Fire Roses

"One moment…" Bil walked up to the counter and put his hand on the armor once more. Suddenly, the armor vanished. "Alright. Let's go."

The vendor wasn't surprised, but Jash's mouth was agape in confusion.

"I'll explain later. For now, let's get your sister and head out. I've got to hunt some cockatrice before dinner," remarked Bil, leading the way.

Jash followed and quickly found Nelphy in the tent nearby. And from the look on her face, Jash knew she had been listening to them the entire time. He gave her an intimidating look, a glance commonly shared between siblings as a silent threat.

But Nelphy played off the glance while taking Bil's hand. Together again, they stopped by a food stall on their way to the western gate. Once there, Bil surprised them again as he began walking through the southwest forest. He said nothing about their destination, other than receiving a tip on where to find a cockatrice.

Time flew as they traversed the mountain path and soon reached the empty campsite on the cliffside. As Bil took off his pack, the other two were in awe.

"It's… so different.." Jash mumbled, squatting down to feel the foliage that had overtaken what was once a stomped-out campground.

Nelphy nodded while approaching the indent that was once a firepit. "It's so pretty.."

Inside sat a bush with black branches, white leaves, and red-orange roses. The sight was hypnotizing as if the flowers were crackling fires emerging from the dark branches.

"Don't touch that, Nelphy!" Bil nudged Jash beside him. "Hey you, with the sword. Hack down that bush."

Reluctant, Nelphy asked, "But why?"

Motioning for Jash to continue, Bil explained, "Those are fire roses. They're known to pop up where a lot of ash or coals have been buried. But they're extremely toxic. One prick and your blood will feel like it's boiling. Touch the petals and you'll think your skin was on fire."

"SERIOUSLY?!" Leaping back, Nelphy felt relief from what almost was and a tinge of disappointment. "But they're so beautiful. Why do they have to be so dangerous?!"

Without delay, Jash hacked at the bottom of the bush. And he made sure to not come in contact with anything.

But Bil sighed, walking up to the firepit. He shook his head while stepping past Jash. "Chop like that and we'll be here all day. That's why it took them years to rebuild Emor, cause it was overrun with these."

"Then– WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!"

"BIL!!?"

Both Jash and Nelphy shouted as Bil promptly grabbed the base of the bush. He carefully gripped the part that was half cut with one hand and forced his other hand into the ground to grab the roots directly. With one pull Bil was holding the bush up in the air.

Baffled, Nelphy cried, "I thought you said–"

"I haven't touched the pedals, so the burning is minimal." Carefully placing it to the side, Bil looked at Jash. "Grab your hatchet. If you won't cut it with confidence, then I will."

"I-I'll do it!" Rummaging through his pack, Jash grabbed the hatchet with haste.

Nodding, Bil added, "Then make sure to chop it up finely. This makes great firewood. A single bush can burn for days if you stretch it out. Or they can make a day-long bonfire."

Bil stepped away to give Jash his space. He smiled at Nelphy and showed his hands. "See? No burns and no reddening. I'm fine."

"O-okay. Then is it really that painful?" asked Nelphy, staring longingly at the fire roses.

"It is. Very few people are willing to grow them, and they're often eccentric or strong enough to not care about the pain." After stretching for a moment, Bil started for the cave. "We got here much faster than we did back then. Goes to show how much you two have grown… Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be grabbing us a cockatrice for dinner."

Just before Bil entered the cave. Nelphy and Jash saw him glance back at the uprooted bush. It was only for a brief moment, and then Bil suddenly ran into the cave at a breakneck pace.

Yet Jash's and Nelphy's gazes lingered there, where Bil was just standing.

"Was it just me, or…" Jash was too shocked to even finish his question.

"... You saw it too?" Nodding slowly, Nelphy finally broke away her gaze and looked at Jash. "Was he… about to cry?"

Not sure whether to nod or shrug, Jash replied, "I... don't know. But that's what it looked like…"

"... Should we… try to save him a rose?"

"And how do we do that?" questioned Jash.

Shrugging, Nelphy carefully approached the fallen bush. "Umm… I think I have an empty jar."

"That's... Not a bad idea. But should we?" Still shaking his head in disbelief, Jash turned to Nelphy. "I've never seen him like that. Would it be a good thing?"

"Well, if he doesn't want it, then I'll keep it," Nelphy reasoned while finding the empty jar. "It's a bit small, but it should fit one of the smaller roses… Um, can I borrow your knife?"

Jash nodded, taking the sheathed blade from his bag and handing it over. "If you want, you can keep it. I've got a sword now."

"Okay. Thanks!"

Very cautiously, Nelphy moved the jar's opening around a rose that would fit. She braced the edge of the glass against the flower's stem. Then, she lifted the knife up and down a few times to practice, committing to the chop on the fourth swing.

At ease, Nelphy backed away with her prize in the jar.

"There… That wasn't so hard, I guess," Nelphy chuckled, proudly holding up the jar.

Matching her confidence, Jash hacked away. He remained clean and unharmed after the first go so he chopped even harder on the second swing. As he did with the next swing, and the next.

Nelphy pulled out a folding, three-legged stool with a cloth seat from her pack. It made it all the easier to admire her work. For now, she left the jar open and would ask Bil for tips on how to store it properly after he got back.

"Aaahh!"