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 Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2024 9:04 pm
Riker made a face at the thought of a curfew. Even if his mom tried to enforce one, she would probably be too distracted to notice if he was around or not.
“You read my mind,” he showed Julian a smile in response. “I would like to hang out again soon. I’ve gotta start learning how to play. Oh, but there’s no rush on that. Just if we needed to come up with something to do.”
Just exploring their Wonders sounded good. Or hanging out in the park.
“Would you be okay if I at least walked you to campus?” Riker blurted out after another moment of thinking. “I don’t want you thinking that I don’t think you’re capable of getting back on your own, but it’s late and I want to make sure nothing delays you. I’d offer you a ride on the bike, but it might be too dangerous, so I can at least walk with you. If that’s okay?”
He didn’t want to seem like he was hovering. He had every intention of parting ways there, but now that he knew Julian was on a time crunch, well… it gave him the excuse he needed to ask.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 9:36 am
“Are you sure?” Julian asked, not because he was against it but because he didn’t want Riker to be out late or to go out of his way if it was in the wrong direction. “We can walk there together.” He was glad Riker didn’t offer to ride on the bike; of course Julian would have accepted if it was what he wanted but he thought Riker might be quite a bit more daring than he was about it.
If Julian needed to, he could have powered up in the face of danger. He might not have magic, but it would have made him faster, and stronger, and more durable. It helped when Riker confirmed that he didn’t think he wasn’t capable of getting back; recently Julian had felt like everyone might have thought he was a little weaker than he thought he was. Hearing that it wasn’t the case now chased away his fears and he smiled again.
He was exhausted. He hoped Luke wouldn’t be upset if he just wanted to crawl in bed and go to sleep early.
Tomorrow would be better, just like today had been. It was a slow, uphill climb, but Julian had good friends to keep him comfortable along the way. And to help pull him up when he couldn’t do it himself.
“You don’t have an instrument, do you? …I should see if there are any at my Wonder. I mean, if my weapon is a lute…”
His voice trailed off and he shrugged. He carried the box like a treasure, like he was willing to protect it with his life. He waited for Riker to collect his bike and then started walking at an easy pace. “I haven’t found much in my forest. When I went to the Code, I found a weird tunnel. I haven’t seen any buildings there but it’s so foggy, I don’t even know where to look.”
Though he sniffled once more, he didn’t sound like it was a fresh wave of emotion. It was just the residual mess he’d made of himself. Having wet eyes and being slightly nasally was the worst of it, though. He’d be good as new by the time they made it back to Hillworth.
“Maybe we could go look. Except you have to watch out for holes, I fell down one when I was looking for the Code. But I found it, so it’s okay. I’m just having a really hard time finding out much about my Wonder. Did you have more luck with yours?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 9:42 am
Riker looked relieved when Julian agreed, and quickly gathered up the handlebars of the bike and pushed the kickstand back up so he could wheel it along beside him as they walked. Quickly, so Julian wouldn’t miss curfew.
“Nah, just my organ, but I don’t think it’s very portable,” he grinned. He was glad to see Julian looking a bit brighter after seeming to be crushed under everything. He made sure to give him some space, just in case he needed breathing room as they walked.
But he looked at Julian in alarm when he said he fell down a hole.
“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you? Jules, that’s really dangerous. What if you got really injured? I’ll look up ways to figure out how to handle the fog. Maybe we can bring a portable, battery powered fan. Hmm… that might not work though.”
He frowned, because that was really concerning that there were so many dangers in a place that was supposed to be a safe haven.
“Ah… I’ve been cleaning it up. Not much has changed since you visited. Some of the windows repaired themselves. Oh, and Evie and I found this underground forest with red leafed trees. Maybe it was too small to be a forest, but it was all underground. It would have been cool if it didn’t also seem to be a place where very bad stuff happened,” he grimaced, and then flashed Julian an awkward, apologetic grin.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:03 am
Julian quickly curbed his enthusiasm for an underground forest when Riker said it was a place where bad stuff happened. His mouth was open to express interest, but if the area seemed like it had an unpleasant history he really wasn’t going to pursue the topic.
“I’m okay, I just bumped my head a little. Stirling was with me,” he said, like that instantly lessened whatever danger he might have been in. “The fog isn’t usually so bad. I think maybe it was just the Code trying to protect itself? Some days the forest is pretty clear, it’s just always a little creepy. I feel bad saying that,” he added quickly, apologetically, “It just feels like something’s watching you. But I don’t think I’ve ever been in any danger. I might just be, um. Worried. About intruding.”
Dering still didn’t feel like his Wonder. He kept waiting for someone to show up and say they made a mistake and it was actually supposed to have gone to someone else.
“I don’t know if there’s anything in my Wonder to repair. I still can’t find a building. I don’t think I was meant for the forest, I get lost all the time. I’m glad you and Evie are so close up there. I can see Stirling’s castle from my forest, I’ve walked over there some. I keep thinking, if there was a Knight there to guard the forest before, they must have lived somewhere.”
He’d looked, but from what he could tell it was just that the forest was big.
…And had underground chambers to fall in. And who knew what else? Maybe if he found more he could figure out his magic.
“I hope–well, I hope I’m not intruding, but–I hope we can visit your Wonder again. That organ was really neat. And I’d like to see the windows. And I can help clean some if you need help! I just think it’s really neat that the magic can do things like fix windows. I haven’t noticed anything on Dering except maybe some more flowers but I don’t know if that’s magic or just, um. Spring.”
He walked close to Riker, and while he might have scurried home if he was just out on his own he was relieved that he could go at a more leisurely pace. He was tired, but talking with Riker felt like it rejuvenated him. Despite everything, he was hopeful for the future.
Maybe yesterday had been hard, but tomorrow would be better. Especially with friends like Riker to keep him looking forward.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:08 am
“You’re not intruding. You’re welcome any time. I was going to try and figure out when I could invite you up, next. That’s good that you’ve got more flowers growing though. Oh, it’ll definitely be a good idea to come visit during the summer months. From what I can tell, the seasons are the opposite of Earth’s on Ganymede. So it’s the height of Fall right now.”
But having a somewhat impossible forest to navigate must be frustrating. It was no wonder why Dering was having trouble with his magic.
He was quiet for a few moments as they walked along, and then he glanced over to Julian again.
“And… I hope I’m not intruding, but. What if we mapped it out? I mean, it doesn’t have to be me but. The trees could be marked with ribbon or string or we could get little flags or even those cupcake toppers to stick into the ground on, I dunno… the North side of trees or something. Or… have you ever used those air tags? The ones that have gps tracking? I don’t have any, but my mom and brother have used them, so I’ve seen how they work. Anyway, you could always place at different locations and be able to tell where you are by checking the gps. Ah… I don’t know how that would work off world though. Sorry.”
He was getting a little too enthusiastic about trying to help Julian that he didn’t even think about things not working once they left Earth.
Knowing that Stirling was with Dering didn’t make him feel much better. He knew Dering was her friend, but he barely knew her.
“Anyway… If we took string or yarn and just… walked it through your forest, at least you’ll be able to see where you’ve been? I don’t know where to get that much yarn for cheap, though. Maybe fishing line?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:24 am
“Um,” Julian thought for a moment and then admitted, “I’m totally broke. I don’t even get an allowance. “I don’t think Hillworth has a really good art department that I could borrow things from. I could try and see if there’s anything like that on Dering that we could use. But those are good ideas!”
He’d never used an air tag in his life and honestly had no idea how they worked but little flags and yarn or string made sense.
“I sort of know a Mauvian,” he said, but it was clear by the way that he was hesitating that he was already doubting that he could ask for help. It was too much, he couldn’t ask. He’d figure something else out.
“Oh, but you’d never be intruding,” he insisted quickly. “I like your company. Any time you want to go up, we can. I hope I can get stronger so I can go up more often. But,” he gestured vaguely with the box as if to refer to all the other issues he had as a Squire. No magic, no understanding of his Wonder, no idea what he should be doing–
For all the crushing doubt he had earlier, there was a spark in him that reminded him he shouldn’t give up. There was still a lot to do up there. Maybe there were things he should do himself but there were definitely things he could use a friend for.
He’d have to research how to map out forests. Luke wanted to go camping on Lysithea, maybe he knew something about it, too.
“Have you ever thought about staying overnight at your Wonder? My roommate wants to but I don’t really know anything about being out in the wilderness. I’ve never done anything like that. I’m not worried about animals or anything, I’ve just never been on my Wonder for that long. I know Stirling lives up at her Wonder but I couldn’t do that. It’s too lonely. I actually really don’t like being by myself most of the time. Not in new places.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:25 am
“Yeah, I’ve stayed overnight at my Wonder a number of times before. But it’s different than a forest,” he quickly added, glancing over at Julian to make sure he wasn’t too thrown off by his admission to staying there.
“There’s beds and stuff there. It’s better than staying at home, sometimes.”
He knew Julian was close with his roommate, so Riker tried not to roll his eyes about him.
“Well, if you end up going with your roommate, I bet if you mention needing cord or yarn or whatever, that he’d jump at the chance to pay for it. Kind of like he did with getting food.”
Riker paused and frowned and shook his head.
“Sorry, he’s just, uh, really enthusiastic about you. It’s kind of exhausting to witness. No offense,” he grimaced, because he knew he was probably just being protective. He just didn’t know the guy. And he certainly didn’t fit the disadvantaged Hillworth student category like Julian did.
“The closest I’ve gotten to camping is sleeping on the bleachers at school. I don’t recommend it. The lights aren’t turned off until late, and there’s all kinds of bugs. But no one was around, so it worked out,” he shrugged. “This was before I was a knight, though. Now I just have to time it right so I can go without causing too many issues. If you ever want company, or if you want to come stay at my Wonder. It’s not super fancy like the Moon, but, well, you’ve been there.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:55 am
As with most things, Julian failed to take offense. He didn’t have the personality or drive to be contrary or butt heads, especially after all the emotions he’d had to go through in the last twenty four hours.
“Luke wanted to make a good impression, I think. He likes to share food. I could ask him, but…I don’t want him to think I’m just using him. He’s already so generous. I can figure something out,” he insisted. He knew Riker didn’t mean anything bad; the thought didn’t even cross his mind.
“I fell asleep on the bleachers at school once. In the gym. I woke up and it was dark and I was too scared to go home. I just panicked and stayed there all night. I got really lucky that nobody found out. I thought they were going to send me to jail back then. I was a little dramatic, I think. But there were no bugs. I’m a little afraid of staying outside. I think Reims is really fancy, though, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s pretty. Different from the Moon but also not like anywhere else I’ve ever been.”
He thought very highly of Riker’s Wonder, and he was glad it was safe and comfortable–even if Julian gave him a sympathetic look when he said it was sometimes better than home.
“I haven’t been to many Wonders but I know it’s one of my favorites. But probably because it’s yours. And also I like the organ, that was really neat.”
Hillworth didn’t seem like it was so far away, and though he was eager to be back so he didn’t get in trouble, he also felt like he was already going to miss spending time with Riker.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 12:06 pm
“I don’t think that’s being dramatic,” he said before Julian could think that Riker thought poorly of him or anything like that. He knew what it was like to have thoughts that other people might not understand.
“You don’t have to stay outside. I mean, I guess if there’s no shelter at Dering then… well, we’ll find something. Or whoever you go with I’m sure will help.”
Riker knew he shouldn’t expect to be the only one helping Dering. He was concerned about the hidden holes to fall into, but hopefully that was a one time thing because the Code was in distress.
Still, even with all the heavy thoughts swirling inside his head, he still flashed a smile at Julian when he said his Wonder was one of his favorites.
“I think it’s pretty neat, too. Thanks. We’ll have to go back sometime together. Soon. And we’ll work on your magic if you haven’t figured it out by then.”
He knew they were close to Hillworth. If it hadn’t been for Julian needing to make curfew, he would have stayed out much longer with him just to talk. But he didn’t want to be greedy.
“Text me if you need anything. Or, you know, send me a message. Even if you don’t need anything, I wouldn’t mind just chatting.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 12:23 pm
“Are you sure?” Julian asked, even if he knew he didn’t need to. Riker wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t intend to follow through, but it slipped from his lips before he could stop himself. Julian winced, and then smiled apologetically. “I’ll try. Sometimes I don’t have anything interesting to say. But I appreciate it.”
He didn’t really want to say goodbye, but if he was going to get back to the dorm in time he knew he should probably hurry up.
“You’ll text me when you get home, right? So I don’t worry?” Even if Riker was going to stay out late. Maybe Julian was a little overprotective of his friends, but with what he knew about all this magic, and all these monsters–after what happened with Brooklyn…
They’d only been able to save her because they were quick. So the faster they knew something was wrong, the faster they could try to fix things.
Of course he was going to worry about his friends. Especially Riker, because he had a habit of running headfirst into problems and didn’t always seem to have an escape plan.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 1:03 pm
“Yeah, I’ll text you,” Riker agreed, leaning against the bike. “I’d say don’t worry, but you’re kinda cute when your eyebrows do that little thing and get all squinched together. Oh, but don’t worry, really!”
He was teasing, even if his ears were burning again. He offered Julian a grin to hopefully keep him from feeling too weird about it.
“You don’t want to talk to me about anything interesting. You can tell me the weather sucks and that would be fine. I mean, it’s not so bad now, but it’ll probably get hotter. You know what won’t be hot? Ganymede,” he said with a grin. He’d already told him how the seasons seemed to be the opposite of Earth, so hopefully he understood it was an invite to hang out when the heat was too much.
“Go ahead into your building. I want to wait here until I see you get inside. I won’t go on campus. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m trespassing and get you in trouble or something.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 1:51 pm
When his eyebrows–when they what? They were doing it already as he tried to process what squinching meant, but as soon as he felt his eyebrows move he knew. If he hadn’t been holding the box like it needed two hands to be safe, he would have raised a palm to cover his forehead.
He matched Riker’s grin, even if his eyebrows were still squinched.
Julian wasn’t the sort to talk if it was just to complain; he always tried to find the good in something, and in a proactive effort not to be too fixed on the negative, he tried not to seek it out. He knew what Riker meant, though, and his smile lingered for that. Summer could be a lot and his expression was a clear indicator that he was really looking forward to going to Reims, even if he didn’t outright say it.
“Okay. Thank you, Riker. I–”
He paused for a moment and then nodded firmly. He took two steps towards his building and then stopped, turned around, and walked back.
It was dark here, and though there was a light nearby it cast a yellowish glow to him. He was too flustered to hope that it would hide the flush on his face. He spoke so quickly that he almost stumbled over his words. “Can I give you a hug before I go? You can say no.”[/suze]
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 2:00 pm
Riker had watched in mild amusement when Julian didn’t seem to know if he wanted to go or stay and maybe say something else, although Riker couldn’t think of what other than maybe to thank him again, or apologize for something he didn’t have to apologize for.
Any sort of amusement immediately vanished when Riker saw Julian’s face in the dim glow. But any tension that rose with concern quickly faded.
The bike was easy to set on its kickstand, but Riker also reached out to gently pull the box away from Julian. Just for a moment. He set it safely in the bike basket so he could open his arms and pull Julian into a comfortable embrace. He didn’t squeeze, but he didn’t do it halfheartedly either. He also wouldn’t let go until Julian indicated that he was ready.
“Need both arms for that, yeah?” he gently teased and rested his cheek against Julian’s hair. Absently, he rubbed Julian’s back, although he was too distracted by the way his own face had flushed to think about it.
“Hey… even if things don’t work out the way you hope for, you’ve got friends who would do anything they can for you,” he whispered, since there was no use in raising his voice when they were so close.
“I remind myself of that, too. If you can get through this, then so can I. Whatever you need, I’ll make sure it happens. No strings attached. Just like I know you’d do the same for me.”
And their other friends, but… they weren’t hugging their other friends at the moment.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 2:24 pm
Julian sucked in a deep breath as Riker's arms enveloped him. He had to stand on his tiptoes to really get into the hug, but he pushed close and wrapped his arms around Riker's back. He squeezed--not tightly, but just enough to silently express gratitude the words alone couldn't.
Riker always seemed to have some sort of bruise so Julian didn't want to agitate him if he had anything hiding under his clothes. He just also really wanted to give him a good hug.
He nodded at Riker's words but he didn't immediately speak. He was too busy holding his breath and thinking about the words. Really, Julian probably could have stayed in the hug for a long time but when his breath started to run out he dropped down so he was flat on his feet and exhaled. His arms loosened around Riker and he gave one more gentle little squeeze before he released him.
"You're right," he said, with a soft determination. "Thank you. I'm really lucky to have such good friends. If any of them--if you--needed anything, I'd do anything I could to help. And..." he swallowed the lump in his throat. He hadn't really moved away yet, he was still resting against Riker. "I know you'd do anything to help me, too."
He would still try not to be needy; he didn't want to be a burden. But the next time he had doubts or was struggling, he was going to force himself to remember what Riker said tonight.
"...I know I should go back to my dorm." He was going probably going to have to run to meet curfew, but. Just a minute longer. "You just give really good hugs."
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2024 2:29 pm
When Julian released him, Riker lowered his arms as well, but he didn’t step away from him just yet. He’d reached down to lightly take hold of both of Julian’s, and gave them each a little squeeze of reassurance.
“You think so?” he couldn’t help but laugh softly, his ears still burning and surely his cheeks were pink as well. “I don’t have a lot of experience with hugs. I was just thinking how you gave really good hugs.”
Finally, he let go of Julian’s hands, but lifted his own so he could carefully brush Julian’s bangs back, and out of his face.
“You know. I think you’re cuter without the squinching. Still cute with, but if I can help make sure you don’t have to worry about at least some things, then I’ll do my best.”
Riker didn’t know why except maybe Julian looked like he needed a little extra affection. Maybe he wanted a little extra after such a warm hug. But as they stood close, and with Julian’s bangs brushed back at least temporarily, Riker leaned close to press a soft kiss on his forehead.
But that was okay! Right? Evan said it was normal for friends to kiss friends. That’s why Evie kissed his cheek, right?
He seemed to realize he did something that might not have been welcomed, and cleared his throat and took a step back.
“Ah… you should get to your dorm before you get in trouble. Oh, don’t forget,” he quickly reached over to grab the box of bacon to hand back to Julian. He would just ignore the way his heart felt like it would escape his chest, or how his face burned.
“I’ll text you, I promise.”
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