Gladiolus Amicitia

One of the great things about planning these weekend get-aways was finding some really unique and interesting places all around the country, and so when Gladio set out to find somewhere to visit to celebrate Nell's birthday a little bit, he figured a place called The Hike Inn would be pretty fitting! And he was not wrong on that assumption, considering that even just getting to the place required a hike from the state park's visitors' center, so when they arrived yesterday, there was a little bit of exploration there before they headed out to the lodge deep in the foothills of northern Georgia.

They didn't entirely have the place all to themselves, but, since it was definitely at the tail end of the prime hiking season, it was still pretty quiet, and those who were also staying there or passing through were enthusiasts with shared interests that Gladio, at least, enjoyed talking to when they did cross paths. But, for the most part, it was just him and Nell, laughing at the bunk beds in the cabins that he'd been prepared for, meaning their first night had been spent making slightly more room on the floor with some sleeping bags instead.

So then there they were on their big full day there, having some breakfast in the common area of the lodge with its comforting woodstove at the center of the room, light pouring through the windows that surrounded it, and Gladio was pouring over the hiking map for the area.

"Hey, look at this," he said, with a grin, turning the map and pointing at some of the information on top for Nell to read, "they've detailed some of the more interesting plants and things that grow along the trail, too. That's kind of neat."

The whole place was, really. The survivalist in him appreciated all the eco-friendly nods to conservation, the fact that it was built on stilts to have less impact on the earth, the solar panels running the place....he was even kind of excited to check out their worm beds later that evening, so he was feeling pretty good about this pick, that was for sure.

The great company certainly didn't hurt, either.

[[ for the little lady with him (or anyone who wants to get in touch) and nfb for distance, of course! ]]

Gladio definitely knew something was up. Even if he hadn't known what day it was, Prompto and Iris had rolled back into town yesterday and hadn't stopped exchanging smirks and glances since. If he hadn't been aware of what day it was, he might have actually been a little bit concerned about those looks between them. But it was the same energy that Prompto had had a few months ago, in February, when he'd tracked down Coctura after having disappeared for about a week collecting ingredients to make a veritable feast (as close to one as anyone could get these days, anyway), for Ignis' birthday.

And, well...

( Today's was Gladio's birthday. )

And Gladio was left looking at the Cup Noodle^TM container in his hand, shaking his head again, and then glanced over at Prompto with a faint smile. "Thanks," he said.

And Prompto, despite the fact that he was clearly proud of himself (and with good reason!) for this one, just sort of shrugged, ducking his head, never really able to escape the pervasive undercurrent of sadness to everything for too long. "Don't even mention it," he said. "Happy birthday, man."


[[ nfi, nfb obviously, paying respects to the almighty Cup Noodle^TM always welcome, as we realize the TRUE tragedy of the Apocalypse is the Cup Noodle^TM we've lost along the way ]]