"Hello, Ma'am. Would you like to buy this item?"
It was the old lady, who was selling the magic lighter that Charlotte has been eyeing for weeks every time she spends her day off at the capital market. The magic tool reminded her of someone, and as weeks go by, her desire to purchase such an odd little thing grew. She wonders, what would be his reaction if she gave it as a gift?
"Every time you do your rounds, you always pass by this area. And when you do, you always check on this particular item," the old lady continued.
Finally giving in, Charlotte responded, "C-can you show me how it works?"
"Most certainly. You see, my grandson is a great inventor, and obviously, a smoker. He invented this special lighter that takes its fuel from its user's mana to generate only a tiny flame. It will work on any type of magic. Very convenient, isn't it?" She held the silver metal up between her wrinkly hand, where it lit up steadily. Closing the casket with a clinky pop, she extended it towards the Blue Rose Captain, "Would you like to try it?"
Charlotte took the small item. It felt light and cool as the steel touched her hand. She hasn't even done anything to it yet, but the moment she opened it, a tiny flame already clicked, surprising the Blue Rose Maiden.
"It's already on."
The old lady took a moment to answer, "You must be a very powerful person for it to pick up your mana almost instantly."
"I think it works the other way around. If I don't put effort to shut the mana flowing through my hands, it just keeps ongoing." Charlotte tried to on and off it a couple of times, and on her sixth time, it buzzed and unexpectedly sparked its dying breath.
"Oh my," the old lady said, as smoke slowly rose from the overheated tool.
Embarrassed, Charlotte apologized. "I uhhh I'm sorry. How much is it again?"
"Hmmm, nonsense. Come back here next week. I'll have my grandson customize a version that can handle greater flows of magic. I assume the one that you would give it to is of equal power?"
"H-how did you...?"
The old lady laughed heartily.
"Silly. You can't be a smoker with those perfect teeth of yours."
"You're back." The old lady greeted the Briar Queen with a kind smile. "Here is your item."
Charlotte held the tiny magic tool between her hands. This version of the lighter is coated in black metal with gold linings. It looks cleaner and slicker than the last one. Perfect for a Black Bull.
"I told my grandson that a beautiful magic knight had taken an interest in one of his inventions. I personally made sure that it would fit into your beautiful hands."
Charlotte gently channeled a small amount of mana into the lighter and just as expected, the tiny flame danced steadily before her eyes. She tried once again, this time being less conscious of the amount of energy being transferred, and ended up with the same satisfying result.
"I'll take it," she declared with certainty, with only one man in mind.