War of the Roses (3) (MANUSCRIPT)

Stem 9: The Boy, Part 1

    A patch of flowers, wet as they swayed over the earth, cracked and hissed. Through the thick, humid air, a series of sparkles danced. Bits of debris connecting into one another, a swirling vortex pierced the fabric of reality. 

    "Wew! That was a long fight. Well, I'm glad the students are keen." Yawning and cracking his neck, Maximus D. Kaline hopped out of a portal into a field of sunflowers. 

      Putting his hands over his hips, he looked up to the cyan sky. 

      "Huh, yeah, funny. Gosh, I wonder if they know 'restraint', though?" Gliding down, a white shirt buttoned over her figure, Amaret Cook crossed her arms. "Would rather not have the new kids for the Cardinal Agency killin' each other, yeah?"

      Max shrugged, bending over. "Well, we'll get to that in our next lesson! In the meantime, I just wanted to use one of those scrolls, that Aubrey gave me, to teleport ourselves over to the nearest tex-mex restaurant." 

     Amy raised her brow, a scowl on her face. "Ah, and how well did that turn out, for ya?" 

     Max's gaze grew and his lips went straight. "Shit. It turned to shit. That's how." 

     "Huh. Did you ever, like, test out if Aubrey's teleportation scrolls are really that effective?" Amy began to walk around the field, her heading turning often. "Where the hell are we, anyway?" 

     "I guess I didn't. Always figured they'd just, ya know, work. I mean, Aubrey never seemed to have any trouble with'em herself." 

     "Wh- What? Really, now? This is Aubrey we're talking about. She used to have Lector Ruthven explode five cleansing tags in her pocket just to get her attention." 

     Max sighed over a tall sunflower. "Ah, I remember the good ol' days." 

     Shaking her head, the girl dialed a number on her phone. "I'll just call Milford and see what he's up to." 

     "Probably crying in his room over a dark lamp and writing poetry." Max spat. "I mean, I'm just sayin'. 'swhat he's up to, these days." 

     Amy rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Uhuh." 

     The air ripping around them, echoes of wind hissing, a random arm reached out. 

     "Ah! What the hell is-" 

     "I think his ears were burning." Amy put a hand to her hip. 

     Following the arm, a lanky leg, covered in a black legging, stepped over the grass. "Hi guys." 

     "Hi Milford." Amy waved a choppy wave. 

     Taking in his surroundings, Milford put a hand over his eyebrows. "Wow, it's really bright out here." 

     Max shook his head. "And I'm sure you're wondering where we are, right?"

     "No. It's somewhat obvious."  

     Rolling his eyes, Max scratched the back of his neck. "Huh! Ya caught me. Well, we were trying to get back home. I don't know how to use Aubrey's scrolls. But-" 

     "But Zarkadda's killer is still out there, and we have a small trail on who he could be." Amy arched her back.

     Milford's gaze widened. "Z- Zarkadda's killer is still out there?" 

     "I'm thinking this is gonna be a long journey. Been a few months, and the only hint is that the person must've used a unique compound of rosefire." Max reached into his pocket. "The ground around the 'scene of the crime', sorta covered by trees, was melted some." 

     "Oh. Is that patch of melted grass for me, then?" 

     "Hmph." Max shoved his hand back in his pocket. "I don't know why, but whenever I smell it, it keeps having this familiar scent to it. It's like... a familiar person." 

     "Well, weird. Hm. Anyway, I can get us back." Milford spun on his heel. "Aubrey gave me, specifically -- I know, this is convenient -- a teleportation-tag that always sends us back to the base." 

     "And the base is currently the headquarters of?" Max snapped his fingers. 

     "Ugh. The Neo-Order of the Cardinal." 

     "Thanks, buddy!" 

     Amy rolled her eyes. "Really proud of that one, aren't ya?" 

     "Very." 

     The short girl put her arms around Max's waist. "Well, when we get back, can you show me something else that you're proud of?" 

     Milford's cheeks turned red. Jeez! You guys know that ever since I was split from Milan, I can really feel what it's like to be more human, right? Hehe. Milan, I never thought I'd come to miss you. Ain't that some, as I've heard the old men say, 'shit'?

     "Innuendos around Milford are a lil' weird, aren't they?" Max stepped back, but continued to hold one hand, laced between his girlfriend's. 

     Amy turned. "Oh! I actually almost forgot he was still there." 

     "He's how we'll get back!" Max cocked his head. 

     "Pffft. Well, someone has to be competent. By the way, Milford, I like your new haircut." 

     Turning, Milford ran a hand through his hair. The wind blew across his neck, the once long strands of frost now closer to the skin. These days, only his bangs fell down over his forehead. 

     "That's right, I actually almost forgot." Milford clapped in Amy's direction. "Haha. Thank you though." 

     Her mouth small and agape, the girl froze. 

     "Haha! Shit, he got you, didn't he?" Max chuckled. 

     Crossing her arms, Amy closed her eyes. "That was pretty in-the-moment, dude." 

     "Thanks, dude." Milford winked, then pulled a piece of paper out from of his sleeve. 

     "Wow, you're like a magician." 

     Milford nodded. "Thanks, Max. By the way, I want you to know that once we get back to the base, I might leave before you guys get re-situated." 

     "How come?" 

     "While you guys have been out looking for Zarkadda's killer, I've been -- I'm sorry, I was gonna tell you both -- looking for Milan's killer." 

      Max put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "What? But, Milford, wasn't Milan totally cruel and the woman who killed Ash-"

     "I know, Max." Milford glared. "But you've heard of them, haven't you? The people who took over the city a few weeks back." 

     Amy's knees started to shake. 

     "Who?" 

     "The Flower Children. These plant-people who killed off all the Davidians. All the Davidians, except for me." 

      Max lifted his arm off Milford's shoulder. "So you're worried about Milan's killer simply because of the potential threat as well?" 

     "Yeah. Whoever killed Milan must've been insanely powerful, just like whoever killed that Zarkadda guy. I obviously don't have a lot of sympathy for that woman, but whoever her killer was- I have a feeling that they're all the worse, and, apparently, I may know what their 'species' is."

     Nipping the paper from Milford, Amy sighed. "Alright, well, I'd like to get home now. How's about we conduct the search as a team, anyway? Zarkadda's and Milan's killer... might be the same person."