The Wanderer - 202 (Patreon)

[A/N: Hey guys, so I read your comments and some of you have expressed wished for more action and less slice of life for 'The Wanderer'.

Still, I have to disappoint you as this is just how it is with this story. The slice of life parts may seem boring to some of you but they are important pieces of the story and the pace of the story is also just different from my other works.

I won't change this just because some of you might not enjoy it since this is the only way I can really write it.

I naturally thought about your comments but they caused me some serious blocks in my creativity for these last few chapters since I was constantly trying to find a way to skip these slice of life parts without taking something important away from the story.

But I realized that I just can't write according to your wishes, I have to do this my way or not at all. This is the only way in which I can sustainably do this kind of work.

I hope you understand this and can see that I am not trying to brush off or ignore your concerns and comments. I take them to heart but there are some things that I just can't do.

Still, there will be some nice action soon in the story, where you will really see Elijah display what it means to possess the strength of a Realm Lord. I think you will like it and I hope you enjoy the story.

Also, I hope you all had a nice start into this new week!]

Chapter 202 – Fair

[2009 – October]

Slowing down the car before turning into a gravel-covered parking lot where dozens upon dozens of other cars were already parked, I didn't take long to find a parking space since it was a spacious lot.

“Why are we stopping here?”, Jean asked curiously, her head turning towards me after she looked at the tents, booths, and other attractions not far from the parking lot.

Smiling, I leaned forward and stole a quick kiss that had both of us wanting more before I answered: "Scranton is only an hour away. I think we can afford to waste a little time at the fair."

I hadn't originally planned to visit a fair but this was a small town that we had to pass on our way to Scranton, which was where Jean's mother was buried. And seeing that by chance there was a small fair in town, I thought it would make a good addition to our trip.

Visiting a grave wasn't really a joyful event after all, so I hoped that this little detour might be a good way to balance out the 'heaviness' of the trip.

It was also only around 10 am after we had already driven nearly three hundred miles, which meant that we weren't pressured for time, at all.

“Let's have some fun, Firefly.”, I stated before getting another taste of Jean's soft lips.

Stepping out of the car, I was quick as I moved to her side and helped her get out, which had her smiling with glittering eyes as she playfully whispered: “Charmer.”

I took her hand as we moved towards the nearby fairground and I could sense her excitement and a trace of nervousness by the way her heartbeat changed and her breath fluctuated.

If I guessed correctly, this was probably her first visiting a fair considering how her abilities had limited what she could experience and what she could not without risking losing control, which made this little detour even more meaningful.

Like a curious child, Jean explored the fair with me by her side. From cotton candy to corndogs, from carnival shooting to can throwing, she was like a gorgeous fiery whirlwind as we went from booth to booth.

Her carefree laughter being the most beautiful melody that had ever reached my ears.

…

*BAM* *Swish* *Pong*

"Ah, what a shame! You will have to do better if you want to impress your lady, young man!", the fit middle-aged man operating the high striker called out with a laugh while addressing Elijah, an easy-going aura and boisterous air surrounding him.

Jean couldn't help but giggle when she saw this, her dimples almost aching because she had been smiling for so long.

Her love, who she had seen shatter a block of steel the size of their living room with a single effortless strike, failed to ring the bell with his strength.

It was obvious that he held back, his disappointed sigh and embarrassed expression part of a game that only the two of them could understand.

“You won't leave me because of this, will you Firefly?”, her love asked as he turned to face her, warmth and mischief in his shadowed eyes, a boyish smile drawing up the corners of his lips.

Giggling again, her laughter akin to a clear bell, Jean stepped up to Elijah and tiptoed to kiss him, the taste of glazed apple still on her lips.

“Never.”, she replied with a tender whisper before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the ferris wheel.

It was two hours later when they were back on the road that Jean tiredly leaned back into her seat, her eyes staring at her love's profile with endless gentleness.

Like a normal couple, they had spent the afternoon at the fair, free of any worries.

For these few hours, she hadn't been an Omega-level telepath and telekinetic that had been chosen by the Phoenix Force to inherit immortal strength and authority. And her love hadn't been a mutant of invincible strength feared by half the world for his actions while saving Celeste, nor the Lord of the Darkforce Dimension that could extinguish the sun with one hand.

She had just been Jean and he had been Elijah. It was simple, pure.

It was an unforgettable experience and Jean seemed to finally understand why her love yearned to explore the world and places beyond it.

Just a simple drive a few hours from home and a visit to the fair had reminded and shown her that the two of them existed as people beyond their identities as mutants, 'gods', and just generally as threats to the safety of the public.

She knew that Elijah tried to show her this every day even during their lives at the mansion, but she hadn't felt it this clearly before.

It was something precious and it gifted her with a sense of freedom that she hadn't felt quite so strongly before.

Jean didn't even realize when she fell asleep, exhausted after an afternoon filled with child-like joy and laughter.

…

Parking the car in front of the small but rather beautiful hotel at the edge of the city which we had booked in advance, I got out of the car quietly and grabbed our bag from the trunk before slowly opening the passenger door.

Gently unbuckling the seatbelt, I exerted some strength through an ethereal barrier to get Jean out of the car without waking her up as I carried her in my arms.

Closing the car door and locking the car with the keys, I moved towards the entrance which thankfully opened automatically so I didn't have to use my supernatural abilities to do so.

Walking up to the reception, I checked in while ignoring the half-curious, half-flirtatious looks of the young female clerk.

Inwardly, I was a bit surprised that she didn't ask me to wake up the sleeping beauty in my arms since there was no reason to believe that Jean wasn't a girl that I had just drugged and brought to the hotel without her consent.

I knew that such things were indeed not uncommon but it seemed as if my rather inhuman charm had helped me avoid being accused of such, even if I consciously suppressed part of it.

I was a higher being, after all, my mere presence was able to affect the mind of 'mortals' in my proximity.

It was the pure difference in the level of life form between a Realm Lord and normal mortals that could make others unable to reject my will subconsciously, which could almost be likened to dominating the minds of lesser beings.

After all, corruption also was an innate instinct of Darkforce, so I had to be very careful to suppress this effect as part of my presence at all times if I didn't want to accidentally mess with the wills of those close to me.

It wasn't a very difficult thing to do though, and I had already set a Program to suppress my aura at all times since this dimensional space also had difficulties enduring the full brunt of my presence.

Turning to the corridor to the right of the reception, I walked into the wing of the building to the large ground-floor suite that I had booked for the two of us.

Opening the door, I stepped into a tidy room. The interior design seemed inspired by the farmhouse style, the room was large, open, and flooded with light. Soft pastel colours gave the room a quiet and peaceful feeling, which was exactly to my taste.

The bed was Queen-sized and I didn't hesitate to lay Jean down on it before placing the bag on the small bench at the foot of the bed.

Setting the alarm for my phone at one hour, I returned to Jean's side and slowly climbed into bed next to her after placing a sleeping baby owl on the soft bedding on the redhead's other side.

We still had a bit of time before we had to get going to visit her mother's grave if we wanted to do so before the sun went down, which was the plan anyway, so I saw no reason to wake either of them up while they rested so peacefully.

Wrapping my arm around Jean's waist and moving my head close to her hers, I inhaled the flowery scent of her hair, the underlying fiery note having become something familiar and comforting in the last few months.