~Skephalo & Jefhalo - Oneshots, Drafts, and More~

~Illegal Love pt 3 - 🔵~

Tw: none

That night, the Forest was busy. Forestfolk were bustling around, arms full of decorations and lights. The trees were strung with flower chains and ivy, and luminescent mushrooms had been planted all along the forest floor, gathered at the bottom of tree trunks and peeking out from under rocks. Hidden bridges led from one treetop to another, and every so often, a pair of feet could be seen scurrying along, causing the branches and leaves of the canopy to rustle.

Skeppy knew why everyone was excited, but he honestly couldn't understand why they all made it such a big deal. The summer festival was approaching, to mark the end of spring and the start of summer. It was still several weeks away, but the Forestfolk were as enthusiastic as if it would be only tommorow. Several of the people he passed waved at him, wide smiles plastered on their faces and flowers in their hair, wishing him happy holidays. He returned their greetings, but honestly just wanted to get away. Especially after talking with Bad, the last thing he wanted to be reminded of was how close summer was getting, and how little time he had before Bad would leave.

He made his way deeper into the forest, where the trees were thicker and the shadows were darker. He didn't have any issue seeing, though, as his eyes were well accustomed to darkness. It didn't take long for him to find the cave, and he slipped inside, following the familiar path to his home.

He was a special kind of Forestfolk. Rather than living in the trees like most of them, he lived in the caves, beneath the surface of the Forest. Huge catacombs stretched underground, inhabited by more Forestfolk like him. They had their own city, made of crystals and rocks and minerals. They were craftsmen.

Eventually, Skeppy could see a light further down the tunnel, and he followed it to the entrance of the city. He walked down the carved stone streets, headed for the apartment complex where he lived. Streetlights lined the road, their crystal lanterns lighting the city. Most people would expect the caves to be dark, but the city was bright, illuminated by mirrors of mica and gypsum hung from the walls of the cavern in such a way that light reached every corner of the city. There were the streetlights, too, that helped with harder to reach areas, but even they were more for decoration than anything else.

Eventually, he came to the apartments, a large complex built into the unique rock structures of the catacomb walls. The stone from the caves supported the walls of smooth granite and jasper, shaped and molded to fit nicely into the spaces created by the stalactites and stalagmites of the cave. It was beautiful, in a raw, natural sort of way.

Skeppy entered the complex, walking through the main lobby to the stairs, headed for his room. Eventually he reached it, number 142, towards the end of the hallway on the first floor.

He pushed open the door and walked in, kicking his shoes off. He went over to the couch further towards the back of the room and collapsed, sighing as he leaned back into the cushion.

"Hey, buddy," his roommate said, walking in and spotting him lounging on the sofa. "How are you doing?"

"Hey, Finn. I'm good."

Finn sat down on the couch next to him, looking over to see the melancholy expression on his face.

"Really? You look a little down, if you ask me." Finn propped his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch.

"I didn't ask you," Skeppy answered, mildly annoyed as he turned away.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked, ignoring Skeppy's comment. Finn was a friendly person, and he was easy to talk to. Skeppy had never felt particularly uncomfortable around the easy-going boy, and the offer was tempting, but he honestly just wasn't in the mood to talk. He just wanted to sulk.