24 - Fredrick's Wood...works!

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

in this messy, finite existence

where even love does not always make sense,

you are the only one I ever hoped to be with, ever since.

-R.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

During one of Grisia's occasional nightly visits, Remi asked him, "Anything interesting happened?"

"No," there was nothing that Grisia could think of that was important enough to share, save for the fact that Kairo's ki leaked ominously. But he didn't feel like showing any of his cards at the moment.

"Is that so?" she responded deviously, which Grisia easily picked up on but ignored. "I thought you said you were going to introduce「 Ki 」to Kairo?"

"You're quite talkative today," he replied with a dismissive tone.

"You could say I'm warming up to you," she stretched her dainty body and leaned against a tree. He eyed her suspiciously, her carefree and conniving nature contrasted with her young and seemingly hapless appearance. "Don't stare at me too much, or I might think you're interested in me in more ways than one," she smiled wryly. Ignoring her provocation, he continued his fixed stare. "Such a bold man," she commented.

She was still mostly a mystery to him. A young girl— even younger than Kairo— aware of「 Ki 」and even practices it. She always looked like she was planning something. Her reluctance to share anything valuable yet her aloof manner of speaking to him was dumbfounding. He thought that by now, she would misspeak by at least a word, but she was as tight-lipped as they come. 

Finding nothing else noteworthy in his examination, Grisia let his eyes wander elsewhere and asked, "Why are you so interested in the boy?"

"He is... someone special to me," she replied. Grisia looked back at her and saw her with a rare blank expression. He was not expecting such an answer, nor any at all. He didn't think she'd be talking about him any time soon with the rate that they were going.

"That goes without saying," he pursued. "Special in what regard?"

She giggled. "Won't you look at that, you're quite talkative today yourself," she mockingly quipped.

Grisia realized that he walked into that one, but this childish conversation failed to annoy him. He continued to press, "You're dodging the question."

"Let's just say that... fate... while cruel, can be quite generous in retrospect. But in the end, no matter how much I convinced myself that I was fortunate, I was reminded of fate's true and simple cruelty. I began to understand it as I went through it."

"Wouldn't you say that you simply went back to the start of the cycle, fated to once again realize that with enough time, fate works in your favor after all?"

"Time," she sighed deeply. "Time's all I ever had. So plenty, yet so dreadfully scarce," she uttered meaningfully.

"And somehow, even with that idea in your mind, you act as if your cryptic ramblings do not matter?"

"It matters only as much as our bickering with each other."

Grisia considered her words and had formally concluded that she did not make any sense to him whatsoever. Two「 Ki 」users, one of them was painfully unaware, and the other had been stalking the former from behind the scenes for some reason unbeknownst to him.

"But everything still hinges on your actions," Remi interrupted Grisia's thoughts. "And by 'your actions', I am not simply talking about other people who precariously live their lives. This is no longer about mere generalizations and poetic utterances."

She leaned forward as her eyes focused solely on him. Grisia could see his reflection in her bright green eyes. "You, Grisia. Your actions can affect me where I am most vulnerable, just as you acknowledge the danger I pose. For someone as powerful as you, who is so close to godhood... there is still an inkling of worry inside of you, isn't that right?" her ki was radiating a smooth upward flow of opaque silver around her body. Flowing steadily and quietly like a small candlelight in a room without a breath of wind to disturb it.

"You're quite talkative today," he spitefully replied with an uncaring tone.

Her aura gradually vanished as she rested her eyes and leaned back on the tree again. "Your pettiness amuses me. But do not be mistaken, I will always feel honored to experience such a rare side of you."

The last time he witnessed her aura was when they met for the first time in that dark alleyway at the marketplace. He didn't closely inspect her ki at that time, he only meant to verify its existence. Reflecting on what he witnessed just now, her ki control was exceptional. There were no abrupt spikes nor massive fluctuations in its shape and intensity.

She was no novice.

It was kind and felt as soft as fabric innocently woven. He didn't feel any sort of pressure from its presence whatsoever.

It was elegant and honed. But that was all it was, and he knew that it was all for show. Despite that, if that showing was the extent of her ki, she would be no match for him, he thought. But then again, he could see through the charade. She still hasn't revealed her true strength, she was merely sending a message, and Grisia received it.

And so, upon her asking to relay her gratitude to the cook of the ever-delightful meal, their aimless discussion ended there for the night.

The days seemed to fly by quickly. By morning Aisia and Kairo performed their endurance training as per Grisia's instructions, grabbing breakfast and resting in the mansion before marching to their job at the bakery. At noon, Kairo and Aisia spent most of their time at the library. Slowly, their minds and bodies improved together as they got used to their daily schedule and to each other.

They could now hold an hour of jogging without stopping before their bodies reached their limit. Once they had reached the hour-long mark, they were ecstatic to finally learn more about spells and chakra techniques. Much to their disappointment, Grisia merely ordered them to jog in the opposite direction from that point on instead.

They grumbled and complained, but they did as they were told without Grisia having to tell them twice. It did make sense in their head, they had only been jogging in the same direction for the whole week after all. In any case, they relied on Grisia to know what was best for them. Grisia stood like a stone statue as they heaved around him, desperately carrying their sluggish legs.

Occasionally, in Kairo's free time, whenever he met Alex, he made sure to divert her attention away from Fredrick's workshop, following their plan. He couldn't help but observe the changes in her eye color as the days passed by. The purple shade gradually lost its red shine and was slowly reverting back to the bluish-green he was accustomed to, but she was still unmistakably sulking over her no-show of a partner.

Kairo placed his faith in Fredrick's plan, consoling Alex and talking to her about her hobbies and interests instead. Apparently, Alex also liked to read books. They had a lengthy conversation about which books they'd read and their preferred genres. Alex liked romance while Kairo had a preference for heroic tales. They were able to relate to each other with their different genres because heroic tales usually have romance, and romantic stories can have heroic characters in hard situations which develops the relationship between the lead characters. 

Their casual chats made Alex feel better over the days. Kairo tried not to mention anything regarding her eye color or Fredrick.

"If you were older, I would've been absolutely smitten with you, Kairo-cutie!" she exclaimed in her usual, cheerful self.

Kairo blushed, but he could only express his gratitude for her flattering comment with a sheepish grin. "N-No way. But thank you, Alex."

"Yes way! You're so much fun to talk to and we both like books. All my boyfriend does is touch wood and touch his wood every time he gets the chance to."

Confused why she repeated the last part, he didn't think too much about it and replied, "I see you more as an elder sister that I never had," his face beamed wholesomely.

Alex pinched him in his cheeks. "Look at this little lady-killer, already rejecting wooers. That was a smooth turndown. Where did you learn that, huh?"

"Nowhere! It's simply how I sincerely feel. You would be a great elder sister, Alex."

"If that's the case, then I'll be your—" realizing what she was about to spout, she stopped herself, turning around to leave and excuse herself. "Sorry, Kairo, I have other duties to attend to. Let's talk again next time, yeah?" she said with her back turned.

"Oh, of course," Kairo tried his best to convincingly form a natural smile for her sake. In her leave, he looked back to when he caught a glimpse of her eye color flaring up back into that purple shade. He wondered what he could've said to incite such sudden emotions from her. He might've crossed an unseen boundary, he thought. He would make sure to apologize to her the next chance he got. 

One day, coming out of his workshop, Fredrick happened to bump into Kairo.

"Good timing, bud!" Fredrick caught Kairo's attention.

"How's the gift coming along?"

"Good news and bad news."

"Err, bad news first."

"Bad news!" he smiled cheekily. Kairo's face wrinkled, expecting the worst. "After five days of hard work, I've scrapped all of my works thus far!"

"Then why are you smiling so carelessly?" Kairo bemoaned, slamming his forehead.

"Good news! I was only testing if my plan is possible. Now that I know I have the skills to make it, I'm going to need some specific materials," he had a confident expression about him as he rested his hands on his hips.

"Oh? Do tell."

Fredrick asked Kairo to order two specific types of wood from whichever lumberer in the kingdom had a stock of it. He said he needed at least five, thick, short logs each. He reasoned that he couldn't leave to look for the mentioned items himself because he still had his job to do as the manor's gatekeeper.

Kairo accepted and as a capable merchant, he promised to haggle as much as he could. Fredrick expressed his gratitude as he went to his post.

"When you're able to locate what I need, I'll help you carry them back. It's ten pieces after all. Basically two tree trunks, no? And by the way, you're forbidden to see the logs yourself. You must promise to order them covered in cloth."

"What? Why?"

"If you see the logs, you might realize the surprise. You don't need to of course."

"No, no. If you think that would be better, then I'll oblige."

"Great!" Fredrick gave Kairo a heavy leather pouch of silver muns.

Surprised by the amount of muns given to him for wood, he thought that these logs must be special.

Later that day, when Kairo swiftly returned with a receipt, it was proof that the search was successful. All they needed to do now was bring it home and work on it.

Fredrick had reverse-engineered Kairo's father's makeshift wooden container. He also developed it and used lightweight planks to reduce the overall weight while increasing structural stability. This meant that the new container could carry heavier load for longer with its lighter weight and improved durability. 

As they carried the covered logs on their back with the refined wooden container, Kairo thought to ask, "Why these specific types, Fredrick?"

To which Fredrick slyly placed his pointer finger in front of his lips, gesturing a secretive motive, "You'll see. It'll be more exciting if you experience the surprise as well."

"But why five each?"

"Oh. In case I mess it up, I'll have spares!" he chuckled.

"Are... are you really going to be okay?"

"Erm, yeah. Yeah! Trust," he assured, but Kairo was not.

Kairo thought that Fredrick's response was more directed towards himself. All Kairo could do was distract Alex from his workshop and leave the work to Fredrick, then simply hope for the best.

"You know what they say," Fredrick said, catching Kairo's attention. "Failing to plan is planning to fail. Or something along those lines," he chuckled.

Kairo was slightly astonished by what Fredrick said, and so he gave a little smile, hoping that the spares do turn out to be useful.

And so, one whole night and a day of passionate woodcarving later...

Kairo and Aisia returned from their endurance training. A week had passed since they started, one more week to go and their pretraining and bakery job will be over. They had successfully broken past the one-hour mark in the opposite direction, and even went on for another twenty more minutes past that.

Kairo was told by Fredrick that he had made the finishing touches and was now just letting the final product rest. Kairo was happy for Fredrick, it was now only a matter of if Alex would accept such a late gift or not.

The promised winter night came. Kairo led Alex outside of the mansion. As per Fredrick's instruction, he was to tell Alex that Fredrick invited her outside for something. Alex was hesitant, but she was interested in what her forgetful boyfriend had planned after his crucial blunder of a greetless and giftless anniversary.

They received a good omen from the heavens since the snow clouds had already cleared out at noon. The starry sky lit their snowy path to Fredrick, who held two wrapped objects.

"Oh, my Alexandra," he proclaimed. "I do not deserve your forgiveness, but still, I beg of you to forgive me for my extremely late anniversary gift. I poured my heart, soul, and mind into these," he gestured to the objects he was holding that not even Kairo had seen yet.

"Hmph. What are those?" she asked with a curious pout, failing to mask her excitement with a supposed stern face.

"These are my anniversary presents for you."

Kairo helped Fredrick unwrap the gifts and from it came two different wooden carvings that resembled Alex in an alluring dress. It was surprisingly well-made, even down to the detail of each hair strand and the creases of the dress, but most notable of all, somehow the eyes have a striking color that separated them from the rest of the figure's wooden brown.

Kairo was surprised that both of the carvings' faces resembled Alex's face. From her sharp nose to her friendly, bluish-green eyes, and even her pretty, cheerful smile.

The purple-eyed one caught the exotic, red hue that usually accompanied it. Compared to the first figurine, the pose and facial expression of this one were elegant and refined. It was as if Kairo was looking from the perspective of someone who saw Alex's other side lovingly and with admiration. Though there were some discernable imperfections with the woodwork, he thought it was still very impressive.

Fredrick explained, "The trees that these specific types of logs are made from have such vibrant colors only in their younger years, losing it as they mature into exquisite lumber. That's why only the eyes are colored, if I had carved any other part deeper than intended, the color would reveal itself and the entire work would be ruined."

"So, that's why he planned for spares," Kairo thought. "One of them was already quite expensive that I became embarrassed for adamantly asking for a lower price. Five of each two types, his caution when it comes to Alex is admirable."

"This bluish-green-eyed one is yours," Fredrick handed it to Alex, who examined it carefully with her delicate fingers. "So, you can remember your happy, cheerful times, which remind me of your personality that has completely captured my soul."

"Aww!" she fawned over the wooden figurine of herself. She was already prepared to forgive him with only that, but Fredrick had more to offer. "What about the other one?" she asked, pointing at the other figurine Kairo was holding.

Kairo handed it to Fredrick and he answered, "This will be for my safekeeping," he showed her the purple-eyed carving and continued, "Because even when you're so distraught with emotions, even when you become a loud, nagging wife, I will always cherish every part of you. The good, and the other good."

Her cheeks and ears began to redden intensely as her eyes also began to flare up into the most purple shade it had ever been while glowing with an incandescent red. She tried to hide her delighted lips but she was just smiling too much. "Did... did you have this all planned to be a week late so I may be swayed this much?"

"No. I must be frank, it escaped my mind until Kairo mentioned it to me. I was shocked when I came to know about it, which made me genuinely regretful for ever making you think in the slightest that I did not care about you. And for that, I will forever punish myself."

"Fine," she smiled, her blushing cheeks turning her purple irises into a charming sight. "Your eternal punishment is that you have to be with this troublesome woman forever."

Fredrick turned to Kairo and shouted enthusiastically, "My wood worked!" and then proceeded to lift Alex up excitedly by her hips.

"Not in front of the kid, you goofball," she giggled as she balanced herself on his shoulders. Fredrick also gave credit to Kairo. He told her that after helping him realize his mistake, he continued to contribute his aid.

"So that's why you suddenly talked to me so much the past week," teased Alex.

"Well, I truly did have fun chatting with you, Alex. I wish we can continue our casual conversations," he said in earnest, to which Alex replied, "Of course!"

Kairo also apologized for last time. He revealed that he didn't know what he did wrong, but he still apologized. Alex simply gave him a half-smile and told him not to worry as she gently ruffled his dark hair. Kairo noticed that her eyes shone redder ever so slightly.

"Anyway, how did you know which tree logs would have these colors inside them?" asked a curious Kairo.

"Actually, I've been looking for them beforehand exactly for this purpose," he bashfully scratched his head. "It's been a plan of mine for a while. I just got caught up in it and my guarding job that I forgot it was exactly for this moment."

Alex heard this and she playfully hit Fredrick to let out all the passion she had been feeling, but it was not enough.

"Love is... a wholesome thing. I wonder if I'll have someone like that," Kairo muttered to himself, observing the two happy couple slowly mend the wounds of their bond.

"Can I keep the purple-eyed one as well?" asked Alex.

"Oh, I was hoping that I would be the one to—"

"I'll be keeping it. Thank youuu!"

"B-But... the symbolism..."