Kiss Him On The Lips!

Mo lets out a chuckle that lifts everybody's faces. "Yeah okay, let's go."

They walked back to town. Romelia had been a delight. Taking care of Morgan while they were away, was something they wanted to recompensate. They noticed the sun light began to dim out which made them wonder if that meant something other than the end of the day. 

A crow landed on Faolán's shoulder. He seemed to listen to something they couldn't even call a craw. He only shook his head and continued to walk.

"What is it?" Cirrus asked demandingly.

"They say they found him."

"Isn't it late to go and find trouble?" Mo responded.

"I know."

"Let's go!" Daelan said out loud. "Witches don't hunt at night."

Stolas reacted to that worried, why would he know that sort of thing. Cirrus turned to Stolas. He nodded.

"Then I guess that's what we're doing." Cirrus said with a smile. He seemed excited.

They followed the crows into the forest. As usual, the trees slightly changed but that was no problem for Mo. He knew exactly where he was standing regardless of the trees.

They continued to walk, and the darkness only deepened. Faolán's fireflies illuminated the way. Morgan protected the birds in case of any sudden attack. He had grown attached to them.

They realized they had arrived when they noticed a very obvious sort of protective barrier surrounding a garden of sleeping puppets. Stolas widened his eyes to the terrifying scene. He knew puppets were disposable. Turned to nothing when not being used, but these were being storaged. Not striped of their consciousness when not being used.

Morgan compacted a barrier surrounding Faolán as he entered the garden, searching for his linked partner. He found him easily, as if he was pulling on a string. 

He turned to the others who observed in awe all around the bowl barrier.

"Kiss him on the lips!" Morgan yelled cracking a laugh.

Faolan turned his tan skin bright red. His face burning up, he leaned to the kneeling defenseless boy and approached his face towards his.

"No way he's going to do it."

"Fuck" Damien said under his breath.

Faolan only brushed his lips with him slightly. He felt a shudder of electricity numb his face.

The puppet fluttered his eyes and slowly opened them to a shy Faolán standing directly in front of him.

"You could have just touched me with your hands." He said with a soft smile.

Faolán stood up with his cheeks as red as ripe tomatoes. "Hold my hand." He said looking at the ground. 

The puppet did so. 

"What is your name." Faolán asked pulling him out the garden.

"Josha". He said groping his hand.

The boys remained flabbergasted to the sight. 

They pulled him to the side where he questioned him about him or his siblings. Mo continued to walk around the garden, looking at their sleeping faces, in awe he wondered if he could touch them.

Stolas approached him worried.

"They are... Your species, aren't they?"

Stolas felt strangely at ease. "Yes."

Mo was curious, what did it really mean.

Cirrus called everybody out the forest. It was time to flee, before the witch realized of their heist.

Daelan observed them from a distance, cautious. Stolas wondered if he has crossed paths with one before, that would explain his initial rejection towards him. He approached him with the intention of easing his mind.

"Are you okay." He said in a monotone voice.

"I'm not sure." He turned to stolas. "I'm sure you are a different subject, but he's still a puppet. Theres no way they trust him so easily."

"We can kill him easily; you dot have to worry about that."

"But we are taking him to a town full of children and others." Daelan responded looking away.

"I'll take care of him." He said, like a promise.

Daelan let out a sigh. "I don't know if that's enough.

Stolas realized, he had no reason to trust him with is life. He wondered if it was time to tell the story.

"I'm sorry." He said under his breath to Daelan and walked away.

He approached cirrus and as usual, they whispered things the others couldn't hear.

"Let's camp." He said with a chuckle. He pulled from his pants the jade ring he had purchased from the female merchant.

He cracked it with his fingers and allowed the pieces fall to the ground. Stolas walked in the portal first. They all let out a sigh.

"I thought he'd never let us rest." Damien said walking towards them.

"It's not an endurance trip". Cirrus responded.

What was beyond the portal was a very personal heaven Cirrus had created for him and the crew.

Daelan realized the reason beyond their confidence. Cirrus was a portal.