magus of flowers.

🌻  “YESSS! That’s the spirit!“ Being all enthusiastic, he flies two quick circles around the magus before coming to a stop again in front him. He holds out his cellphone now with a rather big smile.

“So, I can send messages with this, yes? Can I send a message to my best friend, too? His name is Harlequin and he’s the fairy king! Please, I need to know!”

such display of enthusiasm would naturally be contagious if the magus were not a husk devoid of his own emotions.  yet, he’s learned well to mimic them when necessary, supplied with the help of humans.  therefore, merlin musters up a curt laugh and smiles widely in return. 

of course, as an aspiring big brother figure, he will help.

He ‘couldn’t help it’? Magilou hadn’t paid the stranger himself any attention yet, but now that she did, it was impossible not to notice the magic surrounding him. His felt very different from her own Artes though.

“Does that mean if I hit you, more petals will come flying?” she misinterprets his words on purpose, partly in retaliation for belittling her skating efforts. “Sounds like fun.”

But as entertaining a prospect that was, he was right in one regard: It was best to get off the ice for the time being. Magilou tried to follow his example, rising to her feet━only to almost slip and fall again, her aching ankle not quite up to the task.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me I’ve actually sprained my ankle?” She glared at the ankle in question. “Now, that’s just inconsiderate. Hey━”

Magilou’s gaze shifted back to the stranger and, unexpectedly, to her own hands, holding on to his arm. She must’ve reflexively grabbed whatever was close to steady herself, without even noticing.

“…You don’t happen to know any healing magic, do you? Otherwise, I’m afraid I must hold on to you until we’re off the ice. I’m sure you don’t mind, given how 'cute’ I am, right?” If only she had all of her Artes available, and the treacherous Malak that went along with them. None of this nonsense would be necessary.

he laughs nervously.  it’s a substitute for outright pleading ‘please don’t hit me !’ to her joke━━ or well, he hopes it’s a joke.  the flowers will naturally profuse from his body and with every footstep.  if she so wishes to see them, she merely needs to look closer. 

“you’re right !  i don’t mind a cute girl holding onto me━━”   and much as she has taken his arm, merlin reaches to take hers with a wink.  it’s a gesture of welcome and a display of his lacking sense of personal space.  although conscious of certain human boundaries, being locked within a tower for millennia without another soul has dulled that notion. 

while his expression remains jovial, his thoughts spur on a hypothesis.  to come to the conclusion of magic, can this young lady sense mana, too ?  now, is it perhaps a magus, a spirit, or something more curious ?

“hm, i’m afraid i don’t have healing magic,”   merlin admits, his tone laced with a hint of concern.  he looks down at her ankle, gauging the injury for himself.   “i can ease the pain, however; trick your mind into thinking the sprain is gone.  but, well ... that wouldn’t be too fun, right ?”

Ogata can’t help but to give a laugh.

“ Yeah. I know “, he says folding his arms over the table.

“ I should know since I’m from ‘what used to be’.  “

What follows has Ogata’s eyebrows rise however. He’s familiar  He’d call it marketing strategy, the guy’s got the merchant smile after all. The drinks are free though so that can’t possibly be it.

“ How so? “

Maybe he’s just talking whatever comes to mind.

“as they say, vanilla is the most basic of flavors.  ideal for those who don’t have a strong preference or are afraid of experiencing something new━━ and, i don’t just mean tastes.”   he angles his head mischievously and winks,   “a jest, really !”

but his attention truly lies in the man’s previous statement.  was their apparent age misleading, or could it be another anomaly between time ?  it must be a story worth telling, and there is nothing merlin enjoys more than tales woven by humans. 

“ It’s not all too surprising is it? “

Ogata’s grinning a little. He figures it’s consistent what he’s said before at least but he supposes it’s been a while. Is this guy a complete opposite then? It’d be easy to write him down as an airhead but Ogata isn’t quick to jump into conclusions.

“ ..chocolate I guess.”

It sounds the least sweet at least though he’s mostly reminded of medicinal chocolate than anything else.

he laughs at the response; it’s a fair point.  perhaps it was a sort of optimistic hope to look for change after all this time, despite being created from fabricated emotions.  but, sometimes, the expected could be just as fun.

“ rich in flavor and taste, an excellent choice.  did you know that chocolate once used to be considered a luxury ? ”   merlin makes light conversation while studying the machine as it automatically pours the espresso into the mug.  it’s a relatively quick process, so he makes the most of it before needing to decorate the drink. 

… — Cute?

For a moment, the word stunned Magilou into silence, more effectively than the pain caused by the crash and the inevitable collision with the ice. The moment passed quickly, though.

“Who are you calling cute?! What if I don’t want to be forgiven? Maybe I did it on purpose,” she insisted, half pouting. Of course, it had been an accident. But since this stranger chose to start their conversation with such slander, she had no choice but to set the record straight. After all, Magilou was an evil witch! And as such, she couldn’t possibly be cute.

With that out of the way, her focus shifted to other things. Like her aching ankle, or the piles of pink petals decorating the ice around them.

“Hold on. What’s with all these? No wonder I lost control over my skates,” Magilou said, fully aware that her failure had nothing to do with flowers and everything to do with her lack of practice. “Sure, they look nice enough, but really, this is just asking for more accidents. Whoever thought this was a good idea, must be some downright genius.” Too busy with pointing out the skating rink’s flaws, she didn’t even notice the helping hand the stranger had offered.

was that a genuinely shy response or a feigned one ?  he observes her fumbling, this stranger donned in floral colors, searching for an answer in expression, both body and psyche.  and, stranger yet, was the lack of feedback.  it’s a sort of vacancy unique to a bewitched mind or the empty hearts of empty creatures like himself.

now, this is interesting. 

“ ah, i just can’t help it━━ ”   he dismisses the petals away with a wave of his ( ignored ) hand.  they evaporate into bits of magic, almost as if they were part of a fleeting dream.  more will come to take their place in time, but he’d hate for her to get the wrong idea━━ or create a semblance of one. 

Waiting patiently she kept her eyes on him as he tried her pastry. By the look on his face it didn’t taste bad or even horrible so that made her a bit relieved. Once he spoke, her smile grew and she couldn’t contain her excitement and embarrassment over his compliment. “thank you so much for the compliment. I am actually still learning how to bake and cook but, back home my father would always teach me and i would cook dinner quite a lot.” 

His suggestion though made he pause and tilt her head in thought. “whisking a bit more. Hm, I never thought of that! I will make sure to keep it in mind. Next time I make this i will make sure to whisk a bit more and have you try it again, sir!” 

“ is that so ? ”   he asks with the curiosity of a budding interest.  she is ambitious for a child; that much is admirable from any standpoint.  still, in cases such as this━━ of young minds holding a deeper sense of responsibility━━ tend to hide a more profound history.  and, as a someone who is fond of others’ stories, merlin cannot help but be curious. 

the caster mirrors back her delight, smiling his own bright smile. 

After cold weather chased him in Ogata followed the scent that led him to the class in the end. Latte art….? He remembers latte being type of a coffee but however you make art out of it is beyond him. Seems pointless.

He remembers this guy. He was there at that dream establishment. The name… did he ever even ask? It doesn’t really matter. 

“ Fancy word you’re using for a sheer chance there “, he replies as he sticks his back against the heater on the wall.

“ Sampling obviously. “

“ don’t tell me you’re not a believer of fate either━━ ”   he teases but cannot hide the spark of renewed curiosity behind the words.  the man was well-grounded with his ideation and difficult to satisfy; the mage recalls that now.  but, its what makes him want to poke holes beyond that cold exterior.  just what would it take, he wonders.

Taken a bit by surprise, she turned her attention to the voice and gave a nod to his question along with a smile, “Please help yourself. Judge or not if someone wants to try something I made I wont tell them no.” Sakura liked to make things for others to try because she liked to see people smiling. It also helped her get better with the help of others comments on what to add or use less of. “Although, if you do not mind any comments on the taste and such will be of much help for next time.”

“ that’s a fair exchange.  well then, allow me ! ”   merlin brandishes a nearby knife and squares off a piece of the pastry.  he savors it with delight, humming all the while.   “ wow, that’s good !  you’re quite talented for your age. ”   though it’s a challenge to find a suggestion for a handmade craft offered so kindly, he settles with one anyway, grabbing a whole slice for himself.