What to paint

Chapter 13

You set there on the table. You stared at the cold try of rice, and a boiled egg. How incredibly generous. You sat in the lab looking at the clock. You glanced around the room at the piles of papers, dirty beakers, and the collection jarred gore. Something felt wrong as you sat there. You had an unknown sense of sadness and guilt as you looked at nothing. On a whim, you stood stepping silently to the door. The lock clicked open as you pulled on the handle.
You vanished from the palace soon after. You escaped calming through small dirty back doors. Hidden passages, and frozen steps. You walked like a zombie gracefully and elegantly through the dirt and grime even as the dirty slip tore on pried-up nails. You continued onwards through the ice crystal snow. Through woods and frosty creaks. You stepped through the bitter cold in thin clothing yet you never blinked at such pain. You continued even as your feet should have turned dark blue.
You looked up at one point and stopped. You started out and across the heavens and the glowing stars. A pale blue moon held your gaze warmly even as Celestia glared down at you from overhead you waited. You waited until the moon was overhead the nipping of the cold turning to warm kisses. Clawed nails of ice melted into gentle caresses. You continued to wait.
Down the hills, a small city stood. It was filled with properly dressed men and women with coats and furs fit for the cold. They passed around booze and liquor as the city lights fought with the stars. A young boy exited his house quietly. He tied his hat under his chin and pulled on the bootstraps once more. He carried a small handwoven box. A swirl of flowers blossomed across its side. With a smile, he walked. His brother was still busy he supposed. So he set out on the long trek to the sledding hill. It was the tallest he knew. His boots sunk into the snow it pooled around his ankles. He continued with a smile. Even as he questioned as to why and where he was going he continued. The sound of running footsteps was the only thing that made him stop.
The youngest harbinger ran. He sprinted at full force begging that he could catch up with his brother. He pleaded and begged for him to be safe and okay. He didn't care about the smaller harbinger running in front of him. All he cared about was his brother when he saw his brother gone from his house he ran. Somehow he knew that he was going for the sledding hill.
The brothers smiled upon seeing each other. The taller of which sunk into the snow wrapping his arms about the younger. He pulled him up and out of the snow with a silent thank you to the gods.
"Big brother!" Teucer screamed with joy.
"There you are!" he held his brother tighter for just a moment longer. "I was terrified when I saw you weren't home!" he yelled at the boy. "Oh but I'm just so glad you're safe."
Scaramouche came to a stop beside them. He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.
"Where's the crystal?"
Teucer looked at the stranger and then at his brother.
"Where is it Teucer? We need to see it please."
Teucer handed his brother the box. "I can't open it, I saw it when that kind person gave it to me but, now I can't open the box."
The flowers wrapped around the side were small blue forget-me-nots. Childe ran his fingers across them and watched as more sprouted, locking the box more. They were thin stems but when pulled they held firm. Childe was unable to tear them apart or away from the box. With a surge of overconfidence mixed in with annoyance, Scaramouche reached for the box.
"Let me try it."
He looked across the box. The bottom was solid and the seems were perfectly intertwined. The box was locked with flowers. Scaramouche gently tugged on the flowers. They moved and wrapped around the lock on the box. He ran his thumb over the lock and the flowers glowed. They twirled and floated up into the sky like stars. They glowed and raised until the dim lights grew too far to see.
He pushed open the lid. A dim glow shined from the crystal. It was completely covered in cracks. The forget-me-not encased in the crystal was near impossible to see properly. He reached in and touched the crystal. The crystal glowed a pale lilac color and it seemed as if the snowy tundra had melted away into the sakura-covered island in old Inazuma.