Aside from being the occasional handyman, Kozmotis spent a lot of his time with writing books on Military history, which included both the American as well as the assorted branches of European military. The good thing about Burgess, was how it had just about everything, which included a publisher, who Kozmotis would meet with when it came to his books.
Of course, convenience wasn't everything. And sometimes Kozmotis found himself wishing that something would happen, so that he had an excuse to get out of town for a bit.
He figured it was partially old habit that kept him wanting to go, while partial guilt kept him from asking Sera if they should go somewhere. They had moved from place to place when she was little, and she was finally feeling settled after moving to Burgess for school. And then there had been that talk the other day about his discharge. He had forgotten how much that had rattled her, because of how said discharge had happened. She was hopefully not too hard on Jack for having asked about it. Poor kid had only been curious, after all.
But still, it didn't hurt to just look at things like travel websites, right?
He sometimes wished he could talk about it with his neighbours, but he wasn't certain they would understand. North had talked about travelling a lot in his youth, but having lost the urge as he got older. And Sanderson was too comfortable with just staying where he was, being completely fine with the comforts of easy access to his own publisher, and the print shop, which took care of the occasional prints he would send to magazines out of town.
'Let's not get started on poor Jack.' Kozmotis thought with amusement, 'he might like the idea, but he's still in hot water with Sera.'
Really though, he'd just been curious, so what harm were his questions? It had after all only been about Kozmotis, and yet Seraphina was acting as if Jack had offended her personally, which was very unnecessary.
When he told her that, Sera looked honestly surprised, as if she hadn't thought about it. Unsurprisingly, she also raised her chin stubbornly.
"He still shouldn't have asked!" She said harshly, before her father snorted and pulled her close in a hug.
"Yes yes, he shouldn't have asked, and you shouldn't rile yourself up like this. You're too young to be worrying about your blood pressure." And then without warning, he blew a raspberry against her neck, earning a startled shriek and a smack on the arm when she yanked away from him.
"Dad, are you five?" she exclaimed, only to have her father grinning at her.
"No I am not, and neither are you. So stop holding a grudge like one!"
Sera scowled, but a few days later, she had allowed Jack back into her good graces, and brought him home with her for a study session.
-
"Hey Tooth?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever thought about going on a trip?"
They were in the Punjam Hy Loo Teashop, having just finished setting up the shelves, after they had been decorated and painted properly with help from North. And now Kozmotis was relaxing with a cup of tea, while Toothiana was wandering around and tending to small things, such as wiping down the tables around the shop.
Tooth straightened up in surprise at the question, raising a brow at the other. "Well... I guess? I think everyone does that once in a while..." She said slowly. "Why do you ask?"
Kozmotis shrugged, as he absently fiddled with a random napkin. "Nothing special... I've just been thinking about it. I mean, it's one thing when you're being deployed somewhere, or you're just generally moving because of your job in the military. This... this is different, you know?"
"How so?"
"I'm not sure how to explain it..." He sighed, before sipping his tea. "I mean... I don't really think Sera and I ever really had anything you could remotely call vacation. We never went somewhere just for the sights. And it's something I kind of want to do now. It's different, when you don't have to worry about things, like hiring a moving truck, or figuring out if there's furniture you can bring or you have to leave behind... Does that make sense?"
Tooth was silent for a while, as if thinking for a moment. But then she nodded. "I think I know what you mean. I mean... I've never really gone anywhere either."
"Oh?" Kozmotis raised a brow curiously.
"I know, I know..." Tooth said with a snort, as she sat down on a stool next to him. "'All work and no play,' as Jack says sometimes. But I grew up in the Teashop, the oldest of all my siblings. I remember that my dad traveled around a lot for his own job, while mom would mind the shop with her own two sisters most of the time, and sometimes she'd go with dad."
Tooth sighed, looking towards a large poster that hung on a nearby wall, advertising for a trip to Goa in India. "They would always have all these stories, about places they'd seen, or things they'd heard... And I remember wishing so badly, that they would take us all along. But they wanted to wait until my sisters and I were old enough, or at least until I was 21, before we should go anywhere." She snorted a bit. "One of my aunts used to call their trips for 'another honeymoon', because most of us were conceived on all those trips, including Lakhi. They went to a place called Lakhi Nepali, and that's apparently where my mother got pregnant with her... so they figured 'yeah, why not name her after that?'" They both chuckled at that, though Kozmotis made no other comment, other than silently motioning for Tooth to continue.
"But that was the last big trip they got to go on..." She then said, frowning sadly. "We were all going to go on a big trip, when Lakhi was old enough to handle flights. But that's when the accident happened... And then it was just me with all my sisters left with the teashop, and just my two aunts to help out, at least until one of them went back to India to get married, and the other passed away... And here we are now." Tooth shook her head. "I'm sorry for just... rambling at you like that. Taking care of the teashop has just taken up all my time... I didn't even think about how I've never really had a vacation either, until you mentioned it. And the whole thing with my parents just came back to me and... I think I just had to get it out."
"I don't mind..." Kozmotis replied gently. "I like hearing things about you, even if it's just complete random ramblings like this."
Tooth snorted and blushed a bit, but still smiled a bit. "Thanks..." She sighed.
"If you could travel though..." He then asked thoughtfully, "where would you like to go?"
She blinked, then hummed in thought as she pondered the question.
"Well... My mother always told me that somewhere in India, there are the ruins of an old palace called Punjam Hy Loo, which the teashop was named after." She finally said, almost shyly. "She had so many stories about it, that... it always felt like it was another home. And I've always wanted to see if it felt like that, especially since I have never really been to India."
The other just nodded with a slight smile.
"It sounds beautiful." He agreed.
-
It had gotten much later than he had planned, as Kozmotis headed home, first from talking with Tooth, and then going to talk with his publisher, which had dragged out because the cover for Kozmotis' next book just didn't fit. If anything, Kozmotis had disliked the initial ideas, because the designer couldn't seem to do proper research to save his life, and since Kozmotis' books were based on actual history and not fictional, would it really be so hard to investigate proper Cossack uniforms from the 18th century? It had drawn out until it was very late, and everyone else had gone home, and they had eventually decided that the cover would be changed the way Kozmotis wanted it. Mostly because it was his book, so he had the final say.
If anything, Kozmotis thought, he could be glad that things were getting lighter, as spring turned to summer. The days were much longer, so while it was relatively late, there was still plenty of light.
Which was why it was still such a shock to Kozmotis, when the horse suddenly appeared as he turned the next corner.
It was huge, and for a moment, it could almost be mistaken for a Friesian. But no, Kozmotis found himself thinking, it's not. It was something else entirely... something that felt off.
At first, he thought about just going around it. It wasn't doing anything, except moving its head ever so slightly while watching him. But still... there was something about it that just... made him want to go closer to it.
"Easy... Easy, girl..." He found himself saying, though he was a bit glad that no one else was around, or else he might have felt stupid. "Easy... I'm not going to hurt you."
The horse, so beautifully black, it almost seemed to shimmer in the twilight. And its eyes... when had there ever been a horse with such beautiful, golden eyes? It snorted softly as Kozmotis came closer, stretching out its own neck as he reached out to touch its muzzle-
And there was suddenly a sharp 'beep beep!' that nearly made Kozmotis jump out of his skin. He spun around, only to find himself face to face with Sanderson, seated on a bright yellow scooter. The smaller man smiled, signing to Kozmotis to ask him if he was okay.
"I'm- I'm fine, you just startled me!" The other replied with a slight huff. "It's just, there's this horse-" he turned to look for the animal-
Only to find that it was gone. Kozmotis blinked in confusion, before he frowned.
"...That can't be right," he said slowly. "There was a horse... a big black one! Sandy, didn't you see it?"
The smaller man frowned, shaking his head, before he signed again. 'I'm sorry, but I didn't see a horse. You were just standing there, and that's it.' When Kozmotis gave him a disbelieving look, he just shook his head and signed again. 'Perhaps you are tired? Long day?'
"...Yeah. Yeah that might be it." Kozmotis said slowly. "I just could have sworn..."
Sanderson gently tugged in his sleeve, so that he could see him sign. 'We always see weird things, if we're very tired. Want me to drive along with you? I'd offer a ride, but my scooter only fits one, I'm afraid.'
The other snorted a bit. "Yeah, I don't think my long legs could fit. But sure, I'd like that." Sanderson smiled, and took a moment to kick his scooter properly into action, in order to turn it around.
For the faintest moment, Kozmotis thought that despite the racket from the scooter, he heard the sound of something, like dry leaves blowing across concrete. Or sand, being gently poured over rough stone. But when he looked back towards where the horse had been, there was still nothing. The sun itself had seemed to come out for a moment, leaving almost a golden sheen across the road.
'You're just tired. It was just the shadows playing tricks on you.' Kozmotis thought, shaking his head, as he followed Sanderson who waited patiently for him.
-
"They are becoming more daring." A woman's voice said. It was the woman clad in green, and she did not look happy.
A giant rabbit was sitting with his arms crossed, scowling. "Yeah well, what can ya expect? With all his talkin' about travel when he's supposed t' be stayin' in Burgess. Tha' sort o' nonsense is untangling things."
"Would that be so bad though?" A smaller woman said, and he could have sworn she looked familiar... "Having him go other places, I mean. Wouldn't it be better, if not more effective, for his mind if it was allowed to expand in some way?"
A boy in a blue hoodie was watching things silently, before he shook his head. "I'm kind of with Tooth. I mean, if I couldn't get around, I'd probably go stir crazy."
"No. Burgess is where he fell, and so that is where he shall heal." The emerald clad woman said sternly. "It is the only way the healing magic will work." She narrowed her eyes, before looking hard at the rabbit. "It will also only work, if all of the Guardians are with him, rather than against him!"
"Wha- you can't be serious!" The rabbit squawked indignantly. "I want nothin' to do with him!"
"You will, if he is to heal properly. Remember, Eucephalus Aster Bunnymund, you are one of the reasons that this is necessary. And you will do as I command!"
He wanted to say something. Wanted to object. He felt fine, so why would he need healing? And why-
Why do you look like Seraphina? He wanted to ask.
But before he could try to speak, the familiar golden man came into his view. He made a soft 'shh' motion, and then gently blew a cloud of golden dust into his eyes.
And all went dark once more.