Varian is a large and expansive place. Just because everyone Roan knows have not left Above, does not mean that Roan will be confined by its borders.
On the edge of one of the nine floating eleven cities, Roan looks down at the clouds, the wind making his long hair blow across his face. When Roan looks at the bag on his back, the sight of the other statue of Harmonia catches his eye.
This one is even bigger than the one at his school and sits in the centre of the city. She towers over everything, keeping a watchful eye on the Elves that worship her.
Roan turns his entire body around to look at her before opening his arms, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, dropping off the edge.
The winds rush past his ears and his heartbeat accelerates. His body feels heavier in the sky but the pressure of being discovered vanishes the longer he is in the air.
His body spins around slowly before Roan opens his eyes. They look like the eyes of a lizard like a dying sunset, shades of amber and red with blue and grey undertones. Roan takes a moment to appreciate the sun and the warmth it gives him. "Come to me."
Roan looks off to the east where a giant grey Dragon ascends from the clouds. It flies towards him with incredible speed and agility and catches him mid fall. They dive quickly towards the earth, slowing and gliding once they get breach the Clouds.
Roan gets off the dragon and strokes the scales between the nostrils. "Thank you. Stay near but hide." Roan takes a few steps back to give room for the creature to push off from the earth and to soar amongst the clouds once more.
The blades of grass ripple when the dragon flaps its wings and makes Roan's hair fly into his face. He pushes it out of the way and starts his journey towards the small, black shack that belongs to an elf named Victor.
"You're early, I wasn't expecting you so soon." Victor drives his hammer into the piece of metal he is working on. He wears a giant apron that touches the floor that was once brown but is now black. The tips of his ears and his hands are covered in soot just like everything Below. "Were you followed?" Victor looks behind Roan at the door.
"No."
Victor finally looks at Roan. "What you got for me?" Roan empties his bag, revealing three silver cubes.
He places the cubes down on the empty space on Victor's work bench and stands aside for Victor to come have a closer look at them. "These are in excellent condition."
Victor activates one of them which causes some of the tools in the room, as well as the other Vara-boxes to float in the air. "What a beauty."
Roan watches Victor closely whilst he plays with the Vara-boxes. It is easy to see behind the sweat and grime that there is something charming about him. "How much are these worth?"
"Usually, I would buy these for five silver crystals each...but for you?" Victor turns the Vara-box off which returns gravity to the objects in the room. "I'll give you seven."
"Thanks."
Victor turns around and leans against the bench. "What does someone from Above need money for anyway? Don't you guys live in golden palaces?"
Victor always asks him the same thing and Roan always replies to him with the same sentence. "Maybe I'll tell you sometime."
+/+
Later in the night when Roan walks back to the dorms, Roan sees Zarion practicing out in the fields and decides to sit in the stands for a while and watch Zarion practice.
They have not spent much time together so Roan is unsure if he likes the guy or not. However, watching him push his body to its limits is inspiring. He is a hard worker and honest too.
Zarion stops running and pours his bottle of water over himself. It feels good but now his shirt is wet, so he takes it off. Roan cannot help but feel his eyes move down Zarion's body.
He tears his eyes away, feeling a little embarrassed. His heart, however, does not feel the same and his eyes keep flickering back to the peculiar creature that showed up in his dorm room. Before Zarion catches him watching, Roan sneaks away back to the dorms.
Zarion looks at the spot that Roan was just sitting in a few moments ago and chuckles quietly to himself, shaking his head a little before running some more.
+/+
With Zarion out of the room, Roan takes the opportunity to double check that Zarion isn't a spy sent by the Valarian Ministry.
After digging around for less than two minutes, Roan finds a hidden picture of a younger Zarion smiling even though he has bandages covering the right side of his face. Roan moves his hand to look at the woman in the picture standing next to him.
"Whose the woman?" Roan asks, sensing Zarion standing in the doorway.
"That's my mom." Roan hears the floorboards groan under his heavy feet as Zarion shuffles towards him. "We took this picture after we left our home."
"Home?"
Zarion stares down at the picture, reliving the moment all over again. "We used to live in the Outlands."
Roan's eyes catch the pale scar on Zarion's wrist, his minds beginning to imagine wild scenarios. "I can't imagine what it's like-"
"No." Zarion looks down at Roan, the light of the crescent moon reflecting off his wet eyes. "No sympathy."
Roan nods his head, looking at the floor. "No sympathy." he offers Zarion the picture, feeling better knowing that there isn't anything that would hint at his new roommate being a spy.
When Zarion takes the picture, their fingers graze each other. Roan pretends not to notice but Zarion feels a shiver run down his spine.
Zarion puts the picture high on the shelf above his bed, his grip fingers lingering on the frame, his heart aching to be reunited with his mother.