No point to this one, really, but I don't think they all need a point. Either way, just a little drabble tonight.
Clouds
He sighed in contentment, letting the peacefulness of the day relax him. A distance away, he could hear the bustle of town life as the people of Windfall went about their business. It was just another day to them, but to him it was a break from travelling all over the ocean and trying to save their unknowing lives. Being a hero wasn't an easy task; it demanded focus and endless commitment. But the King of Red Lions had decided that he deserved a day off every now and then, usually after he finished a dungeon crawl or something big. After all, he was still just a kid. He needed time to himself every now and then.
His usual plan was to find Tetra; after all, his other friends were half an ocean away, while she generally wasn't too hard to pin down. It helped when he still had the stone she had given him before sending him into the Forsaken Fortress, and he could easily get a plan of where she was going. Besides, at this point in his life, Tetra was really the only one who could relate to what he did. So she was a good set of ears to listen to his tales.
Since she was again restocking in Windfall, he'd wandered up to the hillside to wait while she finished her business. He had found it a great place to simply lie down and stare at the clouds. It was a habit he'd begun when he was a little younger, spending hours on Outset's cliff watching the sky drift past. It was a good way to collect one's thoughts when there was serious thinking to be done, but more than that, it was very relaxing. He had lost count of how many times he'd fallen asleep doing this back home. It was just a simple way to pass the time.
"There you are," the all too familiar voice spoke from behind him. He smiled but said nothing, simply watching the large white clouds float lazily across the bright sun. Her head appeared in his vision, casting a dark shadow across his eyes. "What are you doing up here?"
"Clouds," he answered absentmindedly, staring past her. She raised a brow and glanced up at the sky herself.
"Why?"
He closed his eyes. "It's relaxing."
There was a moment of silence as she searched for a reply. The best she could come up with was, "If you say so."
He opened his eyes and watched her expression. She didn't get it – that was why she didn't understand. He had to show her what he meant. He grabbed her hand and gently pulled it down toward him. "Lie down with me."
She eyed him curiously. "Why?"
"Because I want you to see."
"They're clouds. I've seen clouds before."
He pulled a bit harder. "Just lay down. Please?"
She sighed and complied, taking a spot beside him and resting on her back. They were silent as they looked into the expanse of blue that was peppered with white. Eventually he heard her breathing slow to something that could be called a tranquil state. He wondered how often she actually did unwind and do nothing. He knew she did stay up some nights to have some alone time, but it wasn't the same as just taking a day to yourself.
"Why is this important to you?" she asked, breaking the silence. He shrugged as best he could, not sure how to explain it.
"I dunno. If there's something that being away on life-threatening missions has taught me, it's that you have to enjoy the little things. Otherwise the big things will just weigh you down."
She didn't answer, instead mulling over his words. It seemed that it hadn't been something she considered. "I guess sometimes I forget what it is you're going through," she spoke after a moment.
They fell back into silence as the clouds rolled on. He didn't want sympathy from her; she had probably dealt with more in her life than he had. He just wanted her to see that it was okay to stop and breathe every now and then. A break had never killed anyone – not yet, anyway. If she saw his reasoning though, he was content with that.
"Link?"
He turned to look at her. "Hmm?"
She smiled faintly at the sky. "This is pretty relaxing."