Chapter Text
A steady sound of an engine hummed on a quiet road in a rather dormant part of Kepler, West Virginia. Outside the window, many establishments could be seen past the thin layer of fog settled around them, just opening up for the morning. There was an antique shop, a bookstore, a diner with a rustic vibe to it, and a vape shop. It was a late morning for Kepler, many working people had to detour their routes due to the sinkhole that both started and stopped just as quickly yesterday night. The road continued on for some time and was almost completely still. Inside the truck was not so passive. The two people that were in the front seats were Aubrey Little and Duck Newton. Aubrey was singing along dramatically to the music coming fairly loudly which was making Duck nearly wheeze with laughter. Both Ned and Duck had been acting weird since the fight and Aubrey took some comfort in at least seeing one of them being happy. Duck was almost too busy laughing at the spectacle to pay full attention to the road. They were both headed to Indrid’s Winnebago to check up on him after the last hunt and also return his ruby red glasses. Ned didn’t come on account of him “not giving a shit” in a near exact quote, but Aubrey and Duck did give a shit. Duck more so on account of him punching Indrid in order to knock his glasses off, he felt bad but at least it got Indrid safe and out of the fight. A part of Duck was worried Indrid would be mad, maybe to the point of not even letting him in to apologize.
In the midst of the chaotic show that Aubrey had been putting on, Duck cursed under his breath and swerved the car to the side, he nearly missed the turn. They reached the Eastwood Campground and RV park where Indrid’s Winnebago was parked, still the lone vehicle left on the lot. They pulled up next to the trailer, gravel and some fresh unplowed snow crunching softly below the weighty tires. They parked and hopped out grabbing both a bag and Indrid’s glasses. The bag, or what was in it rather, was an extra apology they put together once places opened up that morning for indirectly getting him kidnapped by the second goatman.
They walked and as they went to knock on the door, they saw Indrid swing the thin door open. Both Duck and Aubrey reacted with surprise for they expected for him to have retreated to his home and hid while still in his Sylvan form but they looked up to see him in a human disguise. Instead of a tank top, he wore a baggy hoodie, the same jeans, and on his left wrist, a bracelet they’d seen in the bin Billy went through a few days ago, seemingly in place of his glasses and the disguise itself was nearly identical. He was a bit cleaner looking and his hair wasn’t as messy but who’s to say that was due to the disguise, but he looked good. The most notable change was almost undeniably weird to see. This change was seeing his eyes. Sure, they’ve known Indrid for only a few days but to see him without his giant glasses was strange. They mirrored the deep red that his spectacles had and they nearly glowed with enthusiasm as the tall man spoke.
“Hello, you two! Glad to see you faired well after last nights skirmish!” He had a short breathy laugh as he watched the two Pine Guard members before him look at each other for a second. “I know it must look strange to see me without my rather iconic glasses, but seeing as you have brought them, thank you dearly, by the way, you won’t have to put up with that for much longer”
“We’re happy to see that you got out well too, Indrid. Sorry about doing a hit on ya by the way. l guess I was really amped up or somethin” Duck placed a hand on the back of his neck as he stared up at Indrid. For the life of him, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Indrid’s. He didn’t know why but he chalked it up to it simply being unusual to see him without the glasses. As Indrid met eyes with him and smiled, his stomach twisted a bit. Duck’s gaze was immediately broken by a figure dashing in between the two of them. Aubrey was a blur as she zoomed and grabbed Indrid’s shoulders, a quick movement that had readily braced himself before she made impact. The momentum still made him step back in order to not topple over.
“HOLY SHIT! Have they always been like that?” Aubrey asked nearly too fast for Duck to fully understand. Indrid laughs softly and pulls away from her.
“Well, yes and no, my original ‘disguise’, if you will, has always had slightly unnatural eyes, but nowhere near as outlandish as this. I usually try to keep up some level of secrecy to avoid any prying eyes but I’ve spent so long with my glasses on it would feel wrong not having some resemblance to my true form.” He shivered and lead both Aubrey and Duck inside. Once the door was shut Indrid cupped his hands over his mouth and breathed hard for a second before rubbing them together. The heat was still excessive but as Duck looked around he noticed that he only had one space heater going. Duck felt a slight pang of worry in his stomach because in comparison to the last two times he’d been here, it was pretty cold. Aubrey and Duck both noticed that the surroundings were oddly clean, not as clean as Amnesty Lodge after Barclay went through it but cleaner than they would have imagined Indrid’s messy Winnebago to ever be. Indrid watched the two of them react to the new environment. “Do you like it? After the little escapade, my home was left in an even sorrier state than normal so I decided that not only should I clean up THAT mess but should also be more accommodating to my new friends.”
“Damn, Indrid, How long did this take you?” Duck said softly surveying the clean countertops. There were still assorted things lying about like scattered crumbled drawings that he had yet to throw away but it almost felt right to have some amount of clutter.
“No clue” Indrid said nearly immediately, he was too busy watching Duck’s face to wait the ‘normal’ amount of time before responding. Aubrey seemed like a disorganized person herself so she might not even be too impressed, but with Duck, everything about him seemed tidy. His shirts were always neatly tucked in, his hair was shaggy but not unkempt, and no matter what he always smelled nice, like the forest trees and faint cologne. Indrid. Being the complete opposite, had worried that his lifestyle had made everyone, including Duck, uncomfortable. Indrid hoped that Duck appreciated the effort at least. He noticed that Aubrey said something but hadn’t actually heard her. “I’m sorry what was that? I hit my head pretty bad yesterday”
Duck looked up and gave a concerned glance to Indrid but he didn’t match his gaze. Aubrey raised up the glasses and the bag and laughed. “Some gifts?” Indrid said ‘gifts’ in unison with her and paused looking at the bag. He seemed to stare past it for a second before shaking his head and clapped his hands.
“Right! Okay yes!” Indrid grinned and began to unfasten his bracelet. He stopped and looked at the two of them and said “I’m going to have be in my Sylvan form for a hot minute so uh, yeah.” and the bracelet fell the floor with a soft thud. Indrid’s black wings unfurled and his piercing red eyes beamed down at the now smaller figures and reached out his hand. Aubrey grinned awkwardly and handed him the pair of glasses. He was back to the same scrappy guy. It became apparent that his other disguise was made fully from scratch, while it was recognizable as Indrid, his face was sharper here and he had more of a pale olive complexion. Duck caught a quick glimpse of Indrid’s eyes before he slid his glasses on completely. They could almost be mistaken for a vibrant brown but there was a deep mahogany tint to them that made him feel warm. “I’m sorry about that, it’s bad to have two disguises going at once. Gives me a headache.”
“It’s all good, dude! We also got you this, to say sorry for, you know, leaving you with the other goat and all that.” Aubrey said lifting the bag his hands. “Now I know it’s not gonna be much of a surprise but” And she was cut off by Indrid, waving his hand in the air dismissively, massive smile upon his face.
“Trust me, ” Indrid pauses before he can even finish his first thought, he knew exactly what was going on but the thought they still got him something made him nearly tear up. “it means the world to me, clairvoyance or not.” He said softly. His fingers danced on the brown paper before he actually reached in. His fingers hesitated as he felt the cold surface of porcelain. Indrid’s eyes welled up with tears masked by the glasses as he pulled the mug out and he read the words. Nog Time!, it said on its side with a festive design around the border. Indrid beamed down at it for a solid thirty seconds. Aubrey and Duck looked at each other with a knowing grin. He felt a breathy laugh leave him before he cleared his throat. “Thank you both, this is so sweet. . .” He fell silent again and tried to ignore the feeling of regret for getting close to these two people. He didn’t want even more reasons to be worried about them getting hurt. He pushed it down and looked up at the two of them, they looked worried. “So. . . anyone want eggnog?”
“Sure thing, glad you like the mug” Duck said, taking a seat at the recently cleared off couch. He watched Indrid nod before putting the new mug gently on the countertop, bending over to get the eggnog out of the fridge.
“I’ll pass, you got anything else though?” Aubrey asked.
“You can certainly check, you might not find anything though” Indrid was already getting two cups ready as they gave their answers and used his new mug for his own. “Like I said when we first met, not used to guests”
Aubrey slid past him and looked into the fridge. She frowned as she saw the rather disheartening display. There was a half-empty Capri-Sun, three half gallons of nog, and an untouched thing of ancient looking grapes. Indrid handed Duck a mug of nog and he smiled and nodded as a thanks.
“Indrid? Do you eat anything? Like ever?” Aubrey did another look through the fridge. The only thing she missed was some butter in the door. He spinned around to face her and shoved his hands into the pockets of the massive hoodie.
“I mean, I’ve got pizza rolls and get take out every now and then. I might have some other snacks but I also haven’t checked in maybe two weeks.”
“Mood but like . . .” Aubrey closed the fridge and looked Indrid. Before she could finish her thought Duck spoke up.
“Why don’t we all go out somewhere and eat. Frankly, I could use some solid grub myself and obviously you two don’t know how to feed yourselves. My treat.” He took a sip and looked up and his friends for a response.
“I’d have to shower, I’m not exactly presentable.” Indrid pauses and chugs his nog. “I’ll be out in sixteen minutes” He rushed into his bedroom and shut the door before the other two could react.
Duck laughed and watched as Aubrey took a seat next to him. She took a skeptical glance at the mug in Duck’s hands, cupped and close to his chest.
“So, Duck” Her tone was already reminiscent of Jane’s, his little sister poked fun at him constantly. She grinned at him and continued to tease. ”Since when do you like eggnog so much?.”
“uh ’scuse you?” Duck choked mid-sip.
“Yeah, don’t you remember? Back at the ski trip? Jake said he was excited to get down on some of that nasty egg-milk but you were like ‘aw nah that shits gross’” Aubrey jabbed him with her elbow and mimicked his voice. He shook his head and gave a defeated laugh. Duck had almost no recollection of what she was talking about.
“To be fair, Aubrey, that was whole calendar month ago, and also I hadn’t had since I was maybe eighteen. I didn’t like a lot of good shit back then.” He finished off the drink and laughed. She had a point though, he didn’t even think about trying nog again before meeting Indrid. He’d get offered it at Christmas parties and waved it off, but now it’s almost grown on him.
Aubrey smiled and the banter continued for awhile and the conversation, to Duck’s relief, had shifted in topic. Their goofs came to a standstill when they heard a short scream and an awkward thud. They looked at each other and Duck stood up.
“Indrid? You good in there?” Duck yelled to the opposite end of the trailer. There was silence for a moment. Aubrey also stood and walked forward a bit.
“Yeah! I’m fine.” They heard Indrid’s voice pained and presumably still on the ground. “I’m just a dumb bastard I’ll be out in a minute”
Duck chuckled to himself. Aubrey watched him intently as he did so and as, a few moments later, Indrid stepped out of his bedroom. His hair was poorly dried and shaggy and he now had three more layers of winter clothing on. Indrid looked super cozy under the near nautical mile of fabric he had put himself under. He put on a pair of gloves he had on a table near the door and looked over at his two guests, giving awkward smile slightly masked by a light scarf.
“I’m gonna warm up the truck, be right back” Duck said, ignoring a smirk from Aubrey and nodding to Indrid as he walks out the door, gently shutting the door behind himself. The two sat in silence for a moment. Indrid was looking into the multitude of futures, he was puzzled. In every one of them, Aubrey sat alone. Duck was instead seated next to him, both in the diner and on the ride there. Every time Aubrey found a new reason for this arrangement and made it apparent that this is how she wanted it to be. One of which was her spilling water on the booth next to her claiming that it was an accident but anyone with any level of perception could tell otherwise. In confused amusement, Indrid let out a noncommittal and soft laugh under his breath. Aubrey looked over at him, his gaze stayed glued to the wall of the Winnebago. The uncomfortable silence lasted for a few minutes before Duck’s voice was heard from outside.
“Alright gang, hop in, the heater is on full blast.” Duck called out. Though Indrid had been the first one out the door, Aubrey raced in front of him and hopped in the back seat. Indrid climbed into the front seat and buckled himself in. The sounds of snow and gravel began once more as Duck pulled the truck out of the parking lot. Indrid followed Duck’s movements closely, he watched as his hands moved easily across the steering wheel and his eyes began to focus on the road. Indrid was an atrocious driver. You’d think spending so many years on Earth would lend itself to becoming quite proficient at it, but he just wasn't. This was mainly due to him getting distracted by the plethora of new visions that flooded in as he started the engine. Duck, on the other hand, was concentrated. Concentrated up until a loud noise that had been the back of Indrid’s mind for nearly a full minute blared inside the truck. Duck’s grip tightened as Aubrey thrust herself forward and cranked up some music. The music was roaring and it echoed throughout most of the futures Indrid saw. Duck noticed that he had gotten startled too and turned it down.
“Jesus Christ, Thanks for the warning, Aubrey.” Duck said, making mental notes of where he was on the road.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to make it that loud.” Aubrey settled back into her seat and buckled her seatbelt again. The music kept going for a while and eventually changed to something that made Aubrey light up. Indrid wasn't familiar with most music, especially not this, but Duck and Aubrey both grinned at each other and joined in with the radio, returning to the same energy concert they were having on their way to the trailer park. Indrid observed the scene curiously. He’d only known the two of them for a few days and it was a very professional situation they found themselves in. Seeing them goof off without the weight of the last abomination on their shoulders was strange but almost relaxing. They’d been his only contact for God knows how long and having them be more jovial than usual was refreshing. As they got into the chorus Indrid couldn’t help but nod his head to the beat. Duck looked over with a soft grin before turning his view back to the road.
“What kinda music you into, Indrid? Duck asked as eventually, the music moved on to a new track. Indrid had no idea what this one was and seemingly neither did the other two. Indrid shrugged and watched out the window as they passed Crypto-Vapour, the place was familiar to him because it was on the way to where Indrid usually got his eggnog and other essentials and not at all because he vapes.
"I don’t really listen to music all that much, I understand the appeal and I'll have the radio on at times but it can get a little overwhelming.” He said softly.
“Now, I know this is going to sound a little rude so pardon me. If there’s nothing big happening that you need to predict or whatever, what do you do all day?” Duck glanced over back at Indrid as he responded. The Winnebago was cluttered yet seemingly baron every time they had visited. The only real signs of any hobbies were the scattered specialty pencils and sketchbook papers strewn about. Other than that and some novels Duck assumed to be from Sylvain given their strange appearance, his home showed signs of his day to day being rather bland.
“Well, I . . . ” Indrid paused and took a quick glimpse into the futures apparent to him. None of them showed either Aubrey or Duck reacting dramatically to the truth. He breathed a near silent huff of relief and finished his thought. “If I’m being honest, not a lot. I tend to do some sketches unrelated to any major possible futures just so I stay busy and keep my skills sharp. I go shopping at least every two weeks but other than that I don’t get out. Most of my off time is also is spent surveying futures unrelated to the abominations as well. Also a bunch of naps, like a lot.”
“Well shit, Indrid, glad you’ve befriended us then. You can chill with Aubrey, Ned, and I when we’re free” Duck laughed quietly. Indrid smiled warmly, mostly hidden under his scarf. He had worried about pushing the trio away because his immense lack of social skills and less than orderly home but now those worries began to diminish. The truck pulled a parking spot next to a large window. They got out and Aubrey grabbed a bag she had under her seat. Indrid looked at her quizzically as she swung it over he shoulder, not the spilled water future for sure.
The building looked rustic and homey but even better, it looked warm. They all got out and walked around to the front. There was an old rusted sign reading Everpine Diner across it in dark green cursive letters. There were little tree decals on either side of the sign and another on the glass on the door. Through the large windows between the curtains, they could see millions of Christmas decorations. There were lights and garland strung between the windows and doorways both inside and out and a massive tree could be barely seen from their view outside. Duck held the door for Aubrey and Indrid and then chuckled as they passed. “Last time I was here I got kicked out for getting high with Juno in the bathroom, when we were dumb teenagers of course. Here’s hoping none of ‘em remember me.”
The interior of the diner was mostly wooden like Amnesty Lodge was, the whole cozy Christmas vibe and the cottagecore aesthetic pooled together into one building. There was someone waiting with a energy clearly opposing that of the rest of the diner. They greeted the group warmly regardless and showed them to a booth. Duck sat down first, resting his coat on a hook at the end of the booth, and grabbing three menus from the waiter. Quickly, Aubrey sat opposite of him with her bag and coat settled carefully by her side. Indrid then took the only free spot. The massive pane of glass was cold to the point where it nearly radiated the chill so Indrid was thankful Duck had sat there instead. Sitting immediately next to him, Indrid could almost feel some of the heat remaining from the truck even through his thick coat that he wore. Duck looked with a faint smile down at his menu, surveying each item. Indrid followed Duck’s eyes as they scanned over a page twice before nodding, almost imperceptibly to himself. Looking down at his own menu, Indrid tried to make a decision that wasn’t too similar to his usual ‘diet’. After everyone decided, they made mindless banter until different waiter, more chipper and in the "Christmas Spirit", whipped around and took their drinks and orders, taking the menus with her. When she was out of earshot, Aubrey craned her neck and looked at their surroundings, the place was nearly empty minus an old couple at the opposite side of the room and a man with two rowdy kids running around their table at the far end.
“Okay so Indrid, I meant to ask earlier but how’d the goatman actually get the drop on you?” She whispered, leaning in closer to the two men. Duck glanced at Aubrey with a hint of worry in his eyes and then over at Indrid. Duck knew that he probably didn’t want to talk about in public, even if there wasn’t anyone immediately next to them. Indrid sighed quietly and also took note of their surroundings and possible futures as well before speaking in a hushed tone.
“Well, I saw that he was going to attack me. I knew it was going to happen at some point almost immediately after you left but I knew you three were already pressed for time with something far more signifigant so I didn’t bother to try and get you to come back. I couldn’t pin down exactly when it would happen, I was too distracted and in my head to sort through vast futures that sprouted up when you brought him into my home. I was busy working on his disguise whe-”
“Which actor was he going to look like?” Aubrey interrupted. Indrid smiled and Duck chuckled softly next to him. “This is so important, like crazy important, to the mental image I’m crafting. Was it a different Ryan?”
“I did think about making him look like Ryan Reynolds but honestly I felt like we had drawn enough attention to our work at that point. Anyways, I was in the middle of making a completely original veil for our new pal when he slipped out of his restraints. I turned around in time and tried to move out of the way before he could swing one of my space heaters at me but he got me in the arm pretty good.” As he says that he pulled back the sleeve on his coat to reveal a large burn on his upper arm. Aubrey gasped and Duck studied the wound. He’d seen countless burns in his years of being a Park Ranger and also being an older sibling to Jane, who proved to be a little bit of a clown when it came to fire. He looked up at Indrid and was about to ask if he could check it out but before he spoke Indrid slowly nodded. It didn’t look severe and it seemed to already be treated well enough. As he was finishing his inspection, Indrid continued. “He managed to put two of those out of commision during the tussle. He made quite a mess of both my home and myself. I may have clairvoyance but I’m not the most imposing figure and I definitely am not built for close quarters combat. . . or any combat in all honesty, anything physical really.”
“God, Indrid if we knew this was gonna happen one of us could’ve stayed behind. You shouldn’t have had to try to fend him off all on your own.” Duck pulled away from the wound and Indrid covered it back up with his sleeve. Indrid felt uncomfortably warm before Duck had pulled his arm down and took a moment to compose himself before responding.
“That’s very kind of you but it’s in the past, there’s no way you could’ve known save for me telling you”
“Also, If that starts acting up, you let me now. Alright?”
“Sure thing, Duck” Indrid could barely get the words out. He slumped over ever so slightly, avoiding both Duck and Aubrey’s eyes. He didn’t like having people worry about him, he also hadn’t had anyone in his life who would worry about him in what seemed like forever. Indrid felt good having people to back him up but the anxiety and worry that he felt for them and their futures was almost not even worth it. He’d rather feel lonely than deal with that weight on his conscience most days. Duck noticed Indrid’s change in posture and cast him a worried look. He sat up once more and smiled loosely at Duck. For a moment, all they did was look at each other. Duck’s eyes were very unique, while not necessarily unnatural like Indrid’s, they weren’t exactly the norm. One was a warm, deep brown that matched his disposition. The other was a bright blue, vibrant and equally deep. Indrid broke the stare off first, moving his gaze to the countless decorations. Duck looked away as well, shifting in his seat. The tension remained until, just a minute later, Indrid stiffened let out a "Oh goodness." and started to stand up.
“Where are you going?” Duck said, almost reflexively reaching out for his arm. Indrid turns after sliding out of the booth. He looked worried, he gazed across the diner before speaking.
“The girl at that table and her little sibling are roughhousing, in two minutes they’re going to take it a little too far. The father is going to ask for a to-go box and will be absent from the table. The sister will get pushed by the younger one into the table, hitting her head. She’ll be . . . unharmed outside of a concussion in one future but . . .” Indrid trailed off and was focused on the table as the father scolded the children quietly before leaving for the front desk. Indrid assessed to himself the best way in and stepped forward before being stopped by Aubrey.
“If she’s going to be okay I don’t think it’s a good idea to approach random kids,” Aubrey said. “Like, I’m all for helping her avoid a hospital trip but a strange bony man coming out of nowhere to talk to a couple of kids? We might have to pass on that one.”
Indrid shifted on his feet uncomfortably. Aubrey had a point but still, he felt wrong. Collateral damage and innocent injuries were Indrid’s least favorite things. He knew sometimes it was unavoidable but in cases like this, he wished he could turn off his power. There was no right thing to do and Indrid, regrettably, knew that. He sat down and sighed. Indrid seized up as he felt something comforting and warm on his shoulder. Duck.’s hand was pressed reassuringly onto him. The warmth from before threatened to shift all the way up Indrid’s neck, he felt nauseous. He cast Duck a weak smile and glued his eyes to a festive bow on one of the light fixtures as he heard the little girl cry out.
The father ran over and cradled the girl in his arms, telling her she was okay. A nearby waiter also checked in on them before he and his family left, leaving a sum of cash and their food behind. The restaurant took a moment to resume the comfortable atmosphere. The table was quiet and still. Duck’s hand didn’t move until the waitress approached with their food. Duck and Aubrey thanked her as she placed their plates in front of them but Indrid continued to stare at the light until she passed. When she left he looked down at the food with a soft grin.
“So uh. What’s going on with Ned? Was he busy or. . .” Indrid asked purely to break the tension. He knew something happened at the Cryptonimica, there were futures where police sirens rang through the dark streets but none of those came to pass. He saw someone he didn’t recognize in there for sure and that was probably tied to Ned’s absence but he didn't really feel it was any of his business.
“He was acting strange this morning, more than usual, and he kind of blew us off when we asked him about coming.” Aubrey said, piling a large piece of french toast onto her fork.
“Yeah, yesterday was rough for everyone so I’m not surprised he did.” When Duck said that his eyes nearly clouded over with a nearly unreadable emotion. Guilt? Confusion? Anger? Neither Aubrey nor Indrid could really pin it down. He looked distracted by something but he quickly pulled himself back to the conversation.
“You alright, Duck?” Aubrey and Indrid asked in unison, it wasn’t was unnatural and unnerving as it usually was when he talked with people, almost like it was also his immediate reaction. Duck looked at the both of them with an obviously fake smile.
“Uh yeah, I just . . . shit . . . slept on the wrong side of the. . . wait fuck, it’s wake up, isn’t it? I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Duck stammered, signaling Aubrey to immediately doubt the next bullshit excuse that left him. “My cat she was . . . just . . . really rowdy last night.”
“Duck, I’ve met Hickory, she’s the least ‘rowdy’ cat on earth. What’s really going on?” Aubrey tried to make eye contact but Duck’s shifted down to the food.
“Wow! Guys, have you tried the eggs? They’re phenomenal!” Duck exclaimed with forced enthusiasm. Indrid felt himself laugh as Duck said it but it sounded much closer to a faint giggle. “It’s uh, It’s nothing that we need to worry about during our nice friendly brunch, Aubrey.”
After a few minutes of silence, the conversation kicked back up, less awkward this time. Aubrey eventually told some story about her trying to swindle a juul out of a kid for ‘special effects’ during a show she did out west and Duck described how exactly he and his best friend got kicked out of this particular diner. Being around Aubrey and Duck, listening to them goof around and contributing to the jokes, it made Indrid indescribably happy. He felt, for the first time in a while, like he belonged with them. He enjoyed making them laugh, especially Duck. If someone made a good enough joke, his eyes would squint up and his face would go pink a bit.
They finished eating and Duck paid the waitress. While walking out, both Indrid and Aubrey takes a second to thank Duck for the meal. They entered the truck and let it run for a minute before turning on the heat. Once they warmed up enough they pulled out of the driveway and headed back to the RV park. They listened to music again but not as lively as they did on the way there. Aubrey talked about her plans with Jake and Dani later and then followed a tangent about Dani for a decent amount of the ride. The familiar crunch of gravel signified their arrival, distracting her from arguing with Duck about the meaning behind her and Dani holding hands. The truck pulled to a stop and Indrid smiled brightly at his two friends.
“I’d like to thank you both for the mug and my glasses, and of course, thanks again for the brunch, Duck” Indrid said, resting his hand on the handle. “I know you both have things you need to get to so I won’t keep you much longer. Will I see you guys again soon?”
“You can count on it, partner” Duck smiled, turning down the heat now that Indrid opened the door to leave. "Wait, Indrid . . .”
“Yes?” He sat with his legs already out of the door.
“You gonna be warm enough in there?”
“I’ll be just fine, Duck.” Indrid felt nauseous again. They said their goodbyes and as he stepped into his home he turned to watch them leave. Once they pulled out he closed the door, sat down on his couch, and just grinned. After a few moments, he shed his winter wear and wrapped himself in a blanket instead. He grabbed his sketchbook and pencils and got to work on some new pieces, most of which featuring his friends.