How Good Things Used to Be

"How Good Things Used to Be" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on [IRL DATE].
== Summary ==
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== Full Text ==
Dario Hjort: “He’s so fast. How is he so fast?…”
What they had originally intended to be a few hours seemed to be expedited by their new companion. The goat half-breed nearly doubled the pace they had set before, and the two weary travelers were barely keeping up.
“I miss when we were able to move like that.”
Vox laughed between exasperated breaths. Of course you would say that. You haven’t had to grow up and deal with your body hating you like I have.
“Speak for yourself. I move as good now as I did when I was twenty… just with a few extra pounds and a back that works some days and not others.”
Dario could have kicked himself in that moment. It was so easy to forget the mortality of his best friend when he himself couldn’t figure out what kept him in this eternal youth. It wasn’t the worst thing in the beginning, but as time went on, he realized that the world would move on with him suspended in it. 
A fate worse than death.
“How excited are you to see the family? It’s been so long since we’ve seen Liam and Kendra. I’m sure they’re huge by now!”
“Oh, I’m sure. Let’s hope they even remember who I am.”
“Please – with that mug? You’re unforgettable.”
Yun Milae: Up ahead, Milae’s ears were twitching furiously back and forth as he listened to the two friends banter. They were descending the mountainside with a clatter of dust and rocks, Longbrook visible below them as a cluster of torches and lit windows. He tilted his head to the sky and made note of the position of the waxing moon, slowly rising in a twilit sky. His stomach was flipping to and from as he attempted to control the unsteady descent of the cart down the steep slope.
Thirty minutes more…
Vox Arnason: The knots in Vox’s stomach were growing more painful as they approached Longbrook. It was only a little past this town that his home stood, and the unknown surrounding the state of his family was nerve-wracking on it’s own. Even if they were all fine, there was no assurance that they would take well to his return.
“You’re going to stay with us, right?”
Dario was caught off guard by the question – he hadn’t even considered what the next step was when they returned. After the events of Ragnarok and the births of Liam and Kendra, he elected to live the life of a vagabond. He spent much of his time traveling, but now that he and Vox had grown closer and worked to accomplish a common goal, it only felt right that they remain near one another.
“Uh, yeah, I didn’t really put much stock into my living situation. I supposed if Tree is alright with me imposing.”
“Please, she loves you to death. Probably more than me in this moment… and the kids, Odin, they’re going to be so excited to see you again.”
Dario laughed, remembering the last time he saw Liam and Kendra – the youngest was infatuated with his antlers, and the older wanted nothing more than to see even the most mundane of magick.
“I’ll give you that, I do miss those two. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to plant some roots for a change. Thank you, buddy. I appreciate the offer more than you know.”
Yun Milae: Milae grimaced. Oh, friend.
They finally filtered into town, crossing a bridge over a meager riverbed, and Milae pulled his cart through the streets, trotting purposefully towards his destination on the opposite end of town. As they passed, the citizens watched him curiously, but wearily. The guards were battered. The children looked hungry and gaunt. As the cart’s wheels rolled across the packed dirt road, they bumped over a strange fold in the dust; a once-colorful but now drab and bleak strip of clothing and leather armor, with a distinctive circular gold rosette symbol sewed into olive green fabric. Milae kicked aside the shred of High Central armor and continued on his way.
Dario Hjort: Dario couldn’t believe the state of Lockbrook; granted, the place had never really thrived, but to see so many children famished and the remainder of the populous so visibly defeated was unsettling. He moved closer to Vox, nearly standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they passed through the town. He saw how the townspeople looked at Milae, and could feel the same cautious gazes fixated on himself and Vox.
“What happened here? This is horrible…”
I’m worried for everyone back home. We aren’t too far away now.
They moved quicker to keep the pace that Milae set before them. It was almost as if he sped up since they entered the town. 
Yun Milae: Milae did not look back as he spoke up. “High Central may have been destroyed by Valhalla. But the Remnants of Central never truly left. They encroach on what is not theirs. They steal. They capture. They destroy. They murder. Just as High Central has always done. Longbrook is one of many that hold the line between Central and South, whether they wish to or not. Fate directs their course now.”
Vox Arnason: As it always has… fuck.
Vox was careful not to bring any more attention to their group than already had been given. There was no way to know who was defending against High Central, and who could be planted there for ulterior motives.
“This place never did too well. It makes sense for them to strike here… it’s still hard to look at.”
He slowed as they were passing a young girl who couldn’t be more than five years old; Vox instantly recalled an image of his young daughter the last time he saw her. This was all too much for him to absorb in this moment.
“So, uh, do we need to follow much further?”
Yun Milae: “No.”
An elderly but well-built man came out of one of the buildings up ahead and caught sight of Milae and his companions, relief spreading across his bushy face. He jogged up to the half-breed and clasped his forearm, gripping his shoulder. His eyes were shining with gratitude. “Narsette must have sent you.”
“She did. Another shipment is on its way, and it carries the dragonsbane ointments you require, but it will be delayed by four days.” And twelve hours, and thirty-two minutes.
“I can’t thank you enough.” Milae stepped over the handlebar and away from the cart as another pair of weary men pulled it behind the building. A woman came up behind the bearded man, similar in age to him, with graying black hair and soft blue eyes. She was carrying a lumpy sack, and with a small bit of difficulty, held it out for Milae to take. “This isn’t much, but may it pay you for your troubles.”
The half-breed tilted his head and hefted the sack in his arms. “I am humbled. May your wounded heal quickly.”
The couple left in a hurry, and Milae turned to Vox and Dario. “Thank you for the trouble you went through to assist me,” he said sincerely. “The task was…very important, to this town, to many things.”
Dario Hjort: So… that’s why he needed to get here so soon, before sundown. 
Dario made certain that he and Vox kept a respectable distance from this exchange. He could see the gratitude exchanged by both the man and women, and the fulfillment that exuded from Milae. He couldn’t help but share in the sincerity that the goat displayed. It was endearing.
“It’s our pleasure, really. This was a wonderful thing for you to do. What exactly were you deliv-”
Vox stepped forward, still keeping a few feet between him and Milae. 
“Well, if you need anything from us, we are just heading a little further south. You’re free to stop through and say hello if you happen to be taking that route.”
I just want to go home.
Yun Milae: “My destiny may take me there soon.” He nodded to the both of them, then held up a finger as he reached inside the bag he had been gifted, rummaging around inside of it and softly exclaiming as he found something and pulled it out of the bag. With the ghost of a smile, he tossed it to Dario. It was a ripe golden pear.
“Here’s to the future.”
When Vox and Dario looked up from the fruit, there was another swell of lightheadedness, and then Milae was simply…gone.
Vox Arnason: “…okay, I know we haven’t been in the best mindset lately, but you heard that too, right?”
Vox turned to Dario while posing the question, only to see the deer flush in the face and staring down at the fruit, as if he had seen a ghost. Here’s to the future… I know damn well that I said that.
“…yeah. Yeah I did.”
The two continued on their path towards home, with Dario fixated on the golden pear in his hand. It wouldn’t be too much longer before they would hopefully reunite with Vox’s family, but that thought was pushed far out of their minds for the moment. The only thing they could focus on was the strange goat that left more questions than answers for the duo.
Category:Events
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Dario Hjort
Category:Vox Arnason
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Act I