Gordon and Nalé decided they'd set out early for her mission. That way, they'd be able to use the whole day to gather and collect materials, maybe even trade with the townspeople.
Their journey had started a little over 20 minutes ago, and Nalé had already collected 10 varieties of plants that she could use. Eager to collect and discover more, she practically buried her face into the book she was currently reading.
Meanwhile, Gordon walked behind her, his own book in hand. Yesterday, she had suggested that he get a book about different poisonous plants so that he would also benefit from her expedition.
He wasn't sure how he'd incorporate these plants and materials in his magic quite yet, but with her help, he's sure he'd figure it out.
"What's that up there?!" Nalé yelled excitedly pointing up at an interesting fruit that seemed to be glowing.
Gordon looked up at the direction and which she was pointing and answered "I'm not sure, but it's glowing so it might be something cool."
she stared at the fruit, mesmerized by it's splotches of white, green and red shining against the dull branches of the tree. It was then and there that she decided she had to take it.
𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯s 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, she thought. 𝘐𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.
Nalé took her backpack off and started looking through it for the gift that Vanessa gave her yesterday. "I'm gonna attempt to climb this tree, look out for my stuff."
Gordon nodded, and went back to his reading, occasionally keeping a lookout for her bag and herself as she prepared to climb the tree.
Yesterday, after a few hours of chatting with Vanessa. She had received something from her.
"Yami mentioned that you weren't from here." Vanessa had said.
"That's true," Nalé responded furrowing her brows and drawing patterns upon the couch where she currently sat.
"Near the Clover kingdom lies a kingdom full of witches, and that's where I'm from." Vanessa had begun to explain.
"As witches, we each have our own powers, however there are many things we are able to create collectively as trinkets or tools. That...is where this comes in," she says pulling out a small velvet bag.
"This is a called a limitless baggie " she continued opening the bag and showing the inside to Nalé.
"It can carry up to 1,000 items at a time at base level, no matter the size, mass or weight. However be careful when you're taking things out, the owner is the only that can take things out, and you have to pull it out, so only put it what you can lift out of it. Thankfully, the owners aren't able to be sucked inside, however other people can so use that wisely."
Vanessa closed the velvet bag and paused thinking of what else she could she could tell Nalé about the bag.
"Oh!" "Also, the more mana the owner has the more items they can add to the bag, and the more they can organize it. It comes with a book, where you can write out the instructions for organization, and can change the way it looks."
"Lastly," she says as she hands Nalé the bag and the associated book. "Its yours!"
Nalé slowly took the items and put them next to her on the couch, and enveloped the other woman on the couch in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much, I'll be sure to use it to its full potential."
Vanessa immediately hugged her back, and smiles, thankful that her gift was appreciated.
They part. "You're very very welcome sweetie pie," she says with a lilt in her voice.
"Think of it as a little welcome gift from me."
Now, Nalé is getting ready to use the treasured gift once again.
She had already used it to store the other materials she's collected, satisfied by the way it's weight remained relatively light.
She begins to climb the tree, arms straining at having to hold so much of her weight and feet struggling to find purchase on the tree.
She was inexperienced, basically.
There's a first time for everything though, and this is just one of the many times she'd climb trees today.
She finally reached up to where the fruit was.
Maybe I should've worn a glove, I have no idea what this fruit could be and here I am about to touch it with my bare hand.
She quotes the captain of the crimson lions, "Welp, nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Nalé grabs the fruit and immediately regrets her decision.
Something unfamiliar but powerful surges through her. Her right hand ( the hand holding on to the tree) grips onto the tree, an inhuman grip, even more evident when cracks start to appear and splinters start to tear into her skin.
She's stuck there for several minutes, eyes wide, mouth open in shock unable to properly expressly what it is that she's feeling. She hears what she could only describe as muted yells in the background.
Then, the fruit's glow disappears, and the surging stops and she starts to fall.
Gordon catches her of course, and leans her onto the tree. A familiar feeling of Deja Vu hitting him and reminding him of how they first met.
He checks her pulse.
"Everything seems fine, no irregular heartbeat."
His eyes lower, scanning her body checking for injuries.
Those classes about first aid and soothing injuries I took at that hospital when I was younger couldn't have been more useful at a better time he thinks, noticing the injury in her right hand.
He carefully takes out the splinters from her hand with the tweezer he had in his personal first aid kit, then he puts on an ointment and wraps her hand.
He cleans up the area and puts the fruit in the bag.
He sighs, leaning against the tree and waits for her to wake up.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
She wakes up 30 minutes later, coughing.
Her throat felt dry.
A water bottle is immediately brought to her lips, and she drinks.
"Thank you Gordon" she says, grateful for not letting her fall to her death, and for the water.
"Anytime' he answers with a close smile, closing the cap on the water bottle.
"That's what friends do after all."
she smiles back at him and looks around.
"What happened to that fruit?"
"I put it in that bag" he gestured to the bag near her hand.
"Thanks man."
"No problem. Your hand was pretty injured, but I fixed it, it should be good in a few days"
Her attention is brought to her right hand and she flexes.
"Huh" she says confused.
"It feels pretty fine to me. Let me check something."
She unwraps the bandage only to see her hand completely fine.
...
She stares at Gordon and Gordon stares at her.
"That's new" she says delayed by the shock of the new information she just gained about her healing.
"Yes." responds Gordon, face laced in bewilderment.
"Let's ask Yami about it later? Maybe he'll know something about it."
"Yea, hopefully" Gordon says as he gives her a hand and pulls her to her feet.
"Let's continue for now, we're still 40 minutes away from the forest we need to be at."
"Alright." She grabs her backpack, and puts the velvet bag into one of its compartments.
They continue onwards, to their destination.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hundreds of materials collected later, they reach the edge of the semi arid region where the town of Ansstin lay.
"You know what," Nalé says, hands on her hips. "I don't think I'm ready to talk to the townspeople now. "Let's just get what we came here for and leave. I want to know what that fruit was, what I felt and how my hand healed so fast."
She looks up at Gordon who's currently observing her.
"I just think that all of those other I just listed are way more interesting than talking to strangers, what do you say pal?" She taps his shoulder in hopes that he agrees with her.
"They do sound more interesting, and it's not like I'm that good at socializing either. You're not gonna get a no from me when you say that, I'm right there agreeing with you fervently on that matter. His hand lay on her shoulder in understanding.
Her eyes sparkle "Introverts forever?" she asks putting her hand out, palms flat ad facing him.
"Introverts forever." He responds, chuckling and returning her high five.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
They take the road around the town that leads to the forest where Psyllium is to be found.
"Ok, so we're looking for a shrub that has a bunch of seeds on top. or think of it like this a bunch of long green sticks with fuzzy white hair at the top."
"Ok, I can do that" Gordon says as he pulls out a clear plastic container.
"Cut it at the green part, just where the fuzzy part ends. I want to make sure it can continue to bloom in the upcoming years." Nalé says, her own container in hand.
"All we have to do is fill up each of our containers and we're good to go. Let's meet back here in 20 minutes."
"Ok." Gordon responds waving already walking away.
Nalé turns and grins at the vast forest on her side, eager to get the psyllium and any other plant that just happens to be in her path.
"I should try to get something for Vanessa, to properly thank her for the gift."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Snip!
She cuts the last of the Psyllium finally filling up her container, and heading back to the spot where they said they'd meet at previously.
"How'd everything go Gordon?" she asks lifting up her medium sized container filled to the brim with seeds.
He lifts up his container with the same enthusiasm as her, grinning. "Pretty good, there were a lot of them where I was, I even found a bunch of poisonous plants."
"Oooh, I'm glad!" she says patting his arm. "Good Job today!"
"You too!" he exclaims whispering shyly.
They make sure to pack all that they've collected in their respective bags.
"Let's head back shall we? This time, wanna go by broom? We no longer have to collect anything so there's no point of walking."
"I get that" he murmurs summoning his broom.
"Get on" he gestures toward the broom.
Nalé gets on, and immediately feels uncomfortable by the lack of surface area this broom seems to have.
My goodness its digging into my ass cheeks, how the fuck can people ride this comfortably. she thinks.
"Gordon, I'm gonna have to hold onto you this whole ride, because there is no way this is gonna work otherwise."
Gordon frowns sensing her distress "What's wrong?" he asks.
"Look at my ass" she says turning around "Then look at your broom" she says vigorously gesturing at his broom.
"It feels like I'm riding a toothpick. You get what I mean right?"
Gordon stares at her befuddled.
"Your posterior is too big for my broom." he states, finally understanding her.
"That's right, I'm too thick for your broom. But, I wanna get back soon, so I'll deal with it, as long as I can hold on to you. You ok with that?" She asks, staring up at him.
"Yes." he whispers climbing on to bis broom.
He makes sure she's properly holding on to him before suddenly zooming into the sky, smirk taking place on his face as he hears her screams of surprise.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
They get back to the base relatively fast.
The sun is still shining and weather still warm.
Nalé is sweating horribly , her hands still gripping the back of Gordon's vest.
"We're here now Nalé" he tries shaking himself thinking that she had fallen asleep on his back.
She takes a shaky breath, slowly getting off the broom and stumbling toward the base.
"Thank you for the ride, Gordon."
"It's no problem," he says scratching the back of his head almost feeling guilty for taking off so fast.
As she's about to open the door to the base, she bumps into a man with Light brown hair and pink eyes.
"Wow" he whispers starstruck by her appearance, his eyes following a bead of sweat that formed from her hairline past her piercing eyes and to her full lips.
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵? he thought noticing that sweat started to pool around her chest outlining the shape of her breasts.
He adverts his eyes and coughs.
"Um you must be the new member" he wipes his suddenly sweaty hands on his pants and extends his hand.
"It-It's nice to meet you I'm Finral."
She shakes his hands softly, giving him a soft smile.
"Hi Finral, it's nice to finally meet you," Her voice seeps out, smooth and low.
His knees almost buckle .
"Um- ahaa. I have to go! It was nice to finally meet you, but there's something very important that I have to do right about now! OH! I hear it! It's calling to me! Bye!"
Finral runs up the stairs, cheeks flushed leaving Nalé puzzled.
She turns to Gordon.
"What was that about?"
He shrugs answering "You tell me, I have no idea."
She stretches, arms lifting high above head and yawning.
"Wanna go get some food?"
"I'd love to, let's go."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hi, you're Grey right?" Nalé says greeting the towering figure in the hallway.
Her and Gordon had long split up, left to their own devices.
She was heading to her room after spending her sweet time in the bath, when she saw them coming towards her from the other end of the hallway.
The figure transformed into Vanessa and ran to greet the new recruit.
"Hi! I'm Grey, I look forward to working with you !" Grey says shaking Nalé's hand vigorously.
"Likewise, Grey!" she says, laughing at the other's enthusiasm.
They have a short chat and eventually part.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Crush! Crush! crush! crush! crush!
A rapid sound could be heard from Nalé's room.
Stone pounded against stone crushing the psyllium husks quickly turning them into fine powder. She was on her 20th container, almost going mad at the addicting nature of this repetitive motion.
"Mwhahahaha! I'm gonna have Yami shitting liquid for months!"
It only took her an hour to finish her last set.
Her collection consisted of about 50 medium glass jars, each measuring about 16 oz.
She carefully packed them all in her bag and skipped over to Yami's room.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Captain Yami?"
"What is it brat?" Yami answers, opening the door shirtless and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Whew" she whistles scanning her eyes across his sculpted torso.
But she quickly snaps out of it, before Yami kills her for wasting his time.
"I have your ass medicine ready!" She exclaims presenting the bag full of the recently crushed powder.
"What is this ?" Yami asks interested.
"It's Psyllium powder , it is especially used to help people with constipation. You can drink it up to 3 times a day. Just mix some of it with at least 8 ounces of water or juice and you're good to go."
"Hm" he grunts , picking up the bag, and putting it in his room, pleased that he could finally overcome his constipation.
"You did good kid."
"I'm not a kid Yami, you're only 5 years older than me."
"Whatever" he says turning around about to close the door in her face.
"Are you free any of these days?" She asks abruptly, remembering that she had to talk to him about the glowing fruit and her grimoire.
"Next week, maybe." he says blowing out a puff of smoke using the cigarette that seemingly appeared out of thin air.
"Why?" he asked.
"It's complicated, are you sure you want to hear it now?" She responds not wanting to bother him.
"I'm here now , and I haven't left. What other proof do you need?" He shrugs, leaning against the door.
Nalé nods and resumes to her previous point. "Do fruit usually glow in the clover kingdom?"
"Maybe in places with a high concentration of mana, why?" he asks intrigued by the random question.
"Earlier today while foraging and whatnot, I touched this glowing fruit and I felt some sort of strange flowing sensation going into me from the fruit."
"So you just happened to find a random glowing fruit, and the first thing that came to your mind was to touch it?" Yami says staring down at the woman with disapproving eyes.
"Nothing ventured nothing gained" she says shrugging.
He sighs and gestures to her "Go on."
"So I fell off the tree - Gordon caught me by the way - I climbed on, to get the tree. And apparently my hand was bleeding , but my wound disappeared after about 30 minutes or so."
"Without even casting any spells?" Yami asks raising his eyebrows, inhaling the sweet relief of the cigarette.
"Exactly!"
He scratches his chin and thinks of ways to go about this.
"I'll ask a few people if they know anything about it, hopefully I can get you a consultation next week to find out what's going on."
"Thank you Yami!"
"No problem." he nods in response.
"Anything else?" He says wanting to go back into the comfort of his room
"Yes, How do I go about getting my grimoire?"
"Oh, you just go to a Grimoire tower and wait to see which one comes to you. I'll tell Finral to take you in a few days."
"Thanks."
"Last thing, what's the date, and when does the next Magic knights exam take place?"
"Today is September 7th 1633, and the Magic Knights exam has already passed, so it'll happen next September.
Hmm, so I have about one year to get myself stronger before shit starts hitting the fan.
She smiles up at the handsome man, thankful at all the information she's been given "Ok! That's all. Thank you Yami."
"Uh-huh. Night." He says nodding, turning back into his room, slamming the door.
Nalé stares at the door for a while longer, mind full of the possibilities she can unlock during her time in this world.
She gets back from her head, starting the walk to her room.
"Enough thinking, time to sleep."