THE PLAN

A strong, warm breeze covered Rossmaria, carrying with it multiple well defined white clouds, contrasting with the deep blue of the early afternoon sky. Even though their shape seemed firm at first glance, they slowly deformed as the wind carried them above the city.

Aelia sat down at the center of the haven with her white sundress, facing its only access, and feeling how the sun caressed her skin intermittently, depending on whether the skies cleared above her or not.

This time, the breeze flowed against where The Keep was, allowing Aelia to enjoy a pure natural silence, gently decorated by the sound of the wind brushing the bushes, and carrying with it the subtle smells of the garden.

Out in the end of the garden, appeared Fennel, awkwardly reaching the end of the spiraling staircases that surrounded the tower they were on, carrying his satchel bag. He seemed tired, as if catching his breath, and having trouble standing up. He walked slowly towards Aelia, as if his legs were hurting. This view was enough to make Aelia let out a laugh.

“Pfft-hahaha! What’s wrong Fennel.” Chuckled Aelia. “I see you're having trouble.”

“I really hope I don’t have to climb up any more stairs today. I can barely stand.”

Fennel sat down in front of Aelia, and began to explain about how asking for advice to her mother, led him and Inai to the Library next to the Keep.

“Wait, so you haven’t slept at all today?” Asked Aelia incredulously. “Well, it’s not like I can judge. I couldn’t sleep at all the night just before. Until you know… Inai and you had to sedate me.” Aelia changed her expression from surprise to curiosity. “However you don’t seem to be sleepy at all. How do you do it?”

Fennel smiled, and took a vacuum flask from his bag.

“By having very little respect for my own well-being.” He said as he showed the flask to Aelia. “Do you know what coffee is?”

“The ‘stuff’ that’s sold on coffeehouses.” She answered immediately.

“And do you know what that ‘stuff’ is?” Asked Fennel with a comically irritated look from Aelia’s answer.

“I have no idea.”

“Well, down at the researchers’ common room, we have a lot of coffee. It’s a drink that gives you almost immediate energy in exchange of making you feel awful afterwards.”

“Well. That sounds… interesting.”

“After visiting the library, we went for a coffee to the place I told you about.”

“The one that’s inside The Keep?” Asked Aelia with an evident sense of wonder.

“Exactly.” Replied Fennel with a tired but playful smile. “If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably have passed out in the common room upon arrival.”

“It seems like that ‘coffee’ you’re talking about is really powerful.”

“Only if you drink it as much as I did today. It will surely come back and haunt me in a few hours.”

“Huh. I see.”

Fennel started to look inside his satchel bag.

“I’ll be honest Aelia. I couldn’t help but think you would really have liked being down there with us this morning.” He said as Aelia looked at him with curiosity. “So I thought that maybe, if you couldn’t be there, I could bring a piece of the coffeehouse to you.”

Fennel took a mug out from his bag, and handed it to Aelia. It was wide but not very tall, resembling the midnight sky. It also had an elegantly written logo that read “Salmon Cafe”. Aelia looked at it with sparkling eyes that seemed to be completely lost in the portrayal of the night-sky, as if they were reflecting the same stars on the mug’s surface.

“I’m sorry if this is cheesy, but it’s color made me think of your hair.” Said Fennel.

Aelia was speechless.

“And look!” Fennel started pouring some coffee from his flask. The color of the mug started to change as the mug was filled, changing to a sky-blue color. “When you fill it up, it changes to the colors of your eyes. It’s like it was designed for you! Don’t you think?”

Aelia’s hands started to shake, as she left the mug on the ground, fearing she would drop it if she held it any longer.

“Can- can I really have this?” She asked with hints of a broken voice.

“Of course. I brought it for you.” Said Fennel, as he couldn’t tell if Aelia was going to laugh or cry. “Do you like it?”

Aelia lowered her head as she was sitting with her legs crossed, and started laughing out loud towards the floor. She passed her hands across her face, cleaning up tears that Fennel couldn’t see.

“It’s like you really want me to cry, Fennel.” She said with a broken laugh. “Of course I like it. I haven’t had any gifts since your mother gave me this wristband.”

“I’m glad. Why don’t you try it out?”

“Is this even drinkable?”

“It is.”

Aelia started to drink with a single long gulp. Her face couldn’t hide the fact she was grossed out by the bitter taste.

“Wh… what in the world is this thing.” She asked as if her whole body was suffering from the taste. “It’s so intense.”

Before Fennel could answer, she took another long gulp, having a similar reaction as the first time.

“Wait!- If you drink it all you might have trouble sleeping again, Aelia.” Gasped Fennel, reaching out to Aelia's arm, to stop her from drinking too much.

“Oh, you should have said that from the start.”

The contrast from what both of them had lived the day just before, at around this same hour of the day, made everything seem like a bad dream for a moment. They were both having fun as if they had been lifelong friends. Which in a way, they might have been. However, even within the laughs and jokes, the eerie feeling of fear and stress lurked behind the back of their minds.

After goofing around some more, they finally got back into business.

“So, you said you wanted to see me.” Asked Aelia in a lighthearted, but serious tone. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I have a plan for the audience next week.” Fennel said with a smile that lightened up his otherwise exhausted face. “It took me a while, but I think it might succeed if we put in the work.”

Aelia listened with her full attention.

“I think I’ve found a way to help you go out to the city, while staying as a guardian in training.” Said Fennel carefully. “It’s just a chance, but at least now I’m convinced it’s not impossible to do so.”

Fennel proceeded to explain to Aelia how his studies with Inai last night, showed them that the rules over which guardians were trained, could be bent if it meant that they would have a positive effect on a guardian’s training.

In order to prove this, Aelia would have to show some form of clear progress within this week, so that they could prove that having the goal going out of the palace, was enough to push Aelia to become stronger. This could be enough to prove Ataoro wrong about Aelia being useless as a guardian, helping towards both objectives of surviving the audience with the king, and changing the status quo of Aelia’s training methods.

“This will only work if this idea motivates you, Aelia. Would you be willing to work hard in order to follow the plan?” Asked Fennel with a mix of pride from his plan, but also worry from what Aelia’s answer would be.

“I’d be totally willing to.” Said Aelia. “But how am I supposed to progress significantly in a single week?”

Fennel then proceeded to explain his conversation with Lex. About how Ataoro was interested in her controlling her body as she fought with the orbs. If she could also master her fifth parallel thought and passed the test, it would be great, but he understood it was close to impossible.

“I could certainly try.” Said Aelia in a thoughtful tone. “I also think that Lord Ataoro might really like me to control one of the vigilants. But the mere thought of it makes me fill sick.”

“You don’t seem to like them, do you?”

“When I was little, I touched one by mistake.” She remembered. “It was the single most traumatizing event I’ve had in my life. It felt like my whole existence was tearing apart.”

“But isn’t it similar to controlling and orb?” Wondered Fennel.

“Training orbs are not even remotely as invasive.” She replied. “It just feels like having more eyes, that can travel in straight lines, while being controlled by my other minds.”

“I can’t say I find it relatable, but I think I get it.” Observed Fennel.

“But vigilants are different… I’ve only connected once to them, but it felt like having a whole other body with distorted senses.” She said with an anguished look in her face. “Can you imagine what it feels like seeing new colors? or hearing sounds far beyond your hearing range?”

“I can’t say I can.” Replied Fennel troubled.

“It’s not a comfortable feeling.”

A moment of silence reigned, as Aelia remembered that past event, and Fennel struggled to imagine the impact that might have had on Aelia as a child.

“In any case.” Proceeded Fennel. “I don’t think you need to connect to a vigilant in order to succeed. As long as you prove palpable progress within next week, our chances of success increase drastically.”

“So I should work on developing my fifth thought, controlling my body, and hopefully landing a hit on Lex on a training session. Right?” Summarized Aelia.

“If you manage to do so during the real test, it would be even better.” Stated Fennel. “I’m actually thinking about some strategies, but let’s talk about that tomorrow. I still need to give them some more thought.”

“Well. I also have some ideas of my own.” Replied Aelia with a confident smile. “I’ll be waiting to see what you come up with Fennel.”