White box

Peaches

When Stephanie woke up next, she was surprised about how rowdy it sounded all around, but the more surprising thing was how good her senses were, it felt like she could feel more and take in more - she felt like she could describe the feeling of the soft moss on her skin in three pages, she felt so many nuances in the way the air scented - the scent of forest was extremely complex, but she had never noticed it before.

It was even overwhelming. Right-- she put up her hand to draw up a summoning circle. It felt so easy like she could keep writing or drawing in mid-air using aether with no problem. Huh-- right! She felt no aether drain anymore!

Eyy! Did that mean the oasis was finished?

Purple finished synchronizing and the wisp changed to take his shape. "Morning," he greeted her with a smile.

Mhm-- she reached out her arms.

Purple let out a smiling sigh, but rather than walking up to her, she felt herself change locations to the bed in the cave room and then he did give her a good morning kiss. Stephanie had instant regrets of not picking appraisal as the first skill to learn--

She could feel so much more now...

Every caress made her tremble, every kiss electrified and it both felt like too much, but also like she could not stop. It was a miracle Purple could have any self-restraint at all if he felt even more than she did, ha hah-- now his reactions to her advances on that first day made so much more sense.

Wow.

She was still in a daze as she now felt her cheeks go rosy and eyes waver at the same usual matcha latte. It was actually this well made? The faint bitterness, the perfect foamy sensation of milk and the light sweetness running through it all that wasn't even sugar. Now she could feel a very faint trace of coconut - gula java? The milk too tasted faintly different, but--

The hell was she doing, appraising her favorite drink.

"I need to gift something to the person making this," Stephanie said with tears at the corners of her eyes. "I had been such a waste for this treasure--" two hundred was too cheap of a price, it should cost ten times more.

Purple smiled. "You know, I was quite troubled on how to get a matcha latte that would be worth the potions you tried to trade for it."

Hm? Stephanie looked over at him - the wisp had made the transaction so smoothy she would have never known.

"But it was worth seeing the smile of that alchemist I made the request to," he said. "It wasn't a waste."

Stephanie couldn't help but smile back, taking another sip and savoring the taste. Mhm. This was perfect. Now she could also feel a trace of aether infused in the drink - not a big amount, but enough to add a bit of additional warmth, it was just the right amount one would add subconsciously to something made with love.

"I want to make some potions," Stephanie whispered at the cup. She too wanted to craft some things with love.

"I'm pretty sure Carl will lend you his workshop as long as you sell him half of what you make," Purple said.

"Can you ask?" Her eyes sparkled over. She felt like she could make something so much better now.

Purple nodded and spaced out for a bit, then said. "Get dressed."

And so Stephanie did, while asking just one question. "Can't you summon clothes straight on people?"

"I can, but it takes away the joy of getting dressed," Purple replied. "Nothing like the sensation of fresh, good quality fabric overlying body layer by layer."