PENUMBRA (how the flowers grow)

22. Ambrosia

"Reciprocated love"

The Goldhands take a job fighting beasts in the sewer system of Stillhaven. Apparently, there's been more than one disappearance in the last few days and several deaths since the last new moon. Many folks in the east end are nervous about the rumors, causing a reward to go up, promising riches- a quite heavy sum of riches- to whoever deals with the problem.

Sabina decides to sit this one out. Consequently, so does Tuluvey. It's no trouble, really. He doesn't experience the thrills of being in the throes of battle like everyone else. He enjoys the bartering aspect, but this job had no reason for him to put his silver tongue to use. It's better for him to stay. Besides, he gets to spend time with Sabina, so there isn't a downside.

On the opposite side of Stillhaven, there's a whispering woods. Thin, tall trees with silvery bark sway ever so slightly in the wind. They grow at disjointed angles as if frozen in mid-dance. The leaves are lush green, shaped like hearts. The trees are full of tiny yellow flowers, prosperous from springtime. Fallen petals litter the ground in a carpet. Sabina sneezes and Tuluvey laughs.

Whispering woods are fae land and nothing looks touched. Everything glows. The grasses are tall, sparkling with morning dew. Sabina has to wade through them, but they part for Tuluvey, murmuring inaudible secrets in his ear when he brushes against them. Distantly, he hears laughing- the sound of little bells- chime off to the side. Sabina glances around and Tuluvey smiles.

"This is a lovely morning for walks," Tuluvey greets, Faerie rolling off his tongue, musical and filled with light. "I hope you don't mind us here."

A pixie sticks its head out of the underbrush and pokes its tongue out. "We never mind lovers coming here."

The rapid flutter of wings sounds right next to his ear. He feels the wing-wind brush against his neck. Another pixie, one the color of the yellow flowers of the trees, perches on his shoulder. A few more gather around, fluttering and zipping around Sabina. One of them says something to her, but she doesn't know enough Faerie to comprehend it. She blushes and the pixies make a collective cooing sound and pinch her red cheeks. Random knots appear in her hair as the fae zoom around.

"She told you she thinks you have soulful eyes," Tuluvey translates.

"Oh."

This is cute, Tuluvey thinks, looking at Sabina's flustered expression.

The pixies are only the size of small birds, some bright, some neutral nature colors like brown, textured like wood. They don't wear clothes, as is typical of fae outside town-life. Sabina's eyes dart all around, unsure where to look. One of the fae offers her a blackberry.

That is not cute.

"Don't take that," Tuluvey tells her.

He shoots the fae a dark look and it snickers and takes a bite of the blackberry. The pixies start chittering in their high pitched language of their own and Tuluvey understands exactly none of it (it's how fast they talk, really).

"Would you give us some privacy? She's a human, you know how they are."

The pixies giggle and return to their spots in the plants. Luckily none of them demand any payment from him (and luckily Sabina can't understand them).

"What did you say to them?" Sabina questions, nearly tripping over a branch that definitely wasn't there before.

"Told them to leave us be."