Equan and Kaylynn walked into the herb shop and immediately began wandering in around in hopes of finding something that can hold back or maybe even cure corruption.
The both of them knew that they couldn't let Chase suffer any longer, he was their leader after all. But more than that, he was their friend and someone who was willing to go all the way for each and every one of them.
So, Equan had to actually lock in once they reached the store, where he started reading every label he could find, analyzing every plant strung along baskets hung from the rafters, and even the small filled pots that lined the shelves like entire ecosystems.
"Corruption... Corruption... No... Not that... Probably not that... I doubt it..." Equan continued scanning left to right through the isles, eventually bumping into the most attractive man on the face of the earth...
"You have got to be kidding me...!" Equan audibly yelled in the quiet shop as he stared the man dead in his golden eyes.
"Pardon?" Even his voice sound greater than Griffins and Lithica's combined.
It all enraged Equan, making him feel genuine trembles of pure agony run through his muscles locking his fists into a tight clenched position.
Yet, somehow Equan forced the most fake smile known to mankind as he held that very same facial expression without speaking another word.
"Sir...? Did I perhaps... Offend you?" The man asked with a worried look on his face, only angering Equan more because of that god awful fairy tale prince jumping out of a story right in front of him as if to mock the boy.
He wore a white baggy tunic over his lean and yet defined upper body, the bagginess of his shirt somehow making his arms look even more defined as his lightly tanned skin shined under the glare of the sun coming in through the many windows.
And Equan couldn't even begin on the jawline that sat perfectly underneath his blonde mid-length waves that made him look as if he'd be a surfer that lived on the Coast of Spiaggia and yet somehow held the look of a young adult gardener with pacifistic traits as if he was born for it.
"Equan!?" Kaylynn yelled from the entrance of Equan's designated isle as she jogged towards the chaotic interaction deeper into the isle.
"Not the shin!" Equan yelped, hopping over her kick that was clearly Axis charged.
And then Kaylynn looked up, "Oh..."
"No way." Equan immediately said glancing between the confused prince charming and Kaylynn who's cheeks were the same shade as Poppy's eyes.
"What?! Why- Why are you causing scenes and not looking for a cure?" Kaylynn seemed to compose herself instantly by focusing on her obvious hatred for the young archer.
"Did you say cure?" The gardener asked tilting his head as his golden eyes seemed to glow twice as bright and innocent as before.
As much as Equan wanted to punch the man in the face for interrupting and ruining his day, it seemed that prince charming could really aid their desperate cause.
"Yeah, so me and my cousin here are doing an academy project and need to learn about diseases from outside sources, and you wouldn't happen to be able to help us would you?" Equan asked, scratching away the sweat built up underneath the back of his straw hat.
Prince charming's eyes lit up like fireworks as he clasped his hands together with a bright and comforting smile that tested Equan's patience twice-fold.
"Yes, I'd love to help, actually if you don't mind hearing about my ramblings, I am currently studying deadly diseases at Seh Jenah's academy for my major..." The gardener continued to ramble as he led them towards a couple of wooden rocking hairs and a cozy round table at the back corner of the shop.
"-Oh, by the way my name is Andrew of House Dimiourgós, and it is a pleasure to meet the both of you... Also, I hope you don't mind my asking, but are you both adventurers?"
'How can someone talk so much...' Equan thought, his eyebags increasing further more as Kaylynn continued to look starry eyed as if zero thoughts rested in that head of hers while she stared blankly at Andrew, Equan wouldn't have been surprised if Kaylynn started drooling right then and there.
"I'm Equan and this is Kay-"
"You can call me Kore." She happily suggested, giving Andrew a blatantly obvious wink.
Equan almost threw up.
"Anyways... might I ask what you two need to know about diseases?" Andrew asked as he sipped a cup of tea that had appeared out of thin of air, which Equan didn't even have the energy to question.
"Right... I need to know about...-" Equan lowered his tone to a whisper as he spoke.
"-Corruption..." He said glancing around before glancing at Andrew and awaiting some negative response, but for some reason, Andrew only placed a hand on his chin and let out a "Hmph..." noise.
"You mean Korrupci... A fatal decay... First and foremost, can I ask why you need to know about this specific... Uh Compound might I call it?"
"Uh..." Equan stuttered, trying to come up with a reasonable response, especially when considering that this man seemed to know way more than even Chase about something that only two people have even been affected by much to Equan's knowledge.
"Don't worry, you can be honest. I do not work for anyone shady or consider myself a member of any faction." Andrew said with a subtle smile as he glanced between the two of them.
Kaylynn nervously took a breath while Equan shrugged and started.
"Our friend was corrupted in a battle, we came here looking for a way to slow the affects or find a cure... So, can you help?" Equan raised an eyebrow and took off his glasses.
Andrew sighed before looking at the ground shortly before looking back up and asking. "How long ago was he corrupted?"
Equan shrugged once more, placing a finger on his chin while calculating the times of the events.
"Probably a year or two ago..." Equan said, and Andrew responded quickly.
"Oh I see- Wait no? He shouldn't be alive." He said blankly as if it was common fact.
But Equan grinned while looking at the blazing red poppies that were resting in a basket behind Andrew.
"This aint just any friend, this guy is a rising star so it works a bit differently with him." Equan said with an arrogant and proud shrug, while Kaylynn only bit her lip with a anxious look in her eyes.
"It's gotten really bad recently..." She noted aloud, looking at Andrew with a pleading look in her eyes.
Andrew sighed, opening a small notebook from his pocket and began flipping pages.
"There is one thing in the entirety of Vallmora that has any connection at all to Korrupci... And that is a flower found deep within the earth of the continent's Eastern tectonic plate. They say the petals resemble that of a phoenix or luminite but in our culture they have always been referred to as Aether lilies... But the problem is... That they are said to be extinct..." Andrew let the last part hit like an anvil, getting their hopes up and crushing them immediately.
"Oh..." The two adventurers said simultaneously.
"However, I can slow the affects if you take me to him. Which should aid in whatever endearers you plan to face here."
Equan raised an eyebrow, noticing the look in Andrew's perfect eyes.
"What's the catch?" He said, just before Kaylynn was about to agree with no hesitation.
"Simple, you and anyone you can get have to attend this year's firework festival..."