Rose dumped out her backpack onto her bed, deciding to get her homework done the following morning. Mother Mara always had Rose do her homework every weekend before she could play, and the habit was difficult to break, especially since Rose wanted to make a good impression on the professors and her fellow kingmates.
Rose thought Professor Nigel would be the type who expected his homework done right away, and Rose wanted to make him proud. She told herself she would do as much work as she could and then treat herself to a big breakfast as a reward.
Surprisingly, though, there was something that didn't belong to Rose in the mix. Amidst her textbooks and notebooks was a big envelope. Rose picked it up and when she turned it over, saw it was addressed to her in big, fancy letters.
Intrigued, Rose opened the envelope… and white fire erupted from it, wrapping around her fingers like starved vipers.
Rose cried out in pain, her fingers burning fiercely. In a panic, she looked around to put out the fire, but by the time she realized she had to run to the bathroom, the fire was already gone.
Her fingers were raw and bloody, and the pain was worse than when the shotgun pellets pierced her wings. Tears spilled over Rose's eyes as she looked at the envelope that had burst into flames. Scorched in glowing embers that slowly began to fade, read one word: MONSTER.
A sense of disbelief smothered all of Rose's pain momentarily before the throbbing in her fingers shattered that illusion. The word faded away within the next minute, and a new pain accompanied Rose's burns. A kind of hurt that made her stomach heave and her legs feel like jelly.
For more than a few minutes, Rose wasn't sure what to do. Such cruelty had never been known to the young girl—discounting the release of her thrall—and she didn't know what her next move should be. In the movies and books, the hero was able to confront the antagonist in some grand finale, but Rose wasn't even sure who put the trap in her bag.
No one had been mean to her… which made her think someone pretending to be nice to her had done it.
But who could that be? Rose didn't know—she didn't want to think her kingmates or classmates would be so mean, but dragons…
Dragons were monsters, right?
Rose shook her head to clear that thought immediately. The pain in her hands took precedence over anything else, so she had to take care of it. Blood was starting to drip down her arms and onto the floor, and Rose didn't want it to get elsewhere.
Do I go to Doctor Basileus now? Would he even hel—
Rose shook herself. He was the school doctor. Surely, he would help her. If not… if not, Rose was confident Professor Nigel would fix her up just like he did before.
But would he?
No, no. Those thoughts weren't helpful at all. If no one would help her then she'd figure something out, but right now, she really had to get the pain and the bleeding taken care of. Rose tucked her hands against her chest and used her elbows to twist open her doorknob. She stepped out of her room and began to hurry out of the common room.
Rose stopped halfway through by Havi's ringing voice of alarm, "Rose, why do you smell like blood and burnt flesh?"
Rose stumbled to a halt, her shoulders instinctively hunching. "I-I gotta see Doctor Basileus."
Havi got up from her seat on the couch and walked over towards Rose, her brow furrowed. Then her face paled in horror.
"What's—Elder's balls, what happened to your hands!?"
"I—I—"
Havi rushed to Rose, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and whispering soothingly, "Don't worry, dear kingmate, Doctor Basileus will be able to fix you right up. Did you sneeze fire on your hands?"
"Wha—I—um—"
Rose's mind blanked out. Would she even believe Rose if she told her what happened? The envelope was gone, and there was nothing to show for it except Rose's badly burned fingers. What if Havi was—
Rose didn't let that pessimistic thought finish. She struggled for another moment before she finally whispered, "Yes. It—it was a white fire."
"Oh, little one," Havi murmured sympathetically, the horror slipping away from her face like a soft tide. A gentle smile took its place, along with eyes darkened with concern. "Come with me, quickly. Let's get you to Doctor Basileus."
Havi placed an arm around Rose's shoulders, pulling her out of the common room and quickly down the halls. Havi's arm stayed tight around Rose's shoulders as she deftly led the bleeding dragon down the halls, all the while, Rose kept her burnt hand close to her chest, afraid to actually touch it. With every step she took, it throbbed painfully. The stench of her own blood made her feel queasy and reminded her of the time she was hunted down. For a handful of seconds, Rose wasn't at Gardenia anymore, but rather, she was back in her forest, fleeing for her very life.
It sent a wave of fear crashing over the girl, and she visibly flinched when she felt Havi's grip tighten around her shoulders.
"It's going to be okay," Havi soothed, smelling Rose's fear. "Accidents happen."
She must have realized Rose still felt greatly uncomfortable, because she struck up conversation in a light tone. "I used to spit acid on my hands when I got angry. When I was little and threw a temper tantrum, I spat acid on my grandfather's face."
A little snort escaped Rose at that.
Havi's lips twitched, and she began to gently guide Rose down the halls. "Oh, how he was furious with me! It took him a week to fix his human skin enough that it didn't slide right off his face, and I was such a petty child that I spat acid at him the next time I saw him again. Mother, of course, was beside herself, and she made me keep my hands over my mouth every time grandfather came to visit for a whole month."
"You spit a-acid?"
"It's a trait of my clan," Havi explained. "We gained it from our—you know what? That's a story for another time. Tell me, little kingmate, have you enjoyed your classes?"
Rose nodded. "Everyone s-seems nice."
"That's good. If anyone ever gives you trouble, come to me or Lanna, okay?"
"O-okay."
They rounded another corner, both still moving quickly.
"Hey, is everything okay?"
Both girls faltered briefly in their footsteps at the seemingly concerned voice. They turned their heads to the voice, finding a Hero kingmate sitting on a stone bench in the hallway. He had brilliantly silver eyes that seemed to glow of their own accord and dark scarlet hair. He was clearly athletic and had the face of a young movie star.
Havi relaxed minutely. "Kyros, hello. My little kingmate hurt herself by accident, so I'm taking her to Doctor Basileus."
Kyros's brow furrowed and his sharp gaze swept over to Rose. When their eyes met, a shot of adrenaline and unease pierced through Rose's heart. At that moment, she felt very much like prey before a predator. For a split second, Kyros��s eyes flickered down towards her bleeding hand and a spark of something flashed in them.
But the moment ended quickly, and Rose was left staring uncomfortably at the older student.
Kyros's face morphed into sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. If it makes you feel any better, everyone in my kingdom has had something of ours blow up in our face at least once a year."
Rose's brow furrowed. Why would that make her feel any better?
Havi snorted. "You say that like it's something to be proud of."
Kyros only shrugged in response, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. Havi took that opportunity to excuse herself and Rose, continuing to guide her down the halls towards Doctor Basileus. A renewed sense of unease had settled inside of Rose after meeting Kyros. Something disturbed the girl about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Havi smiled fleetingly down at her. "Do you need any help with your homework?"
"I don't think so—I mean, I'll let you kn-know if I do," Rose answered hesitantly. Havi beamed at her in response. "H-how much homework do we normally get?"
"Not terribly much. Professor Laye typically gives out the most. Do you have a favorite class yet?"
"Um, not yet. I like Professor Nigel the most so far, though. He—he's the one that rescued me before."
"He's every bit of a gentleman. He's the newest professor, though. He's only been here for five years."
That surprised Rose. "How long have th-the others been here?"
Havi hummed. "Professor Yūei's been teaching for the past couple of centuries—she's the longest resident—and Professor Luck for about fifty years. I'm not sure about the others, but probably around a century for each."
"They m-must really like teaching."
"I would assume so."
The two turned down another hallway and within minutes, they had reached their destination.
"Here we are," Havi said once they reached the office.
The doors were wide open, and Doctor Basileus was reading a large tome when they entered. He got up when he heard them, turning around and offering both girls a smile.
"Doctor Basileus, would you please look at Rose? She accidentally burned herself."
Doctor Basileus strode towards them, golden eyes flickering over them before settling on Rose's hands. His smile faltered for a moment and Rose felt something uncomfortable twist in the pit of her stomach.
But the smile returned soon enough, and he said, "Mn. Thank you, Miss Havi. I'll take care of Miss Rose, so why don't you head back? If there was any nerve damage, I might have Miss Rose stay with me for the day."
Havi's brow furrowed with worry and Rose felt her arm tighten around her shoulders for a split second before relaxing. "Okay. If you haven't come back in an hour, do you want me to bring you anything?"
"My—my homework?"
"Okay. Get better soon, little kingmate."
Havi gave Rose a quick hug before leaving. Doctor Basileus stretched out his hands—palms up—towards Rose. Rose gently placed her badly burned hands over his palms and immediately, Green Magic flowed from his fingertips and wrapped around her scorched hands.
Relief came over Rose as the pain melted away. The magic slowly regrew bits of flesh and smoothed over the skin. After a few minutes, her hands were repaired perfectly, and Rose experimentally flexed her fingers. They tingled unpleasantly, and it felt awkward and stiff to move them, but it was doable.
Doctor Basileus smiled kindly at her. "Feel better?"
"Yeah—it's a bit tingly, though."
The knot in her stomach eased a lot, too. She still felt jumbled and anxious, but having the pain taken away helped quite a bit. She no longer felt like she was about to start running from a mob at any moment, although a part of her still felt fearful enough that she longed to return to her room soon and get lost in a good book.
Or better yet, cuddle with Mr. Whiskers.
"Ah. Yes, well… may I see your hand for a moment?"
Rose offered him her hand. He carefully took it, holding it by the wrist. He raised his other hand towards it, and faster than Rose could blink, he set her hand on fire. Rose instinctively jerked away, but he held her wrist tightly in place. Her heart leapt up her throat as adrenaline pumped into her system.
"What are you—?!"
"Relax. It's not even bothering you," Doctor Basileus said, twisting her flaming hand at different angles.
Rose blinked in surprise at that, but upon further inspection, she realized he was correct. The fire licked at her hands, but it felt like warm water to her. Her skin didn't burn or blister in the slightest.
Rose gaped. "Is that magic fire?"
"It's regular fire," Doctor Basileus said. "Dragons have a strong affinity for their element. I suspected you were a fire type given your eye color, and I confirmed it now. Which then begs the question how you actually burned your hands, because fire dragons have immunity to natural fires. They bathe in lava on a regular basis."
"B-but I'm in human skin right now," Rose protested.
"Doesn't matter. Your magic is wrapped around your entire body. Fire should not ever harm you," Doctor Basileus replied firmly. "What really happened?"
Rose's bottom lip quivered, and her shoulders hunched together. "Th-there w-was a note."
With a shaky voice, Rose retold what had occurred and the doctor listened with a darkening expression. He asked her to explain the white fire as best as she could, and she did so repeatedly.
When her story was over, the doctor gave a short sigh and released her hand. "I apologize on behalf of the school that you had to go through something like that. The fire from that was called spiritual fire, a fire that targets magic specifically. I think it would be best if you remained here for the day, as I want to ensure no will-o-wisps form around your hands. Ah—will-o-wisps are non-sentient conjurations that appear whenever spiritual fire is used. I'll alert Professor Nigel to check on your bedroom."
"Oh. Thank you."
"No need to thank me, Miss Rose. Have you eaten breakfast today?"
"Not yet…"
Doctor Basileus handed her one of those marble balls found in the cafeteria. "Order yourself some breakfast while I talk to Professor Nigel. Are you okay to stay the night here for observation?"
"Um, yeah."
Rose fidgeted with her fingers, her nerves starting to die down. She felt much better that Doctor Basileus seemed to be taking care of her and that she had at least told one adult about what had happened. It was as if she had passed on the problem to someone else and she could get back to focusing on learning about the wonders of magic.
Besides, it was probably a one-time occurrence. Maybe a prank gone wrong…
Right?
"Good. Please make yourself at home, then."
Doctor Basileus stood up and headed over towards one of his shelves. Rose fiddled with the orb for a while before finally admitting she was a little hungry, and some comfort food sounded good. She heard Doctor Basileus talk quietly into a blue crystal, as well as Professor Nigel's alarmed voice come from it. She couldn't make out their words, but by the time she picked out a meal—and it appeared on Doctor Basileus's desk—the doctor was done and came back over to Rose.
He gave her a charming smile. "You can eat at my desk. I have a few potions I need to work on for a bit in the back."
"Oh—um—okay, thank you."
He waved her off before heading over toward the big door on the far wall. He propped it open and Rose could smell all sorts of odd things come from there. As Rose ate, she heard the clanks of metal, something bubbling, and something else burning.
When Rose was done eating, she wasn't sure what to do until Havi showed up with her homework. She wandered around the room for a bit, looking closely at all the texts—all medical or in languages she didn't know—and plants. Rose headed over to the door after fifteen minutes of that and peeked inside.
It looked like a madhouse of cauldrons. There were dozens of cauldrons—all varying sizes—scattered about. Some were over embers, others over ice that emitted a fog, and there were even a few over lava.
Doctor Basileus was leaning over the biggest one in the center of the room, it was low to the ground and filled with a glowing, light blue liquid. Doctor Basileus gave it a sniff, his nose crinkling. Then he noticed Rose and beamed.
"Care to be my little helper?"
Rose tentatively smiled. "Can I? I mean, it's not dangerous or anything?"
"Oh, it is, but I'm a doctor," he responded flippantly. "Have you done potions yet?"
"Um, no. What magic is that?"
"White and green, typically. This one is called Tranquil Rain—or at least it will be when I can get it to work right."
"Is it hard to make?"
"It's never been done before," he answered. "My teacher, Elder Sylvania, created one of the most powerful Green spells to have existed: Tranquil Rain. It makes this beautiful white storm that when it rains, gives life. She saved countless lives during the Dark War using it."
"Gives life? Like makes them come back from the dead?"
Could it cause a zombie apocalypse? Rose thought, simultaneously excited and frightened by such an idea. On one hand she thought she would make an excellent survivor, but on the other hand, that sounded terrifying.
"Mn. If they're already passed, then it can't help, but if they're close—it works the same way that I healed your hand, but on a much larger scale. At the height of her power, she could cover an entire country with it." Doctor Basileus brushed back some of his hair as he answered, but some of his curls bounced right back over to cover parts of his eye.
"Wh—wow." What else was there to say to that?
He nodded, seemingly pleased by her amazement. "The Elders were a step above everyone else. In terms of raw power, no mortal could really compete. Even after all these centuries, I cannot replicate her spell—I simply don't have the magic for it."
"So, you're trying to make a potion of it?"
"Correct. I've been working on it for the past couple of centuries and I haven't gotten it quite right. I'm able to conjure the clouds, but making them rain is a whole other story, it would seem." The doctor gave a humorless chuckle, then gestured for Rose to come closer. "What does it smell like to you?"
"Smell?"
Doctor Basileus gestured once more, and Rose slowly stepped closer towards it. "Dragons have a keen sense of smell, and obtaining different perspectives is always helpful when it comes to science."
Rose leaned towards it and sniffed. "It smells like dew and—"
Rose scrunched up her face as she pondered the other smell. It was a bit harder to pick out amongst all the other smells in the room, but it was distinct enough that she could. She couldn't appoint a name to it, though. It left a tangy taste in her mouth, and it tickled her nose.
"I don't know what that other smell is."
The doctor cocked his head. "Other smell?" He sniffed at the potion. "I only smell dew and a bit of sea salt."
"I didn't smell the salt, but it has a tangy smell to it."
"Tangy?"
"Like an orange, I think?"
"An orange?"
Rose flushed. "That's all I smell, though."
The doctor gave a 'huh' and peered at the swirling potion. "Wonder what would give it that smell. I didn't use any earthy—" He glanced back over at Rose, a funny look on his face. "I wonder… Rose, what do you think a spell like Tranquil Rain should smell like?"
"Clean water?" Rose immediately guessed.
He smiled wryly. "Anything else?"
Rose scratched her right cheek, her brow furrowed. "Uhum…"
"Rose? Doctor Basileus?"
"Ah, Miss Havi," he hummed. "I suspect she has your homework."
"Oh, right," Rose said, heading out of the room.
Havi was holding Rose's backpack and upon seeing Rose's healed hands, she smiled with obvious relief. Rose felt her cheeks grow a bit hot under Havi's clear concern, still unused to having such frequent kind attention thrown her way.
"Thanks, Havi."
Havi brushed back Rose's hair, tucking it behind her ear before she gave her the backpack. "Of course, little one. Are you staying here for today, then?"
"Merely a precaution," Doctor Basileus said, stepping out of the back room and brushing his hair back again. "I doubt there will be any issues."
"Good. Do you want me to stay with you, Rose?" Havi offered.
"You don't have to do that." Rose shook her head and tried out a smile. "Doctor Basileus said I could help him with his potions."
Havi raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "Did he? Well then, I'm sure you'll be thoroughly entertained. I'll come by around dinner to check up on you, though, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks."
Havi waved her thanks off. "I'll be at the library working on my essays if you need me."
Rose thanked Havi again, but her friend only patted the top of her head affectionately in response. She left shortly afterwards, and Rose turned back to the doctor. He said, "You can help me after your homework."
Rose nodded at that. She sat on one of the beds and laid her things out. Even as she pulled open her textbooks, her mind reflected on the doctor's previous question.
What would it smell like?
Tranquility meant peace, so what would that smell like? Peace was such a broad term, though. What was peace for Rose maybe didn't mean peace to the doctor. Peace from wars? Inner peace? Peace after death? Wouldn't it all have a different smell?
When Rose thought of peace, she thought of Mr. Whiskers and her time playing in the forest. She thought of her favorite tree to climb, and of Mother Mara's gentle touches when she would fix Rose up after she fell out of her tree repeatedly. She thought of the warm cookies Mother Mara would make for the children on good weekends. She thought of Sister Annalise and Sister Eliza teaching her how to play card games.
She thought about the smell of summer at that small town and the serenading crickets. She thought about running around the dirt roads and being greeted by everyone she passed by; of Mrs. Smith's blueberry pies she would share with Rose on days she missed her grandchildren. She thought about Mr. Miller's exaggerated hunting stories he would brag about to his friends, and who would invite Rose to sit in on a few.
That was peace for Rose. None of them really had one overlapping smell, though.
So, what would peace smell like?
The question wiggled in the back of Rose's mind as she worked. By the time lunch rolled around, Rose finished her homework, but didn't find a good answer to her question. She wandered back into Doctor Basileus's potion room and found him working on something that was slimy, purple, and was boiling in a cauldron held above lava.
"Do dragons really bathe in lava?" Rose asked him instead.
"Fire dragons do," he confirmed, glancing up briefly. "Have you not used your lava baths?"
Rose was incredulous. "I have lava baths?"
"Of course. The school should have provided you with a proper cavern," Doctor Basileus said, looking over at her in surprise. "Did they not?"
Rose blushed. "I haven't gone very far into it."
"Ah. Scared of the dark?"
"No!" the little girl denied immediately. "I'm just not used to—to having a cave for a bathroom."
"Well, you should explore it tomorrow," he suggested. "It's important to keep up the grooming on your scales or they might flake."
"Oh… I actually haven't been able to fully transform," Rose admitted quietly. "I was only able to grow my wings and tail at the kingdom class."
Doctor Basileus tilted his head quizzically at that. "Curious. I found no obstructions in your core, but then again—no matter. I'm sure with time you'll be able to shed your human skin. But you were able to summon your tail and wings?"
Rose nodded. "Yeah."
"Your tail will still need proper grooming. Bathe it in lava at least once a week," the doctor instructed her.
"Just the tail?"
"It might be better if you took a swim in lava," the doctor murmured. "Even if you cannot fully transform, I'm sure your draconic magic would appreciate it."
"It really won't hurt me?"
The doctor gestured towards the lava below them. "You're welcome to test it now if you don't believe me."
Rose hesitated for a solid minute before she slowly bent down and poked the lava. It was hot, but not painful. Genuinely surprised, she dipped her whole hand into the bubbling lava and immediately felt a soothing sensation wash over her. Without meaning to, a rumbling sound filled her throat and her eyes closed.
The doctor's amused chortle snapped her back to her senses and she yanked her hand out of the lava in surprise. Rose's eyes were wide as she stared in disbelief.
"Did I—did I purr?"
At her incredulous tone, the doctor erupted into warm laughter. "I haven't heard a dragon purr in a millennium! Ahaha! That old hound will be sorry he missed this. Ahaha, do not be alarmed, Miss Rose. It's perfectly normal."
"To purr?! Are dragons like cats?"
"In many ways, they are," the doctor laughed. "Ah, that was nice."
Rose shook the bits of lava off her hand back into the pit below. Her hand tingled pleasantly, and she wondered what it would be like to swim in lava.
Rose looked up at the doctor. "Do you know a lot about dragons? My kingmates didn't know much about them."
"I know enough. It's been many centuries since I've had a dragon in my care, though," Doctor Basileus admitted. "If you have any questions about your species, I might be one of the few Community members who can answer them."
"Is there anything I ought to know?" Rose asked him. "Can I actually sneeze fire?"
"Yes, you can sneeze fire. It can come out of any orifice if you're unlucky enough. I knew a dragon who cried lava when upset," the doctor answered. "Don't be alarmed if you do, though."
"How do I take care of my scales?" she asked him next.
He reached over towards a shelf and pulled out a jar of strong smelling plants before dumping a bit of it into the purple sludge. "Hm. Once a week lava baths should do the trick for now since you only have your wings and tail to worry about. When you have access to your dragon belly, I'll give you some ointment to rub on it before your lava baths. Watch out for any loose scales, and if you find some that seem like they might be coming loose, come see me. I'm not sure how fast your scales will grow back, and without your scales, you're like a furless cat underneath."
The mental image of a furless cat dragon made Rose giggle. Doctor Basileus smiled at that and handed her another jar filled with glowing green eyeballs.
"Here, add three to this slime monster."
"Slime monster?"
"It's something made from potions. This one is used for cleaning magical accidents. I've been experimenting with this version to have it last longer. It would be easier on our maids if we could have a year-long slime monster to clean up whatever latest explosion the students cause."
Rose blinked. "Maids? Wait, latest explosion?"
"When the clubs get started—which'll be in about a month—you'll probably hear about quite a few explosions and accidents." The doctor sighed. "They seem to have it in their heads they're brilliant students who can experiment as they see fit because no harm could ever happen to them." His face scrunched up. "I cannot tell you how many times I've had to sew limbs back on because of such arrogance."
Doctor Basileus turned to Rose and fixed her with a serious look. "Promise your doctor that you will not experiment with untested spells, potions, items, equipment, or anything that looks remotely dangerous. In fact, don't experiment without supervision at all."
Rose thought that would be a bit of a no-brainer, but then she thought about how easily doctor Basileus fixed her up. It made sense the students didn't care about that sort of thing when such injuries were easily taken care of.
That kind of sounds fun, too, Rose thought to herself, but didn't dare voice it. Instead, she said, "I promise."
"Good." He nodded firmly as Rose dropped in the three eyeballs. The purple sludge gurgled and turned black before turning pink. "Oh. That's different."
"Good different?"
"More on the bad side than good. Pink slimes tend to—" Whatever he was about to say was abruptly cut off as the pink slime apparently ate away at the bottom of the cauldron and dropped into the pit of lava below. It made a sizzling sound as the lava devoured it. "Ah, they tend to turn very acidic. Yes, well, I suppose I'll have to start over."
Rose felt a tad bit bad that the eyeballs she added caused such a failure. "I'm sorry."
He waved her off. "Don't be, I told you to add them. And what's one more failure to my hundred other attempts? Now I know what not to do next time!"
"H-hundred?"
He gave her a wide grin. ���There's a lot of variables to be accounted for when it comes to potions, and every decade, a new ingredient is discovered. It takes time to find the right combination in the right order, but the statistics are on my side. I'm one step closer today than I was yesterday."
Still, Rose thought, I don't think I could handle a hundred failures for one thing.
But he was an adult, so maybe that's what adults were used to.
Doctor Basileus let golden mist flow out of his hands toward the ruined cauldron. The mist swirled around it before the cauldron lifted and floated towards the ceiling. Rose noticed there were high shelves filled with many cauldrons of different colors, and quite a few ruined ones. The floating cauldron was placed a bit away from the others and a shiny golden one floated down in its place.
The mist settled the cauldron above the lava and the doctor clapped his hands once. The mist evaporated, and he looked over at Rose. In a friendly voice, he asked her, "What do you think goes into a cleaning slime?"
"I can't even begin to guess. I don't know what magical ingredients are," Rose answered honestly, her brows raised in surprise that the doctor would even ask her.
"I'm sure your imagination will supply interesting answers. Take your best guess."
"Uh, well…" Rose scratched her cheek. "Bleach?"
"Bleach," the doctor repeated, his expression neutral. "The stuff humans use?"
"Yes."
"I suppose that would be interesting to try," the doctor murmured thoughtfully.
He cocked his head for the third time that day—Rose started to wonder if that was a tic of his—and said, "How would one go about enchanting bleach, though? Mm. Interesting. Okay, what else?"
"Lemons," Rose added.
An amused smile stretched across his face. "Why do you say that?"
"It always smells like lemons when Mother Mara cleans," Rose explained. "So, lemons must be used for cleaning."
"Aha, I see. Go on."
"Well��" Rose shifted her weight as she thought, a crease appearing in her forehead. "It's gotta clean wood and rock stuff, so wood polish? How do you clean stone? Water and soap?"
"So, wood polish, water, soap, lemons, and bleach. Anything else?"
"It's a slime, so something gooey. Magic goo."
"Magic goo."
"Yes, magic goo."
He laughed in delight, his handsome features lighting up into something so beautiful that it was downright inhuman. "Ahaha. Almost every student who has come here already has some bias towards potions. A truly unique perspective you provide, Miss Rose. Alright, one more ingredient to add, I think."
Rose thought long and hard for a couple more minutes before she settled on: "Blue dye."
"Blue dye?"
"If pink slimes are bad, then blue should be good," Rose explained.
"Blue… should be… ahaha," Doctor Basileus chuckled, a shine in his eyes. "Very well. Let's try it out, then."
"Wha—really?"
"I'm not sure how I'm going to enchant bleach, but I'll try infusing it with my magic and we'll see if that does the trick," he said cheerfully. "Everything else I should be able to obtain, albeit with a bit of altercation. The—haha—magic goo we'll use is over in that big wooden crate by the door. Why don't you go ahead and fill the cauldron up about halfway with it?"
Rose headed over towards a big crate and opened the lid. She could hear the bemused doctor moving things around behind her. A part of Rose was a bit excited, as she never got to experiment like those scientists she saw in movies. This was kind of fun! She didn't think for an instant it would work, but it was thrilling to try it, and she got a childlike kick out of it unlike any other. The fact that Doctor Basileus was humoring her at all meant a lot to Rose, and he scored a solid second place in terms of her favorite adults there (Professor Nigel still kept his first-place spot, though).
Rose popped off the top and the smell of slime—for there truly was no other way to describe it—invaded her senses. It made her wrinkle her nose in distaste. Rose found a big bucket nearby and she scooped up some of the slimy yellow muck and carried it over to the cauldron. She was surprised to find how light it was, and after a few trips, the cauldron was filled up halfway.
It was already bubbling by the time she was done, the lava underneath heating it nicely. Doctor Basileus approached her soon after, and there were several floating jars around him.
"Now what do you want to add first?"
"Bleach," Rose declared confidently despite having no idea what she was doing. "Since that's the most dangerous one."
"Is it now? Okay."
Doctor Basileus grabbed one of the big jars and popped it open. It reeked of bleach and he shoved a good amount of magical golden mist inside of it. The magic and the bleach swirled around like oil and water and the doctor made a 'hum' at that.
"Go ahead and add some in, then."
Rose dumped the entire thing in there, gasping in glee and awe as the slime bubbled and turned into a rainbow of colors. "It's a rainbow!"
"Fascinating," the doctor said. "I've never gotten that effect! Then again, I've never added human-made things to this potion. I wonder if it'll do that with anything made by mankind."
Rose shrugged. "Let's add the wood polish next!"
He obliged by giving her another jar filled with a black, tar-like substance. "This is enchanted tar, it's what the fae use to polish their wooden structures."
Like before, Rose dumped the entire thing in.
The sludge bubbled and burped, turning ten shades of brown. Rose's eyes turned into delighted crescents and her lips upturned even further. "Soap and water next!"
"Some pure water, and soap from Atlantis," the doctor said, giving her two more jars. Rose tipped over the entire contents inside the cauldron at the same time.
The sludge started to swirl around like a small whirlpool, turning white. "Lemons!"
He offered her a basket of lemons and Rose tossed each of them in there with a giggle. The sludge let out another burp that smelled like lemons before turning a pretty shade of pale yellow. It smelled like a lemon meringue pie.
Doctor Basileus gave Rose the blue dye last and she poured it in without hesitation. The slimed seized, then started to spin rapidly for many minutes until it froze like ice and shattered inwards.
As it crumpled into a lemon-scented dust, Rose looked up at the doctor with an excited smile on her face. "That was cool!"
"Indeed," the doctor agreed. "I've never seen a rainbow slime before, nor have I gotten it to turn to dust. What a fascinating endeavor. Care to try again?"
Rose's splitting grin was the only answer he needed. As it turned out, she had a lovely day with the doctor.
...🌹...
Rose was at the entrance to the garden, but this time, she could move. She entered the garden, her flats making soft clicking sounds on the stone pathway. There were dead bushes and flowers on either side of her, reeking of something both rotten and sweet. She turned left, uncertain of how she knew which way to go.
Further into the black and white garden she went, with nothing but the sound of her footsteps to keep her company.
She turned right.
She had heard this sound before. The sound of wings taking flight, displacing the still, dead air. Powerful wings beating down against silence, drawing closer to her with each flap.
The gray man was coming for her.
Rose woke up.