“Huh… That almost makes her sound racist.” Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully. But she smiled when Farah winked. “I’m glad to hear that you don't mind. It’d be awkward living with a human if you didn't like them.” she smirked back as she lead the way to her garden.
Farah laughed dryly and shook her head. "The woman was a godsdammed zealot and fairy purist. She wanted to wipe out all the Burned Ones and blood witches, no matter the cost. The Burned Ones were a plague on the Otherworld, yes, but the blood witches…" She trailed off, hesitant to finish a thought about them.
But she gave a real laugh in response to Elizabeth's remark. "That's very true," she replied with a wry smile.
Elizabeth was a little surprised by Farah’s words but didn't dispute them. Given the stories that she had told, it definitely sounded like Rosalind was all those things… and perhaps worse. “Blood witches are just a different type of magic user, aren't they?” she asked, though she had no idea what kind of magic they used or how they used it for a rivalry to form but…
The garden was simple and maybe needed a little more help but Liz was still proud of it. It was still pretty with lavender, chamomile, forget-me-nots, tulips, and little irises. And not a single weed in the area.
Farah nodded briefly her confirmation. "Yes. They are… Basically, their element is blood, so they can control muscles and bones. Theirs and other people's. They can drain fairies and use their magic for their own vile purposes. And the only way for the magic to be returned is for the Blood Witch to willingly do it or be killed."
She let the topic drop when her eyes swept over the garden. "It's beautiful!" Farah exclaimed, cupping a flower in her palm. The fairy found herself tearing up slightly, but she refused to cry. By the gods, she couldn't stop thinking of Ben now. And by default, Saul and Andreas. Her heart ached, but she forced herself to focus on the beauty in front of her. "You've done this all yourself?"
“Yikes! That's a terrifying type of magic.” she shuddered at the thought of real-life “blood benders”. I’m probably not going to be able to watch those episodes in Airbender the same way again…
Elizabeth smiled at the compliments and nodded. “Thank you.” she blushed softly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I mean, I haven't had anyone help me but I've been trying. It's… calming. Helps take my mind off things.” she admitted.
Yes, it is… Farah thought, but she didn't want such a morbid conversation to continue. She walked slowly through the blossoms and smiled. She looked at home among the flowers, and the petals brushed her fingers as she walked. "Yes," she agreed quietly. "It's so lovely."
Elizabeth blushed a shade darker as Farah admired the garden. “Yeah?” she shrugged a little. “I'm glad to hear that someone else likes it after all the work I put into it.” she smiled. She didn't know if it was Farah or just the setting but there seemed to be something almost magical about watching her interact with the flowers.
(Okay… hear me out… a Blood Witch uses a gateway ring (like how Farah got there) to get to the First World and track down Farah on (maybe) Rosalind’s orders, and the Witch drains her magic. I mean, obviously she’ll get it back, but… angst! And bonding! I’m good at creating angst in rps 😂)
“Gods, it’s fascinating,” Farah murmured, stopping by a few yellow flowers and tracing the soft edges of the petals with her finger. “Ben would be impressed. I’m sure he’d love to get a good look around and talk with you about it.”
She grinned and noticed a group of orange flowers off to the other side. Her eyes widened, and she hurried over. “Oh, tiger lilies,” she sighed. “They’re my favorite.”
(😮 Yes! Because Rosalind wants her weapon Excuse me, I mean her protege back at any cost! Even if she has to temporarily team up with her enemy.)
“I doubt it's that good. But if we get to see him, I wouldn't say no to some tips.” Elizabeth chuckled softly as she watched Farah play with the buttercups she had grown. “Really? I know you said our worlds are similar but I wasn't really expecting us to have the same kinds of flowers.” she admitted.
(Oh yes, obviously. Omg I laughed so hard 😂)
"You don't know Ben," Farah said, looking back at Elizabeth with a kind smile on her lips and nostalgia in her eyes. "He's just like me – a knowledge obsessor. He wants to know everything about plants and nature. Me, I just want to know everything about everything." She shook her head and let her gaze drift back to the lilies. "Kind of makes me a pain sometimes, I understand."
She cupped the bloom in her hand and drew it near to her face to breathe in the scent. "Oh, yes," Farah said softly. "I recognize several of your flowers. Not all of them, of course, but more than I thought I would. Ben trained me well, I suppose." She laughed quietly. "And I suppose there are flowers in the Otherworld you've never seen before."
A thought popped into her mind too quickly for her to even realize that it had formed. You want to take her to the Otherworld, don't you? The fairy shook her head at the thought. It was much too violent a place with Rosalind still alive. Maybe… maybe in the future.
(😁 I’ve stalked more than a few of your “Winx” stories and read enough about the relationship between Farah and Rosalind. 😉)
Elizabeth smiled softly at the look and nodded a little. Though it didn't take much more for her to start laughing at hearing Farah admit to being an almost obsessive scholar. “I guess I can't really blame you for that. Honestly, I’m pretty curious at times too. Though I don't know if I’d want to know everything.” she shrugged.
“Oh, yeah? Any here?” she asked, standing beside her. “I know all the flowers I’m growing. It makes it easier to look up things if something goes wrong or needs special care.” she explained.
Even though she suspected that Farah’s world was potentially dangerous with blood witches, Burned Ones, and her former abuser… “I think I would like to see your Otherworld sometime.” she almost whispered. “There’s no rush, obviously. But it sounds so interesting.”
(Omg asdfghjkjhgfdsdfghj 😅😂)
Farah smiled at hearing Elizabeth's laugh, but she didn't look away from the flower. "I do," she replied simply. "I hate not knowing things. It's the burden of my existence. I want to know as much as I can about everything. From the Otherworld, and here."
She glanced over at Elizabeth as the woman came over to stand beside her. "That makes sense. Yes, but not many," she answered with a smile. "The lilies I recognize. As I said, they're my favorite. They didn't grow in the Otherworld until Ben smuggled some in to grow them in his greenhouse for me." She giggled at the memory. "Oh gods, he was a sight that day, all covered in dirt and holding a pot of lilies." Farah shook her head with a smile before pointing. "Rose, I recognize. The… buttercups? Yes? And let's see, what else?" Her eyes found white blossoms, and she grinned. "Daisies! Oh, I love those too."
With wide eyes, she stopped talking hearing Elizabeth's near-whisper of a confession. Farah smiled and touched the woman's shoulder gently. "And I would love to take you," she admitted with a smile. "Sometime in the future, perhaps. When the dangers have subsided."
(😁😁😁)
Elizabeth chuckled a little at the defensive reply and shrugged. “Well, I guess I'm going to have to answer your questions about this place so you don't draw too many stares from people.” she half teased, though she was already willing to help Farah that way.
“He sounds like a really good friend.” she smiled softly at the thought of someone going through all that for a friend. “So far, you're right about these flowers. Though the rose is probably my most difficult plant.” she explained. “I have to keep it in a pot otherwise it’ll overrun the others. But I love the buttercups and the lavender. And the forget-me-nots have their own special place for me.”
Liz smiled back when Farah put her hand on her shoulder and nodded. “That… That’d be nice. Maybe I can meet some of your friends too.” she suggested, acknowledging the other woman’s preference to avoid trouble.
"Oh, don't worry. They'll stare anyway," Farah teased right back, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder and winking flirtatiously at Elizabeth. "For different reasons."
"He is," she agreed quickly. "Though I'm pretty sure he got help from Saul, but Saul won't admit it. He's the only one I told about loving lilies, so I think that's how Ben found out. Those idiots can't keep a secret. Men gossip more than women, you know," she remarked, though the words and tone were clearly loving. "I can't wait for you to meet them all. They'll love you, for sure."
"Lavender!" Farah cried, snapping her fingers and interrupting her own thought process of her friends. "I thought I knew that one, but I couldn't remember the name! And… what's the other one you said?"
Elizabeth smirked confidently and gave a nod. “Well, obviously. We are two very attractive women. People are always going to stare.” she said, matching Farah’s flirtatious energy. It had been a while since she let herself behave like that… But she hadn't lost her touch.
“Yeah. Men can be just as bad at gossip or even worse than some of the women around here. But at least it was for a good cause.” she nodded with a softer smile. “I hope so. They sound really great… You sure they won’t mind that I’m from here and don't have any magic?” she asked, already feeling a little bit out of her depth about meeting them. It was strange that they sounded like such good friends to Farah but Liz actually felt a little vulnerable at the thought.
She blinked at the snap, jumping out of her train of thought, and nodded. “Yeah. Lavender. It has a very calming scent.” she pointed out as she rubbed her fingers over some of the small blooms causing them to release their well-known fragrance. “You mean the forget-me-nots? They're right here.” she said, gesturing to the small groups of blue flowers.
Farah smirked and gave the other woman a brief up-and-down look. Yes. Two very attractive women. But she didn't say anything more. Though Elizabeth was returning her flirting, Farah had clearly identified herself as having an attraction for her same gender. She wasn't entirely sure which was Elizabeth swung since her story had been with a man.
The fairy quickly waved her hand to dismiss Elizabeth's doubts. "Please. Saul and Andreas don't have magic, and I guarantee they'll both ask you to spar with them the second they find out you have a military background. They'll overload you with questions about First World military procedures. And Ben will talk your ear off once he discovers you have a garden. He'll quiz you about First World botany and show you all the Otherworld-based flowers and plants he grows in Alfea's greenhouse."
Farah inhaled the lavender scent and sighed. "By the stars," she murmured, closing her eyes and breathing it again. She blinked her eyes open and observed the flowers in question. "Forget-me-nots?" she asked with amusement. "That's the name of them?" She giggled but made a note that they had 'a special place' for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth noticed the quick glance and winked at her in reply. She didn't mean to assume but considering Farah’s story, it seemed like she may have preferred women. Then again the way she talked about one of her friends… Andreas, she thought, perhaps they had more in common than just their backgrounds?
“Wow! Sounds intense.” she laughed, actually looking forward to everything. Except for maybe being bombarded with all the questions. “I hope that Saul and Andreas won't mind getting their butts kicked. And maybe I could bring a few books for Ben.” she smiled.
“Yeah. I think it's a kinda cute name.” she admitted with a shrug. “And… It's silly but it helps me to remember the good things from… before James disappeared.” she sighed.
Farah laughed, tossing her head back as the wild sound escaped her. "Oh, I would love to see that. Maybe we can take them, two-on-two. That would be the most fun…" She trailed off, grinning and shaking her head. "But Ben would love that. Oh, my gods, the more books you could carry, the better!"
The smile faded a bit as Elizabeth mentioned James again. "Oh. Well, that's sweet."
Elizabeth was surprised by Farah’s unbridled laughter but soon started to laugh with her at the idea. “That would be fun. Teaming up with you. But maybe we should get to know each other's fighting style before we do that.” she suggested. “And, as I said, I work at the library. I can get a lot of books for Ben.” she added with a smile.
“Sorry. I don't mean to cast a shadow when I bring him up.” she apologized. “I just… still miss him. It's the not knowing that hurts. A part of me wants to move on but I don't know if I can yet.” she explained. “I don't want to forget him. He had such an influence on me.”
Farah’s eyes flashed with excitement. “Yes, we should! And I know both of their fighting styles by heart. Gods! This will be fun!” Her eyes lit up excitedly. “I’d like to look at your library too,” she added.
A flood of emotions filled Farah’s senses as she listened to Elizabeth’s words. The ache of emotional loss, she felt. The pain, she felt. The hope, dying as it was. You need to stop flirting with her, she’s going through it, you dolt!
“I understand,” Farah murmured, touching her chest lightly. “I feel it all. We don’t have to speak of it.”
Elizabeth smiled, matching Farah’s excitement. “But they probably know yours too. Either way, it’ll give us an advantage because they don't know me.” she said thoughtfully. “Sure. We can check it out anytime.”
She sighed softly and shook her head. “You may feel everything, maybe even recognize what I'm going through, but… I don't think you do understand.” she pointed out. “I don't know, maybe you do because of the whole mind fairy thing but you… Before I met him, I had a reputation, a well-earned one, as the biggest flirt among my comrades. After just talking with James twice I… I don't know if I’d say that I stopped completely but I definitely changed.” she tried to explain.
Farah tried not to take offense to Elizabeth's words. It was one of the more intense labors of being an empath. She was weighed down by the feelings and thoughts of everyone around her. She may not have understood the exact parameters of Elizabeth's situation, but she felt every shift of emotions and nearly every thought that went through Elizabeth's mind as if it was her own. It wasn't something that many other people understood, and Farah knew that, so she didn't expect the other woman to really get it either. It was her own burden to carry.
The urge to pierce Elizabeth's memories hit Farah stronger than it had before. She denied it yet again, respecting the woman's privacy and refusing to violate her mind. However, the urge was incredibly tempting, and Farah had to curl her fingers into fists to find the will to resist it. Damn.
"Oh," was all she managed to say. Traditionally, Farah thought much more than she said.
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. “Sorry. I didn't mean to unload all of that on you.” she apologized. Though she had to hold back a soft laugh at Farah’s simple reply. “Yeah… Talk about life-changing, huh?” she chuckled lightly. “Again, sorry. You probably didn't want to know all that. For some reason, you're too easy to talk to. And sometimes I can't stop talking about him.”
"No, it's alright," Farah replied quietly. "I don't mind listening." She had essentially played the role of 'the therapy friend' her entire life. People approached her with their problems, looking for someone to understand. And as a mind fairy, Farah had the ability. It was a blessing and a curse.
"I understand," she finally said. "I really do. I'm afraid my abilities make it so."
Elizabeth gave a soft but remorseful smile and nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” she admitted sincerely. Honestly, she did feel a little better than before now that she said all that. But she also felt bad for dumping her problems on Farah like that. Maybe she could make it up to her.
“Right.” she chuckled a little. “Some thoughts and feelings just can't be ignored?”