Kintsugi

Journey's Beginning

"You know," Eveirdo griped, "when I said 'we ride at dawn' I really did mean I wanted to leave at dawn. Not spend all morning babysitting while you went shopping."

"And that was an unrealistic expectation at best," Red replied absently. He sorted through the things they had laid out on the dining room table, running through a mental checklist. Anson had the actual checklist that they had worked off of all morning, going to sporting goods, department, and a grocery store to prepare for the trip.

It wasn't a long list, since they would be riding motorcycles. And Red was almost positive there would be some hiking required at some point, so he hadn't wanted to load Anson down any more than he had to. But he was also determined to make sure his friend was prepared. They were currently finding a balance between the two with what could comfortably fit in a lightweight through hiker's backpack.

Red frowned as he lifted his gaze from the table to Anson. "Damn. You were supposed to remind me about picking you up a leather jacket."

Anson smiled. "Actually, I was hoping I could just borrow yours?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure. It's in the bedroom closet."

Anson turned to head upstairs, still listening to the conversation going on between the Dragons as he slipped into Red and Vivienne's bedroom.

"Just because you can be ready to go at a moment's notice doesn't mean everyone is. Sable had to take her bike into the shop to make sure there weren't any problems. Rebecca had to give some of her sister spell casters a heads up that she's leaving the area. You're lucky Sable just recently quit her job and doesn't have to give notice there. I think Aisling and Anson are the only ones who could have just dropped everything and left, but it's still smart to prepare."

Eveirdo grumbled. There was quiet for a long moment while Anson flicked on the light in the walk-in closet and started rifling through Red's side. He cocked his head towards the door when Red spoke in a low tone.

"Why are you really so determined to go on this trip all of a sudden? And with companions no less. If all you wanted was a treasure hunt then why not just take off like you always do?"

"I'm...looking for a courting gift."

Red hummed in understanding. "Having trouble finding the perfect gift?"

"Eshico was good at knowing exactly what people wanted. But I can't exactly ask her for help. Jaiahcinth is only thinking about her own mate and their attempts to clutch. Altheir and Ovrosse had horrible suggestions."

Red laughed. "Oh? What were their suggestions?"

Eveirdo huffed, sounding amused despite himself. "Altheir suggested a hundred skulls of men and beasts I had defeated in battle." Red's grunt of disapproval was echoed in Eveirdo's tone. "Exactly. And Ovrosse wasn't any better. His idea of a good gift was hunting down a game animal to deliver it bloody and raw at my intended's feet."

"This is why our brothers don't have mates."

Anson found the jacket and held it up to his nose, inhaling. He swung it around his shoulders and pulled it on. It was too big on him, but that didn't concern him. He turned and reached up to a shelf over Vivienne's clothes, pulling down a soft knit hat as well. He inhaled Vivienne's scent thick in the fibers and stuffed it into the pocket of the jacket as he turned to go back downstairs.

Eveirdo's voice drifted out of the dining room, sullen and frustrated. "I guess I'm just hoping if I mix things up a bit, try something new, then maybe inspiration will strike." He glanced over when Anson re-entered the dining room, then did a double take to stare. Red noticed and turned to take Anson in too.