We meet again [Elisop]

Chapter 3

Thus, the seer's journey began. It was quite peaceful and quiet, there was only him, his owl and the nature around them. His friendly and cheerful personality came in handy as well, he had just managed to convince a merchant on his way to Wintervale to ride on his caravan for the trip. The merchant agreed, saying that he already had another passenger and that one more wouldn't hurt. What a surprise Eli had when he saw that it was one of his acquaintances from the manor, the one known as the Explorer, Kurt Frank. He went to sit in the back of the vehicle beside him and expressed his joy at seeing him again.

The two men talked together for the duration of the trip. Apparently, Kurt wasn't too concerned about the reason for their sudden freedom and had simply decided to go straight into the adventure and exploration without further ado, going wherever his feet took him. The explorer dropped off a little earlier than the seer, heading in a different direction than him. This moment spent together was short but the young man still appreciated the fact to have found one of his comrades so quickly. Before the latter left, he asked him if he had any idea of where the rest of their friends could be. 

Kurt shook his head. Eli was also the first one he'd seen again, and unlike him, he didn't talk that much to the other residents of the manor except for a few individuals. This was the last exchange they had before they parted again. However, the seer firmly believed that it would not be the last time. He promised himself that one day they would all celebrate together in a joyful and happy way. He didn't know if he would ever be able to keep that promise, but he hoped so. After what seemed like another hour or two of driving, the young man finally arrived in Wintervale, as its name suggested, the temperature was rather low compared to his countryside. For once, he was grateful to wear a robe covering his entire body to protect him from the cold.

He went around the place first to see the atmosphere of the city and what it had to offer. It wasn't really big, but everyone he met was pretty friendly to him and that was what mattered, he thought. Passing through a street, he noticed a florist, unfortunately it was not open that day. Nevertheless, the window of the store was transparent and let him see the variety of flowers that they had in store. The young man's eyes fell on a particular kind, yellow roses. What a coincidence, they were the favorites of his best friend, the embalmer. This sight brought a smile to his lips.

After his little tour, he went to the only inn in the area. This one gave off a comforting and warm atmosphere like the city. He had dinner and spent the night there. The next morning, he decided to go back to the florist. With some luck, the florist would be open this time and he could buy a bouquet of those yellow roses. Fortunately, as he approached the store, he saw the "open" sign hanging on the door. So he crossed the threshold, the sound of a bell ringing in his ears telling the salesman that a customer had arrived. The problem was that there was no one at the counter. Strange, but maybe the manager had gone to the back of the store to take care of something ?

The seer was not in a hurry so he decided to stay and observe a little around him while waiting. The flowers were obviously well cared for and were even arranged in order of color. He let out a laugh thinking about how perfectionist the owner must be. After a while, a voice from behind the store called out to him, apologizing for making him wait. Strangely enough, he found this voice rather familiar, he wondered how it was possible and where he had heard it before. His doubts vanished when he saw him.

"E..li..?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. It was still a dream, right ? Impossible... He had just called him by his name and then that appearance, that silver hair tied in the same way, those gray eyes... In front of him was the one he most wanted to see among all his former comrades. It was none other than... Aesop. His gaze then turned to a detail of the young man, his mask. This piece of fabric which was held thanks to his two ears was the proof that it was indeed his friend, the embalmer. This last seemed also surprised to see him here because he was simply standing there with his eyes wide open. 

He noticed a few things that had changed about him. His complexion seemed brighter than before and unlike the gray uniform he used to wear, this time he was dressed in a white ensemble with wide sleeves and a forest green jacket, a silk jabot adorned with a cross was also around his neck and a beige ribbon was holding his hair instead of a simple elastic band. The one he knew had changed a lot and he still had a little trouble recognizing him, but it was for the best of course. He took a few steps towards the frail boy and took him gently in his arms. It did not take long for his embrace to be returned to him. 

The two men stayed like that for a few minutes. Each knew what the other was thinking, but they couldn't put it into words. A tear rolled down the cheek of the embalmer, or should that be the florist now ? So many different emotions enveloped them, the sadness of being suddenly separated, the joy of being reunited. A few moments later, the seer detached himself from his friend to look at him again, he dried the tear that had fallen and gave him a smile. Both were going to have many things to say to each other...

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Huh, it was supposed to be full of angst at first but the way it's going now makes me think it's just gonna be fluff everywhere- I'm not too much of an angst writer tbh