Chapter 487 - Little Likes

The more we walked, the more relaxed she became… it was still a long trek ahead of us through invisible trees and stroke-inducing ditches, but we made the most of it being in each other's company. 

There wasn't much at all in terms of excitement, entertainment… here, surrounded only by the quiet and the occasional nightly sounds, it was as simple and as basic of an outing as you could possibly have.

Just perfection, really… in its own simple and basic way. Her presence, the sound of her voice amidst the sway of branches and rustling leaves, the feel of her warmth in the howling, chilling breeze - things could have stayed as is 'till the sun rose over the hills again, and I would be heading back, grinning from ear to ear, not being able to ask for any more.

But this night was not just going to be a peaceful walk through the woods as it may seem, it was a little more than that, more than I could have ever imagined. But for now, until we reached our final destination… I was content with things as is. 

"Tell me more about yourself, Ash." 

Just like I was, Ash had been totally engrossed in the moment, I spoke those words as clearly as I could, but she only heard them a few seconds after, and if that wasn't already adorable enough… watching her abruptly snap back again into focus, throwing her eyes all around the place like something was amiss with how the wind sounded was definitely the cherry on top.

"Hmm?" Then her gaze found mine, finally uncovering the source of the disturbance. "Were you saying something, Master?" 

Indeed I was, and just for good measure, I went and elaborated further.

"I know you like to eat cereals, I know you like to look at cars, I know you like to sneak into my room sometimes and play around with my hair when I'm asleep sometimes…" 

At that, her eyes grew wide, and had it just been a little bit more bright then, I swear I'd definitely die from the cuteness from seeing how flustered her face became. Kinda like a basilisk, except a billion times cuter. 

"Y-You noticed that…?" She said in a squirmy not-so-innocent tone that left no room for doubt. 

"You play kinda rough," I remarked. "Not that that's a bad thing," then before the conversation could stray too much for her to handle, I returned back to the main topic at hand. "Anyways, I'm sure there are more things that you like to do that I don't know of, and believe me, I'd dearly love to know more… if the mysterious, reserved Elf-Knight would care to share that is?"

Ash took a moment to recover and consider, her eyes staring, musing, "The things I like to do…" she muttered, before slumping her head with a sigh, "I fear I know not myself, furthermore, I wouldn't know where precisely to begin."

"Begin here, then," I said to her. "You told me you like sleeping under a blanket of stars, a bed of grass… I don't know much about your past life, and frankly, I wouldn't dare poke around online just to find out either, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit curious. You don't have to tell me everything, I don't have to know everything… just the little things, the good  things… y'know what you like to do when you don't have to be what they made you." 

Another moment of just silent thinking, a long deep one this time, given the way our pace drastically slowed, and the focus in her gaze, how it flickered through thoughts, through memories, I kinda thought they might stay that way for a while, but then with a blink, her head rose back up and her eyes glimmered brightly back at me again. 

"Children." 

I cocked my head back. "Children?" 

"Children," She repeated, a fondness to her voice this time. "Those curious, those ambitious, always eager to discover what lurks behind every tree of forest. Sometimes I'd find them, other times they'd find me… human, fey, demon, others, matters not what they are… with their innocence, their curiosity… it did not concern nor worry them as to what I am either." 

A soft spot for kids, for the young and naive, one new thing I learned about her. She told me about her many encounters, how she accompanied those that lost their way, tended to the wounds of those that had gotten injured, there was not an instance where they bid her farewell without a smile on their faces.

"And if I were to have children of my own someday," She wondered aloud, delighted by the prospect. "Well…" in a split-second, she darted her eyes, met mine, and darted away again. 

"Yeah?" I asked, pretending I didn't see a thing.

"Mmm…" She trailed away, an outline of a smile almost visible in the dark. "Well, then again, it's only a mere wonder…" 

Mmm-hmm.

A little later after she told me about her nightly pastimes, the millions of stars in the skies, how she'd gaze at them, and memorize every sequence and pattern, so proficient did she become at it, that at times, she's even used them for navigation. Something, apparently, no one in her world has ever thought of before. 

"We do that too," I told her when she inquired if it was the same here. "In the past, long ago, we used the stars to navigate around the place. We still do, only it's kinda made a little redundant given all the tools we have now." 

"I see, in Asteria, I suppose given our abilities, the magic we can harness, such a skill has little use for most people as well," She said. "But as a hobby, a form of a pastime, it is quite a mesmerizing experience indeed." 

A little more here, a little more, little by little, I was getting a clearer, broader picture of her… and the more I hear of her, the more I adore of her… everything she does, it's just more things to love about her.

"And I… in times isolated, alone, those rare times," She pondered once more" I like to sing to myself." 

Hold up.

"You sing?" I asked, my voice echoing my surprise.

"Hymns, a chant, a little song of my people as a means of leisure," She nodded. "The Hermelians of the sea treats Elves the same as any other, so sometimes, should I happen to be on board one of their vessels, I'd even partake in a shanty or two, should they request of me, that is… it's, well I am not exceptionally good, but, nevertheless, I enjoy it…" 

Wait, wait, Ash singing, like actually singing? Her voice? Her sweet, soft-spoken, always gentle tone that was already a blessing to the ears in and of itself, except this time you put it with a beat and a melody on top of it? Genius… it's groundbreaking! 

This is the greatest discovery in mankind's history and no one knows of it! It's an injustice, I tell you. How… how could I never have thought of this before? Why am I such a fool? Am I deaf? Should I be deaf? I think I deserve to be deaf. 

"Master?" 

There's her voice again, in that always gentle soothing tone… but now I'm just here wondering, staring… could it perhaps be just a little more?

"Ash, these, um… Herme… Hermeli… these Hermermaids, they request you to sing?" I asked, making polite, making normal, no ulterior motives to be seen or heard, yes. "And you just… bellow out a tune just like that?"

"Just as you stated, indeed," Ash affirmed. "Hermelians, the masters of the sea. Song is the universal language of their people, and should you ever be in need of their aid, then your voice is usually their only fee and request." 

All well and good. Cool fun fact. I'm sure that piece of otherworldly trivia would come in handy indeed. 

"I see, I see," I said, nodding as innocent as can be. "And say, what if I, umm… make that same request of you myself, hm? Y'know to sing. Like right now? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

Ash gave a long, hard blank stare at me, and at that moment I knew the jig was up. 

"No," She said. "Out of the question," She said again. "No, no, it's not possible, it's not doable," She said even more. "I-I… I lack the skill, I lack the capacity, the… the mental fortitude. It'll be a displeasure, torture, there's absolutely no way I can!" then I guess she realized just how loud her voice was beginning to get, regaining her composure back with a blink and a small, slight cough. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

Absolutely have no clue how she figured my ploy out, I was pretty sure I was as subtle as a mouse. 

"One time?"

"I think not."

"One verse?"

"No."

"A word?" 

"A word? Surely you're not - "

"Okay, a syllable - take it or leave it." 

"Master…" Her stare went dull briefly, but then brightened again quickly - and it twinkled, it pondered. "Unless…" 

I tilted my head. "Unless?" 

But she had lost her words already, as well as her focus on the topic at hand - something had distracted her, a shimmer in the distance, a luster glowing brightly. 

The forest began to widen, the narrow opening vast, and with a few more steps forward - we emerged, we arrived. 

"By the Divines…" Ash muttered.

In the day, the lake was a beautiful sight, but at night, in the luminescence of moonlight, it was an ethereal experience, the serene blue surface reflecting back the clear sky above - it was like an ocean of stars, and there rippled the moon, swaying in peaceful tides.

We made it.

Now we… 

Now what?