Chapter 26 –– Moshe Assad

Noam and Moshe arrived at the square to watch the closing ceremony of the Redfyre Carnival, the popstone shower. Popstones were very rare in the realm, so rare that it could only be seen once a year in Felixia Village. Despite having his neck wrapped in bandages, Noam did not let this opportunity slip away and went out of his way to ask Moshe to bring him to the square to watch the popstone shower together.

While waiting for the event to start, Moshe took Noam to have a seat in a bench under a geoxyle tree. The two of them stared at the view in front of them as they held each other's paws.

Noam wanted to start a conversation as he usually does, however, since he could not speak right now, all he could do was just wait and listen to what Moshe had to say.

"I'm sorry that it ended up this way. You were invited to come here to have fun during our annual celebration, yet you got hurt in the process. I apologize."

Moshe felt bad for letting such a thing happen to Noam. He was supposed to protect him, but he failed to do so. This was supposed to be a trip for him to get to know him more, but in the end, Moshe didn't feel like he knew Noam any better.

Noam shook his head, saying that it wasn't his fault. He also expressed that he felt happy with the time he spent here in the village, despite whatever happened to them. Even though he didn't use any words, Noam successfully conveyed his feelings towards Moshe.

"After my mother confiscated and returned all my puffs, I kept wondering where the dealer I used to buy my puffs from went. Now I know."

Moshe drew a pack of puffs that he kept inside his pocket and showed it to Noam. He showed him one of the puffs and dissected it in front of him.

"After I ran out of stock, I decided to make the puffs on my own. I figured out that it was made out of Nepeta* herb, so I grew it on my own and made some for myself. It didn't taste the same, not as good as the one I used to buy, but it gave more or less the same effect so I didn't mind it."

Noam saw what was inside the puff for the first time. It was Nepeta herb crumpled up and wrapped using processed geoxyle tree fibre. It didn't seem easy to make, yet, knowing that Moshe worked as an alchemist for a living, Noam was not surprised that he would know how to make one.

"Now, I don't need it anymore."

Moshe crushed the pack of puffs in his hand and threw it in the bin. He completely disposed it in front of Noam.

Noam looked at Moshe in the eyes. The way Moshe said it, it was as if he was trying to say that Noam was the reason that he stopped puffing. Moshe made sure that he conveyed to Noam that he was able to replace puffing for him.

Slowly, their faces came closer together. As they both closed their eyes, the first popstone appeared in the sky. Moshe and Noam shared a kiss under the first popstone of the year.

After they were done watching the popstone shower, they returned to the manor and spent the night together in Moshe's room.

The next day, Noam woke up in Moshe's bed with his suitor sleeping next to him. Unlike what he expected, Moshe was still sleeping after he woke up.

Noam stared at Moshe's face. He looked serious while sleeping, with his eyebrows all tense as if he was having a nightmare. Noam gently tapped on his forehead to release the tension on his face. It seemed to work and Moshe slowly became more relaxed.

A few moments later, Moshe woke up with Noam right in front of him, watching him sleep. Their faces were so close to each other that they could even feel each other's breaths.

"Good morning," Noam greeted.

Moshe was surprised to hear that Noam was already able to speak this morning. Just like the healer said, he did recover very quickly.

"Morning," Moshe replied.

Knowing that this was time for Noam to go home, Noam returned to his room to pack and the both of them got ready for breakfast.

After having breakfast, Lady Zara prepared a bouquet of flowers for Noam. It was the biggest bouquet he had ever seen, with every type of flower he had ever seen in the village.

“Send my regards to your mothers,” Lady Zara said, as she handed the bouquet to Noam, intended for his mothers.

Noam looked perplexed and didn't know how to bring the bouquet inside the palanquin. In the end, Lord Kohen–– Moshe's step father–– helped him put the bouquet inside the palanquin carefully so that the flowers won't get ruined.

"Sorry that we could barely meet while you were here. Hopefully we could talk some more sometime in the future," Lord Kohen said, after meeting Noam for the first time.

"Sure. I'll see you soon, Lord Kohen."

Moshe and Aaryn saw Noam off right before leaving. Aaryn gave Noam a hug right before he left.

"Take care. Let me know the next time you're in town."

Aaryn put something in Noam's paw as a gift. It turned out to be a mini popstone. Noam grinned excitedly upon seeing it and appreciated the kind gesture.

Noam was waiting for Moshe to come to him to say goodbye. However, Moshe did not take any step forward and just saw him from afar.

Moshe was afraid that if he said goodbye now, it would make it harder for him to let Noam go. In the end, he decided to smile and wave at Noam from afar.

Noam was disappointed at first, but understood right away. That was just how Moshe was. He might not be good at expressing his feelings very well, but Noam understood exactly what he was trying to convey. Noam smiled back at him and gently waved back as the carriage left the manor.

A while after Noam departed from the manor to return to his village, he heard a loud shout from behind.

"SEE YOU SOON, NOAM!!!"

Noam took a peek from the window to see who it was. Turned out, it was Moshe, running all the way from the manor just to say his final goodbye. In the end, Moshe acted out of character for once just to let Noam know how he felt about him. Noam appreciated the gesture and shouted back at him.

"SEE YOU VERY SOON, MOSHE!!!"

Noam then left the village to return back to his village, Hyaena Village.

“Thank you, Felixia village,” Noam whispered softly as he left the village.

Upon arrival, Noam's mothers greeted him right by the door. They were excited to see their son who was on a journey far away from home.

"Oh! What is this??" Noam's mama asked.

"It's a bouquet from Lady Zara and Lord Kohen. They sent their regards to you both," Noam answered as he handed them the bouquet.

Noam's mama–– Lady Varda–– held the bouquet excitedly and put in in a vase. Good thing that they had the biggest vase for the biggest bouquet just at the right moment.

"So, was it fun there?"

"A lot happened, but it all went well. I learnt so much about many things. I hope we can get to know each other more," Noam said with a smile.

His mothers nodded proudly. They felt relieved that their son had a great time under the care of his suitor.