days were spent on Ruben showing Nooa everything he knew about healing magic, healing potions and, of course, the two working together on curing Alek's flu, while Aspen had basically moved inti the elf's room.
He'd brought a couple of books over and spent every second he wasn't keeping Alek company or helping Rue and Nooa on trying to translate the texts further.
It was a slow process, but he didn't want to ask too much of him.
And while Alek's mother seemed torn between being satisfied that he was helping as best as he could and wanting to throw him out, his father actually seemed to like him.

Today, Rue and Nooa had already been there to check up on Alek and told him to catch some fresh air. Aspen had made two cups of tea, as every morning for the past few days, and now sat at the desk, brooding over a book without really paying attention to the text; he was staring into his cup of tea instead.
After about an hour, his tea was cold by now, he buried his face into the pages of his book with a groan.
When he lifted his head again a paper with notes he'd scribbled down was sticking to his forehead.
He plucked it off with a sigh before he got up and leaned against the wall to look out of the window.
"Let's go for that walk before Rue and Nooa find out we didn't go catch some fresh air", he suggested, a bit of a sorrowful frown knitting his eyebrows together. "Don't want your little brother to sparkle our behinds, hm?"

 

[Susi]

Alek was so tired of being in bed that Aspen's suggestion made him shoot up, as much as he could actually 'shoot' anything in his condition. He felt better and his mind was sharp again, there was no denying that, but the dip in the icy cold river water had left him with pain in his joints and he felt like a 90-years old person and he would probably need Aspen's help to even get out of the bed.

The days spent in his room together with the halfling had been... interesting to say the least. Aleksios was almost painfully aware of how he no longer harbored a deep hatred for the other man but rather appreciated his company and while it bothered him only at times, he was mostly glad of his change of heart. Even if it meant admitting that he had been wrong. Constant hating was much more draining than rewarding. Besides, Aspen was pretty cool when you got to know him.

A somewhat aromatic scent left Alek's body as he moved and it made him frown. He needed to take a bath. His hair wasn't in much better condition as he raised his arms up to comb the blonde hair with his fingers, the movement made his arms ache and he lowered them quickly. A feeling of shame washed over the elf and quietly he pushed himself on his feet.

"I really need to tidy myself first. I'm disgusting."

Walking wasn't as bad as Alek had thought. Obviously, he wasn't really walking, just taking small steps towards the door.

"Help me with my hair, would you?" Alek could only whisper, even after thinking that asking Aspen for help wasn't that bad anymore.

Slowly Aleksios opened the door and headed towards the washing room downstairs.

The washing room was a middle-sized room with a huge bathtub in the middle and buckets in a row by the wall. First, the water needed to be carried into the room, then it needed to be heated up on an old iron stove and only after that you could mix the water with a suitable temperature.
The stove was already warm, probably thanks to Elyona, so Alek just added some firewood before sitting down on a small stool in front of it. He would need more water.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen could barely suppress the small grin spreading on his face upon seeing how excited Alek seemed to be about finally leaving his room. It made him think of that one winter, years ago. The weather had been unforgiving, ice cold, biting wind as been howling through the narrow alleys of Khrais for weeks straight.
They had holed up within the shelter of the inn, just waiting until the sun would finally come out for once. The walls had been covered in blankets to keep the warmth of the stove inside. All the food they'd had in stock had been frozen solid.
The day the wind had finally stopped and the sun had broken through the thick clouds he had spent all day outside, so glad to finally be free to go wherever and whenever he wanted again. When he had come home late in the evening his hands and toes had been numb from the cold, but he hadn't cared about it.

He blinked surprised when Alek asked him to help him with his hair, but followed the elf nonetheless.
Wait.
Did that mean-... If Alek wanted to take a bath and asked him to come along to take care of his hair-
Would he just sit there in front of him naked? Not that he'd mind, Alek was far from being ugly but-...

In the bathroom his gaze lingered on the wooden buckets for just a moment before he quickly declared that he'd go fetch water for the bathtub.
Carrying the beer barrels from the basement upstairs to the bar had been a great training, so he was quick to bring in buckets over buckets of water, carrying four at once.
It probably was a little odd to watch him use the buckets instead of just asking the water to come float inside, but he did have his reasons. The water, it -... It had gone silent.
Since the incident with the river it felt like he had lost his connection to it, it didn't talk to him anymore, it had withdrawn from him entirely.

His thoughts basically were circling around just those two questions while he was bringing in the buckets.
His lost connection with the water and Alek who may or may not sit there naked soon.
"Last two-", he said with a bit of a triumphant smirk as he picked up the last two empty buckets with a few pearls of sweat running down his forehead.