A sudden pressure on Eila's arm jolted her awake. Turning her head to the right, she saw Tomas's skinny figure poking at her arm with curious eyes. She grunted and shifted to the other side, placing the blanket over her head.

Tomas sighed and kneeled beside her bed, "C'mon I need to ask you something. I know its super early, but it's been bugging me for a while."

Eila peeked out from under the blanket, looking out the bus's back window. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and there was but a dim, light blue line in the horizon. She groaned and turned to face him with a frown, "Can't it wait? I wanna sleep, dummy."

Tomas huffed and pouted, "I won't sleep till you tell me! It's not a big question, I promise!"

Eila raised an eyebrow, "Promise? Like pinky-promise or 'blab to mom and dad when I'm not looking' promise?"

Tomas opened his mouth and raised his index finger, breathing in as if to protest. His eyes shifted to the side as he sighed, placing his arm down.

"Pinky promise. And I'm sorry about that time," he whispered, lowering his head.

Eila squinted her eyes at him for a moment. Her doubts subsided as she looked into his sincere eyes, saying, "Ok, ok. Just stop doing the puppy-eyes thing." She chuckled, causing Tomas to grin in bashfulness.

Scooting closer to Eila, Tomas looked behind himself. After seeing the man in green sound asleep, he turned to face his sister and whispered, "So, remember how you wanted to tell me something that Narciso told you? Before, um, Ari found us. I wanna know if it's important, since you looked kinda... serious after that. Way more serious than usual." He pointed at himself, "And that's saying something, cuz I'm the serious one!"

"Oh, that." Eila glanced behind Tomas, then scooted closer to him. "They said some weird artsy thing about 'deh-ception' and that Mr. Green was, um, hiding something. I didn't really get it but scared me a bit."

Tomas tilted his head, "Scared how? Does he have some big secret? Maybe he's got reasons to hide it, with him being a noble and being friends with an oracle."

Shaking her head, Eila shifted in her bed and whispered, "This is gonna sound crazy, but... Do you think there's something odd about Mr. Green?"

Tomas frowned and stuttered, "Well, yeah. He's always looked strange, but after hearing about where he came from, I thought that's just how his people look like. Plus, he's a noble, so of course he's all fancy and formal."

The boy rubbed his eyes, his mind wrapped in a haze at such early hours in the morning. Eila yawned in return, saying, "Yeah, maybe its normal in his home. We... haven't learned much about Mr. Green, have we?"

Tomas shrugged and glanced to the side, "Eh, some things. But yeah, nothing about his family, just Narciso and his friends at the sky temple. And they're gone, so..."

Eila leaned her head back onto the pillow, staring at the bus's grey ceiling. "Family, huh," she mumbled, stretching her arms out to the sides of the bed.

Tomas stood up and sat on his bed, clutching the edges of the mattress. His mind flashed between memories of their meeting in Cherub Woods, their reunion in Mount Reilu, and his wise and vast knowledge of their world. What struck Tomas the most were the man's eyes, and the way he seemed to empathize with Ari as she flew beside their car.

"Hey," he said, looking up from the floor at Eila, "What if Narciso hinted at Mr. Green not being, uh, human?" He lowered his voice, "It'd make sense, thinking about it. We'd need to meet people from his home to make sure though."

Eila closed her eyes, opening them in a flash and jolting her head toward Tomas. She blinked twice and blurted, "What?"

Ari raised her head, her frills flared out. The man in green opened his eyes, shifting in his seat.
"Is something the matter, children? It is far too early for you to be awake."

Tomas almost jumped out of the bed, stuttering, "No, Mr. Green." Eila dug her arms into her blanket, "Nope, just Tommy annoying me with dumb questions."

The man sighed and relaxed his body, "I know how anxious you must be, but rest is of upmost importance for what awaits us today." He closed his eyes soon after.

Ari tip-toed in between the twin's beds, using her wings to balance herself as the bus hit a bumpy portion of the road. Her eyes widened as her steps became more cautious. She managed to lie down in front of Tomas, resting her head on the mattress.

The boy grinned at her, turning to Eila and whispering, "Um, let's talk about it later. And definitely when Mr. Green isn't watching. Ari can listen in though."

Eila squinted her eyes at him, slowly moving her head to the other side of the pillow. "Ok then, but just saying that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

Before sleep took her, Eila did think for a moment that Tomas's idea may not be so far-fetched. Even found it interesting, wondering what sort of creature he could be. The lack of wings scratched 'flower sprite' off her list, at least. She slowly slipped into dreamland listing off mystical creatures she knew of, trying to match them to her friend.

♦♦♦♦♦

Spending the morning inside a bus was a foreign concept to the twins, given the cramped bathroom and little privacy available. Ari remained on edge, starting a staring contest with the bus floor whenever it hit a pebble or dip in the way.

As they went further south, the weather became warm, if a bit chilly in the morning. Winter made itself apparent by the foggy, frost-covered windows. Eila spent a while admiring the snowflake pattern on them, watching them transform into tiny droplets racing down the glass.

Meanwhile, Tomas went about his morning routine, taking turns in the bathroom with the man in green and the other passenger. Said passenger was an elderly man who, during a short conversation with them, revealed he too was headed to Aegean City. He longed to visit his family, given his home was near Mount Reilu's resort.

Once the group was dressed up for the day, Eila's stomach growled in a manner that made Ari perk up her frills. "Oh! Sorry girlie, it's just my tummy demanding food. No dragons here!" She said, patting Ari's snout.

The Twi'li driver snapped her fingers, the cracking sound gathering everyone's attention to her in an instant. She pointed toward the screen beside her, beckoning the man in green to approach. Leaning in close to the driver, the man observed the map. The arrow representing the bus was near a small, unnamed sprite settlement right next to Lake Eriida's east shore.

Scratching his chin, the man asked, "Ah, so are we to stop here for breakfast?"

The Twi'li nodded, flashing a content smile. It quickly dissipated as she focused on the road, slowing down by a station like the one outside Zephyr Town. The bus hissed as it halted after a long night of traveling.

Eager to take in some fresh air, the twins raced out the bus door, with Ari following suit. A cool, serene air hit them just as they stepped on the grass. The scent of morning dew and damp soil caused Ari to raise her snout toward the sky, eager to take in as much as possible.

The man in green strode out into the light of morning, with Nino by his side. The settlement consisted of large, spacious tents housing a few sprite families. Much like Zephyr Town locals, they were natives of the dark forest, though this group adopted a nomadic lifestyle. Their tunics showed much wear and tear, a stark contrast to Flora's finely crafted, elegant dresses.

The twins ran to the tent nearest to the bus station, enticed by the sound of food being placed on a frying pan. A sweet, cinnamon-like smell wafted through the air from inside, causing Tomas to run straight into the tent. His eyes shone with a rare determination; his senses overridden by the hope of eating sweets.

Eila crashed against her brother as she caught up with him, causing both to fall to the ground in a most ungraceful manner. The man in green parted the tent's curtains and apologized to the shocked occupants, who just about jumped in their seats. Though an unorthodox meeting, the group quickly settled with the sprites, paying in kind for fresh cinnamon pancakes drizzled in a golden syrup.

After a hefty breakfast, Eila dragged Tomas outside. From where they stood, Lake Eriida's calm waters shimmered under the sun. The two sat under the broad shade of a tree right beside the water, its branches ever so close to touching the lake. A flock of crested ducks quacked in a dissonant melody as they swam in the distance. The other end of the lake was but a blurred line between the water and the trees, with dark green hills looming further back.

The perfect day to go swimming, Tomas thought, as he observed the landscape. He felt his stomach sinking as he imagined what could have been. His dad doing his signature hearty laugh after catching even the smallest of fish. Eila and himself splashing about the water, and their mom reading her favorite novel under a tree.

Eila waved her hand in front of Tomas's blank face. "Hello? Tommy?" She asked in a teasing tone. "I get staring at the lake, cuz it's really pretty. If fact, I oughta take some photos before we leave! But didn't you have something to talk about?"

Tomas flinched back and stuttered, "Sorry!" Lowering his head, he said, "Just uh, missing mom and dad."

Eila sighed, glancing at the lake, "Oh, yeah. We could've spent the day here and..." She shook her head, but Tomas guessed she too wished they could have their vacation here, with their parents around.

An awkward silence ensued, where the two stared at the lake making small waves upon hitting the shore. The splashing sounds against the pebbles on the shore were oddly comforting, made better by Ari approaching the two. She made eye contact with the twins before dipping her claws into the water. Her frills quivered and her eyes dilated with joy and anticipation, huffing at Tomas afterwards.

The twins smiled at her, when Tomas chuckled, "You wanna swim, right?"

Ari growled, with two small puffs of smoke coming from her nostrils. Her body was itching to jump into the lake, her aquatic instincts calling to her. Tomas shouted, "You don't need to ask us if you wanna swim, just go!"

The instant he said 'go', Ari tucked her wings close to her body and dove into the lake. Her tail splashed water back at the twins as she submerged into the waters, her body becoming a blur. The twins slowly turned their heads to face each other after being slapped with cold water, bursting into laughter.

With their moods lifted, Eila reclined on the tree and said, "So, I, uh, was gonna ask you about that 'theory' you came up with in the bus. What's up with that?"

Tomas scratched his head, "Oh, right." He sputtered, "Um, it's just something I thought about after what you said, and what Narciso said, and everything that we know-but-don't-really-know about Mr. Green-"

"Ok, ok, I get it! But what exactly makes you think he's not human? The hair? The eyes?"

"Well, yeah, plus this weird, I dunno, 'vibe' I get from him. I got used to it, but something's always seemed off. He knows a lot of things about the guardians and the world too."

"He is old, Tommy. Like, probably older than mom. Who knows? He's done a lot of travelling, that's probably how he knows so much."

Tomas turned toward the lake, where Ari's eyes remained fixed on the water. Likely looking for a fish to snack on, he figured. He sighed and said, "Maybe...but now that I think about it, would it matter anyway?"

Eila tilted her head, "What'dya mean?"

"I mean, he's our friend, so what's it matter if he's human or not? He's been nice to us this whole time!"

Eila stared at Tomas slack jawed, saying, "Huh, usually you'd be the first to say, 'stranger danger!' and sneer at 'em the second you got suspicious." Eila lightly nudged her brother's shoulder, "Are you copying me or what? That darn Narciso scared me though. Stupid flower-guy, probably said it just to creep me out."

Tomas could not help but grin, seeing his sister acting as her usual self. Though his doubts were not fully vanished, he decided to keep them to himself. And from the way he glanced at her, Eila could tell they shared the same worries regarding their friend. For the rest of the morning though, they decided to allow Eriida to sweep their troubles away, to trust their friend. After all, he had not done anything to warrant being a 'bad guy' in Eila's view.

What the lake would never wash away, however, was a nagging, persistent nervousness. Much as they pushed it to the back of their minds, the feeling would poke at them, saying 'hurry up!' or 'you're running out of time!'

Eila's brows furrowed as she murmured, "Stupid mummy-things...I wanna punch 'em in the face."

Tomas sighed, "Same. Ari definitely wants to get back at 'em too."

Eila stiffled a chuckle, "I think everyone does."

Near the middle of the lake, Ari poked her head from underwater, flicking her tongue in the air. Shaking her head, she glanced toward the twins, seeming to nod at them. She dunked her body into the water once more, the sun's rays causing her scales to glisten and her body blended in with her surroundings.

She felt at home within the lake, and she could not be more grateful for it.