Lin Chung could hear soft hums and sometimes giggles from the pink and white monkey as they walk deeper into the forest.
With a smile on her face, Hope wore a white hoodie with bunny ears, and a pink and blue backpack on her back. It was rather simpler compared to the other outfits she wears, which usually just composed of colorful jewelry.
The harmonic warrior was glad to have someone who's willing to come with him. He never thought Hope would actually want to come with him. She seems to be more of an inside person than an outside person.
A sight caught Lin Chung's eye as he and Hope stopped in place. It seems to perfect for his painting. The setting for his painting was a rather simple grassy meadow with a few colorful flowers. Even if it was simple, it was also beautiful.
Setting his easel up, the harmonic warrior suddenly realize something wrong. It was too quiet. His dark eyes glance at Hope, who sat on the ground with a tree against her back and her backpack by her side, with her smile still on her face.
"You seem to be oddly quiet, Hope. Is something the matter?" Lin Chung ask the pink and white monkey.
"No." Hope simply said, tilting her head a bit to the side. "I thought you would like to concentrate on your art."
"I don't mind some talking."
"Alright."
As Lin Chung started on his painting, he was expecting Hope to ask him a question any second now, but all he heard was just some silence. He knew Hope isn't always this quiet for so long. He remembers Hope usually talking about what she likes while she had lunch with him and the rest of First Squad. Then he remember the story the commander told him once of how his birthday party came to be, involving a quiet Hope.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Lin Chung said, looking at the happy-looking Hope. "You seem to be very quiet."
"Nothing's wrong. It's just I can't think of any questions right now." Hope said, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Oh, I was getting kind of worry."
As Lin Chung started to paint, Hope thought, Finally, I'm hanging out with someone who's not Apetrully. Once again, no offense, Apetrully.
I'm still pretty worry about her. Hope isn't exactly known for being quiet. Lin Chung thought, having this feeling in his gut that something might be wrong.
Hope took out a light gray notebook and begin to draw a picture on its cover with a black marker, trying to remember the design. Lin Chung noticed this, making him a little more curious about her and her talents.
"A notebook?" Lin Chung said with his eyes on his painting.
"I like to write." Hope said, taking her innocent-looking, pink eyes off of her notebook and onto the harmonic warrior.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I been writing stories for a couple of years or so."
"I never expect you to be an author."
"I think I'm more of a writer than an author. Authors can get their works while writers never get their stories published."
Then Hope begins to write in her notebook while Lin Chung continues his painting, not really used to Hope's strange quietness. The harmonic warrior thought, I never seen Hope this focus before. Writing seems to be her passion as art is my own passion. I kind of want to read some of her work to see how good she is.
"What are you writing about?" Lin Chung ask, wanting to break the silence between them since it was getting rather awkward.
"I don't really want to talk about it." Hope said, continuing her writing with a pink pencil, keeping her eyes on her notebook.
Hope didn't realize that the rather short answer only made the harmonic warrior a little more curious in her.
I never realize it before, but Hope is kind of a mystery. She rarely talks about her own past, she never told us how her mother died. Then again, I guess no one wants to remember the death of their parents. Lin Chung thought.
They felt a soft breeze pass by them, making Hope put up her white hood to keep her head warm. Lin Chung let out a small chuckle, finding it a little ridiculous and yet adorable to see Hope with bunny ears.
It was rather calm and quiet as time goes on. Hope close her notebook and put it in her backpack. She unzip her backpack and took out a couple of snacks. She lick her lips, unwrapping a package of macarons.
"Can I have some?" Hope heard a voice by her side, making her look.
Hope let a small squeak, realizing Lin Chung sitting next to her.
I thought he was still painting. Hope thought.
"Um.. Yeah, sure." Hope said, giving the harmonic warrior some of the treats. "I don't mind at all in sharing."
With a bite on the white and pale yellow macaron, Lin Chung could taste the mixture of vanilla and honey, smelling mostly the vanilla. As he enjoys his little treat, he heard Hope said, "I was getting worry."
"What do you mean?" Lin Chung ask.
"Well, I thought almost everyone at Big Green didn't want to be my friend since the only one who ever visit me at my tree house was Apetrully," Hope said, looking at her pink and white backpack. "But when you asked me to come with you to the forest, that made my entire day. I hoped you might ask me to come again."
I wonder if that's why Hope have been so quiet lately. Lin Chung thought, eating the rest of his macaron.
Hope felt her hood off her head and Lin Chung petting her head.
"Hope, are you afraid of losing friends?" Lin Chung ask.
"Yes." Hope simply said. "You know I wasn't able to make friends back at Monkey Castle, but at Big Green, I was able to have so many friends, and yet I wonder if they actually want to my friend, or not. At Monkey Castle, writing was the closest thing to a friend when my mother isn't around. I wanted to travel out of the Hidden Kingdom and make friends, but I always feel like no one wants to be my friend."
"You know, I think we have a few things in common."
Hope gave him a very confused look, and said, "We do? I don't see it."
"We have passion we love to do. For me, it's painting and art, but for you, it's writing." Lin Chung said. "You do love to write, right?"
The pink and white monkey nodded.
"Is it okay if I read some of your work?" Lin Chung ask.
She hesitated, but she nodded once again, taking out the light gray notebook from before and gave it to him. When Lin Chung notice a drawn picture in marker on the notebook's cover, he realize it was the pictue of the cutie mark when he got turned into a pony along with his friends during that one adventure. His cutie mark of the dartboard and the paintbrush.
When he open the notebook's cover, he could see his name at the top of it in neat writing. The warrior look at Hope, who blushed lightly and nervously chuckled. Lin Chung read what Hope wrote in the notebook.
In the notebook, Hope's writing describes the time Lin Chung and Hope first met. It was rather simple, but it told the story very well.
"I like to write in a notebook for each friend I have, and write down the events we have together." Hope said.
Lin Chung smiled, happy to hear what Hope said.
"You know, I begin to write more since I started to live at Big Green, so you can say I'm writing my new life down in paper." Hope said. "Lin Chung, what do you think about it?"
"I like it," Lin Chung said. "But I think you can do better."
Hope nodded as the harmonic warrior gave her back her notebook. Hope watched as Lin Chung stood up and went back to his painting. With a smile on her face, Hope thought, I guess Lin Chung is right about my writing. Hm... Maybe I should stop worrying so much about who's my friend or not. I'm glad to write down the events of my new life in Big Green. Especially since I do have good friends here.