Acheron looked over at Tuvaq as he spoke, smiling as the other boy stated that he also didn't like to sleep alone. And when he added that he didn't like being alone in general, Acheron nodded. Yeah, I don't want to be alone all the time either,
he agreed. But we have each other, so we don't have to worry about that.
He smiled again, this time to reassure his friend.
He yawned and stretch a little, nuzzling his nose into Tuvaq's fur a little. He was quiet for a few moments before his gaze found his friend's again. What do you want to do after this?
he asked. They literally could do anything they wanted, and he found that he really like the way that felt. His missed his family and always would, but this was where he needed and wanted to be right now.
Acheron echoed his sentiment, and Tuvaq relaxed further, an audible sigh of relief escaping him. It felt nice, to be wanted like this. It was weird, obviously, but... in a good way. The blond scooted more firmly against the freckled boy, his eyes falling shut. They had each other. Maybe that was enough, really.
"We could do anything we wanted," he replied softly, unknowingly echoing Acheron's own thoughts. "But... I think somewhere with a lot of water. I've heard of oceans before, big places of water that are like rivers but... more. And I've never been." There had to be some fun stuff to explore there, Tuvaq thought. He couldn't really swim or anything, but he'd love to see the place. The indigenous life. The loud waves. "Could we?" His tone hopeful, Tuvaq turned his head a bit to look back at the other boy. If he didn't want to, they wouldn't go.
Tuvaq shifted, pressing more firmly against him. Acheron studied the way his eyes closed and his face relaxed; he much preferred it to the turbulence that had been there earlier when he had unknowingly brought up something his friend didn't want to talk about. He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, perfectly content.
He was glad to hear that Tuvaq liked their freedom too. He hoped it meant they had many adventures in their future. When he suggested finding the ocean, Acheron's eyes widened with excitement. He had never heard of such a thing that he could remember, and he was suddenly very interested to see this big body of water. Yeah, definitely,
he replied, his tail thumping against the ground. I've never heard of an ocean before; it sounds cool.
He paused, his expression curious. Do you know where one is?
Because, he certainly didn't, and he'd hate to wander around looking for one without knowing where they were going.
A small smirk crossed Tuvaq's maw when the other boy's tail started to thump against the ground. So he was just as interested in the water as Tuvaq was. But he did bring up an interesting point... how would they find it? It wasn't like there was a guidebook for these things, and Tuvaq was relatively new to this adventuring thing too, so...
"Maybe we can follow your river up north," he offered. Water would lead to water, right? "I didn't see any oceans down south on my way up here, so north might be a better bet." Hazel eyes flicked back to the freckled boy and he rolled a bit, facing him more fully. "What do you think?"
Okay,
Acheron offered. That seems like a good plan.
It was better than anything he could have come up with, given he had never even heard of a place like an ocean. Once we rest for a bit, we can start heading that way.
He yawned and nuzzled into Tuvaq's fur, his friend's scent filling his nose and comforting the speckled boy. He was surprised to already be so eased by the other boy's presence; he wondered what it meant, but he decided not to dwell on it too much right then. It didn't really matter anyway; he was grateful to have such a good friend already. He yawned again, his eyelids getting heavy and eventually closing. Sleep was close, and he would let it take over unless Tuvaq had anything else to say.
Tuvaq wholeheartedly agreed on the sleep front. The boy hadn't had enough sleep in a long time, so having someone there who was so... soothing, and so willing to be with him was a sort of relaxant. Like maybe things wouldn't be so bad, as long as Acheron was around.
He had nothing more to offer, just heaved a contented sigh and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overtake him. They'd continue their travels in a little bit.
fade