Nox laid in bed, eyes open, shooting a blank expression at the ceiling. He was breathing slowly, listening to how it cut through the quiet. His arms were thrust under the blanket, and he was shuddering slightly, shivers pacing through his body every little bit as he tucked in to try and warm up.
The people of the village had been more than pleased with Nox after he'd help them stop the robbers. Before he'd known it, they'd created a makeshift party, and the village became a center of music (He hadn't noticed a musician earlier, but didn't question it), food, and good times. Nox ate food, chatted, laughed, avoided questions about himself the best he could, and danced.
Dancing was probably the part that stuck out the most, even above all the questions pointed at where he came from, and some of his almost-slip ups. He had been alone after talking with a group of villagers. The music was in full swing, and Mio had drifted over to him, coming through the crowds like it was in slow motion. To put it simply, she had looked beautiful. Nox blanked when he saw her, imagining he had probably looked silly standing there looking idly at saying anything, she'd taken his hand and led him to an open space.
Nox had never danced before, and she had obviously knew what she was doing, leading him this was and that, twisting and turning through the the crowds with ease. It had taken Nox a long time to get used to it, but once he had, it was magical. He lost track of time, but he didn't care about it. This was a moment to remember.
Almost too soon, Mio pulled away from him, and it seemed the music stopped with her. She stood there staring at him for a while, before turning to go. But she had left him with a kiss on the cheek before giggling and disappearing into the crowd. Nox had tried to find her afterwards, but she had eluded him. He soon had grown bored of the party and made his way back to the house.
Mio hadn't been there either, but he had been so tired from the day's events that he had found his way to the room. And there he still was, sleep becoming more and more elusive as his mind spun with thoughts. The main one he was wrestling with was if he should leave tonight and avoid any heartbreak over Mio, or stay, and play it by ear.
If only I wasn't a shadow bender. If only I wasn't here on a mission. If only I was anybody else at any other time, I could stay here then. I can't believe I already like Mio after only half a day with her. She'd be fun to spend time with, and pretty useful for the journey ahead. But I can't ask her to come with me, I'd have to tell her about shadowbending, and besides, if the lightbenders get unruly, it would be too dangerous for her. I don't want anything to happen to her.
The part of Nox that said to leave now won out. He made his way out of the bed gently, and took small steps towards the door to the outside. He put his hand on the door, but kept it in place for a second. He walked back towards the main room and scurried around in some cabinets for a bit, being as quiet as he could.
When Nox had found what he was looking for, he set it all down on the table. The scroll he had found seemed to be blank, and the container had enough ink to write whatever he wanted. He thought long and hard of how to explain away his sudden leaving, but he couldn't, and resorted to simplicity:
~Thank you for letting me stay here. Goodbye.~
He had scribbled it rather quickly, he knew the sun would be up soon, and he wanted to get out of the town before anybody woke up. He was incredibly tired from lack of sleep, but he had to go. He left the scroll unfurled, making his way to the door a second time. He pushed it open slowly, hearing a soft creak emit out. He slipped outside, not daring to turn back.
