"God have mercy on my poor wretched soul….." Koyuki muttered as she shifted a blanket off her.
Getting up felt like she was trying to lift the sky while all her bones were broken.
She stumbled her way to a ringing alarm clock and pushed a button on top of it.
Her training the previous day was absolutely brutal.
Performing spells again and again until her legs felt like jelly. Not to mention a half hour pop quiz for dessert.
It had continuously drained her of magic. At least she had made considerable progress with her magic's potency. With the expansion of her reserves, her power would undergo exponential growth.
It was for the best.
Well, today was the day they would have to tell the major players of the Education Ministry she would not be working in the Department of Magic Research.
Rubbing her eyes, she went to a wooden cupboard and pulled it open. She took a set of clothes from the top of the pile and walked into an adjacent bathroom.
She stripped and entered the cubicle. She turned a faucet. The shower head began pouring icy water onto every inch of her body.
The cold water ran down her back like lightning, shocking any remaining sleepiness to the nether regions. After brushing her teeth and drying herself, she put on a set of underwear. Next was a white blouse and a pair of black pants over her singlet.
She hastily buttoned up her waistcoat before buckling a long black skirt at her hip.
"I think that's all for now," she muttered.
Welp.
Time to start the day.
Her feet stepped on damp ceramic as she exited.
Koyuki stared at her room. A bed, a cupboard, a study desk and that was it.
It was simple but extremely cluttered. After all, who else could she blame but herself for studying so much.
She took a deep breath and pushed back the curtains. Golden strands of sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating the white clouds on her blanket.
The dragon and the cat merely muttered in their sleep and shifted away from the sun.
Pikachu and the owl merely covered their eyes from their sleeping spot on the rafters.
Koyuki pressed her hands against her desk and stared at a round mirror mounted on a steel frame.
Her copper red hair resembled the roaring waves of a blood sea.
She sighed and took out a hairbrush and proceeded to pull the brush throughout her hair until the waves had died down.
"Ow, ow, ow….." she muttered as she straightened out the last strand of unruly hair.
She looked into the mirror and checked for any unruly strands of hair.
None.
Koyuki pulled her hair upwards and tied it off at the back of her head with a black ribbon. The ponytail spun into a ball of hair which she secured with a hair tie.
She pulled a few of her bangs out of the bun. She took a black canvas bag hanging off a chair and stuffed a few books and a pencil case into it. The bag was closed with a faint click and slung over her left shoulder.
A dark blazer and black robe were grabbed off their respective hangers. and slung over her right arm.
Koyuki rushed out the door and hurried down the stairs as Professor Warwick called out her name.
"Koyuki, breakfa—"
"Good morning, Professor Warwick!" she saluted.
"Good morning, a seat. Have some waffles and fruits. Do pass the syrup when you're done." he gestured to the table while grabbing two sets of cutlery from a nearby drawer.
She nodded and hung her blazer and robe off the back of the chair and sat down. The sling bag was leaning against the chair with the strap awkwardly flopped on the floor.
Koyuki gasped in delight as a plate piled with steaming waffles and sliced watermelon glided to her. The moment the plate was placed on the table, she took up a fork and knife. When the waffles were cut into bite-sized pieces, she began scooping them up.
Professor Warwick took a jug of freshly made coffee and placed it on the table. He then pulled out a chair and began eating as well.
"So, Professor,what's our agenda for today?" she muttered in between mouthfuls.
"It's 7:30 now. You have another half hour to finish eating before we head off to the Ministry of Education. The meeting should end in time for lunch. We can eat out in the city in a restaurant of your choice. After we return, you have another half hour of free time before we begin lessons. At three in the afternoon, we begin two and a half hours of practical training. Then,we have theory lessons until eight. You are expected to study afterwards. Be sure to be punctual tomorrow. Professor Briggins and Professor Ella will be teaching you after."
"Umm….there's dinner right?" she asked as she raised her hand while drinking a glass of coffee.
"You're allowed to eat as much as you want during lunch. You should be full enough that we can skip dinner." he smiled while sipping coffee as black as his soul.
"Ok!" she gave him a thumbs up as she poured herself another glass of coffee.
"Too hot." Smacking her lips, she pointed a wand at her glass.
"Glacia."
A few ice cubes instantly materialised in the glass.
"Circumaga ." she muttered while swirling her index finger around the rim of the brown liquid swirled around the glass like a whirlpool,mixing the ice and coffee together.
"We leave in 15 minutes from now. So get ready."
She nodded before taking a second serving of waffles. After finishing she stood up and headed to the kitchen. Koyuki placed the dishes in the sink and swirled her wand before flicking.
The sponge and soap bottle on the edge of the sink sprung to life as they started cleaning the food stains off the plate and cutlery.
When the dishes made their way to the rack, she turned towards the dining room.
She pushed her arms through the blazer and fastened the steel buckles on the black robe. Koyuki rolled up her sleeve and fastened a rose pink wrist watch to her left wrist. The red armband sewn on the upper left sleeve was readjusted.
Koyuki pushed her chair back into the table and walked into the doorway. She sat on a wooden bench and slipped on a pair of white socks from a wicker basket at the end of the bench. She took a pair of dress shoes from a shoe rack and laced them up. She had barely waited for a few moments before Professor Warwick appeared beside her
"Alright, let's leave."
Koyuki took her bag and walked behind Professor Warwick, locking the doors and gate behind her.
As her feet moved to black tarmac from green grass, she heard Professor Warwick calling out to her.
"Koyuki."
"Yes, sir?"
Professor Warwick raised his hand. Koyuki watched as a magic circle with an arrow at the center began to form above the palm of his hand. As the circle neared completion, it began spinning.
Faster and faster, until it resembled a green vortex.
Professor Warwick raised his hand and threw the circle onto the ground. The air around them filled with smoke.
After what seemed like an instant, the smoke cleared and the duo found themselves in the heart of the city. Even after more than two years, the sight of it all had never failed to fill her with wonderment.
Endless rows of shops, buildings so high they seemed to touch the sky, the buzzing of the vehicles on the road, the wind from overhead flyers rustling her hair.
Like every day, the streets were filled with roaring tides of people which swept away anything ungrounded. Koyuki kept a firm grip on her bag and wove through the crowd towards a crossing.
She passed students with school bags strapped to their backs, the average worker pushing and shoving past everyone else, the occasional tourist staring at a map or billboard.
Everyone was speaking in a miscellany of languages, English, German, Latin, French and many more. There were even a few dialects thrown around here and there. Native Oriochean, Kestramorian,and another one she couldn't quite grasp.
The bustling noise stung her ears as she waited for a green light. She gazed on at the cars, buses, brooms whizzing past her, the seemingly endless stream of people pouring in and out of the subway.
Ding.
Koyuki looked up at the floating green lights as the traffic gradually screeched to a halt. She followed the crowd and crossed the road at a brisk pace. Only when she saw the white marble-like skyscraper did she stop next to Professor Warwick.
The main office for the humans and sorcerers were located in the same building. The humans worked above ground while the sorcerers had free reign of the underground. The tall skyscraper resembled wings soaring towards the sky but the true beauty lay underground. She walked alongside Professor Warwick past the towering glass doors which swung open to greet them.
The interior of the building was simple and elegant. Workers scuttled past them to the elevators at the end of the hall while others had a pit stop at a nearby cafe.
The duo walked towards a huge circle with the twelve zodiac signs inscribed on them. People didn't walk on the circle, rather they gathered around it. After a few minutes, a cylinder rose from the ground and the doors opened. The people funnelled into the lift as the doors closed behind them.
As their descent began, space flew past them in a blur. The panels on the lift only had a single button with the letter P inscribed on it.
Primordia.
Origin.
Ding.
As the lift opened, its occupants streamed out as if the lift had consumed an emetic. The lift soon disappeared as it rose to the surface.
Erobus, as most magic ministries were tagged, truly lived up to their name. The ministry was as dark and lavish as the lands of the dead.
Avians carrying letters and documents were flying around like bees. Thank the gods they wore disposable diapers at all times, otherwise there would be multiple health hazards. There were also a good number of workers flying around on brooms. Around the elevator were four fountains, each one twenty meters high.
While building underground fountains might appear as a foolish endeavour, these fountains funnelled fresh air into the ministry, day in, day out. The courtyard they were standing on had bright white lights all around them. On the ground and in the air.
The courtyard was surrounded by eight buildings in a circular manner. Each one was 25 stories high, with windows shaped like hexagons. They were black like their surroundings. There were crystal white paths branching out from the courtyard leading to each of the eight buildings.
The north east building was their destination. So,off they went.
Professor Warwick placed his palm on a counter, channeling his magic into a slot. As the door swung open, the duo entered.
The building's interior held a beauty which was in no way inferior to its exterior.
The walls were bright gold. Although the one thing she couldn't take her gaze off was the white snow insignia carved into the walls. They were enormous, occupying the center of the wall, reaching from the floor to the ceiling.
"Koyuki."
She turned as Professor Warwick gestured to the lift. She spun on her heel and headed towards the lift. As she passed the reception, she gave a slight bow to the receptionist who smiled in return.
They entered the lift and pressed a button to take them to the 24th floor. When the doors opened, they stepped out into a hallway. The winding hallways resembled a labyrinth, sinister despite the lights which blinded her.
At the end of the hall was a glass door, behind it was a counter with a gorgon wearing a pair of glasses behind it. The glass door swung open with a single gesture from the gorgon.
As they entered, the gorgon stood up and inquired: "Professor Warwick?"
He nodded.
The gorgon stood up and led them to a meeting room. She raised her left hand and rapped on the door before opening it. Koyuki glanced over her shoulder as the door opened.
In the room were seven people ,all dressed in a similar fashion, seated around a rectangular table. The gorgon said: "Sir, Professor Warwick and his student are here."
The man at the head of the table replied: "Alright, let them in."
As Professor Warwick entered, the man welcomed him. As Koyuki stepped into the room, an official remarked: "So this is the genius who developed Inferno in a year." She took her seat next to the Professor and muttered her thanks.
The minister's voice boomed throughout the room: "Now that we are all here, let's discuss today's agenda."
The ongoing conversation went by in a blur. The contents of the meeting were more or less mundane. The whole course of the meeting was spent reading about advanced magic theory. The psia quantitative analysis around magic was rather interesting. Besides,her opinion was not needed.
"Miss Uzumaki?"
As she raised her head to meet the others, their gaze piercing her like daggers, the question she had been dreading was asked.
"Where would you like to go after receiving your certification?"
She couldn't back out now.
"The Independent Magic Research Division."
"I see."
Snap.
As Professor Warwick snapped his fingers, Koyuki found herself outside the meeting room. It didn't matter.
There were things he didn't want to expose her to.
She took a seat in the waiting room and continued reading.
After combing through Advanced Magic Theory, the door to the meeting room swung open. An official walked up to her, flashing his pearly whites, extending a hand. She shook it as his smile never faltered.
There goes a promising candidate.
Another talent lost to the IMRD.
Another scholarship wasted.75,000 dollars down the drain.
Well, it is true everyone seeks to use you one way or another.
She followed Professor Warwick out of the building and to the surface. At this time, the streets were less crowded than usual. She glanced at her watch. Lunch break wasn't for another half hour.
As they walked a few blocks to the shopping district, they passed by rows and rows of buildings. Even in midday, the displays were turned on, showcasing their various products.
Watches, coats, shoes, some sort of electronic device. They had it all. At the end of that particular street was a bookstore. Endless shelves of books, cheap prices, plus the attendants were willing to help you remove the plastic wrapping on books you wanted to read. Pretty good service if she could say so herself.
The perfect place to escape reality for a while.
The true magnificence was in the center of the shopping district. A seemingly endless street of shops, a winding maze of products and restaurants to match. Hence, it was frequented by many people, citizens and tourists alike. Going there with Miss Ella once a year was bliss. Pure, unadulterated, wallet-breaking bliss.
As they saw an Italian restaurant, there was a chef holding a plate with Giovanni's Galley written in big red letters. They pushed open the doors and sat down on a table. The restaurant had a design reminiscent of an era 50 years prior.
As Koyuki pulled out a chair, she flipped through the menu, scanning through the items.
"I would like a spaghetti bolognaise, a pepperoni pizza and a large serving of French fries please."
"A well-done black Angus steak, chicken tenders and bruschetta for me as well."
A brown haired-girl hurriedly scribbled down their order, "Is that all?"
With a nod from the duo, she left.
"Koyuki, do you want to answer a few questions in exchange for dessert?"
"Fire away." as she continued reading.
"How many laws did Herman Blanche devise in 1675?"
"I don't know how he did it, but 13."
"The first seven were revisions to previously existing laws. Name the other six."
"The first two were regarding potions. A poison consisting of five or less poisons with a specific property will have the combined properties of said poisons. For the addition of anything else, the poison will be rendered useless. The second law denotes that to concoct a potion with similar weight but higher potency, increase the boiling time by n, n being how many times more potent you want the potion to be."
"Go on."
"The next three were regarding magic theory. Any extra stroke will bring the spell's output to 0.12 to the power of n of the spell's original output, n being the number of extra strokes. The number of a user's psion units needed to perform a certain spell is the number of standard units needed divided by the user's potency.
A user's proficiency of a certain branch of magic must have a score of over 5 to perform it sufficiently. A score larger than 0 but smaller than 5 will require the use of more psions to perform it. The number of standard psions needed to perform it is the usual number of psions multiplied by x, x is 5 minus the user's score.
"The final law?"
"One could never hope to replicate the basic aspects of being human: love, hate, a soul and true emotion. Give up. It's never going to happen."
"How many of these laws were given further revisions?"
"The first sifth of his thirteen laws. Sorry, I meant six."
"Excellent work. May I have a tiramisu for dessert?"
A passing waiter nodded and headed to the kitchen.
He turned to her and muttered: "Next time, don't talk with your mouth full."
The duo then continued reading before the food arrived.
When it did, the duo tore into the food with gusto, albeit Professor Warwick with a little more dignity.
After paying, they left the restaurant and turned into an alley. Koyuki raised her hands and started forming a magic circle, large enough for them to stand on. As it fully formed, it glowed a mystical blue.
"Trnspiarorta."
A bright flash and bang later, they were home.
As soon as Professor Warwick unlocked the door, Koyuki rushed onto the bench. The shoes were dusted down and placed back in the cupboard. Koyuki slipped off her blazer and robe and tossed them aside. As they flew into the laundry basket, she started running up the stairs and into her room.
The waistcoat and skirt fell to the floor. Koyuki kicked them aside and placed a black breastplate on the table.
"Fyreay"
A dark purple flame danced above the palm of her hand. She used the flame to check for and burn off any traces of dust.
As she flopped onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling more than ever.
What is life now? Just when I thought I had escaped, they dragged me back in again. If I can get away without them going after the ones I care about, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I can't. There's only one alternative. This endless cycle of running, I'm ending it for good.
Ow.
Blood poured from her palm. She hurriedly healed it and channelled magic into her palm. When she had mustered a sufficient amount, she dumped it all into a ring.
There was no difference made to the white crystal, save for a minuscule speck of blue within it.
The ring was placed back on the table. Koyuki slipped on the breastplate and tied it together at her sides. She went to the kitchen and filled up a flask with water. As she sat down on the couch, she could hear the Professor's footsteps behind her.
When she looked up at the ceiling, she saw his face staring back at her.
She followed him through the back door which led to a huge open field. There were endless hills and mountains around her as well as the thick green grass covering her ankles.
A cutlass materialised in her right hand and she raised it. As she put her right foot back, Professor Warwick summoned a humanoid puppet with a sword.
"You'll fight it before we go through magic spells. An hour should be sufficient."
With a single nod, the puppet rushed at her with blinding speed. She barely managed to raise her blade before the force of her opponent pushed her back.
There it was. The burning sensation.
She darted away as a fist slammed into the ground, creating a large crater.
Seishin Bushin no Jutsu!
A clone of her appeared in midair and swept the second puppet off its feet.
As she continued to engage the first puppet, her clone was physically ripping off the limbs of its opponent. She casually evaded her opponent, dancing just out of the blade's reach. For a split second, the puppet slowed down as if it was tiring.
Utilising the opening, she swung her blade at the puppet.
Thump.
The puppet's torso and legs fell to the ground. She hurriedly summoned another clone. Just as the clone materialised, the two halves of the puppet formed two separate bodies. She tossed her sword to the clone as a fist flew past, inches from her face. She jumped and tucked her legs inward as the puppet's leg grazed her toes ever so slightly.
The puppet threw a flurry of punches and kicks. She simply sidestepped or evaded them. As the minutes passed, she found evading becoming progressively difficult.
End it now.
She grabbed the puppet by its right arm and threw it to the ground. As it slammed into the ground, she kicked it square in the chest, shattering its torso like glass.
One minute to catch her breath.
As she looked around the training field, she counted fifteen puppets in total.
Fifteen clones were the norm. She just needed to maintain her form for the next ,oh, 37 minutes.
Her back and legs burned.
Or she thought.
As she jumped ten meters in the air, the glint of nine swords blinded her.
Nine extra puppets.
Tasu Seishin Bushin no Jutsu!
Nine clones joined the fray as the previously shattered puppet reformed and attacked her.
All that was left were the clashing of swords, the wind as she dodged, the burning sensation that warned her of danger and the puppets endlessly reforming and breaking over and over again.
"Rargh!"
The puppet was sliced into six pieces with a single stroke. This time, the pieces simply dissolved.
As most of her clones had defeated their opponents, Koyuki aided in decapitating the ones that remained. The flask drew closer with each step. As water flowed down her throat, she felt her fatigue fade away.
As she lay on the ground, she felt her strength returning with each breath.
"Up."
Her body rose up as if she were a puppet controlled by marionette strings.
Sixteen clones stared back at her. Professor Warwick gestured at her, with a black grimoire hovering over his palm.
"Understood."
Sixteen of her clones appeared in a flash of smoke. Each one of them paired with one of the professor's clones and went off in different directions.
"Alright. Let's start off with Incendio."
"Incendio."
A pillar of red and orange shot upwards into the sky before dispersing.
"Glacia."
An enormous glacier obscured her vision.
And things went on until they had gone over every spell in the grimoire thrice.
As they returned to the house, Koyuki went to her room to bathe. Soon after, she went to one of the house's many studies.
As usual, the lessons demanded every ounce of her attention. Following the lessons, she had revised the materials and more.
Today was a little chaotic. Let's just look forward to tomorrow.
Ring Ring!
Koyuki sprung upwards like a coiled spring.
6:00a.m.
She changed into a blouse and a black sweater vest with the school crest on it. As she slipped on a matching black skirt, she threw the necessary items into a bag and ran to the door.
Swoosh.
"Good morning, Miss Uzumaki."
"Good morning, Professor Briggins."
Two buns wrapped in plastic landed in her hands.
"Eat. Ella prepared them. We'll go after you finish. Red bean and custard, your favourite, if my memory serves me right."
"Thanks." she muttered between mouthfuls.
Within seconds, the buns were devoured.
"I'm done. Let's go."
As she got on the broomstick, Professor Briggins pushed off from the ground, sending them flying seven stories in the air.
The sun had barely risen so there weren't too many people around. The wind rustled as the surrounding buildings moved by in a blur. As the familiar sight of Aelmere State University appeared before her, she gripped her bag tighter.
When they got off, Professor Briggins threw a set of keys to her.
"I have business to handle in the office so I'll be in the classroom at eight. Until then, do as you please."
As she headed to the classroom, she greeted a few students that passed by. The door opened with a faint clink as she turned the keys.
The bag was hung from a chair. A set of books and a wooden case were placed on the desk. As she began flipping through the book's contents, other students began filing in.
Koyuki heard the dragging of three chairs as their occupants sat down.
"Sup."
"Morning."
She waved at them slightly.
"Come on Uzumaki ,why you wearing the school uniform in here? We're graduating soon, no need to stress so much?"
"It's laundry day."
Hopefully that would be enough to shut them up.
Thankfully, they did.
After what seemed like an eternity, she heard the door swing open as white fabric obscure the blackboard for a while.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Professor Briggins."
"Alright. Today we will pick up from where we left off on the Res serum, or as I like to call it, bootleg truth serum. Why do I call it as such?"
A few hands shot into the air.
He nodded at a blonde-haired girl with green glasses.
"The potion only causes the person who ingested it to divulge what they believe is the truth. If their memories were affected by external sources or what they believe isn't fundamentally true, the information we extract from them would be rendered useless.
"Excellent work, Adele. Now, can anyone tell me a non-magic substitute for the Res Serum?"
More hands shot up in the air.
"It doesn't necessarily exist. Most of the drugs are sedatives, rendering the person incapable of higher brain function temporarily, making lying more difficult. These can be used for other heinous things. There is also the factor that the person may just tell the interrogator what they want to hear, making these things a hit or miss."
"Very good, Josh. It seems you should all be on your toes next week. Who knows when I might test you again.
A gentle reminder that mid semester tests will be held in two weeks, around 3 weeks before the mid-terms. You know my rules. Those who fail get extra tuition and cleanup duty, those who don't get candy. And if the class average exceeds 75 points, Miss Ella has promised to offer her hand-made jelly donuts.
If that's all and settled, we will go through the steps of brewing the Res serum. Then, it will be your turn to try."
The Professor proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes going through the procedures.
"The last step is to let it ferment for the next 4 days. Any questions?"
Honestly, if anyone had any questions, it would be because they weren't paying any attention at all.
"If that's all, put on your coats and start brewing. As always, feel free to refer to the board for instructions."
At this, the students all drew their white coats from their bag. Others assisted in getting the equipment from the cupboard in the back.
"Here, yours and yours." as her classmates handed their companions ingredients and equipment.
"Incendio."
The small pile of wood beneath her cauldron crackled and burst into blue flames.
While waiting for the water to boil, she took the ingredients and began chopping them up according to the instructions.
The ingredients sat in a steel plate as she referred to her notes.
"Increase the power of the fire until the mixture turns clear…"
She raised her hand at the cauldron, bathing the cauldron in a shower of fire.
Almost there. Almost there. There we go.
Throw crushed Ancherian poppy petals into the cauldron. Take the flower and crush it with a knife.
The flower squelched as yellow and green liquid oozed out of it. Raising the knife, she scraped the juice into the cauldron, watching as the mixture turned dark grey.
The other ingredients were thrown into a swirling grey vortex which changed from black to blue to clear again.
As the mixture bubbled and boiled, a stabilising enchantment was cast to bind the ingredients together.
Milky white.
Perfect.
She took a strainer and poured the potion in a glass bottle. She took a dropper and extracted a few drops and placed them in a Petri dish.
"Sir? I'm done. Could you take a look at this?" as the Professor strode over to her.
Professor Briggins held the Petri dish and nodded. He gave a thumbs up before glancing at the others.
"Johnson, dilute your solution. Pearce, good work. Hawthorne, more hogvine root. This potion is fairly complex so take care. Present your potions when you are done."
As he walked away, a student gingerly pointed to her notebook. She pushed it towards him and continued writing a label. She picked up her bottle and placed it in a cupboard.
Her notebook was slid back across the table with a faint thank you. As she scrambled to scribble a few more notes, her peers had finished their potions.
"Good. all pass. Self study for the rest of the lesson."
The rest of the class returned to their books until the bell rang. As they filed out of the classroom, the apparatus began cleaning themselves and flying back to their respective cabinets. As the professor started arranging his papers, he prodded her with a stick.
"Go on. Off you go. You know where to find her."
Koyuki conjured a warp gate and stepped into Aelmere Conservatory. As she looked out the window, she could see the rolling enclosures for rare animals and plants. She went in and proceeded to Miss Ella's office.
The door swung open before she even raised a hand to it.
A woman wearing a lab coat greeted her.
"Good morning, Miss Ella."
"Good morning, dear. Did you bring your homework?"
Koyuki handed a small pile of papers to her. She tensed up slightly as the woman's green eyes skimmed through the papers.
"Very good, mistakes but just a slight grammatical error. Let's go in, shall we?"
Koyuki stepped into the office and sat down on a chair. A pile of books were placed on the table as Miss Ella calmly explained the concepts to her.
"Copy the exercises here, here and here. Finish them in an hour. These ones on pages 56 and 57 as well as the ones on pages 57 to 60 on your Herbology and potions books will have to be completed by the next time we see each other.
"Noted."
"Let's review the material again."
When the lunch bell rang, Miss Ella took out two containers and placed one in front of Koyuki.
Koyuki thanked her and began feasting on her sandwiches.
Upon finishing, Koyuki slipped on a lab coat and picked up a notebook. Summoning a clone, she followed Miss Ella through her rounds in the conservatory.
It was very challenging to say the least. Miss Ella worked with terrifying efficiency, she could barely keep up as she jotted down Miss Ella's observations. She wasn't the Assistant Managing Director for nothing. Plants and animals were a trouble to take care of because both kingdoms had species which would try to harm, murder and or eat you. Looking at them from a distance was fine but getting up close and observing them was another. Extracting their pollen, nectar, fur or other body parts was a hard fought battle.
As they arrived at the cuzzlepuff enclosure to observe the creatures. This was the most relaxing part of the 4 hour observation. The cuzzlepuffs were mostly the conservatory pets as they were balls of fluff with no particular domestic or industrial purpose whatsoever.
The creatures had faces as distorted as they were fluffy. Anyone would think they were cute until they saw their faces. Thankfully, what they lacked in appearance, they more than made up with their sweet personality.
Sitting down on the floor, they waited as the outgoing creatures jumped up onto their laps and made some of the ugliest expressions she had ever seen. These were intensified by their dead fish eyes. Of course, the feeling of soft fur and their shows of affection helped negate the slight feeling of disgust.
Miss Ella had become a tree of cuzzlepuffs. Two were sleeping on her head, two on each of her shoulders and three on her lap. The creatures chattered even louder as she cooed and petted their soft bodies.
Koyuki, on the other hand ,was holding one and silently stroking its soft fur.
"Hey. No." She barked at a cuzzlepuff near her right foot. It whined and withdrew a comically large row of long sharp teeth. As it scuttled away to join its kin ,more gathered around the other workers who had laid down in the enclosure.
"You were a little off today. Is something the matter?"
"I…i….I'm a little worried about something."
"The war. I think it's pretty normal to worry about being thrown into a foreign and dangerous situation. One you never signed up for in the first place. It's definitely a terrifying experience for all those involved. I do wish I could do more to help you but….. "
"There's no need to feel sorry. You have done so much to make me feel at home and I am so grateful for you being here for me. I've never felt more happy living here. It's just…. in the event I do end up leaving, I hope you won't be too sad."
"Like hell that's going to happen. Don't think about that until your certification is in your hands. Then when you get there, just focus on staying alive until you can come back.
You know, the movie, Match made in Oblivion just came out. It's a serialisation of the comics. I hear it's just as funny as the comics and the casting is perfect. Why don't we go catch it this Sunday and do a little bit of eating and shopping? On me."
Koyuki faintly nodded as a smaller frame embraced her from the right, as a warm hand patted her head.
"You'll be ok, cuzzlepuff. You'll be fine. I know you and I fully believe you're not going down that easily. Everything is going to be alright."
Amongst the chattering of the nearby creatures, and the balls of fluff nestled up against her, her lips turned upwards and her eyes closed in satisfaction.