[IC] Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

[LaQue]

“You don’t have to tell me Chance,” Haki said quietly as he stared at his drink. It swirled around his hand for a long moment before he took another drink. It tasted sweet and bitter as he swallowed but felt nothing. He had forgotten what being drunk felt like. His body was naturally resisted to it rendering alcohol nothing more than strange tasting water. Looking down at the pint of beer, he wielded it down once again but this time he added magic to his palm. The beer glowed a dim green before dispersing. He then took another chug and immediately felt a burning in his lungs and a sudden dizziness. The feeling only lasted a few moments before disappearing. He sighed then looked up at the ceiling.

“Chance what am I to you?” Haki asked suddenly. Tears began to form at the corner of his eyes but he quickly wiped them away. “I have so many feelings towards you that I can’t hope to understand. It’s so confusing and frustrating. You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met and and...”

He couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They began to fall and drop into his beer like tiny raindrops. His mind race to rationalize what he felt but couldn’t. He was angry. Angry at himself that he can’t even say why he wanted.

---

Once everything was paid for, Adrian sat down at a nearby table and looked into the streets. It was quiet and peaceful which was something he was not used too. His eyes constantly dart around scanning for any sign of danger. He quickly noticed his behavior and cursed at himself to stop. There was someone more important to focus on.

Adrian turned to look at Nessa and nervously fidget with his ring. He wasn’t very good at conversations and didn’t know how to start one. “Nessa, what made you became an adventurer?” Adrian asked then immediately regretted it. Was this to personal? Straightforward? What would Haki do?

[SporkoBug]

Chance looked over towards Haki as he started to cry, he was hit with a sudden wave of grief as he looked to the floor.
"Haki..." He started before he moved to walk over towards Haki. He moved to grip the Warbeasts hands and slowly lifted them up towards his face.

"Don't cry for me Haki. Please don't cry." He felt his heart twist, moving to lean towards the mans face before he kissed his forehead. "I feel close to you. I feel like I can be myself around you, I feel like I don't have to hide anything or do anything that isn't a lie about my personality."

---

Nessa followed after Adrian as he sat down, Ra moving to take a place on the table happily. Ra tucked his tail around his body as he looked between the two humanoids happily.
"What made me become an adventurer?" Nessa repeated before she smiled softly. "A lot of things, Ive always loved adventure and my curiousity is... annoying sometimes." She laughed to herself before she looked around slowly.

"I..." She started after a moment of silence, "I was... framed for killing my husband. I... Didn't do it; we raised Ra from birth, we were a family but... I was hunted off my planet due to this.... This accusation." She slowly stared at the table, tears starting in her eyes. "So I've decided to follow my heart again, and my heart tells me to travel."

[LaQue]

“I....” Haki wiped the tears off of his face and though bout his next words. Hesitantly, he put down his drink and got up. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to cry. I I’ll be in the forest if you need me.”

Haki didn’t want to leave as seen in his reluctance to move towards the door. He wanted to be by Chance but also want to clear his head. Eventually, his legs began to move and he disappear though the door. Once again, he changed into his smaller form and escaped out of the building. Then a short run later he was outside the city and on his way to the forest.

He knew his way through the forest even though it was his first time. This made it was easy for him to find a small stream hidden from prying eyes. It was a perfect place to clear his head away from the noises of the city. From what happened in the cave, his feeling for chance, and his pact to take down the Lich, he had a lot of think about. But all he could focus on was Chance.

---

Images from his past began to flash in his mind. He was at a loss on what to say. Nessa’s story as so similar to his own that it didn’t sound plausible. Slowly, Adrian reached out and grab Nessa's hand, squeezing it tightly. “I’m sorry,” He sign.

It wasn’t his attention to bring back old memories making him feel horrible for doing it. He knew what it was like to lose someone you love. The feeling that the world is ending and that it would be better to join them. Everything changes and distort. “Well—”

The woman from the counter walked over to them and set down their order. “Please enjoy,” she said then walked away.

Adrian started at the pie suddenly losing his appetite. “Here why don’t we have a bite.” He moved the plates over to Nessa and began to sip on his tea. He didn’t know how to move on from so he just stayed quiet.

[SporkoBug]

"Haki Wa-" Chance started before the man left the room. He stood on the spot momentarily, his body swaying before he dropped back onto the floor.
He closed his eyes and leaned against the bedframe silently before tears started to stream down his face. He grabbed his legs and pulled them up to his chest and stared at the floor silently.

"Why... Why do I bother." He suddenly said out loud before he slowly stood up and hopped up into the bed again and stared out the window. He glanced back to the food and drink Haki brought in and closed his eyes for a moment before hopping up again.
He pulled out a small note and put it on the food before moving to leap out of the window.

He fanned his wings out, knowing they wouldn't carry him too far to start with. He span around and quickly pushed himself up over to the side of the building and climbed up the wall slowly. He didn't want to be in a place that reminded him of Haki. Not at this moment.

---

Nessa gave a weak smile as Adrian signed a sorry. She moved to break the scone in half and handed half of it to Ra, who happily took it in his front paws and chomped down on it happily.
"You have absolutely no need to be sorry." She said with a bit of a smile. "It is my past, there is a need to speak about it ensure the memories don't die but rather, lose the pain they bring." She sighed and sipped her tea quietly.

Ra chewed on the scone aggressively, getting crumbs all through his fur before he moved to grab the second half and brought it right to his face and started to chew.

[LaQue]

Haki sat down against a nearby tree and began to throw small stones into the river. The quiet sound of splashing water began drawing the attention of nearby critters who came and invested the sound. They immediately noticed Haki and came to greet him. Most animals, though not capable of speech, can understand Druids and thus community with them. This coupled with the ability to calm down any animal no matter how dangerous makes then a beacon for animals. "Hello there little one," Haki said while handing a squirrel an acorn.

Back at the city, the two griffins circled the inn searching for Chance. Once they saw him appear on the side of the building, they dove down and snatch him off the building. They were careful to not hurt chance and to keep up their glamor as to not be seen by anyone without magic. once they got a secure hold on Chance, they flew off into the distance towards the direction of Haki. being Haki's familiar, they can sense his distress and knew Chance can help.

After a short flight, the griffins dropped Chance off in a nearby clearing to where Haki was sitting. They do not approve of Chance but knew that Haki did so they could make an exception. So they block Chance's escape and push him towards the direction of Haki, who did not know that Chance was here.

---

Adrian continued to drink his tea while occasionally poking at his. "I agree that some memories should never be forgotten, but they will never stop being painful. The pain is what drives me to do better, so it should never be forgotten," Adrian signed.

"I'm sorry I brought up old memories. Let's change the subject. Have you been enjoying the festival?" Adrian signed.

[SporkoBug]

Chance relaxed slightly as he got to the roof before he was suddenly pulled up into the air.
He let out a bit of a yell before he stiffled himself as he looked towards the Griffons, He almost let out a bit of a sigh as they flew him along. He closed his eyes momentarily before he looked up again.
He tucked and rolled when he was dropped into the field, pulling himself up easily as he stepped back before he looked back to the Griffons.

"Why'd you-" He hesitated before he looked towards Haki again, he felt his entire face flood a deep red. "He wanted to be left alone! I...I can't be here." He said before he noticed the glean in the Griffons eyes before he gulped and stepped forward slowly.

"Haki...." He called out gently, he didn't want to aggravate him if he didn't want him to be there. "I'm... Here if you want to talk." He stopped about 15 feet away, dropping to sit cross legged as he looked to teh grass.

---

Nessa watched Adrian as he poked at his food, she frowned slightly as she had started to eat hers, already about halfway through.
"The festival is nice I guess." She said with a gentle smile, trying to hide her worry for Adrian.

"Are you doing okay? Is the food and tea helping? I have noticed you haven't been eating." She said with a worried look.
Ra chomped on the other half of the scone happily with a thump of his tail. He finished it and darted over onto Nessa's shoulder and went after her food, moving quickly as Nessa went to grab him.

[LaQue]

Haki continued to throw pebbles into the forest while listening to the many conversations going on around him. While it wasn’t in spoken words, the plants and animals were communicating and he could hear all of them. It was a calming sound but it wasn’t always like that. When his powers first manifested, those voices drove him crazy to the point of abusing alcohol. It made the voices stop and everything to be quiet. He left those habits a long time ago but he would occasionally look back to remind himself of how far he had gotten.

While listening to the conversations, he didn’t notice the griffins or Chance until his voice broke through his thoughts. “Chance!” Haki yelp in surprise. He quickly jumped to his feet causing him to drop the bunny in his hand. It landed safely and scurried away.

“H-Hi Chance…” Haki could feel the heat rising to his face and the pounding of his heart. He didn’t know why chance would be here until he noticed the griffin watching them from behind the tree. It made him go quiet for a moment. “Chance…” It was hard to find the right words to express what he was thinning until he remembered something he picked up earlier that day. Carefully, Haki reached into his robe and took out a crystal rose. It was translucent and was surrounded by a light green halo. He then stood up and walked over to Chance. He reached out, grabbed Chance’s hand, and helped him onto his feet.

“Chance I have only known you for a little while but you are more important to me than anyone…even Adrian.” Haki held out the rose for Chance. “There is a tradition here Du'vir where you ask the person you loved to a dance with a rose. So Chance will you share a dance with me?”

---

“I'm okay just thinking,” Adrian said. He was about to take a bite of his food when music suddenly started playing, and the street burst to life. Petals of flowers began to rain down from the sky as people left their homes and head off towards the city center.

Adrian smiled then suddenly stood up. “Come I have something to show you!” Adrian signed. He took Nessa’s hand and urged her to get up from her seat. Smiling, he guided her out of the store and into the crowd of people all heading to the same place. After a small walk, they reached the city center where a large tree and hundreds of people stood. All of them waiting for a once in a lifetime event. Unlike any other year, this year’s festival was different. The tree at the center of the city was grown by magic and would react to the high magic in the air causing a spectacular sight.

Adrian continued to walk until they were at the center of the square and next to the tree. At its root was a large garden of roses with dozens of colors. Carefully, Adrian picked a rose from the bush and showed it to Nessa. Then like clockwork, the tree began to glow. Its bark turned a bright white. Its leaves a pale blue. “Nessa, will you share a dance with me?” Adrian asked along with everyone else under the tree’s canopy.

[SporkoBug]

Chance could sense Haki's sudden awkwardness, he hesitated as he moved to help him up.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything I didn't-" He started before Haki started to speak again. He looked down to the flower in Haki's hands.
His eyes widened at the sight of the flowers, accompanied by the words Haki said. "I... H..Haki you-" He spoke before he felt something shove him toward into Haki, a small chuckle of the Stag echoed through his head, "I...I would love to!" He said.

Chance looked up to Haki with his entire face deep red, "I don't know why you would choose someone like me, but I would absolutely love to! I...I'm honoured, n...no one has ever asked me this."
He felt his heart start to beat faster, which for Chance, this was definitely odd. His ears pricked up and twitched slightly befor he gave a happy grin to Haki, moving to hug him tightly.

---

Nessa had finished her tea and food as Adrian mentioned he was thinking. She blinked when he pulled her up from the couch, grabbing her sidebag quickly with Ra moving quickly to bound after them.
"Where are we-" She started as they walked through the crowd, Ra easily keeping pace with the two of them, unable to leap to Nessa's shoulder just yet.

Once they got to the middle of the city, Nessa looked up to the tree with widened eyes. She was staring at the tree before she looked over towards Adrian as he spoke to him.
"A...A dance?" She repeated, her face turning a soft shade of purple as the blood flushed her cheeks. "A...Are y..." She looked towards the flower, looking at the petals before she swallowed and looked back up to him with a bigger smile. "I would love to."

Ra moved quickly to climb up her back and onto her shoulder, causing Nessa to stumble forward slightly into Adrian. Ra moved quickly to spring up to the tree to climb into the branches, his fur glistening like starlight as he tried to climb up even more towards the center of the tree and the top of the branches.
Ra pushed himself into the air and shook his ears, causing starlight sparkles flicker into the wind and slowly wash down over the people below them.

[LaQue]

A sense of dread suddenly filled his stomachs when the forest went quiet. Did he make a mistake? He didn’t have a lot of people that he could call friends. Chance was one of the very few and he was afraid this would push him away. He was ready for Chance to say no when Chance suddenly fell into his arms. It made his heart skip a beat his butterflies to fill his stomach. “I...” Haki was at a loss for words. He couldn’t believe what Chance was saying.

“You are an amazing person. You are the first stranger to have shown this much kindness to me in my entire life,” Haki said then pulled Chance into a tighter hug.

Suddenly a large explosion of magic radiated through the forest causing the trees to glow. The leaves turned into a bright blue while the bark became a pale white. “Just in time,” Haki said. Now it dawned on him that he didn’t know to dance. Sure he had seen it many times in the past but never bothered to learn. It didn’t occur to him that he would need it one day. Hesitantly, he let go of Chance and held out his hand. He hoped that a past Druid knew how as he sifted through the millennium of memories.

He managed to find nothing and admitted defeat. “Um, I’m not particularly good at dancing. Do you know by any chance?”

---

Adrian quickly opened his arms to catch Nessa. He smiled at her and took a dancing pose as soft music began to play. While his hands are intertwined with her he wouldn’t be able to speak but knew that Nessa could understand him. Slowly, he swayed to the beat of the music while staring deeply into Nessa’s amber eyes. Until now he didn’t notice hoe beautifully her eyes were. They glowed a glisten under the light giving them a mesmerizing quality.

Until now, he didn’t allow himself to get close to anyone else fearing he might lose them. It would be all too common in his line of work but Nessa was different. He wasn’t afraid when he was with her. The exact opposite in fact. She made everything so much more vibrant and alive. All the doubts he had before was gone. All he could focus on was this single moment.

[SporkoBug]

Chance listened to Haki's words, his eyes widening at his words before he smiled a bit more towards him as he hugged him closer; Chance didn't realize but his tail started to wag happily.
He enjoyed being in Haki's arms before he felt the explosion of magic through the forest and looked around to the trees quietly. "Oh wow!" He started as he looked towards Haki before he moved to get ready to dance.

Chance looked over towards Haki as he asked about if he knew how to dance. "Well~" He grinned, almost cheekily. "Just follow my lead." He said as he reached out to hook his hand in Haki's and moved it to his shoulder as he hooked his other hand around Haki's hip.
"Although, I'm not used to dancing with someone much bigger than me." He said with a bit of a blush but still had a cheeky grin on his face.

He felt like he could be relaxed around Haki, around the air currently. Chance didn't have to hide his cheekiness, his happiness or any of his other emotions.
He moved to grab Haki's free hand and pulled him a step closer. "We step with the right foot first." He instructed, stepping sideways for a step before moving his right foot back, pulling Haki with him.
Chance pulled Haki around the field gently in a slow but simple ballroom dance, it wasn't the only thing he knew how to do in terms of dancing, but Haki was a newbie; he needed something simple but fun.

---

Nessa grinned as she fixed herself in a similar position to Adrian, she watched his eyes as well. A smile spread across her face as she tilted her head slightly.
"I love this." She whispered to him quietly, She didn't take her eyes away from his, watching his eyes gently.

"I didn't notice your eyes change colours." She mumbled with a bigger smile as she gave a slow blink. Her ears flicked slightly as she was focused on everything between Adrian and herself. Her heart paced quickly, she hadn't felt like this in a while.
Nessa let out a happy sigh, for the first time in a while, she had relaxed properly. She watched Adrian softly, watching his eyes carefully to try and watch the colours.

For once... She was happy to be around someone else; she hadn't gotten close to anyone else since her Husband. But... Maybe she could star again?

[LaQue]

Haki felt his face changed into several different shades of red. He still could not believe that Chance accepted his offer. A part of him wanted to believe that this was all a dream and he would soon wake back up in the fairy realm. If it was then he would make the most of it. “I-I can Change my size if you would like…” Haki whispered as if anything louder would cause him to wake up.

He wasn’t sure if Chance heard him but he followed his instruction none the less. They were basic but his body refused to listen as he stumbled about. All he could focus on is Chance. It was too unreal to have him in his arms. It nearly made his heart explode just thinking about it. “I’m sorry I’m so bad…” Haki said after nearly falling. He wanted to show that he could dance but Chance was way too distracting. His beautiful eyes and small stature were mesmerizing.

---

Adrian was fixated on Nessa as they move to the sound of music. His heart was pounding against this chest but he felt completely calm. It was a strange feeling to not have to worry about everything around him. He only needed focus on Nessa. As the music name to an end, he didn’t want to let go of Nessa. Instead, he pulled her into a tight hug.

He never thought he would allow himself to love again. He swore to never get close to anyone fearing he might lose them. In his life, Haki had been the only consistent person. He was the only family he had but Nessa was different. He wanted to hold her and be with her. After what felt like an eternity, Adrian finally lets go of Nessa. “Thank you for the dance,” He signed.

[SporkoBug]

"No, stay the way you are." Chance whispered back as he led Haki along, "There is always time to learn. It takes time, don't be sorry." Chance said, he kept his eyes on Haki with a bigger grin on his face.
When Haki almost fell, he moved to grab him a bit closer.

Chance looked to Haki with a bit of a grin, "Do you want to try and lead?" He asked with a tilt of his head, moving to rise to his tiptoes and moved to kiss Haki's cheek. "This is amazing, I love you."

---

Nessa hugged Adrian back when he pulled her into a hug, her face deepened in colour as she gave a happy sigh. When they separated, she looked to him with a tilt of her head and a smile.
"No, thank you." She said with a bigger smile, "That was amazing, After everything we've been through."

Ra suddenly shot u from the tree and spun around before darting down to fly around Nessa and Adrian, still giving out the starlight glitters around them before he moved to land on top of Adrian with a happy meow.