It seemed appropriate to use the new schoolgrounds to practice applications and what better way to spend the endeavor than with his best friend in the whole wide world. It was ironic considering this is the exact way the pair had met, the little botanist wrapping him up in vines while practicing a spell. It was like a dream come true. "Hi, Brii~ Are you excited? I know I am~" He offers a quick smile, giggling with enough exuberance to fill the vacant room. Vesper claps his hands together, rubbing together with friction that sends transient sparks that dissipate in the space between.

Vesper had made great strides in his magic, based around his passion for baking and partaking in sweets. But somewhere down the line, despite the advancement and possibilities offered because of it, he'd lost the ability to boost his own powers through his magic. He could no longer rely on the clear mental image offered by crackling electricity or the powerful rumble that followed in its wake. So what was the missing ingredient now? Vesper rummages through his pocket and plucks out one of his old candies. The aptly named Rumble Candy, that once cracked between his teeth to unleash a shock that permeated through his system. He could no longer activate it as he was now, instead opting to carefully inspect it, spinning it between his prominent fingers and thumb. There must be some way to get the same effect without the assault on his senses. He was stronger now - his magic more fluid than before. He can create candy from nothing but magic so, in theory, it should be simpler, yes?

Vesper unseals the little candy, a flick of his thumb to lob the confection straight into the wolf's jaws, letting it linger still on his tongue as he closes his eyes and focuses entirely on the flavor. He had an idea, perhaps a bit simplistic, but one reliant entirely on his proficiency in something more mundane than magic; baking. A hand unfurls, gripped tight by the other at the precipice of elbow and forearm. A magic circle appears within his clutches, channeling energy that flickers between opaque white and something entirely transparent. He's recounted the hours, the days, the years of perseverance it took to even create his improvised form of spellcraft - novice and unintuitive in every way. He understands better than most what it means to toil away for the meager scraps of strength you can muster and it was his passion that drove him this far to begin with.

A roll of his tongue to rest the sweet between his fangs, applying pressure, slow and intermittent, etching the sensation in abject permanence. The way it feels in his mouth. The way it sticks so greedily to his teeth. The way it creaks splitting under the stress. The way its flavor explodes into a bolt of lightning when it finally cracks. Vesper closes his eyes and commits it all to memory, a burst of magical energy coiling along his arm, trailing down to his open palm. The luminosity he wielded in place, a question was left unspoken, teetering in the border of regression or evolution was beginning to blossom into an answer. A finale in the closing of the circle and a fist snapped shut.

It looked just the same as the candy that stained his senses just a moment ago, but would it function the same? That was the question that needed its answer. Before, it was simple in its convoluted way. He'd make the candy by hand and use them as a catalyst for his magic. It was all done in an environment he was familiar with, but now, he had to imagine the act of constructing a candy from scratch using only his magic. It was more potent in theory, but placed more of a mental strain on the boy, forcing him to truly understand every ingredient and correctly fulfill every ingredient or the whole spell would be ruined. There was only one way to test it, too.

Vesper glances towards Briar, a frivolous smile, silly, but just as reassuring as he lifts it up to show it off. "Well, here goes nothin' Bottoms up!" He flicks it into his mouth in the same way as the original model - crunch. Vesper's eyes light up, a jolt of electricity running through his body. The taste he remembers accompanying the sensation all too familiar. The sensation was of course, phantom - a testament to a child's imagination, perhaps? Still, it wasn't completely the same. There was no need to sustain the spell, all of the magic placed was finite, lasting a certain amount of time regardless of Vesper's input after the fact.

"I think... I got it down. It works just like my old one! Well... a little different but still!" Vesper's entire body was colored in a soft pinkish hue, same as the candy he had just consumed and emitted a steady stream of vapor that signified the burning of the magical energy flowing through his metabolism. He simply sat munching down on sweets until the candy wore off and he noticed that his body felt sluggish afterwards, a rather nasty aftershock from his body recovering from the effects of his sugar doping. He decides to take a little break, arms propped on the desk with his chin rested comfortable in his palms as he watched Briar practice.

[915]
[Learning: B Rank - Rumble Candy]
[20% WCR from INT and 20% WCR from College of Augmentation]

Briar took his chance in the soft light of their shared afternoon, spilling through the slant of a window in an appropriated classroom, to watch Vesper for their first few moments. They had both taken well to school life and found little issue in the commute to and from Hargeon, thanks both in parts to its residence as a port town - and therefore more than well-equipped for their adventures - and also to their guild, as Blue Pegasus had been nothing but supportive for the mage's Amaforth Academy enrollment and Christina was available for the odd trip. It was work, of course, to balance their lives, their adventures, their families and magi jobs - and their schooling, and they did it. They did it together.

Briar smiled with a similar gentleness reflected by each glint of the light over his slight frame, highlighting him from the slope of small shoulders to illuminate the particles of dust in their still space. He'd shake his head, fanning out his hair within its ponytail, only to nod enthusiastically and giggle along with Vesper's own exuberance. "Y-yeah! Golly, Ves, this was a real good idea. You're such a help! I'll do my best for you, too!!" He'd clap his hands together, making way to give them both ample room, and then begin his own spellwork.

He'd remember back to their first meeting under similar circumstances, Vesper no doubt sharing the train of memory to drive them onward. It hadn't been too long ago - he hadn't changed too much - but the time spent in this friendship had served them both stronger and closer. It had been an epiphany that led him to asking for a stranger fellow's help for the creation of a binding spell - and while his new spellcraft wasn't so much an epiphany but a necessary decision, he felt as light as he did back then. It wasn't too hard, in Vesper's presence. There was always something weightless about the steps they took together.

He broke his eyes from Ves' efforts and the flow he felt of his mana to dig into himself. Dig deeper. He pawed away the blockage of his magic's topsoil, driving lines into the depths of his energy to find the roots deeper within. His magic would forever serve itself to his memory and the things he identified the closest with - what he could dream, what he could know, he could make. He could apply his passions to his actions; it had become a routine process for him, despite the bead of sweat that'd work itself down unmarred brow. He'd scrunch his nose and furrow his eyes, letting them close on the sunlit room and the hard oak of the staff he'd lift affront him. It unsteadied between the trembling hands busied with their excavation, slowing his breathing to build a firmer grasp.

It still helped to channel through his staff, even if the gnarled wood had seen more than enough wear for its aging years. One day, he knew, he'd have to move past the training wheels of something like a mage's first staff - and that day wouldn't be today, planting his feet with determination into flooring that creaked under the flow of mana from his hand's clasp. He was allowed to use whatever he needed to get this footing. It all served the greater purpose of his development; this was a facet taught to them by the Academy thus far. There was no right and wrong way to do magic - only the right and wrong ways you applied it to your situation. That wouldn't be a problem for Briar: he had only a single goal in mind for his magic at any point. This supportive role he took, the heart on his sleeve as readily displayed as any ornamental flowers he crafted.

It pulsed from his legs, rooting himself in place as sure as the fernling of magic his fingers had begun to immaterially pry. It spread on each tug, his breath quickening and then catching with a huff he'd force control back over for a mumble of a thought. "Once ...," he spoke aloud, facetiously as the sound was barely a breath under itself. Once, he had stumbled into an exotic patch of carnivorous flowers in one of his family's early trips to nature out from Hargeon's outskirts. That was one of his first days experiencing the wonder of how different flora grew and interacted, in different conditions and with varying purpose, and he had held these 'uglier' plants in as high - if not higher - regard to his 'prettier' flowers. They sought the same things.

Their life. Their appreciation. He'd be the one to give them both if no one else would claim the responsibility.

He had clung to that sickly sweet smell, driving away the insects and other predators that'd prey on the heart of nature with the defense of their bodies. That was the soul of these Rafflesia. They claimed their safety over presentation, for a flower does not need thorns to ward off evil, nor does it need the most vibrant blossoms to sustain its nature with the carrion it would lure in. Sometimes all you need ... sometimes all you can offer ... is this sanctuary of existence. Within the large sprawling shape of its bud, the corpse flower promised subsistence in the parasite of this promised solace. Briar would form its pistil.

The titular seal of his magic formed during his actualization beneath him, thrumming outward on each successive pull of his magic until it took a greater width than his height around him - cutting off the space between him and Vesper with its glow. This seal would crack, glimmer, and spill a scent unladen with its warning in favor of the phantasmal growth of a Rafflesia blossom. It shimmered in and out of the daylight, misting the air they breathed, and its sweet scent collected between every shaft of dust until a glittering dome solidified in its shell around him. The flower dispersed with the vow of this defense, leaving Briar encased and grinning behind the rod of his staff and spirited shield both.

"Hhha ... hhaa ... wowie, zowie, Ves. Goodness, that one took'a bit ... haaa ... y-yippee! N-now, uhm ... while I can keep it up, pally, d'ya wanna take a crack? You looked pretty super-charged for a moment there! Don't worry! This can take whatever you have..!!" It was a rare moment of pride, but one lacking the arrogance of an experienced mage -- Briar knew the strength of his passions, his drive, and it served the bone and marrow of this barrier with every green-blue shine it sparked with.

[ 1104 | Learning C-Rank Name of Rafflesia (450 req.)
40% Intelligence ]

Vesper found himself completely enamored by the sight of Briar taming the carnivorous plant, its jagged teeth molded for singular purpose. It was so fitting for the boy. Finding effervescence in something so ravenous looking, primal in every regard. An ember ignites and Vesper finds himself grinning ear to ear with a singular hope taking root just as  bright as the shimmering Rafflesia. It was a secret to everyone besides his family - the truth of what he really was. A werewolf; A monster. He's lived with the shame for so long, ready to bear the burden of it completely alone, but he begins to wonder... Is that really true? Briar would accept him as he was. He knew that in his heart of hearts and his lips part, a shake, a quiver... "Brii..." A hushed murmur. He shakes his head, gulping down a heavy inhalation seeping with magical energy that gets caught in his throat. He doesn't know how to say it. "Oh my goodness, Brii! You did it! Geeez that flower looks quite scary~ But, it's kind of beautiful too, isn't it? Which comes as no surprise considering it was you that created it~" His hands entangle like vines behind his back, anchoring him down with a brilliant smile blessing his formerly sullen expression. "I'll take you up on that offer then, Bri. I have a few ideas, but make sure you hang on tight, okay? Just in case."

Vesper has long wondered how to enhance his physical capabilities in regards to his magic. He had solved the question of how to convert magic into an edible power source that flowed through his metabolism similar to a steroid, but there was surely potential for more. The only limitation was his imagination. He rummages through his pack and dumps his candy collection out onto the desk in front of him, fingers trailing across to spread them out for display. He needed something to add a little oomf to his punches that could work alongside the strengthening effect of his Rumble Candy. Among the collection was a stick of taffey, chocolate bars, bubblegum, cookies, a box of pocky and finally, a package of rock candy skewers. It hit him almost immediately upon seeing the stick adorned with serrated pieces of candy notched along its length.

Excited paws grasp at the package, tearing it open to pluck the tiny blade and wield it so readily, showing it off to Briar. "Oooo ooh! I have another idea actually! I can't believe I didn't think about it before!" He was beaming so excitably, wagging the candy in front of his face with a giggle. He has the solution, but now came the hard part. He had to be able to create rock candy from memory, understanding it at every fundamental level to wield it in combat. The way it felt against his skin, the way it would puncture flesh and blood if need be and most of all the ingredients it took to create it. Luckily he already understood the simple process required to make rock candy, consisting entirely of sugar and syrup and left to bake until crystallization.

Vesper takes a seat and inspects the rock candy intently, committing its composition to memory. The space between each ridge and how they overlap and blend together into an amorphous mass of sucrose. He grinds the candy against the smooth canvas of his hand, painting it the same shade of cerulean that colored the saccharine sweet. It dug into his skin so uncomfortably, stickiness clinging tight with every irritating movement. His eyes shut, lining the uneven candy with his knuckles against a hard surface and clenches his teeth to bear what comes next. A crack, a sputter that leaves shrapnel engrained in his skin, hand trembling from the pain of it all. He winces and shakes his hand, but flashes a reassuring smile to his friend. "It's alright! Don't worry~"

The pulse of ache, the shot of pain that persists as he focuses his mind, gripping his wrist with his free hand. A sigh, breath bated with a heated mist, like a furnace heating up to preheat the magic that would create his weaponized candy. A seal forms around the uninjured hand, vibrating with a tremor of his lip that slowly trails along the edge, glistening rubies sprouting in the wake of every motion, until finally he reaches the cliff, falling down the ends of his finger tips. Teeth sink into his lip, glaring intently to make sure he maintains the spell, hesitating to make a single step or open his closed fist.

"Okay, okay, okay... I think.. I did it?" He makes a calculated step towards Briar and the barrier he so carefully constructed. "I feel bad for whoever gets hit by one of these bad boys~" Vesper giggles, a little wag of his tail as he does his best to flex and showoff for his friends, before returning to a somewhat serious demeanor. "Alright let's give this one a shot, then." He retracts his arm, loading it back to spring with the paunch of his step, twisting his winding shoulder to puncture through the shield with a powerful punch. The crimson diamonds coating his fist crumble under the unwavering barrier, but Vesper could feel how much of a difference the spell added to his damage capabilities. He scampers over to Briar, enveloping his hands with excitable paws, as he leans down to meet royal violet. "Hehehe! We did it~! Is there anything else you wanted to try out, little bunny? You can use me as a test dummy all you want- Hehe~"

[950]
[Learning: C-Rank - Bonbon Bonk]
[20% WCR from INT and 20% WCR from College of Augmentation]

"I think beauty and fear are the same thing." It was a fervent reply, missing a double meaning and the searching hope that had begin to burgeon in Vesper - he was engrossed in the maintenance and manipulation of his mana to keep the rafflesia's sanctuary taut, able to meet Vesper's eyes again with a telltale brightness and the flush of sweat across his brow: but his passion, it was his own. It came tumbling off his lips, eager to share his thoughts when given the space. He'd fill the time Vesper rummaged through his belongings with his bellsong.

"I-I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but, uhm -- y'know how people say love 'n hate are coin-sides or what'cha have it, Ves? 's like ... I think you understand the beauty of things better the more you understand them ... and that makes 'em less scary. You kinda make your own beauty in things, yeah? You make your own fear too, I reckon. Haha, gee ... I prolly don't make too much sense. I just think ... well, golly, I think ..."

He'd peter out with a chew of his lip, narrowing his eyes and all but disappearing in the reflection of the room's light on his barrier. It passed by, rendering his edges and expression blurred, and he was smiling by the time it cleared again and he could meet Vesper's face. He'd clap at either side of his staff, twining his fingers over the oak and with each other and tilting his head to the side in the light-heartedness of his grin. "Nothin's really scary once you find the parts in it to love."

Scary faces and carnivorous plants. Darkness and death and the fear of pain; and there's something about all of them, right? They belong to a life or remind you of yours. That's beautiful, isn't it? Briar had always believed so. He'd devolve to sheepish giggles, freeing a hand from the tremble he held on his staff to rub the back of his head and glance away bashfully. "Sorry 'bout all that, pally. U-uhm -- anyways -- you got an idea!? Howdy Doody! Let's see it, Ves!" Tossing his head back, gripping his armament, and beaming through the sunrays.

It didn't take long for Vesper's idea to cause some concern in the scrunch of Briar's nose, taking a step closer only to be warded back in place as his flower's pistil. "Y-you sure? Willikers, Ves, don't hurt yourself. I can fix you right up; you just gotta not push it, 'kay?" The tone of a whine, fading into awe when he feels the tug of Vesper's magic in the atmosphere. He'd choose instead to take another step back, placing his trust in his friend's words and his look of determination. His creation shimmered, securing him from the coming attack, and he had begun again the stirring of his own mana. Maybe he was serving a helping hand for Vesper already: that wasn't going to stall him from doing more. He'd double his efforts every time Ves did. All in!

He saw the sparkle of the rubies and widened discs of violet to take them in before they reverberated off his defensive spell, earning the short of a gasp and a relieved breath at Ves' own excitement. He maintained the barrier, still, but he didn't stop Vesper from crossing over. He was worried if he dropped the spell he wouldn't be able to replicate it again today. They weren't done. That same line of thought is what caused him to hold a hand up and ask for Vesper's patience, though sharing his joy with a bright grin and that same hand brushing the side of his friend's hair.

"Gee whiz, Ves, you're really takin' to your magic. I really like it! You're the most creative person I know, you are, you know?" He stumbled over his own tongue, taking one more step back.

"That's why I won't let us rest up yet, no sirree. I'll push a little harder too!" He cocked his head, feeling up the broad of his staff before leveling it between both hands and grasping it tight, horizontal. He maintained this horizon with a fan of his hair from the spill of his mana, drifting with that sweet floral scent until the air tasted with perfume. His magic was a refreshing mist, mingling with memories of warmth, and it clung to their laughter and resolve in equal measure. Every breath took shape in petals. Every lick of his spellwork a stamen that asks to take root before disappearing. It rolls off his feet, fogging the floor and hiding away the last appearances of his rafflesia even as the barrier remains.

It strained him. It amped the beat of his heart, pounding through his chest and ears and the light tremor in his arms, and he dug a connecting tunnel between his spells. Maybe it was too much to grow gardens in different plots; but if you're careful, and you sow just right, there are breeds that can co-exist without harm. He made the final call in his materialization. All he had to do was imagine it ... this interconnection, a wish for harmony ... something beautiful, anew. Something to reward such strength with more. They would never be left to toil or struggle. There was always something born from their efforts.

Briar turned the grasp on his staff and slammed it into the ground, surging out thus: an offering for good health. And it was answered, bloom after bloom, by dozens of daffodils like gold to glitter; prosperous. They brushed the boy's ankles with happy yellow faces and called a chord of rainbows like written music through the mist around the boundary of their barrier. It pulsed a gentle green that collected under a ray of light from the nearby window falling on Vesper's wrist, sprouting an ornament to be a tag answering this wish. One more daffodil, and another - alike to a hairpin in Briar's tresses, bouncing from the exhausted little hops he fought through in enthusiasm. They shared their own little world here, a sphere to be their earth and a field of daffodils supporting their tired limbs.

"W-whad'ya say, V-Ves? One more spell?"

[ 1115 | Learning C-Rank Name of Daffodil (300 req.)
20% College of Restoration, 40% Intelligence ]

Stupefied and tinged in wonder with eyes doting below half drawn curtains, hand propping his chin as he listens. "I really admire your ability to find the beauty in everything, Bri.. Truly... I think I understand what you mean- At least.. it makes me feel a bit better to hear you say it." Maybe it was okay to seek out love. It was easy to relate to his speech; a wolf in boy's clothing - ever the predator as far as the average person was concerned.  Vesper clears his throat, peering beyond the horizon, illuminated by primal beauty that represented the circle of life and death so thoroughly alongside the boy that shined with absolute purity.

"Aw geez, Brii.. You're way too sweet to me! Well... I think your magic is really beautiful! How about that!? I'm constantly amazed at how pretty everything you do is..." A paw lifts to comb brunette strands down below his brow, but there was no sanctuary from the crimson affliction tinting his cheeks. The pitter-patter of spring rain and the rainbow that's left in its wake. He brushes the remnants of the candy that stuck to his hand, a soft bashful giggle bubbling from below and observes Briar as he works his magic. He's the ever curious pup, eyes permanently fixed on every flourish, every movement that blooms into grandeur.

The air seemed to lighten, a saccharine scent replaced with something far sweeter. The atmosphere was left thick, misty again, with a floral aroma permeating the air and a field of sprightly daffodils that gleamed and spread beneath his feet. It elevated him. Pulled him closer to Briar to satiate its need for sunlight. The landscape was enriched in fields of Elysia and Vesper was careful with each step forward, until he stood a breath away, sloping down to trace his fingers around the blooming flower in the little bunny's hair. Ephemeral and still warm to the touch. "See? Pretty." Tender words that accompany the affectionate compliment and a smile in remembrance of their very first encounter.

He giggles, hands entwining behind his back as he paces backwards with an airy spring to his step. "Mhmhm~ I got one more spell in me! You just sit back and rest. Though... This one is a little silly. I'm going to use your Rafflesia again, okay?" Vesper got the idea when he was rummaging through his pack earlier and it had the potential to be even more painful and deadly than his previous one. A nefarious little giggle escapes the kind-hearted boy, eyebrows furrowing into an expression far too eager for mischief. "Hehehehe~" He sways in place and bolts with a skip towards his candy collection haphazardly laid out on the table. He plucks the box of pocky and shakes it with a lively wave.

He unwraps the container and singles out a single stick, held gently between his index and middle finger as he inspects it just as thoroughly as his other creations before it. A twirl in his grip as he holds it diagonal now, poking into the base of his bare hand. It digs in quite readily with an uncomfortable prod that dents flesh. Yes, this will do nicely~ Vesper swivels the pocky and rises to rest it between his lips, teeth gently nibbling as his eyes close to deconstruct its recipe as accurately as possible. It's simply child's play for the proficient baker, confident in his chronicled formula. A swift clap of his hands, that rub together in excited, flickering sparks.

Vesper inhales the sylvan fragrance saturating the air and exhales chocolatey breath that amalgamates into something even sweeter. A hand extends outward, fingers pinched and burrowed tight within one another. A humming ambience and pulse of the firmament as magical energy coalesces again, a quivering gale in the waves of sucrose that prepares to spill out from the boundary. The shimmering in his eyes take flight like emboldened cardinals as he clicks his fingers together with a snap - pop. A magic circle appears like a cloud above the Rafflesia, a storm; a deluge of spear-like chocolate raindrops. It's a silly idea, but effective in its application. They fall and crumble under the sturdy umbrella, but any other target would surely take damage from the sharp edges he etched in every single arrow. Lips curve upward in satisfaction as his body leans towards the firm surface of a nearby desk, panting and exhausted from casting so many spells at once as he slopes downward into the bed of flowers.

He's proud of his accomplishment, eyes almost pleading at his friend for more glowing praise. "Voila~ Sharp pocky stick arrow rain! Uhm... Name might be a work in progress. Hehe~" A playful giggle, fueled entirely by the thrill of adrenaline. Vesper is exhilarated, wiggling back and forth with the kick of his feet, ensuring the daffodil on his wrist is always visible.

"I'm wiped, Brii~ I think that's the last one from me, but~ I'm always happy to sit here and spend time with you~"

[Exit]

[861]
[Learning: C-Rank - Pocky Pincushion]
[20% WCR Reduction via Intelligence]

His muscles ached in a way only waylayed by the course of his magic and the familiar flush of it he felt when looking back at the other boy. It was a comfortable pain; a, 'hey, you worked real hard today, partner.' They both had - it shone clear in every gleam of sweat and thrum of arcane energies that formed to a near-palpable force inside of their work room. They had it until the end of the afternoon for private study, why not make everything they could of it? That's why it didn't hurt if he watched Vesper work just a little while longer. Right? Glancing shyly beneath the brush of his friend's hand and the sheepish giggle that joined it, his cheeks reddened by either exertion or bashfulness. The answer was likely both.

"Well, gosh ...," and he found himself at a loss for words, struggling to catch up through the pulse his mana took in each successive moment it was maintained. He could feel the roots of his garden tangling together, closer, deeper; this is an aspect he'd have to work on more, before they drank his entire pool for its worth. It was a substantial effort. ... It was worth it. He took his step back to allow Vesper his next work, smiling soft, clenching his staff to his chest in a deserved hug. "Sh-show me what you've got, tiger!" He cheered on, giving one last hop before his fatigue felt like it might overtake him.

His hand shifted, caressing the ornament of his magic in his hair, and he drew his strength from it throughout the duration of Vesper's magecraft. It almost seemed so easy, so obvious, from the outlook -- but he knew better, especially with his own experiences today. It's Briar below the umbrella of his flower's grace to bare this candied rain, almost eager to drop the spell and accept each spearpoint to the tip of his tongue. He knew better, waiting it out with increasing excitement in his eyes -- only to watch Vesper slump in his own exhaustion and find a new wind blow through his tired bones.

He hummed with energy: with purpose. It was exhilarating to watch this spell-work, impossible to ignore the call of it, and every successive show made him want to up its ante - if not meet it at pace. He wasn't trying to show off. It was more like ... the effort shown deserved effort meted, and his every contribution served to better the contribution of others. He didn't want to 'win.' He wanted to kingmake. He wanted to alleviate all other burden, all other struggle, and lift his loved ones to their deserved Elysium on his bed of flowers. What were roots for but to nurture, to grow? Why a stem but to reach toward the sun? Why did a flower bloom ... if not to spread its joy?

The Rafflesia disappeared in thousands of sparkling lights, leaving Briar and Vesper both in a field of daffodils permeated with the lingering glint of fireflies. The air buzzed with his magic, his eyes with his determination and elation in equal measure, and his hands with the heft of his staff to the air only to bring it down in the center of his crop. A green thumb could work wonders: a green heart? Miracles. An unfelt gust rose out from his position to flutter each individual blossom, and a seal would creep beneath them with Briar's every huff. "Our name is Peony," he sung, roaming his hands to the top of his staff and holding it from its point into every surge of his mana.

The barrier cleared allowed new seeds to sow among his daffodils, joining them with crystallizing stamens and the glow of luminescent petals, for between each flower another rises. It shimmers in the light and sways with Briar's every breath, releasing a contemporary scent to mingle and be born anew with the old; and with it, a light mist, revitalizing Vesper in the embrace of each phantasmal bloom.

"And we offer happiness back where happiness comes." He finishes, under his breath, only to slump forward and drop his staff in a clatter through the spectral meadow. His heavy panting comes between gasps of laughter, dragging one arm in a shaky lift, and then he all but half-lunges his body to land with Vesper's and laugh out louder. He rolls onto his back, eyes shut tight, and grins his broadest grin to his friend and the ceiling above. "Sittin' and spendin' time ... sounds ... nice ...! Haaa ..."

They remain like this, laughing, in the greensward they had mended together.

[ exit ]
[ 811 | Learning C-Rank: Name of Peony (300 req.)
20% College of Restoration, 40% Intelligence ]