Generated prompt of the day: Proud

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Beacontown had grown a lot over the years. Acres of land that used to be forest, now part of the thriving town. A colourful, cheerful, sight that hasn't seen darkness in years. It was hard to believe, but more than ten years had passed. Time flew, that was for sure.

In the years that passed, very few Beacontowners seemed to question what had happened to the Order of the Stone. After the attack from the Admin that left the city traumatized for months to come, nobody really saw their heroes again. Jesse had left Beacontown less than a week after the battle. Some people considered it a bad move on her part, leaving her city so quickly after battle, while others didn't seem to even realize their hero wasn't there.

As the years drifted by, questions were asked. People wanted to know if they'd ever see their Hero in Residence again. It was a question, impossible to answer. And as the years drifted by, they stopped asking.

At last, the sun was starting to set on the end of Founding Day. Radar walked along the street, watching as booths were being packed away, decorations Being taken down.

Twelve years. It's been twelve years since he last saw Jesse. And honestly, with another Founding day come and gone, Radar wondered if he ever would see her again.

Radar walked through the large gates of Beacontown, his tense muscles relaxing as he breathed in the fresh, outdoor air. He started walking through the field, heading for one of his favourite spots in the area. His feet dragged slightly, more thoughts settling on his mind.

He wondered where the Order was. Obviously Axel and Olivia were still running Boomtown and Redstonia. As Beacontown had grown larger and busier, Lukas had moved off. Said he wanted a "quieter place" to write. Then lastly there were Jesse and Petra, who Radar haven't heard off since they left twelve years ago.

Radar sighed, pulling off his jacket as the late afternoon sun baked down on him. It seemed so... so wrong. The Order having ended up so split apart. Especially with their leader's fate unknown.

Radar sat down flat on the grass as he reached the top of the small hill. It wasn't too far from Beacontown, but also wasn't close enough that he heard the bustling of it's many citizens.

He wondered what the world's heroes were doing. Two of them probably hold up doing town-running things, one somewhere behind a desk and... He didn't know what scenario to imagine for Petra and Jesse.

Occasionally he would see Axel and Olivia, whenever there was business between Beacontown and one of their towns. Lukas also came to visit Beacontown sometimes, coming for a good, nostalgic visit roughly once every year. Usually around Founding day, but Radar hadn't seem him that year.

Sighing, Radar leaned back on his elbows, staring out onto the horizon. It was a little early to enjoy the sunset, but he would probably still be sitting there when it came.

He didn't want to feel ungrateful. It meant so much to him that Jesse had entrusted her town to him, and he of course respected that she wanted to go live her life... He had just wished that she would some day return.

Radar's train of thought was interrupted by what sounded like hoofbeats. He looked around in confusion, wondering if it was one of the few wild horses that still roamed the area.

"Radar! Didn't expect to catch you out here!"

"Lukas." Radar said in surprise as a dark bay horse stopped beside him, the blonde swinging his leg over the saddle. "I was wondering if you were planning a visit this year."

"Sorry I missed most of founding day." Lukas replied, tying his horse to the tree and promptly inviting himself to sit down beside Radar. "Got hold up somewhere."

Radar nodded, turning his head back to look at the view below them. Lukas gave him a nudge with his elbow.

"Why so quiet? Weren't you always the bubbly one?" Lukas seemed unusually cheery.

"Things change." Radar replied softly. Lukas didn't say anything, but he still had that idiotic grin on his face.

"So." Radar said, feeling the need to spark up a conversation. "You had a good year?"

"Brilliant one, yes." Lukas replied, clasping his hands together excitedly. "Never had this much motivation."

Radar nodded, biting his lip. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Lukas.

"Don't you ever miss the order?" He asked, turning towards Lukas. "You were such a strong team, so close... now you're all miles apart."

"I miss them all the time." Lukas said, the happiness in his voice only slightly faltering before picking back up. "But as long as they're all happy, I'm happy."

"How can you be so optimistic?" Radar asked.

"I'd tell you, if you'd share why you're looking so glum." Lukas said. "Come on, spill. Everything good with Beacontown?"

"The town couldn't be better." Radar said, gritting his teeth. "It's expanding, the population is growing... we haven't had a sad moment in years." He turned his head towards Lukas, not realising he was actually scowling at the blonde. "But she's not here to see that."

Lukas's mouth opened for a second, no words coming out. He looked somewhat taken aback at Radar suddenly lashing out.

"You miss Jesse?" Lukas finally asked, seeming to find his voice again. "That's what this is about?"

"I guess you could say that." Radar replied. "She was a big part of my life, how can I not miss her?" He took a deep breath.

"And all these years, I've been waiting for her to come back. I never thought she would... leave forever."

They were silent. Lukas seemed to be carefully chewing over which words he would use next.

"Did she ever even care about Beacontown?" Radar was almost shocked to hear those words coming out of his own mouth.

"Jesse loved Beacontown." Lukas replied. "Her people meant very much to her. Her friends just meant more."

"Then why hasn't she come back?" Radar asked softly, looking over at Lukas desperately. "Why hasn't she come to see how it's going, how Beacontown's doing?"

"Because she left it in good hands." Lukas replied. "Jesse trusted you with all her heart. She knew you'd never let this town fall, no matter what."

"How do you know?" Radar asked, focusing his gaze away from Lukas. "You don't even care about Jesse... none of you do. Who knows where she and Petra went, why we haven't seen them in so long. They could be dead and you wouldn't even know."

"I know you're angry." Lukas said, putting a hand on Radar's shoulder. "But I'll have you know that I care about both Jesse and Petra very much."

Radar sighed, leaning his chin in his hand. "So why are you so happy?" He muttered. "I told you the cause of my mood. Spill yours."

A grin started playing on Lukas's lips, his blue eyes lighting up. Radar held back from rolling his eyes, the blonde's excitement almost taunting.

"I just saw some old friends of mine." Lukas replied, his grin not wavering.

"Yeah?" Radar replied, not very intrigued.

"What? You don't want to hear how Jesse's doing?" Lukas asked.

Radar's head whipped around his eyes wide. "You saw Jesse?!"

Lukas laughed, nodding his head. "Total coincidence, I met Jesse and Petra a few days ago, as I was getting ready to head here. Spent some time with them, that's why I arrived a few days late."

"Where?" Radar asked, astonished as he pulled a hand through his hair.

"Quite far inland." Lukas replied, rummaging in his jacket's pocket for something. "Small town that I stopped in, you know, doing a bit of sight-seeing here and there."

He held out a tiny photograph to Radar, who took it excitedly. It was a picture of Lukas and the two girls, his one arm extended as he was probably the one taking it. Jesse and Petra looked quite different from when Radar last saw them, visibly much older.

"My god." Radar replied, feeling a smile spread across his face as he looked at the image. "They're still adventuring?"

"They are." Lukas replied as Radar handed him back the image. "They've settled down a bit, actually, in the more remote parts of the land. Even got a small house of their own. It's more of a base than anything else though, they spend most days out on the roads."

"I'm glad to hear they're doing OK." Radar admitted. "It's been so long..."

"Jesse asked about Beacontown, you know." Lukas said, almost as if he knew the question was on Radar's mind.

"She did?" Radar asked hopefully. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth." Lukas said matter-of-factly. "Beacontown's growing, the citizens are happy, you're doing a great job at leading."

Radar felt his face slightly heating up, feeling bad for what he said to Lukas earlier.

"What did she say?" He asked softly.

Lukas smiled, his hand squeezing Radar's shoulder.

"She's proud of you."

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Holy crap, how many one shots do we have right now that has focus on Radar? As I was writing this I realised I've been focusing quite a lot on him and I have no clue why XD I mean, Radar's cool and all, but he's not one of my top favourites - why is he getting so much of the spotlight? XD 

I don't have too much to say about this, but I am quite happy with how it turned out. Especially since I wasn't too fond of how yesterday's one shot came out. 

I hope you all enjoyed "Proud"! I'll see you tomorrow with whatever the word generator spits out next!