A Story of a Short Ending | T.R

Chapter 28 - The Perks of Drinking

The next day in the Manor started out slowly. The mixed feelings about their mission yesterday made the atmosphere in the Manor feel more doomed. Many of them went back into their bedrooms without another word to each other, considering there wasn't much to talk about following their mission that could be considered a failure.

They did what they planned, they contained her and nobody was hurt in the process but the failure of the magic that was supposed to work heavily undermined their knowledge about who they were dealing with. Liese's words about her nature went on hold until the moment they were ready to tackle the problem of Emily again. Now all of them simply wanted some sleep and a good rest.

The night dragged on and even if they were back to their bedrooms, rest didn't come to them easy. Thinking over what they said and did every step of the way was polluting their minds. Could they have done something better? Maybe their insight or interpretation of the information was wrong, which led to the wrong assumptions and a failed attempt.

The ever-so-cheerful Viridian felt the change of the atmosphere in the Manor on every bit of his skin and to say he hated every moment of it was to say nothing. He had a full night of sleep, a good sleep at that, and the fact that the women were still in their bedrooms by midday didn't sit right with him.

Evander shared the sentiment or rather he didn't have a choice when he joined Alden in the potions chamber, looking to talk about what happened yesterday and raise his concern for the entire situation, and was faced with another bright idea of Viridian's on making the slow day at least a bit better.

"I doubt they will agree to it," Evander said, as he sat on the old cushioned sofa in the chambers of the Manor potioneers, "Yesterday was confusing enough and if you try to force them into a 'pretend to be happy' situation, it's not going to work."

"I'm not going to force anyone," Alden stated, but even from his face, it was visible that he would if he had to, "See, you get it. Yesterday was confusing enough and spending a day copped up in their bedrooms waiting for something else to happen won't do any good to anyone. I'm not making a festival, just something simple."

"Simple and you don't belong in a sentence together," Travers pointed out. Viridian was a man of chaos and an overwhelming presence, 'simple' didn't work with him even if he tried.

"Thanks for the support, Evander. Now get your ass off my sofa and help me out here," Alden held up the two vials of whatever he was preparing, not bothering to tell his friends much about it.

With a heavy sigh, Travers stood up and took the vials with what smelled like lemons from Alden's hands. He knew it was going to be a long day and oh how right he was.

They finished the mysterious potion Alden was brewing in a matter of minutes, even if Travers doubted the name 'potion' for the mixture that reminded more of lemonade. Coincidentally, the ingredients were exactly the same too.

They left it in the chambers before coming up with a plan for the day. They didn't want anything extravagant, at least Travers managed to persuade Alden to keep it truly simple and not make the women feel worse than they probably already do.

Being wizards never felt more useful than when they had to move the garden furniture from under the Manor's windows to a more secluded and beautiful part of the gardens. Forming a small secluded space amidst the bright flowers and blooming greenery. It was spacious enough to fit everyone in the Manor and even several times more people.

"Avery, get over here," Alden gestured at Lorcan, who in his his true nature was watching the two buzz around the gardens.

"What are you two doing?" Avery was curious about the sudden shifts and changes in the gardens, considering they were most likely not sanctioned by the man who owned it all.