Author's note: I just want to say that I'll be using Lomadia in her Legend of Zelda-ish form. Although there doesn't seem to be an offical skin of it, I've seen Hannah/Lomadia portrayed as a female Link on many occasions. Not sure where this originated, but it seemed to work best in this little story. Anyway, just letting you know.
Enjoy!
~DR
The late summer night was humid and the sky was clear, a panorama of stars spread across the sky. The moon covered the land in grey-blue light while crickets sounded all around, forming a whole chorus of chirps in the rest of the silent forest. In the middle of a clearing sat a dying fire, two forms lying around it. Xephos leaned back on a log, hands behind his head as he stared up at the stars. Honeydew lay across from him, curled up on his side and snoring loudly. The Spaceman yawned, but he couldn't sleep. This forest was peaceful, and there was no worry for monsters suddenly stepping out from behind the large trunks of trees. Still, Xephos found himself unable to get any rest, exhausted as he was from the long day's hike. His thoughts wandered, his train of thought occasionally broken from the wind rustling through the thick branches or Honeydew shifting in his sleep.
Suddenly, the Spaceman heard something. At first he dismissed it as a curious animal watching in the protection of the trees, but he soon heard it again. The soft rustle of leaves being crushed by a footfall, and it was too heavy to be some small forest critter. Xephos quickly sat up and reached for his sword, which was leaning sheathed against the log beside him.
"Hello?" He called. All but a few crickets suddenly stopped their song. "Hello, is anyone out there?"
There was no answer, but the Spaceman could tell something was watching him. He stood and unsheathed his trusty diamond sword.
"This is your final warning. Show yourself!" He called again, this time louder. There was no direct answer like before, but Xephos quickly turned when he heard the rhythmic sound of footfalls again, sounding as if the owner entered a brief sprint. The Spaceman managed to catch a shadow dash behind a tree as he whirled around, and he entered a fighting stance before making his way over. He took his time, eyes locked onto the tree for another case of sudden movement. Slowly, silently, he edged his way over. When he was finally near the trunk, he quickly jumped around to the other side, his sword ready to stab at whatever had moved behind it. Much to his surprise, though, not a single trace of a living being was behind the tree. Xephos lowered his sword for a moment, confused. Where could it have gone?
Suddenly, he heard the creak of a branch above him, and Xephos jumped back with a small yelp when a form dropped down in front of him.
"Holy-!" Xephos instinctively shifted so his sword guarded his front. He expected some monster to jump for his throat in the next moment or so.
"Well, hello there!" A cheerful voice responded instead. Xephos shifted his gaze upward slightly to see a young woman hanging upside-down from a branch, her legs keeping her from falling. She was smiling warmly, her light blonde hair spiraling down towards the ground. An odd brown hat sat on her head, vaguely resembling an owl from what Xephos could tell. It sat perfectly in place on her head despite the fact she was upside down,appearently defying gravity. The branch she was hanging on was still bouncing from the sudden shift of weight, and the young woman swayed back and forth slightly with it.
Xephos looked confused as he studied her with his bright blue eyes.
"Um, hello…" He greeted uncertainly, slowly letting his sword fall to his side. The woman tilted her head at him.
"You're not from around here, are you?" She asked, eying the Spaceman up and down. Xephos was about to answer when she swung herself upwards so she sat on the branch again. She then quickly dropped down and landed on her feet, turning to the Spaceman again. It was then Xephos noticed she was wearing a forest green tunic, white leggings, and brown leather boots with a buckled straps, matching leather gauntlets also strapped over her forearms. The way her hair had settled revealed her pointed ears, and Xephos was sure she was an Elf. The Elf looked him up and down again curiously.
"Well…you're right. My friend and I are just passing through." Xephos replied to her earlier question. "My name is Xephos, and the Dwarf over there is Honeydew." He quickly motioned to his nearby campsite. "What're you doing out here?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just taking a walk." She replied, putting her hands behind her back with another cheerful smile. Xephos raised a brow.
"It's awfully late to be taking a walk, not to mention so far out in the middle of nowhere." He responded. The woman kept smiling as she turned, taking a few steps away from the Spaceman.
"I can handle myself." She replied, and a glint of moonlight off her belt made Xephos notice a sharpened dagger hanging off of it. "Besides, I live near here." She stopped and stared upwards for a moment before turning towards Xephos again.
"My name's Lomadia, by the way." She told him, offering a hand towards the Spaceman. "Nice to meet you, Xephos."
Xephos looked at it for a moment before taking and shaking it.
"Nice to meet you too, Lomadia." He responded, his suspicion finally beginning to die down. The two broke the handshake before Lomadia looked towards the campsite.
"I noticed you weren't getting much rest. Something on your mind?" She asked. Xephos scratched the back of his head, having sheathed his sword a while ago.
"Not really, just- hey, how long were you watching me?"
Lomadia just laughed as Xephos smiled slightly. The Elf then grabbed Xephos by the arm and started pulling him deeper into the treeline.
"C'mon, you seem like a nice guy. I want to show you something." She told him. Xephos looked surprised and glanced back at the campsite. Honeydew was still asleep and the fire was barely embers now.
"You sure?" He asked, looking back at the Elf dragging him. Lomadia just smiled her cheerful little smile again.
"Your friend will be fine. Monsters never come here. It's quite the peaceful place." She told him. Xephos sighed a bit.
"Alright. Now what did you want to show me?" He asked. Lomadia tugged on his arm again and broke out into a jog, causing the Spaceman to do the same behind her. The two ran through the empty forest, stopping to laugh every now and then when Xephos tripped over unfamiliar landscape. Eventually the two came to another clearing, and Xephos was amazed by the sight. A large tree sat on top of a small hill, a branch having grown low enough for someone to walk up to it and sit down. Out over the hill was a small pond, the moon reflecting brightly off of it. Fireflies also floated silently around the clearing, some of their light also reflecting off the water. Lomadia slid up next to Xephos' side and looked up at him.
"So, do you like it?" She asked. Xephos looked over and smiled.
"It's quite beautiful, if that's what you mean." He replied, another small smile becoming eminent on his face. Lomadia giggled as the two started to walk over towards the towering tree, sitting down next to each other once they reached the branch. The two sat silently for a while, both staring up at the stars again before Lomadia broke the silence.
"You know, the stars are my favorite thing about living out here." She said, causing the Spaceman to look over. "I wonder what they're like up close."
Xephos chuckled a bit. "They're far prettier down here that up there, I'll tell you that." Lomadia looked at him. "In reality, they're just big balls of burning gas."
"And how would you know?" She asked, turning to face Xephos curiously. The Spaceman smiled.
"I know 'cause I've been up there." He simply replied, smiling.
"You? Up there?" Lomadia took a moment to glance between Xephos and the starry sky. "How in Minecraftia did you do that?"
"I'm not from here."
"What? You're telling me you're an alien?"
"That's one way to put it. Want me to prove it?" Xephos asked. Lomadia looked him up and down again before nodding. Xephos simply unpinned a small badge from his shirt and handed it to the Elf next to him. It was crafted from a special brasslike material, and it was shaped vaguely like a Crescent Moon lying on its side.
"That there's my Starship Badge. It let me go anywhere on the ship I served on. It's made from a special metal only found on my planet. Is that proof enough for you?" Xephos asked, smiling. Lomadia looked it over in her hands before staring up at the Spaceman.
"Holy Notch, you really are an alien!" She yelled, causing Xephos to laugh. She handed his badge back to him. "I mean, at first I thought you were pulling my leg, but that weird outfit of yours and the badge add up, I guess."
Xephos looked down at his old Starship uniform as he pinned his badge back over his heart. He grinned and faced Lomadia again after he finished.
"So what's it like up there in space?" Lomadia asked, leaning towards the Spaceman expectantly. Xephos took a moment to think.
"Well…it's dark, for starters." He began. "Not to mention cold. But I'll have to say you get some pretty gorgeous views of nebulas and all."
"It must've been fun." The Elf commented. "I mean, you got to fly around and see whole new worlds! Best job in world- err, the universe if you ask me." Xephos chuckled a bit.
"It wasn't all fun and games, though. We still had to work."
"And what exactly did you and your ship do?"
"…To be quite honest I actually forget."
Lomadia burst out laughing as Xephos smiled nervously.
"Hey, give me a break! It's been a while!" He argued, shaking his head at his own memory. "So enough about me, where're you from?" He asked, leaning back against the tree trunk. Lomadia shrugged and looked down towards the pond, reflections of the moon and the fireflies dancing on the still surface.
"Nowhere special." She told him. "Just some old Elven city up north. When I grew old enough I left and came down here. The warmer weather suits me more, I guess."
Xephos nodded and tucked his hands behind his head again, staring down at the pond as well.
"I see. Honeydew said he came from up north. Were there any Dwarven settlements near where you lived?"
"Not really. Elves and Dwarves generally don't get along that much." Lomadia replied, shrugging. "I personally don't mind them, honestly. Well, as long as they bathe."
This caused both Xephos and Lomadia to share a laugh. Then silence followed, the two simply enjoying each other's company. Xephos grinned a bit as Lomadia adjusted her odd owl hat on her head, her form silhouetted slightly from the moonlight.
"Hey, see that?" He asked, pointing up at the sky. Lomadia followed his finger and squinted.
"See what?"
"The Orion constellation." Xephos explained, shifting closer to Lomadia. He pointed to the sky again. "See that arch of stars there? That's his arm, and that line over there is his sword."
"Oh yeah, now I see it!" Lomadia replied, smiling. Xephos spent the next few minutes pointing out more constellations to her, giving brief backstories to the figures they portreyed. The Elf listened as he did, staring up at the sky and following where ever his finger pointed.
"You know Xephos, you're alright." Lomadia told him once Xephos finished, looking back over at the Spaceman. She was once again wearing her bright, cheerful smile. "Ya'know, for an alien."
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself. Ya'know, for an Elf." He responded.
"What's that's supposed to mean?" Lomadia asked with a small laugh, mocking an angry tone. Xephos chuckled as he stood, tucking his hands in his pant pockets.
"Well, I think we should head back. I don't want Honeydew waking up and panicking when he sees I've disappeared."
Lomadia nodded, also rising to her feet. Being the gentleman he was, Xephos offered his arm to the Elf beside him, smiling. Lomadia giggled again and accepted it, wrapping her own arm around his. The two then walked slowly back to the camp they left behind, a small conversation forming between them every now and then. A few minutes later they reentered the clearing Xephos and Honeydew had stopped at for the night. The Dwarf was still lying where Xephos had left him, sleeping like a rock and snoring to prove it. The Spaceman took his arm back and faced Lomadia again, a warm smile on his face.
"Tonight was fun." He told her, meaning it. "I hope we see each other again in the future, if I ever pass through here again."
Lomadia slid a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, glancing at the ground momentarily before looking up at Xephos.
"I'll keep a lookout." She told him somewhat sheepishly. Standing on the tips of her toes, she reached up and lightly kissed the Spaceman on the cheek. Xephos started to turn red and reached a hand for the spot Lomadia had kissed him, the Elf laughing slightly at his reaction.
"Bye Xephos. I hope we meet again." She said, giving him a small wave before she turned and disappeared into the treeline again. Xephos stared at the spot where she had vanished, struggling to keep his blush down.
"Goodbye…" he called, snapping out of his daze and walking over to the camp. The fire had died completely by now, not an ember in sight. Xephos lay down and leaned up against his log again, placing his sword down beside him.
The late summer night was humid and the sky was clear, a panorama of stars spread across the sky. The moon covered the land in grey-blue light while crickets sounded all around, forming a whole chorus of chirps in the rest of the silent forest. Just as he had left it. Xephos yawned again as his eyes slowly started to slide close, sleep taking him at last. The Spaceman soon fell into a restful slumber, and his dreams were filled with thoughts of the Elven woman who dwelled in the forest.