San had to leave at the break of dawn when the skies bathed in the shy blush of morning. The weather was clear today and the air extra crisp when Wooyoung opened the windows to let fresh air in. San strapped his clothes back to his body and slung his sword around his hips. His lips had settled into the adorable pout he did when he was focused on something and Wooyoung watched it endearedly from his place on the bed. He had wrapped into the blanket to shield his naked body from the chilly morning breeze. His feet dangled over the side of the bed and cooled rapidly, but the rest of him was cosily warm.

As soon as San finished getting dressed, he came over to the bed again. His eyes dropped to the V of Wooyoung's chest that the blanket exposed on full purpose, and a smile tugged on his lips. When he bent to kiss Wooyoung, Wooyoung relished in their lazy morning make out.

San pulled back with a tap of his finger on Wooyoung's birth mark. When some chicken caused a ruckus outside, his eyes found the wide-open window.

"Florence, 1490. At the town square," he recalled the information that Wooyoung had delivered to him on when to meet again last night. Wooyoung nodded along. His hair was a mess atop his head and he felt it, but neither of them minded.

"I can't tell you whether it will be morning or evening." An apology laced Wooyoung's voice, but San's smile told him it was alright.

"I will wait for you all day, then. Let's see each other there."

"I will look forward to it," Wooyoung said.

They parted with lingering gazes. Soon, San swung his legs over the windowsill and jumped off with his billowing cape. Wooyoung remained alone in the room while the thief snuck away in the secrecy of the morning shadows.

Wooyoung wished him a pleasant journey and a bloodless time until they would see again.

For a while, Wooyoung lingered in the room. The memories it carried were still fresh, so he basked in them. Even after he had closed the window when he shivered too badly, the scent of him and San still hung in the room like a dense cloud.

Wooyoung took all the time in the world to collect his things and get dressed. Only after he had washed his face and body and carded his hands through his hair a million times to put them into some shape, he left the inn. He ate a quick meal downstairs and said his goodbyes to the inn owner.

Once Yeosang had finished his tales, Wooyoung would have no more reason to stay. Time passed faster if he spent it back in the future. If Yeosang wasn't too hangover, Wooyoung would probably get home by the evening.

His stroll over to Yeosang's house was slow. He drew out the time it would take for Ada and Yeosang to wake and sort out their morning struggles. The sleepy town of Nottingham was busy today, and there was a lot to see. When Wooyoung halted at a fruit vendor that had set up her tent extra early to buy some apples for him and Yeosang to share, he inquired about the early buzz.

"The Sheriff of Nottingham will return today. He was at the royal court these past few days, but the news of our ambush had him come home early. Since everybody wants to explain their losses, they try to appeal to him hoping to get their property back. He takes most of it as payment for chasing the robbers down, but sometimes he shows mercy."

Wooyoung had bagged his apples and glanced at the sheriff's residency. So he hadn't been there during the attack at least. That gave him an excuse for his inactivity. Would the ambush have gone differently if he had? Wooyoung was still spooked from getting discovered in that closet.

"He hunts Hood?"

The old woman nodded hastily. Her eyes shone with pride as she counted the money Wooyoung handed to her.

"Yes, yes! He firmly believes he can catch him soon to have him hanged. The vicious thief! Most often, his men get away so quickly that all attempts are in vain, but the sheriff's wit grows each time."

Wooyoung pondered it for a while. Did he have to be worried about San? The man could get hurt. Not that Wooyoung doubted the mind of a man who had survived all injuries through over a thousand years now, but in his care he couldn't help the dark paranoia.

He shook it off. San was always fine. Wooyoung had probably been far closer to death than he had ever been back in Norway.

"Well then, let's see how it goes this time. If you suffered losses, I wish you good luck in getting something back," Wooyoung said. They bid their goodbyes to each other before Wooyoung wandered off.

He knocked on Ada's door a while after eight in the morning. He could hear the woman clanging with pots and cutlery inside, so he wasn't surprised when her feet shuffled closer after just a moment of wait. When she opened the door for him, the same wariness as when she had met him for the first time clouded her eyes. It disappeared as soon as she recognised him.

"Oh, Yeosang's handsome friend, you're back! Still don't have enough of him?"

"I never could, he is just that charming," Wooyoung grinned. He stepped inside when she opened the door for him and politely refused the offer for breakfast.

"The scallywag is still asleep. Perhaps you douse him with water so he understands to be up in the day. He should learn how to deal with customers already."

"I might just do that," Wooyoung called back while he scaled the stairs. Ada's threats only thinly veiled her fondness for the messy historian. Wooyoung couldn't blame her. In a way that was entirely different from San, he also found Yeosang adorable.

His knock on the man's door wasn't accompanied by a bucket of cold water. He had to knock three more times and wait a few minutes, but soon, a messy-haired Yeosang whose shirt slipped off one shoulder haphazardly opened the door for him. He rubbed his eyes until he recognised Wooyoung and then just beckoned him in with a yawn.

"How scandalous you look today," Wooyoung commented as he sat down on the floor.

Yeosang sniffed, but he didn't fix his appearance. Too tired to be bashful.

While Yeosang woke up gradually and nibbled on his apple, Wooyoung pulled the man's books from his bag.

"Here are your treasures, well kept," he announced. The pride in his voice reflected in Yeosang's eyes. Finally, Yeosang grew lively to dash forward and knelt over his books to cradle them like glass. His lower lip wobbled when his emotions overcame him. The apple sat forgotten by his side on the ground.

"Thank you. You and your scary friend. Thank you so much," Yeosang croaked. Wooyoung grinned at his dedication. He had helped also for his own gain, but Yeosang's thanks made it worth getting into trouble for.

Yeosang opened the books to spread them out next to each other. The fingers flicking through the pages were ginger and careful, as if he had the greatest respect towards his own work. From time to time, Yeosang nodded to himself as if glad he found everything in order. Then he shuffled closer to turn the books so Wooyoung could see, too, and picked up his apple again.

"Now, this is what you are here for. Myths about immortality. I found a lot of them, especially in the old legends of long forgotten civilisations."

Wooyoung hummed as he concentrated on Yeosang's handwriting. It was elegant and well thought-through. Wooyoung didn't have to struggle deciphering the Middle English letters first before he could translate them in his head.

"Give me your most recent ones," Wooyoung muttered. He didn't need to read once more about theories he already explored or that Yongguk ruled out.

"Recently, the stories wandering bards tell are less those of gods blessing mortals with prolonged life. Since alchemy came into our lives, I see man-made rituals more and more." Yeosang reached for the left book and flicked through the pages with a hum. When he sat it down again, a title on top of the page shone at Wooyoung.

'King Arthur and the Legendary Sword.'

Wooyoung picked up the book to read. With one ear, he listened to Yeosang's occasional quips and comments. Alchemy had been around since Gilgamesh as well. And from there dwindled the stories about the Philosopher's Stone that was supposed to be turned into the Elixir of Life to gain immortality.

"I am unsure whether this story is real, but he might have been a Christian warrior around the 6th century. If he existed isn't important. Rather, I concentrated on where the idea with the sword in the lake and the stone came from."

In his book, Yeosang gave a quick rundown of the story every child knew. The glorious king born from a foul affair that grew up under the care of Merlin, the mighty wizard. Merlin was also the person who created the magical sword Excalibur - or Caliburn depending on where the story was told - and sealed it in the stone until Arthur was worthy of retrieving it. The fae and magic played a major role in the king's life until death, but he didn't reach immortality.

He was, however, a Christian king who searched for the Holy Grail. Only that the grail's existence was doubtful, even to Arthur's lifetime. But if he had searched for it so consistently, it might be a truth.

Wooyoung had always considered whether the drink of the Holy Grail and the Elixir of Life might not stem from the same myth, but from different perspectives. He didn't doubt that most cultures viewed the potions they had mixed since the beginning of time as the likeliest path to gain immortality. Yunho might argue one ingredient had to be a certain drug fish.

"Have you ever heard of the Holy Grail?" Wooyoung asked when he reached the end of the tale and found no mention for it.

This time, Yeosang wordlessly picked up the other book and pointed out the page with the same title to him. Wooyoung delved into that one next.

They spent all day piecing together the connections between Yeosang's collection of tales. Wooyoung explained deliberately and without giving the entirety of his knowledge away to Yeosang how Arthur and the Grail were related and how the magical legend of the Grail had different roots than Merlin and his sword. Yeosang took some notes on the side and marvelled silently at the wisdom Wooyoung spilled.

They didn't notice how it got darker and the pages between them got more difficult to read. Ada had to come in and bring them food when both men ignored the grumbling of their stomachs to read just another chapter for hours. While the woman was at it, she complained about them ruining their eyes and lit a few candles they could keep close to see.

In Yeosang's little chamber, the flames danced away as the hours passed.

By the time they set the books aside to recollect their thoughts, words and letters floated around in Wooyoung's head like a puzzle he still had to combine. He felt as if he had read both of Yeosang's books from start to finish at least five times with how often he came back to search for details where none were.

He also had to remember that Yeosang's writings could be faulty. The people who told Yeosang their stories had passed them around countless of times and each time, the truth distorted some more.

From what Wooyoung knew, the Holy Grail got found in the end by Arthur's knights and got brought to a monastery. But Yeosang had never heard of anything like that. Since Wooyoung had no phone with him, he also had no way to check for the truth online.

After Yeosang and he had taken a break and eaten their long cold food, Wooyoung pulled out a fresh piece of parchment from Yeosang's pile with a motivated grunt. Yeosang got him a feather and ink as Wooyoung made a mind map. The concept was new to Yeosang, but he couldn't deny the use of the many branches that connected where links were.

Yeosang got more into it soon and added things as well. With gleaming eyes, he discussed the Philosopher's Stone with Wooyoung. For some reason, its colour interested Yeosang. In Wooyoung's mind, the stone had always been red, because of some popular movies using it. But Yeosang - who was clear of such influence from the media - imagined it to be amber or white.

They were up far longer than they should be and whispered in Yeosang's room together about stones and golden cups. Wooyoung wasn't sure if he had learned anything new, but Yeosang's medieval mindset could confirm and rule out some theories that had contradicted each other so far.

When morning tickled on the horizon, the two simply stayed awake. The candles had melted into sad reminders of some wax. Both males' eyes were tired, but they burnt with passion for their research and with the glint of new wisdom.

And Wooyoung wondered. Maybe he should go back after meeting San in Florence and check in the monastery whether the Grail might have been a long-lost treasure that San might have drunk out of accidentally back around the time of coming to Babylon. The origins of Christianity and Babylon were not too far off from each other on the world map. It could be the missing link.

It was a more solid trail than what he got before, and it connected back to his beginnings in a weird way. Wooyoung knew there was more to find, and he couldn't wait to explore it all together with San.