He chuckled lightly “forgive the persistence it becomes a habit of living here.” He said, his smile fading a bit. He guided the individual patiently to the village, giving them time to breath or rest as they needed.
“Might I ask your name? I understand we may not know each other well but it’s might be easier to communicate if I knew your name. Unless of course it would’t be suitable.” He said, still gently holding their hand as he guided them around. “I’m Antonio.” He said with a small smile.
"I suppose that's understandable." Ellis relented, sighing slightly. He followed the healer to the village, wondering what sort of food he was going to get treated to. Honestly, he would settle for anything at the moment. "Um, I'm Ellis." He gave the man a small, slightly hesitant smile. "Thanks for not fleeing at the sight of me, Antonio." Ellis managed a more genuine smile. "By the way, uh… what's the date? The year, more specifically." He glanced over at Antonio, hoping he would answer without too much suspicion. Ellis already suspected it had been many years since he first got trapped in the lagoon, but he needed someone to say it out loud.
“Nice to meet you Ellis, though I wish it were under cercumstances.” He replied, turning on a few corners as they made their way into the heart of the village.
“You’re welcome. Thanks for not immediately attacking me on sight.” He kept his head down as they entered a crowd of people, knowing what they’d all think, seeing him leading around a young man. He knew, yet it still hurt him.
“The date?” He perked up once they were out of sight of the crowds “I do believe it is the 3rd of June, 1620” (let me know If that’s accurate to the story’s time)
He glanced back at Ellis, concern flashing in his eyes “you were in there quite a long time, weren’t you?”
(It is!)
"Hah, yeah, me too." Ellis sighed heavily. He liked meeting new people and seeing new things, but it was rather hard when everyone except for the healer– who was probably contractually obligated to help him, anyway– thought he was going to kill him. "Yeah, well, I was basically half dead, and I'm not going to murder you anyway. I'm not like that." He gave Antonio a slight smile, simply thinking that the healer kept his head down though the crowds because saving him was an unpopular opinion. "Wait, wait, wait. June 3rd… 1620?" Ellis nearly fell over. He really did. He only managed to stop himself from falling to the ground by grabbing onto Antonio's shoulder. Ellis had thought it would be a year or two, but four years? "Ha, yeah, just a little while." Ellis replied, his voice faint. He pushed himself upright again, letting go of the healer's shoulder and pushing back his bangs with both hands. Well, at least he didn't have anyone to miss or to miss him when he entered the forest.
Antonio wrapped an arm around Ellis’ waist and held him up as he regained his composure. “Y-yes, that is correct. Does that bring up a problem?” He asked softly, letting him go the instant Ellis pulled away, yet he still remained close in case Ellis did have another spell.
“A little while?” He repeated, imagining it might have a been more than the weeks he had initially thought. “How long exactly were you in there for, if you don’t mind me asking.”
"Heh, not really. Just… it's surprising," Ellis said, letting out a calming breath. Once he got past the initial shock, the amount of time he'd spent in the Deep Woods didn't really bother him. He'd definitely lost his job and his home, but he could always get another one of those. "I, uh…" Ellis glanced over at Antonio, wondering if he should tell him just how long he'd been trapped there. He should probably tell him, just to let him know what he'd gotten into. "I was in there for about four years." Ellis kept his tone as light as he could, not wanting to make the man worry or freak out at all.
“four years?” Antonio breathed in disbelief. He had never really heard of anyone going into the Deep Woods and coming out alive, it was a true miracle if Ellis had managed to survive in that place for four years.
“You must be extremely lucky to have survived that long.” He mused. “May I ask how you got into such a place to begin with? Not many people go in there voluntarily, much less stay for so long. Not unless of course they have a death wish.”
Yep, the man was freaking out a bit. He understood it, but it was making it very difficult not to freak out about it himself. "Um, yeah. Unfortunately." Ellis started playing with his hair, his lips pressed together. "Really lucky… probably." He had no idea how he had survived in the Deep Woods– well, he'd been stuck at the bottom of a pool for the whole time, so maybe that was it– but either way, he was lucky. "I, uh, I got too close to it. And something noticed me. And it lured me in." Ellis spoke haltingly, not really wanting to talk about it but feeling like he maybe owed the man a few answers as well.
Antonio slowed to a stop, his focus more on Ellis than getting home. He frowned slightly, brows creased in worry as he saw that Eli’s was growing uncomfortable. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have had pried.” He started walking again, though now he kept his eyes averted from Ellis. “I’m sure many in your position would have done the same.” He took a deep breath, hell, he was almost certain that he would have done the same if even if he was in Antonio’s place, with or without some sort of lure. “We’re almost there, how are you feeling so far?” He asked after a bit, wanting to stay talking but trying to stay away from the reason why Ellis had been in the Woods in the first place
Ellis stopped as well, idly wondering why the healer had stopped walking. "It's okay." He started walking again, feeling like he made Antonio uncomfortable. It would be shocking to hear what he had just said, so he could understand it. But that didn't mean he had to like it. "Mmm." Ellis twirled the end of his braid around his fingers, glancing around as they walked. "I'm fine, I think. You helped a lot. I'm just a little hungry." He looked over at Antonio, a slight smile wavering on his lips. The strange gold tattoos on his wrists caught his eye, making him flinch slightly. He would never get used to them… especially if they really meant what he thought they did.
He nodded a ghost of a smile on his lips in response to Ellis’. “I promise you food and water are coming soon.” He glanced down at the golden bands on Ellis’ arms but made no comment. It was no place for him question the reasoning or meaning behind them. All he could do was help the man recover and make sure he was safe for as long as he stayed in the village.”
They eventually came to Antonio’s home but he didn’t lead Ellis through the front, fearing they’d run into his parents. He honestly didn’t need to explain the situation to them now. Instead, he lead them around the back to where the kitchen was, the back entrance usually left open for fresh air on warm days. He took a deep breath once inside, breathing in the scent of flour and dried herbs. “Sit anywhere, make yourself comfortable.” He said, gather a few plates and pitchers and bustling around to pull fresh bread from the oven and water from the well outside
"Ah, good." Ellis dipped his head slightly, spirits lifting slightly at the mention of food and drink. Antonio's healing had helped him a lot, yes, but the only thing that would allow for him to feel better, permanently, would be eating something. He didn't understand why they didn't go in the front door of the house at first, but soon decided it was probably because the healer didn't want the people in the house to know that he was helping the stranger from the woods. Given the attitudes of the rest of the people he'd seen, there was no reason to believe that the people in that house would be any different. He followed Antonio into the kitchen, breathing in the scent with a slight smile. He chose a corner of the kitchen to sit down, not wanting to get into Antonio's way.
He eventually managed to find some dried fruits and cheese to add to the dish and passed it to Ellis. “Let me know if you want anything else, we have plenty extra.” He leaned against the counter across Ellis and glanced around the area, watching as his cat friend hopped up on the counter and nudged his arm gently. He glanced back towards Ellis “do you have any questions for me? Or about the village?” He asked, hopping up on the counter and pulling the cat into his lap.
Ellis accepted the plate, his mouth watering. It might have been a simple meal, but he was so hungry that it really didn't matter. He tried to eat slowly, but still practically inhaled everything on the plate in a very short amount of time. Ellis also gulped down the water quite fast, finding it the best-tasting water he'd ever had. "Mmm?" He looked up at Antonio, then frowned slightly as he tried to think of a question. He did have them, but it took a little while to remember them. "Oh, right. What village is this?" Ellis was a little curious about how far he'd traveled.
“You’re in Bellaluna. Small village to the south of the kingdom.” He replied, a small smile spreading on his features as he watched Ellis devour the food and water. “You came from the north side of the village.” He added on, looking away as the cat settled into his lap. “Do you remember where you come from? Before the Deep woods, I mean.” He asked, focusing back on Ellis and tilting his head.
"Bellaluna?" Ellis frowned, trying to remember the name. He was pretty sure he'd read it on a map or in a book at some point. "Ah, okay." Ellis tugged on the end of his braid. "I was walking towards Merilla from the capital when I got… attacked or whatever by that thing. I had been living in the capital before that." He glanced up at Antonio. "I guess I've been a long way." Ellis laughed softly, glad once again that he didn't have anything to return to. It would've been a really annoying journey to get all the way back to the capital from there.
“Merilla? That’s off the coast no?” Antonio inquiried, trying to think back to maps he had seen in his books. Surrounded by water on one side and then the Deep Woods on the other. The only way people can get in or out is the trading trail on the edges the Woods.” He said, trying to recall the geography of The land.
“Do you plan on going back to the Capital? I’m sure your family would be glad to have you back after so long.”
"Mmm, yeah, that's the one." Ellis nodded, glancing over at Antonio. "Yeah, it was a dangerous job, but it paid well because of it." He sighed. At that time, he had really needed that extra money. And because of it, he now had no money. It really was a wonderful turn of events. "I guess I will. There are more jobs there, after all." Ellis shrugged, not really knowing what his plan was. "Heh. My family didn't miss me. That much I know." He scoffed, a slightly bitter look on his face. His 'family' probably thought he was dead. And that's the way he liked it.
Antonio looked away at the mention of Ellis’s family seemingly not caring about their child’s well being. Honestly, this was the first thing Antonio felt he had a true understanding and connection of with Ellis. “Well, if not your family, then maybe friends or loved ones?” He refused to believe that no one wouldn’t miss the person in front of him. Surely there was someone’s out there that cared for Ellis and would be glad to finally have them back in their lives
Ellis looked up at Antonio, his lips pressed together. "Loved ones and friends? I had friends, but they were mostly the people I talked to when I was bored. I doubt they cared when I disappeared." He suddenly realized that he was sounding very depressing, and quickly tried to reassure Antonio. "But it's fine! I'm used to it." Oh, wow, that was even worse. "It's fine." Ellis tried for a smile, but it was rather awkward.
Antonio slowly nodded trying not to show just how concerned he was for Ellis. “Well, I fall it’s worth anything, I’m glad you’re alive and well. Eating me out of house And home but your alright.” He teased, laughing lightly at his attempt at a joke. “Honestly I think I can relate. I doubt anyone would miss me either if I suddenly disappeared. Well, other than this one, though I think she’d just miss the food more than me.”
"Ah." Ellis nodded, focusing on the floor instead of Antonio, who was saying nice things. And then he was teasing him, but Ellis didn't really mind. "Ha, well, I haven't eaten in years, so I think I get a pass." He gave Antonio a small smirk. "Oh. That's not very fun." Ellis's mouth pulled down. It was fine when he was the one who didn't get cared about, but he didn't really like thinking about it happening to other people. "Nah, I think she would miss you more than the food," He tried, shrugging slightly. Ellis started to look around again when he felt a slight twinge in his neck and wrists. They had never felt like this, so he immediately brought them up to stare at them. It didn't look like anything had changed, but the feeling was getting stronger. Almost like someone was tugging on his wrists. "What…"
Antonio shrugged “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t really mind.” He smiled sadly and gently nudged the felines head. He glanced at at Ellis, expecting them to say more but finding them staring at their hands. Antonio slowly stood and walked over “Are you alright?” He asked with a tilt of his head, looking at Ellis then followings their line of sight to their hands. “Ellis what’s wrong?”
(Apologies for the late reply, life has been crazy lately.)
"Um, I don't really know." Ellis frowned, the tugging getting stronger. "I knew there was something weird with these tattoos." He muttered quietly. "You can't just walk out of the woods with gold tattoos and not have them do something really sketchy." The feeling grew stronger until he could barely resist the pull, then suddenly disappeared. Ellis, who had been using a lot of his strength to pull the opposite way, toppled backward as the feeling stopped.
(Ah it’s ok! Sorry for keeping you waiting!)
Antonio flinched when Ellis fell backwards, trying his best to stifle a laugh. He knelt down and offered him his hand to help him up. “Can you describe the feeling? It seemed to me you were pulling away from something. Maybe your tattoos were leading you to somewhere?” He suggested, putting the chair back upright. “Does it hurt? Or is it just uncomfortable?”
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