Reaching Towards the Sun

It was a calm, lovely day in Onibus Town; the weather was clear, the temperature perfect, with a light breeze sending chills up a young man's spine. Koma Inu hadn't felt quite like home until today, the day that he was finally finishing his garden. The young man had always felt like something had been missing and now he had figured it out. Earlier that week, Nolan Eisold had received permission to create a garden behind his guild. Formerly, he had been forced to travel for some of the more obscure herbs that he couldn't grow with his magic, but now, he was able to bring some of them back and cultivate them at his own leisure. It had taken a while to hoe the beds, to prepare the soil and Nolan had several vegetables, fruits, and herbs that he was excited to grow. First, he had planted tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and cabbage in one row. Then various berries in the second row and in the final two he had placed common cooking herbs and some of his more obscure ingredients. The work had been so tiring that Nolan himself was daydreaming in the shade, taking a pleasant nap before he returned to work.

Kazuki had been working at the bar, as usual, handing out drinks and approving a job here and there. His normal sunny disposition had allowed him to strike up a few conversations with his guildmates, though most of them were far too busy to stay with him for more than thirty minutes. He didn't mind, it allowed him to meet more people in a short amount of time, though it did get a little tiring to repeat the same cycle over and over again. He ponders over the people who most frequented the guild hall, and he distinctly doesn't remember seeing the small, bare-footed brunet resting on a loveseat or polishing his staves at all today. He figures the young man was out training or gathering herbs, though, at a little past noon, he also believes it was weird that he hasn't stopped by for breakfast, lunch, or even a short hello. He glances around and finds that nobody is in dire need of him at the bar, so he unties his apron and goes towards the men's side of the dormitories, quickly changing into a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a light coral t-shirt. He places his headphones around his neck before heading back to the main building, then out of the back exit, since checking if Nolan was training would be the easiest. As soon as he opens the door, he spots the tilled ground and the pieces quickly fall together when he spots Nolan napping in the shadows the guild building cast. He smiles, shaking his head in good humor as he disappears back inside. He returns a moment later with a glass of water and he steps lightly over to the peacefully napping elf-hybrid. He has absentmindedly begun humming a tune, low and soft, and he gently pushes on Nolan's shoulder to get him to wake up.

"Dad..." Nolan murmured, rolling slightly away from Kazuki. The young man was still locked within a slumber, clearing under the assumption that he was back at home in the mountains of Hakobe. His back was on the grass, and Nolan's ruffled hair was even messier than usual and small specks of dirt covered his hands, feet, and cheeks. He was dreaming; unsure of what was going on through his head. Visions of flowers, vibrant fields, his father, smoke, the forge, and cold, gleaming eyes. It was those eyes that allowed Nolan to return to reality as his eyes shot open. "Who ar-" He caught himself from continuing, looking up at the bright, sparkling eyes above him. "Oh. Hey, Kazuki." Nolan said hesitantly, his mind still foggy from the clutches of sleep.

Kazuki patiently waits for Nolan's slumber to end, peeking at the garden through the corner of his eye as he pulls his legs into a criss-cross seated position. When Nolan's eyes quickly open and he begins talking, Kazuki is quite shocked, never having seen the boy react so quickly before. In a moment, however, he's back to his easygoing and calm state, giving his normal greeting. A warm smile spreads along Kazuki's features, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Hello, Nolan. It seems the garden has already imprinted on you." He says with a slight chuckle, considering his messy appearance. He wipes the condensation off the glass of water and uses it to clean up Nolan's cheeks. "Would you like some water?" He asks, holding the glass towards him in offering.

Nolan shivered at the touch, and took the glass from Kazuki's hand, mumbling a 'thank you' under his breath. He downed the water quickly, enjoying the feeling of the cool liquid as it ran down his throat. The slightly lethargic male's eyes narrowed briefly as he considered his guildmate's words. "I don't understand what you mean, I haven't done anything yet." As usual, Nolan's tone was soft and neutral, with only minimal curiosity laced within it. His eyebrows were furrowed and concentrated; he had forgotten one aspect of his garden. Water. He had forgotten to make an irrigation system. "Shit..." The usually contemplative man mumbled, blocking out the sound of Kazuki's voice as his companion spoke.

Kazuki took the glass after Nolan had downed the contents, setting it off to the side. "It's no problem at all. I should thank you for offering your time to make a garden, it's very kind of you." He glances over to the patch of dirt again, the perfectly tilled rows demonstrating the care Nolan had put into preparing it. "You've done quite a bit actually. I don't think I could spend hours doing hard labor like this. The garden is really impressive already and there aren't even plants blooming yet." His voice is filled with optimism and truth, the typical glowing happiness he exuded. "You know, there've been quite a few studies that proved that being kind and considerate to growing plants actually makes them grow faster and larger. I don't want to intrude on your work if you'd rather I didn't, but I would really like to help you work on your garden. I think it would be really fun to help&mdash;" Kazuki is cut off with Nolan's curse, and he returns his gaze to him to see Nolan's gaze is fixated on the ground in concentration, probably not having heard a word he said. Kazuki chuckled at his babbling habit and having lost Nolan's attention, waving his hand in Nolan's line of sight to get his attention. "Something the matter?" He asks, concern furrowing his brows.

Nolan caught Kazuki's hand, mild annoyance spreading over his features. "I forgot the irrigation system. It'll be a pain to carry water to and from the guild." The young man bit his lip, feeling a headache coming on. Since he had fallen in the temple, headaches appeared whenever he tried to focus and lasted for long stretches of time. Nolan himself was too prideful to ask anyone for help when he knew only time could heal his ailment. In hopes of subduing it, Nolan focused briefly, using his magic to grow a few peppermint leaves within his own palm. He put them in his mouth and began to chew, releasing a flavor that tickled his tongue. "You said you wanted to help?" Nolan said, locking eyes with Kazuki.

Kazuki flinched when Nolan caught his hand, not anticipating such a reaction. He gives Nolan's hand a slight squeeze, hoping it is even slightly reassuring. "Hey, I'm no doctor, but my mother used to get headaches all the time and she said I was pretty good at alleviating them." He offers, watching as Nolan made a few peppermint leaves. The smell reminds him of home, a fresh mint scent that flowed around his childhood house to ease their minds. "It would be an honor to help," He says, holding Nolan's gaze, hoping his sincerity is conveyed.

Nolan jerked away, separating himself from Kazuki. "I'm fine." The young man stood, sliding his hands into his pockets as he walked back over to the guildhall to grab a watering can and water. It wasn't that he didn't like the blonde man, he just wasn't interested in conversation, his thoughts were preoccupied with something else. Someone else. Nolan was hoping that the garden would distract him, not to mention it was a service to his companions. "Do whatever you want," he called back toward Kazuya, "It's not like it matters anyways." He finished under his breath.

Kazuki's features fell into a pout of despondence when Nolan wrenched his hand away and shut him out with a lie he could have detected from a mile away. "Wait, Nolan, please," He says, quickly pushing away his shock to get back up to his feet, making sure to pick up the glass of water. He trails after the brunet, trying to figure out what he'd done to get him to react that way. Nolan speaks in the same clipped tone again and Kazuki physically recoils, not liking how his voice sounds. If not for his heightened senses, he wouldn't have heard what Nolan muttered, and he stops following him, biting the inside of his cheek. He didn't understand what was going through Nolan's head, and though he could quite easily peak into the boy's thoughts, he knew it was very rude and would only serve to make Nolan dislike and distrust him even more. He picks up his pace once Nolan disappears inside the guild building, looking around the oaken building until he spotted his small guildmate. Kazuki quickly deposits the glass of water before walking over to Nolan, humming a small, soothing tune his mother had always prided him on for its ability to soothe her headaches. "I really do want to help Nolan, just tell me what I can do," He says, before picking up the soft tune again. He made sure the sound moved throughout the air so that it was difficult to tell where it was coming from, though he doubted the elf-hybrid wouldn't be able to determine it was him.

"Stop humming. I can hear you. It's making it worse." Nolan spoke truthfully as small spots hard began to swarm within his vision. He didn't think something as simple as a headache could do this to him. It didn't seem normal. It wasn't normal, something had caused it. He grimaced again at the sound of water beating into the metal watering can. "If you want to help... You could get another watering can and help me water the plants." Nolan finished filling his can, twisted the tap and quickly walked back to the garden, leaving Kazuki behind. He then kneeled down, focusing a greater quantity of magic into the soil. Quickly the plants began to grow, but once they reached juvenile state, a piercing jolt of pain caused him to stop. Nolan pulled his hands away quickly looking at them. The sensation left behind a tingling feel and Nolan's brow furrowed. Something had changed since the temple. Someone had done something to him. His magic wasn't behaving right and it hurt him. Nolan knew that he had been sluggish in casting after his job, but assumed it was fatigue, though he now knew it was not the case. "Kazuki," Nolan said, attempting to keep his voice as calm as possible, though a faint tinge of panic was evident. "I need you to grow the plants." His ears were ringing now, Nolan had no doubt in his mind that he was the subject of some sort of poison. He knew it was either slow acting or all of the symptoms had already manifested. He could not start experimenting yet, not without suspicion and he didn't want any attention.

Kazuki looked down at his feet in guilt, wringing his hands together as he tried to think of a way to soothe Nolan's headache. When he began filling the pail with water, Kazuki quickly exuded some his magic energy, silencing the water's assault upon the metal. He nods at Nolan's request, quickly locating and filling another pail of water and then following after Nolan once he was finished, though he was already by the garden by the time he had stepped outside. He's trying really hard to distance himself. Kazuki thought, staring at Nolan's back and reading his body language. He put on a soft smile and walked up to him, waiting for Nolan to finish helping the plants along before he would begin watering them. However, at the sudden stop and the following panicked tone Nolan spoke in, Kazuki nearly dropped his watering can, and he was only able to keep it in his hand for fear of worsening Nolan's headache with the noise. He carefully set it down, taking a deep breath, before focusing his magic energy into his hands. Soft light emitted from his palms as he near silently began speaking. The plants, under the gentle coaxing of his magic, grew slowly upwards, and Kazuki was able to direct them with the light so they didn't lean into each other or overwhelm the other ones. He gave a few glances over to Nolan, just to ensure he wasn't getting rapidly worse. The growth of the plants eventually slowed down, Kazuki's magic only being able to do so much, as it only integrated one of the main parts of their growth. He began watering the plants then, going up and down the rows, continuing to mutter beneath his breath. Once that was wrapped up as well he set the watering can down and walked over to Nolan, kneeling down in front of him. He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead and stared intently into his forest green gaze, his own warm sunshine gaze glowing with concern. "Nolan, I think you should go inside to rest for now. Getting so much sunlight isn't good for you, you might be having a heat stroke." Kazuki really didn't want to assume what was going on with Nolan, he wasn't a doctor, but he also knew more than the average person about human illnesses and from the symptoms Nolan was demonstrating, it seemed like a reasonable enough deduction. Even if it wasn't right on the spot, sleep did help the grand majority of sicknesses so it couldn't possibly hurt him, right? Kazuki redirected the light around them to keep it from hitting Nolan as harshly and softened the noises, anything to try and assist him.

"No, no. I'm fine. I just can't go overboard." Nolan's nose crinkled at the touch and he pulled away, directing his attention back to his garden in order to distract himself. He couldn't bring anyone into his problem yet. Nolan didn't need any unnecessary attention and he sure as hell didn't want to worry Nova. He sighed softly and began to concentrate low levels of magic power into the soil, ignoring the sharp shards of pain that traveled across his arms. He breathed shallow and uneven breaths, attempting to stay as stable as possible. Suddenly, it occured to him. How did Kazuki know anything about illnesses, it wasn't something anyone randomly learnt for fun. "Kazuki. What did you do before you joined the guild?" Nolan asked, attempting to sound as casual as possible.