⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Are you sure we haven't already b-been this way yet? That tree looks just a tad t-too familiar."  Letting out an exhausted sigh, Aiden sat down on a nearby stump that jutted out of the soft earth. They had been walking for hours, it seemed, after they left Lynn's home. Of course, they had to stop by a few shops before they actually set out into the forest. With a few of his silver coins, Terrence bought a map, a compass, an enchanted box of matches, and a journal for himself to write down notes on the things they came across along the way. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out how to work the compass, and the map only seemed to stretch for a hundred miles while the ocean was much farther away that that.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Groaning, Terrence plopped down onto a rock next to the half-nymph.  "At this point, I'm not sure where we have or where we haven't been."  Hitting the side of the compass with his palm, he muttered to himself,   "I definitely should have asked that harpy just how exactly you use one of these damn things. Oh well. Guess it doesn't do any good to dwell on that now."  Glancing up toward the forest canopy, he watched the vibrant orange sunlight filtering through the rustling leaves, creating dancing shadows on the ground below his feet. As he continued to stare up through the branches, a brilliant idea came to his mind. Eye lighting up, he tapped Aiden on the shoulder, a wide grin across his face.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"What is it? Is there s-something I'm missing?" the half-nymph questioned, a bewildered look on his pale face.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Isn't it true that the sun rises towards the east and sets in the west?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Tilting his head, Aiden muttered,  "Yes, I suppose it d-does. And the point you are getting at is...?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Throwing his arm up toward the sky and pointing at the sun slowly sinking towards the horizon, Terrence excitedly went on,  "Then that means that that's the west, over that way. And if that's west..."  Turning his body around, he threw his other arm up in the opposite direction.  "Then that's east. And if that's east..."  Now, he turned to the right and pointed both arms straight ahead.  "Then that's south! And please do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Aiden, I feel really bad for taking us in huge loops for the past half hour."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Chuckling, Aiden shook his head.  "You are really s-silly, you know that? But this time, I think you've actually g-got it correct. Now that we know where we're g-going, though, what's the plan? Do we keep walking until the sun truly starts to set, or do we just set up camp h-here right now?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Terrence carefully considered his options. If they kept going, they'd have made more distance and would cut their travel time for the following days a good amount. On the other hand, if they stopped there, that would leave them more time to settle down for the night, get a fire started, and cook something to eat. Finally, he came to his answer with a decisive nod.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I say we call it quits for today. The sun is already getting pretty low, and it's only early spring, so it will still set rather quickly. We can get a fire going and I can find something we can cook and eat for dinner tonight. How does that sound to you?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shrugging his shoulders, Aiden responded,  "That s-sounds good to me. I mean, I won't be the one d-doing much of the hard work. Whatever you think works b-best works for me, too. Just as long as you p-promise to make the food good."  Smiling playfully, he lightly punched the Meadow Elf on the shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, I guarantee you, it will be the best forest food you will ever taste in your entire life. I didn't study wild flowers and their properties for nothin'! Now I've got to prove it to you, though, don't I?"  Raising an eyebrow at the half nymph, Terrence crossed his arms over his chest.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You do indeed have to prove it to me and my taste b-buds. And they can be pretty harsh judges, my friend."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Ohoho, is that a challenge?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"You might consider it one, yes. Are you up for it?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A determined grin painted across his face, Terrence nodded his head enthusiastically.  "I am always up for a challenge."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shooting a grin right back at him, Aiden cocked his head and asked,  "So, when do you want to get started?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Whenever you're ready!" Sticking his tongue out playfully, Terrence knelt down on the ground, getting ready to sprint off and find whatever edible plants he could find.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Letting out a hearty laugh, Aiden called, "On your mark, g-get set, go!" and with that, Terrence was off, running into the forest. 'What a dork,' the half-nymph thought to himself, giggling happily. With a long sigh, he added, 'A handsome dork at that. If, for just one second, I could stop being so easily impressed, that would be wonderful. I am one love deprived homosexual.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Looking around at his surroundings, the half-nymph pointed out a dozen of the plants the Meadow Elf had shown him on their way to Lynn's cottage. He thought through every single step on how to grow and care for each of them as he admired their coarse leaves and soft petals bouncing in the gentle breeze. Watching them made him contemplate growing his own garden once they returned home. After all, he had Terrence to help him now if he ever ran into any trouble.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀As he stared at all the woodland plants growing up from the earth, a harsh gust blew through the trees, causing their branches to rustle and sway, and Aiden to shiver. 'Oh goodness. With the sun going down, the temperature is dropping, too. I might as well make good use of myself and get a fire going. I just have to gather some wood and light it. I know Terrence brought some matches with him, and I doubt he'd mind me checking his bag for them.' Standing up from the dead stump he was sitting on, he quickly stretched his short limbs and let out a yawn. 'I can get this thing going in no time.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He set out to search around the area for any small kindling to get the flames started, and then larger sticks to keep it burning. Noticing a few sticks underneath an oak tree, he knelt down and picked them up, holding them tightly in his elbow crease as the bundle slowly got larger. Glancing down at the twigs in his arms, he figured he had about half of what he needed to get a good fire going. He hurried back to the clearing where they had decided to set up camp and dropped the kindling off before quickly turning back to find some larger timber.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He picked up a good amount of broken off branches on his way back into the forest, moving his gaze around constantly, scanning the ground for sizeable pieces of wood. Soon, he came upon an enormous old willow tree that time seemed to have taken a toll upon. From the sea of branches scattered on the ground, Aiden could imagine it had seen a fair number of storms in its life. Still, it stood tall and proud, bright green leaves swaying happily in the breeze. Respectfully, he thanked the tree before he bent down to pick up one of the old limbs.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Gripping the end delicately in his palm, he lifted it from the earth, noticing a small insect clinging onto the top of the stick. Upon closer examination, Aiden could see it was a moth, its off white wings fluttering gently. It had a beautiful striped pattern of caramel, chocolate brown, and black that made it nearly impossible to notice at first glance. He extended his finger to it, cooing softly. "Hey there, little fella. Aren't you a pretty pretty moth, hm? Look at those wings! They're absolutely stunning, aren't they?" Ever so slowly, the moth crawled onto the tip of Aiden's finger. A bright smile on his face, the half-nymph hummed a soothing lullaby that drifted away on the cool breeze. Then the moth spread its wings and fluttered away.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Nature really is a beautiful thing,' he thought to himself as he bent down and grabbed a few more sticks to carry back to camp. Once he was satisfied with his load, he made his way back to the clearing, still humming the peaceful lullaby. With a bounce in his step, he placed the branches on top of the pile of firewood he had already gathered next to the large dead stump, then glanced over towards his and Terrence's bags resting a few feet away against a tree trunk. Eyeing the Meadow Elf's hulking brown sack, he bit his lip, feeling hesitant to go through it. He was worried that he might upset the elf, and even a bit nervous that he might find something he wasn't supposed to. He really enjoyed his company and he had a lot of trust in him, but he still didn't trust him completely. There was one thing keeping him from doing so, and that was the dark thing that hid behind the elf's eye patch.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Groaning, he inched his way over to the large bag and flopped down next to it on the ground. Grabbing hold of the string that kept it tightly closed, he pulled on it gently until the knot came undone and it opened up. 'Oh goodness, please forgive me,' he thought pleadingly and squeezed his eye shut. Reaching into the bag, he searched for the tiny wooden box that contained the enchanted matches the Meadow Elf had bought at the town marketplace. He felt soft cloth, cold metal, coarse paper, and a leathery book cover with the tips of his fingers, but still no wooden box. Growing anxious, he continued to shift through the sack's contents, praying that he could find it and pull it out as quickly as possible. Finally, after another minute or two, he felt the grainy texture of wood on his skin. Clutching it in his palm, he pulled the matchbox out of the bag and let out a sigh of immense relief.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Blinking open his ocean blue eye once more, he wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on his brow and resealed the brown bag with a tight knot. Looking down at the box in his hands, painted pink, purple and blue with images of stars and sparkles, he began to laugh at himself. 'This wasn't worth all of that trouble. Aiden, you are one big nervous wreck.' Pulling himself up off of the ground, the half-nymph grabbed the bundle of sticks with his free hand and walked into the center of the clearing. He set the materials down gently, then gathered up a few large stones that were lying in the dirt. Constructing a wide fire ring, he piled the smallest sticks in the center of the circle, then he stacked some bigger ones on top in a triangular shape so the flames would grow upwards.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Having that all set up, he pulled one of the matches from the box and struck in, sending colorful sparks flying. 'I sure hope these aren't a sham,' Aiden thought to himself as he touched the blue flame to the kindling. They caught aflame almost immediately, fizzing to life with bright colors. 'I guess we'll know soon enough if the wind picks up again. If the fire goes out, I'll have to tell Terrence he wasted a few of his silver coins, but if it doesn't, then I may just have to give him a kiss on the cheek.' As the flames continued to engulf the wood and grow ever brighter, he considered how he might pass the time until the Meadow Elf returned with some food to cook.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With a shrug, he made up his mind to jot some notes down in his journal. It would keep him preoccupied, as well as productive, so it was truly the best of both worlds. His legs too tired to carry his weight from walking all over the place, he simply crawled over to his aqua colored satchel, pulled open the latch, and reached for the thick book, a feather quill, and an ink pot. Shuffling back over to the fire, he laid the items out in front of him and opened the journal to the next blank page. Making himself as comfortable as he could be lying on the cold forest floor, he dipped the quill into the thick black ink and began to write.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Although today was only the first day of our journey, the Meadow Elf and I have made a great deal of progress towards finding the elusive Hippocampus. We consulted a young Night Elf, only fourteen years of age, who directed us to an Ocean Elf who proved to be of much help to us. I have recorded on the previous page the three things we have discovered are absolutely vital in finding one of the rare creatures.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I have also learned quite a few interesting facts on local plant life and how to cultivate certain species in a garden of my own. I am considering planting a few seeds once I return home, depending on my confidence in my knowledge of gardening. Even if I am not confident, I could always ask the Meadow Elf for assistance.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Glancing up from the book for a second, he thought about what other information he could add. 'If this is really a professional journal, then I should include some of those plants Terrence told me about. Some information on him might also be a good thing to add, but I'd have to wait for him to get back to add any sketches.' Letting out a short yawn, he leaned back over the paper and began to draw. With a few curving lines, he formed the branch of an ivy plant. Underneath it, he sketched a heart shaped leaf, going over it again and adding small details and texture. Once he was satisfied, he went back to writing in small letters whatever facts he could pull from his memory.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'The elf referred to this plant as lovers' ivy, its name inspired by the heart shaped leaves that grow off of its yellow-green branches. These branches are surprisingly sturdy, while also being very flexible. In fact, the elf has cleverly used one as a patch to cover his right eye. These plants are usually found growing on the sides of trees or buildings — as long as they can get enough sunlight, they will grow anywhere, though they grow best on the sides of oak trees.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Flipping over to the next page, he began to sketch another plant, focusing especially closely on the thin spines poking out all over its body.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This plant is known as a midnight cactus. Hence the name, they curiously only grow in the moonlight instead of the sunlight. They need four to six hours of moonlight depending on the phase of the moon and the weather, and they only need to be watered approximately once every two weeks. The Ocean Elf from whom we obtained our information on the Hippocampus was growing one inside her home, but she was not informed on the proper care for the plant.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shaking his head, Aiden laughed to himself. Out of every other day in his entire nineteen years of living, he had never made so many new friends as he did that day. He had also never learned so much new information in the span of twenty-four hours. Smiling gently, he closed the book and set it to his side, then rolled over onto his back to gaze at the colorful dusk sky.

※ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀※ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀※

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Terrence sprinted away from the clearing as fast as he could, filled with exuberance and glee. He ducked under branches, jumped over logs, and swerved around large rocks that jutted out of the ground until his lungs couldn't take it anymore. Gasping for air, he leaned against the trunk of a tree, a bright smile still painted on his lips.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Wow. I haven't ran like that since...' Pausing, he absentmindedly touched a finger to the coarse leaf over his right eye. 'Since then. Since I saved Claire.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Since you ruined your life,' came a whisper from the back of his mind. It was low and harsh, and for a moment, he thought it might have just been the wind. Then it called out once again, saying, 'Since you invited me in. And what good did it do you?'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shaking his head back and forth, he willed himself to ignore the menacing voice. 'I came out here to get food, nothing else. Then I'm going straight back to camp.' Once his breathing finally slowed and his heart was no longer pounding against his chest, he began to walk around, scanning the ground and the trees for anything that was safe to eat. Soon enough, his sunset colored gaze landed on a bush a few yards away. Hundreds of round berries, bright fuschia in color, sprouted from its navy blue branches. A relieved smile returning to his face, he made his way over to the bush and sat down next to it. Plucking off one of the small fruits and holding it in his fingertips, he took a tiny bite and chewed slowly. 'Sweet, not too sour.' Swallowing what he already had in his mouth, he finished off the rest of the berry and licked the juice from his lips. 'I'd say these are good and ripe.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small fabric pouch and began to fill it with some of the small fruits. 'I sure hope Aiden likes candy berries as much as I do,' he thought to himself as he sealed the bag with a thin string of twine. Glancing around the area, he pulled himself up onto his feet, brushing dirt and leaves off of his puffy pants.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'He is going to hate them. He is going to hate you.'  The voice called even louder this time, mocking him.  'Just give it up. Stop trying.'  It was growing into a derisive scream. Gritting his teeth, Terrence kept telling himself it was only in his head. He just needed to ignore it. 'I am in your head. You can't get rid of me that easily.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Just shut up!"  he shouted, clutching his ears with his hands. Suddenly, the entire forest fell silent apart from the cool breeze blowing through the trees. The voice was gone, if only for a moment. There were no birds chirping, no bugs chittering. It felt eery and unnatural, almost unearthly. Shivering slightly, Terrence glanced warily around him before continuing on his search for edible plants.  'Just leave me be for the rest of the night. That's all I ask,'  he thought pleadingly.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small tree, pale fruit hanging from its thin white branches. Whipping around, he hurried over to it, his eye wide with surprise.  'It's a nectar cherry tree. I haven't seen one of these since I was a little boy. My mom used to make pies out of them for my birthday.'  Plucking one of the small, round, lemonade yellow fruits from the tree, he examined it closely, turning it over in his palm.  'These would be perfect.'  With a small smile, he took the fabric pouch from his back pocket, untied it, and slipped the nectar cherry in. He took a few more from the fragile branches, set them in the bag, and tied it shut again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Perfect. We've got food, now all we need is something to drink. I'm sure I can find something that would make some good tea.'  Rubbing his chin in thought, he searched the immediate area for any plant that grew the perfect leaves for tea. He walked around for a while, scanning the earth, until his eye landed on a small bush with ovate leaves that spiked around the edge.  'Lemon balm would work great. The taste is used to ease a person's stress, and heaven knows I need that right now. Plus it helps with insomnia, so it's a win win.'  Bending over, he plucked six of the leaves and set them at the top of his small fabric pouch.  'That should be all that I need.'

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Turning himself around, he began the trek back to the campsite. As the sun continued to lower toward the horizon, the Meadow Elf quickened his pace, attempting to keep himself from getting lost in the dark forest. After a few minutes of retracing his steps and scanning for familiar landmarks, he heard the crackling of a fire and saw the warm orange glow from afar. With a tired and relieved sigh, he entered the clearing where he saw Aiden lying on the ground in front of the fire, scribbling away in his journal. Exhausted, he plopped down next to the half-nymph, making him jump a bit.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, you're b-back! Any luck finding food?"  Aiden questioned, regaining his relaxed composure.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With a tired smile, Terrence nodded his head.  "Yup, plenty of luck."  Pulling the pouch from his back pocket, he dumped some of the fruit and leaves into his opened palm.  "I got some lemon balm leaves for tea, candy berries for dessert, and nectar cherries for the main dish. They taste surprisingly good cooked with some spice."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Raising an eyebrow in mild interest, Aiden let out a soft "Ooo" and nodded his head, his messy blue hair bouncing with the movement.  "Th-That sounds really good, Terrence! How long do you think it'll take to make?"  He paused for a moment before adding,  "I can also l-lend a hand, i-if you need one, of course."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, thanks, Aiden, but I think I've got it under control. You've already done plenty to help out tonight. Right now, I just want you to sit back and relax while I get dinner ready, okay?"  The Meadow Elf gently patted the half-nymph on the shoulder, then wearily stood and walked over to his large brown bag.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Watching him with a disappointed look in his eye, Aiden let out a soft sigh.  "Alright, I'll do as y-you wish."  Then he shot a stern look toward the Meadow Elf and said,  "But, next t-time, I am going to help even if you tell me not t-to. No ifs, ands, or b-buts about it."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Pulling out a few pans, utensils, bottles of spices, and a ceramic kettle from his bag, Terrence chuckled lightly.  "I can't argue with that. I wouldn't turn away your help any other day. Tonight, on the other hand, is your night for rest and relaxation."  Walking back over to the fire, he set everything down apart from the kettle.  "Now, I'll be right back. I've just got to fill this bad boy up for the tea, and when I get back, we can set it to a boil."  Hardly waiting for a response from Aiden, the Meadow Elf turned and started off in the opposite direction. He remembered passing a tiny spring as they were scouting out the perfect spot to set up camp, and with kettle in hand, he set out to find it again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Soon enough, he heard the bubbling water a little ways off. Once he reached the bank of the creek, he knelt down onto the earth and dipped the kettle in, filling it until it almost overflowed. He was getting ready to stand again when he noticed something in the water out of the corner of his eye. Slowly, he turned his head to look into the dark shadows taking shape. In an instant, he recognized the glowing eyes staring straight through him — except he wasn't looking into the face of the demon. He was looking at his own twisted reflection.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A stifled scream escaping his mouth, he grabbed a large rock from beside him and threw it into the water, creating a violent splash. In a hurry, he shot up onto his feet and ran away from the creek back to the camp. When he was nearly halfway there, he thought to himself,  'If Aiden sees you like this, he's going to know that something is up. Slow down, gather yourself.'  Stopping in his tracks, he took in a large breath and let it out. Then he continued toward the clearing, teakettle in hand.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He found Aiden sitting exactly where he was when he left. He wasn't sure why, but it had felt like hours had passed while he was fetching the water. He genuinely expected that he would find the half-nymph already fast asleep. Exhausted, he muttered,  "I'm back. Again. Got the water. It might take a few minutes to boil, but that's no problem, right?"  He grabbed a few small stones from off of the ground in his free hand and plopped himself down next to the fire. Setting up a smaller fire ring next to the larger one, he picked up the pair of metal tongs he bought at the marketplace, took a few coals from the bottom of the pit, and set them inside the new ring. Then he set the kettle on top of the glowing cinders.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"That's g-great to hear, Terrence, but are you sure you d-don't want any help? You look so t-tired."  The half-nymph gazed at him with a concerned gleam in his ocean colored eye.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Yawning as he plucked the stems off of the nectar cherries in his pouch, the Meadow Elf shook his head lazily.  "No, no, I told you. Any night but tonight I'd be happy to let you help, but this night is your time to relax. I promise, I can handle it. As soon as we have had dinner, I'll get to sleep. How does that sound?"  Plopping one of the small fruits into his mouth, he raised an eyebrow at Aiden.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Pursing his lip, the half-nymph hesitated for a moment. Finally, he nodded his head in defeat.  "Alright, f-fine. But you had better k-keep your word on that. You need r-rest."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With a sigh, Terrence nodded his head. "I promise I will keep my word. I am tired, you know." He let out a soft chuckle as he dropped the stemless cherries into a wide pan and cut each of them into three smaller pieces with a thin knife. "Hm..." Rubbing his chin in thought, he glanced curiously at the half-nymph. "What kinds of spices do you think I should use for these guys?" Awkwardly, he grabbed the numerous bottles he had left on the ground around him and handed them to Aiden.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The half-nymph took each of them in his hands delicately. After examining them for a few moments, he pointed to a bottle with a crimson lid. "This s-sounds good."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Looking over his shoulder at the small container, Terrence slowly nodded his head. "Macadamia spice? That's perfect! Are you absolutely, one hundred percent certain you don't know how to cook, my friend?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Shrugging his shoulders, Aiden laughed quietly. "Yes, I'm c-certain. I really just chose that one b-because of the label. It made it sound v-very tasty."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Laughing heartily, Terrence gave the half-nymph a pat on the shoulders. "Then you have very good intuition! Macadamia spices are, like, the perfect blend of sweet and salty. They will make these nectar cherries taste like heaven!" Extending an open palm to Aiden, he gently took the bottle of spices and popped the crimson lid off of the top. As he sprinkled the small, brown spices over the sliced fruits in the pan, he checked to see if the water in the kettle had come to a boil yet. Much to his pleasure, a hot trail of steam was escaping from the ceramic spout. Humming softly, he took the lemon balm leaves from his silk pouch, tore them in half, and placed them in the hot water. Then he took the kettle off of the coals and set it at his side.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"And now for the main course," he said with a smile, placing the pan of cherries atop of the burning cinders. Grabbing a metal spatula from the plate beside him, he pressed the fruits to the surface of the pan, lifted them up, and flipped them over until they were a tangerine color. Curiously, he picked one of them up in his fingertips and threw it in his mouth to check the flavor. Eye lighting up as he swallowed the cooked cherry, he announced proudly, "They're ready!" He scraped half of them onto one ceramic plate, and the other half on a second plate for himself. Then he dumped equal amounts of the candy berries onto each plate before grabbing two tiny cups and filling them with the aromatic lemon balm tea.
Somewhat shyly, he handed one of the plates and a cup to the half-nymph. "I hope you like it," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Taking the food and drink from the Meadow Elf, Aiden muttered a quick "Thank you" before taking a tiny bite out of a nectar cherry.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Ears perking up with keen interest, Terrence watched the half-nymph intently. "So? What do you think? Not too much spice, not too little? I didn't overcook it?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀As soon as he swallowed the small bite of fruit, Aiden chuckled and shook his head. "It's not o-overcooked, it's got the perfect amount of s-spice, and I th-think it's delicious. Don't worry yourself so much, T-Terrence. I am the one here who's the b-bad cook, not you!" With a bright smile on his pale face, the half-nymph took a sip of his tea. "And this is perfect, t-too!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Returning a sheepish look, the Meadow Elf gave a nervous chuckle. "Alright, alright. Thank you. I am very glad you like my cooking." Taking a large bite out of his own food, Terrence laid back in the cool grass, folding his arms under his head for cushioning. Although the trees around them were thick and their leaves blocked out the sky above, there were hardly any in the clearing. He could see every single tiny speck of starlight in the vast violet sky above in crystal clarity. Quietly, he murmured, "It's beautiful out here. I can't see much of the sky where I live, but here?" Reaching his arms out above his body, he gestured up toward the heavens. "Here, I can see everything."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Glancing upwards, Aiden admired the twinkling stars with a bright and excited eye. "Yeah. It truly is a beautiful s-sight." He uttered the words softly, almost too quiet to be heard. His ocean colored gaze was stuck on the Meadow Elf, who was too engulfed in the sky to notice. Suddenly, a wave of inspiration passed over the half-nymph, and with an excited gasp, he grabbed his journal in his hands and flipped it open. He dipped his feather quill into the ink pot and brought the tip to the paper, eagerly sketching a figure in incredible detail. First, he formed the perfectly sculpted face, then the wavy hair, and finally the large ears. To finish off his masterpiece, he added every single detail of the Meadow Elf's face, from the straight nose down to the five tiny freckles under each eye. Proud of his work, he glanced up from the page to find that Terrence had fallen asleep while he was drawing.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Chuckling, he shook his head, thinking to himself, 'Good. He needs the rest.' Closing his journal, he grabbed the ink pot in his free hand, stood, and made his way over to the two bags at the edge of the clearing. Stuffing the materials into his cerulean satchel, a yawn escaped from his mouth. Rubbing his good eye, he slowly shuffled back to the fire and laid down on the grass. "Good night, s-sleep tight, don't let the nightmares bite." Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.