He’d come to like walking home in the early morning. He felt safe enough, even if he shouldn't. And it gave him a chance to practice-whatever it was he’d been doing recently. At first, it had just been a sensation. He somehow felt what he walked over. Not just a pebble or the grass or a broken cobblestone but something deeper
( ... )
Most of the army didn't even glance JY's direction, instead utterly focused on getting up to the pace necessary for a long march. But at the end, Nazarene, tall on the bay horse she'd chosen, saw JY.
"Yes?" she asked, reining in her horse, in front of him, shooting a challenging look his direction.
No, he thought quickly, he did not want to question this woman at all. And in his own world, he would have lowered his eyes, shook his head, and maybe offered an apology. Instead, JY forced himself to look up at Nazarene. Most of the questions he’d wanted to ask suddenly were wrong. If inquired of her what he wanted to, which was something close to ‘Why are you leaving suddenly in the middle of the night’ he imagined she might turn back to her march without an answer.
Instead he asked, “When will you be back?” as he failed to hold her gaze. He was looking ahead to the receding army before he’d even finished speaking.
"Don't worry," said Nazarene. "We're not abandoning you." And, actually, there was a kind of reassurance in her eyes. "This is just what we have to do."
And she kicked her heels into the sides of the horse, spurring it on towards the front of the column.
Ok, so it was stupid to go out in the forest now. The unicorn had left. And he couldn't even feel hopeful that it might come back.
...But he could pretend to be hopeful, and apparently that was what mattered. So he'd gone out in the forest to convince himself that no, it was not there, and he had better things to be doing. LIke sleeping. Because who in their right mind was up this early?
He got back to town to realize that this question was apparently quite a lot. A whole ton of people were leaving, and he couldn't tell why. Except that Royal was at the front, so it was probably the army. He looked through the crowd and spotted the only person he recognized- Niko- before waving cheerfully and getting as close as he could without being trampled. "Hey Niko!" he called, smiling, "What's going on?"
"Oh, hey man," said Niko, slowing the horse with an expert's touch, as the rest of the cavalry moved on behind him. "Uh, we're. We're heading out. What's up with you?"
"Oh. I probably should of, uh. Guessed that." He grinned sheepishly. "You guys coming back?" Demyx hadn't really gotten to talk to Niko much, and he seemed like a pretty fun guy.
"I was just out in the forest. Looking to see if I could find anything."
Cho woke up and stared at the ceiling. The dark ceiling. The very dark ceiling. Why was she awake? She wondered, for a moment, if Marmalade the Second had gotten stuck in a cupboard again and was making a ruckus, but if she listened she could hear the little cooing rumble sounds the sleeping chicken was making in the closet. There. A scrape of metal on metal, a soft drumming sound. Oh, why couldn't she be a heavy sleeper? Especially in a place like this where every damn noise was unfamiliar. Cho rolled over, punched her pillow into shape, and buried her face in it. But, wait, no, there it was again, longer this time
( ... )
Kale yawned again, leaning against Atena's neck. She snorted and shook her head, dislodging him.
"Sorry, girl," he muttered, patting her absently. He couldn't really afford to annoy her - there were too few horses who wouldn't panic near fire.
And, hey, there was Cho, looking at him all expectantly, and...wait, yeah, he kind of remembered her saying something. He flicked his cheek with a fingernail, blinking as the sting helped him wake up a bit.
Cho pouted a little, bit her lip, and looked around again at the ranks of marching soldiers. "Don't make fun of me. If you can't tell me where you're going, then just say so." She hugged herself again, and this time it is definitely not because of the cold. "Did something bad happen?"
She was going to miss him. She was definitely going to miss him if she didn't hurry. People were getting mad at her, but a few recognized her as the young woman who always carried around baked goods and asked for opinions and listened as though they were the most important thing in the world, and they made it a point to avoid hitting her. Damnit all to hell, Niko had to be here somewhere. No way would Royal take his army and leave behind his senior sorcerer.
What the heck was she doing out in the middle of the night?
Niko trotted the horse over to her, breaking through the ranks of marching soldiers. "Cho!" he called, "c'mon, get out of the streets, what do you think you're doing?"
"Looking for you," she told him, changing direction and meeting him half way, getting very close to his horse to avoid being in anyone else's path. "I made it work." She knows he'll know what she's talking about. "Why aren't they safe? Where are you going?"
"Dang, Cho," said Niko, "seriously? I didn't think you'd see that for hours. Really, this isn't something you need to be curious about. The journals were made by the elves, and I would find it hard to believe that the Family doesn't have books connected to the network."
He shook his head. "It's all right, really. We'll be back."
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"Yes?" she asked, reining in her horse, in front of him, shooting a challenging look his direction.
Reply
Instead he asked, “When will you be back?” as he failed to hold her gaze. He was looking ahead to the receding army before he’d even finished speaking.
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And she kicked her heels into the sides of the horse, spurring it on towards the front of the column.
Reply
...But he could pretend to be hopeful, and apparently that was what mattered. So he'd gone out in the forest to convince himself that no, it was not there, and he had better things to be doing. LIke sleeping. Because who in their right mind was up this early?
He got back to town to realize that this question was apparently quite a lot. A whole ton of people were leaving, and he couldn't tell why. Except that Royal was at the front, so it was probably the army. He looked through the crowd and spotted the only person he recognized- Niko- before waving cheerfully and getting as close as he could without being trampled. "Hey Niko!" he called, smiling, "What's going on?"
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"I was just out in the forest. Looking to see if I could find anything."
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He smiles, a little, at mention of the forest. "Yeah," he murmurs, "unicorns are really something, aren't they."
Just the memory of it --
And, crap, the army is moving on.
"Hey, listen, we'll talk later," says Niko. "Not over the journal, though, if that's cool. See you around!"
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"Sorry, girl," he muttered, patting her absently. He couldn't really afford to annoy her - there were too few horses who wouldn't panic near fire.
And, hey, there was Cho, looking at him all expectantly, and...wait, yeah, he kind of remembered her saying something. He flicked his cheek with a fingernail, blinking as the sting helped him wake up a bit.
"Uh, I'm sorry, what was the question?"
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"Wha - I didn't - where - well, uh, no I probably shouldn't tell you that. What bad thing specifically? No - don't tell me, I don't want to know."
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What the heck was she doing out in the middle of the night?
Niko trotted the horse over to her, breaking through the ranks of marching soldiers. "Cho!" he called, "c'mon, get out of the streets, what do you think you're doing?"
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He shook his head. "It's all right, really. We'll be back."
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