Chapter 32 - Special Interests

The final person to enter the room was a strange fellow.

He was a bespectacled man who stood as tall as Rob did, though where the alligator man bolstered his frame with thick muscle, this creature was more akin to a pole than a wall.

“Oh, Lady Solana, you didn’t inform me we had a visitor.” He was soft-spoken, radiating a gentle kindness. His lilac blue eyes appraised the little nature element seated at the desk, sweeping across her form with practiced precision.

Holly appraised the tall water element – his long, soft hair was braided much neater than his fire counterpart. He dressed primarily in white with lavender accents, though she caught black sleeves poking out from under his top. From what little of it he showed, his skin was the palest she had ever seen. Perhaps that explained the thick manner of dress, though further wonder was piqued by the additional parasol he kept by his side.

His choice of attire, while interesting given the warm climate, wasn’t what drew her attention. That had to be the strange branches that adorned the sides of his head – white with purple frills. His tail was similarly strange, with an almost wet sheen, it was white with a big purple fin at the tip.

The man bowed to the demure plant. “My name is Lee; I am Lady Solana’s humble Resonator. Who might I have the pleasure of meeting?” he greeted.

“Holly,” came the curt reply.

Lee sat his parasol down next to the desk. “A pleasure indeed.” His studious gaze flicked to the vials of seeds scattered across the desk. “I’m an axolotl if you’re familiar.” The way he spoke seemed to hint at something more, but a small tickle of curiosity got the better of Holly.

“No, I’m not familiar,” she replied.

“Our species is only capable of being healers,” he told her, as he moved to sit on one of the beds. “How about you?” he questioned.

It clicked – he offered himself up first before asking anything of her. Courtesy to match his tone and speech patterns. What a prim and proper boy. “I’m a zalavan,” Holly replied.

“Ah, finally someone who can appreciate the wonders of the plant kingdom!” Lee beamed.

Holly blinked. His excitement was sudden, but his genuine interest was more startling. “What?” was all she managed to utter.

Lee hopped up and approached the desk. He knelt on the opposite side of where his umbrella rested. A big bag with some kind of strange red symbol on it entered her vision. Big was an understatement, as he pulled it up, Holly got a good look at it. Whatever it was had been filled to the brim with stuff.

She watched him deftly move his luggage to the bed and take a seat on it once more, now with his trusty bag by his side.

“I’ve been studying traditional medicine as a compliment to my healing magic. There are so many fascinating plants out there with any number of effects on Resonators when mixed in the right doses,” he explained as he rifled through his many possessions.

Finally, he laid out several jars and vials of his own, containing numerous gels, potions, and preserved herbs. They were labeled and the rate at which he was able to suddenly pull them out showed careful attention to their organization.

“While nothing beats apple juice, there are some jams and jellies that when mixed with other seeds can create cures to many status ailments Resonators face.”

Holly hummed as he continued his work. He lifted a jar of red jelly for her to appreciate. It had a lovely color to it, and she even spotted seeds suspended within the viscous liquid. “Strawberries contain very minor healing magic, again nowhere near as good as apples, but when you mix them with other fruits, they become very effective cures.” He uncapped one of the jars and held it out for Holly.

She scooted her chair closer to the bed and took the glass jar in her hands. Instantly, she felt the rhythm wafting from it. There was a kick of capsaicin within the strawberry jam. “Fire?” she questioned.

“Great for healing frostbite. The rule of thumb for most ailments is whatever that element is strong against when mixed into a healing gel, it will cure.”

That was something Holly had never considered before. She knew possibly hundreds of different spells counting modifiers, and she could heal every ailment under the sun… but after Cris…

The zalavan shook her head, dismissing that dreadful thought. Lee seemed to know his stuff. Seemed to. She remembered many shady peddlers back home who tried to market placebos as cure-alls, but they didn’t know the first thing about plants despite being plants themselves. What did this weird lizard thing have on even them?

“Potatoes?” Holly suddenly quizzed.
“Earth, grounds out the electricity caused by numbing,” he replied.
“Tomatoes?”
“Lunar, gentle darkness to soothe out bright light.”
“Sunflower.”
“Solar, illuminates the mind to chase out confusion.”

His answers were quick and snappy, and as Holly’s gaze swept across the various items in his collection, he reminded her of a different type of person. Not a scam artist who was looking for a quick note; but an impassioned collector – one who was always happy to share his special interest with a fellow connoisseur. Her eyes met his; red suspicion taking in gentle lilac.

Lee smiled wide. There was something behind that smile. Something she could just barely see. She spoke before her mind could catch up.

“Hey-” Holly glared at the jar, her grip tightening. “-do these get around rhythm burn?” she asked.

The entire room went quiet. Even the television conveniently was silent. All eyes were on Holly, though rather than locking up in fear, her rhythm burned brighter.

Lee stared at her, his expression hardening. He adjusted his glasses. “Yes.”
“That’s what I thought,” Holly replied.

It was strange, she felt strange right now. She remembered being in similar situations and the mask…

Her eyes widened. She bolted from the chair much to the surprise of Lee and Vivi.

“What is it, Lady Holly?!” Lee exclaimed.

Holly stared at her reflection in the mirror. Bright, stubborn blue rhythm glowed in the darkness of the bathroom. “M-my stave…” The bright blues were beautiful in their own way, though dreadfully incorrect as they were.

She spun to face Lee, forcing her rhythm to burn bright in her eyes. It was so easy now. Way too easy. “What color do you see?” asked the zalavan.

Lee was taken aback by the sudden question. He adjusted his glasses, getting a good look “W-well, blue; indicative of strong willpower,” he replied.

“I’m not strong willpower. I’m… weak will,” she trailed off, unsure of the claim herself.
“Your rhythm wouldn’t burn blue if it wasn’t,” Lee hummed.

At this point, Solana joined the two Resonators, holding a glass with some kind of dessert. “What’s going on?” asked the Maestro.

“Oh, you know, just making all sorts of cool discoveries about myself today,” Holly said sarcastically.

“If your stave isn’t strong will weak emotion, what is it supposed to be?” questioned Lee.
“Strong Knowledge weak will,” replied the zalavan without missing a beat.
“You seem pretty strong-willed to me,” the axolotl man hummed.
“Ya think?!” snapped the plant.

This was inconceivable – she didn’t know someone’s stave could just change. It was a facet of a rhythm user’s personality; she knew each person had a strength, a weakness, and one stave that remained neutral in willpower, emotion, and knowledge.

It was supposed to be set in stone by around a melopomorph’s fifth birthday or so. She remembered…

It got fuzzy when she tried to think about her fifth birthday.

What happened?

For some reason, all she got was shattered glass. She swore those memories wouldn’t stop haunting her before. But now…?

It's like something inside her broke. What was going on in her fucked up little brain?

Her mask was gone. It broke. Why did she even don it in the first place? It was contained in the mask that lay shattered at her feet. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

“Do you want to come work with us tonight?” Solana’s voice pulled Holly out of her mind prison and caused the plant to take in a sharp breath.

“Excuse me?” uttered the nature element, unclear if she heard the offer right.

Solana smiled and tittered. “I just think it would be fun to have another hand helping out at the stand.” Solana knelt to bring herself to Holly’s eye level. “Plus, you’re so cute I know you’ll be a hit,” said the chef, looking to her water element. “Right Lee?”

“I suppose you may have a point Lady Solana…” mumbled the axolotl, just as baffled as the one the offer was extended to.

Holly stepped back, holding herself while keeping the suspicious Maestro in her sights. “Stand?” was the leading question in this new line of conversation.

“We work the hunting grounds, Lady Holly,” Lee informed her.
“Making food for the hungry hunters,” Solana added with a wink and a smile. “I’ll pay you for your time.”

The unemployed plant considered the offer, lowering her head as she stroked her chin in thought. It was something to do, and she would even be compensated for her time. Also, the food was really good – maybe she’d be able to get another meal from these people if she worked with them tonight.

A new way to make money that didn’t involve fighting Scherzando sounded too good to be true. Then again…

3,239

It wasn’t like she was hurting for cash. They weren’t kidding when they said the big Scherzando were worth serious money.

She looked to Solana, then Lee who both awaited her answer. “I guess I’ll give it a shot.”

What was the worst that could happen?