𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙯 𝙛𝙩. 𝙯𝙖𝙮𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙡𝙛
❛ 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. ❜
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Rose leant back against the trunk of the tree she was perched in. She was seated comfortably in the fork between two branches. They were sturdy enough to support her weight and then some. She relaxed and looked around her surroundings lazily. The bright foliage came in shades of red and gold. Autumn was definitely her favourite season.
A leaf spiralled through the air and landed on top of her head. Rose picked it up and twirled the item between her fingers, eventually losing interest in it and allowing it to continue its journey to reach the ground.
There was a rustling movement in the dense foliage above her. Rose flinched as a bird took off from the branch above her, showering her in droplets of water which had condensed when the temperature changed.
"Damnit..." Rose wrinkled her nose at the cold sensation and shook her head. The movement expelled a few droplets, though it wasn't as effective as she'd thought it would be. "Kou? You done yet?"
"Y—yeah!"
Rose checked below the tree before leaping off the branch and landing subtly on the ground. Dead leaves crunched beneath her boots. She could feel that the dampness of the bark had saturated her clothes. Her skin heated up at the girl's command, effectively eliminating any remaining water.
Rose turned just as Kou emerged from the undergrowth. A new set of clothes and a dip in the freshwater creek had gotten rid of the dirt that clung to his skin previously. He definitely fit the description that his grandmother had given – around ten, with black hair and green eyes.
"Let's go." Rose beckoned. Kou's teeth were chattering, and even Rose felt a little bit cold. "I'll set a fire up for you. Adell's already started making dinner."
Invigorated by the idea of a warm campfire and food, Kou immediately bounded ahead of her with an enviable amount of energy. Rose smiled, though it was barely noticeable.
She, Adell and Kou were travelling straight to Kou's village from the place they'd found the children. They had called the guards in charge of Fiore's border to return the children to their families, but there wasn't much space in the carriages. Rose and Adell had volunteered to stay behind and travel by foot to Kou's village since it was the closest.
Kou and Adell hadn't really taken to each other. Rose found it strange since Adell was infinitely more likeable than her, but she decided not to question the boy. Some people just didn't like each other.
They entered the clearing with their camping supplies. Two tents had already been pitched in the small area. Adell was in a different set of clothing, slicing various ingredients up in preparation for dinner. A spot for the fire had been prepared, so all Rose really needed to do was light it.
Rose grinned mischievously when she realised that Adell had his back turned – and he hadn't noticed her yet. Putting a finger to her lips, she gestured for Kou to stay still before creeping closer to the innocent requip mage.
She poised herself to strike.
"Are you trying to sneak up on me?"
"Eh?"
Adell turned around, a knife in his hand. Rose withered beneath the look he sent her.
"Maybe..."
Adell rolled his eyes. "You'll have to try harder than that."
Pouting, Rose motioned for Kou to let him know that it was okay to move. While Kou tried to find a good spot to sit, she crouched beside the circle of rocks and ignited a fire. Her gaze fell upon the dark coat which Adell had left draped across a tree branch – the hood was lined with fur, and it looked pretty warm...
Rose grinned, her second evil masterplan already in action. She quietly snuck across the clearing and snatched Adell's cloak from the branch, making sure not to rip it. The soft fabric felt nice on her fingertips. Before Adell could catch her, she moved to hide.
"What are you doing?"
Rose nearly jumped out of her own skin. The dark-haired girl turned around slowly, smiling at her red-haired companion innocently.
"Nothing?"
"Okay, then... you better not be trying to sneak up on me again."
Rose let out a shaky breath as Adell walked away. Had he not noticed the cloak which was obviously his in her arms? Or did he just not care? To be honest, she was confusing herself more with her pranks than she was him.
"Oh well." Rose shrugged her shoulders and shook the cloak out, throwing it over her own shoulders. "It makes a pretty good blanket. Maybe I'll be a burrito in my next life..."
Contemplating reincarnation as a burrito in her next life, Rose returned to the fireplace. Kou had rolled a tree trunk over to act as a bench, so she plopped down beside him. Adell was in front of them, stirring the stew in the pot a few times before leaving it to thicken.
Rose pretended that she hadn't just stolen his cloak, conversing with him as though nothing had happened.
"Hey, Rose? What kind of magic do you use?" Kou looked towards the dark-haired girl with round green eyes.
"Me?" Rose pointed at herself. "Oh, I'm a flame phoenix slayer. Adell's a requip mage." "Woah, that's so cool! Can you show me? Please?"
Rose sent Adell a pitiful look, begging him to avert the conversation. He merely smirked at her. "Yeah, Rose. Why don't you show him?"
"Why are you like this?" Rose sighed and gave in, much to Kou's delight. Adell poked his tongue out at her.
"Oh, by, the way, Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"My cloak looks ridiculous on you. Seriously, you look tiny."
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"Holy shi—"
Rose was cut off before she could finish her sentence. Adell made a jabbing motion with his sword at her stomach. She twisted and lit her fists, feinting a hook at his face before dancing out of his reach.
Adell had definitely gotten stronger in the time they'd spent apart. The timing between his attacks was minute, and in addition to his already ridiculous talent, he was also able to shift seamlessly between weapons. In a flash of light, the sword in his hand was replaced with another. The blade had a reddish hue.
Adell didn't use armour like most users of requip – instead, he focused on the weapon itself. He specialised in swords, but Rose knew he was definitely capable of using a few other kinds of weaponry.
"Flame Phoenix's Screech!"
Rose decided to use long-range attacks until she could develop a proper strategy. She ducked away from a swipe, only to have her leg kicked. She rolled out of range and quickly leapt up in time to dodge another slash.
For some reason, she found herself wanting to prove that she had improved too. They wouldn't really have to do much fighting after this... so it would be alright to fight him even with a spell that consumed a lot of energy.
Rose froze when she heard a sharp whistle cut through the air. She managed to turn her head just in time to avoid a throwing knife.
Adell knew how to use throwing knives? Didn't he specialise in close range combat?
"When did you... what?" Rose seemed flustered by the suddenness of it all.
Adell grinned at her cheerily, flipping another blade into the air and catching it. "I'm not as good at using them as you, but I tried learning how to use these! Are you impressed?"
Rose did not know how to react.
"Uh... I guess so?"
"Great!" Adell flipped the knife once more, before flicking it at her with a lightning-fast movement. It embedded itself in the tree behind her, blade only a hairs-breadth away from her face. "Sorry, I still tend to miss."
"Eh?" Rose spluttered. Was he actually trying to hit her?
"I'm kidding."
"You're a jerk."
"Rude."
"Child."
"Midget."
"I'll cut you."
"Only if you can get me!" Adell poked his tongue out at Rose.
The phoenix slayer rolled her eyes. She hadn't really perfected it, but now was as good a time as any to be using one of her newer spells. Adell would make a great practice dummy.
"Flame Phoenix's Hellfire."
Rose disappeared into a column of flames.
"Wait, what?" Adell stared at the pillar of flames as if expecting her to reappear. She didn't. "What was that?"
"I'm still here, idiot."
Adell practically had visible question marks above his head. He poked the moving mass of flames with his sword hesitantly. "Don't tell me you are the flames."
"Maybe, maybe not."
"That is so not fair! I can't even – how do I even use my sword on a living blob of fire?!"
"Did you just call me a blob of fire?"
"Hate to break it to you, but that is exactly what you look like."
"I'm gonna freaking roast you."
Adell just barely managed to scramble away as the flames began to chase him around. They didn't really seem to have a core or anything they were being emanated from.
"How are you holding those flames together?" Adell threw a question over his shoulder, quite literally running circles around the clearing.
"If you really wanted to know, it relies on my willpower."
"That... that's so edgy."
"Why thank you."
Adell leapt onto a tree branch, breathing heavily. Rose, or rather, the blob of fire, simply lay in waiting at the base.
"You can't stay up there forever!"
"Watch me!"
"Seriously?" The flames distorted all of a sudden. "Damn."
The fire flickered again. This time, it reverted to Rose temporarily. Adell put the pieces together easily, his lips curling into a grin.
"Don't tell me... that spell has a time limit?"
Rose didn't reply. Adell reequipped, grasping the handle of his sword. He'd picked one with a special ability. If time was her limit he'd just have to wait.
The next time the flames flickered, he was quick to pounce.
Ice formed on the ground when he landed, freezing Rose to the floor while she was still in her physical form. Adell was quick to press his weapon against her throat.
"I really need to think of a better way to use that spell..." Rose groaned and let her head fall back. "Now that is a migraine."
Adell grinned at her triumphantly, his sword resting casually over her throat.
"So..." he trailed off, a smirk evident on his lips. "Do you give up?"
As much as she wanted to deny it, Rose knew that the fight was clearly his win.
"Fine. I lost." Rose glanced at him ruefully. "Are you happy now?"
"Nope. You have to say, 'Adell is the strongest mage in the world!', first."
Rose deadpanned. "I'd rather die."
"Aw, c'mon," Adell pouted. Knowing she was too stubborn to say it to him, he allowed the sword he was wielding to dissipate.
"I suppose I still need to improve my combat abilities..." Rose noticed how dark it had gotten. "We should get going."
"Yeah." Adell held a gloved hand out to her, smiling kindly. "Let's go, Firefly."
Ignoring his use of the detestable nickname, she seized his warm hand and pulled herself up. Kou had managed to fall asleep against a tree during their mock battle. Rose moved to grab him, before realising her hand was still in Adell's.
"Um..."
Adell released her hand, stepping away as he looked in the opposite direction. The tips of his ears turned red. "Sorry."
Shaking her head in confusion, Rose turned to lift Kou from where he had curled up on a tree root. His head lolled forward onto his chest. Rose glanced back to Adell, who was looking up towards the night sky.
"Come on. Your stew should be done by now," She stated, before beginning to walk slowly down the dark trail which led to their camp.
Adell perked up with wide eyes.
"C**p! My stew! I'll go on ahead!"
He sprinted ahead of the girl and disappeared around a bend in the trail, leaving her to continue the trek on her own.
Published: 13/01/2018
Edited: 26/06/2018