A Place to Call Home [Erik+Jin+Open]

Just outside of town, a small boy lay on the ground. His hands and knees were covered in dirt and splinters, his feet were cut up, bloody, and swollen, and he was so thin that his ribs were noticeable though his coat. He glowed with a faint light, and every once in awhile, he breathed, though that was starting to get increasingly difficult for him to do. At this point, the boy, unaware of the fact that he was sitting at the threshold of an entire city, had already decided that he was on the verge of death, and was prepared to go to Valhalla or Helheimr or wherever he was going to go after death. Probably Helheimr, since he couldn't think of anything remarkable that he had done.

He opened his eyes a little bit to catch one last glimpse of the woods. Despite the fact that he'd been running for his life through them, he decided that they were ultimately very pretty. Yeah, a nice thing to have as the last thing he saw right before he died. He only wished that someone would sing him a song right before he died, maybe something like what his mother or brothers would sing to him when they were all together. He closed his eyes, ready for the cold hand of death to take him away.

Jin had become somewhat obsessed with river stones during the past decade, collecting enough fill up a small pond. Unfortunately, while gathering these stones, he inevitably ended up somewhere other than where he was meant to go, which resulted in very long lectures from his brother. Luckily, he’d ended up in a very familiar place this time; the small forest just along the edge of town. The young dragon walked nonchalantly through the mess of leaves and twigs, a dozen smooth stones rattling melodically in his pockets.

While on his way to town, he caught a whiff of something slightly off putting, purely by chance. If the wind had been blowing in any other direction, it was very likely that he would never have smelled the curious scent, bringing his attention towards the pale someone lying motionless in a heap of crumpled leaves. Jin’s eyes widened, surprised to see something so odd in a place he’d written off as completely ordinary. He edged closer to the shining figure, eyeing it warily. Whatever it was, it smelled very similar to the forest, but the scent was somehow sullied by soot and something else that reminded him of the soil.

Jin climbed onto a large rock that lay near the thing, hoping to get a better look at it while still keeping a safe distance away. The boy pressed against the stone until he was lying fully on his stomach and continued to watch the odd creature in silence, wondering if it was going to get up anytime soon.

The boy could feel something walking around him. Was it death? Is this what dying felt like? Curious, he opened an eye and saw another boy about his age sitting on a nearby rock, staring at him. This boy had strange markings on his face, unlike anything he had ever seen before. Death seemed awfully young, but he supposed that he shouldn't really question things like this.

"Have you come to take me away?" he asked. "If you have, just don't make it hurt, okay?" He closed his eyes again, this time bracing himself to be hurled into another world. Passing from one world to another was a breeze if it was done slowly enough, but being hurled into another one... he wasn't too certain about that.

Jin jumped when the shiny thing started to talk, not really knowing what to expect. Its voice was weak though, and as he strained to make out what it was saying, he unconsciously rolled his pearl underneath his chin, using it as a sort of pillow while he observed the boy before him.

“Take you where? I’m not public transport,” he answered, sounding a bit insulted. “And why would I hurt you? You already look pretty beat up. Next time you go for a hike in the forest, you should consider shoes.”

He watched the other for a few more minutes before sitting up and rolling his pearl back into his hands, taking a few tentative steps forward. Though he was convinced that whatever was in front of him was in no condition to do any sort of damage, one still couldn’t be too sure. He’d heard stories about monsters that pretended to be lost travelers only to swallow any poor soul who tried to help them.

“...Are you trying to get into town?”

"Town? What town?" he asked. He hadn't seen a town since he'd been taken from his own. Well, alright, this person didn't seem to be death... just a very unusual looking boy.

He attempted to sit up, but that required the use of his hands, and they hurt too much right now. Whimpering, he ultimately determined that he just wasn't getting up right now and lay back down. "I can't," he said. "I'm just gonna die here." How cruel! He came so close to civilization, only to be unable to reach it right as he was close. Or at least, he assumed it was close, with the way the other boy was talking about it.

“Yeah, Mythos,” Jin said, nodding towards a worn path to the other boy’s right. “You know; the huge town with lots of shops and people and buildings and stuff? ...You're not from here, huh?”

He continued watching the boy try his best to get up, wincing when he fell over repeatedly in pain and exhaustion. What really got his attention was the shiny thing’s acceptance of its own death. It was a very odd thing to hear someone say, and it unsettled the young dragon quite a bit. Jin wanted to help, but he couldn’t really carry the other boy without making his wounds worse; at least, not looking the way he did now. He supposed using his other form’s mouth would be another option, but...well, not too many people appreciated being carried around by a dragon.

“You can’t just accept that you're going to die,” he protested, kneeling over the weakened boy. “Gege told me that a thought like that should never ever cross your mind. Come on, it’s just a little bit farther – I even know where to get some potions to fix your cuts.”

Just a little farther... just a little farther... could he make it? Perhaps the boar led him here so that he could meet this boy and get healed. Yes, maybe he was meant to live and get well!

With that in mind, Erik fumbled around until he was able to stand. By this point, his feet had at least had a little bit of time to heal while his hands and knees were still freshly injured, so for now, he would walk. "Where should I go?" he asked, feeling as if he might fall over at any point.

Jin instinctively got under the other boy’s arm, allowing himself to be used as a sort of crutch. He clutched his pearl tightly, similar to how a child would hug a security blanket. This was really weird...but kind of exciting too.

“See that dirt road?” he asked as they slowly walked towards it. “If we follow it, it’ll lead right into town. The ‘pothecary isn’t too far from here either, so we can go there and get some stuff for you. Gege says I’m not allowed to go in, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him~ Besides, I heard it’s run by a human; I’ve never seen one before! But...I’ve never seen whatever you are either. Are you a human?”

He shook his head. "No, I'm an elf. My name is Erik. What's yours?" Kind of a weird time to be asking for names, but he figured that it was only polite to ask the name of his rescuer. That said, Erik was rarely polite, but he figured this was one of those circumstances where it would be best to be polite.

As they walked, Erik used this other boy as a crutch more and more. He was just so tired, and wherever this pothacoptamus person was just seemed so very, very far away. He pushed himself to go farther in hopes that he would be there soon. Maybe the pothacoptamus had food and water, as well? Erik had almost forgotten what eating and drinking almost felt like. Oh, was he really going to live after all?

“To pronounce it correctly, I’d have to rip out your intestines and shove ’em up your nostrils,” Jin teased, pausing every few steps to adjust to Erik’s weight. “...Just kidding. My name’s Jin. Really easy to remember; it’s like the sound a sword makes when it’s unsheathed.”

After a pleasant silence and a few more stumbles, they had finally made it out of the forest. As the trees began to thin out, a bustling town came into view – creatures of every size, shape, and colour were running about, carrying a variety of odd items, from barking books to sobbing tea kettles. Jin looked around for the store he’d seen several times before, the one that seemed to have a potion for every situation. He remembered that there had always been a white rabbit in the window display when he and Yao passed by – his older brother had never allowed him to step inside, claiming its owner would gouge his eyes out with a spoon, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Already short of breath, Jin practically dragged Erik to the apothecary as soon as he spotted it. Stubbornly refusing to set down his pearl, the young dragon attempted to shove open the door using his other shoulder, silently hoping that he wasn’t about to fall over.

Arthur had been busy bottling another potion at the cauldron when he heard the jingling of invisible bells. He set the crystal vial down and stood, turning to face the two boys. "Hello." He greeted, taking in the picture before him. He walked over and scooped the glowing boy up from Jin, laying him down on the nearby bench and patting Jin's head. "Now, I know your brother doesn't approve of you being in here, but could you stay and give me a hand with him?" He nodded to the other boy.

Arthur summoned a few balms with a flick of his hands, plus bread and water. He leaned over the boy and examined him, taking in the picture. "Well, little elf, do you have a name?"

Erik didn't really respond to this question. Instead, as soon as the bread and water were in reach, he grabbed them and began to eat and drink greedily, not even caring that they were technically in Arthur's hands before. Oh, finally, sustenance! He had never tasted bread nor water this good, though he probably could have had sewage water and thought that it tasted like the mead of the gods.

Although the bread had been quite a bit, it wasn't enough, and once he was finished, he looked around to see if he could find any more. Since he couldn't, he began to cry (though he was so dehydrated that he wound up just screwing up his face and hiccuping), feeling horribly pathetic. If he were to die right now, an afterlife in Valhalla seemed unlikely.

And he never really did get to that question that Arthur asked...

"Oh!" Arthur blinked in surprise at the ferocity that the food and water was consumed, but once the sobbing started, he took a quick seat and gently scooped the elf into his lap. "Shh, shh. It's alright." He comforted softly, rocking him. With another flick of his hand, he refilled the cup of water and held it out to the child, offering it. "Drink this. You'll feel better." He observed the potions floating around him and pondered which ones to give to the boy. He selected a mild sleeping elixir and tucked it aside, making a note to put a few drops into the boy's next glass of water.

Arthur's eyes turned to Jin, and he lifted a hand, beckoning him over. "Where did you find this child?" He asked softly, trying to gain some knowledge from the child that was currently not upset. "Was there anyone else around him?"

Jin blushed a faint pink as the blond patted his head, holding his pearl over his face when the man moved to take care of Erik. He peered over the orb when asked to help, nodding quietly in response.

So, this was a human...

Making a face as the other boy began to inhale the bread and water, the young dragon looked away, slightly upset by such a messy scene. His attention was brought back when the man asked him another question, one that couldn’t really be answered with a nod or a shrug. Jin stared at the man’s hand for a bit before coming a few steps closer.

“I found him lying by a big rock in the outer forest,” he answered, gesturing out the store’s window. “There was no one else around, but he smelled like dirt and metal.” He paused, looking at the pair with an odd expression. “...Actually he still smells like dirt and metal. Salt too. Probably cuz he keeps crying.”

The observation was more direct than he had intended, but any excess display of emotion struck a sore nerve with him.

After Erik choked down that glass of water, he felt more able to speak. "I-I-I'm Erik" he sputtered through his hiccups and non-existent tears. "I ha-haven't eaten in... I-I dunno." He wiped his face with his injured hands and stared into his cup. "I ran away after they made me walk a whole bunch and I just wanna go home, but I don't even know where home is and I don't even know if it's even still there or if my family is even still around and--" he began to cry again, the emotions of the past... who knows how long finally beginning to get to him like a freezing limb that's finally begun to thaw out.

Arthur considered Jin for a moment before Erik started speaking, which forced him to shift his attention to the elf. "Hush, little elf." He murmured, gently rocking him and summoning more bread. He presented the food to him, petting his hair gently. "Don't worry. No harm will come to you here."

Arthur glanced over at Jin and smiled a bit, knowing full well what the elder dragon told his little brother. "No harm will come to either of you." He plucked the glass from Erik's hands and tapped it to refill, at the same time pulling out the vial of the sleeping elixir. He tipped a few drops into the drink and offered it to the small elf. "Drink this. You'll feel better soon, and we'll get to work finding your family."

Old instincts were hard to throw off. They had plagued Roisin for centuries, but some could be more useful than others. So when she felt the urge to tear at her hair and cry at the top of her lungs, she moved in the direction it puled her as fast as she could. It wasn't often, but sometimes she could get to the person fast and make enough racket that someone who could help would be alerted. It was one of the only things that made her built in mourning instinct worth having.

This time her urges led her to the forest on the outskirts, but when she came to the spot no one was there. Just some smudges of blood on the ground to show someone teetering on the edge of mortality once was there. She was half panicked and began following the trail they left as quickly as possible.

She didn't even realize the keening urge had passed until she was stepping inside the Apothecary door. Her eyes landed a softly glowing form and she took several cautious steps towards it and let the rest of the world fill in around it. "I thought..." She trailed off and her eyes swept over the others before realizing that the injured boy was awake. She took a deep breath and let her serenity come back to her. "He lives," was her relieved realization. She looked to the mage for confirmation. "He will, right?"

Erik turned around a bit to look at the strange lady who had just come in. He had never seen anyone like her, and to be honest, she scared him a little bit. How had she known about him? What was she going to do to him? Erik had been about to drink his sleeping-medicine-water, but now that he saw the strange lady, he couldn't help but to stop and stare. "What do you want with me?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't take him away to... to... to... uh... feed him to her dogs, or something. All these people sitting around him were so strange looking, and he still wasn't certain about any of their intentions. Not to mention that his hands and knees were still splintery, and they plus his feet were swollen, so he couldn't run away even if he wanted to.

"He'll live." Arthur replied shortly, eyes narrowing at Roisin. "I will see to it." He turned his back to her immediately, focusing on the elf in his lap. As he looked the boy over, he winced a little, seeing the wounds and rough treatment. ". . . Who would hurt such a young elf like this?" He asked quietly, not actually expecting an answer.

He dismissed the floating potions quickly, summoning one of his healing balms and tapping it to open. He glanced about the room, wondering idly where he'd set his bandages.

The Sidhe disregarded Arthur's cold manner towards her. She was starting to get used to the fact that he held her in low esteem, even though he still set out an offering for her every day. "Only to see that you are well," she reassured the young elf, her voice quiet and melodic, "You must be such a strong boy."

The potions dancing through the air as they floated back to their places didn't bother her. She knew none of them would run into her. She noticed as one of them nudged a bowl and cloth as it landed. On instinct she grabbed the bowl, full of water, and the cloths sitting by it. Most wounds needed to be cleaned, didn't they.

She carried them over to the trio, crouching down in a smooth motion. "Cruel hearts," she answered, a sadness in her eyes. Too many times she had seen victims of cruel hearts and keened for their passing. Cruel hearts seemed to have survived as long as she had.

Jin remained where he stood, still unsure of whether this whole thing was some elaborate set up. The man seemed nice enough, considering they’d just barged into his shop (and without any intention of buying anything too!), but the entire situation just seemed so...surreal. It was like a scene from one of those soapy operas his brother (allegedly) liked to watch.

When yet another person walked into the shop, Jin started feeling a bit claustrophobic. She was pretty, whatever she was, but also seemed a bit...off?

He glanced at the glowing elf, watching the airborne potions do their thing. Two grown ups were more than enough to help him, right? Right. Besides, if he stayed in there for any longer something expensive would probably end up broken, knowing his luck. Jin looked back at the group, opening his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately, decided against it. It would just make things awkward, wouldn’t it? And they were all awfully busy.

Without so much as a ‘goodbye’, he left, hoping to find more stones for his collection before it got too dark.

Erik turned around and watched the other boy go. Quite frankly, the other boy was the only person in that room who had made him feel better. The other two were too... too... something was off about them. Erik pouted and waved a little, knowing that the boy might not ever see his wave or even him again.

He turned back to his rescuers and noticed that the woman was cleaning his wounds. While nestling the cup in the crook of his arm, he extended his hands as best as he could. "Splinters," he said, hoping that maybe she would figure out a painless way of taking them all out. Back at home, his parents would put a salve on his hands to draw the splinters out, but he didn't know if they knew how to do that here. He had heard that some people just... pick them out. Oy... wouldn't that be painful...

Arthur reached over, touching one of Erik's hands and lightly drawing his fingertips over the splinters. He hummed to himself and stroked his palm lightly, to keep from causing pain, and coaxed the splinters out. He tucked them into his pocket and opened one of his balms, rubbing it into his hand. "How does that feel, lad?" He asked gently, ignoring Roisin's presence at the moment. He repeated the actions with Erik's other hands, frowning at the treatment that the elf had obviously received.

"Where else do you hurt?" Arthur closed the balm a bit, looking Erik over.

Erik stared at his hands in amazement and bent his fingers a little. They were still hurting a bit, but not nearly as bad as they were before. After he finished gawking at his fingers, he pointed to his feet. "Feet!" he said, and kicked his swollen, bloody feet. Aaaah, how nice it would be to be able to walk normally again! Maybe he could actually get a pair of shoes? Or would that be too much?

Maybe he could steal some shoes. Hmmm...

Arthur chuckled softly and scooped one of Erik's feet into his lap, gently applying the balm there as well. "Your feet tell me a story of much walking and a hard escape." He smiled at the elf on his bench. "Were you very brave?" He quickly applied the soothing balm to his other foot as well, helping the pain numb and start to heal. "You should tell me about it."