Ballad of Flowers

Chapter 25

                Magma sat there quietly, trying to force down the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. Lust got up and gripped her in a hug, her expression distant. A small chuckle escaped Magma. "Heh... Two hugs in one day... that's a new record..." "First genuine hug I've had in years...." Lust mumbles under her breath, sounding a bit annoyed. Magma couldn't help but whimper, practically shaking as the emotions that had built up over the years finally released, the grief of losing Tangerine, the hatred directed towards her and from her to others, and the pressure of keeping quiet about her feelings.

They quietly sat on the couch, the room practically silent other than the hushed slithers of the tendrils across the floor. After looking and peeking around for a while, the source of them was from a small closet, the door slightly cracked and a few vents leading out and in, practically clogged with them. He gets a few ideas but quickly dismisses them, slightly blushing.

"I think I'm gonna go now..." Alex murmurs, Lust and Magma nodding in response. He hurriedly made his way back to Tulip and Snow's home, out of breath when he arrived. The area was serene, the rustle of trees echoing though the clearing being the only thing that you could hear. As he stepped inside, Snow and Tulip were sitting together at a table full of mechanical parts. They seemed to be engineering something, Tulip muttering small instructions to Snow. They didn't seem to be aware of his presence, Snow's left ear slightly twitching as he closed the door gently. He sat down on the couch, a betrayed whine coming from the defeated cushion and revealing his position to the pair.

"D-Do we have to?" Snow murmurs to Tulip, fear in her expression. "Well, I doubt that he could possibly find the rest on his own..." She grumbles, her tone frustrated and annoyed. "A-Alright..." She whimpered, clutching to Tulip closely as she got up and opened the door again. "It's been a while since we visited Starry..." She muttered, Snow whimpering and gripping on harder. They walked just to the exit of the forest, a small house not too far away. It smelled of paint and ramen, the scent sharp and barely tolerable for Alex. As they knocked, a few things fell over, and someone clumsily made their way to the door. Their... umm... Talons... Clicked and scraped against the floor as they did. When they finally opened the door, Alex was surprised to see a half bird, half feral Rainwing airily look up at them. They didn't seem to be focusing on anything in particular, just sniffing the air. "Snow, Tulip, come in..." They murmured, seemingly unaware of Alex.

"Starry, someone else is here..." Tulip nervously mumbled. "I know... I may be blind, but I can smell that dog..." They wrinkled their nose, shuddering and shutting the door in Alex's face. He rubbed his snout and grumbled softly, starting to walk off before it swung open again. "C'mon Alex, they're just grumpy..." Tulip sighed, beckoning him inside.

The room was quiet, and Starry was glaring directly at Alex's chest. "So... umm..." Snow whimpered, trying to break the silence. The tension was so thick, it could technically be considered chocolate pudding. Alex couldn't help but stare back, focusing on learning more about them. He didn't know their gender, why they didn't like him, or the reason behind their blindness. Their scales seemed to be a dark blue and reminded him of Orchid when she slept. He softly whimpered, wishing he could see her again.

The silence wouldn't lift, Starry stomping back upstairs angrily. "First Spacey, now this animal..." They growled, Tulip sighing softly. "They're normally like this..." She grumbled, getting up with Snow and walking out the door. Alex adds "Get to know Starry" to his mental To-Do list, yawning before trailing behind the two...