Raising the can to his lips, Umbra took a sip and admired the view in front of him.
The sky had taken on a brilliant golden hue as the sun made its steady descent towards its reflection in the shimmering sea below. Shades of blue and purple were spread throughout the vast expanse of orange, like splatters on a canvas. Umbra may have found himself tiring of many things as time went on, but never could he see himself tiring of the sunset. It was always different, even if only a bit, always instilling awe in all who bore witness to its majesty.
"Wow," a voice said out of nowhere, interrupting his train of thought.
Umbra looked over his shoulder and saw Lucas, marveling at the view with his hands on his hips and his mouth hanging open. He averted his eyes, then gingerly gestured towards the seat beside him. He fixed his attention back on the setting sun, and judging by the sound of footsteps and soft grunt he heard on his left, Lucas had heeded his gesture and sat down. They sat in silence for a while, neither feeling the need to say a word to the other, until the sun vanished beyond the horizon and night began to stake her claim over the tapestry of sky.
Finally, Lucas said, "You're going to have to explain what happened earlier at some point, you know."
Right. He'd flown away from him. Hilarious at the time, but it certainly made things a bit more complicated in hindsight. Then again, Umbra had never been one for thinking things through outside of battle.
"I flew," he said matter-of-factly.
"Explain implies going further than stating the obvious. Just so you're aware."
"I don't know the science of it, if that's what you're referring to."
Lucas let out a defeated sigh. "Man. Guess I won't be changing the subject of my thesis after all."
A laugh burst out of Umbra's' throat, surprising both him and Lucas.
He immediately covered his mouth with one hand, his cheeks taking on a crimson hue. What was that? Since when did he laugh at lame lines like that? When he looked over at Lucas, he saw the other man watching him with a certain curiosity etched into his features. He suddenly felt like an animal being observed under his watchful eye.
"I just realized I still don't know your name," Lucas said, tilting his head to the side. "We've been here together for almost an entire day and we've barely even talked."
"So? What does that matter?"
"Well, for starters, you're the closest thing to a primary source that I've got on all this stuff. Apart from that…."
His voice trailed off, and Umbra watched his expression shift to something softer, something he couldn't quite place.
"I don't know why - I mean, it's probably because I saw you fly away like it was nothing - but I want to know more about you."
Umbra lowered his hand. No one had ever wanted him in any way before, not even out of curiosity like Lucas did. He knew he was better off dishing out a sarcastic remark and leaving but...he wanted the very same, he noticed. He wanted to know more about Lucas and why he cared so much about him, about his world.
"Umbra," he replied at last.
At first, Lucas didn't seem to understand, but then his eyes lit up. "That's your name, right?"
He nodded.
"Umbra." A broad grin formed on Lucas' face. "It suits you. Cool and mysterious."
"Cool and mysterious, huh? You'd better watch yourself before you inflate my ego even more."
"See? Look at us, getting along. I knew you could do it."
That was a bold way to put it, but Umbra found that he was smiling despite himself. Maybe being stuck with Lucas wouldn't be so bad.
