Spring Meeting
@colourful-serendipity
Thalia's smile grew. A guy showing interest in her past... It was certainly a bit more than her previous mate used to do. What a difference! "Using my dimensional teleporting wristwatch, I could take you to visit the human world anytime! Although... You'd have to wear a cape, or something. Humanity isn't exactly friendly to anything non-human in the world I came from..."
Rowan cocked his head. "Really? Oh, well, we could figure something out. Iris knows some people who can help with special clothes. But it might take a bit to get used too. I'm not used to wearing capes."
In fact he had never worn one before, but he was willing to try.
"Did Obi used to live there?" he asked curiously.
"Yes and no." Thalia gave him a sad smile. Obi's cheerful expression also dropped, and he clung to Rowan a little tighter.
"We used to live with Papa in the forest outside Metro City. Neither he or grandpa liked humans much. They were the last of their kind...", he mumbled quietly.
Thalia nodded to his words. "He kept us separated from humans because he was afraid that they would take us away from him. And in the end, something entirely different took them away from us... The dimensional portals that were tearing the city to pieces."
Obi sighed and rested his head on Rowan's shoulder. "We waited for so long... But papa and grandpa never came home..."
Rowan stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Then finally: "Oh,"
His wings drooped on his back, just imagining them waiting... and waiting... it was horrible... it was... sad.
"I'm... sorry," it sounded hollow to his own ears. What could he possibly say? He put his hand gently on Obi's head. "I'm so sorry. I promise nothing like that is here. We have portals, but they won't tear anything to pieces. I promise," he said as solemnly as he could.
Obi curled his tail around Rowan, clinging to him as strongly as he could. "Promise-promise? You'll stay?" "Obi..." Thalia bit her bottom lip, feeling choked up by emotion. Revisiting these old scars wasn't something she planned for today, but... in retrospective, it made sense. Obi had been too busy saving her life when her Blue Jewel ultimately (and not-so-metaphorically) cracked under pressure. But Obi himself... never had allowed himself to grieve. Until now. She knew that he needed this.
"Both of us... waited for years for them to return. But they never did. And I nearly died because of this. That's why Obi... he always sticks close to home. He would love to rely more on others, but... it's difficult, after we endured. So make sure you promise that - fully meaning it."
Rowan was quiet for a while, thinking over what Obi had said. Then he kneeled down to be near the same level as Obi.
"Obi, I can promise that the portals wont tear this world apart. I can't promise that I'll be here forever." He was silent for a moment letting that sink in. "But, I can promise that I am here now and I wont leave for a long time. I promise. Will that be enough?" Rowan said gently.
"I promise I'll do all I can, I promise that to you, Obi."
Obi stared at him quietly. He looked down, mulling over his words. "Well... fairies can die too, I guess...", he mumbled, holding onto his own tail for comfort. "But... if you could stay close to me and mama... That would mean a lot to me."
He turned to look at Thalia. "Especially... if you could take care of mama. She really needs someone to love, other than me..."
"OH - HEY!" Thalia blushed deeply. "Y-you don't need to play matchmaker, baby! You can't ask Rowan such things!! What if he doesn't want to? What if he loves someone else?"












