Cosima was mildly blown away at the stranger, his gift to Oliver made the boy squeal with laughter. “Thanks, hes not too much of a handful, just excitable.” She replied. Cosima was struck by this Ollie who conjured things out of thin air. “Can I ask what flower you gave him?” She didn’t worry too much about him, now that they’d been in Pandaemonium for a year. “Your name is Ollie? What are the chances?” Oliver currently was squirming again, wanting to be set down and cosima sat down in the grass, patting the seat beside her in a sense while Oliver cluthced trass in his fingers, always a touchy kind of baby.
“Well, that’s good that he isn’t a handful, haha.” Ollie laughed and then lowered himself down a little to talk to Oliver at his eye-level. “Now you better treat your mum right, you hear?” He said in a dead serious voice as if the boy could understand him before straightening himself up again. “I gave him a baby’s breath flower. Kinda fitting don’t you think?” In truth, smaller flowers took less of his soul to conjure and he didn’t want to overwhelm the child with his powers. Sitting down beside Cosima, he watched the baby playing. “Actually, my name’s Ollin. It’s Aztec for ‘move and act now with all your heart.’ I grew up to be a dancer, so I guess my parents chose a pretty good name for me.”
‘Ello all~ c: I just got notice that our Director is resigning today (sigh...), so I’ll be busy doing damage control. I’ve got a reply queued for tomorrow, but the next few weeks I’ll be more touch-and-go than usual as we try to keep things together (AKA unpaid overtime). I’ve been told the hope is that we’ll have a new Director by this time next month, so hopefully things will calm down by then. Thanks for your patience. ♥
“Yeah this isn’t really the type of convo you have over the phone. This is a huge step, a step both of you need to be ready to take” she said and nodded as she looked at him and then down at Lila, who was her pride and joy. No one compared to her baby girl, not even her husband. “I think you could start with a dog. They are the most perfect way to see if you are ready for such a commitment” Carolina shrugged. When she saw Lila grab Ollie’s nose, she laughed and shook her head.
“Oh, a dog! Great idea! We had one back in Mexico, but he…” Ollie’s voice trailed off and his excitement faded. The dog was killed while trying to protect his parents from a vampire. “...He died.” Lila now looked curiously at him, and Ollie realized his grim expression probably wasn’t the best thing to show her. “Lila - you wanna help Uncle Ollie bake a ‘welcome home’ cake for Uncle Tony? Come on, let’s go to the kitchen!!” He then turned to Carolina. “Thanks for the advice, Carolina.” He had started coming to her for some motherly advice since he could no longer ask his own mom. “Do you want to rest on the sofa a bit? I can watch her for a while. Relax - you deserve it!”
The words he said, it caused Tony to smirk and lick his lips. “Well maybe you should show me just how lonely you have been” he muttered, placing his hands on Ollie’s chest and gently pushing him back into the hallway before he closed the door with the help of his foot. “Because trust me. There is nothing else I want” he added and then kissed him, picking the other up as he walked up the stairs.
“Damn, we’re not even married yet, and you’re already carrying me bridal style? I’m one lucky guy.” Ollie mused, smiling into the kiss. Making their way into the bedroom, Ollie then sat on the edge of the bed with a mischievous grin. “Wow - it’s so hot in here! Were summers always this hot?” He began to casually strip and ‘accidentally’ tossed his boxers towards Tony. “Or is it just because you’re here?” Ollie knew he was playing a dangerous game by teasing Tony after being apart for so long, but he couldn’t help having a little fun. “How about a shower to cool off?” Though he was certain ‘cooling off’ was the exact opposite of what they were about to do - Ollie was already strutting his ass, literally, towards the bathroom.
Ollie’s kind words should have warmed her heart, the fact hat her friend had thought about her every single day she was away. But it only dug the knife in deeper, making her heart hurt that much more than it already did. Sure, while she was away she thought of Ollie often. He had been the closest thing to family since her actual family had died. His presence had comforted her, brought her happiness in dark times. His powers brought about sensations and memories that reminded people of their happiest times. It was what made him so popular. Little did he know that reminding her of her happiest time also brought her the most pain.
“Yeah, I suppose so, Ollie,” she responded, giving him a small smile. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She hadn’t been truly happy in… honestly, she wasn’t even sure. As he pulled away, she clasped her hands together in her lap tightly. She gazed over to him, his once calm and cheerful demeanor now gone. There were plenty of things to delve into with his next statement, but the only part she could focus on was his engagement. He was engaged? The pain exploded in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Honestly, she shouldn’t be surprised. He had never indicated to her that he felt anything more for her than friends. Evelyn had given him plenty of signals, but he had never reciprocated. Her nails dug into her own palms, trying to distract her heart from the pain. But of course, she didn’t mention it at all.
“You almost died?” she asked, reaching her hand out to clasp his once more. “Ollie, what the heck? Do you wanna talk about it? What can I do?” Everything else washed away as she reached her other hand over, cupping his hand in both of hers. “I’ve been… doing okay, I suppose. Just… moving around, year after year, you know? No one else, just me. This is the first time I’ve been settled in forever. But forget about me, I think we should talk about you for once.”
Although they had just come out of the water, Ollie felt his mouth run dry the moment he heard Evelyn ask about his near run-in with Death. I’m supposed to be over this by now. It had been nearly exactly a year ago when his birthday had fallen on the same day as the Blood Moon. The moon dyed in his favourite colour and him being clueless as always, Ollie hadn’t thought of it as anything more than a cool picture for his Instagram story. But that night ended with not only the moon stained red; Ollie’s party had turned into a literal bloodbath. Though it was no fault of his own, he still blamed himself for creating the opportunity for so many lives to be taken… and for not being to save them all.
“...I, uh… almost died. Yup. That… that definitely happened. Yes.” Ollie managed to confirm through just barely put-together sentences. Was he sweating or was this just the water dripping? “It’s nothing worth mentioning. Just supernatural stuff. Vampires, werewolves, demons, a Blood Moon, using my powers so much it nearly killed me and still not being able to fucking save everyone because I was such a fucking idiot --- y’know, the usual.” Without even realising it, he had started speaking faster, breathing shallower, clutching Evelyn’s hand painfully tighter. His eyes darted around as if looking for a literal change of subject, preferably one that didn’t make it feel like his rib cage was a prison for his lungs.
In his peripherals, he caught a sparkle on his hand --- his engagement ring. The rainbow-coloured gems along the band glimmered in the moonlight. More than happy to redirect his anxiety-induced adrenaline, he excitedly showed her his left hand. “Did I say I was engaged?! I got engaged. Look at the ring!” Following his own instructions, he silently stared at the ring and finally stopped talking. Somehow, the sight of the ring had calmed him down. It felt like he could breathe again. “...Then,” he took a deep breath, “a few months ago, my parents were killed by a vampire.” He concluded rather matter-of-factly. “I spent some time tying up my parents’ loose ends before coming back. Been chillin’ ever since.” Surprisingly, there was no resentment in his voice. But he had just sounded so tired. “Hmm... did I miss anything?”
‘Quarter of a century’ makes me sound older than 25.
03. what’s your zodiac sign ??
Aquarius / Dog
04. what’s your ethnicity ??
Throw some East & South East Asian countries into a blender, and you’ll get me! (Filipino, Chinese, Japanese)
05. what’s your nationality ??
American, British
06. what’s your favorite band and/or musical artist ??
Epik High, Magnetic North
07. what’s your dream job ??
Haute couture fashion designer & stylist --- for suits, particularly.
08. what’s one place you would love to visit ??
I have not yet been to Italy, so there.
09. what’s your favorite tv show ??
I don’t watch TV for entertainment that often anymore, but I remember enjoying Avatar the Last Airbender when I was younger, so maybe that.
10. what’s your favorite movie ??
Kiki’s Delivery Service
11. what’s your favorite song ??
Home is Far Away by Epik High ft. Hyukoh
Home:Word by Magnetic North & Taiyo Na ft. Sam Kang
Without you by Michelle Lee
12. what’s your favorite sport ??
Figure skating
13. what’s your favorite food ??
Sweets
14. what’s your favorite face claim to use ??
When I choose FCs, I tend to bond them to a character ‘for life.’ (Tyler Posey would always be Ollie to me, for example.) So this question to me is moreso who is my fave character and FC. But if I had to choose a favourite... ugh this is hard... uh... maybe... fuck I can’t choose lol.
15. what’s your least favorite face claim ??
Not sure if this makes sense, but my least favourite FC is if the face doesn’t believably fit the character??? So it’s not any one FC, just... ill-fitting ones. Idk lol.
16. what’s your favorite character of yours to play ?? which do you think you’re most like ??
Well, I only play Ollie here, and in general, he isn’t really like me except for wanting to make everyone happy. Fun fact: Ollie is my newest character in my muse family and I made him exclusively for Pandemonium. (I usually just carry over characters into different RPs instead of making new ones. >_>)
I play an Earth/plant warlock in another RP who is one of my longtime characters that I’m quite attached to. And I don’t think I’m extremely like any one of my characters, but I greatly empathise with them (perhaps too much so).
17. what’s your sexuality ??
I’m attracted to people regardless of gender, and preferably, we have a connection going.
18. what’s the last movie you saw in a cinema/theater ??
Detective Pikachu at the movies. I was also able to catch Betrayal in the West End before it ended.
19. what’s the worst injury you’ve ever had ??
A few torn muscles and sprains here and there. Nothing too serious, but I’m prone to getting sick fml lol.
20. what’s a random or interesting fact about you ??
I’ve lived in over 14 different countries. I was also born four months early.
21. do you listen to music while you write ??
Sometimes.
22. are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer ??
Whenever-I-have-the-time writer lol. Sometimes it’s ten minutes in between meetings, on the train home, or 2am when I should be sleeping. ...Sometimes it’s a week later.
23. have you ever roleplayed intoxicated ??
Yes, but those never got too far along lmao (thankfully). And I’ve stopped drinking since then. Those were fun times, though ngl. xD
24. what language or languages do you speak ??
Fluently - English, Tagalog (Filipino), Japanese
Conversationally - Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French
25. how long have you roleplayed ??
Since I was in... elementary/middle school, I think. So at least over ten years?
26. favorite roleplay genre ??
Supernatural. Although Political/Royalty ones are fun to mess around in lmao.
Yes, but very few. You’d have to have fucked up big time for me to do so.
32. do you have any obsessions right now ??
I’m quite fond of the colour blue.
33. do you drive & if so, have you ever been in a crash ??
No, but yes.
34. do you like the smell of gasoline ??
Nope. It makes me nauseous.
35. do you prefer writing fluff, angst, or smut ??
Depends on my mood, but leaning towards angst because suffering = character development LOL.
36. are you in a relationship ??
Trying that whole ‘self-love’ and ‘getting my shit together’ before I put myself out there again.
37. grab the nearest book to you and turn to page 23, what is the 17th line ??
“Like I was a threat,” Rita said. “Their eyes narrowed for a second and I knew. I know it’s silly, but I knew what they were thinking: ‘Here’s a threat to our daughter.’ And the worst part is I’m afraid of it being true.” --- Silk Moth (in Undercities: an anthology) by Xian Mao
(Highly recommend picking up Undercities if you’re into queer magic realism! It’s through an indie publisher though, so it might be hard to find. :c)
38. put your playlist on shuffle and list the first four songs that pop up:
I... don’t have a playlist. I just usually search for whatever I want to hear in that point in time. >_>
Cosima adjusted the diaper bag on her shoulder, her other arm holding her very squirmish one-year-old. They were going to the park today, the sun was high in the sky and Oliver was antsy in an effort to get on the ground and play. “Ollie hold still,” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face, even though being a mom was utterly exhausting and stressful, she loved this little goober. Her son. She’d do anything for him. Anything at all. Cosima picked a shady spot in the park, right under a tree to set down her blanket and bag. Oliver let out a squeal as a squirrel dashed by and wiggled harder in an attempt to get out of her arms. “Oliver stop moving, baby.” Cosima was having a hard time getting everything down. Her blanket falling in a heap to the grass as Oliver began to scream.
It was summer and the best time to be outdoors. With no particular destination in mind, he decided to take the scenic route through the park. As he strolled along, he suddenly froze, hearing his name. “Uh, okay. I’m holding still, but who said that?” Daring to defy the order, he turned around and saw a lady with what he presumed who was her son. “Ooooh, so you weren’t talking to me. Gotcha.” Ollie noted, finally understanding the situation. Walking over to them, he conjured a Soul Flower to give to the little boy and instantly calmed him down. “Here you go, little dude. From one Ollie to another!” He then picked up the blanket and handed it over to Cosima. “Must be hard raising an Ollie, huh? My mum always said I was a handful, haha.”
Kissing him back eagerly, he instantly regretted not stopping by earlier. But maybe this was the perfect timing for his return. Placing his hands on Ollie’s hips, he looked at the other with loving eyes. “I have missed you too” he whispered, resting his forehead against the others. “More than words could ever explain” he added and then pulled him closer. “I hope you haven’t been too sad without me around” Tony teased and smirked.
It always surprised Ollie just how a simple touch from Tony could make him feel everything from embarrassingly giddy to insatiable passion. Maybe it was their time apart, but right now, he was torn between wanting to bear hug Tony or pin him down. His fiance’s teasing certainly didn’t help. “Oh, you have nooo idea how lonely I’ve been.” He said dramatically with a little wink. “All the things I had to think of just to keep myself ‘entertained’ while you were gone…” His hands trailed down the front of Tony’s shirt. “But of course, nothing compares to you, babe.”
Not saying anything when he noticed the way she was looking at him, she hummed and tilted her head to the side. “Why not just talk to him? It’s better to be honest with your partner than to dance on eggshells. If he doesn’t want a kid, it’s better to know early on in your relationship than to sit around and wait” she told him and then sighed. “I knew that children would be a part of mine and Vlad’s lives. He is such a papa bear, he needs to have kiddos around”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll wait for him to come home. Doesn’t feel right to talk about this kinda thing over text, y’know?” Ollie made a mental note to bring it up with Tony later. “Hmm… I think I get what you’re saying. I don’t know if I need kids like Vlad does.” It was that whole ‘need versus want’ thing that was tripping Ollie up. “Oh, I know! Maybe we can start with a goldfish or something.” The last thing they needed was to complicate their lives further when things were just settling down. “What do you think, Lila? Should uncle Tony and I get a gol— ow!” The toddler had grabbed Ollie’s nose. Gently prying off her fingers off his nose, he laughed a little. “Yup, definitely need to think this over.”
It had been a month or so since he left and six weeks have passed since he returned. And during those six long weeks he’s been busy. Coming back into a town filled with supernatural creatures all while working a normal 9-5 job, it took a lot of his energy. Feeling rather drained already, he sat outside of Ollie’s apartment, something he had done since returning. But he had never knocked, never made his presence known. Until tonight. “Ollie?” he called out. “I’m home”
A short text. A quick call. A surprise bouquet. These simple things made their time apart easier, but Ollie knew nothing could ever really replace Tony’s actual presence in his life. He was preparing to face another night alone when he heard Tony’s voice. He would’ve thought he was just hearing things --- that he missed Tony that much --- if he hadn’t immediately ran into the hallway and confirmed for himself that Tony was, in fact, home. Wordlessly, he walked up to his fiance and kissed him for what felt like ages, as if to make up for all the time they were apart. Finally pulling away, he smiled with tears starting to well up in his eyes out of pure happiness. “Welcome home, Tony,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Watching the other interact with her daughter, it was something that would always warm her heart. Her daughter and husband were the two things that mattered to Carolina. Everything else could disappear and she would just shrug. Hearing the question, she cocked an eyebrow and thought for a moment. “I knew the second I fell for my husband. I knew that I wanted a future with him, a family of our own. And when we had our baby girl, it felt like finally everything fell into place. The missing piece was finally found” she ruffled Lila’s hair and then chuckled.
When he looked at Lila’s eyes as she sat in his lap, he felt like he understood what Carolina had meant. He was having such a great time with just a friend’s kid; he could only imagine how much more fun it would be if he had one of his own. But wanting a child and being able to properly provide for one were two separate things, even Ollie knew that much. “Hey! What’s that look for?” He asked jokingly, yet was somewhat embarrassed at Carolina’s raised eyebrow. Clearing his throat, he tried to explain himself, “I was just thinking if I wanted to have a family with Tony. That’s all. I swear. Nothing’s planned right now so don’t get too excited.” He paused. “...I haven’t even told him that I even wanted a kid.”
Eyes widened as he dove into the water and wrapped her in an embrace. Her body stiffened in reaction. This was the last thing she had expected. His soft spoken words did nothing to console her. In fact, they made her feel worse… if that was even possible. Ollie should hate her, want to tear her apart with harsh words. Yet he was holding on to her so tight as if he feared she would slip through his fingers again. Relaxing slightly, she responded by wrapping her arms around his back, her nails digging in slightly as she clung to him as well. As hard as it was to see him, the familiarity felt good. But what was with him saying that it was his fault? They would need to revisit that later.
They parted, and Evelyn was surprised to see tears spilling over from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. The sight caused tears to fill her eyes as well, and as he smiled though his tears, she chuckled half-heartedly. What a pathetic reunion they were having. “I’m happy to see you,” he had said. You shouldn’t be, her mind responded. “It’s good to see you too, Ollie.” A piece of her was surprised at his reaction to seeing her. With all of his ‘fans’, she had figured her face would have just faded from his mind, or blended together with all the rest. Maybe she had meant more than she realized.
Ah, practicing his powers. She knew what it did to him, how his powers affected his soul. It was a topic for another time, even if she would rather discuss his problems other than her own. As the question was turned around on her, she fidgeted nervously but still clung to his hand. “Here, come on, let’s get out of the water. She pulled him over to shore, allowing her fin to turn back into human legs. As they sat, bodies soaking wet and dripping, she continued to hold his hand as she let her toes dangle in the water. “As dangerous as this place is… it’s the safest place for me. I don’t fear getting captured and stuck in tank so humans can gawk over me like I’m some kind of animal.” She paused as her thumb traced circles on the top of his hand. “I have to admit, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. Have you been doing okay?”
He shivered a little as the cool night breeze blew through his soaked clothes. Jumping into the water like that wasn’t a smart idea, but rarely did he think with his head before acting with his heart; that part of him hadn’t changed. As he sat on the beach, still tightly holding her hand, he quietly listened to her words. It had been so long since he had last heard her voice. Felt her soothing touch. Basked in her comforting presence. Although he never knew of Evelyn’s unrequited feelings towards him, Ollie still had cherished her as a dear friend and her sudden disappearance had left him ironically wondering if she had hated him; never did it cross his mind that he’d be the object of her affections and it probably never would. Oblivious as ever, he placed his head on her shoulder just like he used to. “...When you left, everyday I made a wish that you’d be happy, wherever you were. If you’re saying you feel safe and happy coming back here, then I guess my wish came true, huh?”
He chuckled a bit, but at her question, he stopped, lifted his head up from her shoulder, and tugged his hand slightly away from hers, their fingers now just barely touching. If it were the old Ollie, he would’ve immediately insisted that was fine, okay, happy. He’d lie. But his chewed on his lip as he pondered her question. He had caring friends, a loving fiance, a place to call his own, and money wasn’t an issue. By most people’s standards, he was definitely doing better than just ‘okay.’ But something still felt missing and he couldn’t figure out what it was. And he felt guilty for not being satisfied with what he already had. Was that too selfish of him? But after giving up so much of himself for others, wasn’t it okay to just be a little selfish? “Yeah, I’m okay, I guess.” He finally said, looking down and trying to avoid Evelyn’s gaze, knowing that such a vague answer didn’t equate to the thinking time, even by Ollie’s standards. “...Things changed after you left. I nearly died, got engaged, then my parents died so I went back home to Mexico… alone.” Instinctively, his hand reached for hers again. “It’s been rough, but not as bad as what you went through, I’m sure.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile. “How have you been holding up? Did anyone hurt you out there? Do I need to kick anyone’s ass?” Not that Ollie could actually kick anyone’s ass, but he’d sure as hell try.
“It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No --- it’s Super Girl!!” Ollie held up the young baby girl in the air and spun her around, leaving them both in a fit of giggles. Then setting Carolina’s daughter down on his lap, he conjured up a flower crown and placed it on her head. “There. A crown fit for a princess!” The smile the girl gave him made all the pain of ripping his soul worth it. “It must be nice having a kid…” He then thought out loud. It was a thought that was on his mind recently. But the other thought that always lingered along with it was if Tony and him would make good parents --- or more correctly, if Ollie, himself, could be a good parent. “...When did you know you wanted to have one?” His attention shifted from Carolina’s daughter to Carolina herself.
Bella’s eyes widened. “Wow, how did you do that?” She studied the flower he had conjured. It glittered. She thought about how much Aoife would like this. It smelled good too. “Well, it certainly is pretty.” She giggled. “Why do you insist on buying flowers when you can make a bouquet yourself?” However, Bella was glad she ran into Ollie as she loved anything to do with flowers.
“With magic, silly. Duh.” Ollie answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was ironic coming from someone whose knowledge of magic still lacked compared to even the average person. “Well, last time I made him an entire bouquet, I supposedly passed out so…” Making so many Soul Flowers at once put an immense strain on his mind and body, not to mention that it literally tore his soul in pieces. “Like all good things in life, I try to do it in moderation, so I sneak a few of mine here and there with flowers I get from the shop. Pretty smart, huh?” He was quite proud of himself for thinking of the idea, and it showed with the infectious smile he wore.
The distorted image of the surface waxed and waned above her, rippling as the water moved above her head. Evelyn waited, unintentionally holding her breath even though she needed not. She saw a figure come close, and watched a hand dip beneath the water. Still, it had seemed that the mystery person had not noticed her, and she prayed if she waited silently, they would move on their way and she could go back to enjoying her time in the water. The hand disappeared quickly, and in its wake was a sparkling image left floating on the water. Her eyes widened followed by a sharp intake of water as the realization came. She’d seen images like that before. The person they were attached to was someone she hadn’t expected to see probably ever again. Ollie.
Determined to flee, she braced herself to dive deeper and swim away from her problems. Yet her plans shattered as she heard her name come from his lips, floating down to her through the water. She wanted to cry… scream… throw a tantrum even. Afraid to stay and afraid to leave, she was conflicted. They hadn’t ended on good terms… at least she assumed. Too afraid to tell him she was leaving, she had fled in silence, never knowing what kind of impact was left in her wake. It seemed karma had found its way to her. She surfaced, her eyes seeing him clearly for the first time. He was just as handsome as she remembered.
“Ollie…” Her voice shook as she spoke his name. It almost broke her heart. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
Realizing the person in the water wasn’t an enemy but a long lost friend, instead of answering her question, Ollie recklessly dove into the water and swam up to Evelyn. Wordlessly, he pulled her into a tight embrace and it seemed like he wouldn’t let go for fear of being left alone --- again. At what first felt like drips coming from his now wet hair, they were distinctly hotter than the cold ocean they were in. He was silently crying into her shoulder. In between his sobs, he let out choked whispers of “Thank God, you’re alive,” “I thought you hated me,” and most quietly, “It was my fault. I’m sorry.”
It took a while, but he finally pulled back from their hug and he tried to wipe his tears away, but the salt water from the ocean just made his eyes sting even more. “...Ugh, dammit.” He eventually gave up and just allowed his tears to flow. Despite him still crying, Ollie tried his best to give her a smile. “Sorry, I don’t mean to spoil our reunion like this. I’m happy to see you; I really, really, reeeaallly am. I swear.” Although they weren’t hugging anymore, he kept one of her hands tightly held in his trembling one, afraid that she would drift away and out his life again. “But to answer your question, I was here… practicing… and....” His voice awkwardly drifted off. Honing his powers meant ripping his soul apart, which wasn’t a thing any of his friends condoned. In an attempt to quickly switched the subject, he flipped her question back onto her, “I could ask you the same thing --- what are you doing here?”
“roses, really?” bella couldn’t help but comment on the stranger’s choice of flowers. “they’re a bit cliche, don’t you think?” she pointed towards some white and purple asters. “if you really want to show your affection, you should go with some asters.” her red lips curled into a little smile. she didn’t particularly dislike roses, but there were so many other choices in the shop.
Of the flowers Ollie had mastered how to conjure, roses were among the first. He had made it a habit to regularly give a rose bouquet to his fiancé with some of his own Soul Flowers mixed in as not only a sign of his love, but also a protective measure. But perhaps it was getting too predictable, and Ollie did like surprising Tony. “Oooh, really? I’ve never given him those before. ---But wait…” He stared up close at the asters, as if trying to memorize every detail. Then, closing his eyes, he concentrated, and in his hand, he conjured up a similar looking flower, except it glittered and anyone who smelled it got a sense of euphoria. “What do you think? Realistic enough?” Holding out the Soul Flower for Bella to examine, he waited for her feedback. If it wasn’t convincing, then he didn’t want to risk sneaking it into his next bouquet.
The hour was late, she wasn’t even sure of the exact time. The moon shone brightly, reflecting off of the slowly rolling waves. Evelyn’s toes lightly skimmed the water, cool against her skin in the late night air. Tears flowed down her cheeks as spectral images of her family swam by her beneath the waves. She pulled her toes from the water, clutching her knees to her chest. “It’s all my fault…” she whispered to herself, clenching her hand into a fist and pounding the ground next to her. Out of frustration she stood, stripping to her intimates and hopping into the water. Immediately, her legs began to fuse together as green scales with a hue of purple formed. She flipped her fin, the water playfully splashing. A small smile crept onto her lips, until the crunching footsteps brought her back to reality. Instinctively, she let her head dip beneath the surface, water filling her lungs. Unlike most who would panic, lungs gasping for air, hers filtered the water as if it were air. It was hard to see through the shifting water, but she hoped she wouldn’t be noticed.
There weren’t many times or places where Ollie could train his powers without drawing unwanted attention, whether it be from strangers who were curious about flowers suddenly appearing out of nowhere or friends chiding Ollie for carelessly ripping his soul apart just to practice conjuring his Soul Flowers. But he wasn’t going to get any better if didn’t do this. His father had literally all of Eternity to perfect his craft, and even that hadn’t saved him or Ollie’s mother from their untimely deaths. If Ollie wanted to stop anyone else from dying, he’d have to sacrifice parts of his own soul to do it --- a fair price as far as he was concerned.
“Ow, fuck…” Ollie winced in pain as he quickly withdrew his hand from the water. He had tried to conjure a Soul Flower in the form of a water lily, but he glittering flower petals on the water’s surface were evidence of his failure. “Dammit!!” He splashed the water angrily in frustration, but his anger quickly shifted to apprehension. At first he thought it was just the ripples he had caused, but then he realized there was a somewhat familiar face in the water. “...Evelyn?” He asked warily, not sure if he needed to brace himself for battle.
