Fantasy 🐺 What we call home

[Susi]

Staring wasn't really what Alek had in mind when it came to Aspen, but... The man was a sight for sore eyes, his broader build being like made for manual labor and the droplets of sweat just enchancing the image. Alek was suddenly more aware of his less attractive appearance but all he could do really, was to sit and wait for the water to boil.
It was rather awkward, Alek realized, as Aspen left to fill the last buckets, if only he could have gone into the tub while Aspen was away. But since the water was still cold and the thought of it reminded him of the river water, Alek had no choice but to wait for both Aspen and the water.

It took a good half an hour of the sounds of boiling water but somewhat weird silence between them until Alek finally dipped his hand in the tub, deeming it was good for bathing. For a moment he pondered whether he should ask Aspen to turn around, but decided to just pull off his shirt. It was disgusting too, sweaty and dirty and Alek was just happy to be rid of it. He turned his back to Aspen when he removed the rest of his clothes and quickly moved into the tub, a muffled sound of content leaving his throat as he sat down, the water reaching almost to his chin. Alek sank himself briefly underwater, rubbing his head as he re-emerged to the surface.

He sighed in relief and turned to look at Aspen.

"I might actually live after all."

 

[Scripted Away]

He wasn't sure why but he was painfully aware of the way Alek's gaze was lingering on him. He knew he was taller and broader than your regular elf, most likely his human half showing, but he wondered what he looked like from an elf's point of view.
He wasn't exactly bulky like a smith, but athletic, with naturally broader shoulders...
It had caught some unwanted attention from a couple of girls from Khrais in the past, but honestly he had been to busy dwelling on the sweet, longing call of the past and life that had been taken from him when his mother had died and his father had abandoned him. He didn't give a heck about the man, but his mother... How he would've loved to know her.

He was only dragged from his thoughts when Alek suddenly was shirtless and continued to strip down before he lowered himself into the warm water.
A faint blush painted Aspen's cheeks pink, but he did his best to act natural.

"Well, would be a shame if you died after all the hard work Rue and Nooa put into getting you back on your feet, wouldn't it? All that effort gone to waste", he chuckled teasingly, but the friendly glow in his eyes made it clear that he was just kidding. During the past few days he had actually started to enjoy Alek's company, and although he was still a little paranoid he had the growing hope that they actually could be friends.

"Just kidding. I'm glad you're feeling better."
He reached out to fetch the little stool- which looked ridiculously small when he was sitting on it- and placed it so he could sit behind Alek to help him with his hair.
"Ready when you are", he said with his arms resting on the edge of the tub and his chin resting on his hands.

 

[Susi]

The new boy Ruben really seemed to have an impact on Nooa. The younger of the Silverwind brothers was buzzing around the other all the time. Alek didn't mind though, the boy from the Everlight clan knew his alchemy and had collected ten points from Alek right in the beginning. He wondered if Ruben was aware of Nooa's pretty obvious crush.
If he was, it certainly didn't seem to bother him.

Aspen had beautiful eyes, Alek noted once again as their gazes met. With a small smile mostly at himself, he turned away.
He leaned slightly forward, leaving some space between himself and Aspen, and nodded as s sign for the other to begin.

It was a long time since someone had washed Alek's hair, probably his mother, and back when he was young... so years ago. Touches, in general, hadn't been part of Aleksios's life but sometimes he craved for them and this was definitely one of those moments. Slightly startled by the thought, Aleksios realized he was waiting for the touch and when it finally happened, it sent shivers down his spine. It had nothing to do with Aspen, just the fact that he was being touched by someone.

After a moment the elf's shoulders relaxed and he made another muffled sound, leaning slightly into Aspen's hands.

"Feels good", Alek sighed eyes closed, breathing deep and slow.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen couldn't help but smile softly. The Alek he had gotten to know in the forest was still somewhere in the, he knew that, the guy was proud and almost obsessively independent, but since the incident with the river he'd gotten to know so many other sides of the elf. He was hardworking, something Aspen could identify with, he was intelligent, and despite his pride he still had admitted that he might have been wrong about his initial opinion about him.

His fingers were carefully running through Alek's hair, massaging his scalp and the base of his head.
Aspen himself loved an occasional, comfortable bath in streaming hot water. Pure relaxation.
The picture of the small smile that had played on Alek's lips just a moment ago made him smile, too.

"How come you're always that distant when you're so clearly missing some closeness?", he finally asked a little hesitantly, his voice silent and very gentle.

Hell he couldn't imagine living like that... He was a hugger, he loved when people played with his hair or just gave him a pat on the back.
Alek on the other hand seemed like... Like he would have liked some closeness now and then but somehow something inside him seemed to block.

"Close your eyes,you tensed up cat", he finally said softly and slowly moved his hands down to the elf's shoulders to carefully massage them. Maybe he'd be able to help him relax a little and feel a little more secure in being touched. "So what hobbies do you have aside from threatening me to end me?", he chuckled, trying to keep the situation as easy as possible.

 

[Susi]

Alek's eyes fell shut in Aspen's care. If he had indeed been a cat, he would've been purring.
For a while Aleksios stayed in silence, simply taking in the situation. When he finally replied, it was with a thoughtful voice.

"I've never had anyone I'd like to have close like this."

It was true. Aleksios had devoted his whole life until now to the village, without even thinking about anything else than that. In a way, the accident by the river had been a blessing and now Alek was rather contently laying naked in front of the other only water and soap covering his body.

It is strange how you suddenly trust blindly a person who saves your life.

"With no funny thoughts behind this... Would do me a favor", Alek asked after a while again. His voice was steady, almost formal.

"Would you sleep next to me tonight?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Okay, this whole situation was... Completely unexpected. First Alek sitting there in front of him naked, then actually enjoying the fact that he was massaging him, plus this confusingly earnest honesty.
Sure, he knew that he and Alek had somewhat grown closer during the days spent in his room, but he really hadn't expected him to open up like that.

For a moment he thought about making a comment about how surprised he was that Alek apparently never had a girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever, but he bit his lip, somewhat sensing that this wasn't the right situation for funny comments.

"Sounds... Lonely", he finally said silently, after evaluating his words for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to insult you or anything. Just-... I couldn't imagine living with these walls around me. In the hardest of times it was the people closest to me who gave me the strength to carry on..."

With a small smile and a bright blush across his face he nodded as he looked Alek straight in the eye.
"And, yeah. Can do that. Wanna tell me why or would you rather keep it to yourself?"

Trying to somewhat distract himself he reached out for the brush and carefully started to brush out Alek's hair. Wet hair often was a pain in the ass to brush, but letting it dry while it was still tangled was even worse in the end. Careful as ever he worked his way from roots to ends, his gaze burning into the back of Alek's head.

 

[Susi]

The elven boy turned carefully at Aspen's direction, not fully being able to see him, and shook his head, not saying a word.

Alek had probably gone too far and said too much already, but Aspen's word hit him hard. Lonely was the word he would use himself, too. Most of the time it didn't bother Alek, it never had before, but looking back now, it happened probably at the time when he had started seeing Tanel and Meriel more. Tanel was obviously in love with the elven woman and tried to spend every available minute with her. Meriel seemed to be accepting of Tanel's courting and sometimes giggled like a little girl to something Tanel said. And they were both supposed to be grown-ups!
Then there was Nooa. Alek was sure the boy had had a sort of a crush on Aspen when he first arrived in the village, something he would probably never admit. And now Ruben, the alchemist boy of the Everlight clan, Alek had seen them together only a couple of times, but Nooa's behavior was obvious.
How did some people have so much love to share around?

Once Aspen was done with Alek's hair, the elven boy asked for a towel from the cabinet in the corner. He dried his hair a little while still in the tub before stood up and stepped out, wrapping the towel around him. He should probably say something else to Aspen, too. He looked up to him.

"I don't know the reason. I just need you to."

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen watched in silence as Alek seemed to be going through a whole rainbow of emotions and memories.
How he would've loved to be able to read his mind right now. What was going on inside him?

The air felt thick, like black oil spreading through it and making it hard to breathe.
This look of hurt that had crossed the elf's face made him wonder... It hadn't looked like hurt pride or something, rather like he had spoken out something that had been there all the time, just hidden, or maybe just simply ignored.

So was Alek really feeling lonely?
He knew there were some... Weird people who actually enjoyed being alone all the time and having no one around, but it didn't match with Alek's reaction.
Would he really have enjoyed this loneliness, wouldn't he have just said it?

He remained silent while the boy dried his hair and wrapped himself in the towel he'd handed him, only looking up from his hands which he had been staring at lost in thoughts, when Alek finally spoke up.

"Hmm, I'd be the list person to tell you not to listen to your heart. I listened to mine and it... It brought me here. It brought me Home...", he said thoughtfully.
He loved his parents dearly and he'd definitely go and visit them occasionally. But this place, it felt like he truly belonged here.

Looking at Alek now he had to think of something his mother had told him once when he had been a little boy, confused by why his mother was helping a customer who had been incredibly rude.
'Can a fire burn underwater?', she had asked with a smile. He had just shook his head in wonder. 'It needs warmth and air and something that keeps it going. It can't burn on its own. Some people's flames just need some more warmth, some more air, a little support to burn. And maybe by being nice I can help this man's flame burn, so he can be a little warmer and brighter, too. Do you understand?'
A smile crossed his face as he remembered her words. Right, maybe Alek's flame just needed a little help.

Spreading his arms wide he smiled at the boy understandingly. "Okay. Come here, you look like you need a hug. Trust me, I'm not trying to squeeze you to death."
Chuckling softly he winked at him.

 

[Susi]

"No", Alek said, turned, and marched out of the door.

Making his way back to his room to get dressed, Alek didn't look back whether Aspen followed or not. He already regretted opening up. With frustrated tugging he managed to pull some pants and shirt on, then the dizziness forced him to sit down on his bed. After a while, he regretted not accepting the hug that might have kept his walls down just for a moment longer. Now they were going back up.
Alek tried to think of Aspen, his smile and beautiful long hair... the whole guy was gorgeous. The way he massaged first his head, then shoulders... a small gasp left Alek's lips and he pulled the blanket around his body.

What if Aspen was mad at him now and just went home? What if he wouldn't come back?

Alek shook his head hard to regain his focus and breathed in deeply. Running away from Aspen like that was childish, but panicking over it was beyond redemption. Alek would have loved to add why did he care about Aspen's opinion to the line, but he cared. At some point after the river accident, he had started to care and consider Aspen his friend.

He'd apologize, if only Aspen appeared to the room, he'd apologize.

 

[Scripted Away]

Even when Alek was already gone, Aspen still stood there dumbfounded, blinking in silent surprise and mild shock about what the hell had just happened. He had expected everything but that, though, giving it a second thought, it was a classic Alek.
What was it now, was he pulling his walls up again?
And why?!
What was it that he was so scared of opening up and accepting some closeness and warmth?

With a frustrated sigh he left the bathroom, but didn't immediately go after Alek. He gave the boy a slightly hurt glance as he walked past his room and down the stairs.
For a moment he considered just going home... this whole forth and back with the wlf started to feel like a bad joke, but the overly caring idiot he was he just couldn't bring himself to leave.
Instead he headed for the kitchen, to make two cups of tea, while he was internally punching himself for not leaving.
Call it masochism or something...

After about half an hour spent on deep breathing and just trying to regain his cool, he picked up the two cups of tea and headed back upstairs.
He just placed Alek's cup on his bedside table and his cup on the desk.

His eyes scanned the text before him for a moment before he couldn't hold it anymore and turned to look at Alek with a small frown knotting his eyebrows together.
"Look, I get you have problems with closeness and letting people past your walls. And I'm sorry if I went too far or unsettled you. But you have a decision to make. Either let me past those walls or lock me out, but don't call me to come closer just to slam that wall into my face. I can deal with your broodiness, your uncertainty, with your tendency to confuse me beyond comparison, but what I can't deal with is being played with. Be my friend or leave it be, but don't leave me hanging here."

Sighing, he turned back to his book to give Alek some time to think.

 

[Susi]

Alek just sat there, Aspen's words hit their mark again and made the elf shrink under the blanket. His gaze dropped to his lap while he tried to think of something, anything to say for his defense.
But Alek didn't have any kind of pre-written scenario for a moment like this, no guideline of how to soothe a hurt friend. All his life he had been the one being soothed when he snapped at people.
Aleksios remembered this one time a few years back when they had had visitors from another village; the son of the family he had become friends with, had challenged him to an archery competition and after losing to Alek, he had turned mean and spread rumors that Aleksios had cheated. While Alek had kept his cool and beaten the boy again, the betrayal hurt, even when he just laughed it off. The boy wasn't even that bad with a bow, he would've probably just done better with a short bow, not a long one Alek used.

So, what? Alek expected to be betrayed by Aspen if he let him close? Very much in the same manner, Aspen had appeared in the Willowood village and started making friends with everyone, even with Alek himself despite the cold welcome. The stage was just setting itself ready for another show.
Alek raised his head just enough to see the halfling staring at his book, Aspen had brought him some tea, as a peace offering perhaps even when he didn't have anything to apologize for. Alek did.
What was it about Aspen that made him act like this?

Clueless about what could he do in a situation like this, Alek reached out to an idea; what would Nooa do in a situation like this? In a way, Alek admired Nooa's easygoing attitude towards life.

Slowly he put away the blanket and got on his feet, eyes fixated on Aspen. Just as carefully Alek took the few steps needed to get closer to Aspen, leaned forward, and hesitatingly wrapped his arms around the older elf from behind.

"I want you to keep my walls down, I'm-... better person with you around. Can you forgive me?", Alek spoke quietly.

The words didn't come out easy, but Alek meant each one of them. He was sure Aspen could feel his madly beating heart and while it scared him, he hoped it was a sign of a change. Alek didn't demand anything from Aspen, just asked him to stay close, even when he acted out.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen flinched surprised when suddenly Alek's arms were around him. He could feel his heart hammering against his back, like a deer trapped against a wall with the predator getting ready to pounce.
What was it that scared Alek like that to open up to someone? He was too young to have any memories of the war, he most likely was born a couple of years after its end. So what was it then?

His hand reached up to carefully rest on the elf's forearm to show him it was okay. He'd never been someone to hold a grudge, and Alek clearly meant what he'd said.
"It's okay", he said with his signature smile, radiating calm and peace.
It was kind of funny, how he was the result of a war and a horrible crime, but all the same was one of most good-natured people out there. It really took a lot to make him lose his temper.
...though Alek did have a remarkable talent for driving him insane.

His thoughts wandered for a moment, to Nooa and his new 'friend', Ruben. He knew the boy had a girlfriend, though he didn't seem all too happy with her. Neither did she really seem to be happy. If he had to guess Rue was just too friendly for the girl, too sweet to be someone she really could lean on. Nooa and the boy however-...
Well he was pretty sure they wouldn't just stay friends.

In a way Autumn reminded him of Alek. Full of energy, but also brimming with insecurity. For whatever reason.

He turned to look Alek straight in the eye, a small smirk starting to play on his face. He was still fascinated by the amazingly bright ice blue of his eyes. It had to be an elven thing, he'd never seen a human with eyes like that.
"Come", he said encouragingly, got up and led Alek to the bed to take a seat on its edge. At least here they old both sit; sharing the small chair at the desk would have been rather uncomfortable.
"Okay, tell me what's wrong."
He didn't even ask if something was wrong. It clearly was, otherwise Alek wouldn't be so insecure about how to act.
"Why those walls? What are you trying to protect yourself from? Look, I want to help, really. And I'd be happy to be your friend. But you'd help me a lot by telling me why, so I know what to avoid and where to tread lightly, you know?"

 

[Susi]

Alek lowered his gaze again. How could he tell Aspen anything when he didn't know the answers himself! He was just being erratic and moody and completely lost!
Yet Aspen would still sit next to him and offer his help. It didn't make much sense, but Alek was grateful... and then it occurred to him.

"I... think I'm being more vulnerable around you than I've been with anyone else before", then elven boy spoke. "From the day I met you because you were something new I didn't know of, till today when you're... just being you with your kindness that matches my brother's", he laughed a little and looked at the other.

For as long as Alek could remember, he had hated humans with a passion. He knew nothing else. Then Aspen appeared into his life and even when Alek provoked him, he'd stay calm and friendly. It was difficult to hate someone when they didn't hate you back. It had taken a long while until Alek had learned to see Aspen as any other than human and for the first time today, he thought he was actually having a conversation with another elf. Sure Aspen was built differently than the rest of the elves, but strangely it didn't seem that obvious anymore. Most importantly, Alek no longer believed this one would start any kind of war.

When Alek looked in Aspen's eyes, he knew there was something more behind his own vulnerability. While Aspen's nature might have matched with Nooa's there was nothing brotherly in the way Alek looked at him. The realization was easy to read from his face just before he turned his face away and stood up, shaken by his own thoughts.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen remained silent during all of Alek's explanations. Honestly they only left him with more questions. Why was Alek that scared of being vulnerable? Had something happened in his past that made it so hard for him to deal with closeness and change?
His thoughts automatically trailed to Alek's mother.
The woman seemed to be cold as an ice cube and he couldn't really imagine her acting very caring or even loving towards her sons. And while Nooa seemed to be compensating her rather distant nature with his friendliness, Alek was just like her. As far as he knew she even used to be an amazing archer, like her oldest son was now, and if he had to guess she had quite the influence on him. So it wasn't really a miracle he was acting as cold as her, right?

The look that appeared on Alek's face for just a moment when he'd looked him in the eye made him wonder. The boy had looked shaken, shocked by his own thoughts or something.

He watched him for a moment as he stood there, looking completely lost, before he got up too, to lightly put his hand on the elf's shoulder.
"Even though my foster parents are some of the most loving and caring people I know and always made sure I'd have a great childhood-... I'm scared. I'm always scared, to be left again, to end up as alone as I was when I was just an infant."
His eyes were glued to the floor for a long while before he finally looked back up at Alek with a sad smile.
"I could keep everyone at a distance to make sure no one's gonna be able to hurt me by leaving me in the dirt, but in the end it would only leave me lonely and make me miss out on friendships with great people. You know what I mean?"

 

[Susi]

Aleksios understood. He turned to look at Aspen as his figure visibly straightened.

"So, I'll be by your side. As long as you're around, I'll watch over you", the elven boy spoke, sounding more like himself than in a long time.

The familiar confidence and hardness were there in his voice, yet this time the latter was not directed towards Aspen but more at anything else they might face. And Alek smiled. Aspen might not need anyone to watch over him, he wasn't weak, but the feeling of being useful made the elf happy, and at moments like this, the ice-blue eyes had a warm glint in them.

"Let's go outside, I'm done with the bed", the elven boy suggested, combing his still somewhat wet hair with his fingers.

It was sunny outside, so Alek wasn't too worried about becoming sick again, instead, he needed to get to the woods and back to the river to talk with it. Alek recalled Aspen telling him the river hadn't listened to the mage-in-training, and Aspen had got hurt because of forcing it instead. So if Aspen had lost his connection with the water element, the least Alek could do was to try to talk it back.

 

[Scripted Away]

With a smile as warm as the autumn sun Aspen reached out to wrap one arm around Alek in a side hug for just a moment before his eyes met the elf's, sparkling with confidence and happiness.
"No. We'll watch over each other."
It was a simple, short phrase, but it held so much meaning. He trusted Alek to not leave him in the dirt, and at the same time gave the promise that he wouldn't, either.

Alek's suggestion to go outside, into the forest, made him feel excited and scared at the same time.
Out there, near the river, he could feel the blockade the strongest, where normally magic should be flowing.
"You're right", he sighed silently. "I can't possibly just carry on with a broken connection to water, can I? But- let me change first."
He looked down at the ink stains on his shirt. Yep, he'd fallen asleep on his freshly written notes again.
Luckily he had a couple of spare shirts in back; after about two weeks of working with the elements he'd learned that you could never know when a cheeky nature spirit would throw something at you to ruin yet another shirt.

He just changed on the spot, figuring that if Alek had just been laying in front of him naked it wouldn't be a problem that he stood there shirtless for a moment.
After he'd pulled the fresh shirt over his head he grabbed the sheath he'd recently built for his staff. It basically just was a broad leather strap that rested on his right shoulder and reached across his chest and back like the strap of a bag, plus some metal rings to hold the staff in place on his back so he could carry it with him and still have both hands free.

"Should we start bow lessons today?", he suggested after he'd sheathed his staff and made it sat fast and secure against his back. "Alternatively I could show you how to use a staff for combat, too."

 

[Susi]

Alek grinned and gestured towards his longbow that was leaning against the wall by his bed.

"You sure you want to try with that? Or should we get you something smaller?"

Aleksios was poor at hiding his feelings, that much he shared with his younger brother, even now when he was teasing Aspen about the size of the bow while he was actually still stunned by his words to stay together and have each other's backs. It felt like something only very good friends did. Either way, Alek was happy to hear Aspen was still interested in archery and he was eager to see how he'd do. The Bo staff was an interesting option too, even if Alek didn't really think of himself as a melee fighter. Another thought returned to the elf's mind as they left the room. Alek wanted to talk to the water element and the river was probably the best place to do it, even if it brought back bad memories.

Once outside, Alek directed his steps into the woods, towards the place the accident had happened. The sound of the river could be heard long before they even saw it, and instinctively Alek slowed down, reaching out for his bow and handing it over to Aspen.

"Hold this for me, would you, there's something I want to do."

The river couldn't really be hurt by bow, but it was the gesture that mattered.

Alek approached the river, kneeling down close to the water. He felt how his pants got wet on his knees and below, but he didn't care, he didn't need to be a mage to know the element was still acting out. Alek pressed his hands into the sand and let the water swirl around his wrists, then he fell totally silent.

It took a moment until anything happened and in Aspen's point of view, nothing happened at all.
Alek couldn't understand the element's words, but what it felt was clear.

Of course, I'm scared... Alek spoke in his mind. You nearly drowned me.
The river seemed to flow faster.
Your mage wronged you, but... I wronged your mage first.
Water crept on the land more, as if trying to devour the elf again. Alek raised his hand to stop Aspen from coming closer.
I was wrong about him! Aspen is a good and gentle person, you will not deny him his birthright. The punishment should not be his to bear, he had no choice because you were just as angry as I was and would not listen to him! The fault is in both you and me, but not him!

The water drew back and became still. The forest was quiet, even the birds seemed to have stopped singing. Alek tried to reach out to the element again but it was silent. Quietly he stood up, wiping away wet sand from his clothes. He should tell Aspen how it went.

Then, the river became alive again.

A gush of water flew playfully on Aspen's face.

 

[Scripted Away]

"What, the shorter guy asking the taller ne if he needs a smaller bow?", Aspen chuckled jokingly as he followed Alek out of the village and into the forest.
It really made him happy to see the elf so happy after the Rocky start they had been off to, and the insecurities that seemed to make things so much more difficult for Alek.

It was funny, he noticed, how quickly this village and the forest had become his home. Even after more than twenty years Aspen had never felt truly at home in Khrais. While he loved his parents and their inn and did feel at home there, the town had always felt strange, like he just didn't belong there. And not just because of all the people giving him weird looks because of his pointy ears.
Now he knew why... Ever since he'd been a little boy, Willowood and the elements had been calling him to come home.

Closing his eyes he inhaled deeply, enjoying the warm sunshine on his skin and the scent of forest in the air.

Them Alek asked him to hold his bow. He wanted to call after him to be careful when he approached the river and ended up standing there like a cat on a hot tin roof, watching like a hawk. And just praying that he wouldn't have to jump after Alek the next second.

He could feel the tension in the air, it felt oily and ice cold, made it hard to breathe. And Alek gesturing for him to stay where he was when the river got angrier didn't make it any better!
Only when the river's anger that made the energy of this place vibrate finally subsided and a gush of water got him right in the face did he take a relieved breath.
Grinning, he wiped some wet streaks of hair out his face and carefully tried to tap into the energy of the river. He could feel it flowing around him like another, invisible stream painting swirls of magic all around him.

"You did it!", he cheered overjoyedly and, without thinking twice, sweeped Alek into a tight hug that, thanks to the height difference, lifted the elf off the ground. "Whatever you did, it worked!", he laughed happily as he set him down on the ground again. "Alek, thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea what an awful feeling it is to lose connection to an element. It feels like missing a limb."

 

[Susi]

A wide smile spread on Alek's face even when Aspen was squishing him into pieces. The older elf's happiness was catching.

"I just told the truth", Alek said smiling, biting his bottom lip. "I and the water element are much alike.. blind in our rage..." he continued, now with a slightly embarrassed tone.

Aleksios could not say he knew how Aspen had felt. He had never lost a limb nor felt like having anything even close to the connection mages had with elements, but thinking about losing Nooa hurt a lot, so Alek understood. A small gust of wind made him shiver in his half-wet clothes, he should've taken a jacket with him after all. Quickly the elf planted himself on a sunny spot, announcing that he needed to dry his clothes. Soon he lay down on the grass and closed his eyes. He was happy.

"I said you're good... and gentle", Alek mumbled after a while.

 

[Scripted Away]

While Alek was laying in the grass to dry his clothes, Aspen took a seat near the edge of the water. Silently he watched the elf with a warm smile on his face and looked away with a faint blush coloring his cheeks when Alek called him good and gentle. He didn't know why this compliment meant so much to him, but it did.

"You are a lot like this river", he finally spoke softly as he looked back at him and had to smile at how the sunlight painted a halo in his platinum hair. What a beautiful boy...
"Intimidating, but once you start to look past that you'll see how it makes the sunlight sparkle in its waves and how, while its rage can be a force to be reckoned with, it's undeniably beautiful. Getting to know this side of you was well worth the battle with your rage."

Smiling happily he got up and grabbed his staff to practise some basic handling of fire as he'd been having the most difficulties with that element. Fire was somewhat impatient and jumpy and seemed to be unwilling to hold back a little for a mage in training.
Just like now - all he tried was to cast a ball of light, but as he had to tap into the power of fire for tgat it did what it always did- blow up right into his face and send him flying backwards, into a tangle of limbs with Alek. "Ugh, sorry", he eeked as he scrambled to his hands and knees, with an impossibly bright blush on his face. "Fire. Impulsive fella-..."

 

[Susi]

All air escaped from Alek's lungs making him gasp hard as the older man slammed against him. In addition to that, the sudden slam made his heart skip a beat or two, leaving him gasping for air twice as much. When Alek finally focused himself and looked at Aspen with question marks in the place of his eyes, he noticed his flushed appearance.

"I believe this is your element's way of saying you're not ready", Alek chuckled as he got on his feet and offered his hand to Aspen. "Next time though, I'd appreciate a warning first."

Blushing Aspen was charming, but Alek knew he was still a beginner with his magic and therefore had no need to feel embarrassed about it. Laughing about the other's mistakes would have been bad manners, and Alek still remembered his first tried with a bow - it hadn't gone according to the plan either.
Alek didn't have much experience with the fire element. The elves used it for warming their homes and lighting candles and it was always kept in check, Alek knew the village elder had great respect for the elements, especially fire, and it was said it was the reason the natural fire didn't come to the village. No hut had ever been lost in the fire, nor did the fire escape from the hearth.

Alek looked at Aspen again. He had called him intimidating and he was probably right, but right there, in the next sentence, then stated it was forgiven.

And Aspen had implied that he was beautiful.

Alek's clothes were still wet from here and there, but it didn't seem to bother him much anymore. He picked up his bow instead and handed it towards the older elf.

"Here. I'll teach you."