Summary: On the first night of his new adventure, Partitio is having a hard time sleeping. He realizes that he is not the only one, and he and Osvald take the time to learn more about each other and their reasons for traveling.

It was a quiet night in the Leaflands, with only the occasional animal call disturbing the tranquil silence. Countless stars sparkled high above in the cloudless sky, while the moon bathed the earth in a gentle glow. It was a perfect night for a restful sleep.

Partitio, however, couldn't sleep a wink.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Partitio opened his eyes and sat up, running a hand through his messy black hair. Glancing around, he saw that Temenos, Throné, and Ochette were all fast asleep; they must have gotten used to sleeping out in the wild like this.

He stood and stretched his arms, taking the time to admire how amazing the sky looked out here. Oresrush wasn't a large town by any means, but even the little light that the building there gave off dampened the beauty of the night sky significantly.

And that wasn't even half of it; Partitio had never seen so much green in his life! Towering trees with leaves a plenty, thick grass that grew along the foot-worn paths, and the babbling river that ran through parts of the forest were very new to him. Excitement welled up within him; he couldn't wait to see what other wonderful sights the world had to offer.

"Can't sleep?"

Partitio practically jumped out of his skin as a voice snapped him from his thoughts, and he looked over to find Osvald still sitting at the campfire. Partitio let out a sheepish chuckle as he walked over to him.

"Golly Osvald, you almost scared me into an early grave!" he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down on the log next to him. Osvald grunted in response and went back to poking at the logs in the fire with a stick. "What's got you still up and about?"

"...Nightmares. You?"

Partitio didn't expect that answer, and he chuckled nervously as his gaze fell to the ground. "Well, er, I think the excitement of leavin' Oresrush for the first time's got me all riled up still."

"Hmp," was the only response Osvald gave, and an awkward silence fell over them.

Partitio's first impression of Osvald that he was a peculiar fellow. For some reason he dressed in very worn out clothes, and wore a metal collar with chains around his neck. He was the quietest of their fellow travelers, and was apparently a scholar of some renown. Partitio remembered the awe that he felt when he watched Osvald light the campfire with a flick of his wrist. He knew a little bit of fire magic himself, but Osvald was on a completely different level, and that's without taking into consideration that he also wielded ice and lighting with masterful ease. He wondered what drove his desire to travel the world.

After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, Partitio's curiosity got the better of him. "Hey, Osvald?"

"Hm?"

"What has you travelin' the world with a rowdy bunch of strangers like us?" Osvald's face seemed to darken, even while lit up by the light of the fire, and he didn't respond for a while. Partitio shifted uncomfortably; maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all. He opened his mouth to tell Osvald that he didn't have to answer, but he was beaten to the punch.

"I am seeking revenge on the man who framed me for the murder of my wife and daughter," he said, his voice low and dripping with anger.

Partitio stared at Osvald, with wide eyes and his jaw hanging open with shock, as the latter recounted the tale of how his former research partner had betrayed him to steal his research, set fire to his family's home and killed them, framed him for it, and how he had escaped from a hellish, frigid prison after five years. Partitio felt his chest tighten and eyes become moist. This was…a lot for him to take in, and it certainly explained why Osvald had nightmares.

"Now that you know," Osvald said after he finished recounting his tale, "Do you still want to travel with someone who carries the raging fires of revenge within his breast?" Partitio couldn't respond right away, however, as he had started to cry.

"Aw hells, Osvald," Partitio said after he had composed himself, and he sniffed as he wiped his face on his sleeve, "That's…I'm…awfully sorry you had to go through something so…damn horrific."

Osvald stared at him with narrowed eyes, confusion written plain on his face. His gaze then shifted to the fire, his brown eyes seeming to compete with it to see which could burn brighter.

"I don't need your pity," he spat, jabbing at a log so that it fell over and sent sparks flying into the air. Partitio shook his head as his gaze turned to the flames as well.

"Naw, I don't pity you." He looked at Osvald until the latter slowly turned his head to meet his gaze. "I…actually admire you."

"What?"

"Well, you went through something so terrible, but instead of giving up, you're here, fightin' on to avenge your loved ones." A small smile crossed Partitio's face. "I reckon that takes some true grit and determination."

Partitio felt sweat start to bead at the back of his neck as Osvald stared at him over his glasses, with an intense, scrutinizing look in his eyes. He winced slightly, waiting for Osvald to snap at him again, but he just huffed instead and fell silent.

Partitio let a relieved sigh slip out before speaking again: "Anywho, to answer your question: Yes, I still wanna travel with y'all." Osvald didn't respond, so Partitio continued.

"I told ya, I need some reliable folk to help me achieve my goals." Partitio clenched a hand into a fist, grinning as his eyes blazed with excitement. "I'm gonna rid the world of poverty."

"Why?"

"Huh?" Partitio blinked as he turned, finding Osvald glancing at him out of the corner of his eye as he poked at the fire again.

"Why do you feel so strongly about getting rid of poverty?"

A melancholy smile crossed Partitio's face as he propped an elbow onto his knee and rest his chin in his hand. "Well…It's because I've experienced first hand how much it negatively impacts people's lives, and prevents them from achieving their dreams."

"Their dreams?"

"Yep. Dreams are important, you know," Partitio said, a big grin crossing his face. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a silver coin, flicking it into the air with his thumb and catching it as it fell back down. "They give people a purpose in life, and that makes the world a happier place."

Partitio's gaze turned up to the sky, as he continued: "I believe that wealth should be shared, not hoarded, so that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams, without being held down by the threat of starvation or homelessness. That way, we all can focus on making this world a better place, for everyone."

"Hmm…" was Osvald's response, and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the fire, as if he was deep in thought. Partitio waited for a moment to see if he would say anything, and continued when he didn't.

"You got any dreams, Osvald? Er, well besides the whole revenge thing." Partitio let out a nervous chuckle. Osvald slowly lifted his gaze to the sky and sighed.

"Before Harvey betrayed me, we were working on finding the One True Magic. I would…like to continue that research some day, I suppose."

"That's great!" Partitio said, beaming as he placed his hand on Osvald's shoulder. "I'm gonna do everything I can to help you achieve that dream!"

"Are you now?" Osvald raised an eyebrow at him, and Partitio swore he saw a ghost of a smile tug at his lips. "Do you know any magic?"

"Ah, well…" Partitio said, scratching at his chin, "I know a little bit of fire magic. Nothin' quite as fancy as what you can do, but it kept me and Pops warm during those cold nights when we were still strugglin' financially."

"Show me."

Partitio blinked and tilted his head at Osvald, who watched him with an unreadable expression. He certainly did not expect that from him, but Partitio didn't want to disappoint, so he held his hand out palm-up. His face scrunched up as he concentrated, and a small flame suddenly burst out of his palm. It was child's play compared to what Osvald could do, but Osvald hummed in contemplation and slowly nodded.

"Hmm, I see…" Osvald mumbled, reaching under Partitio's hand and giving the back of it a firm poke. Partitio's hand stretched open wider in response, and his eyes widened when the flame grew slightly. Osvald stroked his beard thoughtfully as he moved his hand over the flame for a few moments.

"The flame is shaky, but it has nice heat to it," Osvald continued, his lips twitching slightly upwards. "Not bad. You have potential. Maybe I'll find some time to teach you more." Osvald turned to look at him over his glasses, and Partitio's face lit up.

"Really?" Partitio clapped his hands together as he let out an ecstatic shout. "Thankee kindly, Osvald! I won't let ya down!"

"Shh, you'll wake the others," Osvald said, frowning as he pressed a finger to his lips.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that…"

A comfortable silence fell over them, and Partitio was brimming with anticipation. Learning magic wasn't something he had planned for this journey, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let an opportunity to be tutored by a true expert pass him by.

He was also glad that he got to know more about Osvald. His tragic past made Partitio's heart ache for him, but knowing that he hadn't just given up made him want to help in any way he could, and to also put everything he had into achieving his own goals in life. This truly was going to be the adventure of a lifetime, and Partitio was glad that someone like Osvald was going to be around for the ride.

He continued to watch the fire with Osvald well into the night, until it had burned out to a pile of smoldering ashes. The cold set in as they finally went to sleep, but even the chill in the air could not extinguish the fires that burned within them.