Falling like Leaves

Kyle and Jo nodded in agreement.

Kyle let Jo lead. It was instinctual at this point. He probably should have been the one in front, seeing that he could heal from any deadly injury, but Jo always wanted to keep moving. During the Dark Year, he had gotten used to seeing their back while the two of them walked together.

After what felt like an eternity, but was likely just thirty minutes at most, they finally arrived at what looked to be a small woodland town. They were by the outskirts right now, just a few streets full of houses. In the very far distance, Kyle thought he could make out different kinds of buildings in the town's center.

There was, of course, one eerie thing about the town.

"I don't like how empty this place is," Jo said, rubbing her arms with her hands. "It reminds me too much of..."

She didn't have to finish the sentence. Kyle knew they were thinking of the Dark Year, too.

Estella Fay looked at all of the strange buildings. “I’ve never seen architecture quite like this before…”

Everything looked the same, like someone had just duplicated each house until they filled the entire street. It was bland and lifeless. Most of the plant-life was wilted and crumbling, and the air smelled of their rot.

“I don’t like it.” She wanted to go home, back to The Mist where the houses were decorated by the lives of the people in it. She’d even take going back to her brother’s home. At least you could tell someone lived there.

"Something bad must have happened here," Jo said. There wasn't really any indication of that, save for the rot and emptiness. But Jo could feel that wrongness in their bones, and they found themselves scooting a little closer to Kyle as she walked farther into the town.

"We should be careful," Kyle said. Jo had to agree. He looked over at Heliodor Everett and Estella Fay. "This like more of our time's architecture than yours."

Whatever that implied, Jo wasn't sure.

Estella Fay took a deep breath. “Your homes have no soul…”

Heliodor Everett toed a thick weed that had split the strange smooth sidewalk. “I don’t believe these homes show the norm. They look… dilapidated.”

Estella Fay swallowed. “Let me see where the houses end.” She shook out her wings and launched it to the air.

Heliodor Everett cringed. Being near Estella Fay made him… nervous. Someone so apathetic about treason put him in danger. If anyone saw them together, neither of them would make it out alive. He glanced at Jo and Kyle. Well, almost anyone.

Jo studied Estella Fay for a moment. A moment later, she had unfurled her own, brand new set of wings and launched herself up into the air as well. Kyle wasn't really surprised. It was the type of thing they would have done back in Mutopia, too, whenever they saw someone doing something cool with their mutation.

"These aren't our normal kinds of houses," Jo confirmed, up in the air. She was shouting so Kyle and Helidor Everett could hear her. "Especially not in Mutopia. Those ones are more plant-based."

"Plant-based?" Estella Fay grinned. "That sounds fascinating!" She shook her head and settled back on her task. "It looks like the bulk of the town starts over there. About a mile away."

Heliodor Everett glanced at Kyle. They would both have to walk, which would talk a very long time. That wouldn't be good.

It took Jo less than a minute to come to the conclusion that Heliodor Everett had. As soon as she did, she dropped back down to the ground and landed besides Kyle.

"It'll talk awhile for us to walk there," Jo noted. They looked up at Estella Fay, then cupped their hands around their mouth. "Can you carry someone while you're flying? I can carry Kyle!"

"I can walk," Kyle said, already knowing Jo would insist on flying now that the idea had hit her.

"That'll take ages," Jo said, and Kyle knew that she was probably right.

Kyle sighed.

"Fine," he relented. "You can carry me."

Jo grinned.

"I can probably carry Heliodor Everett, too," she mused, "but it's always harder flying with more people."

Estella Fay nodded. “I’ve carried much heavier things than an alis.” She glanced at Heliodor Everett. “Not that that’s saying much.” She approached Heliodor Everett. “Let’s go!”

Heliodor Everett stepped back, hands in front of him as if afraid that Estella Fay was about to throw a punch. “Are we quite certain there isn’t another alternative? Perhaps there’s horses nearby?”

Estella Fay sighed, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you see anything that even remotely resembles a stable?”

“No.” His voice cracked as he adjusted his collar. “But I’m sure there’s something!”

"The only alternative are cars," Kyle said, not even fighting it as Jo swept him off of his feet. At least she wasn't going to hold him under the armpits again. He'd prefer being bridal carried to that any day. "I don't see any here."

"Which is kind of weird," Jo noted. "There's cars everywhere outside of Mutopia, and they're not in Mutopia because it's too nature-y there."

"Nature-y," Kyle repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a word," they protested. She thought for a moment, then said, "I'll throw it in my next song."

Estella Fay tilted her head to the side. “Cars?”

Heliodor Everett slipped back into his neutral state with the subject change. “Another future thing. Mind explaining in great detail?”

Estella Fay sighed. “As thrilling as that would be, we have an itinerary.” She gently made the last few steps to him. “So how do you want me to do this?”

“Not at all, thank you. I don’t mind the stroll.”

"We can talk about cars as we fly," Jo suggested.

Kyle, meanwhile, looked over at Helidor Everett. It felt weird, seeing him from Jo's arms, but Kyle decided there were other things to worry about right now.

"...Are you scared of heights?" Kyle asked.

Heliodor Everett turned a rather impressive shade of scarlet. “No. A fear of heights would go against my very nature. Are you afraid of walking, Kyle?”

Estella Fay frowned. “Now you’re just being mean. It was a simple question, and you are acting strange.”

Heliodor Everett froze. “My apologies, sir, that was not my intention. I didn’t mean any offense.”

"None taken," Kyle said, but he also frowned. Mutopia's residents weren't free from trauma, and they already knew that Heliodor Everett had experienced some of it before. The defensive reaction wasn't entirely a surprise, when Kyle thought about it.

"We could try walking," Jo said, putting Kyle down, "but it'll take awhile to get to the center of town. Maybe we can do a little bit both? Start with walking, and then get to flying after walking for awhile."

Heliodor Everett didn’t say anything, his head slightly bowed. Estella Fay sighed. “I’ve walked further. It’ll take a while, but it’s worth it.”

She gently turned to Heliodor Everett. “Come on. We’re walking.”

Heliodor Everett gave her a curt nod, still looking at the ground.

So they started walking.

Jo wanted to ask more about why Heliodor Everett was so nervous about flying, but they also could tell he didn't want to bring it up. Maybe he was scared of heights, and was just too embarrassed to admit it. Maybe there was something else, too. Jo couldn't tell.

But the silence was so awkward.

To cut through some of it, Jo started humming a song she had written last week underneath her breath. She still hadn't tried producing it, but the song was always there now, lurking in the back of her mind.