Journey of Phantasia: The Dream-Weaver

Part 8: Epilogue

(NSFW SO BE CAREFUL)

There was a knock on the door of the swamp-house. Albedo was careful to not knock exactly where the door had been broken before. He didn't want any splinters. Before long the owner -and only inhabitant- of the house welcomed him.
None other than Firus. Still pale, still wounded, but bandaged and, while tired, looking a whole lot better than he did the few nights before. He leaned against the doorframe, giving Albedo a smug, but welcoming look.

"Yes? Why are you here at this time of day? I was busy cleaning up the mess."

Albedo lightly chuckled, holding up a bottle of alcohol he'd stored in his pocket. They'd gotten that as a gesture of good will in one of the villages, and Albedo insisted that he, and not Ayan, were to get it. 'For potions', he lied. But that was days ago. He wanted it for the two of them.

"Well, you told me to meet you. In a dream, that is. Now am I allowed to come in or not? This bottle won't drink itself."

He felt the weight of the bottle lessen, and as he lifted it to look, it was a quarter of the way down. The cork hadn't even be removed. He looked back at Firus in the doorway, holding two tall glasses. The liquid was in there already. "Or will it?"

The two wizards sat on the table that was cleaned of broken glass and thrown ingredients. There was some mess left yet, but most of it had been moved to the corners. Firus gestured graciously at the brooms and tins moving on their own to clean up the mess. "Thank goodness for magic, hm?" They laughed at Firus' little joke and drank. It made Albedo cough. He didn't really drink alcohol much, but he wanted to bring it as a nice gesture. And that made Firus laugh even harder.

"Don't tell me you are a lightweight."

"Unfortunately." Albedo responded, coughing once again before taking a couple of deep breaths. Firus patted him on the back while still seated at the other end of the table. It was a magic hand. Albedo stifled another cough while Firus only kept giggling. "Well, at least you know how to entertain a man!" That did cause Albedo to break out in a snorting laughter again. Soon enough they were leaning over the table wheezing with pain in their stomachs for absolutely no reason.

"Anyhow...-" Firus began, minutes after, as he wiped away the last of his tears. Albedo sat back into his chair with his hand in front of his mouth. "I assume you didn't come here only to laugh?"
-" No, you are correct in assuming that." Albedo replied with a hum. "I-"
-"And 'simply checking to see how I am doing' falls in that same aspect." Firus added, letting his elbow rest on the table. His head rested on his hand. He gave Albedo a sly, yet curious look, orange and playful canary-yellow in his eyes.

Albedo shook his head. "Just seeing if you are holding true to your promise... And will." Albedo took a glance of his drink before taking a sip small enough for him not to cough, then looking back at Firus.
"Don't worry about that, silly man. I have learned my lesson."
Albedo, oddly hopeful as he was -and this was rare-, still had his doubts. "Well, how then?"

Firus' smile wavered a little bit, and the coy look in his eyes was quickly flushed by a swirl of very light-blue and grey. It betrayed a flush of fear. Not knowing. Uneasiness.

It was gone as quickly as it had come. Firus had his smile back, and raised one eyebrow towards the older wizard. "I will figure out on the way." He downed the contents of the cup in one go, reaching for the bottle once again.
Albedo frowned, and he shook his head as he sighed deeply which caused Firus to get that grey-blue flush in his eyes again.
"And what if you won't? What if you spiral back into it?" He pulled back the bottle so it was just out of Firus' hands.

"That won't happen. Don't be so pessimistic!" the ginger wizard said, a slight hint of anger in his voice. Once again he reached for the bottle that Albedo kept away from him. "Now let us just enjoy the rest of the day."
Albedo, ready to give him a boring speech once again, stopped. He had a revelation, an idea, and birthed from that idea a grin of his own grew on his face. Firus didn't like the looks of it. What did he want?