Chapter Text
The sun casts a long shadow over the entire town of Strad as it sinks lower in the afternoon, cloaking it in darkness long before evening. People roam the streets as usual, thinned out from the rush of the morning.
Allery plays with the berry in his hands. His mood has improved considerably with the prospect of lunch. “How many emeralds do we have?”
Derek gulps the last of his meal. It could have tasted better. “Around ten. Not a lot, but we can get by.”
“Oh.” Avery eats the berry. “I get why you were upset about the price now.”
Derek’s lips curve in a tiny smile at the scene. It’s better than frowning at the unreasonable offer of twenty emeralds for one iron ore. He didn’t know what to expect, since Strad is one of the main ore suppliers of the entire region.
Still… twenty emeralds? Really? He’s better off mining on the surface or raiding more outposts.
When Allery finishes his berry, Derek leaves an emerald on the table and gets up from his seat. Allery follows him right after, smile on his lips.
He hopes Allays don’t get stomachaches from eating too manyberries.
They take the street one waiter had suggested for the town’s library. Houses litter both sides of the cobblestone road, tools lying around in different spots—pickaxes, shovels, furnaces burning out in the open as well. Lanterns hang on the side of each building, spreading the warm color to their surroundings in the simulated dark.
At a right turn, the library sits at the end of the street, next to the mines and near the natural walls of the sinkhole. It’s seen better days, cracked cobblestone pooling at the base and chipped wood denting the porch and the entrance door.
The interior follows a similar pattern of darkened, withered wood, consumed by the passing years. Very few books hang on the shelves, most being about Strad’s history and basic guides on mining. A lone candle sits on the empty counter.
“Huh?” Allery looks around, flying behind the counter and checking further inside the room. “There’s no one her—”
The door beyond the counter slams open. Allery gasps and covers his face with the bundle. Derek places himself in front of him, eyes widened.
They haven’t heard Allery, have they?
“Oh, hello!” A woman steps towards them, hands littered with a stack of books that covers her entire face and body.
She slams the pile on the counter, some fall on the floor from the impact. Derek picks one of them and slides it to her.
“Thank you! And good afternoon, even if it looks like night.” She giggles. She’s youthful and has colorful hair, just like a rainbow after rain, collected in a high ponytail. “What can I do for you?”
“Good afternoon.” Derek removes the dust from his gauntlet. “I was wondering if—”
“Ohhh!” The woman hops to Allery, who flies closer to him for the sudden attention. Their shoulders touch each other—rather, Allery’s shoulder touches his pauldron.
Allery’s a good actor for keeping his expression mostly unimpressed.
“You are sooo cute! I’ve never seen an Allay so close before!” The woman claps her hands, eyes wander on the entirety of Allery’s figure.
Feeling the threat, maybe, Allery hides behind Derek’s back.
“Though this one specimen is very… unique! Where did you find them?”
Derek can’t hold a smile. He can’t blame Allery, though. If it were him, he wouldn’t like the woman’s kind-of-rude inspection of himself either.
Most likely, he would either glare at her or teleport away.
“At a pillager outpost not far from here.”
She gasps. “Poor little thing! I’m not surprised, you see. Compared to other Allays, this fella here has legs. They must have had nasty plans for them.”
“Well—” He feels a little punch in the lower back. He’s grinning by now. “He’s absorbed a bottle of experience, this is why he looks different.”
The woman hums. “I didn’t know they could do that.” She places her fingers on her chin, pensive. “He looks definitely taller than any normal Allay I’ve seen in books.”
Allery’s fist becomes a grip to his clothes. The woman is perceptive, Derek admits.
Derek coughs and points at a random book on the counter. “Speaking of books, I’m here to borrow one, miss…?”
“Oh, right!” The woman hits her head with a fist. “Sorry, sorry! My name is Tiffy, what have you been looking for, Mister…?”
“Derek. Do you have any books on magic?”
Tiffy laughs. “Here, in a mining town? I’m sorry, but I don’t. If you want to get into mining or learn more about Strad, on the other hand…” She gestures at the shelf behind Derek, near the entrance. “I have plenty!”
“I don't need them for the moment.”
Well, what did he expect? The place is not in good conditions, either. Not too surprising, when the town’s main sustenance is not on knowledge and teaching. Still, being a potential commercial hub, Derek had been hoping to find something more… exotic.
“I have some other interesting books, though! Just got them from a recent deal of mine with a merchant from Moog City.”
Tiffy shows him a book from the pile she had carried earlier.
“Our mines are off-limits to non-residents and non-miners, so you can't visit the outstanding lush caves running underneath! But,” She opens the book to a specific page, like she's done it many times before. “You can read about it!”
A drawn picture of an underground lake surrounded by green, shrubs and puffed vines hanging from the ceiling. Leafs poke out from the water.
Derek’s fingers touch the image.
“There are caves like these underground?”
Tiffy grins. “Not always. You must know the right climatic conditions of the soil or have a map with you to locate them.”
Even Allery pokes out from his shoulder to look down. One of his hands brush against his neck, sending a shiver through Derek and a deep blush on his cheeks. His hair bumps against the lower side of his helmet as well.
“Aww, even your Allay is curious about the caves!” Tiffy covers her mouth as she laughs. “Did you give them a name?”
Derek looks at her, then shifts his gaze to Allery. He, on the other hand, doesn't look at him, still fixated on the picture.
“… Allery.”
Allery perks up at the name. Tiffy coos at the scene.
“He's so expressive! That bottle of experience must have improved their intelligence and awareness. I’m so jealous! I’ve always wanted an Allay. Imagine how helpful it would be!”
“… Right. Well,” Derek closes the book. The noise helps snapping Tiffy's attention back to him. “I will take this one then."
“Sure!” Tiffy takes a bigger book and scribbles on it. “I need your signature. As per my policy, you are obliged to return the book after two weeks—”
“I'll return it tomorrow morning. We're leaving by then.”
“Perfect.” She pens down his name and Derek signs with a few, unintelligible signs.
“If you want,” Tiffy gestures at a table and chair in the far back, by a window. “By all means you can sit here and read to your heart's content!”
“No,” Derek's tone snaps at the proposition. He realizes he's being rude, though, not for the reason Tiffy would think. “I mean. I am in a hurry and I cannot linger here. I would have liked to.”
“That's too bad!” She shrugs, although her disappointment is clear from her tone. “I'm here if you need anything else!”
Derek stores the book in his inventory. He's still thinking about magic and the rarity of any books on the topic.
“I have one last question. Where might I find any magic books? I’ve been to other places and they didn’t have them either.”
“Oh!” Tiffy closes her registry. She looks behind her, seemingly staring at another stack of books.
“Yes, well… it’s not a topic sought by the average person.” She walks over a corner, takes another book and flips through it. She gets back and shows a map of the area.
“There is a circle of mages here,” She points to a forest to the east. It is separated by a chunk of water, bigger than a river. A lake? “You can cross the ocean with the boat and keep heading where the sun sets until you reach the woods! You'll know when you see it. They don't like strangers too much, but if you are good with your words, you can trade with them. Maybe they'll let you borrow one of their spell books.”
Derek observes the map, committing it to memory. To the far west is Strad, connected to the ocean (he gulps as his eyes wander over it) by a bridge on a fringe in the valley. It's hard to get an estimate, but it may very well be a three days trip at minimum.
Still, he's willing to head there if he can learn more about magic and his connection with Allery. Some new tricks for their journey could come in handy.
“You've been a huge help. Thank you, Tiffy.”
“Oh, hush!” She giggles, her cheeks getting darker. Is she blushing? “Maybe once you're free from your obligations, and you're done with dealing with the mages, I could offer you more books to look at over a cup of coffee.”
“I appreciate the thought.”
Too bad Derek doesn't need to drink anything, ever.
“I better get going. Have a good day, Tiffy.”
They leave, finally, and Derek quickens the pace to get away as far as possible.
Allery laughs next to him. Derek turns to hush him, at first.
“You’re so endearing, Der.”
… What is that supposed to mean?
“Shh. We'll talk at the inn. Keep up with me.”
It would be convenient if he could teleport to walk faster.
The path back at the inn is uneventful. As soon as they enter the room, Allery launches himself on the bed.
“Finally!” He breathes out. The bundle slips from his hands, tumbling close to the edge. “I’ve never been looked at so close before. I hope it’s never happening again.”
Derek nods. He removes his helmet and sits down on the bed, towards the bottom.
“I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction. I should have tried harder to shut her up.”
Allery rolls closer. “Nah, you tried your best. At least she called me cute! I think it’s the first time someone said that to me, though I haven’t interacted with a lot of people in the first place. Scratch that, it’s none at all!”
Makes sense if Allery used to live in a forest. He would have been surrounded by other Allays, no one to talk to.
If that is the case, then he was born with the innate ability of speech. Who would have taught him the common tongue otherwise?
What if Allery could meet more Allays like him? Or what if he met more sentient Allays? There must be more of them in the entire Overworld, right?
“Der?”
He realizes he’s been staring at him the whole time. “What is it?”
“You were staring.” His lips curl into a smug. “Am I too cute you were at a loss for words?”
Derek blushes and turns away. “No.”
“Oh, so I’m not cute?”
“T-that’s not what I mean.”
He’s not letting him get away, is he?
“Sooo what?” Allery flies around him, hands behind his back.
Derek turns the other way, Allery follows right after. He covers his face with a hand and takes a long, deep breath.
“You are the cutest Allay I’ve ever seen, b-but I was thinking about you and your home.”
“My home? Oh, that’s—” Allery stops. “Wait— You—” His wings perk up like his ears, plopping with his knees on the blanket. His cheeks become a rich blue. “I—I was joking. Y-You didn’t have to say that.”
At least Derek is not the only one blushing like his life depends on it!
“S-So!” Allery resumes his flight, coughing a couple times and slapping his cheeks together. “What about the forest I come from? ‘Cause it’s never felt like home to me.”
Derek’s mind is a mush of wandering words and half finished sentences. Between his brutal honesty and Allery’s reaction to his own words, all he wants to do is to throw himself in the river near Strad’s area and drown. For all the teasing Allery can direct him, he’s just as susceptible to compliments. That’s something he should keep in mind, if he wants to shut him up.
But why should he?
Just in case.
“Der???”
“I heard you.” He takes another breath. Yes, he’s back to normal. He’s got this. “What do you mean when you say it’s not a home?”
“Well…” Allery crosses his arms to his chest. “I was born there, or at least, I remember waking up one day with all the other Allays, but I’ve never been too attached to that place. As strange as it sounds, it is still underground.”
“A forest growing underground?”
“Yeah! It’s one of the reasons I moved away… actually, that picture from the book you borrowed reminded me of it, but it’s not the same place. It was really just a forest with grass and flowers growing underground. When I saw the sun the first time, it didn’t even feel weird—no, it felt right. I was happy to see the sky. I’m not sure how to explain it… it was like I had missed that all along.”
A forest growing underground. Granted, he hadn’t known lush caves existed until now, but the thought of something from the surface growing in a cave sounds… wrong. There must be a lot of magic involved, or how would a normal flower or tree grow otherwise?
“Would you be able to locate the cave if you wanted to?”
Allery shrugs. “I could, though we are quite a bit far from there. But,” He looks away. “Even with that… I don’t want to. I don’t want to go back.”
There’s fear in his eyes. Something must have happened.
“Why did you leave the cave, Allery?”
The question catches him off-guard. Allery’s glow dims and he breaks eye contact for a few seconds. “It wasn’t safe for me to stay anymore.”
“Did something happen?”
Allery sighs. “Yeah. After a certain event, I’ve started to hate the color yellow and the caves.”
Yellow.
It doesn’t tell Derek much, but it’s something. A traumatic experience so deep it afflicted Allery’s entire conception of a color. What could it have been?
Prying any further would be rude. Allery is way too uncomfortable to speak any further about it.
As for the caves… well, Derek doesn’t like them either. He understands Allery in that regard.
“Do you want to explore those caves from the books?” Allery asks, breaking the silence between them.
Derek nods. He can’t let some fear get to him. “I’m intrigued by them, but I don’t like caves either. I’ve had a certain… occurrence happening to me, once, absurd as it may be, it forced me to steer clear from them when I can.”
Allery perks up. “What happened? Did you see something?”
“No, nothing like that.” He points at his eyes. It’s only fair he tries to explain his own experience to ease Allery. Maybe he will tell him something in turn, too. “I have natural night vision, so I have no trouble seeing in the dark. Once, when I was mining down to find more iron, one of the tunnels on my left turned pitch black.”
He shudders. No fears in his life so far amounted to the dread he felt back then, crawling at his skin and in his brain. It had snuffed away any courage he could have had to mine deeper.
“It was no trick of light. I could see any tunnel as far as my vision could allow, but only that one… it was pure black. I didn’t even try to place my hands in it. I teleported back on the surface and closed off the entrance.”
They stay silent for several seconds, the low breathing of both the only sound they could hear.
Allery flies closer. He sits next to him, leans over and places both of his hands on his own.
“I get it, Derek. I really do. You… did well. That was…” He trails off.
Derek looks at him. Something in his words tells him that what Allery experienced is not too dissimilar from his own. Is it possible?
Is there… something in the caves?
Hm. He should go back and get another book from Tiffy, something more specific.
He gets up, startling Allery. “I am going back to the library.”
“Huh?” Allery tilts his head. “What, you want to accept Tiffy’s date offer?” He laughs.
Derek doesn’t laugh. He’s more confused than anything else. “What date?”
Allery bursts out laughing. “Holy Creator! You really didn’t get it!”
He blushes. He thinks back on Tiffy’s interaction, her own blush, her body language, the way she had looked at him with a certain look in her eyes…
Oh. Oh!
Was she…
“… Ah.”
“Ah???” Allery laughs louder. “She was flirting with you! And you didn’t get any of her signs!” He holds his stomach and flops with his back on the bed. “I almost feel sorry for her, how dense can you be?”
“… I-I didn’t realize. I’m not used to being flirted at.”
“Right, right! I guess Endermen don’t have… how would you call it… courtship rituals?”
Derek shakes his head. “You just ask another Enderman if you want to start a family.”
Allery snorts. “You’re going to kill me today! What do you mean you just ask???”
“That’s just how it works for us?”
“You ask… alright, have you ever asked anyone?”
Derek wears his helmet back. His plume lands on his shoulder, and he pushes it back. “No. I have never been interested in that kind of life. I prefer what I have right now.”
Back home, no one had shown interest towards him, though it was no surprise. Derek had decided that he wouldn’t settle with anyone in favor of traveling to the Overworld. Many suitors ignored him, as a result, but he had given up on friendships, too. All the relationships he’d have built would have crumbled with his leave.
His mother had still been supportive in his decision, despite her strained smile. What would she say if she knew a human woman was interested in him? He couldn’t predict her reaction. For him, it was ridiculous and not bound to work, though he couldn’t blame Tiffy entirely. His disguise is really that good to fool anyone. He feels proud.
He glances over Allery, who sits up on the bed and snuggles the bundle against his chest.
“I think I wanna stay here. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t wanna hear any of that Tiffy’s strange questions or any silly excuse you’ll come up with. Really, Derek? Allays don’t drink experience bottles!”
Derek laughs. “It’s the first excuse I could think of.”
“Twice?”
He smirks. “Twice.”
“It will be your fault if Allays will be seen as weirdos! Take responsibility!”
Derek bursts in a full laugh as he leaves their shared room.
The walk back to the library is fast and peaceful. The building’s lights are still on, and Tiffy is sitting at the counter with a book open in front of her.
The door creaks as he steps inside. Tiffy snaps her head up, jumping on her seat. The smile she gives him is more radiant than he could have imagined.
With his awareness of where her interests lie, he feels a knot in his gut.
“Good evening!” Her chipper voice echoes in the empty room. “We meet again, how nice!”
“Y-yes, good evening, Tiffy.”
“Oh, but where’s little Allery?”
“I left him at the inn we’re staying. I’m actually here—”
“Do you want some coffee?” She shows her mug. “I-I haven’t touched it yet! It’s safe!”
This is going to be a pain to deal with.
“N-no, thank you. As I was saying—”
“Please, take a seat! I’m grabbing you a chair—” She gets up, but Derek uses enough teleportation to place himself between her and the edge of the counter.
He hopes she won’t notice the purple dust.
“T-there’s no need. I am just here for another book… nothing else.”
Tiffy looks at him dumbfounded. If she sees the big dust settling on his shoulder and explode in a little puff, she doesn’t mention it.
“Huh, I… of course!” Her smile is so forced, Derek feels all the guilt burst in him.
“I need a book about caves… everything about caves. Not only for their geological formation or their peculiarities, but any rumors and folklore that may surround them.”
Tiffy stays silent. She’s not staring at him anymore, and her smile has faded from her face. She nods at once. “Y-yes, I think I have the perfect book for you. Or maybe two! Let me see…”
She goes to the far end of the library, turning a corner to a shelf that faces one of the windows.
“There’s this one that talks about supposed sightings of creatures in the caves from all over the Overworld.” The book she places on the counter is thick and worn at the edges. No matter how fast of a reader Derek is, he can’t finish it in one evening. “And there’s this one about the conformation of caves and the creatures dwelling in it.”
“Can I check them?”
“S-sure!”
Tiffy returns to her seat, sipping her coffee in one, long gulp. Derek takes the first book and checks the index.
No, he doesn’t know a single thing about any of these creatures.
“How much are you familiar with the contents of this book?”
Tiffy blinks. “Hm, actually, not much. I recognize some names, a few of the miners talked about shapes and things they’ve claimed to see before, but you know how it is when you stay in the dark and alone for too long!”
“Do you know of anything that might turn a tunnel into pitch darkness, no matter what you use to light your surroundings? Or the color yellow.”
“Turn everything dark…” Tiffy hums in thought. “Aren’t you talking about Wardens? Though they have nothing to do with yellow, as far as I know! They are black, white and blue.”
Hm. Still worth investigating.
“If you want to read about them, the smaller book does cover them!”
Derek nods, closes the bigger book and grabs the smaller one. “Then I’ll take it.”
Tiffy signs in her registry. “So… have a good evening then. Derek.”
Her earlier enthusiasm has died out. It’s for the best, she’ll get over it quick.
“… Good luck, Tiffy. Thank you.”
It’s darker outside, a crowd of people stalls at the entrance of the mines. Derek doesn’t linger too much, his only wish to return to the inn and get dinner.
The air is chill, the wind brushes against his armor and the slit in his helmet, moving the cloak in a gentle swing to the opposite direction he’s walking to. There’s no one around in the residential neighborhood, but most of the windows inside are lit up in an orange light.
He moves through space, purple dust trailing behind him, teleporting around the streets. Before turning the corner for the inn, Derek takes a leap and climbs one of the houses, landing on the roof with a soft swoosh.
The view is not as breathtaking as it had been at the top of the hole, but he takes it all regardless.
People live so differently compared to Endermen. A strong sense of community, commerce, knowledge. They have buildings for houses, clothes, beds. Delicious food, too.
Maybe he would like to live as a human for a day.
Not because he doesn’t like being an Enderman. It’s for the experience… and what he could gain from it.
He jumps down, landing on the ground with a short teleport. His armor clanks under his weight.
He dusts away remnants of his purple dust and walks to the inn. Night has completely fallen, the market has closed down and there are only roaming guards in the streets.
“Heeey!”
He raises his head.
Allery sits at the window of their room, looking down on him. Huh, they really fixed it. “It was getting a bit warmer inside!”
Derek hushes him with a gesture of his hand. Allery giggles and flies down to meet him eye to eye.
“All good with Tiffy?”
“Mhm. Dinner first, talk later.”
Derek walks to the entrance. Allery dashes in front of him.
“Did you teleport?”
Right, Allery can tell that much.
“I did. I wanted to get back sooner.”
Allery raises an eyebrow. “You say to keep a low profile and then you use your Enderman powers! What if someone saw you?”
Derek rolls his eyes. “They didn’t. I was careful.”
He gets inside. He feels Allery’s hand on his neck, then a small buzz of magic coursing through him.
They consume dinner, or rather, Derek eats while Allery watches him. There are more people in the hall, some throwing glances at their table. Derek does his best to consume his meal fast and retreat for the night. He orders more berries for Allery as well, as they may not be able to find them in the wild if they head to the ocean and reach the circle. The area on the map looked like a dark forest biome.
Allery sits on the pillow, one of the berries already in his hands, but still not eating. Derek takes his time to strip down of his armor, removing helmet and cloak first.
“How did it go with that Tiffy then?”
Derek stops in his tracks. He takes a deep breath and throws the gauntlet on the bed. “She took it well. She’ll be fine.”
Allery giggles. He takes a mouthful from his berry, some of the juice spilling on the pillow. He tries to clean it with a swipe, but the stain becomes wider. “Maybe I should have come along and see her reaction! You tried to be tactful about it at least?”
“More or less.”
His response doesn’t seem to convince Allery, because he laughs again and shakes his head. “Ender Derek the heartbreaker.” He hums before devouring the rest of the fruit.
Derek scoffs at the silly nickname. He’ll have Allery win this one, if only because it’s been a long day.
He finishes removing the rest of the armor and climbs on the bed, He lies down on his back, shoulders on the headboard and legs laying straight, past the edge.
People should definitely craft bigger beds.
He takes the books out of the inventory and places them next to him.
“Can I read too?” Allery chimes in, still cleaning his mouth with the back of his hand.
Derek nods. What he doesn’t expect is Allery to plop on his lap and lean with his back on him. He shifts slightly in a more comfortable position, ignoring the warmth of his cheeks. He’s relieved to see that Allery is blushing too, though he has a casual smile on his lips.
He takes the second book and checks the index for any entries about the Warden.
“What’s this about?”
“Caves and what creatures can be found in them.”
He angles the book so that Allery can see what’s written as well. It’s not exactly ideal for him, but it will make do.
Allery coughs. “Actually… I am a bit of a slow reader, so you’ll have to wait me up…”
“Mhm.” Had they more time for leisure reading, Derek wouldn’t have minded. “What if I read aloud?”
Allery’s grin widens. His subtle glow seems to grow brighter as well. “That’ll do!” He sinks further against Derek. His hair burrows in the fabric of his clothes. “Why did you want to get another book? Wasn’t the other one enough?”
“This is more specific to caves in general and covers the fauna and unique entities. I inquired Tiffy about the darkness I saw in the caves, and she said it could have been a Warden. That’s why I got this book, it might be the creature that was lurking around me back then.”
Allery looks up to him. He doesn’t speak, and Derek can’t tell what he’s thinking from his expression.
He huffs and returns to his previous position. “Maybe it was a Warden.”
Derek adjusts the angle of the book one last time. He clears his throat and begins to read.
Wardens are hostile entities found in the deep dark. They are completely blind, relying entirely on vibrations and their sense of smell to detect any living being to attack. If a Warden successfully detects a target, it rapidly strikes them with its arms, or fires damaging sonic beams.
A Warden inflicts darkness to any entity within its radius, regardless it can detect them or not.
“Mhm, it could have been a Warden.” Derek flips some pages to find more about the deep dark.
The deep dark is a cave biome covered in sculk that generates deep underground in the Overworld under mountainous areas. It usually stays within the deepslate layer, although it can occasionally reach into the stone layer when mountains above reach higher altitudes.
Derek shakes his head. “This doesn’t add up.”
Allery looks at him. “How so?”
“When I was caving that one time, I wasn’t on a mountain and I was on the stone layer still. I hadn’t dug deep enough to find deepslate.”
“Maybe it was an exception? Like my forest growing underground.”
Derek sighs. “It could be, but it still doesn’t feel right.”
He flips back to the index. He reads all entries, searching for any keywords about a forest and Allays living underground. He moves between pages, not reading out loud until he’s sure he has found what he’s looking for.
The only description that might fit Allery’s place of origin is that of lush caves, though he claims it’s not really the same.
“Can’t we read about lush caves already? Who cares what we saw back then! We’re going to avoid them regardless, right?”
“It’s not really a choice, we’ll have to go caving for ores at some point. I am low on iron and have to fix my pickaxe. A thought for tomorrow, though, before we depart.”
Allery turns belly down to look at him, head leaning on his arms. “What if you traded?”
Derek holds the page about lush caves with his fingers and sighs. He ignores the fuzzy, but definitely not bad feeling of Allery nuzzling so close to him.
“Most people don’t trade, unless they’re wanderers like us, but they’re rare. I’ve only met one once. He sold junk I didn’t need.”
Allery makes a sound. He doesn’t seem satisfied, but doesn’t speak more. He returns to lie on his back.
Derek suppresses a yawn before settling back as well and read the new passage.
The lush caves is a temperate cave biome with unique fauna and flora found underground. Their presence is generally indicated by blossoming azalea trees aboveground. These same trees can grow underground as well, provided there is enough room for them.
A picture shows the structure of the tree. Derek lowers the book to show Allery.
“Did the trees in your forest look like this?”
Allery shakes his head. “Nope! They were very similar to the trees near the outpost.”
“Mhm.”
Derek keeps on reading. More pictures appear of the typical flora, and more yawns interrupt his voice.
He closes his eyes, head hanging slightly to the side, and the book slips from his hands.