-Two Months Later-
"…."
"…."
!!!!!!!!BOOM!!!!!!!!
("SQUEEEEEE!!!!!")
A screaming fire gecko shrieks as Xavier turns it inside out with a blow!!!!!!
"Your control has gotten a lot better."
Jeremy chimes in with a smile
"I think it's time we starting working on increasing your projection capacity."
He says
"You really think so?"
Xavier responds excitedly pumping his fists as he powers down.
"Yup."
Jeremy responds smiling as he pets Mylo
"Trust me you'll be blowing off rooftops in no time."
He says smiling
"Arrrf!!!!"
"See, even Mylo is in agreement."
He says chuckling as the pup adds to the banter.
Two months have gone by since Jeremy had the revealed the truth of his ailments.
And while the overall atmosphere has improved from their continued affiliation and travels.
The dark cloud that loomed over their heads is as dim as ever.
But they choose not to think about it.
They are in a much better place.
And Pandora lay only a couple days away now.
-A While Later-
"Hey so how much longer to Pandora??"
Xavier asks, wiping his face with a wet towel
"hmmmm…"
Jeremy exclaims in thought
"Well if I had to guess…."
"Only a couple of days now."
He responds looking out to the tallest buildings of the city visible from the campsite!!!!
"Guess?"
Xavier asks confused
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't tell me you don't know where we've been going this whole time."
He snaps
"Eh--"
"AHAHAHhahaha… don't worry about it."
Jeremy responds chuckling away
"I've been travelling these lands since before you were born."
He says
"Am pretty certain I know where this place is."
He says with a smile
"Yeah… yeah… I hope so."
Xavier says looking out to the city too
"For all our sakes."
He mumbles under his breath scratching Mylo behind the ear
"What was that?"
"n-Nothing!!"
Xavier responds standing up
"w-Well then it's about time we started off again."
"haha-haha-haaa…"
He says
"With the weather being as good as it is nowadays we might just make it today!"
He laughs awkwardly
"I wouldn't count on it."
Jeremy says humble smile at Xavier
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Your hair is getting pretty long."
Jeremy says
"We should probably look into getting you a haircut when we get there.""
He says getting up and picking his camp bag
"you think so?"
Xavier asks touching his hair which measure at just beneath the shoulders!!! (._.)/
"C'mon."
Jeremy shouts tossing Xavier's his bag
"Right."
The last couple of months have been kind to Xavier…
He had considerably stronger after all.
However not in the traditional sense.
Jeremy felt it'd be better if Xavier first learned to control his souls as opposed to maximising SPP.
So in terms of raw ability he was pretty much the same all things considered.
In the long run though this tactic will help Xavier more.
You know…
Seeing as how he won't have to worry about exploding for a while. (._.)?
Despite all that loomed over them.
Xavier was in quite the positive mood.
He trained to control his souls in the early mornings and they travelled by foot the rest of the day.
Good cardio.
Especially for someone that had spent the last couple of months in a jail cell.
All things considered life was…
Good.
But Xavier knew this was never going to last…
The window for Jeremy's ailment was a couple of months.
And seeing as how they had finally reached within toughing distance of Pandora.
All Xavier hoped for was that Jeremy would live long enough to look for a cure there.
-That Night-
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I cleaned the gecko meat from this morning."
Xavier shouts opening the tent
"Nicely done."
Jeremy responds
"With the herbs I made we should actually have some flavour tonight."
Jeremy says getting the meat to prepare. (gecko meat is tasteless like lemon without the sour.) (._.)!!
"…"
"Cool."
Xavier says taking a sit next to him
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"You're doing quite well…"
Xavier says softly
"All things considered."
He says
"Yeah?"
Jeremy responds smirking
"Well that's probably because am such a genius hehe."
He says rubbing spicy fingers by his nose
(sneezes) "aTcHoO!!!!!!!!"
Jeremy sneezes
"Right."
Xavier says rolling his eyes.
"…"
"No but really."
Xavier continues
"I expected you'd be down in the dumps by now and I'd have to carry you everywhere."
He says with a lonely smile
"…"
"Well that's probably because of the herbs I made."
Jeremy says with a smile but more serious
"They counteract most feelings of pain and slow down the poison."
He says
"It's a little makeshift because I had to make do with what I can find but its good still."
He says
"Cool…"
Xavier responds looking out to the lights that illuminate Pandora's night sky
Quitting smoking probably helped too. (-_-)
"Seems like we'll reach Pandora in the next couple days."
Xavier says
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"…yeah"
Jeremy responds looking to Pandora as well
"Seems everything can finally return to normal…"
Xavier thinks sombrely
"Well!"
"I better head to bed."
Xavier says standing up
"Aren't you gonna have any meat?"
Jeremy asks
"Am not hungry."
"Night Uncle Jerry."
Xavier says entering the tent.
"Goodnight Xavi."
He responds smiling as he slices up some meat.
"…"
"…"
Often Xavier is a heavy sleeper but when things aren't quite right he can't seem to get to bed no matter what does…
It used to happen when he waited for Smart Mark to make him new toys as a kid.
And it happened when his home was attacked…
Tonight is no different…
The wind howled a different kind of hymn.
And the air was thicker than It had been since the day Lucy died.
So unable to keep his eyes shut…
Unable to force his body back to sleep despite how tired and battered it was…
Xavier awoke…
"…"
-silence-
"…"
Xavier lays still in silence eyes wide open and scanning the tent
"Looks like I won't be able to get any sleep today…"
He mouths out turning to his back and watching the roof of the tent
"…"
-silence-
"…"
The wind howls something nasty in the dead of the night
"…"
"I hate this feeling."
Xavier mumbles as a cold tear flows from the side of his right eye
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I should probably get back to bed."
He thinks turning to his other side where he is met by the sight of Mylo
"…"
"I see you're getting some sleep in."
He says softly to the sleeping pup
"huh. traitor…"
He says trying to readjust himself in his bag.
"…"
But just as he is about to close his eyes he notices Jeremy is not in his bed
And without saying a word he gets out of the bag and tent
"…"
-silence-
"…"
("It's a cold night…")
Xavier scans the empty fireplace before continuing forward…
He grabs his poncho off the wood and begins to traverse the night…
As nasty as the night is it doesn't seem so bad now that he walks the night.
Xavier takes his time walking around from the little pond that nears their campsite to the training ground he and Jeremy are currently using when he notices a small smoke from atop a hill that overlooks Pandora.
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"hey…"
Xavier says to a smoking Jeremy before taking a sit next to him
(coughs) "Ahem… ahem… Hello Xavi."
He responds fanning the smoke out with his hand
(chokes) "Can't sleep?"
Jeremy asks choking a little
"yeah…"
Xavier responds
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I didn't know you continued smoking."
Xavier says softly staring to Pandora
(coughs) "Oh this old thing?"
Jeremy says smirking
"Helps with the pain."
He says smiling
"I see…"
Xavier responds
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"It's a beautiful City."
Jeremy says
"Pandora?"
Xavier asks
"No Gomorrah."
"Of course Pandora."
Jeremy jokes with a smile
"Oh…"
Xavier exclaims smiling softly
"…"
(smokes)
"Did you know your father was our captain?"
Jeremy asks
"what?"
Xavier asks
"Your father."
"He was our captain..."
Jeremy repeats
"The Fabled Six."
He says
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I see…"
Xavier says softly
"Yup."
Jeremy responds
"Coolest man I ever met."
He says smirking
"Between him and your mother I don't know how you came out so…"
He says looking to Xavier who stares back confused
"Flustered."
Jeremy says smiling and patting his head
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Your father was a great man Xavi."
Jeremy says softly
"Your mother maybe even greater…"
He says smiling
"Sure they'd argue a lot when they were younger but they'd always come together to solve their problems."
He says
"And even when the world was fighting to pull them apart from two separate directions they still found a way to meet in the middle."
He says humbly
"And even had you."
He says sombrely
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"was my mother also a member of the six?"
Xavier asks humbly
"No."
Jeremy responds
"Your mother…"
He says
"She had something better…"
Jeremy says as Xavier watching
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"what was--"
"A 'family'"
"Xavi."
Jeremy says softly cutting Xavier off
"Something I never…"
Jeremy thinks lighting another cigar
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I hate it…"
Xavier mumbles
"What?"
Jeremy asks
"I said I hate it…"
Xavier repeats himself
"What do you--"
"you talking like you don't have a family…"
"like you're NOT family…."
"am saying I hate it."
Xavier says watching him with strong eyes
"I mean if that's the case why'd you even let me call you Uncle Jerry anyone."
He says frustrated on a mini
"sheesh some people."
He says tucking his knees into his chest
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"pffft--"
"HAhahahahahha--"
Jeremy bursts into laughter…
"what?"
"What?!?!"
"What's so funny?!?!"
Xavier shouts embarrassed at Jeremy
"AHAHAHHAHahah--"
"Haha--haaa…"
"Nothing… nothing"
"Really…"
Jeremy says chuckling away and wiping away some tears
"tsk."
Xavier clicks his tongue cheeks flush a beet red
"Ahaha-haha…"
Jeremy pauses with a big smile staring at a flustered Xavier
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"You raised a good kid you two."
He thinks smiling as he stares on
"…"
"Great now what?!?"
Xavier snaps.
"Why do you keep staring at me?!?!"
"What now?!??!"
Xavier shouts cheeks flushed red with embarrassment
"AHA--"
"Is there something wrong with me staring at my favorite nephew??"
Jeremy says teasing him
"What?!?!"
Xavier shouts full of embarrassment
"AAAAAAHHHHH THIS GUY!"
He shouts hiding his face
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"
Jeremy laughs on…
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"geez…"
Xavier thinks embarrassed
"Take care of Mylo, Xavier."
"…"
"what?"
"…"
"I said take care of Mylo…"
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"okay."
"…"
"Good."
"…"
Jeremy says patting Xavier's head
"…"
-silence-
"…"
… "Good" …
He mumbles looking out to the city…
Xavier watches him for a bit before then tucking his knees closer to his chest and staring to the city as well….
"…"
-silence-
"…"
That night Jeremy would proceed to tell Xavier stories from his past…
From his family and upbringing to all the adventures he shared with Victor as a child.
And as the wind sang its final hymns….
Xavier would succumb to a peaceful sleep.
And Jeremy lifted him back to their tent….
As the sun rose in the morning sky….
Xavier awoke….
And as the tale would have it….
Jeremy Blanche of The Fabled Six.
Had died.
"..."
"..."
-To Be Continued-