[Closed] I watch the ripples change their size

[spiritwalks]

Who: Vyng spiritwalks and Obi-Wan jedies
What: A lowkey lakeside jaunt
When: Sometime toward the end of April
Where: Salt Lake in Trenchwood

Content Warnings: Listed in subject lines when applicable



[As they make their decent toward the shores of the Salt Lake, Cloudpiercer raises his body upward. With a mighty whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! of his wings to slow down, his talons spread out, and he seamlessly glides into a landing. The transition is as natural and smooth as any wild animal's touch-down onto solid ground. Vyng doesn't "steer" or give any vocal commands, instead trusting the thunderbird to act autonomously.

Once Cloudpiercer settles down and tucks his wings back against his sides, Vyng gently releases the tuft of feathers at the back of his friend's neck.

"Thanks, buddy," he murmurs, sharing his gratitude through their spiritual connection. Cloudpiercer clicks his beak in acknowledgment — fully aware he's doing his druid companion a solid, but glad to help regardless.

Only then does Vyng look back at Obi-Wan with a rakish grin.]

Enjoy the ride?

Comments

[spiritwalks]

Transcendent ones. Where you work through personal problems, treat your depression, and eat some hors d'oeuvres.

[jedies]

Since I haven't been to any, I'll take your word for it.

[spiritwalks]

You've never been to a party?

[jedies]

I've been to plenty of parties. Just not the kind you're speaking of.

[spiritwalks]

Well, we've got all the fixings for one: We're about to hunt some mushrooms. We might commune with nature. And Tuck calls me an hors d'oeuvre because I compulsively collect whatever I find on the ground.

[Excuse him and his stupid "hoarder" pun. ]

[jedies]

I feel I should clap or bow first.

[spiritwalks]

Well, I'll be here all night, and you've got a free snack whenever.

[jedies]

Shall we start this party then?

[spiritwalks]

Yes, let's.

[He extends an arm toward Obi-Wan.]

I can't make any promises about depression. But I can guarantee we'll have lots of fungus.

[jedies]

I'll just have to live with that.

[ obi-wan wraps his arm around vyng's. ]

[spiritwalks]

And maybe you'll discover a few new things you can enjoy living with.

[This is their home, after all.]

[jedies]

You make it sound like I have so little.

[spiritwalks]

Not at all. There's plenty for you here.

[jedies]

[ he hums. ]

Plenty is it . . .

[spiritwalks]

That's what I think, at least.

[So many small wonders. Impermanent and ever-changing, like the moonlit lake. And all the more beautiful for it.]

[jedies]

[ he's always held himself apart from true integration. he knows that. some part of him will always long for the temple. for home.

but here, anakin has a chance. ]

A sensible attitude.

[spiritwalks]

Not really.

[excuse you, there is nothing sensible about him, SIR.]

I've just had practice. With being uprooted and homeless, and starting over again. Comes with the territory.

[He was a wanderer, true. But even Vyng had a home, long ago. He missed Old Shear for many decades. He still mourns for what it symbolized to him, and for the people he'll never see again. And yet, Vyng still managed to recover himself from the wreckage...once he found a family.]

[jedies]

[ a pause. ]

And I've never had any.

[spiritwalks]

You never needed to. But you came here for a reason, didn't you.

[jedies]

. . . Anakin.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng suspected as much.]

He's your priority right now. I get it. That's okay too.

[Not that Vyng doesn't prioritize his own family — quite the opposite, he's literally walked out of work (without saying a word to his boss) to help them before. At the same time, his core identity doesn't revolve around being a father or spouse, either. He suffocates if he doesn't branch out. But not everyone feels that way, obviously. Tuck is proof of that.

He reaches over with his free hand and pats his friend's arm.]

You're a good man, Obi-Wan.

[jedies]

[ obi-wan just smiles. ]

I'm only a man.

[spiritwalks]

And a pearl starts with only one grain of sand.

[jedies]

Flattery will get you nowhere, my friend.

[spiritwalks]

Flattery? Me? Never.