10 Minute Tales

Jun 6

The rest of her day was spent in a light-headed haze, scarcely believing her luck. She had been harassed by Marvin for months, and to think she was finally free... she could barely believe it! Her fingers crawled over the keyboard as her mind raced. Where had she conjured the courage to speak up like that? He had offered a little pay rise again, he had followed through last time, but somehow she felt better for this outcome. She barely noticed what was happening until a hand rested on her shoulder, making her flinch. When she looked over, it was the newcomer that had saved her, Mister Kessler.

"Oh, uh, good morning..." she muttered.

"Morning?" he chuckled slightly. "You've missed your lunch hour." She blinked, surprised.

"I... have?"

"Yes. You seemed to be lost in your own world, I just came to check if you were okay."

"Y-yes, I..." she glanced aside, smiling self-consciously. "I'm fine." Kessler relaxed a little, smiling. That smile melted her heart.

"Wonderful." he nodded. "Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"Oh, would you?" she smiled, but quickly shook herself. "N-no, I... I couldn't ask you to do that..."

"I insist." Kessler grinned. "You'll need your strength." he turned to leave.

"Huh?" the oddity of the statement had caught her attention. "Need my strength?" She stood up and looked at Kessler, but he was already moving - and quite quickly, too. She stood for a moment, confused, and sat down again. Did he... she blushed a little at the thought, but if he liked her... A gentle shudder trickled down her spine. "What are you planning, mister Kessler?" she muttered to herself, allowing a small giggle to escape from her.

-----

I barely believed what I was seeing. Was he hitting on her? Or was he just trying to earn her trust? In either case, I kept one eye firmly on Kessler. He was planning something, surely. He seemed to be legitimate, at least; he even used actual money for it. Other employees had noticed this blatant flirting, though he didn't seem to care. They, too, were distracted by the recent events, though; they seemed to be more lenient. I frowned softly, looking around the floor. Nobody else was hitting on her... but there was a definite aura of power coming from her now. Was she growing in power without even trying? Either that, or someone was empowering her. And with only one being that had any magic on that floor - hell, in that half of the building - I had to suspect Kessler. Empowering others wasn't his tactic, though... my eyes widened as I came to the only conclusion I could. The Cinniúi had hidden the fact it was awake. If it was even possible, it would explain everything. I had to leave. I took a running jump. I could already feel the crystal heating up as my boss tried to contact me, to demand an explanation, but I didn't have the time. If the flower was a threat... balance was a very difficult thing to maintain, and we would lose it if my theory was right.

-----

Kessler was coming back, staring out of the window.

"H-hi." Felicia muttered a greeting, smiling gently. Kessler looked to be all business, however.

"The flower is dangerous." he muttered. Her smile vanished as quickly as his had.

"What...?"

"The flower you got last night. It's already influenced you."

"Influenced? What...?"

"Trust me, okay? I can't explain any more here." he went to move on, leaving a chocolate bar on her counter. She turned to look at him, confused. How did he know about the Cinniúi? Why did he say it was dangerous? She turned back to her monitor, opening the chocolate and eating it distractedly. Things were getting weirder and weirder... all of this because of a flower? She needed answers sooner, rather than later. Once she was out of work... She just needed to get through the afternoon.

-----

The flower was blooming. I couldn't believe it. This... nobody, even by the standards of the Uncasting, was helping a Cinniúi actually bloom. I didn't have an explanation. The flower had chosen her, even though she had no magic. I just sat there, dumbfounded, until the crystal heated up again. I reluctantly got it out.

"What the hell are you doing, White Mask?" my boss demanded. "You've lost track of both the target and Kessler!"

"I was following a hunch. She's making the flower bloom." there was no reply for a solid minute. When she spoke again, the voice was much quieter.

"Can you see the main body?" I quickly checked.

"Not yet. It's not open enough."

"... I don't know if it was worth losing track of Kessler, but this is definitely worth keeping an eye on. I'll get a full recon team."

"I'll handle this myself."

"... if you promise to actually focus on the target, then I'll agree to it. Do you promise me that?"

"Yes, ma'am. The birth of a Cinniúi is definitely worth monitoring."

"Just hope she doesn't become too attached to it."

"Yes, ma'am."

-----

Finally, work was over. She stormed out of the office, barely even looking at Kessler. The only thing that slowed her down was the front door. As she fumbled for her card, Kessler caught up.

"Remember what I said." he muttered darkly, going through a different door and quickly walking out of sight. She huffed at his back, his earlier charm all but gone. She was going to find out, alright. She remembered where she had got this flower that had made her life so damn weird, and she was going to ask so many questions. She strode through the streets, her frustration giving her a semblance of confidence until she came to the market again. It wasn't as busy in the day but crowds still swarmed around, moving from shop to shop. Which one was it...

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked a passer-by. He stopped and turned to look at her.

"Yes?" he asked, sporting the same thick accent as the florist.

"Do you know where the flower shop is?"

"Flower shop?" he frowned slightly. "Miss, there hasn't been a flower shop here in decades."