Elves and Alchemists Part 5
/ Part 4 / Part 3 / Part 2 / Part 1
“Are you sure you want to leave NOW?” Grian was packing his few belongings in his rucksack. Scar had told him to only pack what was necessary, what he could carry himself, and to just leave the rest.
Grian hadn't brought much with him initially, and hadn't picked up anything important in the year he had been here.
It was dark out. A storm had coalesced quickly before the autumn festival, raining out most of the residence. Grian could hear the winds rattling the windows even now.
“Tonight is the best. No one will be out to see us, or try to stop us from going. Jellie will just have to deal with some wet fur.” Scar was deep in a pile of clothes, deciding between a red silk shirt and a maroon wool jacket. He tossed both behind him in the discard pile and dived back in for another two items.
“I just don't understand. We don't have to leave at all.” Grian wrapped his stash of specific alchemical ingredients in some waterproof butcher's paper, and hid them between his spare clothes.
“You don't have to come if you don't want to Grian.”
Grian froze. He didn't want to be left behind. He spent all this time trying to get here, to be with Scar, and be needed.
Scar continued, oblivious to Grian’s anxiety. “I can go ahead, set up a new place, and you can join me when you're ready.” Scar continued to toss his fancy pants and shirt in the large pile.
When Grian didn't reply, Scar finally looked up at his companion that was biting his lip, worry evident. “Talk to me G. What's wrong?”
Grian took a deep breath and released it. Then another. “I’m just being foolish. I knew we would leave, I just didn't realize it would be so soon. I’m not used to being a nomad.”
Scar remained on the floor looking up at the young human, studying him. “I want you to come with me Grian.” Scar could see the tension draining away from Grian’s shoulders. “I want you to feel comfortable leaving whenever you want, and coming back to find me again, even if I'm not in the same place you left me.”
Grian rolled his eyes. “That’s not an easy task Scar. You can hide when you really want to.”
Scar stood, and moved into Grian’s personal space. “When we get to the new town, I'm going to make you a special tool. A homing tool. Guaranteed to lead you to me, from anywhere.”
Grian looked into Scar’s eyes and began to breathe easier. “Yeah. Ok” he said breathlessly.
Elves and Alchemists
Part 4 / Part 3 / Part 2 / Part 1
Scar knew his time in this town was coming to an end. He'd learned just about everything he could from the townsfolk, he had revitalized the local forests, and he could feel the metaphysical tethers trying to tie him down in one place. He had spent his whole adult life avoiding setting down roots, and he wasn't going to stop now. He had one more year, at max, before he would move on.
He had learned over and over again, the hard way, that he had to move on before something bad happened. Avoiding death was easy, when you didn't stay to watch as the people you cared about grew old. The many friends he had made in his life still lived in his memories as their youthful selves.
He looked at his scarred hands, and then in the mirror to see the scar on his cheek, then the one hidden in his eyebrow. He wore long sleeves and pants to cover up the worst ones from sight. The one on his back sometimes would ache, but was still fairly new. It would fade with time, they all did.
“What's taking you so long, did you mesmerize yourself with that face of yours?” Grian peaked into the open bathroom door. “Mrs. F. is going to be all out of cookies by the time we get there. And we also have some more shopping to do.”
Grian had been an unexpected delight since he had moved in last month. He had a joyful spirit that Scar found refreshing. He had lied to him, when he had showed up out of nowhere. He did remember young Grian, and the horrible way they almost died. If Scar hadn't been there, hadn't reached him in time, then this exuberant, playful person wouldn't be here, pestering him to get a move on.
Scar didn't like to take credit for his good works, too often had it come to hurt him instead. But here and now, he was enjoying himself.
Scar took one last look in the mirror. “I did win most handsome in several contests over the years, but no, I'm good now. Let's go. Jellie, we’ll be gone a while, so be good.” He gave Jellie one last pet before heading out the door and down the path to town.
Elves and Alchemists Part 3
Part 1 / Part 2
Part 3
“Scar, you're a little close.” Grian tried to push Scar’s chest, but he found he wasn't strong enough.
“What..? Oh, sorry.” Scar leaned back on his couch, after snagging a cookie off of the plate he had set down earlier. “I can't say that I remember who you are. A lot of humans look familiar to me. You say we’ve met before?”
“Yes. You saved my life as a child. I did something foolish, and it put my life in danger. There was an explosion, in a factory. You're the reason I'm even here.”
Scar looked deep in thought. “Can't say that I remember that. Are you sure it was me?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Well, you're welcome. If that's all, you should go home now.” Scar stood, “I'm a busy elf you know.”
Grian couldn’t help but stand as well. “Wait, what? No! I just got here, I can't leave.” Scar started to gently push Grian toward the door. “You made me a promise.”
Scar stopped moving, but didn't put down his hands yet. “What kind of promise?”
“We were trapped for a little while. To keep me calm you told me about your home. You said you’d take me one day.”
Grian looked up into Scar’s green eyes. He remembered that day, remembered how it had changed his whole world.
Scar sighed and dropped his hands. “So you're not gonna leave me alone until I take you home to meet the parents huh?”
Grian blushed at the connotation, but just nodded in agreement.
“Fine, but it's going to be a long time until I go next. You could be dead by then.”
Grian smiled widely. “No I won’t.” He said confidently. “I'm an alchemist, and I've made my own philosopher's stone. You're stuck with me for a long, long time.”
Scar looked confused at first, and then intrigued. “Ok then, alchemist, but before all that. What’s YOUR name?”
“Oh, right!” Grian wiped his hand on his robe making sure it was clean. He stuck his hand out, still grinning excitedly. “My name’s Grian. Thanks for having me.”
Elves and Alchemists Part 2
Part 1
Grian had finally tracked down an elf. It had taken only 24 months of research, tracking down rumors and scouring news articles. While most elves lived in their hidden retreat, there was one that roamed the land like a vagabond.
Grian packed lightly, not wanting to be tied down by meager possessions. He was getting nervous, as this might be the only elf that he would ever get to speak to. He had to present himself at his best. So he donned his finest robes, and an alchemist hat.
When he first got to the small town the elf currently resided in, it only took a few questions of the town’s inhabitants to be pointed in the right direction. The elf had a small cottage on the edge of the forest, as he needed to commune with nature frequently.
There wasn't any fence, or border that Grian could see, but there was magic in the air as he approached. The elf was tending to some flowers, and as he worked he was talking to a small cat.
“Say, Jellie, we need to get another batch of Mrs. F’s cookies. We’ve almost run out. How about we…” they turned and noticed their uninvited guest. “Oh, hello there!”
Grian meanwhile was reliving a memory, almost a nightmare, from his childhood. “It’s you.”
They approached, with a smile on their face. “Yes, of course it's me. I'm always me. And you are?”
“No, no, no. I mean. It's you, from back then.” The elf that had saved Grian as a child, from a vicious explosion.The one that has inspired him to become an alchemist, the one he had been searching for all his life. Was right there in front of him. He had all the same scars as back then, and some new ones. They didn't detract from his handsome features. Grian wondered briefly if he got all those scars from helping people.
Grian almost fell over, but the elf had grabbed his arm to prevent him from hurting himself. “You don't look so good. Do you need to sit down? Come inside for a moment.”
Grian was ushered inside and pushed down onto a comfy couch. He stared as the elf began to prepare some tea, and cookies.
“Now these are the best cookies. I’ve been trying to get Mrs. F to give me the recipe for ages, but she refuses. You just take a bite, and all your worries just fade away. They are magical.”
“What's your name?” Grian needed to know. He had been searching his whole life, leading up to this meeting.
“Oh, well, my actual name is difficult for humans to pronounce, so I just go by Scar. It's much easier than Rᔑᒷ∷ᔑリ z||ꖎ ̇/╎ᓭ||ᓭ.”
While the name sounded beautiful, it slipped through Grian’s brain and right out again.
“Do you remember me?” Grian grabbed Scar’s hand and pulled him down on the couch next to him.
“Woah there. I have a thousand years or memories I need to search through. Give me a minute.” Scar looked closely at Grian’s face. “Hm, I'm not sure. Humans change so quickly. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember, or I get the grandson confused for the grandfather.“
Scar was staring intently. Having his beautiful face so close to Grian’s own made him flush a bit under the scrutiny.
I never post here, but decided I should, since I wrote more to this.
Inspired by @hhhloml / @favoure post here
Elves and Alchemists Part 1
Scar was amongst the long lived races of elves. Other elves called him a fool, as they stayed in their forest citadels. He preferred to live amongst the shorter lived races. He enjoyed watching their comings and goings, as he found them amusing. He treated them as a distraction from his timeless state as they made tiny ripples in the fabric of time.
That is, until a human alchemist approached him saying he had discovered a method of extending his own life. Scar was too curious to leave the human to his own devices. He fully expected that one day the human would grow old and die, leaving him bereft. But, as the years turned into decades and the alchemist did not age, Scar became attached to the human. He never wanted their fun filled days to ever end.
Grian saw an elf once when he was a child. They were so ephemeral and beautiful it caused him to change the whole trajectory of his life. He began the arduous process of becoming an alchemist so that he could create a philosopher’s stone. He just wanted to spend an eternity among the gorgeous race of elves.
He devoted himself to his studies, becoming the youngest apprentice to a brilliant professor. Some considered him a genius, but Grian never thought of himself as one. He was just driven, and focused.
Then one day, he left the university. He had achieved his goal, but didn't want to share his findings with the egotistical and foolish. He spent a couple years hiding from academics and searching for the elves.