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[effiomsfavorite]

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[atypical_echo]

I'm staying in Central.

[Like he would bother to strand someone here in place of him. That would be the worst thing he could do. Before he does that, though, he starts to dress in his warm clothes again.]

[effiomsfavorite]

So am I. That makes it easy.

[He'll wait while Mark gets his winter gear back on, folding his wings and taking a long look at the scenery. He can understand not wanting to be stuck here against your will, but this place really is beautiful.]

[atypical_echo]

Most of the arrivals stay there until they find their place with the guilds.

[He looks to the guy and offers a bit of a smile.]

Thanks. For coming out to save a stranger.

[effiomsfavorite]

Well, yeah. The Diadem is fancy - why would you leave before you have to?

[He smiles back, but the gratitude throws him a bit. It's one thing to pull a fellow soldier out of the line of fire during combat - that's duty, and also it doesn't make sense to let an ally die. This...he did go out of his way, for a complete stranger, only because the guy needed it (though the sightseeing is certainly a benefit).]

[He's not used to being able to just do a kindness. He's definitely not used to being thanked for it.]

No problem. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere isn't great, so...

[He trails off and shrugs.]

[atypical_echo]

I didn't. I know what you're talking about. It's a reasonable choice.

[He finally finishes getting warm and takes the teleporter up.]

Uh, I guess hold on to me?

[effiomsfavorite]

[General 'you' - he didn't phrase that well - but at least Mark gets what he's talking about.]

[He blinks at the followup request-]

Uh- okay?

[And puts a hand on Mark's shoulder. It's how his earlier ridealong had worked, and it's the least awkward thing he can think of right now.]

[atypical_echo]

Hopefully that covers it. There's an alley by the Diadem. I'll use tha.

[He's been mugged there before, but it'll be fine this time. Probably.]

[effiomsfavorite]

Sounds good.

[Huvrye has since learned that your average human can't take a punch the way your average homunculus can, so if anyone tries to start trouble, he will have no trouble ending it.]

Whenever you're ready.

[atypical_echo]

Right.

[Mark took a deep breath, tried to have more confidence, and then closed his eyes while he tried to picture where they were going. But it had been so long, and he was distracted. At least, though, they only ended up on the roof of the place. And when Mark opened his eyes he sighed.]

And now to figure out how to get down from the Diadem's roof when I literally never properly entered the building.

[effiomsfavorite]

[Well, that's an interesting misfire. Right now, Huvrye is just grateful they're not halfway through a wall somewhere. He can survive a lot, but he's pretty sure that's outside what he can handle.]

[He doesn't say anything - just gives Mark a meaningful look and opens his wings. He did offer to give Mark a ride, after all.]

[atypical_echo]

Sorry. I started thinking of the Diadem, and then I got to thinking about this person I met here on the rooftop and...

[He had teleported them safely, he'd just gotten distracted. But for now he offers over the teleporter and nods. Yeah, he can accept this.]

The alley behind the place? Should be the safest bet for letting me down. I'm going to owe you so much for this.

[effiomsfavorite]

It's fine.

[He's just not going to bring up the 'teleported halfway through a wall' idea. Probably not a good idea to put that in Mark's head.]

[He takes the teleporter back and puts it back in his pocket, then starts heading towards the back of the building.]

Any reason you don't want to be let down on the street? I'll still take you to the back - I'm just curious.

[Seriously, why this alley?]

[atypical_echo]

[That's an option, and Mark dismisses it immediately.]

I try and not give away the whole 'I'm a Meta' thing. Being seen a lot with Metas can make that harder, if I can't explain the friendship.

[effiomsfavorite]

So I'm not going to see you very often, am I.

[It's a bit wry. At home, Huvrye stood out because he was a homunculus with a reputation; here, it's because he's a fairy at all. Not many people have wings, and none of them are like his. He can't exactly keep a low profile here.]

[atypical_echo]

[Of course he wouldn't. Why would he?]

Did you really want to spend a lot of time with the weird stranger you met in the middle of a desert? Like, what if I'm a suspicious person?

[Not like he has a problem with the other guy.]

[effiomsfavorite]

If you were a suspicious person, you would've stolen my teleporter and left me in the desert.

[What kind of question is that?]

[atypical_echo]

That would have been rude.

[It doesn't even make sense to him to steal it.]

I guess I was also thinking of it as sorta like 'i broke down on the freeway and someone helped change the tire'.

[effiomsfavorite]

Right, because suspicious people can't also be rude.

[He's still absolutely lost on this line of thought.]

So? Does it matter how we meet?

[Is it important? Is it a civ thing he doesn't know about?]

[atypical_echo]

Maybe?

[Mark sighs.]

What you did would sorta be considered a hero thing. And I don't think normally heroes make friends with the people they save? Not that I would turn away friends. I just thought, I guess, that you would be more of a 'it happened, nice to have met you, see ya'

[effiomsfavorite]

[Mark gets to "hero thing" and Huvrye's ability to process the situation comes to a swift and abrupt stop. A hero. Him. He'd been called a hero before, but that was the Lasardhin newspaper, and it's not like anyone in Lasardhi is trustworthy. But here, it's-]

[He'd looked at the guilds, but he hadn't actually thought-]

[Those are some low standards, if he's a hero-]

[He looks down, left to right, opens his mouth, closes it again, tries again, because he can't get his thoughts in order, let alone words, and-]

I've only been here for a week.

[It's slow and a little desperate.]

I still don't know how any of this works. I just- I thought-

[He sighs.]

Where I'm from, it's dangerous to be outside of a city, nevermind stranded outside of one. You needed help, and I- I don't really know how these things go here.

[He is so lost.]

[atypical_echo]

[Oh boy. This... That was a lot more than Mark was expecting. He watches the guy silently, and he can almost see it. How lost he is. How confused. And so Mark reaches out to touch his arm.]

You've got a room here in the hotel. So here's what we're going to do. We're going down to your room, we're going to introduce you to the wonders of Thai food from room service or take out or something, and I'm going to sit down and we're going to talk about it. Because I really needed someone to explain a lot of this to me too. I may not be able to talk about the guilds as much, but maybe I can help a little bit.

[He smiles at Huvrye because the guy needs a smile right now.]

You saved me from being lost. I owe you the same in return.

[effiomsfavorite]

[He looks down at Mark's hand on his arm and listens. He honestly wasn't sure what he'd been expecting at the end of this - he's not sure what he'd been expecting at all, except for bringing someone who'd been stranded back to civilization - but he'd never considered this to be an option. A meal and a talk. Compassion and help, from someone who wasn't expecting anything of him. A lifeline.]

[Deep down, some small, neglected part of him unfurls and starts to warm, and another part curls protectively around it. He can't trust anyone like that - not anymore, or maybe just not yet - but maybe this is a start.]

[And he really does need someone to talk with.]

[He meets Mark's smile with one of his own, small and achingly genuine.]

Thanks. That sounds great.

[A beat, and then:]

I should probably get you off this roof first, huh.

[atypical_echo]

Ah, but see, here's the thing. Since we're just going inside...

[Mark smiles and moves away to the stair well door. It takes very little work to get it open, because he's used to doing it.]

I used to come up here to take pictures. I know my way down. Come on. What's your opinion on spicy food?

[effiomsfavorite]

[...if he knew about the door, why was he so worried about getting down-]

[But Huvrye's not about to question that - not in the face of Mark's kindness towards him. Instead, he follows.]

I don't know. I don't think I've really had it before.

[Mess hall food - especially mess hall food for homunculi - is functional, not fun.]

[atypical_echo]

[He'd explain it if asked, but for now he's just guiding the man inside.]

See, that's a shame. But I guess maybe where you're from doesn't have Thailand, so it's fair.