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The Gift

Richard's (FA) Storyline, Chapter 4.2

copyright comidacomida 2018

We walked in silence for a half block before I could come up with something to say. "So... fishing for compliments?"

He obviously noticed the humorous tone to my voice and he shot back with surprisingly quick wit. "Well... assuming gratitude is not out of the question, thou mayest begin there as I find tis more than a decade overdue."

It was a side of him I'd rarely seen, and I had to admit that I liked it. As we were walking arm-in-arm it was easy enough to give him a playful elbow, which I did. Strolling down the street with him was nice but, I realized, it wasn't really a date. With that in mind, I realized that there was something we could do together that would be of interest to my Gryphon. "You know... there's a free medieval exhibit going on right now at the community hall and they're open until eight tonight."

Glancing my way, Jack then lifted his beak skyward and began taking stock of our surroundings; downtown Cherry City had a pretty tight skyline with several multi-story buildings-- mostly three and four levels but a few here-and-there had six. It was a far cry from views of cities like Los Angeles or Seattle, or even Portland, but for Oregon (again, excluding Portland) it was a pretty big place and a lot larger than areas where I grew up. It took a moment for me to realize what the Gryphon was doing as he gazed around. "Getting your bearings?"

The feathers around Jack's beaks puffed up and his 'ear feathers' lowered in embarrassment. "I know that there are street sighs, my boy, but sometimes old habits die hard, and--"

I chuckled, interrupting him. "And getting a view of the horizon is an age-old way to navigate by landmarks."

He nodded appreciatively. "That is indeed the key, although truly identifying one's direction in the wilderness uses a combination of techniques. If I am not mistaken, the downtown branch of your bank is up ahead... State street, is it not?"

I followed the direction of his beak and determined that yes, that was indeed my bank. The logo wasn't visible over the roofs between us and the building but I remembered taking stock of the old 1900s architecture; it was one of the three story buildings around that hadn't been completely renovated in the past hundred-plus years. Then again, there was the obvious identifying feature, and I motioned to it subtly: one block up ahead was the street sign. "State Street it is."

Jack, I'd come to learn, was rather astute. "There are not many museums in Cherry City, which must mean we are going to the Central City Museum of Art."

I pulled the pamphlet I got from the college earlier in the week out of my pocket and opened it up in my free hand, holding it in front of myself so he could look at it and I spoke quietly; to any passer-by I could easily have been reading to myself. "August 18th through the 25th, Medieval Artwork Exhibit."

Jack was all smiles, his golden eyes gleaming as he looked at the paper then to me. "Then I am honored that thou woulds't desire to view this limited engagement with me by thy side, Richard. Tis a fine activity."

Never one to deceive or misdirect, I was diplomatically honest. "Well, artwork has never been a big draw for me but it seemed like something fun to do with you considering you're a walking, talking historical recreation from the appropriate time period."

He could have misunderstood the statement but he didn't; Jack seemed to understand my meaning precisely and he smiled wider. "That, and thou shalt have your own tour guide who will be able to relate far more information than a simple docent."

There were a number of things I had come to like about Jack and one of those many traits was the fact that he used such expressive language, calling on words that weren't used commonly. Rather than presenting them to sound smarter or to set himself apart, the Gryphon called upon them naturally in a way that just felt organic. I've never been much of a linguist myself, but I really appreciated speaking as an art form. "I look forward to it."

The gallery was indeed open when we arrived and, as the advertisement had noted, the weekend showing was indeed free. The artwork was okay-- certain individual pieces caught my interest because of the artist's choice of color or some specifically interesting subject matter but, for the most part, what made it particularly interesting was the company I shared in the form of an energetic, vivacious Gryphon. Although I'd had little to tell Jack about my past, we were in a museum that was, in essence, paying homage to his.

We spent over an hour in the small gallery as Jack relayed interesting tidbits of information about every piece in which he took an interest. A scene displaying what looked like a peasant family harvesting grain turned into a ten minute discussion of how individual households worked the lands of nobles, what was done once the wheat was reaped, and a discussion on the origin of the baker's dozen being thirteen rather than twelve.

The time passed with surprising swiftness and the activity I was only semi-interested in turned out to be an incredibly well-spent evening. Our trip to the museum had started as something I wanted to do for Jack's benefit but, in the end, he made it interesting, engaging, and, most of all, enjoyable. As the museum closed for the night I made my way to the exit with Jack in tow. As we left the company of the last few museum-goers he offered me his elbow and, as before, I slid my arm through his and we walked arm-in-arm down the sidewalk. Once we were a fair distance from the museum he spoke up. "Richard... may I ask thee something?"

He rarely ever bothered prefacing a question so that caught my attention. "Of course, Jack. What's up?"

When he didn't answer right away I slowed, then stopped, turning to look at him. He stopped as well, facing me likewise as his ear-tufts rose; even in the street light I could see that his nares were blushing. "This was-- IS a date... yes?"

For a reason I couldn't explain I found myself blushing too. "Well... uh... yeah. Yeah-- I guess it is."

His expressive beak parted in just the right way that I could tell with ease that he was smiling. "Does this mean that I am able to walk thee home?"

There was an element of humor to the statement but, at the same time, it was sweet and endearing in its honesty. I smiled back. "Only if I get to walk YOU home too."

His smile remained as he turned and continued onward with me still holding onto his arm. "I believe we have reached a Pact."

Rather than heading straight home, Jack and I took a round-about path. I enjoyed spending time with him; we didn't have to say anything or do anything-- just being with him was what made it so wonderful. We passed through downtown and walked along the park side, went over the interstate, and took the roads on the east side of town northward. It wasn't until we reached the northern side of town that I realized just how far we'd gone, and how late it had become. "I hope the Cats haven't wrecked the place."

Jack chuckled, coming to a stop as we stepped onto the packed-gravel path leading into the final park within city limits. "Thou should fear the influence of familiars less and be more concerned with getting enough sleep for classes on the morrow. I had not realized how late it has become. We should return home for thy benefit... and the benefit of thy belongings remaining unbroken."

He said the last comment with a suitable smirk and I found myself smiling too. He was right, of course, but I lamented an end to our private time together. Weighing the pros and cons, I let out a breath and I--