Beginnings III

[Rushia Lambent]

"Clothes?" She asked while crossing her arms in front of her looking critically at the disorganized backpack. Somehow, her son seemed to have managed to cram everything he needed inside despite the mess… Or so he said.

"Yep," was his simple answer as he kept reading that stupid magazine of his.

"Tent and outdoor gear?"

"Yep."

"Electric Lacrima?"

"Yep."

"Water and food? Some first aid, perhaps?" she asked with a sigh. Already expecting his answer.

"Yep."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yep," he repeated, his voice accompanied by the sound of a page flicking.

She just shook her head and started remaking the whole thing, because it was more than clear that he wasn't going to do it himself. At the very least he had stopped whining about going on an adventure with his friend.

Saulus seemed to have finally accepted his fate. That still didn't stop him from digging his feet in the ground and making this as tedious as he could for everyone involved. Rushia loved her son, but he could be very petty when he wanted to be.

"It's serious, Saul. You need to start preparing for this. I am sure Arvid is already done with his preparations."

"Yep."

With her eyebrow twitching she just looked at her youngest and admittedly laziest son. His brothers had never given her any trouble while growing up. She couldn't help wondering where she had gone so wrong with this one…

He used to be such a good kid like his brothers when he was little, but since then…

"Well, since you are done here, you could go help your friend. I know he is saving money for himself. So go lend a hand to him."

"Ye- Wait, what?" Saulus said, finally taking his nose out of that accursed magazine to look at her incredulously. "But why?! He has it handled and I don't know anything about woodworking."

"Then he can teach a little bit while at it. Just go already. I need to finish organizing this. Seriously, look at these shirts! You just made them into balls and threw them inside, they are full of wrinkles now!" Russia exclaimed as she picked up a shirt that looked as if it was folded like a used-up tissue.

"They will get wrinkled either way, mom. We are going outdoors, it is not like they will be neatly folded once we are out there," he complained with a whine. But he was already making his way towards the door, like she told him to.

As lazy as he could be, she knew he was smart. He knew that if he stayed he would have to help organize the backpack again while she supervised. Between that and helping his friend, he made the one that would allow him to slack-off the most.

Leave it to him to start thinking ahead just to pick the path of least resistance.

She knew he was capable and could do whatever he decided to do. It was just a matter for him to find the dedication to do it. Which was kind of her son's problem, really.

Hopefully, some time away from home would do him some good.

If not, well. She knew Olmert needed some help manning his new shop. He had been trying to get his own son into it, but he was a bit too young to be left alone unsupervised.

Her oldest son had always had a knack for business and collecting stuff. She didn't know exactly where he got it from, since she was sure that it wasn't from the side of her family. Neither from his father's for that matter.

Then there was Felix. Well, last she heard, his wife and him had been saving up for a ship. She didn't know if it was okay for a pregnant woman to go around the sea, but she guessed they were both free spirits. Always ready for what was beyond the horizon. Nobody was going to change their minds, that was for sure.

At the very least they made it a ritual to come visit during holidays. Something Rushia and Saul appreciated. Her youngest always got this focused look whenever his dear brother started telling his stories about his travels around the continent. It was probably the only moment when he seemed to lose his slouched laziness that had pretty much become his trademark state for the past few years.

Russia then looked at her son leaving the house, grumbling about being forced to work. She knew he was just going there to chat and look at clouds until he got bored and came back home. With some luck, this would be the right decision.

All she could do was hope for her son would find a path in life that could truly make him happy. Like any mother would.

[}-o-{]

[Miko Yanagi]

"Hi, I'm Miko!" she remembered saying, excited to meet someone new. Because Wintergreen didn't see much new blood, really. Occasionally, someone would bring a husband or a wife from outside, but children? Those were much more rare, so young Miko had been very excited to meet this new friend.

"Saul," the boy had replied flatly, looking to the side as if he'd rather be anywhere but there. The mother, behind him, had cleared her throat and gave him a look. With a sigh, the boy turned towards Miko. "It's nice to meet you, Miko," he had said in that voice that told everyone he couldn't have cared less.

"You wanna play?" she'd offered, unbothered in the face of excitement. Even the attitude was new, if rude.

"What even is there to do here?" Saul had asked, as if expecting her to tell him that the best things around were watching grass grow and paint dry.

"Tag, hide and seek, hopscotch-"

"Ugh," Saul groaned as if she had told him that they should watch grass grow and paint dry. "Maybe some other day-" he'd started before being interrupted by his mother clearing her throat once more. Maybe she was sick? Miko knew someone that could help with that… even if they usually gave yucky stuff that she'd have to drink to get better. "You know how to play marbles here?" Saul asked then, more of a mumble than anything else.

"Sure!" she'd agreed easily, happy to spend time with someone new. He seemed sad, so maybe that was why he was like that? Maybe he could be fun to be around once he started feeling better!

Unfortunately for little Miko, she wasn't quite right. Saul had kept his attitude for a long while. So much so that even enthusiastic and nice Miko had started to be unable to stand that. However, somehow, they'd stuck together. She was sure it was some mix of there being few options anyway and Mrs. Lambent nagging her son to no end.

Ultimately, Miko and Saul had ended up as friends. On her side, because she didn't need to always be nice and cheerful with him, since he hardly cared about most things. Anyone else might have had rumors and whispers about a million false things and some barely truths in a matter of minutes. Saul? Saul probably wasn't even paying attention half the time.

And on his side, because she put up with that disinterest with no issue. He'd been a moody child when they moved to Wintergreen, clearly unhappy with the whole thing. As time passed and it became obvious that his life wasn't going to return back to "normal", he'd become withdrawn. Neither of those things had ingratiated him with the other children of Wintergreen, so he'd mostly stuck with Miko. He'd never said it, but she knew he appreciated that she'd done the same with him, even if she hadn't needed to.

"Do we have to do this?"

"Yes," Miko had exclaimed, pulling on Saul's arm so that he couldn't skulk all the way back to a spot under a tree or somewhere else. "Your mother said to introduce you to some other people," she'd said then, giving the boy a glare.

"She's not here, we can do literally anything else, like sit under a tree-"

Sometimes Miko wondered if she was psychic or something. Could one be a mage without knowing?

"She could find out. And I want to do it too. Who knows maybe Lara would-?"

"But you hate Lara," Saul pointed out, making her huff.

"I don't hate her!... Much," she defended weakly. "Who knows, maybe this time she won't be so annoying-Who's that?" she asked then, looking to the side. There was a boy in the playground that she'd never seen and that was strange. Usually she'd be the first to learn about anyone new around, being the daughter of the innkeepers. Rumors reached the place real quick, when it wasn't that people went straight there for a place to stay the night.

"How am I supposed to know?" Saul asked her incredulously. "You are the one that knows everyone."

"I don't know everyone," she'd retorted, mostly because that had evidently been disproven then and there. She'd never seen that boy there before. The fact that he was on his own, separated from everyone else seemed to further proof that he was new, at least in her young mind. "Let's go."

"Do we have-"

"Yes," she had interrupted before Saul could start again. "Hi, I'm Miko and this is Saul," she introduced, drawing a wide eyed look from the boy. He had apparently not even noticed their approach, too focused on something he held in his hands. "Isn't it dangerous to play with knives?" she asked, making the boy blink.

"No?" he had answered, sounding like he was still processing their presence there.

"Is that a bird?" she asked then, turning to the other object in his hand.

"It's supposed to be," the boy answered, slumping a little. "The bird I was looking at flew away though, so I can't make it look the same way now," he mumbled, sighing as he looked at the half-finished carving of a wooden bird. "I was so close too."

"It looks pretty," she told him, because it was true. If she'd tried to draw a bird, it'd have been… not good, but this boy could carve a bird that looked half-decent? That might as well have been a work of art, as far as she was concerned. Miko looked to his side towards her friend only to see him staring forlornly into a small copse at the edge of the park.

A quick elbow to his ribs quickly solved the problem

"Ouch! Wha- Oh, yeah. It looks cool," Saul said as he rubbed his sides. His attention back to the conversation.

"Thanks… Oh, I'm, er, I'm Arvid… Sawyer."

"From the carpenter family?" she asked, finally having at least a clue as to who this boy was.

"Yeah… Seventh generation," the boy replied, sounding about as enthusiastic as Saul was about- Wait.

"Saul!" she shouted, looking at the boy trying to sneak away from them. Instantly, her friend flinched, not even trying to look guilty.

"Dammit."

"No swear words!" Miko scolded him then.

"It is not a swear word. Felix says it all the time," He had grumbled with a tiny frown.

"It is."

"Nu-uh."

"It is."

"Nu-uh."

"It is, isn't it?" Miko asked, turning towards Arvid, who had been looking at the whole conversation with his head swiveling from side to side.

"... Pretty sure it is, yeah," he had mumbled then, making her turn towards Saul, victorious.

"Ha!"

"Whatever," Saul grumbled.

"I have never seen you at the playground before," she had inquired with a tilt of her head. She knew that the Sawyers were one of the oldest families in Wintergreen and that they had a son their age from her parents, but she had never actually seen him before.

Arvid shrugged while he fiddled with the small carved bird. He seemed a bit shy.

"I don't come here often. Dad says that I should see how he works if I want to take over the family business. Mom said that I should play with other kids though, so…here I am." The new kid's eyes locked on his feet as he shuffled and kicked a bit of dirt.

"Arvid!" a voice called, making the boy sit up straighter. "We need to go back to the workshop. Are you done here?!" Miko followed the billowing voice to see a giant man who looked like he'd had trouble passing through doors.

"Yeah, I'm done here, dad!" Arvid called then, sounding tired. "Not like I was going to finish this anyway," he added under his breath, looking at the wooden bird in his hand.

"I think it looks pretty as it is," Miko told him, smiling widely. Sure, the bird's beak was a little off and the lower part of it looked like it'd been fused with a tiny tree stump, but it was still way pretty.

"You want it?" Arvid had asked then and little Miko had barely had time to blink before the wooden bird was placed in her hands. By the time her brain caught up with things, the boy had already left and she was still standing there.

"Your face looks weird," Saul commented then, looking at her curiously.

"Is not!"

"Is too."

Before she knew it, Miko started dragging along not only Saul but also Arvid whenever the latter was free from his father's workshop. It wasn't often, but it wasn't terribly rare either, even if it was usually for a short amount of time. Soon, it had become a common sight to see the three of them somewhere.

And so they grew.

Saul got used to Wintergreen, even if he never grew out of his laziness. He learned to… maybe not like, but tolerate the small town and what little there was to it. He learned to pick his battles when it came to his mother and overall became a lot more likable. It wasn't saying that much, considering how he started, but the other kids didn't leave immediately anymore, so Miko supposed that was a win.

Arvid had grown a little less withdrawn, since he now had people to interact with other than his family. He still didn't get out as much as Miko thought he should though. And that had nothing to do with the boy growing more attractive by the day, no sir.

Speaking of attractive, Miko liked thinking that she grew more so herself, if at least a little, as the years passed. The other boys certainly seemed to notice, even if Saul didn't care and Arvid was absolutely clueless. She also started growing calmer, regardless of Saul's claims of her having the temper of a rabid Vulcan, less excitable and more responsible once she started helping with the family business. She could certainly understand Arvid a little better then though. It became dull, to have to keep to the mundane routine.

Which made some things make a lot more sense.

Like the boy's desire to learn more about the world outside of Wintergreen.

"How was the big city like, Saul?" Miko had asked her oldest friend once. They were visiting Arvid at his family's place and it had been a little awkward to just stand there while the boy worked on some piece of furniture. Instantly, she knew that she'd made the right decision when Arvid perked up, taking his eyes away from his work for a moment to look at Saul as if he were seeing him for the first time.

"You went to a city?" the boy had asked then, staring intently.

"Hmm?" Saul mumbled as he directed his attention away from Arvid's small collection of wooden animals. "Yeah, I was born in Crocus, actually. Mom, Felix, and I moved to Wintergreen last year. Big bro stayed, though. Mom said that he will visit during the winter break with his fiancee."

The six year old just sat plopped onto the big sofa next to her as he spoke. Instead of sitting properly like her, however, he just got his feet on top of the small coffee table and looked like he was searching for the best position to take a nap. It was very inappropriate, but at least Arvid didn't seem to care. Miko honestly didn't feel like arguing with Saul at that moment.

"As for how the big city was… Well, I guess it was, big?" Saul had said as if that was enough of an explanation. If she were to judge by the way he nodded to himself and started to close his eyes, she would say that it was certainly enough for him.

"Aaaand?" she insisted with a pout and a slap on the leg. "You can't end it there! How many people were there? Are the dresses as pretty as in the books?! Did you see the princess?!" Miko's eyes were sparkling with wonder. She imagined herself in the busy capital wearing all those pretty, fashionable, expensive design clothes she usually caught in the magazines Saul liked to read.

Saul directed a withering glare at her for the slap but answered her questions nonetheless.

"How would I know about the stupid ass dresses-"

That earned him another slap.

"No swearing," was all she said.

"I don't know about dresses, but I guess things are more lively there," Saul had grumbled, still glaring at her. "There is always something to see or do. There was this one time, when they had a really big party because the princess was born. I got to see a lot of the Royal Guards and a ton of mages around," he continued then, his anger quickly fading. It was the first time she had ever seen Saul so enthusiastic about telling something. She barely had to prop him to talk like usual. Getting him to say more than three sentences was like pulling a tooth. "There is also this very big plaza in the middle of the city. Me and- Me and big bro would go there a lot because there were usually a lot of mages making stuff to attract customers to some of the stores there."

"What kind of stuff?" Arvid asked, leaning towards Saul with his eyes almost shining.

"Well, there was this guy that could make fires of all colors and made shapes with them. Then he gathered them all and made the rainbow the shape of the store's logo. Then there was this woman that started singing and a lot of birds started appearing and dancing around. And then-"

"Kids!" Arvid's father called and Miko saw the boy cringe and whine a weak "No!", looking like all his dreams had been crushed right before his very eyes. "Mrs. Lambent is here looking for Saulus!"

"Fuck-"

"Language," Miko chidded on instinct, even through her own disappointment.

"Right, she wanted to work on her garden," Saul mumbled, looking like he'd rather do anything else.

"Quick, come on," Arvid said then, standing up and taking one of the other boy's arms and pulling him towards the piece of furniture. "Take this," he added, passing a piece of sandpaper towards Saul. "Rub this here, straight and long," he hissed before turning towards the door. "Saul is helping me, dad!"

"Saul is what?" they heard a distinctly female voice, much closer. It seemed the adults were getting closer. A moment later, in came Mrs. Lambent, stopping at the door to blink as her son did as Arvid had said. "Well, I'll be," the woman said, surprised. "Guess the garden can wait."

"Is he any good?" Arvid's father asked, looking just as surprised.

"He tries," the boy replied, looking the picture of innocence.

"Guess we can leave you kids to it then," Mrs. Lambent commented, still looking at her son with wide eyes. "Wouldn't want to stop Saul from working on something for once."

"I resent that… but fair," Saul retorted while repeating the same motion Arvid just taught him.

A moment later, both adults left.

"You can stop now," Arvid told Saul then, grinning widely as he looked at the other boy. "Now, tell me more about the mages."

Saul didn't say anything for a long moment though, instead looking at Arvid as if he were looking at him for the first time. Then he grinned right back. That was the moment that Miko remembered as the one when they actually became friends.

And now they sat in front of her, ready to leave Wintergreen behind.

Ready to leave her behind.

"What do you mean you aren't telling your parents?" Miko asked, looking at Arvid as if he'd gone mad. Their little impromptu dinner at her place was quickly forgotten. How could he just- leave without even saying goodbye?!

"You know my father, Miko," he answered, rolling his eyes as if she were the weird one. "He would never stand for it. He doesn't like the idea of me leaving for a quick trip, nevermind going for an extended period of time. I'll leave them a letter though. They won't stop me, I won't let them," he explained, more serious and firm than she'd ever heard him.

That's when Miko knew, there was no way she'd get him to stay either. Nobody was going to stop Arvid. This wasn't the kind and obliging boy that would listen and help anyone and everyone. This was the boy that had always wanted to do something for himself.

"He's gone crazy," Saul grumbled, the only one who was actually eating the meal she'd prepared. "This is really good, Miko," he commented, as if things were completely normal and they weren't leaving Wintergreen.

"I mean, it's Miko's cooking, what did you expect? She's amazing," Arvid said then, rolling his eyes and turning his attention to the plate in front of him then. "Besides," he continued then, pausing to swallow. "It's not like we are going away forever. We'll visit… eventually."

'Don't focus on the compliment, Miko,' she thought to herself, trying not to let those words get to her. She needed to keep her mind in the game. There were more important things to think about. 'Even if it's really nice to hea- No!'

"How soon is… eventually?" she asked, looking between them. Saul's response was a careless shrug. "Like… a month?"

"Er…" Arvid mumbled, leaning back a little before going back forward. Miko didn't like the expression on his face. "Maybe not that soon. My father would kill me."

"And that'd change when then?"

"Point," he agreed. She really didn't like that he agreed. "I guess we'll just see."

"And you agree with this madness?" Miko asked, turning towards Saul.

"Huh?" he responded with some noodles hanging from his lips. "Don't bring me into this. I am the one that wanted to stay."

"First of all, it's not madness," Arvid protested. "Second of all, his mother didn't exactly leave him a choice." Yeah, that checked out. At least something in all this made sense. "But hey, maybe we can see each other anyway. If we do well, maybe we can pay you a vacation wherever we are. Magnolia, hopefully."

"You know I can't leave, Arvid," Miko told him, her expression twisting painfully. "I have to help with the family here. They need me and I have to take over the family business."

"That's why you are a great person, Miko," Arvid told her with a slight smile, making her heart flutter. 'Why does he look so sad though?' she wondered as he chuckled weakly. "A much better person than me, that's for sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do that," he answered instantly, pushing his food around idly as his expression fell. "I can't focus on them, and making them happy, and taking over my father's job and being the seventh Sawyer generation in Wintergreen. I can't. I won't. I will go out there, see the world, see everything it can offer me and do as much as I can. Because I want to be me, I want to be Arvid… Not the seventh Sawyer generation. I simply can't carry that on my shoulders like you do."

Miko wanted to say something to that. She really did. And yet, no words came to her. Nothing her mind came up with sounded right. She felt powerless.

Again.

"I- I need to go. Excuse me," was all she said as she power walked out of the room by herself. Arvid called for her but she just couldn't answer right now, her throat locked up and she felt her vision go blurry.

She needed some air.

[}-o-{]

"I knew I would find you here," a voice said next to her. The chilly air of the night made her hug herself a little tighter. The distant sound of the central plaza could be barely heard from outside the small playground. The old swing that Mr. Sawyer once made for all the kids still remained strong, even if in need of some repairs, after years of use. "You always liked to come here when you got upset or angry." Saul continued as he took the swing next to her. The wood from the old dried structure let out a small creak in protest to the added weight.

They used to play here a lot when they were kids. It was a spot where all three of them could get together and be brats for a bit. Saul stopped being his lazy self, Arvid could relax from work, and Miko…

"I am sorry. For leaving like that, I mean," Miko said as she cleaned the tears from her eyes. 'God, I must look as silly as I feel right now,' she thought self-deprecatingly. The stars and the moon of the clear night let her see her oldest friend clearly. He was looking towards the town. His hands went around the swing's chains for support and back into his jacket pockets. She kind of wished she had brought her own. It was a very cold night, after all.

"Nah, I get it." was all he said. And she believed him. Saul probably already had an idea of what the problem was. For all his laziness and apparent apathy, Saul could be surprisingly perceptive when he bothered to show it.

Both of them descended into a slightly awkward silence as she failed to respond. He didn't push her to say anything else though, simply letting her take her time and gather her thoughts. He sat there in silence instead, swinging himself slightly with his feet barely leaving the ground. It was a bit familiar in a way. It reminded her of most of their interactions when they were kids. Saul stayed quiet and she looked for a way to keep a conversation.

"It hurts, you know? That n-no matter what I do, I will never catch up with you two. That while you leave, I will have to stay here waiting to see you come back from the window. Hear all your stories and adventures and only daydream about how I wished I would have been there too," she said between a new round of sobs, hot tears warming her cold cheeks. Her body shook like a leaf as she hugged her knees to her body.

Was she also going to be left behind without another word? Cast aside when she became too insignificant for both of them? She knew that wasn't what Arvid meant. She knew she was being stupid right now. He wasn't throwing anyone aside. But even then…

"..." Saul said nothing as he looked at her. His droopy eyes fully focused for once in his life.

"I hate it. I hate that I will never get to reach both of you. Only because I wasn't born as one of the lucky ones. Because I wasn't like you two. I don't have a fancy natural caster magic, or even the chance to use holder magic. I don't have a magic container at all!" A self-deprecating laugh left her lips as she mocked herself. "Do you know how frustrating it is? Having to see someone else live your dreams while you sit on the sides just because you weren't lucky enough to be born with the right to cross the starting line?!"

"And now, when I finally thought that I found something to live for. When I finally thought that I could move on from silly dreams and live in reality, it was ripped away. You are here, ready to leave me behind to reach the skies. I-I just…" She just didn't know what to do anymore. If only she had been born with magic. "I feel so useless…"

It was the reason she was so frustrated with Saulus too. He had magic, the chance to become one of those whose names were ingrained in history, yet he did nothing with it. He just gave up for some reason, always looking at it as useless and not worth the effort.

And in a way, ironically enough, she liked that too. Because it meant that he wouldn't leave. He would stay there with both of them. It helped her delude herself that things wouldn't change.

Then, that day, when both Arvid and her did that stupid test with that Eternano testing Lacrima, when Arvid was revealed to have the gift only one in ten people seemed to be born with, she deluded herself thinking he would be the same as Saul. Maybe he would give up on his gift and stay here with her.

They would never fly away and reach the impossible. They would stay on the ground with her. Her own thoughts made her feel sick.

And now, in the end, both were leaving her behind. To wait for their return, not even a footnote in their story as they soar for the stars, while she stayed down here.

A part of her wondered if it was Karma striking her back for her envy at her own closest friends.

"Remember that time you got into your head that we should do a morning exercise routine?" Saul suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Miko was pulled away from her thoughts at the odd non sequitur.

"We were like thirteen or fourteen… I can't exactly remember. But, I do recall you went to Arvid's and my house every damn day at six in the morning and wouldn't leave no matter how many times I tried to ignore you. I even tried to block the door and put traps around my house just to stop you, but you kept breaking them and then beating me up before dragging me for training," he continued.

She remembered that. It started with an uncalled comment from her mom saying she had been gaining weight as of late back then. Logically for a teenage girl that just started puberty and was very conscious about her appearance, it had lit a fire under her.

"God, I hated you so much during each and every single one of those mornings." She also remembered that. He would never fail to curse at her whenever she caught him slacking off or trying to skip the exercises. If she had to suffer, then they would all suffer together.

"No matter how hard I tried to give up back then, you would never leave me alone. No matter how much I begged for mercy or dropped dead in the middle of the road, you would grab me by the arms and force me to run another lap around the town. Every. Single. Damn. Morning," he punctuated his words with a twitching eyelid.

"Language," she responded with a giggle, but the memory of those times lifted her mood somewhat.

"Then there was that other time. The one that Arvid tried to teach us how to carve his animal sculptures. Remember that? You cut your fingers so many times with the tools and broke so many that we had to sneak another batch of wood from his dad's place. You even came here and started crying too."

Now it was her eyelids that twitched.

"Yes, I remember that. I also remember that you came and sat next to me and told me that my puffy eyes and snot made me look like a troll, then proceeded to state I would never get it right so we should go take a nap," she hissed through her teeth. Younger Miko hadn't appreciated that.

"Hehehe, yeah, I remember that. Good times." The ass had the gall to grow a satisfied smile.

"If you are here to make fun of m-"

"Let me finish, will you? I promise I have a point. Anyway, after that you kicked my ass and took my share of the wood and started practicing with it and finally made that bird. You gave it to V for his birthday too. It made me want to puke rainbows and stuff."

"Is this going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I am just saying that you are being stupid."

Miko's mind came to a screeching halt. She was expecting a lot from Saul, but even after all these years of knowing him, this one caught her by surprise. What the actual fu-?

"Excuse me?"

"I am saying that you are being stupid," he said.

Then he looked aside with a frown that looked far too much like the pout of a child. He ran his fingers through his scalp as if he was trying to dumb down what he meant for her, but not finding the words. An orator, he was not, that was for sure..

"No matter how many times you tried to make that figurine, you kept failing, and even then you kept trying until you succeeded. No matter how many times I tried to give up doing those exercises, you were right there to push me back into it until I finished, despite how much I hated them. You never gave up those times, why are you giving up now?" Saul continued trying to make his point across as if she should have caught on by now.

Suddenly, Miko found that she couldn't have said anything even if she'd wanted to, because her mind seemed to have stopped working as she listened to her friend.

"Who cares if you have no magic or whatever? You want to become a mage for as long as I have known you, right? Then just… go for it. Someone calling it impossible didn't stop you when you were making that figurine, after all," He stated as if that made all the sense in the world.

"Saul, making a wooden statue and becoming a mage are not the same thing. You can't just become one," Miko retorted.

"And why not? I mean, if that is who you really want to be. Then who is going to stop you? At the end of the day. It is only you that can decide what your limits are."

"That is hilarious coming from you, of all people, Saul," she said with a bit of venom in her voice.

"Exactly. It comes from me. No matter what, I have never let anyone else's expectations of who I should be or what I should dedicate myself to influence me. Not my mom, not Arvid, not even you. As pathetic as it may look to you, I am happy being who I am, and I won't let others tell me how I should live my life," he answered her with a nonchalant shrug. He was a lazy bum and would never let anyone but him change that if he didn't want to. It was inspiring in the most stupid of ways, she guessed. "I think you are the same in that regard. No matter what happened or what people told you, you always were ready to try again. Why would this be any different?"

"Didn't your mom force you to go with Arvid? Doesn't that go against your whole point?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. However, she couldn't help the way her lips twitched up slightly. She was feeling a little bit better, she'd admit, if in the privacy of her own mind.

"Yes, but that is because I am not only a lazy ass, I am also a coward." The shamelessness of the statement being said with so much pride made her giggle. Saul accompanied her with his own chuckle after a few moments.

Both of them descended into a comfortable silence as they swung themselves slowly under the clear starry sky.

"If you always wanted to go out there and become a mage. Who cares what anyone else says? If it is truly what you want, then I know that you will get there eventually even if the whole world is against you, besides…" he continued. His voice gained a soft yet embarrassed tone, before cutting himself off.

Miko just looked at him with a small smile as he blushed a little bit. She knew he was trying to do his best to cheer her up, in his dumb aggressive way. Saul had always been bad at expressing his feelings.

"Besides, it is not like you will actually have the whole world against you, you know? There's Arvid and me here too. We will be there for you at every step of the way. Even when it is against yourself, we will just wake you up at six, grab you by the arms, and force you to run another lap," he said with finality as he crossed his arms and nodded to himself. "Call it karma, if you will."

Miko just tittered behind her hand and it soon became a very unlady-like laugh. It came straight from her belly that filled the silent playground. She just couldn't stop. New tears, happy ones this time, fell from her eyes as she doubled herself unable to keep sitting straight.

"Will you stop laughing already? I thought it was cool…" Saul whined, his face as red as a tomato as he tried and failed to go back to his aloof self.

She couldn't help it. It was so Un-Saul-like, and yet so much like him. To try to help her in such a roundabout way. It was hilarious.

"If it helps, I think it was pretty cool, man," a new voice said and both of them turned to see Arvid, standing behind them, leaning on a post. "Never thought I'd see the day where Saul was the smart one and Miko was the dumb one, but I guess everything's possible."

"It is pretty weird, right?" Miko asked in between laughs, unable to help herself.

"See if I try to be nice again," Saul grumbled then, going back to swinging himself lightly.

"I'm sorry," Arvid said then, moving to take the seat on the other side of Miko. "For upsetting you."

"You don't hav-"

"But I do," he interrupted, looking ahead instead of at her. "This has been something I've wanted since… forever. But that doesn't excuse me being an idiot to one of my best friends."

He had that same look on his face again and, as he turned towards her again, Miko couldn't bring herself to try and deny what he was saying.

"... I accept your apology," she mumbled then, and it was her turn to look down and away from him.

"Saul's not wrong though, for once," he added and she could hear the smile on his voice. "We'll help you and support you with whatever you want to do. God knows we owe you that much."

"Damn rig-" Saul started before pausing and turning to glare at him. "What do you mean for once? You know what? Nice Saulus is gone. You killed him. Hope you are proud of yourself," he said as he left the swing and laid in the grass to look at the stars.

"You called me stupid and then reminded me of some of the most frustrating memories I have. How is that nice Saul?"

"She's got you there, man" Arvid agreed with a nod. "And what's this about stealing wood? That was you? I got grounded for a week, man!"

"It was for a good cause! Miko was becoming a troll!"

"I'll show you a troll!"

"She even admits it!"

As they started with a much more usual kind of "conversation" though, Miko's mind drifted.

Maybe, just maybe, she could fly alongside them too.

[} Chapter End {]

Arc: This one was certainly a longer chapter than usual…

Adrian: And I blame Arc for that.

Arc: Of course you do…

Adrian: Are you saying it's not your fault?

Arc: I fully take the blame for this one!

Adrian: See, people? Memes can be right!

Arc: I hope the readers enjoy it at least. Took quite a bit of work to finish and review, but I think we got all the points we wanted across.

Adrian: So, do let us know what you think, yeah? Either here or through Discord.

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ