(Author's Note)
For those wondering, "Why am I starting it off here? Doesn't Varian need to tell Cassandra what the opal is?" Well, I'm making it where he had told her during her fixing the boat, the conversation would have been what the reader would already know, and I didn't know how to fit it in without disrupting the story, so, I am sorry if you were looking forward to the dialogue, but please enjoy the fanfiction either way!

~ VarianLeAlchemiste

Chapter 33
Teapot

The day after the Saporian interference, Cassandra had fixed the boat.
They were currently setting sail to another island, the last one they needed to go.
Past that island, was the Dark Kingdom, their destination.
"Cassie?" Varian glanced at Cassandra.

"Yeah?" Cassandra was at the wheel, making sure to pay attention this time.

"Where are we heading next?" He asked. "The map says we're heading to some island called... Freebird Island? Sounds very exotic." She said to him. "Sounds like it has a lot of birds." Varian giggled. "Probably does." Cassandra nodded and looked back to the sea.

"We're nearing it now, so best to pack all your alchemy thingies." Cassandra smirked.
Varian rolled his eyes at Cassandra's mocking, "Ha ha. I'll go pack now." He walked off...

"It's gorgeous!" Varian said, looking at the wonderful sight of the new island. It was definitely an island, because it had palm trees and sand. Ruddiger looked at the sand carefully before stepping into it, and then he jumped around excitedly. Owl decided he'd fly over to the palm trees and perch. "We can rest here for a couple hours and then we're back to sea, okay?" Cassandra informed the three. "Got it!" Varian ran out to the sand happily.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and smiled.

Varian took his vest off and put it in his bag, leaving just his shirt; then he rolled up his pants legs and took his boots off. Running through sand was best with your feet, not your shoes or boots.

Cassandra took her boots off and adjusted her tunic slightly, exposing her stomach, and began tying the belt around the back of the tunic. She followed Varian, "Wait up, nerd!" She laughed.

Varian looked around as he walked through the sand, "Look at this seashell, Cassie. It looks like a fruit." Varian picked it up gently. Cassandra stopped and took a close look at it. Suddenly, a snail popped out of it. "Whoa!" Varian nearly dropped it, "Ha ha! Sorry little guy! Didn't know you were living in this." He pet the snail's head gently with his finger.

Cassandra glanced and then her eyes widened with curiosity and surprise, "Varian." She tugged on his shirt. "What? Oh!-" Varian realized there were much more snails. The shells all looked like fruit, it was cute. "Weird, but cute!" Varian laughed at all the little snails with fruit-shaped shells.

Ruddiger walked through the sand until he came across an apple, or what seemed to be an apple. He shifted his eyes and grabbed it, proceeding to try and eat it. "Aah, Ruddiger, no, don't eat that." Varian stopped him. The snail popped his head out of the apple-shell, saw Ruddiger and quickly put his head back into the shell. "Put it down." Varian grumpily said, letting the snail, who had a banana-shaped shell, crawl on his shoulder.

Ruddiger glared and put it down, patting the shell gently with his claw.

Varian and Cassandra decided to try and see if they could find more, and when they walked off... Ruddiger tried to eat the apple-snail again. "Ruddiger!" Varian shouted at Ruddiger, slightly annoyed. Ruddiger jumped, blinked for a moment in-shock and then sighed.

Ruddiger put it back down, patted the shell again, and went back to following Varian, Cassandra and Owl, ignoring the apple-snail. "This place is an odd one, but it's strangely nice here." Cassandra said, "Yeah, I agree!" Varian smiled at her...

"Visitors?" The woman raised her brow. "Mhm, they seem to have just arrived here." The man shook his head. "Well, this shall be interesting..." The woman stirred her tea.

Just then, the two and their animal companions (yes, even the snail, who had affectionately been named "Banana" by Varian) came across the small house and the two outside it. Cassandra at first was alarmed and went to grab a dagger from her bag.

"Hello, welcome to Freebird Island, visitors!" The woman clapped her hands together, "It's a pleasure to meet you two, come, have a seat. We're having tea~" The woman beckoned them. Cassandra squinted her eyes, but she and Varian went over and sat down at the table.

"I am Corrine, but you may call me Mother." The woman grabbed a teapot. "And I am Harold, but you can call me Father." The man grabbed a couple teacups. Varian and Cassandra watched as they poured tea in the teacups. "My name's Cassandra, and this is my friend Varian." She said.

"Wonderful to be acquainted!" Harold handed her a cup of tea, then handed Varian a cup of tea. Varian blew on the tea to cool it off while Cassandra just stared at it with suspicion.

"So, tell me, where do you two come from? Far? Near? Way over there somewhere? Hm?" Corrine raised a brow and leaned on the table slightly. "Oh, we come from the Kingdom of Corona." Varian smiled, taking a sip of the tea. (Cassandra was trying to stop him, but she wasn't quick enough to react.) "Oh! Fascinating! We've just lived here on Freebird Island for quite a long time, we haven't actually traveled afar and away." Harold sat down and began drinking some tea.

Cassandra looked down at the teacup, sighed, and drank a sip of it.

Banana headed over to one of the empty teacups and began crawling around in it, while Ruddiger had a teacup on his head. Owl just looked at the two like he was surrounded by idiots.

"What kind of tea is this? It tastes so good." Varian asked. "It's our own blend, named after the island. It's our little tradition to brew this tea in our lovely teapot here." Corrine held up the teapot that looked much like a bird. "It's a pretty teapot, ma'am." Varian nodded.

Cassandra didn't like the tea, it tasted weird. But then again, she was just being a bit judgemental at this moment. "Say, have you ever wondered what it's like to be a bird? Flying across the skies, fluttering free like... Well, a freebird!" Corrine asked. "Not really." Cassandra muttered.

"No, but now I kinda do." Varian took another sip of the tea.

Corrine and Harold exchanged looks and then giggled a bit. Suddenly, both Varian and Cassandra began feeling a strange sensation and with a cloud of smoke... They...were birds.

Cassandra shook her head, then looked at herself. She put her wings to her chest and screamed, "What did you do?!" She chirped. "Our tea allows those who drink it to become birds temporarily, for around... Hmm, an hour?" Harold explained, suddenly turning into a bird himself. Varian panicked, "There... There has to be a scientific explanation for this!" Varian tweeted. "No, no! Just the essence of Freebird Island!" Corrine smiled uncomfortably big.

"When you are ready to change back, you just use one of these magic, blue eggs to bring you back to normal. See, watch?" Corrine opened a metal dome and grabbed an egg, then cracked it over Harold's head. Sparkles and magic came out of the egg and covered Harold, then soon; he turned back to being normal, a human... "Cassie, you know what? Being a bird for an hour doesn't sound too bad..." He suggested, "Even if the science behind it is non-existant!" He crossed his wings together. Cassandra looked at Corrine and Harold...

"We'll be back." She said and then jumped off of the stool. "Banana, Owl, Ruddiger, you stay here, okay?" Varian looked at the three. Ruddiger nodded, Owl nodded and Banana twitched his little eyes. Varian looked at Cassandra and then began flapping his wings, attempting to fly.

"Whoa, Cassie, look at this! Ha ha! I feel like a bird!" He started to fly in the air, while Cassandra was having a hard time... "I bet you do. You are one..." Cassandra tweeted sarcastically.

Cassandra finally managed to start flying in the air beside Varian. "He he, I'm flying now too!" She did seemed a bit amazed at this. "Let's go explore the island!" Varian began to fly away.

Cassandra happily followed.
This actually felt pretty good.