it's a long way forward

[leggie]

[It's been days since he left that village behind, and he hasn't had nearly enough time to stop and rest. Every village or town he's run across has chased him off for falling out of the sky, too poor to offer any help of their own and too afraid to attempt to question his state. Desperately, he's kept his presence disguised, hiding from those other colored entities that were part of this destiny he wanted nothing to do with. He slept in trees for a couple hours at a time, moving again before too long when it no longer felt secure enough.

He was running from something he couldn't escape, but each time he tried to find somewhere to go, it wasn't right. Maybe his predecessor was right. Maybe there wasn't anyone who would take him like he is, green leg showing in the spot that his shoes don't cover. Maybe he was too much of a monster.

No. Determined, Jae-Ha urged himself forward despite that worry. No matter where he ended up, or if he had to live alone for the rest of his life, it was better than existing and waiting in that prison of a village. He wouldn't become like his predecessor. He wouldn't wait around to take it out on the next generation.

When he spots a blonde boy crouched near something in a clearing of the woods, Jae-Ha's chest tightens. This could be a chance, couldn't it? He was his age— younger, clearly, but not an adult like all of the ones that have chased him off. And better than that, he was alone. Maybe, just maybe, he could say something to reach him, to get some food other than the occasional bits of bread or fruit he's stolen from carts or nabbed from trees along the way.

His appearance comes in a flash, a green blur dropping out of the sky and right in front of Sanji. He's a mess in his dirtied robes, his face and body still badly beaten from a few days prior, his hair dirty and sticky even tied back, and heavy bags beneath his eyes from the lack of rest. When he drops down to a knee, both to temporarily hide the green of his right foot and to humble himself, it's more of a fall of pure exhaustion.

He doesn't bow his head like you should with a gesture like this, instead staring directly at Sanji with determined eyes.]

Please, let me stay with you, at least for a night. I'll do anything.

[It's about time for a desperate offer like this, isn't it?]

Comments

[lil_eggplant]

Yeah! [That fact is a mark of pride, obvious by the way Sanji tilts his head and grins.] Mother let me cook for her once and she loved it.

[It's been three years already, but he can still remember how her wide blue eyes had lit up when he'd given her the bento box, so much that Sanji thought she'd looked so pretty - like a goddess is supposed to be. And she'd eaten everything, too, ignoring how her nurses had insisted she wait and let someone taste test.

One of his fondest memories, and he keeps it locked away save for his smile, watching Jae-Ha eat everything]

[leggie]

I bet I'll love it, too.

[That's a nice expression. Jae-Ha finishes all of the food while thinking so, and once he's done, he casually slips the shoe off of his right foot, revealing the claws and bit of scale as he shifts.

One by one, while crouching here on the ground, he breaks the cuffs of his chains off by stepping on them. Carefully... And then, he slips it right back in the shoe, rubbing wrists that are raw and bloodied from being cut by the metal.]

...How can I make it up to you?

[lil_eggplant]

[Given how upset Jae-Ha had looked when Sanji had discovered his "curse", the blond boy stills in place and tries to hide the worst of his staring, face half-covered behind his knee. Even like this, he catches a peek of claws and scales - the type of stuff that comes out of a story. It also reminds him of the baby lizards that sunbathe by the creek during the summer months, except that doesn't match the excitement of what he's seeing.

So Sanji substitutes "dragon" instead, and finds a worthy fit.

And that's partly why Sanji can't hold back his protests when Jae-Ha steps on himself - you're gonna hurt yourself! - though it's with relief that he watches the broken metal cuffs fall to the ground. Immediately, Jae-Ha appears like any normal boy, albeit a dirty, bleeding one]

I already said; you can't tell Father I was here. [That Jae-Ha would have to leave if anyone caught him is irrelevant. Sanji means it, and his expression sets into a frown]

... And you can't like my brothers more than me.

[leggie]

[As Jae-Ha crouches once more near the water to rinse his wrists, not even wincing at the sting of it, there's the rare sound of a chuckle. It's short, since he doesn't have much chance to laugh at all, but it comes naturally now.

Turning over his shoulder to look at Sanji, he gives his first small smile.]

I already like you the best. [He's the first one to accept him. No one is going to pass that in his eyes.]

[lil_eggplant]

... Really?

[His voice loses its authoritative edge, and the boy returns Jae-Ha's smile with a hesitant stare. He'd-- he'd meant that last part, he'll be super angry if Jae-Ha sides with his brothers, but he thought - y'know, maybe he had to do extra stuff before they could be friends.

This seems so easy. Sanji wonders why it never worked before this]

[leggie]

Mhmm.

[Standing up and shaking his hands dry, he walks back over to Sanji, extending one of his hands to the other to help him up as well. His smile is already gone, but the way he looks at the other boy is clearly soft.]

Even though I have the leg of a monster and dropped out of nowhere, you helped me and were only kind to me. Even when I accidentally disrespected your mother... you forgave me and showed me concern. I won't forget that.

[lil_eggplant]

[Oh... well then. Maybe making friends really is this easy.]

Your leg is cool. [He offers it as compensation and pulls himself to a stand using Jae-Ha's help.] I dunno why no one likes it.

[Seriously, it's such a sticking point in the little boy's mind that he keeps talking, tugging Jae-Ha's hand briefly before turning to walk along the creek] I bet they're jealous they can't fly.

[leggie]

[He thinks it's cool? For a very brief moment, Jae-Ha's cheeks color, and he stares in surprise at the hand that's tugged before following along. He thinks it's cool... But quickly, he's reminded of everything in the village. The suffering he had to put up with, that his predecessor had to put up with, that the townspeople felt they went through... And so many generations of dragons before them, too.]

It's not really that cool. ...But the power is. [He likes being able to fly.] After I get some sleep, I can take you flying with me.

1/2

[lil_eggplant]

[Listen, Sanji's not saying Jae-Ha can't have an opinion on his own leg... but he's wrong, full stop. Dragon legs are always cool, even the cursed ones.

That detail pales in comparison, however, because--]

Really? [Aaaaaaaa he's gonna get to go flying-- That's more excitement than his body can handle, and Sanji reaches back to take Jae-Ha's hand a second time, now with renewed vigor.]

C'mon, you can sleep in my be--

[lil_eggplant]

[... Mm. Slowing his pace, and the look Sanji gives can only be called pitying]

But your clothes are too dirty.

You need new ones.

[leggie]

[He likes all of that energy, the hand grabbing, the excitement... but at the mention of his clothes, he blinks down at himself with a small bit of embarrassment.]

Oh. This was all I had... [They only gave him a new outfit when he grew too big. He plucks at the purple and red of his robes with a quiet frown.] They got worse from the way here. I kept snagging them on trees.

...If I shouldn't dirty your bed, I won't mind sleeping on the ground. That's what I did before.

[lil_eggplant]

You're not sleeping on the floor!

[Is he kidding him? What an insulting option to both himself and his guest. Sanji draws the hard line in the sand immediately and whips his head around to glare at the suggestion]

So we'll get you new ones. [DUH.]

[leggie]

Uh—

[Oh, he's so certain about it. Jae-Ha blinks quickly, his fingers curling more into the hold of their hands.] How?

[How do clothes work in places that aren't in poverty and abusing him...]

[lil_eggplant]

[The sincerity in the question is so startling that Sanji, in all his brattiness, can only stare in subdued surprise. As slow budding as the realization has been, Sanji doubts Jae-Ha is the type to make a mean joke at his expense.

So maybe he means where they'll get the money? That's a fair question, he supposes. If Jae-Ha spent most of his time chained up, the adults probably didn't give him any coin.]

We gotta buy it in the city. But I have to find Reiju first. [At only 8, Sanji is still considered too young to visit the town by himself (so of course he sneaks off at least once a week), and that means he'll have to beg his sister for spending money without making her suspicious.

It won't be easy... but compared to outright stealing or asking Father? Yeah, he'll take Reiju]

[leggie]

Should I hide somewhere while you go? I can't show my leg to anyone, and if your father can't know I'm here, no one should know at all or they might tell him.

[He's paranoid, a little, but cautious!! He doesn't want Sanji in trouble.]

[lil_eggplant]

You can hide from Reiju, but I don't know what clothes to get you.

[Though Jae-Ha brings up a point Sanji wouldn't have considered, and his mouth thins with thought, turning an assessing gaze on the other]

Well, you're not that much taller than me.

[... Shut up, just agree with him.]

[leggie]

[Jae-Ha doesn't comment on that, but he does reach with his free hand to rest completely on Sanji's head. He's analyzing the height difference. It is significant.]

Then... maybe if I wrap my leg in some bandages, no one will think I'm a monster. Do you have some of those?

[lil_eggplant]

-- I'm not short!

[RUDE. Sanji swats the hand away like it's an irritating gnat]

And Reiju has a lot of bandages. [Most of which she hides in her closet, ready for use should Ichiji and Niji get bored and use Sanji's face as target practice.]

I'll tell her I wanna practice bandaging myself this time, so she'll give them to me.

[leggie]

Make sure you get enough. It goes up to here. [He gestures up above his knee for reference, deciding to be merciful and not comment on how tiny Sanji is.

He thinks it would be weird to keep saying thank you, so he doesn't add it again, but he does swing their joined hands a tiny bit, quietly watching them. He has a friend now... It's nice.]

[lil_eggplant]

Mm, okay. [Lots of bandages, got it. His attention is too tunnel focused to note Jae-Ha swinging their hands, but he doesn't loosen his grip at all, not until they're at the outskirts of Sanji's home.

It will be Jae-Ha's first time seeing it, and if Sanji's robes didn't tip him off, the building itself might make clear the type of wealth and luxury that Sanji is accustomed to. Three stories high, it seems to float, bank to bank, on top of a wide river that reflects the greens and golds of the roof tiling. The main (and largest) building sits in the center, where a white and red bridge gently rises to meet its entrance, and two smaller buildings sit at its side.

It's only midday, but there are plenty of servants and guards bustling about that Sanji stops them before they get too close] You wait here. I think I can see her.

[Jae-Ha might be able to see her if he squints: a young girl (though not as young as Sanji) dressed in royal robes, and resting her arms on the bridge's ledge, staring into the water. Her hair is blond but in the right lighting, seems tinged pink. When she hears Sanji call to her, she turns with a calm, but blank smile that never leaves her face.

After the two talk for a time, Reiju leads Sanji back into their home, their two forms quickly disappearing into the main building, but only Sanji returns some time later. He's armed with bandages that he's stuffed in the front of his robes, and upon his approach, Jae-Ha might hear the tickle of coins smacking against each other.]

Okay! Got everything.

[leggie]

Is that your house?

[Jae-Ha asks only once Sanji returns, still staring in amazement at the large building. He feels so small in front of it, and now in front of Sanji, even if he's the taller one.] It looks bigger than every house in my village combined...

[He's used to like, mudhutsville. Well, he reaches, poking at where the bandages have filled up Sanji's robes.]

Let me put these on behind some trees first. You can watch out for me, right? No one else can know about my leg.

[lil_eggplant]

My father's house.

[Said for no other reason than he hears at least weekly how he's lucky to still be living there, and after enough time, even children understand when they're little better than the furniture. He doesn't care about that today, at least. Jae-Ha is treated to a dutiful nod and Sanji stands at attention, glaring out at the bridge like he expects an army to come marching through]

Yeah, I'll make sure no one comes here! [He can boss the servants away, and the guards can be bribed if necessary] Go ahead.

[leggie]

[He's such a good little guard. Jae-Ha looks both ways before moving to hide behind a tree or two, then drops to the ground and takes his shoe off. His pants are baggy enough to roll up over his knee, showing all of his dragon leg as he begins to wrap it carefully.

It takes a few minutes, but finally he manages, and rolls his pant leg back down, slips his foot into his shoe, and jogs over to meet Sanji. Hesitantly, he looks at one of Sanji's hands for a few seconds before reaching out to take it. This is fine, right...]

I'm ready now.

[lil_eggplant]

Good. [He hadn't minded the handholding before, and he isn't about to start. Friends must do this, he figures. It makes it easier to steer Jae-Ha, and the younger boy spares a look at other's covered leg before leading them back into the forest]

Here, we can go this way. [It's the longer route, but he doesn't want to follow along the bank of the large river. Too many people fishing or washing the clothes, plus he worries his sister will try to follow him]

Lemme know if you need more bandages later 'cuz Reiju gave me a lot.

[leggie]

Then I can change them sometimes.

[He's not doomed to these bandages forever, how nice. He really needs a bath, honestly, but he doesn't even think that's an option right now. He's just glad he was able to eat, and that now he has a place to stay, a friend, and he'll even get new clothes.]

I've never been able to talk to other people before. What if they know I'm weird? I'm all beat up...