~ Soul Bound ~ >{ A Scarian/Double Life Fanfic}<

Chapter 2

      It had been a few days since the showman had arrived, and Grian had been busy. The short male had been at almost every showing of Scar's show. He was attracted to the show every time, no matter how strong his resolve. This confused the poor blonde so much, as he had never felt this before.
      Nevertheless, he enjoyed himself. The showings were always new and different, and Grian loved the creativity and work that was put into it. Along with enjoying the show, he really loved talking to Scar. The man was funny and interesting, and Grian just generally enjoyed spending time with him. They were pretty close, considering they'd only met about a week or two ago.
The short blonde male was determined to win over the showman, and that's exactly what he set out to do today. He had spent all morning baking cookies and was trailing through the town on his was to the place known as the traveling showman's camp. Grian had been pleased when Scar had showed him around, happy that the taller male trusted him openly. Scar was like a drug, and Grian couldn't get enough of it.
Even though the two got along well, the smaller man was fretful. There had been news about skirmishes between the Elven and Avian countries. The builder hoped that it would be sorted out soon, for he was a big worrier and the fights weren't doing anything good for his nerves.
As the little Avian neared the area, he was surprised to see the camp half dismantled. He treaded around, looking for Scar. He would know what was going on.
Grian found him in a mid-sized reddish tent, looking over something that looked like a schedule or maybe paperwork. He frowned. That couldn't be good news.
Scar turned, breaking into a smile before greeting the small blonde. "Grian! My friend! How are you?" The taller asked cheerfully. The builder smiled brightly, beaming that Scar had called him his friend. The he remembered the half - dismantled camp and frowned again.
"I'm well, thank you. But I'd like to ask- what's up with the camp..?" The Avian pointed his thumb in the direction of the camp, a confused look on his face.
Scar chuckled. "Well, we are a traveling show, aren't we? We don't stay in one place for long. We leave around noon tomorrow."
Grian's throat went dry. He didn't want his friend to leave, as he would miss him dearly. "So soon?" He managed to croak out.
The brown - haired male could see the smaller was disappointed and upset, but he didn't know what to do. He hated seeing his friend like this, but he had to go with the group. He was the leader, the boss, the star. If he left, there wouldn't be a show anymore. The Elf was torn, fiddling with his necklace, a common habit for him.
Grian sighed inwardly. He knew Scar had to go, and he didn't want to make his job harder. Sure, Grian would miss him dearly and regret not spending more time with the showman, but what could he do to stop him? The smaller swallowed back his disappointment and placed down the basket of cookies he'd made for Scar. "Those are for you, gotta go now," the blonde muttered, turning away and scuttling out quickly. The taller reached out a hand as if to stop him, but he was already gone.
Grian knew he shouldn't be upset. He knew it shouldn't be a big deal. Yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that if Scar left, everything would fall apart. The builder shook his head. It was not a big deal. He wanted to believe it, but he knew it was only halfhearted. He trudged back home, head hung.
The short male was too tired and upset to fly to his balcony, so he walked toward the tree trunk, pushed a button, and walked inside.
He climbed the long, looming staircase that led out into his living room, sighing and plopping himself down on his small, fluffy couch. The builder buried his face in a pillow, moping.
"Pity party for one! Pity party for one!" Grian heard a voice announce. He turned to see his pet bird, Wander, squeaking up a storm. He buried his face back in the cushions and muttered, "Pesky Bird."
The bird suddenly flew toward the window, alarmed by something the Avian couldn't hear. He heaved himself up to check out what was making Wander make so much racket.
Outside the window, Grian saw Scar pacing the dirt path, practically wearing a hole into it. The blonde hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to speak with Scar, since he was leaving soon anyway. It wasn't a good idea to get more attached. That would just make it harder when Scar left.
Unluckily for Grian, fate had not been with him for the showman peeked up, seeing the Avian's fluffy blonde hair and beady black eyes peeping out of the window. Scar started waving frantically as if to wave him down. The winged male heaved a sigh. There was no way he could hide out now without seeming rude, and that was the last thing that the blonde wanted.
He trudged to the balcony, muttering annoyedly to himself, before jumping off the ledge backward and catching himself with his wings at the last moment. If the showman wanted to leave, Grian at least wanted to seem impressive.
He turned to face Scar, weariness clear in his eyes as he stood, tapping his foot impatiently, in front of Scar, who was staring at him as if he was still starstruck from the blondes little stunt. Grian smirked slightly, smug that he had gotten the result he wished for. The taller shook his head as if to clear it as Grian looked at him and gave him and expectant, "Well?"
Scar opened his mouth but no sound came out. What to say? He didn't want the small male to be upset, but he was going to leave anyway? Scar sighed inwardly. There would be no good way to do this. Out of the corner of his eye, Scar spotted a mark on Grian's wrist. Not thinking, he questioned the smaller. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the blondes strange mark. The builder looked confused for a moment before following Scar's eyes to his wrist, which he had forgotten to cover in his confusion. The smaller always covered his soulmark, it was an annoying reminder of the whole soulmate process, and he despised it.
      Grian resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the mention of his mark. Instead, he forced himself to reply to Scar. "It's my Soulmark. Yknow, for the whole 'Soulmate' biz? Do elves not have that?" Grian questioned.
      Scar shook his head before answering. "We have them, but ours are always supposed to be hidden. The Elven monarchy don't like the idea of their subjects running around to find some person they had little chance of finding."
      Grian snorted. At least someone in this world had a little sense. He looked back to the dark - haired male. "I didn't know that. I guess the Avian government is a little more freelance than the Elves. I'm not saying that we're right, though." The feathered man added. He didn't want to make Scar think he agreed on this particular matter.
      "Anyway-" The short blonde was distracted by a loud cracking sound that made him jump, clutching his hands like he was trying to keep himself together. The two looked around, confused. "What..?" Grian trailed off, still looking for the source of the noise. He spotted nothing. It made him uneasy, but he ignored it, for now.
       "I should get going-" Scar announced, knowing that if he didn't leave now nothing would get done. He gave Grian one last wave goodbye and padded off. The shorter sighed. He'd made no progress at all.