Ghost Orchids

Chapter 5: The Ocean Elf

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The sun was just reaching its highest peak in the sky, soft white clouds floating past lazily. In the distance, Aiden could see the earth and brick walls of The Petite Nest, vines and wildflowers competing to claim the small tavern for nature. As he came closer, he saw that there was no sign of the tall Meadow Elf waiting outside. Shrugging his shoulders, he figured the only other option was for him to be inside. Gathering up his courage, he knocked on the heavy wooden door.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Barely a moment later, the door swung open, and the same fairy from the other night stood staring up at him, scanning every last inch of his form. With a nervous smile, he brushed his pale blue hair aside and gestured toward his pointed ears as he had done before, hoping the bouncer might remember. All he wanted at that time was to get inside and sit down, considering the weight of the overfilled satchel slung across his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀After a few more seconds of awkward silence, the bouncer stepped out of the way. "Welcome back," he said rather unenthusiastically. "Oh, and your friend is over there. He told me to let you know." The small fairy nodded his head in the direction of a round table in the far corner of the room. Sitting there was Terrence, his hands folded in front of him and his eye on the floor.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Thank you," Aiden replied as he made his way over the the back end of the bar. Drawn out of whatever temporary trance he was in, Terrence glanced up and noticed the half-nymph coming his way. With a friendly smile on his face, he waved enthusiastically and patted the seat next to him with an outstretched hand.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Glad you made it alright!" the Meadow Elf chuckled as Aiden plopped down onto the wooden stool next to him, letting out a sigh of relief.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Same t-to you," Aiden breathed, tugging at his satchel strap. "And I'm glad to be sitting d-down," he added with a laugh.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, that bag of yours looks a bit on the heavy side. What all did you bring? Your whole house?" Terrence questioned jokingly.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Rolling his eye at him, Aiden responded, "Actually, I pretty much just brought some clothes and my j-journal. You know, for r-research purposes and all. Can't forget that."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Ooo," the elf muttered, his eye lighting up with interest. "That's honestly so cool, that you log everything you find out. See, with my flowers, I kind of just have to remember how to care for each of them. I just commit it to memory, never write anything down. That's probably not such a good idea now that I think about it..." His voice trailing off, he shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I can always try to keep a journal in the future, right?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Heh, yeah. I'm sure you'll f-find it especially helpful on super stressful days. It'll remind you not to water your plants with nectar."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With a blank look on his face, Terrence responded, "You know, I've actually done that before one time." Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he explained, "It was when I first hit the right age to drink nectar, actually. I guess I took it a little overboard and was too tipsy to notice." Shaking his head, he laughed at himself for a moment. "I remember pretty clearly, those plants looked more alive than I'd ever seen them just for that night, and when I woke up in the morning, they were all shriveled up!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, goodness." Aiden tried to hold back his laughter, but the moment the Meadow Elf cracked up, so did he. They were sitting there cackling for nearly a minute, and by the time they stopped, they both had to catch their breaths. Aiden had even started to cry from laughing too hard. "So," the half-nymph started, wiping a tear from his eye, "w-what did you pack for the trip?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Glancing at the large brown sack sitting in front of his feet, Terrence shrugged his shoulders. "Same thing as you, just about. I've got some clothes, some stuff to cook with since I wasn't sure if you had any experience or not, some money just in case, and a few other things."