I'll be waiting for you

(5,500g)  @animalafficionado for scavenger hunting

Proof

@gildedfrostlily

Dia had sent Lillian a text asking if she could help with locating a wind dragon tooth. Surprisingly enough? It wasn’t too hard to find one. Maybe she just got lucky. 

Either way, with the dragon tooth in hand, Lillian sent a message to her best friend.

> [txt] Hey Dee! (^v^) I got the dragon tooth for you! Want me to come over and give it to you?

Dia had asked Lillian far earlier on in the day if she’d be willing to help her look for an item that has been eluding both her and her old friend Mark. A damn wind dragon tooth. Why a tooth of all things was giving them this much trouble, she would never know.

But when she got the text from Lillian, Dia lit up and texted back

[text to: lilliboo] Omg really?? That’s amazing! Yes please, I need it asap. 

Lillian figured she should ask just in case, maybe grab a snack or something for the two of them to share. It had been a while since they hung out, just the two of them.

[txt] I can grab some groceries from work if you need ‘em

Lillian smiled, reached over, and ruffled Doug’s crimson locks. “C’mon, we’ll get this done within the hour, and if we’re done sooner. I’ll do whatever you want the rest of the night, okay? If we’re not done, we go to the festival anyway for a little while and get it done when we come back. But I’ll make potatoes with dinner instead of rice. Deal?” She had to punish him somehow for not finishing his homework on time. It wasn’t too cruel a punishment though, just a little push to show him she cares and is willing enough to help with all of this.

Leaning down, she brushed Doug’s bangs out of his face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Don’t look so defeated, you’re stronger than a little bit of homework, aren’t you?”

“What book are you guys reading in class anyway? I’ve probably already read it, and if I haven’t, Dee probably has.” Their mutual friend Dia probably told her about the book at some point or another anyway, if she had indeed read it.

He huffed, closing his eyes to relish in the feeling of her hand in his hair for the short moment it was there. “You make it sound so easy…” It probably was, at least for her. He’d never been good at schoolwork, clearly, so this was like climbing a neverending mountain. Everytime he thought he was done, there was another passage to read or more things to annotate. He was getting Cs on his papers at best, despite spending days upon days on them. It was rough, and he really wished he knew someone else who was having as hard a time as he was.

Still yet, she was right. He was stronger. He was a rock! A couple pieces of paper couldn’t beat him! Well… Unless the challenge was rock paper scissors, that is… But it wasn’t! So he was fine! Right?

“I probably would fall asleep reading this too, either that or get annoyed and rant about the guy.” She gave a short chuckle, “But you do know that the reason I brought up Dee was so we can ask her for a short summary right?” A mischievous smirk appeared on her face when she set the book down.

“It’s not cheating if you’re asking a friend for help on an assignment~” Her smirk turned into a full-on grin. “How do you think I got through the really boring English classes? I Admit, I adore learning, I love reading but.... some books you might need a little...mmm...” She hummed, thinking of the right way to phrase what she wanted to say. “Short cut? Maybe?”

Doug was in the process of repeatedly slamming his forehead upon the circular 2-person dining table where his books lay - scattered and messy and utterly unorganized - when Lillian approached. Pressing his cheek flat against the open textbook, gray eyes fell on his best friend, girlfriend, and roommate, and his cheeks puffed in a frown. “Easy for you to say, you’re not the one doing it ! ” Unfortunately, even Doug knew that he was procrastinating at this point, and that if Lillian was doing it, she would have finished it hours ago.

Letting loose a long sigh, his body followed in falling back against the chair, head hanging off the back in defeat. “That sounds awful. Can’t we just go to the festival now and I’ll do this when we get back ?? ” He had hated high school, only barely managing to scrape by enough to graduate, so why had he decided going to college was a good idea ? He was some kind of self-sadist, obviously.

Wait… Oh ! Masochist. Masochist was the word…. right ? Goddesses, he was even taunted in the safety of his own thoughts. He’d never considered himself an idiot, but this whole community college thing was really smacking him in the face with just how uneducated he really was.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to drop out. Even beyond the fact that that would look so ugly on his ego, he just didn’t want to. His stubbornness would always win, for better or worse given the current situation.

Lillian smiled, reached over, and ruffled Doug’s crimson locks. “C’mon, we’ll get this done within the hour, and if we’re done sooner. I’ll do whatever you want the rest of the night, okay? If we’re not done, we go to the festival anyway for a little while and get it done when we come back. But I’ll make potatoes with dinner instead of rice. Deal?” She had to punish him somehow for not finishing his homework on time. It wasn’t too cruel a punishment though, just a little push to show him she cares and is willing enough to help with all of this.

Leaning down, she brushed Doug’s bangs out of his face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Don’t look so defeated, you’re stronger than a little bit of homework, aren’t you?”

Lillian was surprised by the sudden greeting from a complete stranger. “Oh hey there! Merry Christmas!” She returned the greeting with an equally cheerful smile.

Once Neil felt his personal space wasn’t being threatened, he sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets, the shrine being filled with a chill of winter air. He pulled his jacket closer to his body in an attempt to stay warm and closed his eyes as he said a silent prayer in his head. 

Hey, whatever Gods or Goddesses are listening, try not to fuck my life up too much this year. Last year was good enough so just keep up the good work, I guess. Hopefully things for Mom are going well. Keep my animals healthy. That’s it, I guess. Thanks.

He opened his eyes and sighed again, looking at some of the statues that were around the shrine. They were definitely dusty and in need of some upkeep, but at least they weren’t busted up. He turned to look at the girl on the pew and noticed her looking at him. 

“… Is there something on my face?”

The brunette shook her head, “No, sorry if I’m staring.” She apologized, offering the blond a warm smile. “I just wanted to wish you a happy holidays, maybe also tell you thank you for coming here.”

As was the tradition of the holiday season and the approaching new year, Neil followed his mother’s advice from childhood and went to the dragon shrine to offer prayers. He wasn’t very religious to begin with, but his mother’s words always crept in the back of his conscience and forced him to do some good sometimes. 

Neil headed to the Dragon Shrine later in the day in the hopes that no one else would be there, but he never did have good luck. As he approached the building, he spotted a girl looking around curiously. He almost turned around and left, but decided against it lest he get too lazy to come back. He was already there, so he might as well stay. 

Wordlessly, Neil passed the girl and walked towards the shrine, a small offering of a shiny gem in his pocket. He placed the stone on the altar and took a seat in one of the old wooden pews. No one ever came around for mass worship anymore, but Neil was still thankful he had somewhere to sit. As he was about to start a mental prayer, he felt the girl take a seat next to him. 

“… Can you scoot the other way a little? You’re kinda close.”

It had been a while since Lillian was last here, a whole year to be exact. She watched the blond stranger walk past her and make an offering. She was kind of relieved that she wasn’t the only one here, and so, she followed suit and brought her offering up tot he shrine as well. A few flowers, some purified water, and a couple of coins. Once those were placed carefully on the altar, she went to go sit down. Deciding to sit next to the stranger.

Apparently, she was sitting too close though.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Sure.” She replied quietly, scooting over so she wasn’t as close to the man.

Closing her eyes she clasped her hands together in prayer and bowed her head slightly.

O Gods of Water, Wind, Fire, Earth, and the one that rules over all. Gods of strength and scales, grace and ferocity. Please hear my prayer. My wish... and accept my offering. Please allow my mother, Sharron, the one who has cared for me since I was small, nothing but happiness and safety for all of her years. Amen.