Private From The Ashes

He'd walk along, the scales poking out of a few holes in his clothes, a hood over his head. It was his first time outside the forest since he came back. His mind was jumble, a mess of confusion, he wasn't really sure what he was anymore.

As he went he'd stop as he spotted someone familiar, a tiny demon girl. Mal, her name was Mal, he remembered her, remembered how he felt about her.

Slowly he'd remove the hood revealing his face, a look of confusion on it. He had claws mow, along with the scales. @Abbysaurus

The hug surprised him, but he didn't even move. "Mal...?" he'd finally say, "you...you're Mal." Finally his arms would wrap around her in a gentle hug. "I remember you....," tears were streaming from his eyes as they talked.

He'd take a breath. "I....w-what happened to me?" he'd ask, "what happened?" He remembered a flash of magic, fire, remembered waking up in the forest, waking up changed.

"I.........I feel different..," his mind was still blurry and confused, but he knew he wasn't the same.

Rowan would keep hugging her. "Safe?" he'd ask, "I....I don't know," he remembered shifting in the forest and wondered if it would be safe for her. "I.....ok...," he'd slowly nod, "your dorm...that's right....there's a school here isn't there?"

He'd glance around, the city felt familiar even though his memories weren't solid at the moment. "Yeah let's go," he'd let her take the lead, he'd follow her.

The boy would pull his hood back on, adjusting his shirt, with tore a bit more as the tears caught on the scales.

"Not hurt," he'd say, shaking his head, "don't know if...if I can be hurt anymore." A few of the creatures had tried, he'd gotten a few meals out of those encounters. "Yes, some food sounds good," he'd stop, squeezing her hand back a few times.

"I....I feel that...," he'd say, taking a breath, "why...why's that a big deal to me?" He sounded confused. "I can feel you," tears were still steaming down his face.

He'd take a shaky breath. "I can feel everything....and....it...," he'd trail off.

He'd nod, the school nearing now, he remembered the school, what it was for, why it was there. He'd blink in surprise at what she said next, he hadn't been expecting that. "I......," he remembered most of their time together, how being around her had made him happy, made him want to make her happy.

"I love you too," he'd finally say as they entered the dorms, glancing around a bit as they made their way to her dorm.