Catherine's brother returns, and Trowa sets out on the long road to set things straight with himself. And, hopefully, go back home in the end.
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[…] And I chalked a line south down the coast
Going where my thirst was open
For the things that I don't know
Going where I wasn't paying
For the hurt that I owe […]
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Journey
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Triton Bloom was lank and spunky, with bright silver eyes and a ready smile; and just like Trowa would've imagined Catherine's little brother.
The kid had found his way back to his sister after having devoted his life to finding her; and when Trowa saw the lad at a loss for words upon realizing it was really her, a knot tied and settled in his stomach.
The former 03 pilot had been sporting a cozy, serene smile ever since. Shrouded in cool mystery as he ever was, he believed no one had reason to see past this special smile, when they had not seen past any of his previous ones.
And so, when he packed up and stole out of his room, a nondescript night at ungodly hours after midnight, no one noticed him leaving. No one at all- only the lion.
It was the very same lion that had been the actual first to accept him into the circus; many, many years ago. It was old and its fangs and claws were worn and no longer dangerous; and the crew trusted it to sleep outside for what was left of its days.
The beast stood up and paced slowly towards him, gently rattling the chain that held him- tonight, to the trunk of a mighty tree. Trowa placed his palm gently on its muzzle, the way he'd done countless times before, letting his fingers wonder idly over fur and tangled mane.
'You've sensed right, my old friend,' he whispered gently, 'I am leaving. And I don't think I'll see you again, although I'd like to. And if I could, and, maybe, if you were not a lion, I would like to take you with me...'
The air caught his words and turned them into a light breeze, that ruffled the lion's mane and tickled his hand.
'This is hard,' he whispered, 'I do not want to leave you. And I wish I didn't have to go, but I must, I think. I'll only be this honest with you, old friend. So keep this secret, I'll trust you with it.'
When he slowly withdrew his hand, he feared he'd just lost any warmth he'd been building up since the end of the war. But the lion stared up at him through slightly clouded eyes; and he had to will himself to stand up and start moving, before he could see the beast return to its sleeping spot under the low branches of the tree- before he could take a last look at the moonlit tents; and their sleepy charm stole his heart away, again.
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Feel very welcome to the story of Trowa's journey :)