The city was active and bustling with activity as the lunch hour became evening. More and more people came. More and more stores began to open. They were all preparing for the night life; something that Ara always mentioned.
Hazel kept a close eye on the position of the sun. Her mother did not like her to stay out past sundown. Frankly, she didn't like to do either. The dark didn't sit well with her, but she didn't want to seem like a wuss in front of Terra. So, she figured that she would show her to a few of her favorite places and head back to the resort afterward.
A pretty good plan if she thought so herself. She nodded to herself intently, seeing her spot coming up. She became giddy at the sight of it and she could smell it from here. The chocolate factory! She blames her mom for this addiction she has to the candy. She really can't help it. "Our first stop is coming up." She told her companion that was slightly behind her due to her giddy speed walking. "Sorry, am I leaving you?" She chuckled while slowing down a bit.
Terra shook her head, taking in the sights with curiosity. "No, I am just seeing everything for the first time. Rome is far different than this place. There aren't this many people and, well, it isn't as advanced." She said with a smile.
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "It-it isn't?" She looked to her companion with curiosity.
"Nope. There aren't really any cars in Rome, I think they prefer it that way, but most of the basic technological advancements are there. Indoor plumbing, light, that kind of stuff." Terra explained with a shrug. "Most people get around on horse up there."
Hazel visibly cringed when she imagined herself riding on a horse from place to place. She chuckled. "I think I prefer my car…"
"I don't personally mind the horses, my sisters though...They take to the rooftops for their way of travel." Terra shook her head. "They get in a ton of trouble doing that."
Hazel laughed and shook her head. "Well, let's savor this day and enjoy Auradon." She gestured to the well designed building that smelled...sweet. "Behold! My favorite spot number one. The chocolate factory. The chefs make anything you want, fresh." She smiled at Terra, looking to her for her approval.
Terra looked at the building with wide eyes. "Wow...I wouldn't even know what to ask." She mumbled, blinking a few times as if to see if what she was staring at was really there.
Hazel glanced at her before looking back at the restaurant like candy store. "Have you ever had chocolate truffles?" She smiled at the thought while waiting for Terra's answer.
Terra looked at her owlishly and tilted her head. "...What are those?"
Hazel looked at her in surprise before taking her hand and dragging her into the store. "You've never had...no. We are gonna fix that." She smiled while walking directly to the order station. "Chocolate truffles are hard milk, white, or dark chocolates filled by chocolatey cream filling. They also melt in your mouth…" She sighed at the thought, not realizing that she still held onto Terra's hand.
Terra either didn't notice this, or didn't care, as she looked around with wide eyes. "Woah...So this is what my sisters meant when they said chocolate heaven." She said to herself, taken aback by everything as she continued to look about everything.
Hazel smiled at her and looked at her endearingly. "Go explore. I will get the chocolates." She said, releasing her hand while lacing her own hands together.
Terra nodded with a smile before walking off to go gawk at more things. Looking, ironically, like a little kid in a candy store as she rushed about to try and see everything she could.
Hazel's smile widened as she watched her venture around the store. She almost didn't want to stop, but someone had to get the chocolates. With that thought, she went up to the order station, which was a tablet screen, and typed in what she had wanted. "Let's see...truffles. Milk and white chocolate. Umm...any type of drizzle would suffice and sprinkles on some. And let me get a dozen."
She made sure that she typed in everything accurately and very specific. She smiled to herself when her ticket was submitted and she's gotten her number. She was even happier to see that she didn't need to wait that long. She looked around to see where Terra was. Only until the candies where done.
Terra was wandering around on the far side of the shop, this time looking out the windows at all the people passing by. She seemed to be quite content with simply observing them at this point as she shoved her hands in her pockets.
Hazel was about to walk over when a worker called out, "Number 8?" He said, looking around in expectation.
Hazel jumped a bit before saying. "Yes, that's me. Wow that was fast!" She smiled at him, pulling out her card and swiping it while he typed on the register and pulled out her receipt.
He laughed and said, "That's the benefit of having three chefs during the slow hour. Enjoy your chocolate, ma'am." He said in a calm attitude.
Hazel nodded to him in thanks before heading over to the woman, almost unwilling to ruin her peace. "Terra?" She tilted her head. "What are you looking at?"
Terra looked at her, not looking bothered that the girl had approached her. "Just the people. I like observing them, just to see what might be happening. I've always been kind of tuned in to relationships, family not the romantic type, and sometimes I can tell when something is going on." She turned to face her with a small smile.
"Really?" She asked in awe and with interest. "That's...that's amazing." She grinned at the taller woman.
Terra's smile widened. "Sometimes I wonder why I have that sort of sixth sense, but then I remember one thing Heidi told me when we reached Rome. "You are the one who is going to keep the peace and this family together. Without you, these two will cause chaos and leave each other." She said, closing her eyes at the memory.
Hazel nodded, still not changing her impressed expression. "You would make a wonderful wife to someone." She stated before remembering that she left the chocolates on the counter. Her eyes widened before she jogged over to get them.
Terra chuckled to herself. "Seraphina says the same thing." She said, looking back out the window for a moment.
Hazel returned with a large smile before opening the box before her. "Take one." She stated simply, wanting to see her reaction to the candies.
Terra raised an eyebrow at the sight of them before taking one. She looked at it for a moment, almost as if she was examining it, before taking a bite. It only took about ten seconds to get a reaction out of her as her eyes widened to comical proportions while she looked back down at it in shock.
Hazel offered her a toothy grin before gesturing to the box full. "You wanna split it?" She said, while removing a candy for herself and sitting the box on a table.
It took a few seconds for the bluenette to register that and once she did she nodded. "Sure." She said, finishing up the one she had before smiling, and reaching for another one.
Hazel smiled at her while reaching for another. "I told you they were amazing." She popped the whole thing in her mouth. She hummed as the sweet melted in her mouth and exposed the warm filling.
"Amazing is an understatement…" Terra said, closing her eyes as she ate another one and levitated one over to herself.
Hazel picked out one with strawberry drizzle, examining it, then popping it into her mouth. "I don't get to do this often. I wish I could, but I can't." She said with a small smile.
Terra chuckled as she opened her eyes. "This is my first time trying something like this. I've had a few chocolate bars here and there but nothing like this." She said, levitating the one near her into her mouth.
Hazel smiled at her and picked up another one. "These truffles are known to be gourmet chocolates. Pretty expensive, but they are my favorites. Worth every penny." She laughed, then tossed the truffle into her mouth.
Terra smiled. "Well, if I had known a place like this existed I'd be throwing money at them. They'd grow rich from my business alone." She joked, picking up another and looked at it in mild interest before eating it.
Hazel smiled at her, before looking at her last truffle. She looked from the truffle and back to Terra. She smiled and said, "Here. You can have it." She shifted the box over to Terra.
Terra looked at her in surprise. "Really? I mean, it is yours and I don't know how well I'll react to this much sugar and…" She trailed off, barely catching herself before she could ramble anymore.
Hazel looked at her with humor and her eyes glowed a lighter shade of blue. "Terra. Just take it." She said, smiling brightly at her.
Terra looked at her for a few more seconds before reaching for it. "Thank you." She said, eating it with a small smile.
Hazel's smile grew. She looked to the ground bashfully, her eyes turning magenta again. "Your welcome...anyway we must continue the tour, right? I promise that this will be the best day you've ever had." She said, once again looking into her eyes deeply.
Terra nodded as her smile brightened. "Right."
Hazel grabbed the empty box and placed in the recycling before leaving the store, opening the door for Terra this time. "After you." She said, smiling still.
Terra blinked in surprise before smiling and nodding in thanks as she walked out the door. The woman looked at everything in mild interest as her head tilted ever so slightly.
Hazel watched her, but turned her attention elsewhere before she was caught staring again. The fact that Terra was enjoying herself made her happy and she had to keep this going. "Okay, now that we've got chocolate in our system, we have energy to burn. Good news. The mall is close by as well, but we will be catching a trolley!" She glanced at her before looking for the trolley stop.
Terra looked down at her in curiosity. "A trolley?" She repeated, blinking a few times as she tried to think of what that could be.
Hazel gasped when she heard the familiar ringing of a bell. Instead of explaining, she grasped Terra's hand again and ran to the stop before it was too late. By the time they evaded traffic, they made it there just in time to meet the train like vehicle. "This is a trolley."
As if it was alive, it rang it's bell twice in response. Hazel lead Terra into the vehicle. Then she held onto a pole with a bright smile. "You might want to hold on too."
Terra nodded and grabbed onto a nearby pole before looking about. "Woah, I've never been on something like this before…"
Hazel blinked before saying, "Then you might want to brace yourself. This is my favorite one because-" That's when the trolley took off, traveling at least a good sixty miles per hour. "Fast!" She laughed over the sound of the tracks and the wind whipping past her ears.
Terra promptly let out a laugh as well. "If I wasn't used to flying I would probably be screaming!" She exclaimed, her smile brightening at the speed.
Hazel's smile somehow had gotten bigger when she looked at the other girl. "I was worried about that! Glad to know that it's not a problem!" She yelled over the sounds. "By the way, here comes a hill!"
Terra laughed, her magic surrounding her hand that was holding onto the pole. "No worries!" She said loudly, looking at the sights as they sped by.
Hazel laughed as she enjoyed the speed and the breeze whipping through her ruby tresses. She even closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she saw that the trolley had slowed significantly. Eventually stopping right near the mall and ringing its bell in a happy manner. "Huh, I guess we're here." She shrugged, smiling.
Terra shook the magic off her hand and hopped off. The woman patted down her windblown hair and smiled. "I can only imagine that one of my sisters would enjoy that." She said, nodding at the trolley in amusement.
Hazel smiled brightly at the yellow vehicle. "Yeah. I love that thing. I swear it's alive. People call me crazy, but I know it!" She said with a chuckle. The trolley dinged goodbye before heading off to the next stop.
Terra shrugged and looked at her. "You never know. People say it's crazy that my sisters and I are "identical triplets" yet here I am. They never seem to connect the dots." She said with a chuckle.
Hazel looked at her with a shocked smile before saying, "If people won't believe something as easy as that then there is no hope for my trolley theory." She began to walk to the large mall.
"You have no idea how clueless some people can be. You'd think they'd bother to look at news from this region and see Heidi's face up there for some reason, yet they don't. Call it what you want, I prefer to call it general cluelessness coupled in with a pinch of carelessness." Terra said in humor.
"I would eat to that." She stated with humor, looking at the grand mall. She gestured to it with a wave of her hand. "Favorite place number two. The central mall."
Terra looked up at it with a tilted head. "Huh, so this is the type of place that Seraphina likes. She always mentioned a mall and asked for a wad of cash, good to know."
Hazel shook her head as she headed up the stairs and around other people. "Yes. This is the place. It's like a market, but way better. There is something for everyone in a mall." She pushed the glass door open, revealing all of the decorations and shops on the inside. She held the door for Terra once again as she waited for her to walk through.
"Wow." Terra muttered, walking in as her eyes locked onto every last little thing. "I can see how one can get lost in here…"
Hazel caught up to her and said, "I know right. If you want to spend money for fun, the mall is where it's at." She gazed at the woman once again. "Come on. Let's get you some things."
Terra chuckled. "Like what? Unlike my siblings...I don't really shop. Only a few times and those are necessary items."
Hazel tilted her head and looked elsewhere. "Anything. Perfumes, clothes, shoes, bags, food...anything." She chuckled. "Even random stuff like that ball pit and trampoline." She said, pointing to the area infested with young children.
"Hmm." Terra hummed looking around before laughing. "I don't know where to start, there's just so…" She gestured widely. "...Much."
Hazel smiled brightly. "Maybe we should start with a simple outfit. After that, we can work our way up." She folded her arms.
Terra nodded. "Okay." She looked around again and smiled. "I don't know how my sisters get around places like this."
Hazel giggled then turned to her. "No problems because I am your guide and I happen to be a great navigator." She broke into a jog. "This way!" She called out over her shoulder.
Terra smiled and went after her, catching up to her in mere seconds like it was nothing. "Great! Because I am not too confident of my navigation skills when it comes to places I don't know." She said with a laugh.
Hazel smirked. "If I have a map, I am o-kay. If not, I'm screwed." She said as she turned a corner.
Terra shrugged as she continued to follow her. "Usually I'm tracking people down if I'm in a new area. Following magic signals are one thing, trying to find my way on my own is a whole 'nother thing."
Hazel shook her head. "Well no worries. You won't be getting lost on my watch." As if her emotions took over her mouth she said, "I have to keep up with you. You're too precious to lose." She blinked. "What did I just say?"
Terra blinked as well, the rare pink dusting appearing on her cheeks again. "T-Thank you." She said before looking down in surprise, almost as if she didn't expect to stutter at that very moment.
Hazel blinked, still surprised at her mouth going on autopilot. "Your welcome…" She shook her head as if she was breaking free from some type of trance. "I feel like my mind is at war right now…"
Thankfully for Hazel, they had finally reached the designated store. She glanced from the store to Terra and said, "This is the...clothing store I wanted to show you." She smiled, trying to keep the courage to meet her eyes.
Terra looked at the store as her blush died down. "Huh...Never been inside one of those." She said, tilting her head in thought.
Hazel regained her smile. "Well go on. You are an artist. Be creative and make an outfit that expresses yourself." She said, gesturing to the racks and racks of clothes.
The bluenette blinked when she heard that and nodded before walking into the store. She looked at the clothes with wide eyes as she took to strolling through, letting her fingers run over whatever she found interesting.
In the meantime, Hazel paced back and forth. She nearly wanted to pull her hair out. Not because of Terra, but because of her lack of control over herself. "What is wrong with me!?" She whispered to herself. "Keep your thoughts to yourself! Get it together...but it's so hard!" She folded her arms together before looking at the ground. "I've never been...this expressive before. I am so confused." She rested her hand on her fore-head as she began to shake her head again.
After about five minutes, Terra walked out in a short sleeveless plain black dress, a small black jacket and a black scarf. "Hey!" She greeted her, patting herself down. "I figured I'd get everything plain so I could magic it up on my own." She said with a soft chuckle.
As soon as she regained her composure, she felt herself slipping again. "Oh...really?" Those were the only words she could think of as her eyes swept up and down the bluenette.
"Yeah, they didn't exactly have what I wanted, so I decided to compromise and just add stuff to them myself." Terra shrugged as she summoned a bit of her bright blue magic to her fingers.
Hazel swallowed as she racked her brain for words. She eventually said, "Well, you...I think you made a nice choice." She laced her fingers behind her back.
Terra held up a finger. "Ah, not yet. It'll look perfect after I do this." She snapped her magic covered fingers, causing the dress to suddenly change in color until it resembled a multi-colored night sky. The jacket became dusted with the design before small sparkle-like stars appeared on it. The scarf also became dotted with the stars and the ends began glowing a bright purple. "Okay, now we are good." She said, clapping her hands and looking at her work.
"Uuuuuhhhh...yeah, no. This is even worse. Twenty times worse." Hazel thought as she stared unblinkingly at the bluenette. It was like she was completely frozen. "Why am I not saying anything!? Speak! Say words!" Instead, she just continued to stare. A certain pink tint made its way to her cheeks in the process.
When Terra looked up, she blinked and looked away. "It's, uh, bad, isn't it? My sisters say my style stinks and I should just stick with the edgy librarian look." She said, rubbing her arm.
"No." Hazel started breathlessly. "I have never seen anything more enchanting in my whole life. Sorry, I couldn't speak because you took my breath away." She shyly looked to the ground before saying. "You look entrancing, Terra." She finished, with a small smile.
Terra looked beyond surprised when she heard that. "R-Really?" She asked, looking down at her dress, unintentionally hiding her darkened cheeks. "I've always been told that it's weird…"
Hazel shook her head as her eyes turned a deep gold color. "It's beautiful." Then she mumbled. "You're beautiful…"
Terra looked up, her colored cheeks darkening even more. "T-Thank you." She said with a wide smile, rubbing a part of her dress as she looked away.
As if she caught herself, Hazel shook her head and the golden color in her eyes disappeared and was replaced by their normal royal blue. "Heh, we have two more places to see. Come on." She said, calmly.
Terra nodded shaking off her blush and brushing excess magic dust off her dress. "Right. Can't stand here all day." She said with a hint of amusement.
Hazel nodded and motioned her to follow. She led her all the way back into the outdoors to see the sun about to set. She frowned for a bit before she glanced at Terra, then decided to keep moving. "You're going to like this next place."
Terra smiled as she looked up at the sky. "Really? It's probably another thing that I haven't done." She chuckled, shaking her head at herself.
Hazel looked to her with a smile. "If you haven't done it before, that's good for me. That means you'll never forget this day. You'll never forget me." She mumbled the last part before looking elsewhere, mainly for more landmarks.
It wasn't clear if Terra had heard her as she looked around at all the sights she passed. "Trust me, I don't think I could forget this day even if someone forced me to." She said while her smile widened.
"It's still early, you know?" She looked at her and clarified. "The day...it's still early. I saved the best for last." She said, lacing her hands together, behind her back.
Terra nodded and looked down at her. "I look forward to it." She said, her smile seemingly increasing even more.
Hazel looked away quickly, hiding another blush that was forming. After about five minutes of silence, they had finally made it to number three on Hazel's list. "Number three, The Carnaval." She gestured to the large park. Due to the sun going down, the different colored lights came on and lit up the area.
Terra tilted her head at the sight. "Huh, I haven't actually been to one of these, I just did a flyover...Looks just as cool as I remember." She said, letting out a soft chuckle.
Hazel regained her smile and said, "It's even cooler once you go inside." She subtly insisted with a chuckle.
Terra chuckled once more and began walking with a bit of curiosity. "I have heard stories about what my siblings did in one of these, they had quite a bit of fun...for awhile." She trailed off with a lopsided smile.
Hazel smirked and said, "Well, why don't we have fun for a while, hm?" She pointed to the large trail of tracks. "The roller coaster. You need to try that." She bounced in excitement for a bit.
Terra looked at it with wide eyes before looking back down at her. She shrugged and folded her arms. "Eh, why not?"
"Awesome." She said, then ran up to the line. The line surprisingly had enough people for less than one ride. It must be the timing. "Huh, we must have beat the rush because these lines are usually huge!"
"Quite a bit of luck we've had...I probably just jinxed myself." Terra said, her voice dropping into an exasperated one before she laughed.
Hazel joined in the laughter and said, "My sister. That reminded me of something. My sister always says I am a "lucky charm" and that's why she doesn't mind keeping me around." She shrugged, keeping her smile.
"Between the three of us, I'm probably the luckiest but that's only because my sisters go out of their way to get into trouble." The blue-haired woman shrugged with a small smile.
Hazel chuckled and said, "Same with Ara!" She rubbed her fingers together prepping her magic. "I don't know why I'm lucky. Maybe it's because I can do this?" She snapped and made two four leaf clovers appear in her hands. She offered them to Terra. "This should keep the jinxing down a notch." She smiled brightly.
Terra smiled at the sight and used her magic to levitate them before magically securing them in her hair, causing them to glow a bright blue. "There...Maybe I won't get whatever that jinxing promised. It will come eventually." She said with a soft chuckle as she folded her hands behind her back.
Just when Hazel was about to reply, she saw all the other people loading up onto the roller coaster. "It's our turn. Isn't that...lucky." She winked at the word before picking the seats directly in the front.
Terra chuckled and followed her before sitting down. "Ah, my luck is already improving. Here's to hoping it lasts." She said in a joking manner.
Hazel smirked before she knew it, She traced her finger around the bluenette' s head, making a crown of lucky clovers in the process. The crown connected to the two that were already placed in her hair, causing them to glow blue as well. "There. That should make it last." She smiled brightly at her.
Terra smiled back just as brightly. "Thank you."
Hazel nodded as her way of saying "your welcome" still gazing at the woman beside her. The only thing that broke her gaze was when the roller coaster began to move. It slowly climbed the hill in preparation for the ride. "Hah! It's starting!" She said in excitement.
Terra chuckled. "The last time I heard of someone going on this, one of the girls lost their earrings while the other got her ear screamed off. Here's hoping I don't end up like my sister, hunting for her earrings or with a bad case of tinnitus." She said in humor, relaxing into her seat.
Hazel laughed. "Hang onto anything you don't want to lose, raise your arms above your head, and enjoy the ride." She glanced at her. "Besides, I don't scream. I usually whoop or laugh like a psychopath." She smiled.
Terra laughed and nodded. "I'll be sure to do that. Even if my ears do hurt afterwards I have a knack for healing. Pretty handy." She said, making sure her spiked plugs in her ears were secured.
Hazel nodded and smiled. "Wow...That does sound pretty han-YAAAAAHHH!" She screamed, forgetting that they were even on the ride. She laughed loudly as they dropped. "I WAS NOT READY FOR THAT!" She laughed again afterwards.
Terra was laughing just as loud. "This is just like when I fly! Only, there isn't any bird traffic!" She exclaimed before looking at her hair that had somehow come out of it's ponytail. "And the hair is out!" She laughed, trying to get the blowing strands out of her face.
Hazel turned to the side and began to laugh even harder. "Maybe those will help you!" She said pointing to the loopty-loops up ahead.
Terra spotted them and laughed. "Oh those look awesome!"
Hazel whooped loudly when they finally hit the loops. It was like the world was spinning. "Yep! Awesomeness at its finest! Whoooo!" She cheered once they hit the second loop.
"I kneeeeew iiiiit!" Terra dragged each word out followed by a whoop and loud laugh.
Hazel looked ahead and said, "Curve!" Once they passed that curve she said. "Barrel roll!" After that she saw the track get jagged like the vertices of a triangle. "What on earth is that!?" She asked with a chuckle.
"It looks fun!" Terra hollered back with a laugh.
Hazel nodded vigorously. "Yep! Hang on!" She said as they hit every curve and edge at full speed. The momentum caused Hazel to lean over on Terra's side. For once, Hazel didn't seem to mind the close proximity due to other things she had to focus on at the moment.
Terra chuckled, her hands coated in magic as she remained in the same spot. "Next time ask me to secure your hands!" She said with a louder laugh, referring to the fact that the ride had caused her to slide. "Or secure the harness!" She added, not appearing bothered at it whatsoever.
Hazel rolled her eyes with laughter. "Now she tells me!" She looked ahead to see the camera approaching in what seemed to be seconds. "Picture! Look as not ugly as you can!"
Hearing this, Terra put on her brightest smile possible barely in time as they passed the camera. "I tried!" She exclaimed with a laugh.
Hazel broke into laughter and said, "I think I tried." She smiled as the ride came to an end and stopped right where they began.
Terra chuckled as she blinked a few times. "Wow…" She said, getting off the ride and grinning as she shook her head.
Hazel kept her bright smile as she exited the ride herself. She disappeared for a few seconds before she came back with something in her hands. "Hey, look what I got!" She revealed it, and turns out it was two pictures from the roller coaster camera. "There is one for me, and one for you...if you want." She smiled at her, meeting her eyes again.
Terra nodded with a smile. She levitated one before covering it in blue magic. "And now my sister won't accidently burn it!" She said with a chuckle while she held it in her hand.
Hazel laughed. Then she looked at the picture and laughed harder. "Nope! I didn't try. It's just me laughing like a maniac while looking at the camera." Her smile widening as she looked it over.
Terra tilted her head. "I can't believe it actually got my smile. I could have sworn I missed it!" She said, laughing while she shook her head.
Hazel grinned and said, "It must be the power of the clover crown! Nothing bad ever happens to the wearer." She said in a mysterious voice as she rubbed her hands together jokingly.
Terra chuckled and teleported the picture away so she wouldn't lose it. "Then I might as well wear it all the time." The woman said with a wide smile.
Hazel looked to the ground bashfully before looking back up at Terra with a smirk. "Your hair is wonderful. You should wear it down more often." She said, as she began to lead Terra elsewhere.
Terra tucked a lock behind her ear. "I really only keep it up because of the fact that Heidi doesn't. It's one of the few ways to tell us apart if we aren't using magic." She explained, tilting her head in thought.
Hazel smiled at her, then looked up at the night sky. "Well, you could always let it down and make it unique." She gestured to the clover crown. "For example, Heidi never wears clover crowns. That could be your thing! Aaand it will keep you out of sticky situations." She chuckled.
"True...and because she has that firehead thing." Terra said with a light laugh. "Maybe add a few things here and there…" She said, running her hand through her hair, causing it to turn a few shades darker.
Hazel shook her head at the woman. "Wow...and I thought you couldn't possibly be anymore beautiful." She smiled at the woman beside her. "Well, if you can't beat ' em join 'em…" Her mind thought while she tried to meet the bluenette's eyes.
Terra smiled, seeming to have control of her blushing by now, and nodded. "Thank you. I'm not sure if I should keep the white tips or magic those as well." She said, looking away for a moment.
Hazel shook her head, leading her into their last stop. "No keep them. They...remind me of a tinted opal." She shook her head again. "I love it just like that."
Annnd there went Terra's control, her cheeks went bright pink as she smiled, twirling a lock while she looked at her. "I...kinda like them too. I just wasn't sure…" She said with a small chuckle.
Hazel glanced at the goddess beside her. "Are you sure now?" She stopped walking.
The bluenette nodded and chuckled. "Y-Yeah, I guess I just need a second opinion."
Hazel smiled brightly as the gold color kept its way back into her eyes. She looked around and sighed. "The final thing on my list. Number four, the central park. This time, it's covered in snow and ice." She commented, looking at the twinkling park in the moonlight. The fractals and snow seemed to be reflecting the light.
Terra looked at the snow and ice in curiosity. "This is actually my first time seeing snow and ice, before today I didn't even know those existed. I mean I read about them, but not everything in books is true."
Hazel nodded at this not seeming that surprised. "Well, you are going to love this." She grabbed her hand while leading her to a frozen lake.
Terra blinked at the lake and tilted her head. "What are we doing?" She asked, voicing her confusion as she looked around.
Hazel smirked and waved her hands, creating blades at the bottom of Terra's boots. Hazel did the same to her boots as she guided Terra onto the lake. "We are ice skating." She smiled at her, still holding her hand.
Terra looked down at the ice and instinctively magiced her boots, sighing in relief as she felt a bit more steady. She looked up sheepishly and chuckled. "Sorry...Instinct."
Hazel rolled her eyes in amusement. "Try moving forward." She asked softly.
Terra blinked a few times and reluctantly tried before chuckling. "Ah, I've never had to deal with slippery surfaces...it's strange." She said, looking like she was trying her best to not throw her magic around to help her out.
Hazel chuckled before skating up to her. "Don't worry. The ice is not my element either." She put one arm around her waist and said, "My mother taught me how to skate just like this. Once you find your balance, you will be fine." She said, comfortingly.
Terra chuckled and shook her head. "My element isn't even on the ground, it's the air. This is definitely out of my comfort zone. Might take me awhile before I stop trying to magic everything." She said in amusement.
Hazel chuckled at this and glided directly in front of her. She, then, wrapped both arms around Terra's waist and asked, "Do you trust me?" She made full eye contact.
Terra looked at her for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. "Absolutely."
Hazel smiled brightly before lacing their fingers together. After that, she began to skate backwards which caused Terra to move forward at a good speed. "You doing good?"
Terra looked down at the ice and paused before nodding. "I think so." She said, shaking off the worry to look at her.
Hazel looked at her deeply before saying, "Don't look at the ice. Look at me." She said, while pivoting which caused them to switch places.
Terra chuckled sheepishly. "Right...Whoops." She said with a small smile.
Hazel tilted her head at her. "Ice skating is like dancing. If you try too hard, you fail. If you try too little, you fail." Hazel chuckled, pulling her closer. "Don't over think it, just go with it. Feel it." She said with a light chuckle.
"I'll treat it like ballroom dancing then. My sister forced us to take lessons with her since she's all things romance. If she could, she'd have hearts for eyes, she's pretty obsessed." Terra said, chuckling at her words.
Hazel chuckled also and shrugged. "Well, whatever works. You are taller, so I would prefer if you took most of the lead. Lean on me if you need balance support." She said with a shrug.
Terra took a deep breath before nodding, slowly shifting so that she was leading. The woman seemed a bit more relaxed as she kept silent, clearly in her thoughts as she tried to keep focused.
Hazel took her place when she relaxed and put her arms around Terra's neck with a small smile. She was pretty impressed with how well she was doing. She wanted to congratulate her, but feared it would ruin her concentration. So for now, she kept silent.
Terra's focused look dropped and she let out a breathy chuckle. "I keep forgetting that the ice is slippery and the dance floor is not." She said mainly to herself, beginning to move on instinct. "That and I usually don't have things on my boots."
Hazel laughed and nodded. "Yes. Those are the two most awkward differences between dancing and skating." She looked around and looked at Terra's movements, then smiled. "You're doing great, though. Keep it up!" She smiled proudly.
"I'm trying to keep my mind off it and let the rest of my body handle it. As soon as I think about it, I mess up. Happened with dancing too." Terra admitted with a smile.
Hazel blinked as a smile grew on her face. She shook her head at how many things they actually had in common. Instead of expressing herself through words, she leaned on one side. This caused them to turn until they were in a full spin. When they ran out of momentum, she began skating as normal again.
Terra chuckled, shaking off her dizziness and smiled. "Well...That made my head spin a bit."
Hazel chuckled a bit herself. "Yep. The spin trick will do that to you if you haven't practiced for it." She said, keeping her eyes on her partner.
"It beats my loop de loops, upside down, and the speed trick when I fly...And I crashed several times while doing those." Terra said, recovering from her minor dizzy spell and tilting her head.
Hazel laughed and said, "Now it's your turn to do a trick. You seem capable enough." She said as the moonlight traveled on to the lake, making the ice shimmer.
Terra looked thoughtful before chuckling with a sheepish look. "Yeah...I'm afraid I don't know anything. I never said I was the best at ballroom dancing."
Hazel shrugged. "Make one. So what if you're not the best. How do you think abstract art was invented?" She laughed at the end.
Terra paused, her expression filled with uncertainty before she channeled her magic to surround her. "I...I'm not kidding, I'm not the good one with tricks when it comes to land." She watched as the magic hopped around the lake and turned into silhouettes of other skaters. "That's my sister. I'm the air, she's the ground...and Phoenix is just kind of the volcano we don't like to poke." She said with a small chuckle as they skated in between the other magical skaters. "I'm just the one with magic."
Hazel looked at her in disbelief. "You really think that's true?" She shook her head. "That's not what I see at all." Hazel smiled at her brightly. "I asked you if you trusted me, but I trust in you too. If I didn't I would have never let you take the lead. I believe in you. Just do it." She said with a determined smile.
The magical dancers vanished as the magic surrounded them. "Magic is my trick, it will always be my trick." She said with a smile. The magic suddenly began swirling and Terra let out a laugh. "As I have been told, my magic allows me to do things people normally couldn't do...like…" She trailed off as the magic caused them to float. "Float." She said, fluidly leading the girl across like it was second nature, the magic creating a small cloud that floated beneath them.
Hazel blinked and tilted her head. "Okay. This is pretty cool. I have never stood on a cloud before…" She said, marveling at the fluffy looking object.
"I create them out of my magic so I can sit up in the sky. I don't wish to test the actual clouds, but I still want to relax up there." Terra explained, smiling at her words.
"Wow...That sounds so cool." She shook her head. "I don't spend much time up in the sky." She blushed heavily, realizing that they were still in the same position from when they were skating.
Terra didn't appear to mind it as she continued to lead her around. "Despite my name, I am often drawn to the sky. The peacefulness of it is refreshing, and I rarely have to deal with anything when I am up there." She said, her smile widening.
Hazel glanced at Terra before causing their boots to return back to normal. She turned to look at the sky and said, "Yeah...I just bet it is."
Terra tilted her head. "Though, I can't really go up there right now. No need to invoke the wrath of the big man of the pantheon. For now, I don't mind being grounded." She said, looking up before shaking her head. "Speaking of ground, maybe we should return to it."
Hazel blushed heavier at the thought of something before shaking it off. "Yeah. We are done for today." She turned her back to her and began to form something with her magic.
Terra guided the rather large cloud back to the snow and smiled as it gently dropped them off. The woman shook her head in thought. "I will never get used to this snow stuff." She said to herself.
"Um, Terra?" Hazel called, holding out what seemed to be something glowing in the dark.
It was a clear diamond. Not a normal clear diamond. This diamond had a pattern that resemble a snowflake. It also looked like it had auroras flying around inside of it and because of this it randomly changed colors. It also appeared to be on fire with whatever variety of colors it changed into.
Hazel took a deep breath. "This is for you." She looked down before saying, "I remember how much you said you like gems and colors. So, I put them together." She extended the starcut diamond to her and it appeared to be on purple fire at the moment after it changed from blue and white.
Terra was silent in awe as she slowly took it and encased it in a protective shield. "I'm not taking any chances...Wow...I have never seen anything like this." She breathed out, looking at it from all angles in amazement.
Hazel sheepishly looked down at the ground. "I-it's the first of its kind. It's yours to keep if you want or you can sell it..?" She shrugged. "I was inspired to make it, but I wanted to give it to my inspiration." She chuckled to herself.
Terra looked at it for a few more seconds before smiling. "I think...I'll turn it into a necklace. I don't have one and this seems...perfect." She said, looking up at the girl.
Hazel's smile brightened. "I call it The Terra. Hm, the Terra Diamond. Has a good ring to it. They are going to be a bestseller, you'll see when you come to my world." She kicked at some of the snow trying to hide a blush.
Terra chuckled softly and allowed the gem to float next to her. "Sounds exciting." She said with a smile before summoning something to her hands. It was an umbrella with galaxy-like designs and sparkles while it gave off a magical aura. "I...made something for you as well."
Hazel looked up at her in shock before taking the item and inspecting it with curiosity. "A...magic umbrella?" She looked to her.
Terra nodded. "Yes. Go ahead and open it." She smiled wider and chuckled.
Hazel blinked before doing what she said, she pressed a button opening the umbrella. As soon as it opened up, the inside of the umbrella glowed before light poured from it along with tiny magical sparkles.
Hazel stared at it in awe. She suddenly felt so much relief mixed with joy mixed with...many other different emotions. Her eyes changed many hues. She blinked before saying, "Thank you. Thank you so...so much." She said, tears nearly coming to her eyes.
Terra closed her eyes as her smile increased. "You're welcome. I remember the way you looked at the sun setting...and I had a hunch about why. I figured…" She opened her eyes and tilted her head. "That everyone should enjoy the beauty of the night."
Hazel's eyes sparkled with that familiar golden color before she did something very unexpected. As if her body was moving on her own, she closed the distance between them and made sure that Terra's lips met her own.
The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Hazel departed...and realized what she had done. "I-I-I...I am so sorry...I had no idea what...ugh…" She stuttered then covered her face with her hands.
Terra was as red as a tomato and seemed to have been stuck processing what just happened. Though, for the most part, she didn't look upset...just surprised. It took a moment for her head to catch up with the rest of her and when it did she let out a breath. "It's...It's okay." She said, her voice turning gentle. "I-I…" She seemed to be stumped on her words at the moment, so instead she summoned her magic and created a flower out of it. She floated it over to the girl and rubbed her arm. "I...am no good with words…."
Hazel peeked through her fingers and blinked when she saw the flower. She glanced at Terra before removing her hands and taking the flower delicately. "Actions speak louder than words." She said in a soft voice.
Terra sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for that, I clearly am not good at this…" She said with light laugh. "I wasn't sure what kind of flower you liked so...I made it so that you can turn it into any kind you want. Since it's magic it'll last until I send it away." She said, trying to get her blush under control.
Hazel smiled and turned the flower into a classic red rose. "I like roses." She stated, still trying to get over what just happened. "Thank you." She said, the golden color still in her eyes. She shook her head and said, "Should you be going now?"
Terra nodded and looked away. "Probably. If I don't get back soon I might become the troublesome triplet." She said in humor before looking at her. "Do you need any help getting back?"
Hazel shook her head with a smile. "No. I can teleport so...yeah." She laced her fingers together. "I hope we'll see each other again soon." She said as light began to swirl around her. She made sure to pick up her umbrella.
"It may be sooner than you think." Terra replied with a soft chuckle, her large wings appearing on her back. "I will see you then."
Hazel gave her one last bright smile before being engulfed in a white flash of light that was even brighter at night.
Terra smiled before looking up at the sky. "I am definitely getting questioned when I get back." She said with a small sigh at the thought before she chuckled and took off into the night.
…..
Terra let out a breath as she stepped into the workshop, her cheeks tinted pink ever so slightly. I...I have never had that much fun before...Not on my own or with someone else. Nor have I ever felt...that way... She thought, closing her eyes and smiling.
Of the three, Seraphina was the first to perk up and smiled. "Hi Terra! You look nice." She greeted, taking note of her outfit and hair before pausing as she stared at the pink dusted cheeks. "Hey...Are you blushing?!" She practically squealed, causing Phoenix to let out a growl and bang her head on her desk.
Terra's head whipped in the blonde's direction. "Me? No...I'm just-"
Heidi looked up from her book at the squeal and blinked, choosing to ignore the other bluenette's different appearance. "...Terra, why are you blushing?" She asked, caution filling her voice as she cut off her lookalike.
Terra slowly looked at Heidi and folded her hands in front of her. "I...Have an illness?" She said slowly, tilting her head as if that would help Heidi believe her.
Heidi caused the book to disappear as a suspicious look crossed her face. "Is that so? Where were you today?"
Terra rubbed her arm and looked at the other blue-haired woman. "Just exploring. I wanted to see the sights before we have to go." She said, purposefully leaving out the offer that Hazel gave her. Not the right time.
Heidi didn't appear satisfied by the answer as she sat up. "That doesn't explain the blush...Terra, were you with someone?" She asked, voice suddenly turning serious.
At the sudden tension in the room, Phoenix looked up and grinned. Looking at Terra, her yellow eyes seemed to gain a flame to them. "Yeah, Terra, were you with someone? You do know that if you like someone you'll just cause more problems for Heidi." She tilted her head and let out a laugh. "And then she'll be on the headlines again. "Two-timing goddess seen with another chick!"
Terra looked at her in panic. "Uh, I mean, i-it isn't like that." She waved her hands in the air and chuckled nervously. "I-I just was walking around with someone and we did a few things-"
Seraphina, who was still chained to her seat, squirmed a bit before managing to stand up. "Oh, my gosh! Who was it?! A handsome prince, perhaps a beautiful maiden?" She let out a dreamy sigh.
"Seraphina, w-we only just met! P-Please don't go assuming things!" Terra said quickly, before stopping and touching her lips. "W-Why am I...stuttering?"
Seraphina waddled over to her, hitting Phoenix in the process with one of the chair legs. "Awwwww! I can see it in your eyes, you did meet someone! The very thought of them has made you stutter!" She let out another squeal and twirled around, causing Terra to quickly jump back in order to avoid getting hit.
"Sit down, Pinky, before you take someone out with a chair leg!" Phoenix exclaimed, growling a bit before smirking at Terra. "You still haven't answered us, Terra...Who's the lucky person who has stolen your heart?"
Heidi was standing by now and it was clear to see that she wasn't happy. "Terra, tell us, now."
The surprised bluenette looked around before placing her hand on her chest. "I-I...Her name is...H-Hazel." She muttered out the name, hoping that they would stop looking at her like that.
Seraphina and Phoenix looked confused at the name while Heidi...Heidi looked beyond pissed. The goddess's blue hair roared to life as her eyes glowed. "You...were hanging out with HAZEL?!"
Seraphina promptly ran off towards the other side of the room while Phoenix let out a loud laugh. "Here we go! Get her Heidi!" She said, pounding her fists on the desk while her own hair flamed up.
Terra gulped and shakily nodded. "Y-Yes, is something wrong with that?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder at the large metal door.
Heidi twitched and growled. "Hazel is someone who has stabbed me in the back, treated me like dirt, and is no better than my ass of an uncle ZEUS! She was ungrateful when I saved her life from a goddess who ended up hitting me instead! I took an arrow for her and how does she treat me?! She treats me like I am the scum of the planet, that I am better silenced and gone! I was nothing but nice to her for the longest time, I treated her like a friend and she treated me like CRAP!" Her voice gained an echoey tone to it as she grew more and more upset. "She is NOTHING to me now, and I think she is happy about that. Happy that I am no longer there to be the disgusting speck of dust that she always considered me as. If she likes you so much than maybe just MAYBE you are the only person who should have that face! It was a mistake to ever trust that girl, to believe in her. I can't believe I ever thought of her as a friend, I should have just seen her as yet another being who wanted to throw me away, to silence me, to scream at me." She was huffing in anger and punched her desk so hard that her hand went straight through it. "I was never important to her, I can see that now. She just used me...Only to plunge a knife into my back when she was done with me. She will always be in the same group as my uncle, the group that betrayed me even when I did nothing to them." She closed her eyes as she shook in anger, her hand coming out of the desk to fall into her lap.
The three were staring at her in shock, fear, and in Phoenix's case, a little bit of awe. Terra let her hands fall to her side. "H-Heidi?" She asked, noticing that the goddess was still shaking. "Are...you okay?"
Heidi's eyes snapped open and she scowled. "No, I am not, and it is all because of that girl. The first human in a long time that has stabbed me in the back. Many people have laughed at me, ran from me, screamed at me...but they never went so far as to befriend me just to betray me. They left me alone. She didn't, I trusted her and she used it like some siren!"
Terra gently took a step forward. "Heidi...I don't think she meant it. Please, I talked with her all day today, she does not seem like the type to do that." She said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "Just...please. Tell me what happened." As soon as she was close enough, she placed her hand on the woman's shoulder and lowered. "Please."
Heidi let out a quick breath and choked a bit before closing her eyes as a tear escaped. "I...I can't. No, I don't want to." She shook her head as she trembled, the echo leaving her voice.
Terra looked away for a moment before putting on her most gentle of smiles. "Then...think it. Open the lines and think it. If you don't want them to hear...then just open mine. Heidi, I will not judge you or her. I think there has been a terrible miscommunication here and...I don't want to see you suffering like this." She forced Heidi to look at her as the goddess opened her watery eyes. "Please, tell me. I want to see this stop before it destroys you."
Heidi let out a shaky breath and smiled softly. "Why oh why did I make you like this? I should have known the peace and family part would come back to bite me in the butt." She murmured, shaking her head at herself.
"Because you knew that you needed someone like me to pull you out of the darkness when you couldn't get out yourself. You may have not predicted needing me so soon...but I am here. I am going to fulfill your wishes, okay?" Terra's voice was filled with warmth while her face was even more caring than Hestia's infamous glow.
Heidi almost broke down as soon as she heard that. The tears were openly escaping now and seemed to show no sign of stopping as she let out a sigh. "...Okay. I...I'll explain everything." She said softly, swallowing as she sniffled a bit.
Terra smiled as soon as she felt the line open up. "Tell me everything, don't leave a single detail out." She said, closing her eyes and summoning a chair to sit in.
The terror twins blinked in complete and utter stupor as they watched their sisters sit there in silence. Seraphina was gaping while Phoenix's eyes were wide. "Holy…" Phoenix began, drawing the word out.
"...Fudge." Seraphina finished, both of the girls blinking owlishly at the scene in front of them.
They turned to look at each other, their expressions almost perfectly identical. "I...Had no idea Terra could calm a raging Heidi." Phoenix breathed out, glancing at the two bluenettes.
"She is more powerful than we thought." Seraphina said, shaking her head. "No wonder she always calmed down the coppers and gang leaders."
"And here I thought she always calmed them down a different way...Turns out she just talked them down." Phoenix murmured, tilting her head in mild confusion.
Seraphina nodded in agreement. "Same. I guess I should stop assuming that she uses her looks…" Phoenix's head whipped in her direction. Seraphina waved her hands. "Y-You know...to charm them?"
Phoenix's eyes halved. "Terra is dense, beyond dense. Hell, I didn't even know it was possible for her to blush!" She said, shaking her head. "I thought she was kind of like a really nice robot that was incapable of anything romantic."
"She is a bit dodgy with my advice." Seraphina said with a slight head tilt. "I guess it just took a while for her romantic side to blossom!" She said, sighing in delight.
"Please don't start." Phoenix immediately looked back down at her desk and grumbled.
Seraphina positioned herself before sitting her and the chair back on the floor. "Oh, I will have to meet this lucky girl, the girl that has captured our dear Terra's heart." She twirled a bit of her long blonde hair and her smile widened.
"Stop." By now Phoenix's head was on the desk as the girl tried to tune out her annoying sister.
"And, oh, I will have to mentor Terra in the ways of love and teach her what to do and what not to do around a lady! Oh, oh, and tell her what to gift her and what to do with her!" Seraphina continued, ignoring her aggravated sister.
"Oh, my, god." Phoenix grumbled, punching the desk as her hair flamed up.
"Then...They will be at each other's side, little hearts fluttering around them as they forget the world around them while they stare into each other's eyes. Faces so close they can feel each other's breath...then they'll-"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!?" Phoenix yelled, head whipping up and summoning a fireball to her hand. The girl was quick to figure out how to stand and jumped over the table before tackling her sister.
"OW! NIX!" Seraphina whined as the fireball was shoved in her face. "That isn't fair!"
"I DON'T PLAY FAIR WHEN YOU GO LOVE CRAZY!"
The two bluenettes ignored the troublemakers who were yelling and brawling all across the room. They didn't even stop when Seraphina started weeping over the loss of her pink diamond studs that had flown off during their rolling and tumbling match. No, they were far too busy in their own thoughts to care about them.