Spring was right around the corner & with it reborn life springing out out of the ground & through the air. The park was still his home, with his tent having grown bigger & more comfortable over the years & his comfort with his magic in the this new old dimensions grew stronger. His spot in this world became hidden from casual eyes, obscured by large trees that had seemingly grown out of nowhere & no one could remove & protected by various charms, spells & runes engraved in trees & chiselled into rock. It provided perfect cover & the perfect view at the same time & as Map sat in the middle of his little clearing observing the nearby pond & weaving a new charm through & around the flower, he felt inexplicable sadness wash through him. It swept him all at once & disappeared & dulled down as fast as he came & before his gasp even sounded. He knew immediately he wasn’t alone anymore & he knew just as quickly he would either have to shoo the newcomer away or offer some sympathy. As the first seemed unnecessary & cruel, he decided to go with the second, the charm in his hands now seeming convenient as the small snowdrop rested in the palm of his hand, preserved & now forever singing it’s soft melody, it’s roots twisted around it like a small, protective cage and bright, glowing petals having tiny runes woven between its veins.
With a skip in his step, he walked out of his small grove and into the actual park, easily spotting the man whose feelings rushed over him not too long ago, shifting awkwardly, he took a deep breath before he approached him, a mantra of say hi, be polite, give the charm & walk away you’ll be fine singing in his head as an encouragement while he crossed the distance between them. ❛ Um. ❜ Clearing his throat, his free hand flew to the back of his neck as he offered a polite, soft smile to the sad man, the hand holding the trinket awkwardly stretching before him & offering the other some new luck & joy. ❛ Hi. Can I give you this? ❜
ah, the world was so dull lately. he had started to trust his powers more even before HE had left, now it was all a matter of not finding it within himself to care about the whole universe anymore. something was lacking, the one thing that had given it some worth to him. the memories did not cling to places ( even though he avoided the motel like the pest these days ) but instead to weather, the way the sky looked, temperature, smiles and bashfulness. most emotions seemed tied to them, and so he tried to avoid them altogether. people were not as fun anymore, his smiles small and insignificant because the bright ones still stung sometimes. STILL, he was convinced there were ways to find him, and if not then he HAD to move on ( but did he really HAVE to do ANYTHING anyway? ). that particular day seemed to remind him of brighter days and naturally, it sparked an aching in his chest, his fingers felt colder and the overall world seemed flawed, a puzzle piece missing. he missed him particularly on days like that.
he could tell that he was in the presence of someone different. he had spent a dangerous amount of time in that universe, leaving the stranger to appeal to his sense to the point where he stood out like a sore thumb, bright and loud. the trinket, too, seemed odd. while mildly curious, he also felt tired and worn, not in the mood to explore who he was facing necessarily--- but too exhausted to leave, too. ❝ ah, why ? ❝ he questioned carefully, giving a small smile. ❝ ----i’ll take it, if you want--- but i don’t think it works on someone like me. ❝
