Author's Notes
Throws open door*
I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK.
Well, it's been a while. Plus I'm late. Two months, to be exact, since I posted the last KOW chapter. And let me tell you, I missed this. :)
Knock On Stone starts six months after the last chapter of Knock On Wood, just to clarify. I started prewriting this some time ago, wanting to be prepared for when the time struck to start posting this. Hope you fellas enjoy. :D
On with the story!
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Prologue
A young man walked the taiga, muttering to himself and wiping soggy underbrush from his trenchcoat. He had light-brown hair, carried a satchel hanging from his shoulder, wore a red turtleneck beneath his coat, black pants, and muddy leather boots. He readjusted his glasses, and started counting vials tucked withing his coat's inside pockets.
He pushed a rather large fern from his path, and looked around. "Come on, come on... it's been way over a year... you've got to be around here somewhere... 'less you made me search every inch of these woods for no reason."
The boy encountered a clump of prickly berry bushes, opting to avoid those. He moved undergrowth and climbed over fallen trees, feeling just about ready to head back to camp. Then he moved one last rosebush, and found what he was looking for.
On the ground, surrounded by trees, was another young man no older than he. He was staring blankly at the sky with hazel eyes, taking it all in. The trenchcoat man hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do now. The guy on the floor wore a grey shirt, jeans, and grey boots. He looked very peaceful down there, staring up at the sky.
The trenchcoat-clad boy cleared his throat after a moment. The boy on the floor blinked, turning his head to stare at him. Trenchcoat waved. "Hey... Thomas."
The young man on the ground blinked again, getting up slowly. "Hello. Who are you?"
Trenchcoat closed his eyes, suppressing a sigh. "I... was a friend. A friend of yours. But it looks like you don't remember me."
The other boy looked guilty, wiping a few bits of grass off himself. It seemed that the ground he had been laying on was somehow not soaked thoroughly. "I'm sorry... I didn't remember my own name before you mentioned it."
Trenchcoat nodded, digging through his satchel. "Okay, well... I met you a long time ago. Three years, I think. We lived in a village, with our friend Sophie plus a couple of families and the Healer. Any of this ring a bell?"
Thomas shook his head with a frown. "No. I'm sorry."
Trenchcoat smiled. "That's okay. One day, a large group of pillagers attacked our village. We could usually keep them at bay, but there was something different about them this time around. They attacked in the middle of the night, as usual, but they looked... angrier. And were more pyromaniatic."
Thomas nodded although he was still unsure what this young man, who came seemingly out of nowhere, was talking about. Trenchcoat sighed and looked up from his satchel. "I don't know how you're going to take this, but you... you died after the attack. A roof collapsed on top of you, and you were very weak when we pulled you out of the wreckage."
"You died saving me," he muttered. "And the last thing you told us—the last thing you told me—was 'gather the sun'. And to bring... this."
Trenchcoat brought out a vial. Its contents were a golden yellow, with a gentle glow emanating from it. Thomas' eyes widened when he saw it. The man walked up to trenchcoat and took the vial. "Gather the sun," he whispered disbelievingly.
Trenchcoat smiled. "Yep. And I did just that."
Thomas uncorked the vial, looking at it in wonder. He slowly brought it up to his mouth, as if in a trance, and closed his eyes before downing the contents. A glow passed through his skin, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. When he opened his eyes, there was a sliver of gold around his hazel irises.
The man shook his head, blinking for a moment. "Uh... J-Javer?"
Trenchcoat smiled from ear to ear. "Yeah. It's me."
Thomas dropped the vial, taking a few deep breaths. Javer hurried to his side, keeping the man upright. "Are you okay?"
"I... yes. More than okay, now." Thomas smiled at nothing in particular. "I can remember so much..." He straightened himself, taking a step back. "Thanks, Javer."
The other boy shrugged. "I wasn't about to give up on a friend's dying wish. Everyone thought I was crazy to follow your instructions. But I didn't give up." He rubbed his hands together. "Everyone will be so excited to see you again!"
Thomas opened his mouth and closed it again, hesitating. Javer frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Well..." Thomas sighed. "You do know what I am, right J?"
Javer smiled. "You're my friend, who just so happens to be some sort of spirit."
The other young man nodded slightly. "Pretty much... I've gone through many lifetimes, okay? You, and Sophie, and old man Stockton and the Healer were... one of my past lives. But I didn't exactly fulfill my purpose during that one, and a lot of people suffered for it."
Trenchcoat frowned. "Purpose?"
"The only reason I exist to begin with is to kill a demon, over and over again until the cycle breaks," Thomas explained. "And it already broke in favor of the demon, during my lifetime with you guys."
Javer nodded. "And you want to go make sure it doesn't happen again."
Thomas stared at the forest. Many faces sprung up from his memory, faces he missed dearly. He could almost picture hers among the branches... "Not exactly."
The other boy crossed his arms. "Then what's the holdup? Please, come back with me to the village. After that, then... maybe we can go gallivanting away through forests and deserts, chasing demons if you want."
Thomas chuckled, shaking his head. "Okay, I'll come with you. I owe you that much."
Javer smiled, heading back the way he came. "Alright then, let's go."
The other boy placed a hand on his shoulder, amusement tugging at his lips. "We're not going to walk all the way back to the village."
Trenchcoat frowned. "We're not?"
Thomas led him away, towards a frozen river that separated the taiga from hills and a mountain range. "No we are not."
The young man jumped over the frozen river, helping his friend do the same. They climbed up a tall hill with a small cave carved into it. Thomas stared at the cavern fondly before continuing on. There were a few trees atop the hill, plus a bunch of rotting logs and mulch. Thomas walked around this, and they stopped at the edge of the hill.
The view was incredible. A majestic mountain range hugged a dense forest and a small lake. In the center were overgrown plains covered in light snow. But what drew the most attention were the house, and the large boat. A three story home, with vines crawling up its side, cobwebs in its cracked windows and a few rotting planks, stood proudly in the middle of it all. What looked to have been a garden at some point was taken over by weeds and underbrush.
The boat stood atop four curved stone pillars, looking as weathered as the house. On its deck was a tarp covering a large rectangular area. On the side of its hull, the word 'Dragoon' was written in fading white letters. Thomas pointed at the ship. "That's how we'll be getting back to the village."
Javer couldn't stop staring at the beautiful valley before him. "This is amazing..."
Thomas slid down the hillside, walking towards the woods once he reached the bottom. Javer ran after him, trying not to fall face-first onto the muddy ground. Thomas entered the forest, looking at everything in turn. The way the sunlight filtered through the foliage, the sounds of critters running around beneath the underbrush...
The boy smiled, running full throttle through it, dodging around trees and prickly bushes. Javer reached Thomas' side panting and wiping muck from his trenchcoat. "What is it?" he asked breathlessly.
Thomas tugged on the rope ladder, testing its strength. He silently thanked its makers for being so skilled and started climbing up. "It's an airship. I helped build it with some friends of mine from my most recent past life."
Javer huffed, climbing after Thomas. "And what's an airship?"
"It's a boat that flies," he answered. "My friend Simon would get into the details, but that's not really important right now."
Thomas walked up to the tarp in the middle of the deck, untying it and moving the thick fabric aside. Beneath it was an engine and a big propeller held up with metal supports, and on top of that was a large, neatly folded piece of cloth. Thomas started unfolding the cloth, revealing it to be a balloon. Javer watched curiously, looking over the railing from time to time.
"How is this supposed to fly?" he asked.
"The first airship we built used a coal furnace to pump hot air into the balloon and to power propellers," he explained. "This one uses redstone instead to do those same things."
Javer nodded sarcastically. "Right, yes, of course, makes perfect sense."
Thomas smiled, flipping switches on the engine. The redstone came to life, glowing faintly. The engine, almost two meters long, one wide and a half tall, started whirring and groaning. Hot air blew out the top, and the propeller started spinning slowly. Thomas started tying the balloon to multiple supports on the edge of the airship's deck. The balloon slowly started inflating and rising into the air.
Trenchcoat watched the whole process curiously, staring after Thomas as the boy slipped belowdecks. Javer followed, finding his friend pushing heavy metal things out through opening in the deck and onto the ground below. "What are you doing?"
Thomas huffed as he threw the last one out. "I'm removing the cannons. We won't need them anyway. Help me dump the ammo."
Javer tried his best to drag the burlap sacks Thomas indicated out the window, but had only managed to move one halfway there by the time his friend got rid of the other three. Thomas helped him haul the sack up and out onto the ground, smiling faintly. "Thanks for your help."
The other boy took many deep breaths. "Y-you're... welcome..."
Thomas led him back up, where the balloon was fully inflated and floating proudly above the airship. Thomas walked to the very back, where a steering wheel plus a multitude of levers and buttons where installed. Thomas pushed one of the levers forward a little, and the vertical propeller sped up.
"Hold on to the railing, J," he advised. "Wouldn't want you falling off."
Trenchcoat gripped the metal railing tightly. "Yeah. Wouldn't want that."
Thomas pushed the lever further, and the airship trembled a little. Then it started rising steadily into the air. Javer looked over the railing at the ground below while his friend turned the airship towards the south and pushed a different lever forward. Both propellers behind the airship started picking up speed, pushing them over the valley.
Javer couldn't believe his eyes, feeling unable to take them off the glorious mountain range and the forests that surrounded it. Thomas smiled at his friend and sped up, heading towards the village that had been his home in a past life.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Sarah's POV
I wandered Veridon's snow-caked streets, looking through the items the street vendors offered. The bag hanging from my shoulder was half full with eggs, wheat flour and a few bottles of milk. I bought a small sack of sugar from one of the vendors, paying and thanking him before gently placing it in my bag. I went on, purchasing a small box of candles and a cup of apple sauce.
Veridon had been busy before 'The War With Darkness', as our historians wanted to call it, but it looked to be even more so now. Everything had been rebuilt or repaired, and more people had come to either visit, help the citizens, or meet the new skeleton king.
Jack had done a great job as ruler. He tried to please everyone, so long as they were being fair, and helped the general populace whenever he could. I rarely left his side, always having someone keep an eye out for him if I wasn't able to. I didn't want that stray to get himself killed by drawing the wrong kind of attention. Thankfully, nothing had come up just yet.
I had kept myself busy with training my patrol or protecting the young skeleton king. Despite it being made up of mostly new recruits at the beginning, my troops, had quickly become the best patrol in the city. All it took were sore throats from shouting and rigorous training exercises.
Every now and then, Valory, Lila and Lady June came to visit. Jack welcomes them with open arms and lets the spiders to stay in the castle. I let myself unwind, just a tiny bit, during their visits. I get to talk with the spiders, and on rare occasions accompany them on girly outings.
Jack often complained about how strict I was, and how tired I must be. I had to explain to him multiple times that patrolling the perimeter of the city in the morning, training my troops in the afternoon, and doing excercise of my own until I felt light-headed before going to bed was not tiring.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," he told me once. We were overseeing my patrol's training. "You're tense all day, every day."
"I need to keep myself busy," I explained.
The king shook his head. "No, you need to relax. Take it easy for a while. Your troops, and your king, will thank you. Take a day off. Or, even better, a week."
I huffed, staring at my patrol. "Alright, fine. Maybe I'll take some time off. But not today."
Jack had sighed. "An empty promise is better than downright denial, I suppose," he mused.
I entered the castle, nodding at the guards on either side of the large spruce door. Once inside I took off my scarf and the gray newsboy cap on my head, stuffing them in my grocery bag. The inside of the castle was warm, despite being large and made out of stone. I shrugged off my wool jacket, throwing it over my shoulder and walking down the halls.
I wandered around for a while before entering the kitchen. Only one of the cooks was there. He looked up when I opened the door. "'Allo, general! Vat brings you to ze kitchen?"
I put down my bag on the nearest table and went to hang my jacket next to the door. "Hey, Gad. I was wondering if I could borrow one of your ovens and a few utensils."
The cook nodded. "Of course, of course. Do you need any help viz anyzing? Vould you like me to do ze baking instead?"
I shook my head. "Thanks for the offer, Gad, but I'll do it myself. Otherwise I'd just be sitting here doing nothing."
The cook nodded, going back to the vegetables he was chopping up. I carefully brought out the eggs, and the other materials before walking towards a cupboard and taking a bowl. I preheated the oven and mixed ingredients in silence, reading a recipe my father gave me the other day.
Bringing out the smallest cake pan available, I poured the mix in before opening the oven and sliding it inside. Then I took another bowl and got to work on making some frosting. Cracking more eggs and measuring more sugar, I mixed everything up with some butter from the pantry until it became a paste.
Time seemed to slow down as I waited for the cake to finish baking, opening the box of candles and taking one out. I fiddled with them for a little while until the timer on the oven dinged. Using mitts, I brought out the cake and placed it on the table. Gad helped me take the cake out of its pan and onto a plate, where I let it cool for some time before adding frosting.
I picked up the cake and put it in a small cardboard box, thanking Gad for his help before taking the box, and my stuff, out of the kitchen. I walked down the halls towards the dining room near the back of the castle. It was a large room, built for the feasts that were held there during celebrations and such, but for now it remained empty and quiet.
My footsteps echoed across the walls as I walked over and sat down on one of the round, polished andesite tables. I put my stuff on the floor beside me and took the cake out of its cardboard prison, placing it gently in front of me. I took the candle I was playing with out of my pocket and placed it in the center of the cake.
Then I got up and walked over to the wall, taking one of the torches back to my table. I used the torch to light the candle on the cake before returning it to the wall. I sat back down and watched the small flame dance atop the candle with my chin on the table. I was sure the cake tasted amazing, knowing how great my father's recipes are, but I didn't feel hungry at all.
More footsteps echoed around the room. Jack walked up to my table, dragging over a chair and sitting beside me. "Finally. I thought I'd never catch you out of your armor."
I huffed, and the candle flickered a bit before returning. "I thought I might as well take that break now, to get you off my back."
Jack tapped the table, staring at me. I wouldn't meet his eyes, simply looking up at the candle. "Why now? What's so special about today?"
I blinked at the candle, holding back a few tears. "Nothing. Like I said, I just wanted to keep you off my back."
The king turned to stare at the cake for a moment. "Whose birthday is it?" he asked gently. "Your dad's?"
"No," I answered flatly. "If it were his, I'd be celebrating with him, not alone in the castle."
The stray nodded, thinking for a moment. "Is it Thomas'?"
I closed my eyes, swallowing the bitter sorrow that swam up, conjured by memories. "Well?" he pressed when I didn't answer.
"Yes," I muttered after a moment. "Or so we thought. He couldn't remember his exact birthday, so we decided that today was about as good as any day."
Jack nodded. "Is he why you like to 'keep busy'?"
I stared at a suddenly interesting wall out the corners of my eyes. "Maybe. Mostly."
The young king sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Tiring yourself out isn't the best way to cope with his loss. Doing that to other people won't do either."
"I know," I muttered. "But it helps."
Jack rubbed my back, staring at the cake. "I'm sure he would have loved that. Did you make it?"
I nodded. "One of my dad's recipes. Applesauce cake."
The stray smiled. "Thomas did like apples, didn't he?"
"Mmhmm."
We were quiet for some time. The little flame had burned through half the candle, wax forming a tiny pool around it. Jack squeezed me a little. "What do you plan to do with the cake?"
I shook my head. "Take it if you want. I'm not really sure to be honest."
The young king blew out the candle, removing it and the rapidly cooling wax from the cake. "Why don't you bring it over? I wanted to go visit Simon today. I'm sure he and Izabell will appreciate it. Not to mention Flick and Ara. And Snowdrift."
I heaved a sigh, putting the cake back in its box. "Alright. It's already cold, but I guess Iza could reheat it. Do I need to wear something specific for our visit?"
Jack shook his head, getting up. "Wear whatever's comfortable. You're not going to protect me, remember; you're on your day off. I'll be waiting with Hendershot at the front door in twenty minutes, Okay?"
I nodded, placing the cake inside my grocery bag. "Okay. I'll be there in fifteen."
"Why don't you take your time? Come meet us a little late, y'know, to get on Hendershot's nerves. You're-"
"I know, I know," I interrupted. "I'm on my day off."
The young king smiled. "Yep. We'll be waiting for you at the door." He started walking away before stopping for a moment. Jack turned to look at me. "Try to find a different way to cope. I don't think Thomas gave his life just so you could waste it like this."
I simply watched as he turned around and walked away, utterly speechless.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Izabell's POV
Ara walked all over the house, dusting things off and brooming spots she missed earlier. I finished washing the last plate and dried my hands on my apron, watching the monster at work. I was hesitant to move in with Simon, not knowing if it would be awkward or crowded or whatever. But eventually, I decided that I didn't want to stay at Veridon or go back home, so here I am.
The monster became Flicker's substitute parent, teaching the baby creeper what was what. It was a bumpy road, over which many pretty vases and plates were smashed, but it got easier after a while. Simon wasn't here every day, and when he was it was only in the afternoon. After the house which evolved into a small mansion was finished, The creeper boy focused his attention on work.
He walked through the forest to Globe Chapel City, took the railway to the creeper clan capital, Malachite, and went to the building where king Adam's engineers did all their... engineering. I didn't like how far he had to go, or that he walked through the forest to the city. I had told him this many times, but he always said that it would be fine and that it was a safe route.
The head engineers had tasked him, after the 'smashing success' that were his airships and their artillery, to focus on weapons development. Simon had been exited at first, but little by little that energy went away and he came home more and more tired. I felt a little ignored, since he usually came back too tired to pay me any attention, but I still wanted to be supportive.
Someone opened the front door. I took off my apron and walked out of the kitchen. Simon closed the door behind him, shrugging off his leather jacket and placing it on the hanger next to him. I smiled, walking over and giving him a hug.
The creeper boy hugged me back, smiling softly. "I'm so glad to be out of there..."
I drew away a little, staring at him. "Why? What happened?"
Simon heaved a sigh. "I'm tired of designing and making and testing weapons. I've been working on this and that, hurrying up with sketches and blueprints, putting out fires and taking the blame for anything that goes wrong. It's exhausting."
"Aw." I gave him a kiss, hugging the creeper boy tighter. "Well, you're out early, so that's good. When are Jack and Sarah coming over?"
"Um..." He checked his watch, made by himself of course. "In about an hour. I gotta go take a bath real quick. How's everyone?"
"Ara has been helping me clean the house. Flicky and Snowdrift are playing outside. Should I bring them back?"
Simon placed his chin on my head. "Mmm... let them play for a while longer. Ten minutes, then have them cleaned up."
I giggled, moving my head out from under his. "Okay. Go take a bath, then. You're smelly."
The creeper boy smiled, kissing my forehead. "I love you. I'll be the one cooking today, Alright? Been a while since I've had the chance to."
I pushed him away playfully. "Okay. Love you too."
Ara hissed a greeting, walking past Simon, who hissed back. "I think I'm finishhhed with dusssting and brooming," she told me. "Isss there anything elssse for me to do?"
"Could you wrangle up Snowdrift and Flicky?" I asked. "Simon told me to let them play a little more, but I know how long it'll take to give them baths, so I want to get on with that."
The creeper 'smiled'. "Sssure. I'll be right back."
I nodded, watching the monster amble away. I walked back into the kitchen, taking stuff out of the pantry. Carrots, potatoes, broccoli, mixed spices, plates, and glasses. I also brought out a few meats, wrapped in brown paper, from our little fridge. Simon told me that he wanted to do the cooking, but I wanted to help as much as possible.
Ara came back after a while, with Snowdrift and a muddy Flicker in tow. I knelt down, giving my snow fox a hug. He had grown quickly, and a lot. He was the size of an adult fox two months ago, and now he was almost the size of a dog. "Hi, buddy! Did you have fun outside?"
Snowdrift yelped, rubbing his nose against my cheek. I giggled, petting his head. Ara was hissing with Flicker. The baby creeper had also grown quite a bit. From only being around knee-height, he went to being a meter-ish tall. "We're going to give you guys a bath, okay?" I told them. "We have guests coming over and I don't want you all filthy."
My snow fox sat down obediently. Flicker stared at the ground, hissing in disappointment. Ara nudged him. "Let'sss go. No arguing or complaining, pleassse."
Flicky nodded sadly, walking behind us as I led him and Snowdrift upstairs to the bathroom. I filled the tub a fourth of the way and helped the baby creeper climb in. Snowdrift hopped inside, making a splash. Thankfully I didn't get too wet. Ara and I picked up sponges and poured soap on them. I had to help Ara, what with her not having hands.
We scrubbed those two until they were squeaky clean, despite their protests. We dried them out, then I combed snowdrift's hair back into place while Ara talked with Flicky, hopefully telling him to not cause a ruckus just for today. I got up, dusting white fur off my clothes.
"I'm going to hop in the shower real quick too. Think you could handle them both for a while?" I asked Ara.
The creeper smiled to the best of her abilities. "Of courssse. Sssnowdrift is alwaysss on hisss bessst behavior, and I'm sssure Flicker will be too. Isssn't that right?"
The baby creeper nodded enthusiastically. "Yessssss."
I giggled, petting his head. "Okay. I'll be back in a while, then."
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
A while later
I sat restlessly at the table, watching Simon cook. I had been banned from the kitchen for tonight after trying many times to help him. "Z, please, I rarely have the time to do this anymore. Let me help you for once."
So I walked over to the bookcase, picked out a book, and flipped through its pages without much enthusiasm. I got bored of it quickly, putting it away again and resorting to toying with a bang that hung over my eyes, an escapee from the bun where I usually kept them. Flicker and Snowdrift were napping on the couch, and Ara was taking her own shower.
The sun was starting its journey back down from the sky, but it was still plenty bright inside. I heard a knock on our door, and promptly got up to answer it. I tucked the strand of hair behind my ear, made sure I hadn't picked up any dirt from somewhere, and opened the door.
Jack, Sarah, and one of the other generals greeted me. "Hi guys! Come on in."
The young skeleton king smiled. "Thank you for letting us visit."
I smiled. "You know we'd never turn down a visit from our friends." Then I looked over him at the man in flashy armor standing a short distance behind them. "Uh, would you like to come in too, general?"
The skeleton hesitated before shaking his head. "No thank you. I was simply escorting his majesty. I'm sure general Sarah will take good care of him in my absence. Have a pleasant afternoon."
Sarah hummed. Jack gave him a short bow. "Thank you, Hendershot. You too."
The general nodded and walked away. I stood aside to let our friends in before closing the door. "How have you guys been?" I took a closer look at Sarah. "Wow. I'm surprised to see you in something that isn't chainmail or blast-proof."
The skeleton girl sighed, placing a cardboard box on the couch. "Yep. Jack's been bugging me for ages to get out of my shell. I brought you guys this."
I opened the box. Inside was a pretty little cake coated in white frosting. It smelled like apples, and it looked pretty good despite being a bit cold. "Ooh! Thank you. I didn't know you baked."
Sarah shrugged. "I don't, usually. Only on special occasions."
I nodded, closing the box. "Is it for Thomas? His birthday's today, isn't it?"
The skeleton girl gave me a sad smile that resembled a grimace more than anything. "Yeah. I wasn't planning on eating it, and Jack didn't want it to go to waste, so now it's yours."
I smiled at my friend, picking up the box. "I'm sure he would've loved it."
Jack took off his cloak, hanging it next to Simon's jacket. A smile stretched his lips when he caught sight of Flicker and Snowdrift passed out on the couch. "That's something you don't see every day. I thought that little creeper hadn't slept since he came out of the egg."
I smiled, petting both sleeping beauties. Snowdrift stretched his neck for more pats. "Yeah. They were playing outside all day, so it makes sense that they're tired."
Sarah slipped off her jacket and cap, hanging them too. "Where's Simon? At work?"
"In the kitchen," I told her. "Let's go say hi."
I brought the cake over, placing it gently on the countertop. I tapped Simon's shoulder, getting his attention. "Jack and Sarah are here."
The creeper boy smiled, putting a few things down and walking out of the kitchen. I took the opportunity to cook in his place while he greeted our guests. Simon was amused to find me mashing the potatoes.
He grabbed my shoulders and steered me out of the kitchen. "Z, I told you about a dozen times, I want to do the cooking for today."
"I only wanted to help," I complained.
Simon landed a stealthy kiss on the top of my head. "I know, and I'm thankful for that. Go chat with Sarah."
I decided against arguing, and gestured to the cake instead. "Sarah brought that. It's a cake. I don't know if you want to reheat it for dessert or put it in the fridge for later."
The creeper boy stared at the cardboard box. "I'm not going to want any tonight. You?"
I shook my head. Simon nodded. "I'll put it in the fridge for later, then."
I sat down with the skeleton cousins, and we started talking about recent events. How Kaitlin was here for Flicky's first word, which was 'yessssss', how Jack had convinced Sarah to relax, tales of patrols and such. Ara came down after a while and sat with us while we waited for Simon to finish up. The sun crawled its way closer and closer to the horizon.
I got up to turn on the lights, coming back to find Simon serving everyone's plates. "Sorry it took so long," he muttered. "I got into a fight with a nasty potato."
Jack smiled. "That's alright, Simon. I'm sure it will be worth the wait."
Sarah stared at her food, heaving a sigh before shoveling potato mash into her mouth with a fork. It wasn't like her to be so apathetic, but maybe it was just her unwinding from all the stress of leading a patrol in a busy city. Maybe it was her memories that made her so sad.
We sat down to eat, talking more between mouthfuls of Simon's cooking. Snowdrift had been woken up by the smell of porkchops, and had crawled over to us begging for some. We each gave him a tiny piece, and the not-so-little-anymore snow fox scampered upstairs to feast. The moon had already risen some when a knock on our door surprised us.
Simon got up to answer it, muttering to himself. I excused myself from the table and walked after him, making sure the creeper didn't notice. A boy, probably our age or a year younger, stood outside with a nervous look. I recognized him to be one of the people who worked with Simon.
The creeper nodded at him. "Hey, Tim. What brings you here at this hour?"
The boy frowned. "Andrews wants us to have the blueprints and material list for proyect Javelin ready by tonight. So... we need you to come back to the lab."
Simon tensed ever so slightly. "I thought that was due tomorrow."
'Tim' looked apologetic as he spoke. "I did too, but he moved the date."
I could see that Simon wasn't pleased. His hand was tucked in his pocket, curled into a fist. "Alright. Is everyone going to be there?"
The man shook his head. "Carla isn't, but Jones is already there."
The creeper boy nodded. "Okay. Give me a moment, alright Tim?"
The young man nodded, and Simon closed the door gently. I walked over to him. "Who was it?"
Simon heaved a sigh. "A friend from work. Good old Jonesy sent poor Tim to deliver the news that I have to go back to the lab, knowing that I wouldn't be happy but that I wouldn't humiliate Tim by saying no."
"Oh." The creeper boy took his jacket, slipping it on. "When will you be back?"
"I'm not sure," he told me. "I hope not too late. It should only take a couple hours."
I crossed my arms, looking him up and down. "Okay. Stay safe."
Simon brought out his old pocket knife, showing it to me before putting it back in his jacket. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
I followed him back to the dining room. "Sorry, guys, but there's something I have to deal with at work," he announced. "I hope you don't mind if I take my leave early."
Jack smiled. "Go ahead, it's fine. Thank you for your hospitality." Sarah muttered her agreement.
The creeper nodded. "Have a good night."
We walked back towards the door. I hugged him tightly, earning a gentle kiss. "Goodnight, Z. I'll be back at some point."
I smiled, but I'm not sure if it was sincere enough. I didn't like him being out at this hour, since monsters frequent the woods. "Goodnight, Simon. Bye."
Simon opened the door, walking away with the other man. "Alright, Tim, let's get this over with as soon as possible."
I closed the door once they were out of sight, heaving a sigh. We finished dinner quietly. I showed the skeleton cousins the rooms I had cleaned out for them before going back downstairs to help Ara take Flicker up. I bid them goodnight and walked over to mine and Simon's room.
I opened the dresser, changing into my night clothes and climbing into bed. Snowdrift followed me, curling up beside me like he usually did when Simon wasn't here. I caressed my snow fox's head, feeling lonely in the dark room.
While I lay on the bed, unable to sleep, my mind wandered to the days when Simon was with me as much as possible, when we stilled lived as a group in the valley. Before we had to travel around the overworld to fight a demon. I wondered briefly, before succumbing to sleep, if everyone missed those days like I did. Sarah definitely does, and Kaitlin had said so before when she came over.
My dreams were pleasant, set in that time where everything was simpler. When it was just the ten of us in our wooden house in the middle of a valley. When I didn't worry every night if a zombie had gotten Simon on the way back from work. When Thomas was alive, and everyone was together.
I missed those days. More than anything in the world.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Author's Notes
It feel great to start writing again, although I never really stopped.
I seem to be struggling with these a little bit (blame my desire to make them 5k words long), so I'm going to be posting them once a week to give me some time. On Fridays, to have something else for you fellas to look forward to. :) And, if I'm late, sorry.
Well, well, well. It seems someone was brought back from limbo. But he's not going to see his friends? What's going to happen in this village Javer lives at when they arrive? Time (and me, of course) will tell.
I think I did well enough making this chapter as melancholy as possible. I'm very happy with how it turned out. :)
Thank you all for your time, patience, and support. Have an awesome day!
~ LeMafiaKreb
