Dearest Festival(1)

Ashly and Lucas are outside again, they are traveling on the horse. The weather sure is warm which means that they are far from Iriage. It's been a few days since they began their travel.

"Ashly, are you feeling any better or worse? I just want to know." Lucas asked as he waited for Ashly to reply.

"Well I don't know Lucas, maybe better." Ashly responded, "I just don't know." She then stays silent for a moment.

"Ashly if you do feel worse just tell me alright, you don't have to hide it from me." Lucas says, "I don't want you to be sad even if you do deserve it."

"Sure Lucas, and you must also tell me when you're feeling sad as well. But you're right Lucas, I don't deserve to be happy at all. Honestly this is some form of punishment for doing so many bad things. I do believe it's not enough, I got off the hook way to easily." Ashly said.

"I do want to live Lucas. The problem is that I don't deserve to. I've done so many bad things that dying is the only way to make it right." She said.

"Don't talk like that Ashly, I don't want you to think like that right now. Yeah I did say that but I didn't mean it like that." Lucas says.

"Lucas listen to me, the Lurkers probably all know how I look. They send someone after me, and you're in danger because of me." Ashly said.

"Yeah I almost forgot about that Ashly, so many things have happened in such a short time. Maybe you should of ignored my feeling, done your stuff like you have always done." Lucas says which confuses her as it sounds like he is encouraging her behavior.

"Oh I mean it's not like I'm trying to encourage you. It's just things would have been better for you. Easier if I have to say with your current situation." Lucas says.

"Don't Lucas, just don't." Ashly says to Lucas. "Don't remind me of the person I was, I don't want to think of how much of a jerk I was."

"Oh I'm sorry Ashly, I was just saying what I was thinking about." Lucas says, "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"It seems like the weather has gotten much better. I don't see anymore snow, and it's warm, like it's not hot but bearable." Ashly mentioned as she looks around on the green grass, it's been a long time since she saw a colorful plain.

"Well of course it's warm Ashly, we are in a whole different territory now. Yeah it might be the nearest to Iriage, but that doesn't mean it's not far away. This district has much warmer weather, and overall a better climate that Iriage ever could." Lucas says.

"Ashly you know what, we are quite lucky actually. Ethneal is having a festival around this time, and we made it in time." Lucas says with a smile that Ashly can't tell if it is genuine or not.

"Festival? What festival, you didn't say anything about a festival at all." Ashly said as she pressured Lucas to continue talking.

"Oh yeah sorry Ashly, this festival is more of a way to honor a man. It's just like any other festival so it will have a lot of fun activities. You know everything a festival should have." Lucas says.

"Well I never went to a festival before Lucas, I don't even know much about them. I only heard but that's it, are you sure it's as great as you're trying to say it is?" Ashly asked.

"Well of course it is Ashly, this festival also counts as a celebration to the harvest." Lucas says.

"Wait I think I heard of that before, or was it similar to I don't remember." Ashly says.

"Ashly don't you get it, this is a great opportunity to get better. Festivals always have happy moments, and it's full of cheers and good memories" Lucas says.

"Wow we sure got very lucky Lucas, it's as if you specifically chose that day so that when you arrive here the festival was going to happen." Ashly said as she poked her finger on his nape. "Well I should really count on this as I don't have the best luck."

"Will you find the old man, and if you do what will happen next?" Ashly asked but Lucas stays silent for a bit.

"I will go and search for my parents, and of course It will be another journey. Well if I don't find them then it will be a loss, and I'll have to accept it. I will then return back to Iriage, and take care of my foster parents. They did treat me like a son so it's only fair for me to help even if our relationship became rocky in the past few months." Lucas then looks up at Ashly.

"I'll fix this all Ashly, I'll apologize to them when I return. Even if I do find my parent will never forget about them. I'll never abandon them ever as I need to thank them properly." Lucas says.

"Sounds nice to be able to have a real dream. Must feel great that you have a purpose in this world." Ashly says.

"Ashly, it all depends on what dream you have, and what type of personality you have. Maybe you have a dream, but you just don't know about it yet." Lucas says trying to cheer Ashly up a bit, but he himself isn't too feeling glad.

"I never had a goal before Lucas, all I ever wanted was to wake up the next day. I don't know what I'll do after you accomplish your dream. All I have done was leech off of you, and once's you are done I'll have nothing. I don't think I ever had a life to begin with." Ashly says.

"Ashly don't say that, of course you have a life. Everyone has one, and you have yet to find your purpose that's all." Lucas says which makes Ashly lean in, and want to know what he is saying. "You have an original house Ashly, you should try and return there. That's your goal or at least what I'll consider one to be."

"Yeah you're right, that's a decent goal to have. Lucas there is one problem with this, I have to make a plan which I don't know how to. I don't remember where I'm from anyways so it's not like it was possible in the first place. All I know is that I lived in a warm place where farming could be viable." Ashly says.

"Can you be more descriptive as that's not much to go off of. Tell me more about your hometown, and maybe we can make a few guesses." Lucas asks with a smile, "Are the summers long, are the winters short?"

"Like I said over and over again, I don't know." Ashly says, "If I knew I would of said more instead of playing games with you."

"Yeah I'm sorry Ashly, just try to work on remembering alright. I won't ask you anything unless you can remember more." Lucas says "I just realized, you can think of that while we find my parents. By the time we find them I hope you could remember more."

"Lucas, do you really believe that I should of died, that I should of never lived in the first place?" Ashly asks and Lucas stays silent, he looks back at Ashly, and he is her unable to give her a response. "Well I'm glad that you brought me with you even after all I've done to you."

Lucas then looks back ahead. "Listen Ashly, I…" He struggles to say something but, "Oh look at that Ashly, Ethneal is right there, just ahead of us." Lucas manages to avoid what he was going to say to her.

Ashly looks ahead and her eyes widen a bit, compared to Iriage it's much bigger. "Why is it so much bigger than Iriage? Is it because of money or something?" Ashly asks.

"Yeah you're right Ashly, Ethneal is much richer than Iriage. With more money it can afford to expand to support the growing population." Lucas says.

"Well I can defiantly see a bunch of colors, it's very abundant." Ashly says as she points to some areas that seem to be bright.

"Yes Ashly, the festival just started and if you wouldn't mind. It's best that you stay near me, it's not only the biggest festival, but the population is something you have never seen before." Lucas says and Ashly nods.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be nice and not do anything bad. The only problem is that we will look very odd in there. Everyone around us will be happy yet we will seem sad. We will be the only ones having negative thoughts, and everyone else will be celebrating." Ashly comments.

"Yeah you're absolutely right, but I feel much better. I think I might be able to pull off a good smile or be in the festive mood." Lucas says but he is getting exhausted by smiling already. "Just put on a fake smile alright, don't drag attention to us. Besides I will feel much better if I have fun in this festival. Maybe the old man will be much lenient with me since it's a festival."

"Well I'll try my best, but I don't think I'll be glad to do it." Ashly says as she will have to pretend again just like before, this isn't good. Of course this is much different as if she doesn't then she will hinder Lucas. "I might not feel great doing it." Ashly murmurs which Lucas hears,

"Ashly I understand, but just do this for me, maybe you won't be pulling of a fake smile. This is the opportunity to have fun Ashly, you won't regret it even if it's fake." Lucas says but he isn't smiling either. "I'm a bit tired so I need to rest a bit too Ashly, we'll try together."