Aiki listened, laughing softly as well. They hummed thoughtfully at the question, tilting their head from side to side as they considered. "Eh… well… it's mostly just people, to be honest. People with powers who are using them for harm rather than for good. Sometimes professionals will go deal with bigger threats in other countries and stuff, but for the most part they just deal with local issues. Some people just get hired to do jobs."
"Well, if you ever need help, I'll be there. Though I'm quite sure you don't need it. From what I've seen…" She glanced back at the door, leaned toward him slightly, and whispered in a hushed voice. "You're very powerful, Aiki. That's part of the reason Rosalind cannot know about your abilities. She will use you for your power, as she did me. Now I'm trapped and essentially indebted to her. I wouldn't wish my fate on anyone else and especially not you."
"A-Ah, I'm… I'm really not all that strong, but thanks." Aiki laughed weakly, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm working to get stronger and find ways around my weaknesses… since my power draws on either my life force or someone else's, I typically draw off of my own and then I get really tired. And if I don't eat enough, the hypoglycemia gets me too." He sighed softly. "Right now my main workaround is keeping Eiji around…"
"You're still a very powerful being," Farah murmured. "When I was in your memories, in your mind…" she hesitated, but finished her thought, "I could feel your strength." Her eyes turned silver-blue, and she straightened. "Speaking of," she raised her voice to normal again as her eyes turned back to brown, "do you need any more food?"
Footsteps passed by in the hallway, but whoever it was continued right past the door and down the corridor. Farah sighed. "Sorry, I just felt someone coming, and I couldn't tell who it was. But do you need anything else?"
(Would be kinda funny if Rosalind caught Aiki using magic and lowkey held him hostage though ngl sdfghkk)
Aiki flushed a bit and looked away, unable to hide his small smile from being praised. It wasn't something they were especially used to, after all. He and Eiji bantered and teased and bickered with each other much more often than they complimented each other. He looked up again at the question. "Mm? Oh, um… y-yeah, sure… that might be nice…" They replied. He kept quiet when he heard footsteps as well, and sighed softly in relief when whoever it was left. "I don't think I need anything else right now… thanks, though."
(O.O …yes)
A warm light returned to Farah's eyes as she noted Aiki's smile. "Are you sure you don't need anything? I could text Saul and Ben since they're out, and they could get it so we could continue to talk. If you like," she added hasitly.
(It would help continue the plot anyway 🤷♂️)
"Other than food, I don't really need much. Other than a shower, maybe." Aiki laughed weakly and looked away. "I don't think it's been that long, but it feels like I've been away from home for ages… it's making me antsy. Feels like I'm trapped or something."
(true, true)
Farah nodded. "You can wear some of Saul's clothes. I had Andreas bring them." She motioned to the clothes Andreas had placed on the foot of the bed earlier. "The bathroom is through that door-" she pointed "-so you can shower in there, and…" She tried to think of anything else. "Oh! What are a few of your favorite foods? I'll text Saul and Ben to look for them in the kitchen."
Aiki tilted his head a bit to see the clothes and nodded, also looking over to make sure he knew where the bathroom is. "Alright, that sounds fine… um… I'm not especially picky with food, to be honest? I like both savory and sweet stuff… anything with substance, I guess." They shrugged a bit, considering. "My teeth are pretty sharp, so sometimes it's harder for me to eat stuff that's really soft."
Farah typed as he spoke and shot off the text in their three-person group chat. "Alright, that's taken care of. I should probably go if you're showering." She stood up as she said this, double-checking to make sure Aiki had everything they needed.
"Ah, alright… thank you. I shouldn't be long." Aiki dipped his head politely and carefully slipped out of the bed, making sure he was steady on his feet before he tried to walk. They picked up the clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower.
Farah smiled at seeing Aiki's improvement, and she left the room. Now, she thought, to find Saul and Ben.
–
To give Saul a distraction, Ben thought it would be best if he showed the Specialist something he had been working on for a long time. Ben hurried Saul along towards the greenhouse, but halfway across the lawn, Saul stopped him.
"Ben, I don't have time for this. I need to go check on Farah," he griped.
"I knew you would say that," Ben countered, continuing on his merry way. "But at least let me show you something first. I think you'll really like it."
Saul sighed and trudged after the suddenly-excited Earth fairy.
Once in the greenhouse, Ben quickly made for the far side of the building, where his supplies were. He darted through the corridors of greenery, seeming to gain energy from being around the plants. Saul did his best to keep up, but he eventually found himself standing alone in a row with shrubs on his left side and tangling vines on his right. Both stretched towards the ceiling, so he was plainly lost. His phone chimed in his pocket, and he slid it out, hoping it would be Ben with help to find him again, but instead it was the group chat.
Farah Dowling in Ride Or Dies ✌🏻🤞🏻
Could you boys run to the kitchen? Aiki will need some more food for their system in a bit
Saul smiled just seeing her name. He was so in love with her, it hurt. He hated being away from her, which drew him back to his current predicament in the greenhouse. "Ben!" he yelled. "Where are you?"
"Saul?" Ben's voice sounded like he almost forgot about Saul. "Sorry! Hold on." Within seconds, Ben appeared at the end of the row Saul was in. "Come on, you have to see this!"
Saul groaned and followed, if only for the purpose of not getting lost again. When he and Ben reached their destination, his tired demeanor vanished, and his eyes grew wide. There, on Ben's work table, were two of the most beautiful bouquets Saul had ever seen. One contained a multicolored blend of tulips and roses. The display looked truly beautiful, but Saul was instantly more focused on the other bouquet. This one contained a mix of lilies; pale pink, vibrant orange, bright yellow… Saul was amazed. "Ben, these are… amazing." He turned to his friend. "Are they for Rose?" Saul had automatically assumed Ben had bred and grown the flowers for his girlfriend, Rose, but Ben grinned mischievously.
"One of them is."
Saul looked confused for only a split second before he realized what Ben suggested. "Farah's favorite flowers are lilies," he whispered. He'd known it all along, but it hadn't registered in his mind until now.
Aiki closed and locked the door behind themself and slipped off their dirty, singed clothes. The burned spots in the fabric reminded him of fighting the Burned One with Farah and Saul, and he smiled softly to himself. That would be a fun story to tell Eiji when he got back. If I get back… Their smile fell and they sighed softly, folding their dirty clothes and setting them down on the ground.
He relaxed as soon as the hot water hit his back, massaging shampoo into his hair and making sure to clean his ears thoroughly. They made sure to get properly clean before they came out and dried themself off, changing into the clothes they borrowed from Saul once they were mostly dry. His hair was very fluffy when he came out, and he definitely looked like he felt better than before. Once they came out, they sat back down on the bed with a soft sigh.
(Mini time skip)
A few minutes after Aiki had gotten dressed, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Aiki?" Farah's voice called. "I don't know if you've finished up or not, but I brought some food I thought you might like."
"We," Saul's voice corrected her. "We brought some food we thought you might like."
Aiki looked up when he heard Farah and Saul's voices, getting up to let them into the room even though the door wasn't locked. He was combing through his hair, which was still very fluffy, with his fingers when he let them in. Their tail was pretty puffed up from being freshly dried off as well. Saul's clothes looked pretty big and loose on their slender frame. "Thanks… it's nice to see you guys again, although it hasn't been that long." He laughed softly, looking as though he had something on his mind.
When the door opened, Farah jumped in surprise. "Oh! We didn't know if you had changed or not, so we decided it would be safer to knock," she said sheepishly. "And I figured you could use a little extra food. You know, as a treat!" She noted his expression, and she parted her lips to speak, but before she could, Saul interjected like an excited child.
"Here," he said, handing Aiki a wrapped-up plate of food. "Farah and I made it for you." He glanced down the hallway briefly before circling his arm around her waist.
Farah blushed, but her eyes darted to Aiki's and seemed to ask, Are you alright?
"Oh, I just changed in the bathroom, so…" Aiki glanced over to the bathroom door for a moment before looking back at Farah and Saul. "Thanks for the food, though. What did you bring?" He asked curiously, accepting the plate and examining it to try and figure out what all had been brought to him.
At Farah's pointed look, Aiki smiled weakly to try and reassure her and turned away to hide their face. He hesitated before deciding to just head back over to the bed.
"Uh, what did we bring, Farah?" Saul asked quietly.
Farah shook her head with a smile. "We brought chicken, broccoli, strawberries, and rice," she answered. "I know it's an odd combination, but I'm not a very good cook, and we didn't want to take too much that Dinner Lady Doris would notice something went missing."
"Right, I knew that," Saul interjected, but he was too busy admiring Farah that it was no wonder he'd forgotten what they brought up.
"Darling," she whispered discreetly. "Could you shut the door?"
Saul nodded and complied. As soon as the door was shut, Farah followed Aiki back to the bed with Saul on her heels and murmured, "What's wrong?"
Aiki set down the food on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair again, closing his eyes. When they heard the door close and Farah asked if they were alright, their lip quivered a bit and they drew in a wavering breath. "I-I just… I dunno, it's stupid…" He whispered, sitting down on the bed with his eyes still closed. "I was just thinking about… about the stories I'll tell Eiji when I get back, and I just…" They were quiet for a moment, testing their words to try and figure out what exactly they wanted to say, "…w-what if I don't get back…?" He whispered. "I-I dunno, I'm… I'm probably just being paranoid and homesick and… it's stupid, like I said. I'm just overthinking, a-and… god, there's just a few similarities to… t-the other time that was kinda like this, and it's… hard."
Farah knelt before them and took their hands in hers. "Look at me," she whispered and waited a brief second for their eyes to interlock. "We will make sure you get home safely." She glanced at Saul when she said this, and he was already nodding.
"You have my word as a Specialist," he declared firmly.
"And mine as a fairy," Farah added. "I understand your feelings, believe me, I do. And I promise that you will be home as soon as possible. Alright?"
Aiki reluctantly opened their eyes to look at Farah weakly, their ears flattened back against their head. He held tightly to her hands, trembling a bit as he glanced between her and Saul. "I… o-okay… thank you…" They whispered meekly in reply. "Sorry for being so whiny and stuff." He laughed dryly and rubbed at his eyes a bit. "I'm not normally so emotional…"
"What did I say earlier?" Farah jokingly scolded. "You don't have anything to apologize for." She felt Aiki grip her hands tighter, so she sent calming waves out from her and into them. "You're going to be alright. You'll make it through this. We all will."
Aiki laughed weakly, closing their eyes again. "If you say so, Miss… I-I just don't like being trapped here, you know? Makes me feel really uneasy." He relaxed a bit with Farah's magic, but he still looked a bit nervous. "I… I wish Eiji were here… he always knows what to do. It's annoying."
Farah pushed her calmness so outward that even Saul began to feel it a bit. She wasn't trying to force it onto Aiki; it almost seemed like she was trying to get rid of it.
"I understand that feeling," she sympathized. "I feel similarly with this place sometimes. But… Miss?" Farah smiled arched her eyebrow curiously. "Where did that come from?"
Aiki flushed a bit in embarrassment and looked away. "W-Well… I dunno… you're older than me and I just wanted to be polite or respectful or whatever…" They replied awkwardly. "I-I can just call you Farah if you prefer… or whatever else you want." He at least seemed to be more relaxed now with Farah's magic assisting.