Going towards a pathway with a gigantic hill, the group ended up at their destination and had gotten near the mid-way part of the hill after at least thirty minutes of Yuri, Flynn, and Estelle trying to calm the fiery mage down from her scuffle with Tai. Unlike the previous times where a blastia and its core and foundations was shattered preventing access from a certain dragon rider, the pathway was incredibly open and wide.
"Ahh, Ehmead Hill is still the graceful and calm place it was since we last were here," Raven said, smiling here.
"Yes, I remember the beauty of its view of the ocean," Estelle said happily.
"Ahhh, it's just a hill with trees and rocks; don't see what's so great about it," Yuri said, shrugging off the chance to take in the nature.
"Ehh, once again, Yuri's just gotta take out the elegance of nature's beauty," Raven shook his head with a sighing shrug.
Not caring about the comment at him, Yuri went up ahead with Repede to scout the area. The group turned to each other, noticing Raven's remark.
"Yuri's... not one for nature, is he?" Akihiro asked, rubbing his head.
"No... even when he first ventured out of Zaphias, Yuri wasn't all interested in exploring places, especially forests and woods," Estelle said, disappointingly.
"Aw, that's too bad he's not interested in my home," the boy shrugged.
"Wait, your home?" Rita asked, as all looked at him with intrigue, "Where exactly is your home?"
"Right here; Ehmead Hill," Akihiro pointed to the ground with both hands, as all looked at him strangely (Oh, all right, Tai with a collected face and Rita looking uninterested).
"What? That's terrible!" Estelle gasped worriedly, "Why don't you rest at a town or city inn? I'm sure Halure and Aspio's inns would gladly have you."
"Yeah, if I had any money," Akihiro said, kind of embarrassed to be confessing something so badly-sounding, "I don't have any way to get any, and I don't wanna be reduced to a beggar, so I just live here on the hill."
"Then, how do you sleep at night in a place that's infested with monsters? How do you get food or get cleaned?" Flynn asked looking at how healthy and nice he looked.
"I go out into the fields near Halure and kill those wildebeest monsters, then properly clean then and then cook them. I bath by going near the ocean near the hill," Akihiro said, shyly, "And as for sleep, I just relax in a tree near the banks. But I gotta always keep a close eye on knights coming around here so they don't bust me."
It was then the boy realized the person he was speaking to was the commandant of the knights himself, and suddenly paled as millions of sweatdrops anime-style went down his face. Unable to think of a dazzling save on that mistake, the boy dropped his head with defeat.
"I... err... shouldn't have said that with Flynn here, right...?" he groaned.
Rita folded her arms and looked away with a look of pathetic value, "And you're supposed to be the future champion of Nordipolica... Great way to start your career by getting arrested, idiot."
"I'm terribly sorry to hear about this horrible way of living, Akihiro," Flynn assured him, "I will do everything in my power to help you earn money and live better than out here."
"W-Wait, I didn't say this was a burden to live out here..." Akihiro looked up, a bit nervous that the commandant was misunderstanding his vibe.
Tai, on the other hand, tuned out of the conversation around the time the boy was explaining his way of living on the hill. The teenager looked around this area with interest. Not bad. If he could get a house with some good defenses, this would be a great place to live, and not far from Halure at that.
"Ahh, seems you're likin' the wonderful abundance of nature, eh, Tai?" Raven caught his attention as the two walked away from the other four.
"Yeah... not bad," Tai said, smiling a bit, "It's quiet, peaceful, no constant noise. I'd like it here."
"Oh? Well, then, I guess you and me got a lot in common, kid," Raven smiled and looked up at the sky.
"Yeah... maybe..." Tai said, rather happily.
"And it seems you're gettin' along with yer friends a lot more," Raven said, analyzing it a bit, "Keep on like this, and you'll go far."
"Oh, no, they're not my friends."
The old man perked his head up and looked up at the teen. The sudden mood swing was evident on how he buried his hands in his pockets and looked with a grumpy yet serious look. Something wasn't right.
"Huh? Whatcha mean?" Raven asked, curious.
"Those guys aren't my friends," Tai explained as his head lowered, the shadows covering his eyes, "Friendship is such a joke. It's laid out in pretty flowers and ribbons as if that's the only thing you need in this world. Everyone says it's crucial to survive. It's total bullshit."
"Really, now? Care to lend this old man yer thoughts on why?" Raven asked, folding his arms with a carefree and somehow still positive face.
"Friends only bring you down, destroy you by hurting you at your core when you lower your guard and let them close. You get so happy being with them, then one move is all it takes to annihilate everything you are and have," Tai said, with Raven swearing he could've heard a growl from him.
"It seems to ol' Raven you're speakin' from experience," the old man said wisely, causing the teen to look up, with a more lightened face to add.
"...I mean this with all due respect, Raven, but... don't be foolish," Tai said, looking away and feeling bad about who he said it to.
"Gee, that's too bad. So, then, what are yer real thoughts on ol' Raven and the others?" Raven asked, putting his arms behind his head in a relaxing manner.
Tai, a bit baffled on what to say, glanced over at the Estelle and Flynn laughing at some joke Akihiro made which apparently made Rita cranky and snap back. He then glanced over at Yuri and Repede coming back. Then, he looked at Raven. After a good few seconds, he took his hands out of his pockets and took a breath.
"Being truthful? All of them are just acquaintances; nothing more. But you... you're... different," Tai explained slowly with difficulty, "The way you chat with me all the time, how your eyes shine differently than the others when talking about my glove, and how you're so open and concerned about me... I trust you completely."
"Heh, well, Raven the Great has always been the awesome wonder at not goin' with the flow," Raven winked with a grin, causing the teen to chuckle a bit, "so, I appreciate the humble comments. But I'm pretty sure that Estelle and Flynn are just as concerned as lil' ol' me, not to mention the others too in their own way. And they're very trustworthy and all those things ya said too. So, what's the difference? Why am I different then all of them?"
It completely rattled the view of his on the topic to the foundations as the teen got deadly silent. He stared at the old man, not in anger, but in blank shock. Nothing was coming to him; nothing in his mind seemed to provide the facts needed to back up his claim.
"Why...? I feel so strongly about this, yet for some reason, I don't have an answer to give him. Why can't I respond to that confidently? ...Does this mean that I don't trust the old man? Or does it mean... I do trust the others?" his mind struggled to brainstorm.
"I... I don't know," Tai said, looking down, indecisive and struggling on what to say, "I..."
"Hey, now, ya don't have to struggle to go all 'philosophical mumbo-jumbo' here on ol' Raven," the old man said, grinning as he motioned for him to chill, "It can be hard sometimes to find yer feelings in life, ya know. Just take it easy; it'll require time, Tai. But ya got my word that I won't abandon ya. I promise."
"Raven... Thank you," Tai said, smiling.
"All right, everyone," Yuri called out, getting everyone's attention as they came towards him to talk, "We just got done scouting the area. Totally clean. That means we can take it easy for a while."
"Thank goodness; I think we've had enough battling for today already as it is," Flynn said, relieved with a smile.
"Oh! If that's the case, is it okay if we can take a break here?" Estelle asked, hope spread across her face.
"Huh? What for?" Yuri asked, placing a hand on his hip.
"Well, I really like the spot up near the top of the hill, right near the banks, where you can see the ocean," the princess explained, "And I'd love to go up there and see the view again."
"All right, that's fine by me. What do you say, Flynn?" Yuri said, then asked his best friend.
"I don't see why not. I guess we could take a little break here," Flynn nodded, "And, Estelle, I'd like to go with you. Just in case. Plus, I'd love to see this view as well."
"I might as well go too. I don't wanna be stuck in a group of men by myself," Rita said, a bit haste forth as she managed to hide her blush well, "Besides, there's no such thing as 'too much protection'."
"All right then, I guess this means we're all staying down here until you get back," Akihiro said, stretching with a happy face that was ready to do something to alleviate his incoming boredom.
"Oh! Tai, I'd love for you to come with us as well," Estelle said, happily as she walked towards him.
"Me? What for?" the teen said, processing the request that came at him all of a sudden.
"Well... I know you like quiet places, and since the top of the hill is just this gorgeous place, I thought you'd like to come see it," the girl said, smiling wonderfully at him.
"Ahh... well, I suppose I can take a look at it," Tai said.
"And while you're taking a gander at that, I gotta find something to do!" Akihiro said, looking around for ideas, "I can't stand just waiting here quietly!"
"Gee, I never would've known..." Rita groaned sarcastically, Repede sighing at her response.
"Well, here's an idea," Flynn offered, "How about you and Yuri have a sparring match to kill time?"
Suddenly, the eyes flared with the fire of passion and determination in the teenager's eyes. Apparently, that was a very good idea. He grinned as he looked at the long haired city man.
"Hell, yeah! That's so awesome!" he grinned as he began reaching for his weapons, "Whaddaya say, Yuri!?"
"Heh, well... it's better than just sitting around, that's for sure," Yuri smirked as he flung his sheathe off his sword, "Yeah, I guess we can train a bit."
"Haha! I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" Akihiro panted with utter excitement, dropping into his stance (A/N: If you're having troubling picturing it, it's like Naruto's from the Naruto: Clash of Ninja series).
"Hah, you think so, huh?" Yuri said back at him, as Repede barked, wagging his tail.
"Well, I guess ol' Raven's gotta make sure these two youngings don't set the hill on fire," Raven said, shrugging with a smile, "I'll stay down here with them."
"H-Huh? Really?" Tai stuttered very disappointed, the others besides the sparring fighters taking great notice of how he was uncomfortable being away from the old man.
"Don't worry, kid, it's just a happy walk towards the tippy-top of the hill; you're gonna be fine with me for a few minutes," Raven said, patting him on the shoulder as he said quietly so only they could her, "Ya can count on me if somethin' goes screwy. I'll com' as fast as I can to help ya."
With a slight nod, the teen turned and started to go with the others up the hill.
"Very well, let's start up towards the top," Flynn said, "There are monsters along the way, so be careful and stay close to each other."
"When you say it like that, it loses the 'joyful picnic' feel..." Rita grumbled.
"All right, let's hurry and make our way up there," Estelle said, "I can't wait for Flynn and Tai to see it!"
As the mini quartet made the pathway into the forest, the old man couldn't help but watch the hooded teen go up. He sighed with a smile upon closing his eyes, as his alter ego of Captain Schwann snuck out to speak in a clear and honest tone.
"You claim that I'm different, while everyone else is an acquaintance. You say that you won't make friends, but I'm the exception. Tai... you don't see it yet, do you? You already have made a friendship; with me that is. And what I'm doing is what friends do; branch out and stay close with each other. Let's hope that soon you become wise enough to see that..." he said to himself.
"Hey, old man!" he heard from behind him, and turned to see Yuri calling to him, "Get your butt over here; Akihiro's gonna pop a gasket if you keep him waiting any longer to supervise our match."
Right after an agreeing bark from Repede, Akihiro grinned ecstatically as he twirled his weapons with anticipation for the starting sound and shouted, "Just wait until he says we can start; I'm gonna crush you so badly!"
Taking an awkward glance, and then feeling pale as he didn't feel so ready to fight, Yuri thought in his head, "Oh, my gosh... he's acting just like that psychopathic nutjob Zagi... I hope he doesn't go obsessed and crazy over me if he loses..."
Raven brought his current self back out and motioned to calm down, "Okay, easy, I'm comin'!" as he made his way over to the men as the others kept climbing up Ehmead Hill.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Skit – Can't figure ya out
Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face, closes eyes) Huh... Tai, I just can't figure ya out. You're such a great kid who's friendly and carin' as I have ever seen, but ya claim ya don't want friendships. Not to mention, you're so confused with explainin' how I'm different then all the others when it comes to knowin' us. (head tilts to the right, smiling, eyes remained closed) Heh, and when did ol' Raven get so wrapped up in worryin' about some random kid? (neutral face, opens eyes) You're gonna make it, Tai. And this old man will help ya figure it out.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Yuri, Repede, Raven, and Akihiro left the party.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Awww, how cute. Raven and Tai are getting closer than before. Now, before you all start getting all 'romance' on this, NO, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A TAIXRAVEN STORY. However... that doesn't mean (SPOILER ALERT) that the old man won't finally be getting a wife in this story, or maybe even Tai. But enough of that. Hope you liked this newest chapter. ^^ Keep on reading!