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The Gift

Richard's (FA) Storyline, Chapter 4.3

copyright comidacomida 2018

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 reached out to take hold of one of Jack's talons with a smile. "Hey... the house isn't going anywhere, it isn't even midnight, and it's a warm night so let's just keep walking. I'm ahead on my first period class so I can sleep in."

A sense of hesitation clung to his features for just a moment before it gave way to the understanding that he had more time with me. Regardless, he did his service as a Guardian by adding "Very well, Richard... so long as thou art certain that thou art not sacrificing thy grades or health for my benefit."

I offered another smile in response, giving his talon a light squeeze. "Aren't sacrifices a kind of empowerment for Spirits? Wouldn't it be a good thing for you?"

The look he gave me felt almost paternal; it even gave me that self-reflective 'uh-oh' response deep in my gut before is stare softened and he stated "Perhaps, but your grades suffering or having you exhausted all day would not please me and would not, in my mind, be worth it."

Rather than await any real response from me the Gryphon extended his wing and folded it around my shoulder, pulling me even closer to him so that our elbows touched one another's ribs. We continued walking after that, and my smile returned. "I like this."

He glanced over and down at me, his beak parting in a calming smile. "As do I, my boy... as do I."

Cherry City during the day had a much more modern feel than anywhere near where I grew up. It was fast paced with a lot of traffic and plenty of pedestrians, bicycles, and skateboarders. During the night it was much quieter and reminded me a lot of home during the early afternoon. It was quiet, and, despite the 24-hour grocery stores and the numerous fast food places open until midnight (or later), there wasn't a lot of the chaos that identified the city as a center for a bustling population of over almost two hundred thousand.

The summer air was maybe seventy degrees-- still warm with the heat of the day; although it hadn't rained recently the Willamette Valley was still much more humid than the High Desert back home and the humidity meant that it stayed warmer later into the night. To be honest, despite being used to the summer heat back home I didn't mind seventy degrees one bit. It was, in fact, warmer than that wrapped in Jack's wing but it wasn't the same as, say, being surrounded by the body heat of another person; the Spirit's warmth was less stifling and more... metaphorical? Spiritual? It's hard to say, but it was there and it was wonderful.

Jack and I ended up almost doing a complete circuit of Cherry City. Having walked the distance to the museum, we'd continued to the parks, then circled back home, crossing the interstate twice, once in North Cherry City and once in the south. Like with many other cities in Oregon, Cherry City's rural buffer separates it from other adjacent towns, except for Rye, which is directly to the north and is close enough that the two cities are separated by a matter of a few houses. Jack and I had almost crossed over the invisible line into Rye before turning back south and returning home.

During our walk we continued our discussions on everything and nothing. Despite my initial concerns that him knowing all about me would make it hard to find something to discuss, he was actually right in that actually helped. That, and, if I'm being honest, I did plenty of questioning about him and his past. While he was a little reluctant to discuss it in the beginning eventually I got some information out of him, like the fact that, although he came into being in England, he actually spent a fair amount of time in Germany, some in France, and even a little in Iberia or, as it is more commonly known in this day and age, Spain (and Portugal).

Since I was still trying to get a better grasp on Spanish that last location caught my attention. We discussed his time there which, unfortunately, was limited to times of warfare, thus he had no opportunity to learn any of the language, though, based on some very simple Q & A, he revealed that he knew a few phrases and words in both Spanish and Portugese. I was more impressed though when he mentioned knowing German, some French, but especially when he stated that he could speak Old English, and even Old Norse.

That was the topic of our discussion during our walk through the last few blocks home. We strolled casually as Jack offered a few phrases in what were essentially dead languages. He taught me a basic introduction in Old English, and then, at my request, provided a very lengthy history of his service to what amounted to my ancestors, many-times-removed. I really couldn't understand a bit of it, but there was a certain elegance to his recitation and, as if almost planned that way, he finished just as we approached the door. He then switched to modern English. "And then I came Across the Pond to the New World."

I liked the succinct summary; it somehow fit him. The Gryphon drew his wing back as I turned to face him. I smiled and he did likewise and we stood on the porch, me looking up at him and him looking down at me. Although I don't always speak my mind, at that point it seemed unreasonable not to. "I enjoyed our time together tonight."

Jack's smile practically glowed. "As did I, my boy."

There was a long pause as I considered whether to reach for the door knob, or just stand there. For the first time that night I had a slightly uncomfortable feeling as I tried to reason out the right step to take. "So.... now what?"

He cocked his head to the side. "What dost thou mean, Richard?"

Having had very little actual experience in dating, all of my education had been in the form of movies and TV shows. "Well... we went out, and I had a really good time."

His beak parted in a smile, and he responded to my reiterated statement the same as he had the first time. "As did I."

I shrugged, feeling my cheeks blush. "Well... I mean... at the end of a date usually one person gets walked home, and the other heads off but..."

Jacked seemed to understand my confusion, his ear tufts slowly lowering. "And yet thou and I doth occupy the same residence, so neither of us would walk off... unless thou art suggesting that I leave for--"

Quickly interjecting, I corrected him. "No! No! Not at all, Jack. I'm glad you're here, and, uh... you don't have to go. I just mean... I'm not sure what happens now."

He cocked his head the other way, ear tufts rising once again. "Whatever happens, I would assume. Must something special happen? Art thou under the belief that something needs come to pass beyond what already has? Is it an unspoken rule? A suggestion? An expecta--"

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