Welcome to Gaia! ::

The festival was going in full swing now but Cerpin felt a need to take a break and rest his body. There was a worn looking dirt road leading off towards a rolling hill with grassy fields surrounding it. Touching Tevini's shoulder gently, he nodded his head to follow him as it was too loud to talk over the sound of a band playing.

"You looked bored out of your mind back there." The purpleblood smirked over his shoulder at the girl. His words were not meant as mocking or malicious, just simple amusement at the quirks of his friend. He still didn't feel like he understood her all the time but he was getting better at noticing her details. She liked crowds if she could blend into them. She liked watching people as long as they didn't notice her back. Food was important to her as she never knew when she'd have her next meal.

Sharing was a sacred and intimate concept to her. So tonight he thought he'd give her something of his.

"Hey, so when we make it out there and all, have you thought about places you'd wanna go?" They were halfway to the hill by now and he motioned up to the dark sky, littered with dazzling gleaming lights. They were so clear out here away from the large cities and it felt like seeing them again for the first time. She mulled the question over in her typical way, thoughtful and carefully worded. At first he'd thought she was quiet because she was shy but now he saw it was because she was cautious.

"See, I've always wanted to see Estasis, the eye of Chamaeleo. It's my favorite constellation. You know it?" Unclasping his cape from his back, Cerpin laid the fabric down on the ground and smoothed it out to sit on. There was enough fabric for them both thankfully and it was still warm enough at night that he wasn't shivering uncomfortably without it. A hint of a smile passed over her face, Tevini had to have read every book on space by now, but she murmured for him to explain it anyways. She had a horrible habit of indulging his ego and for that the prideful boy was grateful.

"Chamaeleo was a changebeast with unrivaled ability. He could change his skin to match any color and he played pranks on the other beasts around him. One day he crept into the lair of a manebeast and stole a ceremonial rock from him. When the manebeast awoke, he was filled with so much rage that he vowed to chase Chamaeleo to the ends of the world and kill him for his disrespect. Chamaeleo knew he was no match for the manebeast's speed or anger so he hatched a plan." As he talked, Cerpin's eyes searched the dark span of blue above them for Estasis and smiled. He would've pointed it out to his companion except pointing out stars by hand was really kind of difficult and she probably knew where it was anyways. The rich brat knew he was smart but it was clear she was smarter.

"He climbed up into the night sky and changed his skin to take on the colors of the sky so no one could ever find him again. To this day, he's still there watching over Alternia. Some say he comes back down again in the spring time while others say he hides behind the planet in case the manebeast has spotted him. But I think he's visiting his friends elsewhere in the sky." Science dictated that view of the constellation was simply blocked by the planet itself as it rotated around the cosmos. Cerpin knew this and couldn't refute it. But there was something fun and almost romantic about believing in a harmless myth and thus he chose to do so.

"But that's pretty far away I know. I just wanted to tell you anyway." It wasn't clear if he meant far into the future or far in the distance but he didn't seem to mind the wait. He locked his arms behind his head as they lay there in a comfortable silence as the soft glow of lights ebbed and flowed nearby.

They were far from home and far from safe thanks to the events over the past few months but right now in this moment, Cerpin could truthfully say he was happy.

Sephos did not mind soft, squelchy moss. It was easy on his bare feet, and pleasantly slimy. When it turned to hard, ropy vines, however, his feet did not thank him. Fortunately, they were not thorned, but they were unpleasant to step on. It was a problem he had faced many times before in his forest home – roots, vines, and the like often prodded his exposed (but calloused) feet. He'd tried shoes. Once. They'd felt constricting as hell, and he'd taken them right off and stuffed them in his closet, where they still resided – out of size and unused. He'd tried to coat his feet with sap, and it worked for a time, but the sap had cracked and he'd had to clean it off. That had not been fun. So, he resigned himself to painful, bare, dirty feet. And he complained about it.

”Stupid vines!” he growled, kicking at them as he walked along, ”Stupid vines, stupid mud, stupid rocks...” The trail wound along, finally opening out into a wide, verdant valley. ”Stupid...” he stopped short.

He stared around him, taking in his surroundings, awed by the vegetation and the epic-scale insects. How had he reached a place like this? How was such a place possible? He failed to fight back a wide grin as he took out the knife he had bought and started stuffing his pockets with vegetation samples and seeds – they were beautiful! He had to grow them in his nursery!

He saw a bunch of flowers and immediately went for him – such lovely, gorgeous things! What wonderful things they could be in his garden!