Wolfsbane [w/ Leif, Arik][FINISHED]

Yuuki scrolled through her computer screen, gray eyes glancing up and down the page that a member of the underground had sent her. She sat back in her chair with a thoughtful expression. Should she accept this job? It paid a decent price, and although Yuuki didn't understand what they would need wolfsbane for, she was certain that it wouldn't involve her or her team in anyway, so it could be a relatively safe mission. Yuuki printed out the paper, making sure that coordinates had actually been written on there (it wasn't very pretty last time). Grabbing the paper, she headed upstairs at a rather slow pace, pondering over who she could send. Draligon was off on a mission already, Sly and Lexia were due to head out soon, Echo was working on repairs with Hisashi... she guessed her only choice would be Arik, their resident computer technician.

Well, it wasn't like this mission was impossible to complete. Arik was intelligent; Yuuki was somewhat confident that he could find the right tools to get the wolfsbane quickly, but she had to worry about his ability to defend himself as well... She entered the living room, seeing the young man sitting on the couch with his trusty laptop resting in front of him. "Arik," she called, striding over to him. "I have a mission for you."

She handed over the piece of paper. "It's just a simple job of collecting a few pounds of wolfsbane for this client. The coordinates are here," she pointed on the paper, "so make sure you actually input them. It's easy enough; I'm certain you're smart enough to collect this without too much of a hassle."

"Make sure you give me updates throughout the mission. I don't want a repeat of last time." And last time sure had been a mess, when Arik didn't even mention to her that he would be gone for such a long time. Yuuki hadn't been sure whether he'd died or not.

Arik had just been searching through the government's files, seeing if anything new or important to him had shown up. He was also making sure that any traces of DS or bounties were erased, or at the very least scrambled or misleading. It's just one of the things he did in his pastime, when he wasn't hanging out with Leif or doing other things. Arik had actually been thinking about calling the man again... He had enjoyed the movie and felt bad that he was under another busy spell. Friendly relationships with people outside of the base seemed to be hard to maintain, especially if Yuuki would rip his head off if anyone knew about them. She didn't like normal people being involved in their work, and he could understand the reasoning behind that.

It wasn't much of a surprise when Yuuki came in and gave him a mission. He was expecting another simple mission, maybe even too simple and close because she was still mad at him for the last one. Her reasoning was understandable, but it still didn't help him out. "Of course..." He responded, analysing the paper. It was a simple job on the outside; go find some wild Wolfsbane, collect it, and bring it back. But it's what the plant was that had his skin crawling. He was told about Wolfsbane as a child, and had done more research on it as he had gotten older. Of course, the two accounts had different feelings on the plant. But what he knew about it was that it was a reactant with were's, so this wasn't going to be fun.

He wondered, if everyone else was here would she still have chosen him? Maybe she'd end up partnering him with someone else. It was probably a good thing that she didn't, at least for when it came to being around the plant. But, she could be sending him on this because she suspected that there was more to him than what he had let her know. No, he was worrying too much. He just needed to complete the mission and he'd be done with Wolfsbane forever. Simple.

This mission shouldn't last more than a day or two with travel, so he didn't need to bring much. "I'll be as quick as possible," he said without enthusiasm. Arik packed a couple days worth of clothes, a bit of food, and some money. Like always, he had his laptop with him in his jacket. It was getting warmer outside, but the were felt like he could manage it. He hated to wear short clothing anyways, too revealing. It also makes people more prone to the sun's rays, and he'd rather stay away from that radioactivity.

He set off after agreeing, again, that he'd contact her periodically. If Arik would have had something to compare it to, he would probably say like a nagging mom, but he didn't have the experience with that. After a bit of a walk he eventually reached the city of Xastristan. Arik wasn't legally allowed to drive, so his best bet was to get a taxi or someone to drive him close enough to where he needed to go. From there, he could just walk and stay at inns as needed. Using calculations from last time he used a taxi he guessed it would round up to about $75 for the drive out there. It was about a good hour and a half on good days, two and a half on bad ones. Hopefully it wouldn't take that long and he could get out there as soon as possible, but traffic patterns were harder to predict. Hanging out on a corner he tried to wave down a taxi, but the streets were busy and there weren't many free taxis to be seen. He sighed. Maybe this would be a long and boring ride.

It had been a while since Leif had actually done something with someone.  Most of the time, when he wasn’t working, he was at home watching old reruns of television shows and laughing about how horribly people dressed years ago.  Today he decided to do something different for a change.  He hated heat, but wore the same thing he did every day, no matter how much he would hate himself for it.  He wanted to talk to Arik, but after that movie, he wasn’t so sure that Arik would like him very much after he picked something so bad.  He was so lost in his negative thoughts that he left Quby behind, locked in his room.

Leif exited the apartment building squinting in the harsh sunlight.  The last time he had been out during the day was about 3 days prior when he went to buy groceries.  Walking down the sidewalk, he gave people nasty looks as they passed, judging their fashion choices.  He couldn’t think of the last time he had felt so awful as to actually express his judgments about strangers.

Still giving people mean looks, Leif found himself quite a ways away from where he lived.  Looking around like he was lost, he tried to find a familiar landmark that could tell him where he was, but his vision was obscured by surrounding buildings.  He figured that he may as well ask someone where he was and how to get home, even though he had a phone that could do that for him.  He looked around for someone who felt friendly enough to ask and saw a man in dark clothing who looked a bit like Arik from the back.  As he walked towards him, he realized that it was indeed Arik.  The blonde faked a cough, hoping to get Arik’s attention while not seeming to intrusive.

Sometimes, the city wasn't forgiving. Through the hustle and bustle life and the traffic from both foot and car, it could be hard to get a taxi or anything to give you a ride. But of course, the once time that he wanted to do something quickly was when it took the longest. The man was about to give up and call a car like he should have done in the first place when he heard a sound behind him. Turning around the were caught a glimpse of blonde hair before his eyes caught sight of a familiar face. Normally, he'd be excited to see him, but now he wasn't. Before he could stop it, a frown had made its way to his face. It wasn't Leif, it was the mission, and more importantly, Yuuki. He knew that she'd gut him if anyone found  out about Dragon Storm without her knowing. Normally when they met, he was on break and didn't have to worry too much about the guild, unless Yuuki contacted him and told him to come back. Even then it'd be easy to say it was just work calling.

It was unfair for Leif to be treated this way, at least Arik thought so. The were put on a smile and walked over. "Hey Leif," he said once he got close. Maybe Leif would be able to help him wave a taxi down as he seemed to be failing miserably at that. He hadn't been much of a city boy, in fact the exact opposite. He'd go to shops for electronic parts and whatnot, but apart from the occasional interaction he'd never lived in a big city until recently, and now he's back out of it with DS. Maybe it was just something about the lack of nature that drew him away. He needed trees and grass and dirt in his life. Maybe it was worth a shot to see if Leif could holler down a ride. "Would you be able to help me get a taxi? Apparently I'm not good at it," the were said with an awkward chuckle.

Hearing that Arik was having trouble hailing a cab wasn't all that surprising to Leif.  Arik seemed a little more timid than other people the blonde had met.  "Yeah, of course I can help," he smiled.  He pulled out his phone and swiped through the cluttered pages of his home screen, looking for the app he wanted to use.  Finally, an app titled "Lure" came into his vision.  He opened it up and found what he was looking for, a button that would hail a cab to his location.  "It should be here in a few minutes," Leif told Arik as he put his phone away.  He thought it would be nice to keep Arik company while he waited, especially since Arik didn't know what cab he was looking for.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?" the blonde asked.  He stared into Arik's green eyes, hoping that he would give Leif details, instead of just saying it was work like all the other times he had to leave early.  Leif would normally pry at people who didn't tell the whole truth, even though Leif frequently left out quite a few details.  He felt that if he did the same to Arik, it would hurt his feelings instead of just being annoying like it was to everyone else.  Leif didn't want Arik to feel like he wasn't trusted.  To Leif, it was the opposite.  Over the last few times they had been together, Leif felt like he could trust Arik more than anybody else he had met in the city.

Arik watched as the man simply pulled out his phone and after a few seconds, said a cab was on its way. It had him practically dumbfounded. The blonde had more going on for him then it seemed. Now it was just the wait to see if there really was something on his device that would lure a taxi to them. The were stopped his surprised and confused look and instead replaced it with an involuntary blush, looking away from Leif. He probably looked foolish trying to haul a taxi by hand. But before he could dwell on that fact too long Leif asked him another question and the boy turned to face him again. His first thoughts flashed to Yuuki, then to his mission and DS. But looking at Leif again, how could a location reveal a secret guild?

"Just heading to Lunaris," He said, answering only what the male had asked. While he wanted to say more he knew how this job worked, the more you said the more could be revealed. Arik doubted that Leif would do anything if he knew, or that he'd be able to find out, but it wasn't him he was worried about, it was Yuuki. She was already annoyed with his last mission, and he wouldn't be surprised if she was wondering why she had let him join the guild. He couldn't imagine what she'd do if he screwed this one up and let an outsider know of them. If they thought that he was 'useless,' then he'd think that Leif would be even more so. Of course, he only knew the surface of the man. There could be hidden powers hiding beneath the surface, but the blonde didn't come off as intimidating or a force to be reckoned with. Maybe that's why Arik had even spoken to him in the first place.

"What's sending you out all the way to Lunaris? That place isn't really known for anything," Leif questioned. He wasn't trying to be nosy, but he always seemed to get into business that wasn't his own. Most of the other guys he had "dated" had left him because he was either too nosy or they didn't like him criticizing their fashion choices. By the time that those thoughts had run through his head, the cab had arrived. "Well, there it is. Cab number 1029," the blonde said. He didn't know how long Arik would be gone, and that worried Leif, but he figured that there was cell service pretty much everywhere, so the bartender could always text Arik.

And of course, his thoughts were brought back to Yuuki before he reasoned that it would be okay. "Apparently there's some... Wolfsbane... around there that I've been sent to collect." He had to stop hesitating at the mention of the unforgiving Wolfsbane. The were knew it was going to be torturous to collect. He had read accounts of it before, ranging from rashes to burns from just the flower. The extractions were even worse, and it hurt just thinking about it. Arik was not excited to find out how it would react to him.

The cab had come according to Leif. He had thanked the blonde and opened the door before stopping. He could already see Yuuki yelling at him in his mind but, what was so dangerous about collecting flowers, apart from the fact it was dangerous for him? "Leif, are you... busy?" He wasn't really sure how to invite the male. "I'm sure it'd be okay for you to come along," he lied. Arik wasn't sure why he was actually inviting the blonde. He had only taken enough money for himself, unless Leif had more on him. Maybe it was just so that they could spend more time together, which was strange for Arik. He didn't usually like company, at least not enough to invite some himself. Well, if he said no then he'd just be on his way, but if the male said yes then he had better come in with him because the cab driver was getting impatient.

Leif did not know anything about plants, even though he grew up in a rural village where doctors used lots of plants as remedies, so he was not sure if the plant was poisonous, but he had a feeling that Arik would be prepared for anything.  Being asked to go with Arik was something that the blonde was not expecting in the least, but he didn't really have anything to do except work, and he could always call in if they were not back by the next day.  "Well, yeah.  I'd love to go," Leif said, not thinking about how he had not packed anything. He followed Arik into the back of the cab and shut the door behind him. The driver didn't seem very happy, but there wasn't much that Leif could do other than tell the driver where they were headed.

The boy let off a small smile when the blonde agreed to come, his mind temporarily forgetting about Yuuki and how much shit she'd give him if Leif found out about DS. Once the driver knew where they were going and took off Arik looked over at Leif, wondering if he realized that this was probably going to be a long drive. "Just so you know... this drive might take a few hours so..." he shrugged, still awkward with conversations. The were grabbed his phone, quickly giving Yuuki an update. 'Heading out to Lunaris, will update when I arrive.' It annoyed him that he had to do this just because of his last mission, but he put away his phone and tried not to think about it. Hopefully the two would find something to occupy them on the drive.

~~Time skip~~

It was about dusk when the cab pulled up to a small inn. Arik thanked the driver and paid him, watching him pull off and leave the two stranded in the town. He turned around and looked at the inn. The Blue Flower. Of course it'd be called that. On his missions he'd seen, and stayed in, worse places. While it may be in need of a bit of updating, for a town as small as this, it was rather nice. "Well, I guess we may as well get a room," Arik said, glancing at Leif before heading inside. The inside was just what he had expected; a small reception area followed by a larger, fuller, bar area. It seemed like the place to be in this town, and he guessed that most of the people there were locals. He probably wouldn't get to find out. If the were went down there he'd be like a wolf in a herd of sheep. He didn't drink and wasn't social, but that didn't mind him. He had a job to do and if he spent his time dilly-dallying around then Yuuki was going to get mad at him. Again.

Arik didn't care what Leif did while he went to reserve a room. Behind the counter was a slightly overweight man who seemed like he'd rather be doing something else. From what he could see, there was no where that showed where the prices were. He was sure it was so that they'd be able to scam money out of people, but why was he to judge. Arik tried his best to seem cheery. "What are your overnight prices for two rooms?" He asked the man. The man's interest peaked, and he let off a hearty chuckle. It was enough to make Arik's smile faulture. "Well kid, I'm afraid that you're out of luck. We only have one room left for the night. But don't worry, the bed should be big enough for the both of ya." He said, jerking a thumb over at the blonde. Arik sighed and brought a hand up to his head, running it through his hair. Why wouldn't there just be one room left. He glanced at Leif. Seemed as if there was no other option. "Fine, we'll take it." He said. They swapped money for the two keys and the dark-haired boy gave one to Leif, informing him that he was going to the room.

Going up the stairs Arik finally made it to their room. Putting the key in he unlocked the door to 209, surveying what they got. There was a fridge and a bathroom along with a safe as usual. He moved towards the bed, which appeared to be a full. Well, it could be worse. At least the receptionist was right when he said that there would be enough room for the two of them. Now, if they'd be comfortable with that much room was still left to debate. He set his stuff down on the left side of the bed, taking out his phone once again. 'Got a room for the night. If everything goes smoothly I should be back by tomorrow.' Arik wasn't even sure what could cause something to go wrong, all he had to do was collect some stupid flowers and he'd be done. He shook his head, glancing out the window. It was just beginning to turn dark, but he might as well turn in. The were normally stayed up late into the night time hours, but the earlier he was able to get up the quicker he could get this mission over with. Luckily, he had packed extra clothes for this trip and would be able to simply sleep in his clothes. Arik gave a sigh before slipping into the bed, closing his eyes in hopes of getting some sleep.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you later," Leif said, eyeing the bar that was a little ways away from the receptionists desk.  The bartender had stayed relatively sober since meeting Arik, but he felt like he deserved a drink after sitting in a cramped car for so long.  He was not an alcoholic, per se, but he did drink quite a bit.  He made a small waving gesture to Arik and walked quickly to the bar.

Hopping up onto a barstool, he turned towards the bartender and asked, "Hey, mind if I get a Bijou?"  The bartender gave him a puzzled look and Leif rolled his eyes.  It was like people in these rural areas had no sense of class.  He got off of the stool and walked around to the inside of the bar.  "What do you think you're doing?" the bartender asked, trying to stop Leif with his hand.  "I'm trying to make a drink, you idiot," Leif growled, becoming very irritated by the way the bartender was treating him.  The blonde squeezed his way past and got to work making his own drink.  He opened up a small portal to reach something that was at the other end of the counter and the bartender went wide-eyed, stepping away and ceasing his attempts to stop the determined blonde. Once Leif was finished making his drink, he took the glass with him and left money on the counter.

Reaching room 209, where the two men were staying, Leif hesitated when he began to put the key into the lock. Arik was probably asleep by now, and Leif did not want to wake him. The dark haired man seemed like he was in a rush to get whatever he had to do in Lunaris done. Leif thought it would be best to get some sleep as well, just so he was ready for whatever Arik needed to do the next day. He tried to enter the room quietly, but the door hinges were in need of some heavy oiling. He quietly set his glass down on the desk and fumbled around as he tried to get his clothes off. He stripped down to his briefs and crawled onto the opposite side of the bed that Arik was on, hoping that Arik would not find the arrangement too awkward in the morning. After a few minutes, the bartender was fast asleep.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds from the early morning sun, filling the room with a dim light. Arik couldn't help the fact that it was shining directly on his face. He got up, briefly forgetting where he was or who he was with. 'Wolfsbane. Yuuki sent me to collect Wolfsbane and...' He glanced back at the bed, 'and I invited Leif to come along. God I hope she doesn't find out about him.' The were grabbed his phone, seeing that Yuuki had reply to him sometime after he had fallen asleep. All she said was a simple 'Roger that.' Well, what really did he expect. Arik looked back at the blonde, still asleep in the bed. There was no real need to wake him up at the moment, so the dark-haired male let him sleep. Rummaging through his bag he picked up some new clothes and his hygiene products, taking them to the bathroom.

He changed his clothes before brushing his teeth and running a comb through his hair. Placing a hand at either side of the sink he looked at himself if the mirror. Now that he was getting closer to actually having to collect the flower he was starting to really dread it. He hadn't ever come in contact with the flower before, so he had no clue how he'd react. Would it be small and just a rash or would it burn him? Arik cursed. He should have done more research or maybe pushed harder to get away from this mission. There wasn't even anything that mentioned how long it the effect would last. He wondered if Yuuki knew what the flower did to weres, or if Leif did. If they knew, then he was screwed. Why did he agree to this.

Arik decided to leave the bathroom and see if the blonde was up yet. If he wasn't, then Arik was going to ponder about what all he could do about the plant until he got up.

Leif woke to the sound of running water. He groggily opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but was too weak at the moment to do so. Leif lifted his arm above his head and his watch's screen lit up. His vision had not adjusted to the light quite yet, so he set his arm down. He figured that it must have been pretty early if he felt the way he did. The blonde tried to get out of bed once more and succeeded. He stumbled his way around the bed and almost bumped into Arik. Leif wanted to ask him what he was doing being up so early. He was a bit annoyed, but he thought that if they were going to get along, he should just let it go. "Morning," he mumbled, "I'm gonna go take a shower if you're done in there." He didn't really know what else to say to the other man, seeing as his brain was not fully functioning yet.

Arik stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the 'main' room, almost bumping into the blonde. He didn't exactly expect him to be up yet, nor to not have a short on. He involuntarily glanced down. No pants either, but at least he had his briefs on still. The were quickly looked back up to Leif's face. Well, this was slightly awkward. "Uh, morning. Go right ahead." Arik stepped aside, allowing him to pass to the bathroom. After trying not to watch him make his way to the bathroom, the realization hit him. Leif had probably slept like that. Of course, it didn't bother Arik too much. Given the chance he would have done the same, but he wanted to make the blonde, and himself, comfortable. He wondered if it would have made a difference if he had done so.

The were didn't ponder on that for too long. Once Leif was done he would see if the male would want to accompany him to collect the dreadful flower. Of course if he wanted to stay here that would be fine too. If it had just been him then the dark-haired male would have gone to collect those flowers by himself regardless. On one hand, it would be nice for the blonde to join him. More time they can spend together and whatnot. But on the other, there was still his reaction to the flower. Maybe he should stop worrying so much about it. Arik rummaged through his bag. He had gloves and a bag to collect the flowers in. The gloves should hopefully keep the reaction from happening, although it might still happen regardless. He didn't know. Either way, he had to wait for the blonde, so he laid on top of the bed and waited.

Leif hadn't had time to pack clothes for the trip, seeing as he was invited without any notice.  He did not bother closing the door to the bathroom and was too tired to even figure out how to make the shower water warm before he got in.  He stripped his last piece of clothing off and stepped in the shower.  The cold water gave him a jolt, and that was enough to wake him up for now.  Having a blank mind was something the bar tender was fairly good at.  The entire time he took his shower, all he thought about was how cold the water was.  Once he was done, he shut off the water and fumbled around looking for a towel.  He didn't want to get water in his eyes, and he did not want to try and step out of the shower in case he slipped and fell.  Leif thought for a few seconds before calling out, "Hey, Arik, I can't find a towel anywhere.  Mind handing me one?"

Arik had been laying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling and trying to distract his mind from the things to come. He listened to the shower run, closing his eyes. The sounds of water was soothing. It made the were think back to times in the forest, back when he was younger and even recent explorations. Arik would have sunk into a memory if it wasn't for Leif calling from the shower. The male got off of the bed, noticing that the door to the bathroom never actually got closed. There was a closet right outside the bathroom, so he opened the door and was greeted by a pile of white towels. He huffed. Normally, they put a towel in the bathroom for times like this, but he had been to a few places where they didn't. Grabbing a towel he entered the bathroom, glad that the curtain was drawn and not practically see through. He didn't understand places that had almost clear ones- that defeated half of the purpose.

"Here you go," he said, trying to hand the towel to Leif. Once he grabbed it the were would quickly get out, mindlessly pushing the door closed as he did. He had noticed the other man's boxers on the floor, but why wouldn't they be there? You had to be naked for a shower. Arik shook his head. Maybe this room was messing with his mind. Once he got dressed then they could go, collect the flowers, and go home. He sat on the edge of the bed. Sounded like a plan.

"Thanks," the blonde said, reaching out of the shower to grab the towel.  He dried off the top half of his body and wrapped the towel around his waist.  Leif, still not fully awake, fumbled through the drawers in the bathroom, trying to find a blow dryer.  It turned out to be attached to the wall in a kind of cradle.  The bartender took it out and turned it on, filling the room with a loud whirring noise.  He took a solid ten minutes drying his hair so it would not change its shape too much during the day.  Once he was done with the blow dryer, he found a comb in one of the drawers and ran it through his hair, just to mess it up again when he was done.  He put on his boxers, which he really didn't want to wear for two days in a row and stepped out of the bathroom, hanging up his towel on the hook on the inside of the door on his way out.

Leif had a disturbing thought as he gathered his clothes and got fully dressed.  What if Arik was feeling uncomfortable with how open Leif was to acting like he normally did around other people?  He tried to brush off the thought, but it would be staying in the back of his mind for quite a while.  Once he was completely ready, Leif grabbed his wallet, phone, and key.  He turned to Arik, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, and asked, "Ready?"

Arik only glanced at the man when he finally emerged from the bathroom, looking away once he saw the male was still only in his boxers. Of course, Arik had noticed the pile of clothes on the floor, but he hadn't thought of it much at the time. As Leif got dressed the were just looked at the blinds that still covered the window, not wanting to be weird and also not feeling like staring. Now that he thought about it, this was probably the longest he's ever hung out with a guy. Maybe that's why he was thinking strangely- he wasn't exactly used to it. Draligon was probably right, he needed to get out more. Hanging out with Leif was a start at least.

The man finally finished and asked if Arik was ready. He nodded, getting off the bed and grabbing his bag. The were walked towards the door and opened it, checking behind him to see if Leif was following, before exiting the room. As he began to walk down the hall he remembered that he had only paid for one night, and with the bag as their only luggage, they should probably return their keys. Sticking a hand in his pocket Arik grabbed his key, keeping it in his hand until they got to the counter, when he'd then set it. He glanced back at Leif to see if he did the same, provided he had his key with him.

Leif rummaged around in his pockets, searching for his key.  He found it without too much trouble and handed it over to the clerk at the counter.  He did not know what Arik wanted to do next, so he went into the lobby and sat down on one of the chairs.  It was not very comfortable, but Leif did not know what he would have expected from a place like this.  The blonde pulled out his phone and browsed social media sites, seeing what other people were up to, even though he had no actual interest in their lives.  At times, he wished that he could escape the internet and the people on it, but remembered that he loved the attention, and would do practically anything to keep the likes on his photos rolling in.  Leif shoved his phone back into his pocket and sighed, running a hand through his hair.  He looked towards Arik, looking somewhat distraught.  He hoped that they could get whatever plant Arik was looking for and go home without any trouble.  The bartender normally loved to get sidetracked, as he had no concept of the importance of time, but for some reason wanted to go back home and get drunk.

The blonde pulled out his key and set it on the counter. Arik took out his phone, trying to pull up the information Yuuki had given him when the man behind the counter spoke up. "So, did ya two have a good night?" The were didn't feel like chatting with him, so he ignored the man, looking up the exact location of the coordinates. "Or maybe a not so good night, eh?" Arik sighed and moved away. The location was relatively close to the town, only a short walk away.

He looked over at the lobby, seeing where Leif decided to sit. "The Wolfsbane is a short walk away from here, if you're still interested in coming along." The were invited. Arik waited until Leif gave a sign of following, or not, to make his way out the door, down the street, and across a field towards a small forest.

Leif stood up, ready to go with Arik to get the plant that he needed.  The blonde knew nothing about plants and did not want to learn about them, but he was willing to help Arik with it.  He still wanted to go home, but could not see any problems with a short walk.  "Let's go then," he smiled.

Leif was trying to not push himself on Arik like he did with most guys, but it was proving to be a challenge.  The more he was around Arik, the more he wanted to confess his true feelings.  Leif pushed open the door and followed Arik to the forest.  He felt like the townspeople were watching them as they walked down the street, probably because they did not get visitors very often.  As Leif continued to be led by Arik into the forest, he did not think to ask what Arik needed the wolfsbane for.  Shoving his hands into his pockets, Leif asked, "So where can we find the plant or whatever?"

//Gaw this is such a late reply I'm so sorry.//

"This plant should be located in the forest, most likely in a shady spot. It has a blue flower and should be growing in a bush. The Wolfsbane shouldn't be too hard to spot," he replied, hoping it answered the other male's question. Arik pulled out his phone, texting Yuuki that he was on his way to collect it. Hopefully he was giving enough updates for her, although he was sure that if he wasn't she'd complain to him. Or maybe she was just waiting for him to get back so she could scold him. But he doubted that she'd actually do that.

The were wasn't in the forest for too long before he began to sneeze. At first it could be taken as a just a random tickle, but the more they went the more he sneezed. 'This is getting annoying, but at least it means we're getting closer,' Arik hoped. He didn't realize that the flower would affect him this quickly. It must have been the pollen. His eyes were also beginning to get affected, but he tried to ignore it. If Leif inquired about it, he would shrug it off as a pollen allergy. 'I really do hope we stumble across it shoon...'

Leif, still feeling the craving for alcohol, hoped that they could find the plant and get home soon.  How the hell are we supposed to find that plant?  The entire forest is shady.  The ambient sounds of the forest were beginning to annoy Leif.  A babbling creek, a cawing crow, the rustling of leaves in the breeze.  It was all bothering the bartender.  He reached into his pocket, looking for his earbuds.  They were the nice wireless kind that knew when they were in a person's ears, but he was not able to find them.  Damn.  Must've left them on my nightstand.

He thought that maybe he could make some conversation with Arik to pass the time, but Arik's constant sneezing would probably hinder any ability to make a proper conversation.  "You okay?" Leif asked.  The sneezing had gotten worse over the course of the past few minutes and the bartender was mentally screaming at himself for not being polite and asking sooner.  "If you've got allergies, you can borrow my pocket square and cover your nose," he offered, pulling his pocket square from his front pocket and holding it out.

"Yeah I'm f-" Arik started, interrupted by yet another sneeze. The blonde then offered his pocket square, a polite action that the were had not been expecting. "Oh, thanks," he said, almost feeling embarrassed by his sneezing now. Arik wasn't sure how much it would actually help, but he tried it out anyways.

After a few minutes of no sneezing, the male finally spotted the dark blue petals of the flower. This one had grown enough to become a clumpy bush, hiding in the shade of a giant oak near a bubbling stream. He should have been happy to have found the flower, yet he just seemed irritated. Arik pulled out his phone, giving a quick 'Found the Wolfsbane. Harvesting now.' to Yuuki and putting it away with a tinge of disgust. Once they were close enough to the plant Arik kneeled and put his bag down, pulling out a pair of latex gloves and a pruner. He hoped it wouldn't seem weird, but the male wanted the least amount of contact as possible.

Now the only problem was how to do this. If Leif wasn't here he'd be fine suffering for the time he collected the horrid flower, but he had a feeling that the blonde might not want him to be sneezing every second. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Arik began to remove the square and the moment his nose was even slightly open to the world sneezed again. He quickly replaced it, already able to feel the next one that would have came if he didn't. Even if he wanted to suffer through it, the rate of these reactions might have made him unable to work. The were hadn't thought it was going to be this bad so he didn't think of bringing a face mask.

He could ponder about why it was him that was sent on this mission and of other conspiracies behind it, but the fact of the matter was that he was the only one currently available for this low-risk job. If it was impossible for him to work then he could always ask Leif, but the blonde didn't come out here to do his job for him. 'Come on now, use that big brain of yours and think,' an old time voice commanded in his head. Arik began to rummage through his bag. Maybe there was tape or something he could use to keep it up, or he could just take a piece of his clothing and tie it around his head.

As Arik kneeled to get the wolfsbane, Leif realized that he had no clue if Arik liked men or not.  There were some guys where Leif could not tell if they were into the same gender, so he tended to avoid them unless they approached him.  The blonde considered just asking outright, but decided that it might make the rest of the trip awkward for both of them.  If he's into me, he'll probably just say it, he decided as he pushed the thought out of his mind.

Leif could not begin to imagine why it was taking the brunette so long to pull a flower out of the ground, but the blonde became intrigued as he watched.  He passed off the pruner as Arik just trying to be careful, but the gloves surprised him because he did not think that the flower was poisonous.  Leif pulled out his phone and sighed.  No bars.  He would not be able to search for wolfsbane and get info on it.  He hadn’t noticed Arik typing on his phone earlier and did not think to ask if he had any signal.

After a few minutes of watching Arik work on cutting the plant, Leif began to become inpatient.  He saw Arik having trouble holding the pocket square and cutting the flower at the same time.  Without thinking about how awkward it might be for Arik, Leif got closer to the other man and put his thumb and forefinger against the two opposite corners of the pocket square that were closest to the brunette’s cheeks.  The taller man pressed firmly enough to keep the square up, but not so hard as to hurt the other man.  Leif meant is a gesture of kindness, but he did not know what Arik would think of it.  “How much longer do you think this’ll take?” Leif asked, hoping that they could get back to an area with cell service soon.  He had planned on finding out more about wolfsbane, but would most likely forget within minutes and only look at his social media feeds.