"One thing everybody in the world wants and needs is
friendliness."-William E. Holler
He grinned, and shook Jarren's hand warmly, his grip strong for a
man his age, but full of tenderness. "And a pleasure myself,
Jarren. So..." He gave Angela's lead a gentle tug to keep her at
pace with him, though he did his best to slow down considering how
wide the strides of the tall, muscular man was. "I suppose that I'd
better get this girl home," he chuckled. "She's a rebel, always
sneaking out and off into the woods. She's just about as old as I
am, at least for a goat." He looked up. "Forgive me, I never asked
about you. What is it that you're up to, if you're off by yourself?
Don't answer if you think I'm prying, I'm just curious," Orion said
politely. In truth, Jarren seemed to have an unmistakeable cloud of
sadness about him, and Orion was a warm and caring soul, always out
to do what he could for others.
He let out a small laugh upon hearing the man's remarks about the
goat. "Of course, that's why you came over here, yes?" He gave
another smile as he picked up his pace to stay beside Orion instead
of behind him. The effort was quickly made obsolete whenever he
slowed down once Orion spoke again, questioning his strange
behavior. No one had really questioned him before like this, other
than the children who saw him of course, but he could easily steer
the topic away or just brush it off with a silly answer. This time
was different, the one asking him about it was a wise man, one who
was able to see through any lies or walls he put up to guard his
reasoning. "Well... I just like walking, I suppose. It's a nice way
to just be alone for a bit, let your mind clear up, you know?" For
now, that was the best answer he could give. It wasn't exactly a
lie, per se, but it wasn't the full truth.
"The phrase “it’s just a
game” is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what
happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you
stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice.
There’s always something to learn, and always room
for improvement, never settle."
-Sun Tsu, The Art of Gaming
"There's been a thoughtfulness to everything I do. Even
some of the stupidest things I do have some kind of point."-Jim
Carrey
"Just like walking..." he mused thoughtfully. "It's a good thing to
take time for yourself. As I've said before, the most important
thing a man can do is to be thoughtful, both of himself and his
surroundings. Well, it's at least on that list. But you must soak
in the comfort of a community. People are flawed, yes, and not
always will you agree with them, but the least you can do is find
the good things. Children, for instance. Oh, I'm quite fond of
children. My wife..." A bit of sadness passed over him, "Died with
our stillborn child, so I could never see grandchildren of my own."
But he brightened. "But, there are plenty around, and I love them
all dearly, like they were my own."
Foxglove had spent the next few minutes tending to her garden,
making lunch, and showing off her hard work to other fairies of the
village. She was interrupted by Night, who seemed alerted and a
bit... off.
"Such a rare sight! Fairies interacting with humans." Night
cried, his wings flapping furiously. "Guess people got too
curious..."
"Humans huh.." Foxglove muttered, before standing up. "I'll just
take a quick peek. Nothing else."
"Yes, the children are quite wonderful, just a bit too energetic at
times for a quiet soul like me..." Jarren wished to say more, like
some words of comfort for Orion after letting out such a depressing
topic, but he was left speechless. You see, he wasn't exactly the
best person to deal with heavy things like these, which woud be the
main reason why he doesn't talk to others other than the simple
small talk. He had yet to feel the pain of losing a loved one,
especially in such an intense situation like that, so it wasn't
like he could relate to that. After a few moments of silence, and
Jarren's fidgeting while trying to muster up the courage to sa
something, he finally did. "I-I'm so sorry... That must've been
so..." He stopped there, unable to find the right words he needed
and instead continued to walk in silence. They were reaching the
edge soon, only a minute or two away, so it wasn't like he could
say anything else anyways.
"The phrase “it’s just a
game” is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what
happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you
stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice.
There’s always something to learn, and always room
for improvement, never settle."
-Sun Tsu, The Art of Gaming
Foxglove had started following Night, who wanted to lead the
hardworking fairy to where the crow always saw humans pass by, or
as Foxglove dubbed it, his watchpost where he could steal from
humans.
"Maybe I should snipe something off one of those humans."
Night muttered, flying ahead of Foxglove. "Seeing them frail
around trying to catch me, it's fun."
"Maybe this time you should be a little nicer to the humans."
Foxglove said, knowing how mischievous the crow was.
“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and
you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been
your delight.”― Kahlil Gibran
He smiled grimly. "It's quite alright, son. Lilly was a wonderful
woman, but the Fates decided it was her time to go. I've got a
family all around me, the community. I'll always have an emptiness
in my heart, but it grows smaller every day. I apologize for
springing it on you, I'm afraid I don't speak much of it." It was
becoming clearer and clearer that Orion was a man with a big heart,
but full of a hidden quiet sadness. As they reached the end of the
forest, he stopped for a minute, with a sigh. "Anytime you need
anything, Jarren, please, come to me, I'd love to talk again."