A Forest of Secrets

Chapter 19

Jo almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Clay's face just millimeters from hers; the golem was softly calling her name. She'd have to add that way of waking up to her list of "Jo's least favorite things". She pushed herself back, rubbing her eyes. She was disoriented, she'd forgotten where she was. The forest, she reminded herself. That majestic city in the middle of the trees. The hanging glass pods. She tried to fix her hair with her fingers.

"Master Koldo is ready to see you, my lady," Clay said, blinking too fast, then smiling awkwardly.

"Let's go then-- no point in staying here staring at each other, right?" she teased. Clay looked at her with a blank expression, again with the fast blinking. Jo rolled her eyes.

She followed the golem out of the pod. Alaric, Wyn, and Laurentius were waiting for her, all of them wearing faradian-style tunics. When Jo looked at Alaric she had to suppress a laugh: his tunic was a mess of bright pink, yellow, purple and green, fastened with a silver brooch in the shape of a pigeon. She couldn't hold her laugh anymore, it was too much.

"I know," Alaric did a little pose, grabbing the colorful tunic with his index and thumb. "I look stunning, don't I? It's very fresh. Maybe we should change the Onturian uniform, trade it for these," Jo laughed harder, and so did the other two. He looked completely ridiculous and awkward, but still, somehow, managed to look handsome.

"I think you owe me a dance on a dress? Tunics are technically dresses, no?" Alaric looked surprised-- she smirked, did he think she'd forgotten about it? "I'll collect the bet later today. Prep your dance moves, sweetheart," she winked at him.

Alaric looked at Jo with a funny expression on his face. He didn't blush as much as he used to. He just... he did that face now; he had started making it a while ago, that half-smirk-eyebrow-rise expression. The blushing distracted her from it before. She felt a thing in her stomach, a fluttering sensation-- of course not, there was definitely not a thing. She forced a laugh, trying to seem unfazed. Maybe it was something she ate, she decided, that wretched syrupy fruit no doubt. She tried to dismiss the thought: that's what she got for opening the door to her emotions.

"Let's go have a talk with Koldo, shall we? Then we can thank him for these beautiful attires," Jo teased, pushing Clay forward and steering herself away from Alaric's gaze.

"I rather like the tunics, in all honesty," Laurentius caressed the fabric of his clothes, smiling; his tunic was of a deep purple, embroidered with what looked like golden water drops inside other water drops. Of course he was going to like them, they were the most Laurentius thing in the world: loudly unapologetic and flamboyant, but classy.

Wyn kept tripping with the hem hers as she walked; the girl finally stopped to tie a knot between her legs creating a manner of baggy pants. She looked funny, but at least she wasn't tripping anymore.

The sun was starting to set, she realized as they walked on the hanging corridors; the whole Forest was covered in a soft golden light. One by one, tiny spheres of light started to appear between the branches; they looked like fireflies, but they were way too many, too bright and too still- they were definitely the product of some sort of magical trick. She ran to inspect one that appeared near them- it was, in fact, a small bright ball.

"They seem to be... seeds or fruits," Laurentius also strayed from his path to look at them. Soon they were all surrounding the lights. Laurentius grabbed one of them, smashing it between his fingers. "They're soft, and..." he squeezed harder. The ball burst, leaving his hand covered with a luminescent liquid.

"Is that safe? Maybe you should get it cleaned up," Jo made a face-- with their luck, it was probably poison.

"I'll let you know if my hand falls off," Laurentius joked. At least she thought it was a Joke.