𝑷𝑨𝑷𝑬𝑹 𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺 • 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧. 𝐦 (wolfblood)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

Lunchtime had finally rolled around. Needless to say that after what had happened, Lia had lost her appetite entirely. The one thing she needed at that moment was a breath of fresh air. While her friends sat down to eat in the cafeteria, Lia told them she was going to go and get some air. Rhydian followed after her.

Since it was only the beginning of spring, students still sat inside to eat as winter's aftermath slowly faded. When the wind blew, it blew cold, and that was enough to convince a majority of students to spend their breaks and lunchtimes indoors. When they exited the school building, they were greeted with an empty area. They decided to go and sit on one of the benches, hugging their jackets close to them as they walked towards it.

Rhydian hopped onto the bench and then sat down on the table, his legs swinging over the edge and the soles of his boots barely brushing the pavement underneath. Lia sat beside him on the bench, the two of them facing the field. They sat in silence for a while, clearly having too much to think about and deciding it would be best not to spill it all out at once. The silence was enjoyable anyhow, the first breather either of them had gotten in the past few hours.

"'To save Rhydian I'd tell the whole world?'"

Lia's cheeks burned red as he quoted her words from earlier. She scoffed to hide her embarrassment, elbowing him playfully in the leg, "Well I had to say something, didn't I?"

"'With no hesitation.'" He continued with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Lia laughed, shaking her head at the ground.

He smiled, looking down at her flustered expression. Her laughter faded, and she looked up at him solemnly, "Look, whatever you did out there... it's your business. But the next time you annoy a pack leader so much that he breaks all the rules, enters the human world and lets himself get photographed, just give us a bit of warning, yeah?"

The blonde boy nodded, pitifully looking down at the ground. A smile curved at her lips as she finished her statement, "Because those shots would've looked a whole lot better on a 35mm camera."

He chuckled at her words, shaking his head with a grin. Lia laughed with him, moving her hair to rest over her right shoulder. He smiled down at her, then nudged her gently, "I'm glad I came back." he admitted as her eyes met his. She smiled, "Not half as glad as I am."

A teasing smile grew on her lips, "Although, you could do with a haircut before you come back to school tomorrow."

He closed his eyes with a dreaded sigh, "I knew you were going to bring that up." he groaned.

She held her hands up in defence, "Look, the Shaggy vibe is really working with you, but-"

He shushed her, pushing her playfully by the shoulder, his cheeks dusted with pink. She laughed gleefully at his reaction, and he couldn't help but laugh with her. His smile faded, and he took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers. She looked up at him with curious eyes and he smiled softly, "Seriously, though. I missed you... a lot."

"You got to spend some time with your mum though, I mean, that must have been nice." Lia responded, not wanting to address the butterflies that erupted in her stomach when he spoke those words. He nodded, "It was. She knows so much, you know. The stars, the forests - everything."

Lia grinned, "Tell me everything."

He raised an eyebrow, "Everything?"

"Everything."

☾︎

The pair sat and talked for what felt like hours. He told her everything. Lia found it all bewildering, but in the best way. It was mainly about his mother, and the things she taught him. She helped him to master Eolas, and learn the messages that the constellations held, and even the different types of trees. Lia found it all fascinating. His mother knew things that she hadn't even read in her many books, and that intregued her more than she could say.