Chapter 28.

"He made a walker call. Is he infected with the mist?" Dorian asked, leaning closer to Moth. Moth glanced away, averting his eyes and clenching his jaw as he thought of what to say. Seeing Moth's hesitance made Dorian smirk slightly, "Keep in mind Moth, I view him as a threat to my and your safety right now so if I don't get a firm answer that makes me change my mind. I'll have to remove him." Moth's eyes widened in fear. "Okay I get it. He is not dangerous, he isn't like the other walkers, he stays in control of his body even if he's in walker form." Dorian raised an eyebrow at him, "Is that right? Well I'm more inclined to believe what I see than what I hear." He stated, gesturing to Moth's wings that were held in place by splints. Moth immediately caught on and glared at him. "I can keep him in control. He isn't a danger to you or me." Dorian hummed in thought, tapping his foot as if he was debating whether to believe him or not. "Alright then. I'll trust you for now but at the first sign of danger I'm removing him." Moth narrowed his eyes at him. "I already said, he won't be a danger."

"Do you feel better now?" Dorian asked which made Moth think for a moment before realising he was speaking about his energy levels. Moth let out a small huff of annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Yeah I feel better now, especially since Lane is getting better. Speaking of which, didn't you say he need three or four more doses?" A sly grin came across Dorian's face, "Considering he is awake now, he should only need three doses. Lucky for him, those walker genes must be good at healing." Moth brushed his comment aside with a small sigh, "Can I have his next dose? He's been throwing up all morning so I'm worried." Dorian stared at him a moment before taking out a vial from his pocket and holding it up for Moth to see. Moth reaches out expectantly but Dorian quickly moved the vial out of reach. "Hold on little Moth. I need something from you before that." A frown crept over his face as he stared daggers at Dorian. "I'm not going to get close to you. Lane already said that I can't."

Dorian shrugged. "I'm not a bad person, I'm not going to ask for something like that." Moth rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the statement. "What do you want then?" Dorian smiled brightly. "I want to feel what it is like to be exposed to your spores." Moth's face was painted with confusion as he tilted his head. "Why?"

"I heard that they make a person feel calm and that it smells good." He hung his head in thought, considering his options for a moment. "Well if I pick the right powder, it will… Alright, but I want that vial… and some more of those cookies. I want Lane to try them…" There were a few moments of silence between the two, Dorian laughed slightly as the request for the baked goods had caught him off guard. "That's fine with me, I'll give you all the cookies you want and I'm happy to let you share them, after all you tried them with me first."

Moth ignored the weird comment and glanced over to the small bench nearby and sat down, carefully folding his wings out in front of him to inspect them. Dorian sat down next to him and leaned over to watch Moth as the person unwrapped the bandages around them with care. His wings seemed to have healed well, he could now move the joints without any pain and the tears had mostly healed up with just pink scars left as remnants of the injuries that would disappear with enough time. He stood up and stretched them, flapping them a few times to check the muscles before letting them rest on his back again, flowing towards the ground like a cape. Dorian watched him from where he was sitting intently, mesmerised by the way the light hit the patterns on his wings. "They healed well." Moth mumbled to himself. "I should be able to use it now." A light green powder coated the air, slowly drifting down like snow accompanied by the smell of peppermint and soap, the smell wasn't overwhelming and was instead rather comforting. It felt like a calming wind washed over him, releasing the nervous tension from his body. Moth's voice brought him out from his thoughts as his eyes snapped over to the person. 

"Well, it seems like my abilities weren't damaged. Do you feel calm?" Dorian was in a slight daze so he simply nodded his head, staring at the figure standing in front of him, his head tilted upwards to watch the green specs flutter to the ground, a ghost of a smile on his face. Dorian wondered what he could be thinking about to make him have such an expression. "Little moth, can I make a request?" Moth, having been drawn away from his reminiscing turned to look at him, his antenna tilting slightly in confusion. "What is it?"

"I would like to draw you." Moth's confusion deepened, his antenna tilting further. Dorian sighed, "Do you know why I sought you out in the first place?" Moth shook his head, his eyes held a spark of interest. He smirked, tilting his head to admire Moth further. "I like to collect beautiful things. Particularly beautiful insects and I like moths the most. I enjoy drawing and owning beautiful things, so I would like to draw you." Moth scoffed and turned his head away from him. "That's quite a self indulgent reason for having someone taken." Dorian shrugs. "That is the nature of humans." 

"I noticed." He mumbled in reply, clearly sideways glancing the person sitting nearby. "So, your answer? Can I draw you?" Dorian asked. Moth shrugged. "I'll consider it. Can I have the medicine now and the cookies?" Dorian's mood seemed to deflate a little as he responded. "Right, of course. That was my end of the deal." He let out a discontent sigh, "Perhaps I can show you my drawings soon." He got up and walked away, coming back after a few minutes with a small box and the vial. Moth took it happily out of his hands barely sparing him a glance before turning away to leave.

"You love him, don't you?" Moth turned back to him, a puzzled look on his face. "What are you talking about?" Dorian stared down at him, his eyes fixed o his expression. "That human. Lane. You love him, right?" The humanoid stiffened slightly, a red crept up to his ears and cheeks as he averted his gaze. "I don't think that is any of your business." Dorian let out a small sigh, "I'll let him go."

"You will?" Moth's eyes lit up slightly at his words, "You'll let Lane and me go?" Dorian held up a finger to stop him from talking. "I'll let the human go… If you agree to stay behind." Moth looked at him in astonishment for a moment, confused by the request before his face fell as he realised what Dorian was asking from him. Moth furrowed his brow, thinking about the proposal. "Obviously I do have feelings for him because I feel so willing to accept your offer… Can I speak to him first? It'll make my head feel clearer." Dorian shrugged. "If that is what you want, but do you think he will accept it if you sacrifice your freedom for him? It might be easier to force your decision on him, or else he will resist."

Moth's mouth tightened into a thin line, his eyes turned to the ground as he thought about it. Lane would not let him take Dorian's offer if he knew what was going on. He gave Dorian a brief nod before he darted away, disappearing into the short shrubs and trees. Dorian stared at the area where Moth had just been standing, letting out a long sigh with a small smile on his face. The smell of peppermint lingered in the air.