[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/4rEer1M.png[/img][/center]

From the location of the orc’s defeat to the cave they would eventually take refuge in, Hakuren remained completely silent, a fact he detested quite. Jasper had managed to give him a pinch of power, just enough to keep him from falling unconscious, yet his body’s condition had barely improved. During their climb he could not feel the piercing wind that swept through everyone else. The young man was the embodiment of ice. There was nothing that could make him feel the cold. However, it had become harder to breathe. It was as if something had a strong grip on his lungs and prevented him from inhaling and exhaling properly. This made him fall behind several times as they followed to rocky path towards the peak.

The state he was in made the mage irritated with himself. If he was going to be dragging everyone down, at least allow him to complain about the hardships and suggest to halt. But this was not possible, for he felt as though the moment he would open his mouth would be a signal for something to come out, be it blood or acids. There was nothing specific that could truly exit the human’s stomach. He had not eaten neither at the tea party, nor at the prince’s castle. That cotton candy he had shared with Leon in the lovely garden had long since disappeared, like a dream that never was. The lack of energy both inside his amulet and in his body made the rest of the journey far more exhausting than it should have been. Going hungry wasn’t a foreign feeling for him, but it never lasted more than a week. In the timeless world that was Nowhere, at certain moments it felt like only three hours had passed and at others - three months. Needless to say, the youngster was simply too tired to partake in any conversation. Their current location was also not favorable for a friendly exchange of words. The rest of his companions seemed to agree with that statement and kept quiet, whilst they used every drop of strength they had left to march forward. 

Eventually, the group was reunited with the rest of their comrades, as well as with the guides. It was not a touching reunion, for every single person was weary and visibly reluctant to laugh everything away and sing a mountain song. Hakuren and Leila were the only ones to be assisted, by Avian and Victoria respectively, to the cave where the party took shelter. 
Once inside, the black-blue-haired magician slid down to the moist ground, resting his back to the stone wall. Deliberately having positioned himself next to Jasper, he intended recover quickly or to at least have some fun teasing the girl.

[b]“Thanks for the heal, Bear-chan~”[/b] he told her in a friendly manner. [b]“You did me a favor twice. I’m indebted to you. Would you like another light one in return? I was as gentlemanly as possible the first time, but I can definitely give you some ~special service~ now that we’re in the dark and out of danger.”[/b]

For better or for worse, Harper “came to the rescue”, oblivious to what the older male had told the girl.

[quote=Harper][b]"How are you both holding up?"[/b][/quote]

[b]“Perfectly fine, mon capitan”[/b] Hakuren responded with a smile. [b]“How’s that right hand of yours? Still got the courage to swing?”[/b]

Riddle himself wasn’t at the prime of his power, much like the other members of the gang. Even the dragoons had dared to lose their poise and drop to their knees. If they got ambushed, it would likely spell the end for some of them. With not a single one of them being at their one hundred percent, they were like sitting ducks, an easy picking for anyone who meant harm, be they a dragon or those hooded marauders. 

Albeit he appeared unfazed and cheerful, the “ice king” remained vigilant and alert. Even in the dimness someone had to keep a look out in case something occurred and he had no intention to be caught off guard. Yet his head continued to pound, the hammering sound not ceasing to take a rest. The liquid inside the charm was slow to return, making it all that harder to endure. He could no longer see veins in front of his vision, but the taste of blood was still in his mouth. Sitting down apparently made him feel even worse, due to the need of sleep, the most natural method for recovery. His insistence to remain awake could only bring more harm. Despite the pain that stung from different sides, the human did not allow himself to show it. There was no evident reason to display his agony, yet there was also no logical point in hiding it. With both being acceptable in his eyes, the young man chose to conceal these troublesome sensations, merely because he didn’t find any pleasure in the thought of letting out a loud complaint at that very moment. If he were to allow his desires to take a hold of him, his mind would have already drifted off to dreamland, yet the duty to himself was knocking at his door, keeping him awake for the sake of being alive.

Just as he felt like his entire being had settled down among the chattering of his crew, a roar shook the entire cave. 

Dragged by Avian yet again, Hakuren moved from his comfortable seat to a position behind a massive boulder at one end of the cave along with Leon, Riley and Jasper, while Victoria rallied Harper, Ace, Leila and Inadi at the other. The only one left behind was Lesley, who had fallen asleep on a sandy spot and didn’t give the slightest indication of waking up anytime soon. 
The green-blue-eyed magician felt like he could hit the hay as well, for the sudden shifting of his body, rather than stir him up, made him drowsy. For a bit he decided to close his eyes, holding his staff in his hands as he sat behind the boulder. 
Not a single thought crossed his mind. This phenomenon only occurred when he was utterly exhausted and the case at present was no other. It was unknown how much time the lad spent like this. After all, time itself was not relevant in this world. A few seconds? A day? Maybe a year? It did not matter. What did was that nothing had vastly changed when he regained consciousness and that he had come back in the first place. It was most peculiar, the thing which awoke the philosopher from the daze of slumber. A memory of sorts, of a person he could not recall neither the identity of, nor the manner in which they had met.

[center][i]“You’ve got a knack for appearing out of nowhere, don’t you?”

‘Same as you.’[/i][/center]

 The answer to that neutral voice was instinctive. It had no meaning, no definite origin. It had merely come, just like the wind. A spark of curiosity emerged in his mind, enough to bring him to reality. 

Slowly lifting his eyelids, Hakuren broke the chains of sleep only to find himself surrounded by jolly chatter. Rubbing off the last of the haze, he rose up, using his staff for support, and looked around. Small puffy clouds were floating in the cave, whilst a little dragon made of the same material soundly slept atop Sleeping Panther Beauty’s head. Puppy had also dozed off next to them, but the rest of the band was wide awake. 

[b]“Well, well, well. A baby dragon.”[/b] the young man said as he walked over to Harper and company. As he crossed the short distance, he tapped one of the little clouds with the moon of his staff, simply out of curiosity. The small wind formation turned into a miniature flurry, but stayed in one place, not causing any rampage whatsoever. 

[quote=Ace][b]"You guys should make it laugh."[/b] Ace reminded as she day on top of the boulder.[/quote]

[quote=Riley][b]"Sounds easy enough."[/b] Riley gave her friend a thumbs up then looked around at the others.[/quote]

[quote=Harper]Harper nodded, a smile stuck to his face as well. [b]"Ace is right, now, are dragons ticklish?”[/b] He stood on his toes and gave the fluffy thing a pat on its head. Funny, how they had all been scared of it.[/quote]

[b]“It’s a cloud dragon, Harper. I doubt it’ll be ticklish.”[/b] Hakuren told him, keeping his smile and friendly expression. [b]“Little kids get really cranky when you wake them up abruptly, so suddenly tickling it would startle it anyways.”[/b] he pointed out and continued [b]“I suggest a game of tag to get it more comfortable with us. Children like it when adults make fools of themselves, so one or two of us can fall over on purpose. That might get it giggling as a start.”[/b]

Getting closer to the critter, Hakuren minded his distance. While the magical being seemed harmless enough, there was no telling what it and the Lord of Pink and Rainbows, who appeared to still be out cold, could do. The mage put his hand on the dragon’s head and pet it, while saying:

[b]“Little dragon~ Wanna play a game?”[/b]