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 Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:53 pm
 January 14, 2018A couple of strangers come into the Mystic Herb. Mystical Meanderings Reuben was hard at work in his office crafting a poultice for a client who would be in to pick it up later that evening. One thing after another went into a small mortar. "There," he began, "now just a couple more ingredients and I'll grind them together to form the paste," he concluded, sprinkling some powder into the mortar. The guardian had been trying his best to make this line of work appealing for Ryder, especially in case Ryder ever wanted to help him with this aspect of the shop. However, Ryder paid no attention to his guardian. He had no desire to mix poultices, craft custom tea bags, or fill herb bags and pouches for sale. After all, he was only over in the shop today to help out because he wanted some extra money to buy a new book. Oh how he hated the new stipulation Reuben put on him. 'If you want money for anything, you'll have to start earning it,' he had told him. Thus prompted the suggestion that he work a couple shifts a week in the shop. Maybe it had to do with Ryder spending a few hundred dollars on the appstore to buy new books for his phone? Maybe it didn't. Either way, Ryder agreed that it was a fair trade and today was his first shift. The frei was strewn across the chair on the other side of the room, ribbon draped over one arm and his back resting up against the other as he flipped the pages of the mythical and legendary creatures book Xiu had given him last year. It was always nice to try and find new creatures he could incorporate into his stories. Especially if he could pass the time 'at work' quickly and at least semi-entertained. Especially since his magic had been wonky the past few months, it was nice to relax and not worry so much about it. Just then, the two could hear the bell ding as the front door opened. "Ah, a customer. Ryder, can you go take care of this one? I'm almost done with this and then I'll be out," Reuben stated, not once looking up from his station. Ryder closed the book and set it down on the desk before floating up, stretching out his ribbon and simply stating, "Yes," before heading into the shop's lobby. Before he could even lay eye to who the customer was, Ryder began the spiel Reuben had instructed him to say to each customer, "Welcome to the Mystic Herb. I'm Ryder, how can I be of service today?" It wasn't until he saw a fellow frei looking about the room that he even said another word. "Oh, hello, umm," he struggled to speak. "You're a raevan," he said, cheeks beginning to flush slightly. He hadn't ever been of service for a fellow raevan before, and for some reason, he felt a strange embarrassment overcome him. He could deal with a regular customer, after all, he had been doing it all day. But seeing one of his own kind walk through those doors caused a different reaction entirely.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:23 am
January 17, 2018The forest was dark. It was late in the night and there he was, practicing magic yet again. But this time was different. When he got to this place, however he had gotten here, it felt...strange. The frei's fingers glistened with dark red magical energy, and a smirk crept upon his face. From one hand, a plethora of that red energy shot off like lightning in every direction, lighting up the forest for a quick moment. Each of those small bolts turned into a bat-like creature, which all collected together and flew around overhead. Wicked they looked, but poisonous and powerful they were. Then, in his hands, a ball of that same blood red energy floated between them. It grew and grew, his magic was becoming so powerful and he could feel it pulsing through his veins. The ball floated outward from him and continued to grow. His imagination magic was nothing in comparison to what it used to be. All those months of practicing had paid off. The ball then burst, and from it, a mighty dragon broke forth, opening his wings and letting out a terrifying roar as it landed in a thud against the ground. The mushroom then turned around and another ball of energy formed within his hands. He allowed it to grow, just as he had previously done. From this ball burst forth a monstrosity unlike any other. A mighty tar-esque colossus, bubbling and gurgling upward as it stood over all the trees in the forest. Suddenly, the frei began to feel this eerie power overcome him. It wasn't like anything else he had ever felt before. It was as though he began to have an out of body experience. The view shifted and what he could only describe as his very soul floated upward, looking down at the scene below. He looked at his body, and at all of the creations he had just formed within his imagination. The forest was dark, but through this darkness, all of the creations stared down at the small creator on the forest floor. With his hands he motioned outward and with a cackling laugh, he let out the words: "Destroy. It. All. Hahahahahahahahaha." From the moment the words left his lips, the frei above watched as his creations began to spout fire, tar, and poison across the trees, shrubs, and grassland; burning, killing, and smothering everything in their wake until the forest, as far as the eyes could see, became a wasteland. The frei's heart sank. He watched as his body below continued to cackle and spout off words of power at the creations. What was happening? It wasn't him, was it? It couldn't be. He'd never use his magic to do something like this to a place he found so much solace in. The forest began to further darken as the manifestations of his imagination began to dissipate into the nothingness, continuing to wreck havoc as far out as they could. It was then that the soul of the toadstool could sense something watching him. He looked down at his body, and there it floated, staring straight at him with a smirk most wicked. Laughter filled the frei's mind, cackling laughter, a truly evil laughter. The frei's heart leapt from his chest as he awoke in a panic. He sat up in his bed and took a look around the room, his sheets drenched in sweat. "It...it was all just a dream?" Ryder hung his head down into his hands, rubbing his eyes, relieved.  "You mean...nightmare," a familiar voice echoed within his room. Ryder, startled, looked up quickly to see his reflection in the mirror across the room. But something was off about it. In the dead of night, the frei could swear that, even though he was obviously frightened, the face that stared back at him was smirking menacingly. Then the reflection began to laugh that same maniacal laughter that he heard from his dream. Suddenly, his reflection from the mirror began to burst quickly into reality, and there he floated, at the foot of the bed, a dark, black and white reflection of Ryder. Erryd. Something within Ryder already knew him. He'd never met him before, he'd never even seen him before. But Ryder didn't even have to ask his name. He intrinsically knew it. The frei's heart pounded within his chest. He could even feel it in his ears and throat. Was this some sort of twisted continuation of the same nightmare he'd been having for months? When would he finally wake up? He kept closing his eyes tightly and opening them, each time the darker reflection of himself still floated in the same spot. This all felt real, but so did the dream he had supposedly just woken up from. What was reality anymore? Was this really it? "I'm so excited to finally be here, you have no idea."That voice, the second time Erryd spoke to him, the frei placed it. It was his very own voice, the one he'd been hearing inside his head for months. The one that would tell him to keep pushing himself to the very limit of his magical power. The same one that would continuously tell him he'd never amount to anything great unless he practiced his magic from dawn until dusk. The one that pushed magical power and prowess over intelligence and studies. The voice he had, many times, tried to quell with books and other distractions. That voice. Ryder pushed himself up against the headboard and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing pulse. "You can't escape from me now," the dark frei began, smiling as he floated upon the bed towards Ryder. "Erryd has finally come out to play."Ryder shut his eyes as tight as he could and shook his head. "No, you're not real. You're just a dream, a figment of my imagination. Go away, go away, go away, go away, go away!" the frei stated, covering his ears, his tone increasing with each repetition of the words until he ended with were a quick scream. It wasn't until then that he felt some sort of relief. The toadstool dropped his hands to his sides and relaxed the tightness of his eyes, slowly opening them only to see the dark, dim, lifeless eyes of his shadow self staring directly into his from only inches away. "Boo," Erryd cackled, floating up into the air as Ryder quickly flung himself off the bed and to the floor in a frightened mess. "I told you, I'm not leaving. You can't just tell me when to come and go like you can with...oh, what's her name again? Alice?" the shadow spoke, drumming his chin with his fingers until he finally spit the name from his lips, leaving but a pursed smirk on them. That name brought such strong feelings forth from the frei on the ground. "Don't even say her name," he said, defensively, finally gathering the courage, and now anger, to float up off the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. You can't even summon her anymore, can you. Hmm...maybe it's just that she doesn't want to come out to play. You've probably bored her to death with all of your reading. Or maybe she just hates you because of how annoying you are. Just like how Reuben hates you for not being more outgoing. Wait, I know you've been trying to be more like him: outgoing, confident...but we both know that's not who you really are."Whilst Erryd spoke, all Ryder could do was continue telling the shadow, "Stop. Stop it. Just stop." Anger building up inside. "Actually, you've been pretty pathetic ever since he grounded you...that a*****e. Can't even conjure up a decent looking story anymore. And even crafting a toadstool takes it out of you. Everything you do looks so...dim, dingy, blegh. What happened to you? At least you used to be a decent mage. Now look at you; a pathetic whelp. A simple shell of what you used to be. Disgusting.""STOP IT!" the frei screamed, letting loose all the anger that had built up over the course of the small altercation. The fear was gone, and all he was left with was anger and frustration. All of a sudden, his bedroom door burst open and the room was instantly illuminated. "Ryder! Is everything alright!?" a scared, confused, and worried Reuben called from the threshold. Ryder quickly glanced between Reuben and his bed, seeing nothing, nobody. Erryd was gone. Great. Now he had to explain...or not. "I...I am so sorry Reuben. I was talking to myself," as strange as that sounded, it wasn't false. Reuben took a deep breath of relief, he knew that Ryder had many imaginary friends come and go, and it was bound to catch up with the poor boy eventually. "Okay, I'm glad to know you're alright. Just keep it down, will ya? I'm trying to sleep. It's only 1AM. Goodnight," the guardian stated, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him. Ryder took a deep breath following the shutting of his door. "Why would you apologize to that p***k after what he's done to you?" The frei's eyes darted back to the black and white version of himself which, once again, floated above his bed. Anger built up instantaneously all over again, and just after he had calmed himself enough. Ryder simply ignored him and laid back down in bed. "Alright, that's fine. Go to sleep. But just know I'll follow you into your...nightmares. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."The maniacal laughter continued to echo for the rest of the night far after Erryd had dissipated into the darkness.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:23 pm
 January 23, 2018Sam brings a much awaited guest into the Mystic Herb. Generations Reuben was working diligently in his office when suddenly, he heard a familiar voice call for him from the front lobby of his shop. A smile grew upon his face as he knew who called. He was about to meet a supposedly amazing woman he had been waiting to meet for over a year now. Ever since their weekend getaway camping trip, Reuben had been wanting to meet with Annie. The tarotist picked up his work quickly and called from the office, “One second!”Within moments, he found himself waltzing into the lobby with the brightest smile on his face. “Hey there, Sam! And you must be Annie?” He questioned, an eager smile on his face as he held out a hand to the woman. “I know you want to meet Ryder as well. But he’s in the house right now. We can go over there if you’d like to meet him, but if you’d also like to look around, feel free,” he began, walking around the shop quickly to sort of show it off. “I don’t mean to be too forward, but I have heard a lot about you, and I have to say I am so eager to learn what wisdom you have, Annie. All of your wisdom of herbs, I want to learn all I can,” Reuben finished, a smile plastered on his face.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 8:25 am
March 1, 2018The time had come and gone like a flash of light. A year, Ryder's first year on this planet had almost come to an end. By the middle of the month, Ryder's time here would be countable, not in months, but in years henceforth. How Reuben counted the time. It seemed just yesterday that Reuben was hastily rushing to Lab 305 to pick him up. Just a blip in time a moment later when he was destined to meet Alice for the first time as well, how confused he was, and how nervous he was to become a father. Although the boy never took to calling him dad, father, or the like, Reuben definitely felt as though he had such a relationship with Ryder. Taking the day off to go to the store, Reuben decided to stop at many different places. He knew he wanted to get Ryder his very own computer. The frei took well to electronics enough and he enjoyed playing games on his phone. He could only wonder what sort of adventures he could conjure if he had the means to play some video games. The tarotist thought back on his own life, when he was a teenager playing video games behind his parents backs. Especially the ones of magic, folklore, and the like. World of Warcraft came to mind. Games such as those that had lost their joy to the man, the teenager inside of him burst with joy at even the thought of hitting the raids once again. However, Reuben did want to make sure Ryder would even like such a thing. He knew he favored medieval times, and thus the realm of fantasy was not lost on him. It was clear that what Reuben wanted to do was show him worlds that he didn't have to craft on his own, especially since it seemed as though Ryder hadn't been practicing his magic like before, but instead, show him fully built worlds in which he could craft his character and explore. "Hello sir, how can I be of assistance today?" A young salesman stated as he approached. "Ah, yes hello. My...umm..." How would he describe him? Son? Charge? Raevan? "...s-son has a birthday coming up and I'd like to get him his very own computer. I'm leaning towards a desktop so he can play video games on it whenever he'd like. Do you have any suggestions?" "Oh, of course. Follow me," the worker stated with a smile as he led the man over to their gaming computers on display. "Here is a fine one, especially for a beginner. It has an i7 processor with 16gb of RAM, and a one terabyte hard drive. All of which can be upgraded if you so please." Taking a quick look at it, Reuben's eyes narrowed. "So...how much is it?" he questioned curiously. "Well, it's on sale right now for $599. But that deal ends this weekend." Reuben nodded. Not a terribly high price for a brand new computer. He remembered his first computer he had bought when he moved out, and that was just under a thousand. So, this seemed well worth it. "Okay, I'll take it," he stated, a smile on his face. "Great! I'll go in the back and grab it. While I do so, why not look around at some monitors and if you need more help, I'll be glad to help you out once I return." With a simple nod, the boy was off to grab Ryder's new computer and Reuben strolled around to find a wall full of monitors of all shapes and sizes. It was a beautiful sight, he had to say, but so many choices. He noticed a wonderfully sized 24" widescreen monitor that could be flipped either landscape or portrait. He also strolled across the room to find a nice new keyboard and mouse, as even he hated the generic ones that came with the computer most of the time. Picking up a nice set of matching Corsair accessories, Reuben returned to the monitors and just in the nick of time, as the boy had come back with a cart which included the desktop. "I see you've found a new keyboard and mouse. Mighty fine choices if I do say so. Are you a gamer?" Reuben laughed and shook his head, placing his items in the cart. "I used to be. I haven't played much recently. But I know a good gaming setup when I see one. Also, I think I'll go with this monitor here," he stated, pointing up at the Benq monitor on display. "Ah! A very good choice, sir," he said, picking up the box and adding it to the cart. "One last question," he stated, narrowing his eyes. "What's that?" "What computer games do you suggest I get for someone who enjoys the fantasy genre?"The boy laughed. "Right this way, sir. I'll show you everything we have in stock. You're in good hands." Reuben nodded, grabbing his cart and pushing it behind the boy. Oh how Ryder would love this, he just knew it. And if Ryder didn't, Reuben certainly would.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:00 am
 March 12, 2018Ryder's first birthday. But nothing goes as planned. One Year Down Reuben scurried about the house the morning of the party trying his best to clean up and make everything perfect for his guests. He knew that Calista couldn’t make it, for she had to work, but he hoped to see Evan and Sam (accompanied by her new charge). He was so excited about meeting Sam’s raevan. He wondered what he would look like. What was his name again? Oh, Reinhart, right. He repeated the name over and over again in his head as to make sure to get it down. The tarotist wanted to surprise Ryder with a newborn friend. He didn’t want to say anything or make such a big deal of it, for he wished to see his reaction. He knew that Ryder’s drive for this party (which had been all the talks the past week) was low as it had been planned he was just having humans attend. Ryder’s spirits were always peaked when the mention of a fellow raevan was involved. Finally, after the morning of preparation was over, the kitchen smelled of delicious vegan pizza, lemonade, and there in the center of it all stood a towering cake (for the humans) and on the other side of the room nearest the sliding glass door was a compost bucket for Ryder (his favorite). Reuben didn’t think to even ask what it was Reinhart liked to eat, otherwise he would have provided something extra for him. Upon this realization, he panicked, that wasn’t planned! He thought about texting Sam right then and there, but it was too late. What if his food source was far stranger than anticipated and he wasn’t able to provide him food at all, even if they were expecting it? No, that wouldn’t do. Reuben nervously sat on the couch, inner turmoil over what to do slowly eating away at him as the clock struck two. Any minute now the guests would arrive. It was only a matter of time. Meanwhile, Ryder hid away in his bedroom, lazily scrolling through photos on his phone. He heard the bustling of his guardian but didn’t care to take part in the craziness. He preferred his solitude. Until the doorbell rang that was, then he would make his entrance as quietly as possible, do his due diligence and go back to his room to live out the rest of the party in seclusion.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:14 am
March 15, 2018There he lay, in the dark recesses of his bedroom, not saddened by the fact that his magic wasn't where it should be. Not distraught that he couldn't practice day in and day out. Just lying there in the dead of night, staring at the ceiling...smiling. Why, you may ask, was he happy? Especially since the past six months of his life... the whole second half of his life thus far in this world, he had been inadequate in comparison to the first half. He had nothing to be smiling about, especially in the middle of the night, or so you'd think... Reinhart... It had been days since Reinhart left him. But the memories from his birthday stuck with him. Erryd hadn't shown his slimy face since Reinhart tossed him away during that eventful day. His first birthday was definitely a success. For the first time in so long, Ryder felt nothing but peace. Erryd would normally terrorize his nights and pester him during the day. It wasn't fair...but ever since Reinhart came into his life, it's as though Erryd was too afraid to show his face; and for that alone, the toadstool was grateful. The frei sat up in his bed, staring at the mirror across the room. It was just his reflection. Him and himself alone; no looming darkness over his shoulder. Just him. Just peace. Ryder slowly closed his eyes as he took a few deep breaths. Now, in the dead of night, it was quiet and he could sleep. But why was he still awake? Why couldn't he sleep even though the evil in his life had left? Also...Reinhart... The thought of the fellow frei touching his hand with a bare hand, with no repercussions at all; it thrilled him. The warm touch he had, the caring way he spoke. He was different from the other raevan, and Ryder could feel it. He truly cared. The way he called him his 'rainbow', the way he looked at him. He was so urbane. Perfect. His own personal protector from evil. But...these feelings were lost upon the young frei. He had no idea what to make of it all. All he could understand was that Reinhart saved him from himself. He saved him from Erryd. At this point, it was a welcome distraction from the fact that he couldn't perform any sort of magic whatsoever. It was just nice to be able to relax again. Ryder looked at the computer in the corner of his room. Maybe it was time to learn a thing or two on how to use it.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 4:43 pm
March 18, 2018It was late. Later than Ryder had realized. There he sat, glued to his computer screen, the clicking of his mouse and keys on his keyboard roared as they were simultaneously being pressed over and over again. It was this night that Ryder stayed up until dawn playing his new game that he had just received a week prior for his birthday. Reuben knocked on the bedroom door at five a.m., calling to him from the other side. "Ryder, are you awake already?" he questioned his charge, placing an ear against the door, listening to the furious bustle of keys and mouse clicking and the video game music playing softly. He turned the knob and cracked the door only to see Ryder hovering weakly over his chair as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen. "Ryder, did you hear me? Playing that game again? You really like it, huh?"Ryder simply nodded in response, not speaking whatsoever, but fully enthralled by his computer. Reuben chuckled a bit and shook his head, closing his door and moving on with his morning. He was glad to see Ryder putting some effort into things again. It was different, he hadn't seen Ryder so happy in a while, and he couldn't really tell why. Ryder seemingly stopped reading, and he hadn't caught him practicing his magic for a little while now, but regardless, Reuben loved that the computer brought him joy. Ryder continued to play throughout the morning, still following the powerful storyline and intrinsic gameplay. He enjoyed the many, many hours he had put forth into the game and couldn't help but feel alive while he played. It was as though his muses were returning, if that were so easy. To say the least, it definitely felt like a decent replacement whilst his creative muses were away. Though, over the course of the rest of the day, Reuben noticed how obsessive Ryder played the game. It was as if from dawn until dusk Ryder would just be sitting at his computer, pressing buttons and playing the game. Reuben understood the love of video games, but he did not play all day, never in his life could he say that he sat there from morning until night playing a single game. That's what began to worry the guardian slightly. When Reuben returned later that evening to let Ryder know that dinner was ready, Reuben realized the boy hadn't moved a single budge. Bathroom breaks were lost on frei, and he seemed to feed off of the game somehow, maybe? The visuals, the imagery, the fantasy, it was as though the entire game had swallowed the boy, and he was like the energizer bunny continuously playing, never taking a break. "Ryder, it's time for dinner," the guardian spoke through the cracked door to Ryder's bedroom. "Yes, okay," the boy muttered in a monotonous, uninterested tone. "Well, come on out and eat with me. I gathered some rotting wood while on my walk this morning that I knew you'd love," he said, opening the door and sitting on the frei's bed behind him. "Okay, I shall be out shortly."Reuben's eyes narrowed as he watched the flashes on the screen, the bursts of images from the character's attacks and swings of his mighty sword. It was definitely a dungeon he was in. Reuben realized right away. "I think you should come out right now. You've been in here all day.""I shall leave when I have concluded this dungeon," the boy stated, frantically pressing keys and clicking his mouse. The way he spoke even seemed somewhat different. Ryder would typically not answer so...formally. It was the only way Reuben would be able to describe it. What was this game doing to him? The guardian took the benefit of the doubt and nodded. "Okay, come out as soon as you're finished, alright?""Mhmm." the boy hummed, not once taking his eyes off of the computer screen. An hour had come and gone in an instant. Reuben had given up and eaten his food, Ryder never had come out of his room and Reuben had had enough of it. The guardian took a deep breath as he approached the frei's bedroom with a plate full of rotting wood. "Ryder, I think it's time we had a talk about this game," Reuben stated, waltzing in and placing the plate on the desk next to Ryder before going to the bed and sitting on it. "Hmmm?""Ryder, turn that game off and listen to me.""Give me one final moment.""No, Ryder. Now."With a heavy, unenthused sigh, Ryder stopped what he was doing and spun around in his little chair, the boy's ribbon falling all over the chair and down almost touching the floor, a very loose curl to it. Even his rune had dimmed to the point where it almost didn't shine whatsoever. Ryder looked annoyed, had bags under his eyes which were strained red against the bright green pupils. "Ryder," Reuben began, eyes widening at the sight of his charge so disheveled. "I think it's time we give the game a rest. You've been doing nothing but that nonstop the past couple of days."Ryder shook his head. "But Reuben, it hath been a wondrous day. Pray, give me more time with it?"Reuben's brow shifted upward. Hath? Wondrous? Pray? He knew what it meant in this context, but was the game really affecting his charge that much in just a short period that he changed his speech? Reuben shook his head in disagreement as he stood up. "No, it's time we turned it off for the night and limited your playtime to an hour or two a day. Nothing more." "Reuben!? No! You cannot do this to me! Pray, do not do such a thing!"Reuben rolled his eyes. "Ryder, I'm not going to fight with you. Turn off the game. We can talk more about this tomorrow if you'd like, but it's late and I'm heading to bed."Ryder kept quiet as Reuben walked to the bedroom door, turned around, and waited for him to turn off his game. He did as he was told, annoying as it was. But he climbed into bed as Reuben slowly gave his well wishes for the night and said he would see him in the morning. Ryder climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling for an hour before finally fading into a deep sleep, something he didn't even realize he was wanting for.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:31 pm
April 1, 2018 It had been a couple of weeks, and Ryder had been on strict notice not to play the video game any more than a couple of hours per day. As much as he hated this fact, he realized that he needed to just get through this little bout of Reuben being a 'crazy controlling father figure' and soon enough he would relax and let the frei do whatever he wished once again. In the meantime, however, Ryder didn't have any patience for things. He turned to his bookshelf and gave it a glance over. Yes, it was large and full of wonderful stories, but Ryder didn't feel like reading. He often loved listening to Alice read to him, but alas, she wasn't around anymore for whatever reason. So, he decided to try something new. He pulled off the shelf a small book, flipping through it's empty pages he smiled before returning to his room with it. This was one of the gifts he bought himself with the money he had been given by Calista on his birthday. He reminisced about the times he'd fill pages and pages of texts with his imagination, creating stories from nothing and just imagining what a page would look like and in turn, 'printing' the pages with his magical, imaginary ink. Though, sadly, those pages would fade over time until they returned to blank pieces again. Thus, he needed to learn how to write. He had all the vocabulary and knowledge necessary on how to write, but putting the pen to paper was much harder than he'd ever anticipated. Each time he had tried to write or draw in the past, it was as if a one year old had grabbed a crayon and scribbled nonsense onto a page, which frustrated him since he could magically enchant a page to look however he'd like when his magical abilities were working for him. Nowadays, however, his imagination magic was basically ceasing to exist and he had no other options. He had to do something, and training himself how to write was going to definitely occupy his time during the hours he wasn't allowed to touch the computer. As he began, it was just like the old days. scribbled words after scribbled words were written, almost illegible words. After much concentration, the boy turned to YouTube on his phone and sat it on the desk next to him. Learning to write would happen, if it was the last thing he did. After watching a few videos and practice lettering on scratch paper, the toadstool felt confident enough to attempt a page of journaling. He scribbled his way through one page, and another, and another. Just writing whatever sentences came to him. This was good practice, as his handwriting improved slightly more each page that was turned. It was obviously nowhere near a perfectly and beautifully handwritten note, but it didn't look like a one year old's artwork anymore. More like a six or seven year old, perhaps. The frei told himself he'd journal as often as he could to practice. Had he put just one forth the determination towards this project that he did when he was practicing magic when he was first brought to the Rothmore estate, he'd learn this handwriting thing in no time at all. Throughout the day, Ryder had given it his all and had scratched out and ripped out multiple pages of text he had attempted to write. Through frustration and heart ache, the boy had seemed to get some sort of rhythm down. He took to scratch paper multiple times to learn the alphabet, the way each letter would work together, and also what words he could write down easily versus which words were a bit harder for him. "What do you think you're trying to accomplish here?" An ominous voice echoed within his room. Ryder's eyes closed and he took a few deep breaths. It was that voice again. The voice in his head that hadn't been noticed, hadn't been even thought about since his birthday. The nightmares had even stopped and everything was so fine...until today. The one day that Ryder tries something new and different. "What is it? Cat have your tongue, kid? Don't have your big bad boyfriend to protect you today? Hahaha." the echoing voice continued. "Leave me alone," Ryder stated sharply, opening his eyes and turning around to see Erryd floating there, directly behind him. The grungy, dark version of himself floating above him. This was not what he needed right now. Not at all. He had been doing so well the past month and now this? "But Ryder, it's been a while and I need to have some fun. I haven't come out to play since the birthday party. The storm cloud needs to rain on someone's parade," Erryd began, following the pun with some laughter which filled the room before continuing. "Oh how I loved that nickname your boyfriend gave me."Ryder sighed heavily. "First of all, Reinhart is not my boyfriend, we have barely spoken to one another since the party. Secondly, you need to leave as I am not in a mood to have you around today."Erryd's eyes widened slightly before an evil grin grew upon his face. "Wow, the little rainbow sure is feisty today. Almost as though he's attempting to stand up for himself. Hmm...that's a bit...out of character for such a weakling like you, don't you agree?" he said, stroking his chin a bit, the grin returning once finished. Ryder's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched. He floated to Erryd's height and looked him dead in his dark gray eyes. "Leave. I shall not deal with you today."Erryd's grin softened and a look of utter anger overcame him. He glanced past the frei and took a look at the table, scrawled notes and scribbled out letters on paper covered the desk. "It looks like a child's handwriting. You should really practice harder if you ever want it to look the least bit decent."With that, as soon as he appeared, the muse vanished in a blink of an eye. Was it Ryder's strength and determination which led to Erryd's disappearance? Or was Erryd just not getting through to him today like he had in the past? Whatever it was, Ryder was relieved to see Erryd gone, even if it was only temporarily. Now, Ryder could continue his writing in peace, maybe even happily now that Erryd had left. "Practice makes perfect," he spoke aloud, taking pen to paper yet again to try and write whatever he could to practice.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:00 am
April 24, 2018The sunlight peaked through the bedroom window at dawn, and Ryder was already awake. He awoke with a sense of determination to get something done. He had already done his daily ritual of playing his video game, some reading, and even some practicing of his calligraphy. For whatever reason, the frei was restless and needed something more to do. Upon staring at his ceiling, the frei realized something he hadn't tried to do in a very long time. Mushroom magic. With his imagination magic so blocked he'd get a headache even trying to conjure some horns, the frei decided he'd try something different. Practice the power of mushroom manipulation just like the day he had created his first mushroom wizardry hat. Floating out into the kitchen, Ryder hadn't found any mushrooms whatsoever. It was rare for Reuben to not have any in the house, but alas, there was nothing to be seen. Thus, it prompted the frei to leave and find them elsewhere. Taking a trip outdoors and into the nearby forest was his best bet. Before leaving, he texted Reuben, who was busy working in the shop, stating he'd be out for a moment and return in an hour or so. With Reuben's blessing, the frei left for the forest. It took no time at all to find a wild mushroom nearby. Upon first inspection, the mushroom seemed the perfect specimen to practice with. Plucking it ever-so-neatly from the earth and holding it within his hands, Ryder smiled. The power came back to him rather quickly, much more so than he ever expected it to. This power...this was nothing but natural for him. His hands began to glow a dim green before scrunching the mushroom into a ball. He then began to mold the mushroom like clay into a small figurine of a person. Ryder wasn't the most artistic or talented individual when it came to doing things with his hands, but this was the best it would be. It gave him a small confidence boost when he realized that, at least this power hadn't left him completely. Though it wasn't the power he wished to be practicing, at least he could practice something. The toadstool spent the rest of the morning picking different mushrooms and turning them into hats, scarves, and even wobbly glasses. All of which didn't look great, but at least one could somewhat tell what the items were. It kept his mind off of his video game and other magical inabilities at least, and that's what was so important to begin with.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:08 am
July 25, 2018On Friday, July 20th, Ryder was given a task to set up some sort of surprise party for Reuben while he and Calista were away for a few days to celebrate Reuben's birthday. This was the first time Ryder had truly had the house to himself since he was brought here, and he was so happy to have that much needed space and time to do really whatever he wanted. Well, the words of Calista seemed to fall on deaf ears since the plan was to have the house fully decorated and Reuben's closest friends (ie: anyone they had ever met from Lab 305, basically...and Evan) be there to surprise him when they arrived back at the house around 5 PM. Ryder, however, had forgotten all about the party, the invitations, and worst of all, getting the decorations. The frei had spent the entire weekend, including Monday and Tuesday, playing his video game. Since Reuben wasn't there to keep an eye on him, it was his chance to go all out and just really play until his heart was content. Well, time slipped away from the frei and it seemed as though the days came and passed all too quickly. 1:54 PM.The clicking of the mouse and the wondrous sound of mechanical keyboard keys clicking were afire. The character on the computer screen was going wild with attacks and magical abilities, dousing enemies in flames whilst the others sliced and shot their way through the latest dungeon. Ryder then realized that Reuben was going to be back that night. Then had the thought that something was forgotten. What was it again? Ryder pushed the thought aside for a few moments until the dungeon was completed. 2:23 PM.After the dungeon ended and they were ported back to whatever they were doing before, Ryder logged out, as he was getting slightly hungry. Luckily, Reuben had left him some food out to mold over the weekend and it was all for him to consume. The thought that he was forgetting something never did leave his mind, however. He couldn't help but think that something was missing, or that he was supposed to be doing something, but what? Though, upon floating into the kitchen, he saw some cash sitting on the table. That...was for...REUBEN'S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE!? Panic completely set in. Ryder had no idea what to do. "OH ********> He exclaimed, frantically pulling out his phone from his chest pocket.
The frei had approximately three and a half hours to completely clean up the house, set up the party (with cake and decorations), and get everyone over here for Reuben's birthday (although he had totally forgot to even send out invitations). Otherwise Calista would surely kill him.
Ryder fumbled to text as many people as he had numbers for. He tried to send texts to all of his raevan friends, although that was futile as everyone was probably busy. But there was still Evan! Maybe he could help?
3:46 PM.
"I have the stuff and I'm on my way. Be there soon."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ryder placed the phone back into his coat pocket after speaking with Evan. Finally, he was on his way. At this point the frei was a bit frantic and had no idea what to do. He had tried his best to clean up the house and get it ready, but no matter what, he only had another hour and fifteen minutes before Reuben and Calista returned home.
All the toadstool could do was pace back and forth around the house until Evan could show up. Then he would finally be able to get the house together and decorated. Oh how he wished his imagination magic worked, at least that way he could do something and imagine some sort of decorations. How he hated himself for not being able to control that magical ability anymore. It was just so...annoying. So completely irritating that he couldn't do anything. He felt so helpless in so many ways.
4:11 PM.
A knocking at the door was heard and Ryder couldn't believe it. Upon opening it, Evan stood there with his hands completely full of decorations.
"The cake's still in the car. But here's the decorations," Evan stated with a smile as he brought the bags full of decor into the house and set them on the nearby couch.
"Thank you ever so much, Evan. I cannot believe I have forgotten such an important task."
Evan chuckled. "No worries. I'm happy to help. And I'm actually stoked to be here on his birthday. I have an important question to ask him when he arrives. I'm going to get the cake."
Ryder smiled and nodded, he didn't care much for whatever they would talk about, all he wanted to do was get these decorations set up before they arrived. He instantly spilled out the bag and got to work.
5:07 PM
Reuben's Prius pulled up to the house soon after the time Calista stated they'd be home.
Calista and Reuben made their way up the steps and into the house, which was dark. Upon opening the door and turning on the lights, however, the mood changed.
"SURPRISE!" Ryder and Evan screamed as the lights came on.
Reuben was stunned, his mouth agape. "Oh my gods..."
Calista was happy, yet half disappointed nobody else showed up. Though, the stun on Reuben's face was enough to dissipate that emotion quickly.
The house was completely decked out in bright balloons and streamers of every color, and there was a beautiful vegan cake from his favorite bakery on the counter in the kitchen. The two had pulled together the birthday surprise in spades.
"You guys really shouldn't have! This is so amazing, thank you." Reuben stated, coming to give Ryder, then Evan a large hug.
"Of course, it was actually all Ryder's idea."
Ryder chuckled a moment, "I shant take credit from the real planner, Calista."
A bellowing laugh was heard from the door as Calista shut it after entering. "Happy birthday, babe. I'm glad ya'll were able to pull off such a feat!"
"Gods you guys, I'm shocked. Thank you. You all are the best. And I thought that the sake from last night was my real birthday present!" Reuben laughed.
The four then settled in for the party, cake, and festivities.
9:33 PM.
As the night came to a close, Calista left and Ryder had decided to escape to his bedroom for the evening. Meanwhile, Evan pulled Reuben outside to the gazebo for a moment.
"Happy birthday, again. I just hope that you have had the best birthday yet."
"Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better time. Between all four of us being here, I'm happy to conclude that this birthday was the best so far. The house looked amazing and that cake was delicious," Reuben said with a smile as he leaned out over the gazebo's edge and looked up at the stars that began to twinkle in the sky.
"I'm glad. So, there's something I wanted to ask you," Evan stated with a smile, leaning his side up against the gazebo and gazing into Reuben's eyes.
Reuben looked back at Evan with a confused look on his face.
"Will you be my boyfriend?"
Reuben's eyes widened immensely. He'd had a crush on this man for a year and a half. Finally, the words escaped his lips. Boyfriend? Reuben's face lit up and all he could do was throw his arms around Evan's neck. He whispered in his ear, "I'd be honored. Yes, of course."
Evan pulled Reuben close, the two could feel each other's hearts beating wildly and as they loosened their embrace Reuben kissed Evan lightly on the lips as the stars sparkled in the sky above them.
It truly was the best birthday surprise of all.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:48 pm
October 5, 2018The day began like any other, and Evan took Ryder to the store to give Reuben a chance to clean the place up. It had been a while since he was able to do a thorough cleaning of the house. Reuben liked to do it a couple times a year at the very least, but lately life had been so hectic he hadn't gotten the chance. Whist cleaning up Ryder's room, Reuben found a grand book just under the bed. The first few pages were scribbled out with a lot of black ink, but as he made his way further through the pages, he realized this was actually Ryder’s journal. He noticed that with each page, the handwriting got better and better. The first few pages were illegible completely. But by the end, it looked decent enough to make out what was being written anyway. Reuben found himself sitting on the bed, reading the latest journal entry. Ryder's Journal Entry September 27, 2018
I cannot believe how things have changed since the start of this year. The entirety of it has baffled me. So much has been on my mind.
Evan moved into our home in late August after he and Reuben declared their love and pronounced each other 'boyfriends'. I like Evan, after all, he has been a very dear friend to me over the course of our relationship. The fact that he and Reuben are together has made Reuben very happy, that much I can sense. I hope their happiness continues to flourish.
The biggest change for me personally has occurred over the last few months. I have realized that the video game I was given on the celebration of my birth is not a decent substitute to having Alice and not being able to utilize my powers fully any longer. I must change my ways and not obsess over such trivial matters; instead, I must look to the future and see what that holds. I just know that gaming is not going to fix any of my problems. Erryd will still rear his ugly head, that much I know for certain. I just hope that my powers will come back to me soon enough. For now, I must keep determined and my concentration fully on my future.
Sincerely,
RyderHowever, before Reuben could start reading the final paragraph, he heard the front door swing open. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly closed the book and slipped it back under the bed and began to look busy cleaning something before Ryder floated in. "Hello Reuben, still yet cleaning?"Reuben looked up from pretending to dust. "Oh welcome home! Yep, still cleaning. How was the store?" His heart was filled with joy because of how Ryder described his and Evan's relationship. He couldn't help but feel happy knowing the true thoughts of his charge. "The trek was decent, nothing of note to speak of." Ryder stated, floating into the room and sitting down at his computer. "May I have another hour to enjoy the game?"Reuben chuckled. Ryder had been so diligent in his timeframes and he hadn't ever exceeded them, so Reuben saw no harm in another hour of playtime for the boy. "Of course, just be sure to head to bed soon after, okay? Have a wonderful night.""Same to you, thank you."
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:51 am
 October 13, 2018Reuben, Ryder and Reinhart go shopping for halloween costumes. In Preparation for Hallows Eve As the morning approached, Ryder became more and more nervous. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't do much else but think. Yesterday, Reuben had come to him and asked if he'd like to go out shopping for some halloween decorations and costumes. The kicker? It was going to be with Reinhart. Reinhart of all the raevan. His heart skipped a beat when he was told. He felt the heat rush into his cheeps and a smile creep upon his face. It was soon that Reinhart would be dropped off for the day and Ryder would be able to see his friend once again. It had been months since they last came into contact. It was about time the two were able to reconnect, even for just a day. Ryder cleaned his bedroom as well as the living area. He needed to make sure that the place was picked up, or at least everything looked neat, even if nobody in the Rothmore's lives would say their house was ever "messy", Reuben had high standards which Ryder seemed to pick up on and emulate as well. Neat and tidy was a good way to impress people, and for some reason Ryder felt the need to impress Reinhart. "You ready to get going, Ryder? Reinhart will be here soon and we'll get going, okay?" Reuben questioned from the kitchen as he placed the recently dried dishes where they belonged. "Evan is at work so it'll just be the three of us.""Yes, I am," Ryder called from the living room, placing the final couch pillow in perfect sequence with the rest. Why did he care about the way it looked? He didn't go to this extreme for any other guests. He didn't understand, but he also didn't really care. Today just needed to be perfect.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:40 pm
 October 20, 2018 Ryder finds himself out in the forest where he stumbles across some old ruins. There, he will never forget what occurred. The Trade of a Lifetime “Practice makes perfect.”That phrase was something that Ryder had heard many of times before. Life had been quiet for the little frei in the recent month. He was trying his best to get out, make friends, and keep his mind off of everything that had happened over the course of his short life. The frei had been through a lot already. From learning and controlling his magical abilities, to completely losing sense of who he was as a living creature and not having the ability to do anything whatsoever. The dark life of the poor boy had been kept a tight, sealed away secret from many, except a select few he trusted with those sorts of details. Ryder needed a getaway, yet again. He couldn’t take being cooped up in the house any longer. He had his fill of his video game, and everything seemed to bore him. It was time to at least attempt some magic. This time he took to the forest later in the evening, just before the sun was to set. He told Reuben he would be back before sundown, but that wasn’t about to happen anytime soon, as he found his way deeper into the forest which seemed to surround the Rothmore estate. The frei had been going over his spellbook time and time again as he floated deeper and deeper into the forest. He tried anything he could to gather the magical will within him to produce even a sliver of what he used to do. Alas, he was unable to conjure even a single horn atop his head. With frustration abound, he had a feeling that Erryd would pop up at any moment; but he didn’t. For once in his life, whilst he was failing at something, Erryd kept silent. Why? What had prompted his sudden departure? The questions crept into his mind but as soon as they appeared, they vanished. Ryder wanted nothing to do with them. He was glad to see Erryd wouldn’t show his face today. He wanted to wallow in his sorrow alone. It wasn’t long, however, that something caught the boy’s eye. As he floated through a deep, unknown part of the forest, the frei could see a glimmer in the distance. The moon shone brightly through the trees and Ryder found himself treading across an old ruin. “Wow, this is beautiful,” he said to himself as he floated amongst the dew-covered grass and foggy atmosphere, looking up at the moonstricken beams. This place was definitely magical, and gave the frei a bit of a confidence boost when it came to his magical abilities. It was at this point that the toadstool placed his satchel on the ground and pulled out his old spellbook once more. Here was the place that something magical would happen. He just knew it.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 7:10 am
October 31, 2018"Y'know they say that the veils between worlds is most thin on Halloween night, right? Where magic really comes alive and the spirit world and our world are intertwined most delicately," Evan stated to Reuben in the kitchen of their home as he leaned over the bar top counter. Reuben scoffed. "Do you even know who you're talking to? Of course I know that."The two laughed and continued to chat over coffee whilst Ryder lay strewn across the couch, his ribbon draped off one arm. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the voices from the kitchen but also trying to concentrate on his own thoughts. His mind wandered constantly since that fateful evening. What was happening with him? He had so many unanswered questions. Since the night with the Trader, he hadn't told anyone anything, just as the Trader had requested. Keep it a surprise, as he said, until it was too obvious to hide. Ryder knew that his powers hadn't returned the way they once had been. After all, the last week or so had been quite...interesting to say the least. The day after meeting the Trader, Ryder awoke with hope and determination. He needed to see if his powers were back. Obviously the Trader had done one job, taking his poison away, but with that, Ryder was supposed to have his powers back, be able to practice just like he used to, his imaginings abound. Ryder took to the Mystic Herb to find Reuben working with a couple of customers. He didn’t bother, but decided to take his spell book straight past the shop and into the forest nearby. Here, he would find the perfect, peaceful area to practice. As he opened his spell book up, he read a few of his previous notes from his past imagining sessions. He was nervous to see how he’d fair in comparison to his past. He set the open book on a nearby rock and floated back up into the air. Taking a deep breath he outstretched his arm and imagined something fairly simple, a small tree with leaves and fruits. Suddenly, an area on the ground in front of him began to glow violet and green -- a mishmash of color which he hadn’t seen before while using his power. With that, a small bud began to sprout from the ground quickly and grew twisted and coiled, sort of bending to its own will. It stopped shortly after and the glowing energy dissipated quickly. Ryder felt the power leave his body. It felt very...different than before. He had to exert much more energy this time around, but chalked it up to the fact that he hadn’t been able to practice much. Along with feeling quite exhausted, the “tree” didn’t look at all how he imagined it to be. It was twisted, rugged, and didn’t resemble much of a tree. It looked more like a crooked vine which branched off into more crooked vines. With what little energy he had left, he floated over and touched it. It was frail. The frei looked at it, disappointed. With how out of practice he was, it was no wonder why it took so much out of him, but his imaginings in the past at least looked like he wanted them to, not like this, which was entirely different. Ryder picked up his spell book and tried to imagine his new notes (like he had done in the past) to cover an empty page. Although, when he did this, the words themselves looked muddled and warped, almost illegible, and the energy expenditure was not what he was expecting, as it truly tired him further. Plus, it almost looked worse than his own handwriting. It bothered him, as he never would have tried to imagine the words on the page had he known what it would look like. Again, it looked nothing like he imagined, and he was so exhausted, all he wanted to do was sleep. At that point, he went home for the day, feeling distraught and questioning his decisions. He definitely hoped that he was just having a bad day and everything would work itself out the next time he conjured up some imaginings. The next day, he felt a bit better, albeit slightly drained, but decided to go back to that quiet little spot he found the day before. Surprisingly, the ‘tree’ was still there, but it looked much more run down than it had when he left it. It looked almost as if it was wilting. He also noticed a few of the 'branches' were broken off and on the ground nearby. Normally, when he was finished imagining something that he no longer needed, it would simply dissipate into a cloud of rainbow specks. But no, this imagining persisted through the night. Shocked, Ryder floated over to his little “tree” and grabbed ahold of one small, twisted branch. Once touched, the branch snapped off its base, but did not dissipate like he expected it to. Instead, when he let it go, it fell to the ground as if it was any other dead twig he could find laying around the forest floor. Ryder scowled in frustration. What was happening? How could this still be here? Instead of focusing on the growing list of questions, he decided to ignore it for now and try to imagine something else. He opened his spell book to find the lettering he had previously imagined into it and the ‘ink’ on the page had run down, leaving black streaks throughout the page. It was a page that now needed to be removed from the book. It sickened him to have to remove a page from his spell book, but nevertheless, he closed the book and decided to continue his magic. Ryder floated up and closed his eyes, deciding to imagine something a bit simpler today. Concentrating on his cupped hands, he imagined a black crow’s feather floating within them. As he opened his eyes, the same green and violet magical energy began to warp above his hands. When finished, the feather was complete, but it did not look as intended. The rachis was thick, and the vane was very thin. The quill itself was quite strange looking. And the color, as he imagined it, was supposed to be dark midnight blue, but turned out much lighter than imagined. He also felt very drained, not feeling as though he should continue. He couldn’t seem to create the most simple of things, and everything he did imagine turned out to be somehow warped and different than he wanted. Ryder pulled out his fountain pen and opened his spell book one page past the black runny ink. He began to write his notes physically, which turned out messier than he had wanted, but luckily he had worked on his handwriting enough to make the notes legible, detailing all of his magical abilities and what had happened throughout the course of his time out here in the forest. He left back home, leaving the feather on the forest floor. Over the next few days, Ryder had no desire to go practice his magic. He was not too happy with how things were turning out, and decided to seclude himself in his bedroom for a couple days. Finally, a week after his meeting with the Trader, he decided to head back into the forest. Finding his secluded area once more, he noticed the tree he had originally imagined was completely dead and had fallen to the ground in a pile of sticks and twigs. The strange plume, covered in dirt, was also still there, but looked as though it was decomposing rather quickly. Ryder was stunned, he had never had an imagining last this long, and never did they ‘die’ and wilt the way these two things had. Deciding it was best not to actually practice, Ryder wrote his notes about the decomposition of his previous imaginings and returned home, questioning whether or not he should even continue practicing his magical abilities any longer.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:48 pm
December 25, 2018Snow blanketed the grounds of the Rothmore estate. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Ryder awoke. He stretched his arms up above him and let out a huff and sigh when finished. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards his desk to see a present, neatly wrapped, upon it. The frei whipped off his blanket and floated over to the desk quickly to find attached to one of the ribbons, a note that stated it was from both Reuben and Evan. A smile grew upon his face as he picked it up and brought it into the living room. Nobody seemed to be home, which was strange only because it was Christmas Day. Normally Reuben and Evan would be talking over coffee, or Ryder would find his guardian reading tarot at the kitchen table (at least during the wintry months). But today, the house was eerily silent. Ever since Evan joined the home, things had been different. Reuben used to celebrate Yule and have a friendsgiving with Calista each year, but this year they celebrated “Christmas” and “Thanksgiving”. The more popular holidays that many, many other Gaians celebrated during this time. Evan brought in a sort of ‘life’ that the home was missing ever since Ryder was brought from the lab. A certain type of aura that the home had over the last few months was uplifting to the frei. It was nice to have Evan there. He brightened Reuben’s life as well which was probably why the home felt so much more fresh and free. The tree in the living room was decked out in gold and white. There was garland strung up all around. Ryder sat the present on the coffee table before curiously going to see where his guardians might be. He checked their bedroom to no avail. He even went into the shop to see if there was any sign of life in there, but nothing. Nobody was around at all. Curious, Ryder went back into the house and floated throughout just to take one last look. It was strange to see the house so empty on a holiday like this. But, if the toadstool were being honest, he didn't mind the peace and quiet whatsoever. After exhausting all possibilities, Ryder took to the living room. There he decided to find a comfortable position on the couch and leaned down to grab his present. He pulled the ribbons and released the tape from the sides and began to tear into it ever-so-slowly. Finally, he unwrapped it enough to reveal a basic brown box with a teal lid. He lifted off the lid to reveal a very beautiful mushroom pendant necklace and a note. The Christmas Note Ryder,
You are so dear to us both of us and we want to wish you a very happy day. We will be home later this afternoon if you've decided to open this present as soon as you awake. We went to fetch Calista and will be back shortly for a small party.
We love you. See you soon,
Reuben & Evan
P.S. Please pick up and be sure to get yourself ready for the party this evening. Thank you! Ryder scoffed at the note, of course Reuben had to request for him to pick up the place a bit. Ryder looked about the house and didn't see a thing out of place. Maybe a couple of dishes in the sink or some dust on the fireplace mantle, but it was no near as bad as Reuben made it out to seem. With that, Ryder pulled the pendant from the box and clipped it around his neck. It was very beautiful, exquisite even. That much made him happy. He twisted the necklace within his fingers a bit and looked down at it. It was perfect. His lips curved upward as he thought of what went into finding this piece of jewelry. Handmade, beautiful, and custom. Ryder placed the note into his shirt pocket and closed the box, picking up the wrapping paper and scrunching it within his fist before floating it all over to place it in the garbage. He then began to do as was requested of him. He grabbed the sponge and began to wash the few plates that were in the sink, no doubt from Evan and Reuben's breakfasts. He then floated over to the mantle and began to wipe it off with a wash cloth soaked in all-natural dusting spray. He followed that up with wiping down other random furniture throughout the home before finding himself fully cleaning the counters in the kitchen, washing down the inside of the oven, and even sweeping the floor. Wiping his forehead, the frei found himself finally finished, the house sparkled with cleanliness and it had been a couple of hours. Ryder decided it was high time to take a shower and get himself together for tonight's event. Pulling his outfit, he laid it out on the bed. He was trying to utilize more of the clothing options that Reuben bought for him, thus, trying out new shirts. After all, that's what his entire closet consisted of. Shirts of all kinds. Nice old fashioned shirts that Ryder was able to pick out for himself and other, more modern shirts that Reuben had picked up for him while he was shopping. He wanted to surprise his guardian with a 'new look' and wear a shirt he had never even tried on before, but liked the look of. It was creative, imaginative even, the entire shirt looked as though it was 'sideways' and that resonated with Ryder. After his shower, Ryder heard some banging at the front door. With no time to actually put on his shirt, he scrunched his face and floated out to see Evan standing with a huge handful of presents in tow. The tower of presents was so tall, Evan couldn't even see past them. Ryder quickly fluttered over to the door and opened it. "Evan, pray, let me aid you.""Oh, Ryder, thanks but no, it's fi-AH!" Evan exclaimed, tripping over the threshold, presents flying into the air. Ryder's eyes widened as the presents fell to the floor and Evan's face fell right into Ryder's bare chest. The two locked arms as Evan didn't fall fully, Ryder's wings were strong enough to keep the two afloat. Evan jumped up and his eyes widened as he caught his breath and realized what he had done. "Ryder...I'm...oh god..." he expected that at any moment he'd have some violent reaction to Ryder's poison. "Ryder, why are you naked...and oh my god...when...is it going to happen."Ryder quickly scrambled to pick up the fallen presents as soon as Evan was on his own two feet. A lump was caught in his throat as he floated a small handful of presents over to the tree and set them down quickly. "I-I-I apologize, I had just heard the thumping at the door as I finished my shower. As for what occurred, you shall be fine, I assure you. Pray, do not apprise Reuben of this."Evan stood there, stunned, afraid of what he was expecting to feel at any moment. But, as the moment seemed to never come, the man was confused. Ryder had never said anything about his poison power, or controlling it. The last time Evan experienced Ryder's skin poison, it was almost instantaneous and he felt high and drunk at the same time, even imagined Reuben being there with them. Though now, he felt absolutely nothing. "Alright, here's the rest of the pres-huh?" Reuben stated, eyes widening as he laid them on Ryder. "Ryder, where's your shirt? What's going on?"Evan shook his head quickly as to get out of the trance he put himself in. "Oh, it's my fault, babe. Ryder had just gotten out the shower and heard me bangin' the presents against the door and came runnin'...er..floatin' I guess rather, and opened it for me. Then I tripped and dropped all the presents and he's here helpin' me pick 'em up."Reuben chuckled. "You're so clumsy. Okay, well, Ryder, why don't you go get dressed, eh? Calista is here and we're going to start cooking soon."Ryder smiled, glancing at Evan with a nod of gratitude and retreated into the bedroom to put on his shirt and go do his hair. Later that evening, when Reuben and Calista were in the kitchen cooking and gossiping, Evan caught Ryder on the living room couch as the house was filled with popular Christmas songs. He sat down on the chair next to him and began to speak, "So, you gonna explain to me what that was all about?"Ryder's heart dropped, if he hadn't known better, he would say it fell right out of his chest, past his ribbon, and onto the floor below. He had to say something, but didn't want to give anything away. The boy only had two options. He could tell him that he learned to control it, which would inevitably lead to more questioning or he could tell him the truth. Of course, the latter was not going to happen. "Like I said prior, I apologize. Honestly, I have learned to control that part of myself. My poisonous skin shall no longer affect anyone in any way unless I will it," he stated, swallowing the large lump that accumulated in his throat. Evan's eyes narrowed and he chuckled. "Well...why haven't you told us this before? That's awesome news, right?"Ryder shrugged and then nodded. "You are aware I like my privacy and space. I did not see the necessity of disclosing that information. I apologize if you fear I have...lied to you." Ryder was even surprising himself at how convincing he was being. Luckily he had a few months to think of a cover up story had this exact situation happened with anyone. Ryder had definitely thought of that scenario and was well prepared for it. "No, Ryder, it's fine. I don't feel like you've lied to me. But..isn't this something to celebrate then? Like...like a Christmas miracle!" Evan stated with a laugh as he stood up. "Hey Reu-" he began, being cut off by Ryder's hand grabbing his arm and pulling back a bit. "I would greatly appreciate this staying between you and I, Evan. Pray, do not mention this to Reuben. I fear as though he would take this information and inflate it. I just do not wish to have that kind of attention placed on me. My powers are my own, and I would welcome your confidence in this matter."Ryder was always a bit strange, Evan surmised. But with a smile, he nodded in agreement of Ryder's terms. What was the big deal? He didn't understand, however he did want to keep the faith of their relationship strong and enduring. So, he wouldn't say anything to Reuben until it was stated that he could. "I shall forever be in your debt, thank you.""Don't even mention it, it'll be our little secret."
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