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Post by Silver on Jul 22, 2020 6:05:44 GMT -6
The pond in the middle of the garden was their safe place. When Silver wasn’t sure where to go or what to do, they made their way there out of habit, hoping to quiet the cacophony of thoughts that constantly plagued them. The still, quiet pool of water and the muted but constant pulse of life around them was enough to let their mind drift away. If only for a moment.
The buzzing in their head had become too much to bear. Silver sat at the edge of the water and watched their reflection change with every shift of the wind. Who were they, really? It was almost as if they didn’t recognize the person looking back at them. In some ways, it felt like everything had changed, but it hadn’t. Had it? They could no longer trust their memories enough to know, and nobody else could tell them.
The silence was broken by Quintessence chirping softly, a sound that Silver should have recognized if only they were paying attention. It signaled the arrival of an old friend.
[111.2, 13.7]
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Post by Kodakai on Jul 22, 2020 6:06:37 GMT -6
It had been some time since Kodakai agreed to travel outside of the canyon, and he learned a fair bit about the people of the city so far. Though he made only a sparse few trips, he was already starting to feel some places becoming familiar. It was with that thought in mind that he realized he had not yet visited Silver at their home. They had been to his home countless times over the years, so it felt like it was finally time to return the favor.
That would have been the plan, anyway, if not for the intensity of emotion that overwhelmed him as soon as he thought about Silver. Koda tried but failed to get any useful information from the connection that they shared, so he knew it was serious. All of their thoughts and feelings were so jumbled up that there was no point in even trying to understand them. He would have to intervene.
He followed the trail of thoughts into the gardens and down the winding paths until he found Silver’s secret pond. Quintessence noticed him right away, but Silver didn’t acknowledge anything. Instead of being disappointed, he decided to have a little fun with it. Koda pulled a small sphere of water out of the pond and skipped it like a rock across the surface, finally dropping it with a splash right at the shore where they were sitting.
[1.6]
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Post by Silver on Jul 22, 2020 6:07:10 GMT -6
“Wah!” Silver jumped back away from the water as if a monster had just jumped out of it. Actually, they probably would have been less afraid of a literal monster. They had become so lost in their own reflection that they were unable to process what happened.
They gave the teal dragon a long, empty stare. This was important, they thought. He was important. He. That’s right, it was… “Koda?”
Silver breathed a long, slow sigh of relief. It was just Koda, their closest companion. They didn’t even stop to wonder why he might be there; they were simply glad to see him. He had never been to the gardens before, but that wasn’t important. The two of them were together now, and Silver was already starting to feel better for it.
The invisible thread that connected Silver to Quintessence was very different from the one that connected them to Kodakai, but it also tied the two of them together in an odd sort of way. Whatever the reason, Quin was happy to see him and flew over to say hello.
[111.4, 13.8]
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Post by Kodakai on Jul 22, 2020 6:07:26 GMT -6
“It’s alright,” Koda said softly. Silver’s perplexed reaction made his heart ache. He could feel the cloud of confusion even stronger now that he was standing right there with them. He wanted nothing more than to clear it away, even if that meant taking it on himself. Anything to make them feel better, however fleeting that it might be.
“I’ve come to visit,” he explained. “I wanted to accept your invitation to see your home.” Did Silver remember inviting him? It didn’t matter. He was sure that they’d accept.
While he might not be able to fix whatever was happening, he could at least try to get Silver to rest. He had a feeling that they might not have eaten or slept in a while. With a proper meal and a bit of rest, they might just feel a little better. It was the least he could do for them. They would do the same for him.
“Hello there,” Koda said as he noticed Quintessence floating around. He still wasn’t that well acquainted with the weird little creature yet, but he knew how important he was to Silver.
[1.8]
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Post by Silver on Jul 22, 2020 6:07:49 GMT -6
Silver squinted as they tried to figure out what Koda was saying. It was almost as if the words he said were coming into their brain at half speed. He wanted to come visit their home? Well they supposed that would be okay. They weren’t doing anything important here anyway, at least if they were, they couldn’t recall what it was. They nodded and smiled softly.
“Yea, okay,” they said. They paused for a moment, waiting for Koda to take the lead before realizing that he probably didn’t know the way.
“This way,” they said. They abruptly turned around and started to walk back home. The route back home was ingrained in their memory so deeply that they were able to walk there without really focusing on it.
It didn’t take the two of them long to get there, since they weren’t too far away to begin with. Silver unlocked the door and pushed it open. They nearly closed it behind them as a habit, but they remembered at the last second that Koda was there. “Oh, come in,” they said waving both Koda and Quin inside.
[111.6, 13.9]
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Post by Kodakai on Jul 22, 2020 6:08:03 GMT -6
After stepping inside, Koda awkwardly shifted his long body so that he could close the door behind him. He was not very graceful when it came to human shaped dwellings, but he would just have to make due. Surely Silver wouldn’t mind (or even notice) a little fumbling here and there.
He immediately began looking for a place where the two of them could sit down and rest. Luckily the room was full of soft toys and beanbags of all sorts and sizes. Koda gingerly pressed on one to test it. The garish bright colors seemed strange to him, but he supposed it was fitting for Silver.
“Here,” he said. Koda twirled his body around so that his tail cleared a space for them to sit while he spoke. “Why don’t you sit here with me, we could relax, maybe have a cup of tea.” He wasn’t really sure if he could deliver on that cup of tea, but he would figure something out if it came down to it.
[2]
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Post by Silver on Jul 22, 2020 6:08:29 GMT -6
Silver nodded, but they didn’t say anything. They kicked their boots off, took a few short steps forward, and flopped face first into the pile of beanbags on the floor. A puff of sparkles and fur flew into the air then quickly settled again. Quin clearly thought this looked like fun, because he started hopping from one beanbag to the next and chasing any bits of dust or fur he could find.
They sighed deeply and stayed still for a moment before finally rolling over and looking up at Koda. Their relationship with Koda was unlike any other in their life. It was hard to remember, or even imagine, what life was like without him. Their hearts beat separate yet together, synchronizing their souls into perfect harmony.
If there was anyone in the world that knew who they really were, it was Koda. More so than Sylvie, Ziikari, Quin, or even themselves. “Koda…” they paused for a long time, not sure if they wanted to finish the thought. There was no going back after they said…
“Who am I?”
[111.8, 14]
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Post by Kodakai on Jul 22, 2020 6:08:46 GMT -6
Though he didn’t know what form those words would take, he had been dreading them all the same. Since his arrival in the city, Koda had desperately been searching for answers, but he was far from ready. Whatever he could say now would never feel sufficient. How could he even begin to explain...
Whether he wanted to or not, he had to face the question. It was time. Koda had been thinking about all of the stories they used to tell him, as well as whatever snippets of memory he received from their bond. He could always tell the story, Silver’s story, the best he could. Whether or not they were ready to hear it, and for that matter remember it afterwards, was a different matter entirely.
Koda gently stepped around the toys and settled down so that he was slightly wrapped around Silver. “Well..” he said, mentally preparing himself for what might come next. “Where do you want to start?”
[2.2]
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