Deep in thought, Flora considered her surroundings. The smell of multitudes of flowers blurred together creating an overwhelming scent, while not unpleasant. She enjoyed filtering through the different aromas to identify each smell and then the next. Believing this to be a good practice to be aware of the environment she was in, Flora had taken to using this exercise to ground herself. When she felt comfortable enough after activating her five mortal senses, she used the opportunity to blend into her sixth sense.
As always, there was that lingering presence around the palace. Maybe one of these days Flora would be able to determine what it was, if anything at all. Still, it was nice to have that energy to comfort her as she pushed past this world. That being said, Flora had yet to actually see anything or contact anyone, so she wasn't sure that her training was doing anything. Even if the results were minute, she was still determined to learn.
The door to the green house creaked open, pulling Flora from her trance. She knew without even looking who it was. A 'hmph!' came from the doorway as Flora tried to hide her smile. Sliding her eyes open, Flora caught a glimpse of a young, grumpy face. Hyacinth had folded her arms and was glaring at Flora, but as soon as their eyes locked, she dropped her gaze as if she never even cared in the first place. Hyacinth was mature for her age, but no amount of cleverness or manners could make Flora forget that she was still a kid.
Tilting her head with a side smile, Flora asked the girl, "did you miss me Hyacinth?" The girl scrunched up her face in a pout as she twisted her head away from Flora. Hyacinth pulled on a pair of gardening gloves and started pruning one of the bushes nearby. Ah, Flora thought to herself, the classic silent treatment. Luckily for Flora though was that she was familiar with the methods to get the girl to talk. "I see, so the answer was yes." Hyacinth whipped her head back toward Flora and scowled for a moment before turning back to her work. "You see Hyacinth, I have so much to tell you. I'm sorry that I couldn't visit for the past couple weeks, but of course I am again in need of your expertise."
Hyacinth pulled off her gloves, squinting her eyes at Flora as she said, "go on..."
As expected, Hyacinth loved it when someone wanted something from her. The girl enjoyed knowing something that someone else didn't, so she could explain it in excruciating detail. Flora was not about to let this resource go to waste. Taking a moment before asking Hyacinth about Prince Andrei's trip, Flora explained why she had been gone for so long, talking about how she had been helping the bird recover.
Trying to keep her emotions off of her face, and failing, Hyacinth questioned Flora about her new ward, "so they just let you handle one of the phoenixes just like that?" Again, Flora was being asked this question. The Leostans really did hold those birds in high regard, so much so that even the mere thought of an outsider touching them was enough to offend.
"I didn't really give them a choice when she asked for my help."
Playing with the end of her braid, Hyacinth thought the story over. "That's good since she reached out to you and all." She angled her head to look up towards the sky, considering saying something, but then deciding not to.
Flora scratched her head, deciding whether or not Hyacinth would be a good source of information for her next question. She had obviously read a lot of books, so maybe she did know a thing or two about the phoenixes. "I've been thinking, do these phoenixes have the ability to communicate with humans?"
Hyacinth actually snickered at Flora's query, "kind of, but only certain people." Flora raised her eyebrows, more questions forming in her brain. Hyacinth took Flora's confusion as an invitation to fold her arms and point her nose in the air, preparing a speech in response. "Well, you see, the phoenixes are not normal animals; they are instead spiritual creatures, at least according to the legends. For people deemed special by the birds, they can form a bond and communicate basic thoughts." The girl tilted her hand back and forth in a 'so-so' manner. "But, only sort of. It is mostly feelings they express through some connection. Some even tell their companions the names they have picked out for themselves," she giggled at something that popped into her mind before continuing, "but that is normally the REALLY stubborn ones."
Flora considered the information carefully. "So do they talk with multiple people then? I've also had something come from one of Prince Andrei's birds."
Holding up a hand to stop Flora, Hyacinth chastised her, "you shouldn't address the phoenixes as just ordinary 'birds'. It's extremely rude." Flora nodded her head seriously in response. "But, no. The phoenixes only bond with one person that they communicate with." The girl continued toying with her braid as she added, "that's weird that you can do it. Did you use your magic?"
"Umm, I don't know for sure." Huh, Flora hadn't really thought too much about that one. Was she using some sort a spiritual magic with the birds... phoenixes? It seemed unlikely since she hadn't felt any exertion from the correspondence. Maybe it was just easier for the phoenixes to get through to Flora since she was already open to other connections. "So do the phoenixes just pick someone to bond with?"
"Uh no." The sass had appeared in Hyacinth's tone. "Not just ANYONE can bond with a phoenix. Usually it's only members of the royal family or high ranking military officials that receive a companion. Even the higher nobles are unlikely to ever even get the CHANCE to bond with one." She went on with another soft snicker, "some of the one's that are offered the chance can't even get one of the phoenixes to choose them. Serves those stinky men right."
"Interesting, so tell me about that legend you were referencing. Why are the phoenixes so important?"
Hyacinth's face lit up as she prepared to dump even more knowledge onto Flora. "Well, so you know there is the mother, the one that lives inside of the mountain, right?" Hyacinth didn't even wait for Flora to nod as she barged on, "so the mother had the phoenixes, not the current ones we take care of, but the actual ones you hear about in the stories with fire and ash and all of that. So, the first phoenixes grew tired of the whole dying and rebirth thing, and they asked the mother if there was something she could do to help them move on. The mother loved her dear creations, but she understood that forever was a long time, so she agreed to help them. In order to take away their immortality, the mother had to split the phoenixes into two separate entities. In doing so, she took the power of flame away from the phoenixes and gave it to the humans on the mountain. This way, the phoenixes could live and die while still maintaining their forms, and the humans would have the power to protect and take care of the phoenixes. So, the mother charged the Usoros with the task of keeping the phoenixes strong, while also keeping her home safe. She trusted the Usoros to protect this land, and they have been doing so for millennia." Hyacinth took a deep breath as she had barely breathed during her whole spiel.
It made sense now why the royals had been so offended by Flora encroaching on their birds. They viewed taking care of them as their goddess given responsibility and right. Still, Flora didn't really care how intensely they felt about the whole situation, seeing that one of the keepers was planning on impairing one of their precious birds. "I didn't realize that the phoenixes were so important here in Leosta. I'm glad I asked you about it."
Nodding proudly, Hyacinth replied, "of course, I know everything there is to know about it." Flora remembered when she was young enough to think she knew everything. She wasn't going to burst the girl's bubble though. Hyacinth would need to figure that out on her own.
"So all of the Usoros have fire magic?"
Hyacinth immediately dropped her gaze, twirling her fingers awkwardly. She didn't seem to like it when Flora mentioned the royal family in this context. Flora was about to change the subject when Hyacinth answered meekly, "...yes, but it is quite common." Was Hyacinth related to the royals? Maybe she was a cousin or something where she would still have the Usoro magic.
Hating to see the kid uncomfortable, Flora moved on to the real reason she was here. She had almost forgotten why she had come as she listened to Hyacinth ramble on about the birds of Leosta. It was hard for Flora not to get swept up and distracted by new information. "Another thing, have you heard of Prince Andrei departing for a trip soon?"
Taking the opportunity of the new topic, Hyacinth shoved her gloves back on, examining the plant beds. Flora could tell her attention span was waning, and she wanted to get back to her hobby. "Yeah, he is going to go to the north for a bit to check on his men."
"His men?"
"Yeah, he is a commander after all. I heard that he is just leaving for a while to get a report on some of the Leostan troops training up North. He does these kinds of things all the time since-" Hyacinth stopped her train of speech, deciding instead to walk around to one of the rose bushes across the path.
How did Hyacinth know all of this? Myths, legends, and plants were things she could read out of a book, but this was pretty particular stuff. Well, for all Flora knew, it was already common knowledge around the palace that she hadn't heard, because she only really talked to like three people. "So do you know how long his highness is going to be gone for?"
Hyacinth shrugged her shoulders, her patience wearing thin. She wanted to discuss things that she liked, and since deeming this conversation dull, all the girl wanted to do was get back to her gardening. "Maybe four or five days? It takes like a day to get there, but I don't know for sure." Hyacinth turned her back to Flora as she walked to the far side of the green house. Subtlety was not one of her strong suits.
Flora chuckled to herself as she called back to Hyacinth, "alright, thank you for your help. I'll visit soon." She got a small grunt in response, and decided that she would go back to her bedroom and take a nap. For some reason, today was comfortable enough for Flora that she was hopeful to get a good amount of sleep in. While her mood was still high, Flora would rest up to prepare for her next move.