The tea prepared by Eliza was infused with special herbs that helped calm the nerves, used only when stressed or when extremely angry.
As Jia headed out the kitchen and into the hallway, he heard faint voices up ahead and it didn't take him too long to find out whose voices they were. He came in sight with Kia and Isabelle having a conversation in front of a puzzle painting. Pausing for a few minutes and watching them from a distance, it didn't take Kia long enough to notice Jia's presence and excuses himself. After Kia exited the hallway, Jia unhitched himself from the wall and approached Isabelle.
Hearing the footsteps that approached her she turned and mumbled
"Oh! So that's why Kia excused himself".
"Just finished scolding the silly maid" Jia's eyes scanned the painting in front of him drawing in Isabelle with his words.
"Didn't you already do that in the dining hall?" Isabelle knew scolding the maid a second time was unnecessary.
"Yes! But it wasn't to my satisfaction" Jia went quiet for 7 seconds.
"Come Isabelle" He walked passed her with his hands buried in his pockets, her eyes trailed his movements and she quietly followed. Shortly after, they both arrived at a double door in which Jia held both door knobs and pushed.
Isabelle's heart skipped as she took in the view of the indoor garden.
"Oh my!" She covered her mouth which had fallen agape. Variety of plants and flowers bloomed and were caved in a glass onion shaped house. From the tulips to the hibiscus to the Lilies and roses. Some of the plants she knew by heart while others were peculiar to her.
"I thought fireflies only came out by night?" Isabelle asked after taking note of the glowing creatures that surrounded the flowers.
"Look closer, do those look like fireflies?" Jia already knew what they were, he wanted her to figure it out herself.
Isabelle took a few steps closer to observe the creatures who were just minding their business.
"Human like body, little pointy ears, wings..." She gasped. "Faires! Tiny creatures with tiny wings tending to the plants."
Remembering Jia and Kia's fight, Isabelle contemplates on whether or not she should bring it up as a conversation with him, she had questions to ask. She remembered a name coming up before the fight and couldn't help but wonder who the person was.
"No! I shouldn't ask him" Isabelle remembered the way he looked on that very day, his eyes and temper. She couldn't get the image off her head.
Jia closely watched the Venus flytrap, patiently waiting for it to devour any fairy that came too close when he noticed someone staring at him.
"Quit staring would you?"
"I wasn't staring at you" Isabelle responded.
"Well I never said you were staring at me so that proves that you were" Jia said with a smile of satisfaction when he saw a fairy struggling to get out of the flytrap.
"Silly creature". He muttered under his breath stepping aside about to leave the garden.
"Izzy! Are you coming or not?" Jia turned back to look at Isabelle.
"I'll stay a little bit longer" Isabelle responded not taking her eyes off the plant she discovered. A small but confident looking plant which the colors of a rainbow from the roots to it's stem and leaves. It drew Isabelle in, at first it was the beauty of the plant that she was drawn to. Its peculiarity was what made it stand out but then something else drew Isabelle in, something she couldn't quite point her finger on, drawing her closer and closer until.
"Isabelle snap out of it!" Jia held up her chin to take her eyes off the plant, Isabelle blinked twice and her pupil returned.
"That's a hypnotizing plant, it catches your attention first with its colors and then it does its
Work. If you had looked at it longer, you wouldn't be able to recover for days."
"A what?" Isabelle breathed out.
"You heard what I said. Glad you didn't touch it, it would've wiped your memory…
"My memory?!" Isabelle looked alarmed.
"It wipes your memory depending on how long you look at it, touching it gives you temporary
Amnesia and consuming it gives you permanent amnesia."
"I'm done with looking at plants for the day, let's leave this place Jia." Isabelle turned to see Jia
at the door.
"Already ahead of you." Jia commented.
As Isabelle walked out the garden, she caught sight of Cassandra walking towards them.
'The human must be receiving preferential treatment'. Cassandra couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to her that morning and as she looked up ahead, she saw the human with Jia yet again. She faked a smile as she approached them, greeted them both with a bow.
"Lady Isabelle, Lord Cyrene requested for your presence in his study". Cassandra was busy mending torn clothes when she received the order directly from the lord himself. It almost felt like a punishment because she didn't want to speak to the human.
"Why?" Jia asked.
"I have not the slightest idea Milord." Cassandra kept her eyes lowered.
"Well take me to him". Cassandra led the way for Isabelle.
"What is he planning this time?" Jia asked himself as he watched Isabelle and Cassandra walk out of sight. Closing his eyes, he drew in some considerable amount of air and exhaled slowly which increased his focus on his destination and like the wind that hits the Northern dessert, he vanished.
Jia found himself behind a huge thick brown curtain, and when he slowly pushed it aside, he saw himself in Cyrene's study right before Isabelle arrived.
A soft knock was heard on the door.
"Come in." Cyrene said. Isabelle opened the door. "Oh! Isabelle come in, come in. Please do sit".
Isabelle sat down waiting for him to state his reasons for wanting her here.
"I just wanted us to have a little chat over tea." Cyrene poured the tea for he and Isabelle, he had Arnold prepare not too long ago. He has been consuming a lot of tea lately and he noticed.
"How do you like your room?" Cyrene stirred his tea.
"It is nice."
"I was thinking of throwing a welcoming party for you. I know I should've done that on the very day you stepped foot into this mansion, but a lot a lot was going on that I didn't."
Cyrene knew Jia didn't agree to it and he didn't care, he was throwing the party for Isabelle after all so it is her opinion that matters and not his.