~Ara macao~
Phlox pushed everything off of the table, small glasses and bullets tumbling to the ground. What replaced them was a large map that pooled over the sides of the wooden table. It was old and wrinkled with small stains on the corners. Phlox pointed with his half gloved finger to the middle of Nightshade. “Here.. This is where we are, Rhododendron. I plan on taking you here, the Land of Caladium. Ruler Aster will take great care of you. She has one of the biggest military forces and has yet to defeat Oleander.” Phlox nodded to himself, his nose twitching in excitement. Delphinium kept his eyes on the map, with the twins to either side of him.
The Ruler of the Land of Caladium, Aster, was very young. She had reigned the Land when she was only a couple of hundreds of years old. She was raised in a rich family, born to be the next heir. Her father, a very noble man was killed by Oleander’s men when they had attempted to take over. Her mother and brother perished in the battle, leaving Aster to fend for not only herself, but her people as well. The Land of Caladium held millions of Caladiers, having been there for many generations, even from when the Rulers had first united.
At the time, things were very hectic. Aster had only begun her first lessons when her family died. With the help of Forsythia, the Elder Ruler of the Land beside, Ipomoea, Aster was able to rise above her people. In just a matter of years, she had grown to be a beautiful woman. She had taken a tall, dark haired man to be her husband and the townspeople constructed a statue for their sake.
Delphinium had only met Ruler Aster once. It was over a century ago, when all four Rulers gathered to discuss the matters of Oleander. Before Oleander had fought back, Zephyranth, his father, had once sat at the circle table too. All together, they shared new ideas and ways to continue their legacy. Ruler Sage of the Land of Wisteria, in the far South-East, had just commenced the construction of a massive castle. Soon enough, the large stone fortress was standing tall amongst the small village. Although, it took a dozen years till the massive 30 meter of rock stood graciously by the water front.
“We will continue these matters in the morning.” Phlox said as he reached up, adjusting his goggles. He took out a tissue from his coat pocket and gave the outside of his lenses a quick cleaning, without taking them off. He crinkled his nose once more before saying, “We should all get some rest.. I will bring your friends outside many warm blankets, but weather here isn’t that bad, so you mustn’t fret.”
Delphinium rose from the chair, Mallow and Laburnum straightening behind him. He looked around the cluttered kitchen; baking sheets and empty bowls were left on the counter, as well as small tools covered in what seemed like batter.
Delphinium turned to Phlox as he began to speak. “I will sleep on the couch. My bedroom is the first door on the right, please let me know if you need anything else.” Phlox extended out his hand, motioning to the set of stairs in the living room.
The threesome walked out of the room without a word and back into the living room, where Phlox had started to get the couch ready. He spread a small sheet across the cushions before fluffing the pillows. Then, sensing the others’ gaze, he stopped, and gave the others a small nod, as if ensuring them he was okay with his decision.
Delphinium walked up the winding stairs first. With each step, a creaking sound echoed in the small hallway lit up by candles placed on the wall. He couldn't help but trail his hand on the yellow wallpaper as he made his way up the stairs and into the room he was assigned to. He was welcomed by the sweet scent of vanilla, not to mention the creamy coloured walls and orange bed sheets. Delphinium could not find it in himself to judge the man, for he had saved his life.
Delphinium slowly stripped off his cloak, draping it over the chair in the corner of the room.
He then glanced over at the odd pair, then raised a brow as they payed no attention to him and climbed through the window, hopping onto the tree situated right outside.
There, they sat on a branch, facing the dirt road. Delphinium watched for a moment, then lay on his back on top of the bed sheets.
Downstairs, Phlox paced around the living room nervously. Originally, he thought bringing them to his home would be fine, but in the end they had to cross the sea. The idea of that alone made him shiver. He had heard of people trying to cross the sea, only to never make it back alive. Or even worse, making it to their destination, but no longer as themselves.
Phlox thought of an underground company that helped people get across, but there was no guarantee.
Choosing to go or not wasn’t an option, they had to go.
Phlox sat down on the pink couch with his head in his hands. He let out a sigh and shook his head. For once in his life, he was going to do something helpful. Although, he always thought what he was doing was helpful, to the others he was getting in the way. To them, the only way he was being helpful was by selling scraps of machines or making things. But this time, he would break the norm and leave this place, even if that meant risking his life.
Phlox slowly took off his fur coat and slid off his boots, plucking the leather jacket beside him. He replaced the fur coat with this one; it was brown, with many pockets and zippers all along the chest area. He preferred to wear this one, he appeared to be older in this, according to the bartender. That had pleased him.
With a quiet groan, he plucked off his goggles and rubbed at his eyes. Dirt made their way around his small eyes and cheeks as he continued to rub. A large ring formed around his eyes from wearing the goggles for far too long. It had been days since he had last taken them off, and he intended on getting a good night's rest.
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