Getting into the Weeds

As Annie emerged from the castle with Lilin, she looked towards the sky. Stormclouds lingered in the sky, but rain didn't seem to be coming from them. She saw occasional sparks of lightning, but never heard the following thunder. Why was that?

"Lilin," she asked, "Why doesn't it rain here?"

"Oh, you mean like how it rains in the Deathlands? Simple, it's 'cuz of the barrier."

Annie nodded, repeating the word to herself. "Barrier... The Demon King's barrier?"

Lilin nodded. "Yep. He keeps it up all day. It's why nothing can get in or out without one of his workers accompanying it. Sounds, travelers, weather, everything."

"I see... That would make the castle quite secure."

"What, were you expecting something less of him, Ten?"

"Oh, no," Annie laughed, "it's just that it makes too much sense!"

Lilin nodded, continuing to lead the way towards the barrier. The walk was featureless but far from bland. Annie took in the world around her like a sponge, soaking in the details. The way the ground was damp but so grey and lifeless still intrigued her to no end, the fine and mist-like quality of the mana in the air (she hoped it was mana or she had no idea what it was in the air), and the way the wind seemed to be a consistent flow. Everything felt just slightly different, just a bit more intriguing. It was all so much for her to take in, but so mundane for Lilin. 

Eventually, Annie noticed something in the distance. It was like a massive bubble that shimmered, and they were looking out from the inside. It wasn't a small bubble, either. It covered everything she could see. Just outside the bubble was an unrelenting storm, the raindrops puttering against its surface but making no noise. The lightning wasn't followed by thunder, though.

"Barrier caught your eye, Ten?" Lilin asked.

Annie hadn't realized she was gawking so much. She reined in her expression and nodded, smiling.
"It's quite an impressive thing, really. Is it keeping out sound as well?"

"Yes, I already said it was," Lilin said a bit impatiently. "Now, the barrier itself is made out of mana. That combined with the water on the other side means that it can grow plants. So, our job right now is to get rid of the weeds so they don't drain any of the mana from our King. Got it? Don't leave anything rooted in the dirt."

"Yes, ma'am," Annie replied. 

The two of them got to work without more conversation. Lilin appreciated the open air giving her space to think, but those tunes were still stuck in her head. Ugh, fuck it. Time to fight fire with fire. She started to hum her own tune, a bit upset she had to waste her breath just to ignore something that Ten wasn't even doing anymore. But... After a little while, she found herself not hating it? It didn't feel like a waste of breath, it felt like a metronome. A way to keep herself at a continual pace while working, and a way to focus the rest of her mind as she did mind-numbing, menial tasks. It felt... Really nice, actually. She could understand why Ten would do this, though she didn't care much for Ten's songs.

Annie hummed as she picked the weeds, feeling similarly grateful for the space. She could feel her head clearing as she resumed the familiar work. She remembered when Madeline was growing, she went through a phase where she didn't want to talk to Annie at all. It was a struggle to mend their relationship, but what had eventually joined them back together was growing flowers. They had their own sections of the garden, and they had agreed to challenge one another to making flower arrangements. Whoever could make the more beautiful one would win. Madeline won by a landslide. Annie had learned that darker flowers were quite breathtaking when arranged together, and pastel flowers could be quite bland in comparison.

As they worked, Annie noticed some beautiful flowers. They seemed to be pale white roses, their petals soft as... Well, as soft as rose petals. They wouldn't do anybody any good all the way out here, so she gathered a few into the pitiful pockets of her uniform, hopeful that they would be good for harvesting seeds from. Then, she continued to work.

For hours, the two of them worked. Lilin felt her back ache a bit, her body getting more and more filthy with dirt and dust as she felt her annoyance slowly growing. This job wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the best. At least it presented a chance for somebody to try and attack her, even if it never really happened....

Annie, on the other hand, was thrilled. This was quite easy, and the delights of being in a young body once more never wore off. Bending over didn't risk anything, little aches and pains went away so quickly, and she only ever needed a minute or so to recover her strength. It was liberating to work like this once again, even if it wasn't a proper garden.

Eventually, they had weeded a massive portion of the barrier, so Lilin stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked and saw Ten in the distance, quickly throwing herself into the air and flying over to her. It was hardly a strain on her to fly, and she didn't want to be on her legs at this point. Well, except to land. That was always fun!

Annie yelped as she heard Lilin land right beside her, seeing the demon woman skid to a halt on her heels as she left deep gashes in the dirt.

"Gah, I don't know if I'll ever get used to your method of landing," Annie said. "I've never flown myself, but surely there's a better way to do it."

"Nope!" Lilin said, "It's definitely the best way to do it. Now, does poor little Ten need me to carry her, or is she gonna walk the whole way back?"

Annie smiled, but shook her head. "Thank you for offering, dear, but I've got something I wouldn't want to mistakenly drop in flight."

Lilin looked around. There wasn't anything valuable out here, and she hadn't really brought anything here. "Really? What is it?"

Annie pulled the flowers out of her pocket. "These, dear. I've never seen anything quite like these, so I'd quite like to grow them in the castle's garden."

"Castle's garden? That? HAH! Our garden doesn't hold useless shit like that."

Annie tilted her head. "Useless? These aren't useless, dear. They're quite pretty to look at, and they brighten up an area like nothing else. Perhaps, if not the garden, there may be some pots we can keep them in?"

"Pfft, as if. I wouldn't waste mana on something like that. What, do they make fruits or perfumes or something?"

Annie nodded a bit. "I suppose you could make it into a perfume, but I'd need to see the mature flowers bloom to know if it would be pleasant. However... if you really need some use for them, I believe they would be beautiful to wear as an accessory. Perhaps a flower in your hair?"

Lilin scoffs. "As if YOU could make me more beautiful. Whatever, I'll prove it. Give me one of those flowers, I'll grow it and show that I'm too beautiful for it."

Annie shakes her head, chuckling. "No, dear. I need to dry these out to harvest their seeds. It will be a while before I can give you something you can grow. But, as soon as I have what you need, I will be sure to give them to you. After all, who else could make such good use of a plant as beautiful as this?"

Lilin scowled. She knew Ten was playing her, but it was working.
"Whatever, Ten. Just walk, I'll meet you at the castle with another job for us to do."

She turned and got ready to fly, but turned back to Annie for one last remark.
"And, for the record, I don't care to work with you. I'm only doing this because the King ordered it."

With a massive gust of wind, Lilin took to the air, flying back to the castle. Annie was left alone, and with one simple thought:

Who had said anything about that?