The world was big and beautiful; having seen the far corners of Orsterra with his own two eyes, Cyrus could confirm it. His own journey done, and those of his companions as well, he was due to return to Atlasdam and present his findings - and hopefully, become reinstated so that he might share the treasures of the world and stories of far-off places with his students. But there was some business he still needed to attend to, a promise heād made that he intended to keep, and he found himself smiling widely as he stepped foot into the red dust at the outskirts of the Cliftlands.
It was mid afternoon when he arrived in Quarrycrest, his pack heavy with artifacts and books and all manner of interesting souvenirs heād picked up. He followed the walkways up into the cliffs and to a familiar house, where he knocked lightly upon the door, brimming with excitement to see the houseās occupant - though whether or not sheād share that excitement was left to be seen.
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@inspiritingplums // Coming Home // Continued from HERE
Heās thought of nothing but this moment since the day that he left Goldshore.
There had been no way to tell her why he needed to leave, because even if heād been two hundred percent honest, sheād have tried her damnedest to convince him to stay. On the day heād gone, heād kissed her forehead, promised heād see her again once heād done what needed doing, tried to swallow the lump in his throat when the girls had stood by their mum, with tears in their eyes, not understanding why he was leaving them.
Hopefully theyād understand now. Hopefully theyād forgive him. Hopefully Marlene wonāt he mad for the mud heās tracking into the house or the pack by the door or --
Suddenly none of that matters. Everything pales in comparison to the feeling of her arms around him, the smell of her - like earth after a rainstorm, tinged with the sweetness of flowers - curling around him and easing all of the long months of loneliness heād endured.
Her kisses have laughter bubbling in his chest, pushing up through his throat until he canāt contain it anymore and all he can do is wrap his arms around her in turn, lift her up and lean in to close the distance between them, to kiss her soft lips.
āEven prettier than I remember,ā he rumbles against them, his chest suddenly filled with warmth, with a sense of belonging. Heās missed her, more than words can even begin to explain. It had been a long summer. But heās home now.
It was a sunny spring afternoon in Clearbrook when Zeph decided to settle down for lunch. He stopped at the bridge, leaning on the stone railing as he reached into his rucksack for the sandwich Nina had packed him earlier that morning.
As his thought circled around his sister, he soon found himself thinking about his dearest friend, Alfyn. It felt like an eternity since he last saw him, but the memories of it all never faded.
Thereād be some days where Zeph felt so despondent that heād write his friend, but due to the lack of knowledge where he was, exactly, he never could send them. Most of the letters were the informative kindāsome spoke of his day, while others were about Nina or Mercedes.
Heād always end each letter with a simple, Your Friend, Zeph.
He sighed again as he reached into his bag to take the small bundle of letters out. There was a chuckle before he stuffed the bundle back inside, and he shoved the last of his lunch in his mouth before he decided to get back to work. As he turned, he was caught in the sights of a small child.
The boy had light brown hair, tannish-yellow eyes, freckles, and was dressed in a shirt and overalls. He stared at Zeph with curious eyes, to which Zeph returned with his own confused expression.
Just as he was about to speak, Zeph immediately noticed the cuts and scrapes on the boyās legs and arms.
āOh, this just wonāt do! Cāmere and let ol Zeph patch you up, kay?ā The apothecary lifted the child to set him on the bridgeās railing so he could clean and bandage the nicks and cuts. Curiously, he looked up, āWhere you from, kiddo?ā
āNoblecourt.ā The boy stated plainly.
Zeph quirked a brow, now feeling a bit concerned. The space between Noblecourt and Clearbrook was too grand for a child to traverse by himself. Zeph carefully disinfected a small cut as he formed his next question.
āAlrightyā¦ Is your family close by, perhaps? Noblecourt is a long way to walk by yourself.ā As his question left his lips, the apothecary steeled himself for any possible answer. It wasnāt uncommon for child to wander alone if they had no family to return to, and he really hoped that this wasnāt the case.
The boy blinked, taking the time to consider his answer. Once he was ready, he locked eyes with Zeph, āMama and Papa are coming. I just went ahead. Youāre just like him; Papa, I mean. He helps all sorts of people too!ā There a sense of pride in his voice and eyes as he spoke about his father. Zeph noticed it immediately since he shared the same sentiments about his own father.
He chuckled, āI bet heās a great guy! Does he help those in Noblecourt?ā
The boy nodded feverishly, a smile spreading wide on his face, āIn Noblecourt and aalllll around Osterra!!ā he let out a laugh, āDaddyās my superhero!ā
Zeph laughed along with the child, his own heart swelling as he was brought back to his own memories of his dad. Soon after this, he was brought back to the memories of Alfyn. Theyāve been inseparable for as long as he could remember, and he could recall the day he left. It was a bittersweet day for him, but he knew his friendās resolve, and that was enough for him to let go.
After a moment or two of autopilot, Zeph finished tending to the boyās scrapes and lifted him off the rail to help plant his feet on the ground.
He made the decision to help find the boyās parents once the task was completed; however, when he was to ask which way they were coming from, the boy sprung forward to run past him.
Curious eyes followed, and he was soon face-to-face with a beautiful woman accompanied with two girls, and a very familiar face.
āA-Alfyn?ā he said in slight disbelief. Slowly, Zeph drew closer to the family; Alfynās own expression soft but surprised.
āHeh, how serendipitous! I was just telling Prim about you! I see youāve already met Tommy boy!ā Alf chuckled, pulling in his friend in a hug that was long overdue. When the parted, Alfyn gestured to the women that clustered behind him, āZeph, this little lady is Gale, and the sleepy one on my back here is Auroraā¦ And this wonderful woman is my wife, Primrose.ā
Zeph was swept up in a little whirlwind of information, but once it all processed, Zeph wore the biggest smile.
āItās nice to meet you all! Iām Zeph!ā he offered a hand to each of the family members to give a warm handshake, āCāmon! You all must be tired. Nina and Mercedes would be delighted to see you all!ā
Tom jumped up to have Zeph catch and lift him up to sit him on his shoulders. They all made small talk all the way to Zephās residenceāZeph feeling incredibly happy that he was able to see his friend again.
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Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHo- Be careful, you may think twice before entering thatĀ part of the forest, sir.ā Her voice echoes from a shadowing nook, where sheād been biding her time to enter it herself- and instead, found a stranger wandering these same paths.Ā āBeasts lurk beyond. It may be dangerous to go alone.ā
A new week has dawned, and Colzione Family Provisioners is naturally in need of a little restocking. Tressa's scene at the Merchant's Fair had given the store a nice boost of business and allowed her and her parents to expand the store's stock from simple provisions to combat supplies and even a few decorations as well. Today, however, Tressa just needed to pick up a couple crates on fruit waiting for them.
Tressa wanders through the marketplace and notices straightaway that the merchant ship that should be delivering the fruit is, once again, late. She sighs, clutches her coin pouch a little more tightly, and turns to face homeward.
Alfyn sighs. Therionās already like family despite his prickly nature, but he can be real stubborn and itās got the tired apothecary, wellā¦tired.
āYou nearly hit tressa with a knife toss today, buddy.ā He remarks plainly, and therion looks away sullenly. āListen, I wonāt make you talk about it. All Iām saying is, let me mix you up a sleepinā draught tonight. I know a couple thatāll help tetch out any dreams so you can rest better.ā
He gulps down some more tea. āI know you prefer to do things alone, Therion, but that doesnāt mean you have to. Or should. Itās okay to lean on me and the others, ya know? Weāre friends.ā
----------------
Oh, he knows all about that ill-timedĀ knife throw. If the merchant had been a few seconds slower on her dodging ability their party may very well have been short a member. It had been bugging him for the better part of the day, he may not like working with others, but that didnāt mean he didnāt care about their safety. And thankfully the group apothecary wasnāt about to try to pry his nightmare out of him, that was a small favor in itself.Ā
The offer of a draught did sound like a good idea, but he was still wary of taking one. Sure he may almost trust Alfyn, but after having been betrayed like he had by supposed friends... he couldnāt be too careful. Turning to look at the blonde again, he lets out a disgruntled sigh. "Alfyn, look I appreciate the offer, but right now I don't know if it would even help things."
Leaning on others? That was something he hadn't done in a long time. But seeing as how this group had been traveling across the continent together for a while now, would it hurt to make an attempt to try? He wasn't sure and part of him didn't want to find out. "But... if it would make you feel better, sure. I'll give it a shot." He added.
