Hunter's Perspective

I started to wake to the feeling of sudden diving, which not only made my stomach flip but also woke me up immediately. I tightly gripped Edric's shirt and gasped, opening my eyes. The staff stopped falling and I looked at Ed with the biggest eyes. "What was that for-?!" I half-yelled out of sheer panic. He tried to calm me down and held my tense hands. "Hey, hey- it's alright, Ruru just had to land." Edric assured me and I sighed in relief. He helped me get off of the landed staff and I sleepily stumbled onto him. The green haired witch held me and helped me to my feet. "Ruru just needs to stretch her legs, she'll only be a minute." He assured me and I rubbed my face tiredly. I leaned against the kind young man and struggled wake up my system. I may have been shocked into waking up, but the rest of me wasn't awake yet. I yelped when I was scooped up into the taller boy's arms. "Got you sleepyhead." He hummed and I awkwardly stared at him. "Why did you pick me up-?" I asked and leaned onto his chest.

"You seemed tired, and I didn't want you sleeping on the ground again like a weirdo." He jabbed a bit and held me close. I tiredly blinked and rested my head on his chest. "Fine with me..." I mumbled and closed my eyes. Even though I barely knew this kid, I knew I could trust him more than most of the people at the castle, and that's something for sure. "Ah shoot- hey, I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." He said quickly and propped me up against a tree before walking off. Now that I thought about it, I similarly needed to relieve myself. I forced myself to my feet and wobbled a bit before finding a good spot, coming back after I had listened to nature's calling. Edric had yet to return, so I was left with Ruru nuzzling my leg and yipping. I gently pet her and held her in my arms, smiling softly when she coated my face in love-licks. I laughed and returned the favor by gently kissing her fluffy little forehead. "You may be a bratty little fox, but you're sweet sometimes." I hummed and she snorted in annoyance.

"Oh don't give me that, you know it's true." I retorted and she looked up at me with her fierce red eyes. I rolled my eyes and began shaking the little fox like a toddler. "You aren't above me, i have opposable thumbs." I huffed and the baby fox whined. Listen, I'm not above shaking animals to prove a point. I stopped when I heard Edric's voice behind me. "What are you doing to Ruru? Trying to make her fizz like soda?" He asked and removed the tiny dizzy fox from my hands. "Errr- I just got carried away is all." I said and held my hands behind my back. The pine haired boy looked at me concerned before setting down Ruru. "Well alright then, just don't do that to animals." He told me and I nodded. I felt guilty, but only because of him. That little fox deserved it for being so snide. Edric convinced Ruru to turn back into a staff and got on, setting his back on as well. I climbed on behind him and rested my head on his shoulder once more, which was now my go-to position for the ride.

"Hey you still have my cape right?" I asked, suddenly having remembered that I gave it to him. My memory was fuzzy after sleeping. "Yeah, I've been using it as a sorta blanket still. That's fine isn't it?" He asked and I nodded, wrapping my arms around his waist. I sleepily blinked and snuggled up to him for warmth. I could feel my stomach rumbling for a snack already. "You have food in that bag right?" I asked and he hooked a few fingers under the leather straps of the bag, pulling it off of the staff and setting it down before opening it. "Yeah, I actually made them myself. And packed the rest of course. Would you like some?" He offered and I stared hungrily as I watched him sift through the bag. There were a lot of necessities in there, like water or an emergency alert pendant. "Yes please." I said quietly and my stomach rumbled as I waited. "Yeah- I probably should've fed you better before we left. Here you go." He said before placing a small plastic box in my hands. He then closed the bag securely and returned it to its rightful place.

I had to take a minute to figure out how to open it, seeming as it was tight. It was like a food capsule almost with a locking mechanism on the outside. Inside of it was little sections that had different things like cheese, nuts, and boo-berry yogurt. It's a good thing this had a cold seal on it, otherwise it would've spoiled. I happily devoured the nutritious meal and tried my best to hold onto the soaring staff at the same time. Once I had finished out the container and my stomach was thoroughly stuffed, I closed the container and carefully placed it back in the bag. "Was it good?" He asked curiously and I placed my head on his shoulder. "It was really good. I'm curious to taste what you made yourself." I hummed and his face lit up with a red hue. Did I say something provocative? Ah, no matter. I closed my eyes and rested my hands on the rim of his pants. "Y'know, you've got a cute smile." I complimented quietly and opened an eye to see his reaction. I was curious if I really was getting him flustered.

"Ah- thanks, Hunter- yours isn't so bad either-." Edric said awkwardly and looked away in an attempt to hide his face. I grinned and slowly moved my hands around his waist. It was fun seeing him like this. "Y'know, you're looking awfully red. Is it allergies or something?" I teased and he nudged me. "You know what you're doing you golden goofball." He huffed and I laughed. I buried my face in his neck and slowly rubbed circles on his hips. "You might be right about that." I mumbled and giggled embarrassingly when he started pouting with crossed arms. I stopped my hands and slowly parted his neatly folded arms, holding his hands. "Ohhh, such a baby~ you can't handle a little teasing hm?" I played with him and blushed when he lightly squeezed my hands. "Maybe not, but now I've got your hands and you can't do it anymore." He pointed out cleverly. He had duped me, even though I had literally been the one to do it.

"Ah nuts." I huffed, annoyed by my own lack of wits. "Your hands feel really nice though, I like it better this way." He commented. I was caught off guard, because people usually don't sound that genuine when complimenting me. It's usually crystal clear sarcasm. "Er.. Yeah, I like it this way too." I replied in agreement and snuggled up to his warm body more. By now the sun was rising up way past the horizon, and it was blinding to look at. At least it warmed up my body like I was sitting next to a toasty campfire. I slowly closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax on the Blight boy, even enjoying his company as I did so. Oh my Titan, that's where I remember him from. He's the older Blight boy, the male twin. My eyes flew open as I looked at his face in a new light. I can't believe it took me this long to realize it, that he's a Blight. It should've been obvious even at the very beginning. I wonder why he would then choose to do illusion magic, and not the family tradition of abomination magic? I really could just ask him, but I don't want to poke any sores. I could always ask about his twin though.

"Hey, I've heard about you through the human's friend Willow. Is your twin just as attractive as you are?" I asked curiously and he laughed, apparently not expecting the question. "Well, I dunno, her choice in hairstyling isn't my favorite, but maybe you'd like her. That'd be kind of weird since we've already held hands though." He pointed out and I chuckled. "Oh, I don't plan on making a pass at your sister. Don't worry Ed." I assured him and lightly rubbed his hands. He smiled warmly and held my hands close to himself. "Y'know Hunter, when I first heard of you through the human, I thought you were rude and disagreeable, but you seem really sweet. Sort of weird and awkward, but sweet and funny too." He told me and I smiled, hugging him. "I'm only rude to the annoying human- and Kikimora, but she's annoying and deserves it." I added and felt strange as the conversation fell off. It seemed like the both of us were just soaking in the other's presence.

Well, until I cut it off with another question. "Hey can I have your @?" I asked and he hummed in reply, coming back from spacing out. "Oh yeah, yeah sure. Just tell me yours and I'll shoot you a message." He told me and I took a moment to actually remember. "It's just Golden Guard." I told the green haired boy while slowly rubbing his right hand. "I like it, simple. I'll do it when we're not in the air." He told me and I flinched when I felt an acidic drop on my forehead. How could that be? There's barely any cloudy weather, much less enough to rain. I felt Edric wince as well, most likely feeling a drop. "What-? It's raining-? We need to get shelter quickly." He spoke with increasing worry and I looked around for any sort of shelter. My eyes landed on an old secluded home of sorts, that wasn't too far off. "Over there Ed, there's a cottage or something." I pointed out and showed him where I meant. He kicked Ruru into high-gear and flew towards the seemingly abandoned house, stopping just inches from colliding with the door.

The rain had begun to pick up and my skin had small burns on it scattered all over. It brought me back to terrible childhood trauma I didn't want to remember. I tried to ignore the increasing stress I had as Edric helped me off and opened the old wooden door that had clearly been worn down by nature. Nobody had taken care of this place in a long time. He cast a light spell and peered inside, shuffling in a bit to get away from the dangerous rain. He held tired Ruru in his arms as he lit up the room with his magic. The room looked dusty and unkept, but mysterious and intriguing in a way. The house was old and creaked with the outer wind, and I could hear what sounded like broken shutters slamming against the wall whenever the wind demanded it. It was full of interesting knickknacks and items long forgotten, eagerly awaiting the day they are used once more. "Well, it looks like we're trapped in here until the storm blows over. Might as well find the power so that I don't have to keep using my magic." Edric suggested and I nervously clung to his arm like a frightened child.

"Take me with you then." I insisted and was soothed by him smiling invitingly. "I wouldn't leave you behind in this dingy old house, I'd be crazy to do that. Who knows what wild beasts have invaded this place." He mentioned and I tensed, gripping tighter on his arm. He looked down at me with a soft gaze and loosened my grip. "It's alright Hunter, I'll protect the both of us. And Ruru, of course." He added before wrapping his arm around me. I took a calming breath and placed my hands on my hips, trying to become more confident in my actions. He's right, I'll be okay. I'm only nervous because I don't have the support of Rascal or my synthetic staff, but Edric can protect me. We began alert exploration of the old house, wary of every noise.

Sorry this took me so long to push out compared to the last chapter- I was taking my time with it.