Her Ethereal Father and Fretful Mother
Suggested Themes:
Main Themes- Scarborough Fair from Gunslinger Girl, She's Not There by The Zombies
God was smiling upon them as Ogron would have said. The outside world was bright, alive, and without the annoying patrol of the Winx. Duman "overheard" (basically, eavesdropped on the girls as a hawk) that the Winx and their boyfriends wouldn't be hanging around the Frutti Music Bar today because they want to continue to play superheroes. Coincidentally, Klaus and Roxy wouldn't be working there for today. Apparently, they wanted to have a father and daughter day, Duman gagged when he heard this and almost got caught. So, the Wizards of the Black Circle decided to hang out at the Frutti Music Bar for the day or at least a few hours. Duman was more worn out than usual after his shape-shifting from yesterday, so he didn't gripe about being at some sissy bar today. Gantlos remains stoic as usual, but he seems tense because of Duman's weaken condition. Ogron is swirling his strawberry cocktail like he is torn between drinking it and smashing it in someone's face. Anagan is busy surveying the bar scene for a potential one-night stand. Duman and Gantlos refuse to have sex when they were hunting down a Fairy, while Ogron can go long periods of time without having sex. However, Anagan doesn't have his brothers' control. He needs sex. He loves sex. He hasn't had sex since trying to find and capture the last Earth Fairy. Right now, he is thinking about going up to the blonde with blue eyes at the bar.
The blonde seems like she is down to earth, which means that she isn't the kind of a girl to wait for a call from Anagan afterwards. Unfortunately, she seems to be one of those fake environmentalists. She has on one of those "Mother Earth" shirts, purposely-ripped jeans, and sandals that shoe off her rainbow-painted toes. Anagan knows she is a fake tree-hugger because her skin is far too light and her hands are too soft. Now, her light skin could be attributed to her genetics and she uses moisturizer constantly on her hands to make them soft. However, if she was a true nature lover, then she would at least have some remnants of a sunburn or some dirt on her. On the other hand, Anagan is just looking for a quickie and not a soul mate. He was about to go over to the bar and see how easy the blonde was, but then he saw a very familiar dance partner heading to the bar. His dance partner was none other than Flora of the Winx Club. It's been about three weeks since Anagan shared a dance with Flora in order to humiliate Mitzi and her gang to leave Andy's party. Flora isn't wearing her hybrid Fairy-Mermaid costume like she did that night. Flora has on a tan midriff with a pink skirt that has a floral print and a vine for a belt. She has on pink sandals with heels that probably makes Flora almost as tall as Anagan if she wasn't sitting down. Luckily for Anagan, there was an empty seat right beside Flora.
"One apple cocktail, please." Flora sounded like she had a massive migraine. Where are her friends? Where is her dear Helia? Did they have a fight or something? And does she know that cocktails are filled with alcohol? Anagan wondered. He can work this to his advantage. The blonde can be his last resort if he can't get Flora.
"You do realize that cocktails are alcoholic by nature here, my dancing Nature Fairy." Flora does not stiffen or flinch at Anagan's voice. She merely ignores him until she receives her drink and begins "playing" with the apple wedge on glass's rim.
"I know that, we have alcoholic cocktails back in my Realm too." Flora takes a small sip and then winces at the saltiness. She isn't too fond of salt.
"What are you doing here? Are you here for another dance with me?" Anagan lightly teased her like he was her friend. Flora sips until half the cocktail is gone.
"Well, I just wanted to try this apple cocktail before my world collapses in on its self." Roxy had been gushing a few days ago about the apple cocktails that the Frutti Music Bar is serving; Flora wanted to taste how good claim Roxy's claim is. The cocktail is good, but there is more salt than necessary. Flora noted inwardly to tell Roxy this.
"Clearly, this isn't about the recent invasion of your virtual world. So what's wrong? Your effeminate boyfriend is about to leave you for one of the Specialists? You got kicked out of your little clique? The pet shop got burned to the ground along with your hideous uniform?" Anagan sounded more hopeful with each passing suggestion. Not surprisingly, Flora is close to throwing her salty cocktail in Anagan's face.
"As usual, Anagan, you're wrong. My boyfriend is skiing with the other Specialists in the Resort Realm. My friends are stopping some vicious poachers. Also, the shop is still standing with my perfectly intact uniform." Flora took some pleasure of wiping the mean smirk off of Anagan's face. By now, the rest of the Wizards of the Black Circle have taken notice of Anagan's absence. They are watching and listening intently as the pair converse. Thankfully, they aren't going to interfere.
"Why aren't you with your friends?" Anagan's tone changed from being mean-spirited to almost concerned. Flora downs the rest of her drink.
"My parents are coming to visit, and my friends think I am sick in bed with a cold." Why wouldn't she want her close friends (maybe sisters to her) to meet her parents? She can't be ashamed of her friends because I doubt she would have stuck around. Perhaps, she's embarrassed about her parents. They must be…no Flora is just too sweet to feel ashamed of her parents. Anagan thought.
"Why are your parents coming to visit?" Flora wonders if it would be a good idea to answer Anagan, but she might as well since she revealed this much to him.
"They want to meet Helia. My little sister decided to tell my mom I have a boyfriend so she wouldn't get punished. Now, my mom wants to see if Helia exists." She seems bitter almost like Gantlos is when Duman sleeps with someone. Clearly, she is not her momma's darling princess.
"And Helia just happens to be away when you need him, and you won't get him because this is the one day he has off since this whole thing began." Anagan finished for her. Flora plays with the apple wedge again with her nails like she is about to pinch the head off an annoying insect. Fairies are like insects, they have wings and sometime sting. Anagan remembers Ogron saying this when they turned those annoying pets into monsters.
"I can be your stand-in Helia." Anagan declared almost to himself, but Flora heard him and stopped playing with the apple wedge.
"I don't think it would be appropriate since the real Helia is just a Realm away." Flora reminded Anagan of an office worker refusing the advances of her lecherous boss.
"Your 'boyfriend' won't most likely be back until very late at night or early in the morning. Guys tend to want to spend as much time together as possible. Your boyfriend isn't going to come to your rescue. I'm here. I'll gladly do it for free and I won't make a move on you. I'll even take an Oath to prove it to you." That caught Flora's attention. Oaths were something that a Fairy usually made to another person. If the Fairy cannot fulfill the Oath, then the Fairy will die. Yet, Oaths can be made to Fairies, but it rarely occurs. Flora can only think of a story from Linphea where a reckless, ugly prince made an Oath to vain princess that he would marry her. Of course the vain princess married a wise, beautiful king, while the poor prince died.
"An Oath isn't necessary. My parents are going to show up in Gardenia Park at three. That gives you two hours to back out." Flora is almost certain that Anagan won't do this. Why would he do this without a reward? He won't show, and Flora will have to explain to her parents (more specifically to her mother) why Helia wasn't there. Besides Anagan wouldn't keep his hands to himself, Flora is sure of that. Flora leaves without making a sound. Anagan returns to his brothers.
"Looks like you struck out." Duman commented with weak sarcasm. He's still tired, but he won't pass up an opportunity to gibe.
"I get to meet her parents, and all of you need to help me." Duman would have asked the obvious question of why should they, but he is a bit busy with trying to keep his eyes open. Gantlos would have taken Duman's place, but he is busy too with making sure that Duman doesn't pass out from exhaustion. Why is Duman more tired than the rest of us? We're growing weaker as the Fairies grow stronger. Yet, Duman is getting weaker, incredibly weaker. Anagan wondered if Nature was finally punishing them for ripping the wings off the Earth Fairies and imprisoning them for all eternity.
"Gantlos, take Duman back to the sewers and stay with him. I'll help Anagan." Ogron swiftly ordered this when Duman finally lost consciousness and would have banged his head on the table if it wasn't for Gantlos catching him in time. Gantlos has looped one of Duman's arms over his shoulders and is dragging him out of the bar. To the onlookers, it will appear that Duman is drunk and Gantlos is helping him to get home. Anagan is having second thoughts about meeting keeping his word to Flora because he feels like he should be there for Duman. But what can he do for him? Anagan is a speedster, not a healer.
"Hopefully, the traffic isn't too bad today." Anagan commented. He can picture a bunch of speeding cars over the manhole that the Wizards of the Black Circle use to get home.
"You're going to need a house to entertain her parents in. How about that boy band wannabe's house?" Andy's house was where Anagan and Flora shared an intimate dance together. Anagan finds it ironic how the place will be used yet again for him and Flora.
"Perfect. You think I should change my clothes?" Considering how Flora did tell her sister about Helia, there is a good chance that the parents expect a girly Specialist. Anagan finds the Specialist uniform as a cry of sexual confusion and social conformity. He wasn't going to wear the suit again since he didn't want to appear too formal. Plus, he's planning to use the suit again in the near future.
"No, as long as you make up some backstory, I think you're perfectly fine. You could tell them that you're trying to blend in with the mortal crowd." Ogron is right, why should he change himself for a day? Anagan can charm Flora's parents. After all, he used to be known as the Devil back in the colonial days when the settlers of America were offended by Anagan's coloring but memorized by him. If he can make all those straight-laced, sexually frustrated settlers give into "sin", then surely he can appear to be the perfect gentleman to Flora's parents.
"By the way, just how are you going to get Andy to lend you his house?" Ogron smirked sadistically. Even though the Wizards of the Black Circle are weakened, Ogron still has enough magic to alter memories and "convince" Andy that he lives somewhere else at least for today. Anagan grins back at Ogron. Now, all Anagan has to do is just be at Gardenia Park on time.
It was 2:57 PM in Gardenia Park where Flora was awaiting for her parents' arrival. She is still wearing her outfit from earlier, but she has her hoop earrings on. The hoop earrings were a present from her dad when she got accepted to Alfea. Anagan has not shown up just like Flora thought. Fortunately, she has already created a story to why Helia wasn't here today. Her story is telling them the truth that Helia is spending the day with his friends. Her father will believe her easily, but her mother is less inclined to. Flora has always believed that if her mother never got attacked in Black-Mud Swamp all those years ago then her mother would be less uptight and less frightful of Realms outside of Linphea. The wind strangely picks up and it sounds like running feet. Flora gets her hair out of her eyes and realizes that Anagan is right next to her. He actually showed up.
"Surprised to see me? You know even bad guys can keep their words, but you got be careful which bad guy to trust. Luckily, you have me." Flora doesn't trust Anagan completely, but she is grateful that he is here even though her parents may judge him on his interesting "style" of clothes. Flora never described to Miele what Helia looked like, so her parents will probably believe that Anagan is Helia.
"My parents should appear in five seconds or so." There is a ripple of good magic in Gardenia Park almost like a visible heat wave. Thankfully, Flora and Anagan were in the part of the park that was heavily wooded and hardly anyone comes through. There is a bright flash about two feet in front of Flora and Anagan. Anagan winces in surprise at the brightness and the good magic. Flora just covers her eyes because she cannot stand the brightness. When the pair were able to see again, they notice two figures coming into view. The first figure is almost tall as Anagan, so Anagan immediately presumes the tall one is Flora's father. The "father" has brown hair and caramel skin like Flora, but with light green eyes unlike Flora. He is wearing a loose green shirt with baggy, brown pants and pink sandals. His face is rounder than Flora's face and he has a pixie cut with a wreath of flowers on top. Maybe the men of Linphea are supposed to dress like this, Anagan thought. The "mother" has sun-orange hair with an almost heart-shaped face and dark green eyes like Flora. She is wearing a white robe almost similar to what an ancient Sorcerer would wear and white slippers. There is a belt of red roses around her waist. She has on a white cloak that seems to shine almost like it was made of glistening spider webs. Her hood is up so Anagan cannot really see what kind of haircut she has, but he can see her sun-orange hair reaching her shoulders. To be honest, she seems plain compared to her husband. Anagan thought. There also seems to be something off about her….
"Your mother is beautiful, and I can see where you get your good looks from." Anagan whispered to Flora. Her parents were approaching towards Flora and Anagan.
"That's my father you're referring to." She didn't sound angry, cold, or offended, but Anagan still felt like a jackass. Anagan can now see the light touch of lip gloss and eyeliner on the mother's face and the Adam's apple on the father's throat.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Helia. I'm Poppy and this is my wife, Begonia." The father, Poppy, stuck out his hand for Anagan to shake. Anagan shook his hand with enough strength to get the message across. He's got a good handshake for someone so small, he's even shorter than Flora. Anagan thought tactlessly. The mother, Begonia, seems to have a vice grip on her husband's left arm like she is afraid that some monster will come and get her.
"Nice to meet you too. I've got a house where we all could talk in private and I can make dinner." Anagan is pretty certain that Andy goes to the grocery store once a week, so there should be food at his place. If there isn't, then Ogron probably already stocked the fridge by now. Anagan thought. He wonders if Andy is wandering aimlessly in Gardenia from sudden memory loss.
"That's sounds wonderful!" Anagan can tell from Begonia's face that she wants to get the Hell out of Gardenia Park now. Flora rolls her eyes, while her father winces at how tight Begonia's grip is. Anagan has a feeling that he is going to have a very interesting evening.
Andy's home is something that Anagan would never live in. There isn't anything wrong with the home itself or neighborhood. The lawn obviously has been mowed and watered, nice and dark green grass. The house is just ground level with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and a kitchen. The house is yellow like a Corona and is made of wood. Anagan has a feeling that Andy is most likely renting this house or is borrowing money from his parents because an unknown boy band doesn't make much money. The door is polar white and thankfully was left unlocked by Ogron. It only took about twenty minutes to get to Andy's house. There wasn't much conversation, except between Flora and her parents. She has been updating them about her time on Earth. The mother would voice her disapproval almost at every turn, while the father would either say nothing or reprimand his wife. Anagan has a theory that Flora had an inferiority complex while growing up because of her mother. So far, the theory is sound.
"The living room smells nice." Begonia commented. The living room has a wooden floor that looks to have been recently polished. The floor polish gives off a citrus aroma. There is a worn, brown couch in the middle of the room with a beaten armchair. There is a small plasma TV hanging off the wall. There is a nice stereo with a stack of unorganized CDs. The TV and polished floor were Organ's touches, but the rest screamed Andy. This is the same floor that Flora and I danced on only crowded, Anagan thought. Flora and her parents sat on the sofa, while Anagan took the armchair.
"How did you two meet?" Poppy asked without warning. How they met actually has two versions. The first version is the truth. Anagan met Flora when he and his "brothers" thought Bloom was the last Fairy on Earth. Anyone would make that mistake since Bloom lived on Earth for most of her life, and her birth certificate claimed that she was born on Earth. Back to the truth, Flora questioned why there were there, and Ogron claimed that he knew Bloom which Flora knew was a lie. Flora unfortunately pointed this out, and Gantlos got annoyed and knocked her to the ground with a small seismic wave. She was then strangled with dark magic. In this situation, the truth is worse than lies. The second version is nothing but a lie that surprisingly came from Flora's lovely lips.
"I met Helia at Red Fountain where he was training to be a Specialist. He only trained to be a Specialist to appease his grandfather, he really wants to be an artist. Well, it was love at first sight for me. It took a while before Helia told me his feelings for me. He's a bit shy when it comes to showing emotions. We've been together ever since." The lie was not too short and not too long, but just enough so her parents wouldn't question it. Begonia seems to believe the lie because her eyes didn't contract during the story, but Poppy's eyes narrowed during the artist part. Anagan is confident that Helia is an artist because he fits the stereotype. On the other hand, Anagan fits the criminal or evil Wizard stereotype.
"You're an artist? Do you paint? Draw? Sculpt?" Anagan knew how to draw, he's been around for centuries so he tends to educate himself. He's just not a genius when it comes to art. Yet, he's pretty scholarly when it comes to words like most liars.
"I tell stories, and it is an art to tell stories." Cheesy but effective, Flora thought. Begonia nods her head in agreement, while Poppy just plays with a rose on his rose belt. Anagan wonders if Linpheans are short when it comes to emotions, or Flora's parents are just clueless.
"Do you have any siblings?" Begonia asked with great interest. Flora sincerely hopes that Anagan is an only child since she could only handle one.
"I have three. I have two older brothers and one younger brother." Flora almost cringes until she remembers that Anagan most likely considers the Wizards of the Black Circle as his brothers.
"What do they do for a living?" Why is she so interested? Is it a custom on Linphea to know every relative to a family tree? Anagan thought.
"The oldest one and youngest one are hunters, while the other older one is a priest." Anagan feels like he has summed up his brothers in an accurate nutshell, while Flora feels like that Anagan's "lie" is a bit of a stretch.
"Are you from Linphea?" Ah, this all makes sense now. She's one of those purist who want to make sure her children only marry those from her Realm. She might be a racist in a Realm sense, Anagan thought cheekily. Flora looks mortified.
"You don't have to worry. I promise I will never harm your daughter." Liar, Flora thought instantly. Poppy frowns slightly almost like he suspects that Anagan is lying to him.
"Helia, why don't we go into the kitchen and make dinner?" Flora smiles sweetly, a perfect guise in hiding her order.
"Good idea, Fleur Via. Your mom and I will just watch TV until dinner is ready." Flora blushes, clearly embarrassed by her father using her pet name. Anagan was about to ask why Flora was blushing, but Flora then practically dragged him into the kitchen. He also wanted to ask how Poppy knows about TV if he lived on Linphea. There's something about him, Anagan thought.
"How does your father know about TV? Isn't Linphea against technology?" Anagan asked while cutting up the chicken. Dinner is going to be roasted chicken, French bread, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Flora is preparing the mashed potatoes by actually mashing them without magic. The kitchen is white with checkered tiles for a floor. The kitchen reminds Anagan of those cheap homes from the 50s.
"Technology isn't allowed in the City of Trees, everywhere else is fine." Flora mashes the potatoes a bit too hard and spilt some mash potatoes into the stove's fire.
"You still didn't answer the question." Anagan goes to season the chicken with herbs and a bit of chili powder for some kick.
"My dad traveled when he was younger." It sounded simple; unfortunately, simple doesn't quench Anagan's curiosity.
"Why would he come to Earth? There are plenty of other Realms that he could've gone to. Plus, Earth is usually crawling with all the bad guys from the other Realms like Vampires and Werewolves." Poppy did not seem suicidal or stupid (though he may make-up for his wife's brawn) but he went to Earth where he could have been easily kidnapped or destroyed. Yet, anyone can die at any time which is especially true for Anagan and his ilk.
"…He needed treatment." Anagan stopped seasoning immediately. He didn't need to season the chicken anymore; now, he just needs to fry it on a pan. Flora moves away from the stove to let Anagan cook the chicken. She would not look at him.
"It's psychological isn't it?" Anagan ruled out drugs because none of the other Realms have hardcore drugs like heroin or cocaine. Anagan would have thought Poppy needed treatment for alcoholism, but Poppy didn't have the horrible breath, yellow teeth, and aged face like alcoholics.
"Dad thought that, but after three months of Earth treatment, he did not improve or became cured. Apparently, it's just something he has to deal with until he dies." There was a story behind this as Anagan could tell, but Flora seemed really sad like she blamed herself.
"What does your parents do for a living? I never got a chance to ask them." Anagan changed the subject just to prevent Flora's pain. Flora is very grateful for this.
"My mom is a tea-maker and sometimes an herbalist. My dad is…a funeral conductor." Flora took her sweet time trying to phrase her answer correctly like she was unsure what to call her father's job.
"What is a funeral conductor?" Anagan is picturing a conductor that conducts a funeral like an orchestra. The mourners gather around a coffin while the "funeral conductor" signals for the casket to be lowered with a baton.
"He's more of an illusionist. He makes a corpse look beautiful or almost alive depending on what the surviving family wants. Corpse Illusionist doesn't sound…appealing, so he calls himself a funeral conductor." Poppy is good with illusions, but he's mentally unbalanced. Yet, that still doesn't explain the "off" feeling I'm getting him. It's like there's a hole in him, Anagan thought deeply.
"There's something missing with your dad." Anagan commented. An awkward silence settles between the two.
"I'll go set-up the table. Call me when you need my help." Flora lifts the silence with her tenuous tone. There is a glass table outside on the patio with four plastic chairs. Flora is busy cleaning the table and setting the silverware. She does not use magic yet again. Why doesn't she use magic? She says that her father has a mental disease, but it couldn't be cured by medicine or therapy. Is it a curse? If so, then why hasn't she used her Fairy Dust? Maybe she had and failed. She hides her emotions and weaknesses from her friends and parents, and they fall for her deceit. She can't fool me. I will always see her, Anagan thought with a small smirk and returned to the task of making gravy, cooking the chicken thoroughly, and making sure the mashed potatoes don't burn.
Having dinner outside was a good idea, Flora admitted that much. There is a nice breeze that rids the outside of that god awful suffocation of the summer-like autumn. Dinner is nice and relatively quiet, at least to Anagan. The only chatter is center around how good the dinner is or an update about what's going on Linphea. To be honest, Anagan has never been to Linphea even though he knows it is populated with plenty of Nature Fairies, so topics relating to Linphea were lost on him. If Anagan was having dinner with his brothers, then the chats would be about a strategy to capture Roxy, or destroying the White Circle, or making degrading remarks or harsh criticisms about Fairies especially about the Winx Club since they seem ridiculously overpowered when they haven't done enough practicing to warrant their power. It is like Nature allows Fairies, at least the predestined heroes, to be powerful without ever spending years on honing their magical skills or burying themselves in their studies, while bad guys like the Wizards of the Black Circle have to spend centuries of training and studying of the dark arts to get where they are today. Unfortunately, Nature takes a dim view on "villains" so the Wizards of the Black Circle are almost back to square one. Yet, it is nice to have a break from the world and just have dinner without planning to kidnap Roxy again or listening to Duman wither in agony.
"That was surprisingly good I must say. Flora and I will wash the dishes, while you boys have a nice chat." Flora's eyes widen in a mixture of surprise and fear from Begonia's plan. Apparently, Poppy and Begonia must have discussed how to get Flora way from Anagan long enough for Poppy to have a "heart-to-heart" chat with Anagan. Anagan has a feeling that the dad was probably going to threaten to kill him if Anagan breaks Flora's heart or something. Flora was about to protest, but Begonia already picks up the plates and silverware with one hand and has her other hand clenched around Flora's wrist like the noose around the hangman's neck and drags her inside.
"I'm going to guess that Flora has told you something about me while you two were busy with dinner." He doesn't sound like he's guessing, no, he knows for certain. Poppy knows more than that too.
"Yes, something about you being mentally ill and that's why you went to Earth for treatment. Tell me, since the treatment failed, did your daughter try to cure you herself with her Fairy Dust?" Poppy's face seems to add the illusion of apathy, but his eyes have a deep, proverbial sadness like he has known what dashed hope feels like.
"Yes, she tried the past summer to cure me, but failed. She became severely depressed. But you would know that, Helia." Poppy elongated "Helia" like he knows that Anagan is not who he claims to be, and he isn't Helia. He hopes that he will never turn into a sensitive artist that screams girl than man.
"Considering how you're not answering, I take it that you're not really Helia. Don't worry I won't tell my wife. I figured out you weren't Helia back when I shook your hand. You have dark magic, and I believe Red Fountain doesn't accept dark magic users. Also, I don't think Red Fountain teaches magic to their students like they claim to do." Poppy smiles at his little joke, but Anagan refuses to because he is sore about the father figuring out the truth.
"What are you? What exactly is your disease that made you go to Earth in the first place? Why do you look younger than your daughter? You should have some grey hair or some crow's feet by now." Anagan demanded with extra heat than necessary. Poppy smiles condescendingly like he is older and wiser than Anagan.
"You probably realized that there is something missing to me, someone as gifted with dark magic like you should have by now. You do know that males can be Fairies too? I can take it from your annoyed expression that you do. Male Fairies differ in every Realm if a Realm is lucky enough to have male Fairies. In Linphea, there has rarely been male Fairies for a very good reason. Nature needs to have a balance of good and evil. Fairies from my Realm are solely good, so you can figure out that male Fairies have to be evil. Females can choose to be Fairies, while the unlucky males such as myself aren't as blessed." Poppy pauses to let the information sink into Anagan's mind. Okay, female Fairies of Linphea can only be good, while the male Fairies are evil. Why isn't Poppy evil then? Anagan wanted to ask, but he didn't need to.
"I was kidnapped by the Simulacrum when I was a little boy; basically, they are people made of roses that just exist for no reason at least that was what I thought until I got kidnapped. They took me to the deathbed of Guardian Fairy of Linphea. She was very old and seemed nice like a good Witch. She told me that Nature, through the Simulacrum, has chosen me to be the next Guardian Fairy of Linphea. She said I would be the most powerful Fairy that the Realm has ever seen. Now, on Linphea, we were told of the stories of the male Fairies. The male Fairies were evil and cruel that cause destruction and chaos in our Realm. The last male Fairy caused the Realm Fires. Do you know what the Realm Fires were?" Anagan knows from stories that people from other Realms have told, or from reading. The Realm Fires happened nearly a century ago where some magical fires hit Realms with particular close ties to Nature. The Realms that suffered from the fires only lost some precious forests or lands to the fires and survived, but the land that got burned by the fires forever remained barren and desolate almost like a nuclear bomb went off there. Anagan nods, signaling to Poppy that he knows what he is talking about.
"I didn't want to become evil, I didn't want to become a monster. I told her this, and she smiled as condescendingly as I did with you. She said that since I was a male and I had no choice in the matter. She even laughed, I believe, at me. Evil evolves with every male Fairy in Linphea. Since the last one cause the Realm Fires, I could cause Linphea's destruction. I was a child but I knew this and I protested again. She got annoyed and said that I was clearly 'designed' for this role. She said I have to accept my magic. She died the next minute later and I felt powerful, evil magic flow through me. Yet, I did not accept like she presumed I would. The Simulacrum suddenly disappeared like they knew all along I would never play to Nature's tune. Of course, Nature punished me for it. Magic always comes at a price even if it is to prevent a tragedy. My punishment was to deal with Pixies that seared me with their magic. But here's the kicker, no one can see them, hear them, or feel them but me. Basically, I am magically schizophrenic." Poppy sounds bitter, incredibly bitter, and Anagan feels like Poppy has the divine right to be bitter. Anagan would be pissed to if he did the right thing and get punished for it. Nature is supposed to reward good deeds. He's like Christ without a cult or delusions of being God's son. Anagan reminds himself to tell that to Ogron whenever Ogron gets on his nerves.
"I suffered every day of my young life until the night before my wedding. The Simulacrum came and 'talked' to me. They told me that Nature is going to give me a chance to accept become a Fairy. They warned me that if I conceive a child then all of my stored up magic will go to the child. I would have no power, but my 'disease' will remain forever. Obviously, I chose my child over power. Since Flora's birth, I have had days where the Pixies didn't show up like today. I may have lost most of my promised magic, but I was able to retain a small fraction. In fact, let me demonstrate it." Anagan's vision changes, no that's not right. The scene changes like all the color has melted off to be replaced with faces of corpses and skeletons. His feet melt to the ground to prevent him from escaping. Poppy has the smile of the Devil, and Anagan tries to reach him so he could strangle the leering Devil. Unfortunately, his arms melt off and create an ashy puddle with his melted feet. Anagan does not scream because he believes it will just encourage Poppy. Poppy snaps his fingers, and the world is back to normal for Anagan.
"From the way you're trembling and covered in sweat, I presume you have never been ensnared into an illusion before. Now, I am going to say it once so listen up. I know you're not Helia. I know you're not her boyfriend, but she trusts you enough to tell you about my problem. But you break her heart, you hurt her, or ruin her, I'll make sure that illusion you endured will last forever. Trust me, I have all the time in the world to make you suffer. If you will excuse me, I have to leave because Miele can't be left alone at night." Poppy gets out of his seat and heads inside. Anagan breathes in and out to calm himself. He might need to tell his brothers that Flora is off-limits.
Poppy and Begonia left as how they arrived, in a flash of light. Flora and Anagan left the house since the dishes were cleaned and put away. Also, Andy is probably going to need his house back depending if the memory-loss spell has worn off by now. Flora is going to head home and explain to the girls that a night stroll helped clear up her cold, while Anagan will head back to the sewers and hopes that Duman isn't groaning in pain. Anagan has enough manners to walk Flora to at least the corner. Anagan and Flora didn't say anything to each other. Flora didn't ask how the chat went with her father. Anagan has a feeling that Flora knows what went on, or at least some inclination. Anagan also has a feeling that Poppy may be immortal as part of his punishment by Nature. Because what can be worse than watching your family age and die, while you get to live forever? Anagan keeps his word and doesn't make a move on Flora. He turns and starts walking down the street, trying to find the nearest manhole. Yet, he is stopped by Flora who touches his arm. Anagan turns around, and Flora plants a small kiss on his cheek.
"Consider that payment for helping me out." Flora then turns and heads back to her apartment. Anagan touches his cheek and smiles. He wonders how he can get more than a kiss from sweet Flora. Hopefully, before I do something to blemish myself in her eyes. Anagan finds a manhole and descends into the darkness, while Flora opens the door to the apartment and is bathed in light. It has been a wonderful day, they both thought.