Eyes snapped open and like a shadowy ghost haunting the desolate shores, the stranger nearly floated up from where he'd befallen the damp sand and staggered onto his feet, and an even stronger eerie aura surrounding the beach's enclosure that Alfonse hadn't felt before his gaze had met with his. [break][break]

His hands somewhat trembled, glossed in the same silvery-blue hue of magical glow as they kept the summoned shield up to protect this man from being thrown back down by the waves.... but a part of the boy wondered if... h-he should even be helping someone that was starting to seem so ominous.[break][break]

The shield nonetheless followed the man and Alfonse felt a combination of confusion and terror as the man advanced towards him without saying a word. It were as though the strange dark figure had gathered just enough energy... t-to literally be walking right at him. [break][break]

"A-ah, um, sir--?" Alfonse attempted again, this time his voice riddled in more fear. Beginning to take a few steps backwards, he followed his words with a more so assertive, "Wh-what's wrong? Who are you?" A tightness in his throat begun to surface and the auburn haired boy was emotionally feeling closer to just.... f-forgetting about keeping the tides away from the previously down-stricken man and running back to Ezriel. It was, however, the very weakened state of his that kept him from quite yet running... to see what was wrong, however foolish that may... end up being.

Raising his voice to call over the wind, Alfonse heard the demon's answer that followed his paw-pointing direction. He retreated his paw back atop one of the arms that held him and kept his eyes open and observant over the view down below. Smoothly they glided through the sky, maneuvering over a district on the border of Lorsette's city limits before it soon dispersed into forestry. [break][break]
He pointed out his paw again, keeping it directed East so that the demon would stay going in the very direction they were flying. His black nose caught a subtle distant aroma of sea salt... and immediately, his heart squeezed with joy upon its familiarity. It was the smell of home.... they weren't far, and he was overwhelmed with a powerful feeling of longing and happiness to be where he belonged.[break][break]
His guidance took them near the shoreline where boulders, trees, and slopes bordered the sand. The area of the beach was secluded and far from commonly traveled tourist destinations. The oceanic breeze blew intensely against them, strong enough to tickle Alfonse's nose. He tried to hold back a sneeze but was unable to, sneezing once and then twice with his head looking downward at the rolling tides and silvery sand. Ensuring he was still comfortably sitting against the demon's chest, he rose one arm to tightly cover his nose and quickly stretched out the other to guide them once more.[break][break]
Deep thickets of the woodlands engulfed them, trees towering tall and blocking out much of the sunlight as they ventured further and further away from the open-world, entering an isolated forest enriched with abundant nature. The Kitsune's heart beat rapidly against his chest with the same hopeful anticipation, eagerly jerking his paw out to direct them again. Finally, striking-tall strong brick walls towered in the distance. His eyes grew large, paws eagerly and quickly tapping the demon's arms. [break][break]
The amount of glee that filled his small frame was enough to, finally, tip over the exhaust on the duration of his manifested form and ignite an energetic shift. A subtle white-ish blue glow quickly spread across his fur in a translucent glimmer dancing cross his body, blending with his fur. It brightened as they neared the brick walls that rivaled the great grandfather trees in size.... and Alfonse's eyes grew large when seeing his arms being taken over by its sparkling hue. H-he.... h-he was shifting back now of all times?! Without any means of being able to prepare, the Kitsune's body consumed itself in the radiating magic in entirety in the bright spinning light. Suddenly, the weight in the demon's arms became heavier and they were holding a humanoid form still shrouded in the same aura...

Deep indigo petals touched the boy's fingertips as he peacefully gathered them, careful in pulling them away from their thin delicate stems that were short and close among the meadow's grass. Alfonse's knees knelt along the soft greenery after a few moments, sitting down a moment after with his legs kept folded underneath him. An illuminating shimmer shown from the inside fabric of his cloak during his shuffling, soon disappearing as the front of his cloak once more fell over his shoulders. [break][break]
A soft smile touched his face upon opening a palm in front of him and silently appreciating the rich hue of the flowers within its grasp. Small lines of dark blue highlighted the mid-region of the petals, gradually darkening before almost turning black towards the middle of the flower. The midnight-blue depths made the flower an essential asset to potions enhancing intellectual sharpness and wisdom... but Alfonse, personally, found them to be calming to look at and pleasant to smell. His nose caught scent of the wild berries, grass, indigo flowers, trees.... a medley of nature's gifts with none being too potent but just the right amount of sweet aroma to lull the boy into contentment.[break][break]

He closed his eyes, bringing his cupped palms higher up towards his face to get a better smell of the delicate floral scent before reopening his Aquamarine hues, lowering his palms to bundle them with the other Indigo flowers he collected. A subtle shimmering whirl of blueish-white aura spun from his fingertips, wrapping around the flower stems gradually and neatly bringing them together in an organized bunch. Much like a magical thread, it bound the flowers together evenly and danced through and around the stems while doing so. An unfamiliar scent that didn't mix with the meadow's scenery reached Alfnonse's nose... he paused, though it was a snapping sound that followed and completely caught his attention.[break][break]

He quickly turned his head to look in the direction he heard the snapping noise come from, as though someone or something had accidentally stepped upon a branch. Alfonse's previous peaceful demeanor was caught off guard in hesitancy that grew by the second. The new smell that entered the area intensified and startled him... s-something else was definitely really close... i-it smelled like a human... and animal? M-maybe someone was walking their dog? The thought didn't ease him at all and the boy worriedly glanced about the bushes and trees from where he sat, trying to hold still and not making any noise of his own... and h-he could have swore he actually saw the figure of a dog by itself.... through the bushes in front of him.[break][break]

".... H-hi puppy...?" Alfonse's voice softly called out, uncertainty and surprise in his tone. Through the wild berry branches he didn't see a human, but.... it really smelled like one was there somewhere...

Vaguely, he could remember the feeling of being swept up... into a netting... a trap. Then, the face of the ghostly pale man. Alfonse's Aquamarine eyes narrowed in further thoughtful contemplation, remaining idle whilst the warm cloth worked over his buttered fur. The warmth of the cloth patting his ears and neck took him a moment to get used to. I-It wasn't like other people bathed him, that would be really weird a-and uncomfortable, but... this circumstance made it okay. His mind was orbited elsewhere, however. It confused him.... and concerned him... how there was such a heavy fog blocking the incident leading up to him even meeting the other boy. [break][break]

Fragments of imagery such as the demon's father, the blur of the woods, came fleeting through but it may have been too soon for him to grasp anything that could have led to an epiphany. Maybe once he was home and had access to the Apothecary Supply, he'd be able to use something that could jog his memory... by then, though, all of this would be over with. He'd be free to eat whatever he wanted to, read under the peach trees, and practice his lessons so that he could perform what he'd improved in front of the clan's leaders.[break][break]

Remembering that he had to actually undergo the exam in front of them bestowed a momentary anxiety that didn't have time to dwell, as the demon used the cloth to clean under his chin. Alfonse's face lifted up from the motion, seeing the relaxed smile on the demon's face. His gaze rested upon him... and the gentleness of the demon's expression brought him ease. The warmth of the cloth further comforted him once he'd grown used to the demon's light cleansing and a smile once more reached his eyes. He wondered if this was what it was like to have a brother, watching over and protecting their younger sibling.[break][break]

The summoned glowing hue of purple idly floated by the mirror in the shape of an orb, wisps of its color swaying above it as though it were a flame. Upon the demon's open musings about what it'd be like to become an animal, Alfonse's gaze filled with sheepishness albeit also delight. He rose his wrist to gesture a light pawing over his nose in the form of a shy reply. It was rare for anyone to see him like this and for once, he could be himself regarding his inherited traits. Had this been under different circumstances, it would have been very exciting for him. If only he could talk with him normally... but for now, the wisp's writing worked. When the demon proceeded to ask him about his head, Alfonse glimpsed between him and mirror. The purple hue brightened as focus was re-ignited towards it, unraveling upon the glass to form the boy's answer. [break][break]

'It's okay. My head is sore but it doesn't hurt.'[break][break]

Eagerly, he waited for him to turn around from retrieving a dry towel so that he may see his response. The butter, admittedly, didn't feel entirely rinsed out but he certainly felt cleaner than before. Before the demon turned, another idea came to mind for the other boy to turn around and see that sparked another uplifting of the boy's spirits.[break][break]

'Thanks for being kind to me.'[break][break]

The other words from before dulled in their colorful tensity but remained against the glass as Alfonse's second message appeared directly beneath it. A small squiggly drawing of a closed-eyed smiling fox face ended the sentence, a shimmer casting over it. He knew he already thanked him, but he wanted to say and do more than just that. He wanted to really show how much he appreciated everything. An anticipating perky gleam filled Alfonse's eyes as he continued watching the boy, his forearms fidgeting underneath him in an antsy manner.[break][break]

Preston listened patiently, seemingly interested and enhancing Alfonse's comfort in sharing more about his different class subjects as he continued speaking. It felt nice opening up a little to someone else about his world. Preston quietly allowing for him to talk about them was more soothing to the boy than what could have been expressed. It helped remove the barrier of feeling alienated from a brand new place. Even if many of those subjects were in reality classes he had a long time ago, it still felt like only a few weeks passed since he'd last been part of them... it was still very much part of him and his present life, as opposed to a distant memory. [break][break]

The blonde opened the stairwell door once they reached the top. Alfonse at first slowed in his own steps to allow for Preston to venture through but it became apparent pretty fast that the other youth was stepping aside for him and his guard to pass first. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked to the blonde before smiling at him in gratitude for the polite gesture. "Thank you," He stepped through, entering the hall of a whole new floor of the building. [break][break]

What came with the new floor was new sounds, and scents... his ears caught the distant chatter of an adult from beyond the classroom doorways aligning the exterior. The smells of numerous students awaiting somewhere not yet visible hit his nose quite strongly. He paused in his steps just beyond the hall entrance, his scenes alerting him intensely of other people... o-other students, that could also be his possible classmates... and it was a little unnerving. Ezriel approached the stairwell door but instead of passing through, he paused beside Preston. The guard extended his arm over the boy's head and chose to hold the door open for the youth to pass through instead, silently insisting that the boy continued onward before him. [break][break]

Preston's voice broke Alfonse's anxious tension from where he'd frozen in place. N-not quite petrified, but overwhelmed by the epiphany of what they were about to go into. "... Y-yeah, it was a really interesting and fun class," He answered, turning to face the boy with a nervous smile. His hands reached inside the pockets of his cloak, anxiously pulling at the inside embroidery work as the weight of entering a big classroom lurked in the near future. Just by standing here, he could recognize that the classrooms had more people than what he was used to back home. Preston was here and already accustomed to this place... h-he wasn't alone, and so everything would be fine! That's what he tried silently telling himself...[break][break]

"We, um, did survival exams at the end of each subject. One of--" Alfonse continued trying to share, pushing through the over-flooding of scents rushing to him. However, at the sound of elevating voices during a classroom discussion from one of the rooms he paused mid-sentence before sheepishly continuing. "-- O-One of the exams, we teleported to a burial ground where ancient healing herbs grow...." He finished off with the same attempt of composing himself with a smile, "Have you made a potion using ancient herbs before? I was surprised by how different they look and smell compared to other recipes,"[break][break]

For a second their eyes crossed paths.... silver hues meeting with Alfonse's gaze. Barely but a second later another wheeze sounded from the struggling male, startling the boy as his form jumped in place. Whatever strangely spooky feeling was taking hold of him once he'd neared the male made him feel all the more on edge... and the young boy couldn't shake off a surge of apprehensiveness towards the faceless man because of it. He worriedly bit down on his lip, lightly chewing it as a nervous tick as his hands remained cupped by his chest. Glowing blue whirled around the stranger's dark demeanor, his clothing nearly blending with long dark hair that was astray his back.... th-the whole suddenness of him showing up, and in such a conspicuous way was almost as terrifying as it was mind-blowing.[break][break]
"... U-um..." A small, shaking noise left Alfonse when no verbalized response was given. The man had fallen onto his back whilst another rhythmic motion of waves came searing over him before slowly sinking back. With how his arms spread in defeat against the sand, it looked as though he was forfeiting himself to the ocean.... letting the waves take him if they so pleased. ".... Sir?" He once more attempted to communicate but any form of certainty had left his tone, causing his voice to fall quite soft among the more so prominent commotion of the ocean backdrop. [break][break]
This man must have been hurt, or fatigued, o-or something bad must have happened to him because this wasn't normal! I-It wasn't normal for someone to appear out of nowhere like this and to be glowing like... l-like some super-powered jellyfish! His mind fled through all kinds of confused and increasingly nervous thoughts in trying to make sense of the situation, a-and.... with another couple steps forward, he found himself practically paralyzed in place as though a silent voice murmured into his subconscious not to draw closer. Fear... danger... i-it all very powerfully, and weirdly surrounded whomever this man was.... and it worsened every passing second he was close.[break][break]
Alfonse took a deep, shaking breath. He was seconds away from calling out for Ezriel... b-because he was starting to feel freaked out and worried about what was going on with this person... but as another rolling herd of waves started roaring towards the man, the boy spared his idle body. A translucent light, silvery glow mixed with a hue of pale blue whirled from his fingers in a similar waving current of illusory clear water. Releasing his hands from their clasp, he held out his palms to face the waves. Beside the man, the very same glowing hue appeared, creating a shimmering see-through rounded-shield that went half-way over him. Its demeanor almost looked like a glass reflection of the moonlight and stars with how clear, yet idly silver-hued the shield was. Once the waves met where the dark-clothed figure laid, wild splashes of water bounced off from the protective aura that saved him from being caught under the current, dispersing into frantic droplets while the rest of the waves seethed around and away from his figure.

As the demon approached the doorway, Alfonse's stomach queasily turned on him while the heat touching his face remained. Even being in the other boy's arms and the safest he could possibly be here, he couldn't completely cease the unsettling feelings he harbored towards the others inside the household. As the knob turned, the fox turned his face to hide against the warmth of his T-shirt. He lowered his face slightly to burrow and hide himself against the other boy, wanting to hide... a-as much as possible. [break][break]
Reassuringly the demon told him, "Their downstairs right now so you won't have to see them," His breath warmly tickled Alfonse's coat as he spoke. Both his ears lightly fluttered in response at the heat of his breath, one of his hind legs curling up tighter against his body as to further burrow himself deep into the shielded security of the other boy. I-It was a relief to know they were downstairs... and to be carried just in case... th-though he did feel shy about being so close and dependent on him. He seldom had this close of interaction with anyone before, and within the first time of meeting someone, he was being held in their arms and placing his whole life in them too... [break][break]

They were inside the bathroom in a matter of seconds. Alfonse's cheek turned against his chest to peek at the exterior before fully lifting his head up once the door clicked close behind them. They were taken to the countertop sink and when coming to a stop before the rounded faucet bowl, Alfonse readily stepped away from the demon's arms and onto the counter. He felt like he could relax more now that they were inside of here and the cautious tension riddling his body lessened as he sat, his tails long cascading in front of him over the countertip's trimming. [break][break]

His eyes watched the demon patiently, a subtle aroma of men's deodorant wafting when the closet door was opened. The blonde returned with a face cloth and while rinsing it, he asked if it were possible to use magic to write messages in the mirror. Alfonse's face brightened in liking of his idea, ears pointed tall as he glanced between the demon and the mirror. He didn't even think of that...! That was a great idea! H-he just... needed to ensure he had enough energy built up to do it, but Alfonse was eager to try. He wanted to communicate with the boy so that h-he just wasn't... quiet like a real animal, but being in this form made that a lot more complicated. [break][break]
He shifted his focus to summoning more magical aura into his control, lowering his face as his eyes narrowed into a close. The sound of running water continued behind him as he set his mind on manifestation, and upon hearing the boy speak up again, Alfonse opened his eyes to glimpse up at him. He had the cloth prepared for grooming him. Seeing someone standing above him with a cloth to bathe him with... r-really made him feel sheepish and awkward. Imagine what Master Leon, or anyone from the clan would think of him if they saw him in this moment... i-it was so embarrassing... [break][break]
Such sheepishness was strong enough to show in the way his Aquamarine hues averted towards the side, head remaining facing him. A whizzing notion around his front paws caught his attention and Alfonse glanced down to see the familiar whirl of illusory magic summoning at his beckoning again and in good timing. He lifted his head tall to gain back some of his pride, turning part-way to face the mirror. His tails gently flicked as he focused the purple glowing aura to fade from his paws, and instead fade onto the mirror in its natural transparent shine as they formed a response.[break][break]

'I don't mind. Thank you,'[break][break]

Alfonse looked back to the Demon, shyly gazing at the cloth before giving in to what he knew he needed... i-it was still super embarrassing, but he didn't want to show up back home covered in butter. H-he would never be able to come up with a probable excuse for that... a-and it was nice of the boy to be doing so much for him... he may have been embarrassed, but he was also quite thankful.