Chapter 441 - Homecoming, Part 2

We broke apart, and gradually, all the warm and fuzzy feelings began to wane and dwindle. I took the moment to regain my bearings, and not knowing how else to proceed, looked back to my little posse in formation. 

"So… this one over here is Adalia," I began, giving a little wavy gesture at the sullen, silent, still figure behind me, awkwardly too. It was like I was presenting some kind of art piece in an exhibit. "The Matriarch that I told you about in my text."

When it came to total strangers and sometimes even distant acquaintances, Dad was a man of very few words, and sometimes even a man of none at all. In this case, he was much a man of the latter variety. The only acknowledgment he gave was a slight nod of the head.

Adalia almost seemed to shrink when beneath his gaze, not that she could be blamed. Dad has been known to unintentionally extort shopkeepers just by mere presence alone. I lost count of how many times already he tried asking if there was a discount on something, only to get the item absolutely free instead, sometimes even with an apology to smooth things over.

Dad's steely blue eyes slowly drifted over to the tall, weathered figure beside Adalia, who without my noticing, was suddenly cowering close behind my back. Harry maintained his usual tone-deaf smile, the first being in years I've seen unfazed and unfeeling to Dad's presence. 

"Yeah, that's him," I affirmed, saying nothing else. Cleary, he didn't need any introduction. I skimmed over him, addressing instead the stark glint of green eyes staring right back at me, stiffly, apprehensively, "And that one over there is - " 

"The Elf," He spoke, and I heard him, heard it. That was not his usual tone he was using. He can be gruff, always a little raspy too, but there was never an edge, a heavy weight to his voice… except for now, for some reason… except for her.

And let's not beat around the bush, it wasn't just for some reason. There was no use playing blind to the way he stared down at her… as much as he tried being subtle about it.

Suddenly Ash, unprompted, took a step forward, gallantly, she rose her head high, shifting to a stance and expression that gave huge credence to the chivalrous, dignified knight that she undoubtedly was. 

"It is the greatest honor to be meeting with you finally," She fell fast into a bow, and rose up just as quick, continuing without skipping a beat. "My name is Eshwyln. I am the Elf-Knight serving under your son, and though undeserving I am of such a privilege, I will strive to ensure that every single ounce of the kindness my Master has shown to me will be reciprocated a hundredfold. An oath that, on my life, I will continue to uphold for as long as I draw breath."

Ash bowed her head again as she finished, before stepping away. I admit, I didn't expect that speech, but it seemed Dad saw it coming a mile away, not a flicker of surprise to his gaze… and yet… nothing.

He said nothing.

The tension that exuded from his silence was a palpable one, and yet Ash continued to keep her gaze straight, undaunted. So many words, so many ways he could answer her back, and yet he just chose silence yet again. 

He was never the social type, even as a kid, I noticed he had that quirk about him. But the way he was treating, staring at Ash, it went beyond a simple manner of being a little antisocial. 

Seriously… not even a 'hi'.

Then, like an open airlock in a pressurized space, Dad's truck blared its horn long and loud, sucking out the tension in one fell swoop. Shortly soon after, the blaring stopped and Sammy's head popped out from the passenger-side window, an impatient frown showing the most prominent on her face.

"Hey, Dad!" She barked at him. "If you're done shaking hands, mind driving us back home now? Seriously, I really need a warm bed to lie in right about now." 

Dad lingered around a bit more for a moment or two, but eventually, he turned around, shuffling away, heeding his dotted daughter's call. 

At the sound of the driver door squeaking open, and the creak of the truck sagging under the added weight, I took that as the cue to get the rest of us on board too.

"Come," I motioned to the others, Ash, Adalia, leaving the bizarreness of what just transpired to the curb. "Our seats are in the back, hop on, try not to move too much."

Dad's truck was the pick-up type, and it's definitely seen its fair share of passengers over the years and miles it's been through... living or otherwise.

Scattered bits of grain sliding here and there, dried mud and dirt caked onto the frame, even some stray pieces of hay went whizzing into the air as the truck chugged on into the evening on the long, deserted country road home.

Exhausted as I was, eyes as heavy as they were, I still could enjoy it. The feel of the wind breezing down my face, the sights of paddy fields stretching far and wide, and the sound of the crickets, all in harmony, the endless fields of grass their eternal stage.

Harry, beside me, wasn't even making a peep. That's how serene everything was.

It was a drive-by memory lane for me, every second, and every sight was like a new buried memory being unearthed.

But I could get lost in thought for so long before I couldn't ignore it for any longer. 

"Hey," I reached out to her. "You alright?"

Ash flinched from my touch, seemingly living in her own little world, and only noticing my hand resting on her thigh too late.

"Why would I not be?" She immediately, hastily answered, as she gently brushed my hand away. "A lovely view, a gentle breeze, and this truck - as if embarking aboard a horse-drawn carriage, I feel right at home. Fret not, Master, truly… I've merely just been absorbed in thought, your homeland… what a place to behold, indeed."

"Nice of you to say," I said, smiling faintly, drawing my hand back to myself. "But I doubt that's the only thought you're having right now, are you?"

Her softening look after told me all I needed to know.

"Trivial, inconsequential, meaningless," She shook her head, smiling back at me reassuringly. "A waste of words, of breath, and more than anything, your attention. Better I leave it unsaid."

"Leo… nardo…" Adalia muttered beside her, her voice barely even audible in the whistling wind. "He doesn't… like Elves…" but bluntness like that just can't be stifled. "He doesn't like… Ash…"

Seems like someone's an eavesdropper.

"Right, Elf prejudice," I let out a sigh. "Tell me something I don't know."

"It's... different..." She blinked her misty eyes, shiting them over at the front of the truck. "He is... different..."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," I said, recalling the kind of Leonardo I saw and played as in fiction. "But Dad's a different man now than he was back then. He'll come around."

"I foresaw this outcome as a likely scenario," Ash finally admitted, her eyes downcasted. "Still, I had hoped things could have gone differently. To be a burden, to be seen as a blight on your behalf is the last thing I would ever wish for."

"You're aren't," I said softly. "I know that you aren't, you know that you aren't. If you ask me, I think that's all that matters."

"And yet…" Her pointed ears squirmed a little, burning a little red.  "If I am to be known as not just your servant but also your… l-lov...lover… and if your parents are to acknowledge the notion, would it truly not be best if I were to be seen in a better light by them both?"

Oh, okay… so this was why she was looking so down and downtrodden. I actually thought it was 'cause of a more serious issue, but no, she just wanted to impress my parents, put her best foot forward… and get their blessings, I guess?

Alright, my heart can't take this. That's too adorable.

"Well, you won Sammy over, didn't you?" I said, glancing at a tuft of hazel hair billowing out at the passenger-side window. "Again, you ask me, I say that's the hard part done."

"Do you truly think so?" Ash asked, a dash of hope twinkling in her eyes.

"First impressions aren't everything. You of all people should know that."

"But the way your father stared at me," She said, still a little apprehensive. "I wager it will not be easy."

"Dad wouldn't dare hurt a fly," I assured her. "He's got a mean stare, I'll give you that. Trust me though, once you get over that, he's a total softie."

Ash cocked her head. "Softie? What is - ?"

"He'll like you, Ash," I said without hesitation.. "I know he will."