Things I Wrote at One Time or Another

The Arcana; "and in between we garden," pt. iii

☀︎︎ | and in between we garden, pt. iii

"It's not that bad." Asra said.

Their heads were all turned up towards the sizable hole in the roof—pieces of torn wood piercing the white sky in their silhouettes. They looked like claws, ready to tumble down and drive a splinter right into your eye. Luca shut his eyes, turning away at the thought.

"I can make something temporary," Muriel offered. "Gather some small branches together—unless you have some spare wood lying around already."

Luca's lips pulled themselves into a thin line, walking off towards the back door in the kitchen to see something. He leaned out of the doorway, surveying the area outside before turning back. "I managed to carry out a broken book shelf from the hallway, we could probably scrap that—" he eyed Asra who was toying with a broken cupboard. "You know what that means."

His friend glanced at him for a moment before realization struck him, a grin spanning across his face. "I'll have to warm up first," he said, letting go of the cupboard door and moving out to join him in the backyard.

Muriel stood at the doorway, housing Faust in his hands while Asra and Luca moved the broken book shelf away from the cottage. It was white and decorated in floral patterns, looking like it belonged in a young girl's room. They were covered with splotches of paint and little childish pictures etched into the wood. Luca seemed indifferent to the scrawlings, encouraging Asra to collect something to practice on.

They scoured the lawn, looking for something invaluable and big enough to mess with. Asra collected a few old cans and jars from the kitchen, nervous about suggesting anything else. There were countless architectural textbooks scattered by the wall but he assumed Luca would want to keep those. Luca came trudging with a chair on his back like a turtle's shell.

"I always hated this chair," He stated, settling it down a bit away from everything else.

"Isn't that—"

"The time out chair," Luca said eerily, and then a boyish grin curled on his lips and he kicked the legs of it with his foot. He looked over at Asra, "Give it your best shot."

"You sure you don't wanna try?" He asked, "Maybe practice on these—" he raised the collection of targets in his arms.

Luca cocked his head to the side, his grin turning into a smirk. "Oh, Asra—nervous about messing up in front of me?" Luca chuckled, feigning an entitled air. "I think we're well aware of who the star pupil was,*" he would've tossed his hair back but remembered he had cut it.

Asra let out a dry laugh, tossing a can towards his friend who fumbled catching it. "I learned an extra thing or two in Zadith, I'd be happy to show you," a playful, competitive passed between the two of them. It echoed the senseless games they'd play against each other as children, daring to land themselves into big trouble.

Muriel looked apprehensive, "None of this sounds like a good idea." He couldn't hear her, but Faust agreed. "What if you get hurt?"

"You're right," Luca said, placing his hands on his hips. "Muriel, you're the mediator—if anything bad happens you'll have to run and get Alma."

"I'm not doing that—"

Luca clapped his hands, "Let's go!"

☀︎︎

Muriel managed to convince them to take precaution, so while one competed, the others would watch from the kitchen window. Luca would go first, stand behind one of the large oaks and take aim.

They watched him in silence, Faust weaving her way through Asra's hair as the young man gazed on.

The freckled boy hummer a bit, letting the vibrations from an old melody travel down him, a way to get his muscles to relax. Luca had a tendency to set himself, like a runner, when he was going to cast a spell. A soft chuckle escaped Asra as he saw his friend position himself, almost like a boxer: with one foot behind the other, hands up in guard.