Faolan accepted the healing ad begrudgingly as he normally would, but he could not deny the results. Although, when he noticed that it was tiring Lucien out more than he was willing to cause, he let the Frenchman know that he was feeling much better, physically at least. After they had rested a little longer by the lake in placid silence, the two men set out once more on their journey.
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Half a dozen or so years passed, and the two traveled most of the United States doing odd jobs, healing the sick and assisting the poor. The two were known as "drifters", travelling from town to town with no permanent home and offering their services wherever they were needed. In some crossroads towns, they were even known by name, and the two of them had jobs waiting whenever they would return. They faced hard winters and cruelly hot summers, and had their fair share of other hardships, but nothing they couldn't see the other side of. They did well for themselves, and even after the incident in the woods, not much changed between the two of them.
For a while, Faolan took longer and longer to come and go from the trips during the Full Moon. Thanks to Lucien's tracking and his own instincts, it was easy to make sure that they did not repeat the mistake that had nearly cost the two their friendship, but his anxieties about the possibilities never waned. Faolan knew the only way to be sure of Lucien's safety was to be positive that he would never be in a position to encounter the beast ever again. He made sure to leave at least three days in advance of the Full Moon, sometimes even a week if it made sense to do so, and return no sooner than he was able. This shortened the two's overall time together, but Lucien had gained some independence from his time alone, and Faolan was glad to see that he was able to handle himself well, even for weeks at a time.
Despite the slight strain these long partings had put on their relationship, the two quickly recovered and were back to their old ways within hours of Faolan's return. They had certainly grown closer over the years, despite Faolan's slight resistance to this. He found it hard to deny that the two of them made a good team. He found himself subconsciously caring for Lucien in small ways which he would not notice until long after the deeds had been done. Similarly, he found Lucien never to be far away when he needed something, and the Frenchman had learned to read his moods, subtle expressions, and silence better than any person ever had. He often negotiated for the pair with strangers while Faolan stood by "looking capable", as Lucien liked to call it. Overall, the two had a sense of balance and equality in their relationship that Faolan had never experienced before.
Recently, Faolan had even found himself trying to return from his monthly errands as quickly as possible. This was more instinctual than anything, and even though he was confident that Lucien would be fine on his own, it became important to him not to leave him alone for longer than was absolutely necessary.
Due to this, and Lucien's negotiation skills, the two had recently experienced a boom in the pay for their work. They had even saved enough to buy a truck with a trailer in the back, which they slept in when they were on the road. It was poor condition when they first bought it, but Faolan had managed to patch it up so it ran well, and Lucien had helped to furnish the inside so they would be comfortable. This also meant the pair had much more free time lately, as travel time was cut drastically by driving. They would use this time for recreation and training, and Faolan watched Lucien's improvement with pride. Lucien was even an accomplished fisherman now, though he had never had a knack for hunting. He had also saved up some money and purchased a violin, which he was teaching himself to play. He and Faolan had also practiced sharing their respective languages so much that each of them was now fluent in the other.
On one such weekend, just before Faolan was due to leave for the full moon, the pair had found themselves with a free day and a half. They had just finished working a shift at a bakery together and had gotten off rather early and were now walking through town back to the town house they had been boarding in.
Faolan had been enjoying the sunset and the quiet when Lucien spoke up. He glanced over at the two men and subconsciously his eyes narrowed disapproval. He huffed at Lucien's comment and shrugged, "Mm, it's not all it's cracked up to be." He assented. The men stumbled by, arm in arm, singing so boisterously that Faolan couldn't understand the lyrics through the slurring. The smell of their breath wafted over to him and he looked away, turning toward the fresh breeze.
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