Ryder’s Odyssey

Welcome to Ryder’s Odyssey! Thank you for your interest in reading about the life and times of Ryder Rothmore—a magical being born from a lab experiment combining the essence of Visible Imagination with the soul of a toadstool.


Feel free to let me know what you think of the stories in the comments of each post!

Note: These stories explore themes like violence, grief, complicated relationships, and LGBTQ+ identities. It also includes emotionally intense moments and some mature language. Reader discretion is advised.

Fel essences are rare, tainted remnants left behind by an ancient, abnormal storm that swept over the lands millions of years ago. These elements defy natural laws, existing outside the order of life as it is known. Before the storm, a phoenix would turn to ash upon death, only to rise anew from those ashes. But in its aftermath, the ashes became inert, the cycle of rebirth broken. Likewise, mermaid tears, once crystallizing into diamonds, now linger forever in liquid form. Strange phenomena abound: voices trapped in vials, fire burning without oxygen, and shadows cast by nothing at all—echoes of the storm's chaotic power.

As the world rebuilt itself over the millennia, these scattered fel essences began to fade, their mysteries slipping into obscurity. But with the rise of modern science, a new era of discovery has emerged. Driven by fascination and relentless pursuit, some have devoted their lives to recovering these elusive remnants. Using the tools of science and the wisdom of magic, they seek to awaken the dormant power within each fel essence, unlocking secrets long forgotten.
Reuben Rothmore, a self-proclaimed tarotist with a penchant for alchemy and herbalism, purchased a quaint and promising property on the outskirts of Oakdale, California from a kind, aberrant old woman who often spoke in riddles. The estate has become both Reuben's home and the heart of his budding business, The Mystic Herb. Originally a rundown three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage with a rather neglected guest house on the lot, the property was in poor shape when Reuben first acquired it. The once-grand gazebo in the backyard was overgrown with untended flowers, vines, and the little cottage itself seemed beyond saving.

Yet, with a passion for home improvement and a vision for the future, Reuben began transforming the estate over the years; repainting the walls, updating the floors, and turning the cottage into a welcoming and comfortable home, while converting the guest house into The Mystic Herb—his now thriving metaphysical store.
◈ WHO: Oliver and Reuben (Bouquet of Diamonds & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN:  Early afternoon on August 6, 2016
◈ 
WHERE:  The lake and forest near Oliver's home.
◈ WEATHER:  Warm and somewhat humid. Sunny.
◈ WHO: Lorenzo, Vesna, & Reuben (kotaline & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: Late Morning on August 14, 2016
◈ WHERE: A Convention Center in San Francisco
◈ WEATHER: It's inside a large convention center, so it's air conditioned and rather cool. But the outside is sunny.
Lab 305. The name had lingered in Reuben’s mind ever since his meeting with Oliver. He couldn’t stop looking at the pamphlet he’d received, reading and rereading it throughout the day as if the answers he sought might magically appear between the lines. It had been a week since the magical convention, but Vesna — the raevan with the captivating beauty and unique ribbon — had been impossible to forget. Her presence was like a puzzle piece that had unlocked a curiosity within him, drawing him to learn more about this place called Lab 305, where she had been created.

After some digging, Reuben discovered that the lab wasn’t just an organization — it was a tight-knit community, dedicated to the creation and nurturing of these magical beings fashioned of both a magical essence and a soul. Articles and even a few archived newspaper clippings painted a picture of a place steeped in mystery and wonder. Knowing that Oliver was a part of this community reassured him and solidified his interest. From what he read, the application process was fairly straightforward: request information, fill out an application, send it in, and wait to see if you were chosen.

Reuben began to consider what this decision might mean for him. If he was selected and ended up with a raevan of his own, how would he care for it? He realized that, given his flexible schedule and home-based business, he had the time to devote to another being. And space wasn’t an issue — one of the spare bedrooms would be perfect for their needs. The more he thought about it, the more his concerns felt manageable. Even the question of sustenance, sparked by Vesna’s inability to eat ice cream, seemed like a challenge he could face when the time came.

By now, Reuben’s mind was made up. The worst-case scenario was that he wouldn’t be chosen, and life would continue as it always had. With nothing to lose, he decided to take a leap of faith. He requested the application by mail, and within a few days, a thick packet arrived. The size of it was unexpected, but not discouraging.

Over the next few days, Reuben diligently filled out the forms whenever he had a spare moment from tending to The Mystic Herb. As he worked through the questions, a sense of purpose began to build within him. This wasn’t just an application — it was the potential start of something life-changing. The thought of caring for one of these magical ribbon children brought a smile to his face every time he considered it.

When he finally completed the application, Reuben carefully packed it up, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. He called a courier, handed over the packet, and sent it off with high hopes. Now, all he could do was wait and wonder if this new chapter in his life might soon begin.
Just on the outskirts of Oakdale sits a quaint home belonging to none other than Reuben Rothmore, a self-employed herbalist who has a knack for coming up with strange and potent remedies for whatever plagues his clients. It is here that he calls home. Oftentimes, he spends his days outside in the garden, tending to his many plants and relaxing in the beauty of nature or working on combining the right set of herbs to create new concoctions for sickness.

Reuben always started his days before sunrise as to welcome it with open arms. This beautiful autumn day was no different. He made his way out to the gazebo and listened to the sounds of the birds chirping in the early morning. A soft breeze brushed against his skin as he made his way there.

A pond sat just beyond his lot and a cobblestone path led him to the small white wooden gazebo he had fixed up from it's prior run down state. It was adorned with a few wind chimes, a small desk, and many beautiful flowers and herbs planted around to freshen the air with their scent. It was the perfect place to meditate. He grabbed his favorite deck of tarot cards from a large chest he kept out under the gazebo and sat down in the center of it. He then sat the cards, which were encased in fine satin cloth, in front of him on a small meditation table whilst he made himself comfortable.

Reuben sat cross legged with his eyes closed and his hands dead in his lap. Deep breath in, slow exhale. Deep inhale, slow breath out. He focused until he came to the conclusion that his mind was clear enough for a satisfying read. He opened his eyes and grabbed the deck from in front of him. Unwrapping the cards from the cloth that kept them together, he began to speak aloud, "Cards, share with me information the universe wants me to know right now."
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Reuben shuffled the deck and repeated the sentence a few times before he felt the cards were shuffled thoroughly. He cut the deck and held it in his left hand, grabbing the top card, he turned it over to reveal "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" upright. He then plucked the second card from the top of the deck, revealing "THE FOOL" card reversed. A bit of disappointment grew within his heart as he set down the second next to the first. Finally, he grabbed a third card, revealing "THE STAR" upright. A small smirk grew upon his face as he set the final card down in the line.


Looking over these cards, Reuben squinted a bit. "Well, a stroke of good luck, some carelessness, and finally...a fresh perspective and renewed purpose in life..." he mused. He stared down at the cards, but kept an air of positivity about him. He wondered what the cards could be trying to say but kept in mind their meanings. With those thoughts in mind, he picked up his cards, thanked them for their service with a cleansing shuffle and put them in the chest before going back inside.

The day went on like any other and Reuben decided it was about time he head to the market. He gathered his wallet, keys, and cell before opening the front door only to reveal a rather large brown package sitting on his doorstep. Surprised, Reuben's brow furrowed. He took a quick look outside. "Huh, must have been delivered while I was out back," he muttered under his breath.

Upon looking at the return address, his eyes widened. Could this be? He had all but forgotten about Lab 305, as it had been a month and some change since he applied. He quickly pulled the hefty package inside and heaved it up onto his dining table. He grabbed a knife, cut open the top, peeled back the tape and the four flaps of cardboard to reveal a silvery metal briefcase. Opening said briefcase revealed a letter addressed to him with accompanying paperwork, an empty glass bottle with a lovely yellow to red ombre cloth decked in white little spots throughout as well as a beautiful jar with a stunning array of colors all focused and emitting off of a single sphere floating in the center. Looking at the jar, he instantly felt drawn towards it. He began to get lost in the swirling colors and little sounds. Shaking himself from his thoughts what seemed like only a few moments later, Reuben forgot what he was doing only to remember once seeing the paperwork still sitting on the table. "Right," he said, picking up the letter and flipping it over quickly to open it up. It read:

Greetings, Reuben!


Let me be the first to congratulate you on becoming a Guardian! My name is Zeke, and I am one of the staff members here at Lab 305. Out of numerous applications to our program, we felt that you were best fitted to become the newest addition to our family! So welcome and congratulations!


In this briefcase you will find your Soul Glass, Fel Essence, and a couple of documents - one of which needs your signature and must be returned to the Lab with your Glass and Essence upon your capture of a soul. The other is a list of contact information of every Guardian and Raevan pairing in the Lab. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the names of staff for you, but you will find us at the top of the first sheet!


I know this must be rather surprising for you, so before I go any further let me just state that if you have any questions at any time, please feel free to call, text, or email me and I will be more than happy to provide answers or guidance in general. That being said, let's get on with the show!


As I wrote above, you will find your Soul Glass and Fel Essence inside the briefcase. You are the Guardian to the Visible Imagination Essence, which has already been written down on the legal documents you will have to date and sign. Your Soul Glass is that big glass and metal contraption to the left of your Essence Jar, and will be the thing you need to use in order to help us make your future Raevan. Please take note of the cloth between the metal and glass parts as it is important. Souls have colors and the cloth acts as a limiter and something of a fail-safe so that the bottle will not suck up just anything around it. As yours is red and white, it will only activate around things (be they animal, plant, mineral, metal, etc) that fit one or both of those colors.


When you capture a soul, the glass bulb will appear to have a smoke-like gas inside of it. When this happens simply return the filled Glass, the Essence, your signed documents, and the case to the Lab. There is a business card tucked in alongside this note for our carrier service. Contact them when you are ready to return your items and they will pick them up from your home. As soon as we get them back we will begin the process of making them into your Raevan!


Whew! I hope I covered everything well enough in this note as far as what you need to do now that you are a Guardian! If not, and as before, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. My phone is always on and I'm always happy to talk with members of the Lab family!


Hope to hear from you soon and congratulations again!


Sincerely,

Zeke Farris

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What was this? Was it a mistake? Was he really given the opportunity to care for a raevan? Nerves instantly overcame him. Reuben couldn't believe that he was actually chosen to be a guardian. He even looked over the letter and the accompanying paperwork a few times in disbelief.

Reuben took the briefcase out to his workroom but upon leaving the house, realized that evening was upon him. The herbalist looked at the clock as soon as he entered the workroom in complete shock. Had it really been an hour since he found the package? It had only felt like a few minutes. He shook the thought from his head before deciding to continue on with what he was doing. He found a wooden crate full of miscellaneous herbs and simply dumped them into a large cloth bag before taking some velvet cloth and lining the inside of it. Taking the glass bottle from the case first ever so delicately, he placed it in the newly cleaned wooden crate with ease, setting the crate itself on the far end of his desk. 'Ah, a perfect fit,' he thought, taking the jar and placing it directly next to the wooden crate. There they both sat, the beautiful jar and a lovely glass bottle ready for a soul.

With a bright smile on his face, he turned off the light to his workroom, locked the door and made his way back into his house. Ah, how the cards were right. The Wheel of Fortune did play a major role this day. A wonderful stroke of good luck! It was now time to get started filling out the paperwork.  
A couple of days had passed, and the empty soul bottle still sat on Reuben’s desk in its wooden crate, cradled in the same soft velvet cloth, completely untouched. He gave it a thoughtful glance before finally picking it up to examine it more closely. The glass felt cool in his hand, and he set it down on the desk, lowering his chin to stare straight through its emptiness. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his chair and mused aloud, “What soul would you want?” But no answer came. His mind remained blank, an unsettling emptiness matching the bottle itself.

His eyes darted back and forth between the vibrant essence jar and the empty soul glass. The cards had hinted at trouble—what could possibly go wrong? Maybe they’ll fall and shatter, he considered, though he wasn’t that clumsy. Still, the thought lingered uneasily. He pushed the jar further back on his desk and carefully returned the soul bottle to its velvet-lined crate. He placed the crate on the floor, confident that it would be safe from accidental harm. Turning his attention back to the essence jar, Reuben couldn’t help but get lost in the swirl of colors within, their shifting hues enchanting him, as if daring him to decipher their mysteries.

The spell was broken by a sharp, insistent knock at his workshop door. Startled, Reuben checked the time — still early, just seven o’clock. He approached the door and peered through the narrow window beside it, spotting an elderly woman in a well-tailored pantsuit. She looked quite refined, aside from her frizzy, unkempt hair, and carried an expensive-looking leather briefcase. When he opened the door, she offered him a polite nod and a gracious smile.

“Can I help you?” Reuben asked, surprised to have a visitor at this hour.

“I certainly hope so,” she replied, her voice quiet and timid. “You’re the alchemist, right?”

Reuben hesitated slightly. “I am considered that by many. What can I do for you?”

“One of your clients gave me your business card. I’m hoping you can make me a special tea — a divinatory tea, to be precise,” she said, her voice carrying a mix of hesitation and hope.

Divination. Reuben’s smile widened as he gave a reassuring nod. “I can definitely help with that.”

“Oh, wonderful!” she exclaimed, visibly relieved. “I haven’t been able to find anyone who makes it the right way, but I hear you’re quite skilled.”

Reuben chuckled softly. “Well, thank you. I appreciate the confidence. I’ll do some research and start on this right away.”

The woman’s smile grew. “Thank you…and here’s this,” she said, opening her briefcase. Inside was a neatly bundled stack of cash held together by a paper band, alongside an assortment of personal documents. The sight of the money immediately caught Reuben’s eye. “This is the first portion of your payment — mainly for your time and the ingredients you’ll need. If you can deliver the tea by tomorrow, I’ll cover a delivery fee, and since it’s the weekend, I’m willing to pay double for the tea altogether. The address is on that slip of paper attached. If you can’t deliver it, I’ll return on Monday to pick it up. But I would really appreciate it if it could be done this weekend.”

“Tomorrow, huh?” Reuben echoed, weighing the task. “I’ll see what I can do. Thank you so much.”

“No, thank you,” she replied warmly.

With that, she turned and left, leaving Reuben a few hundred dollars richer and with a new task at hand. It was always a pleasant surprise when a client spread his name around; these unexpected visitors were more than welcome. Now, he just needed to gather the ingredients and prepare this special infusion. 
Reuben always had a methodical approach to his work. It began with thorough research — poring over his collection of books and meticulously saved web pages — before ever gathering the ingredients he needed. Today, he focused solely on the divinatory tea requested by the mysterious woman.

He retrieved his well-worn encyclopedia of magical herbs and began searching for ingredients linked to divination and visionary states. He chose herbs associated with the moon for prophetic dreams, those under Mercury’s influence for enhanced intuition, and herbs connected to the air and water elements to support visions and deeper insights.

After carefully compiling his notes, he created a list of ingredients:

Orris Root - For Divination

Agaric (in small dose) - For Visions

Meadowsweet - For Divination and Peace

Mugwort - For Prophetic Dreams

Crocus - For Visions

Agrimony - For Sleep

An Orange - For Divination (and a touch of flavor)

Reuben headed to his cupboard and rummaged through the shelves, which were packed with jars, bundles of dried herbs, and various ingredients he had collected over time. He managed to find the agrimony, mugwort, crocus, and an orange. However, the key ingredients — orris root, agaric mushrooms, and meadowsweet — were nowhere to be found.
He let out a resigned sigh. There was no avoiding it; he would have to brave the bustling marketplace to gather the remaining ingredients.

Navigating the crowded marketplace felt like wading through a sea of chaos. Reuben pushed his way past a throng of people, the cacophony of voices nearly overwhelming him. He hated crowds, especially when he had a specific mission. Just get through it, he thought, already yearning for the quiet solitude of home.


After what felt like an eternity of searching, Reuben finally stumbled upon a promising stall. An elderly woman sat behind it, surrounded by an array of herbs, spices, and potions of her own making.


“Why hello there, youngster. What can I do for you?” she asked, her voice warm despite her age.


“Hello,” Reuben replied, nodding politely. “Do you happen to have any orris root, agaric mushrooms, or meadowsweet?”


The woman’s wrinkled face brightened with a grin. She rose from her chair and shuffled over to the far end of the stall, searching through her wares. “Here’s the meadowsweet and orris root,” she said, handing him two carefully wrapped bundles. “But I’m afraid I’m out of the mushrooms. They’re a bit rare, you know.”


Reuben gave a polite but slightly disheartened smile. “I’ll take these, thank you. Do you know of anyone who might have the mushrooms?”


The woman paused, tapping a finger to her chin. “Well…there’s a woman down this street, around the corner at the end of the block. She’s got quite the collection, but she’s…let’s say, eccentric.”


Reuben thanked her, paid for the herbs, and followed her directions. As he walked, the crowd thinned, leaving the street feeling almost deserted. At the very end of the block, just as the woman had described, he saw a stall with a figure perched on a soapbox, chanting in an oddly sing-song voice.


“Welcome, welcome, one and all, please stop by my little stall! I have wares, oh yes I do, I have wares just for you!” she sang, her movements a strange dance that matched the rhythm of her words.


Reuben couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. The elderly woman hadn’t been wrong — this one certainly had a few screws loose. As he approached, the woman hopped off her soapbox and hurried behind her table.


“Hello there! What can I do you for?” she asked with a wide grin.


Reuben smirked, still amused. “I’m looking for some agaric mushrooms. Do you happen to have any?”


“DO I!?” she shouted with a hearty laugh. “DO I HAVE MUSHROOMS!? You bet your ass I do! The rarest of the rare, right here!” She began rummaging through her stall with a frantic energy, tossing aside boxes and containers.


“Uh, well…” Reuben began, but before he could finish, she cut him off.


“Hold on, hold on!” she insisted, her voice full of urgency. She continued digging through a pile of cloth-covered crates, muttering to herself as if trying to coax the mushrooms into revealing themselves. “They have to be here somewhere…”


Reuben watched, increasingly unsure of what to make of this bizarre encounter. When she started throwing rags and boxes in frustration, he began to slowly back away, thinking it best to leave before things escalated further. He took another step back, slipping away quietly.


“WAIT!” she yelled, her voice echoing down the empty street. “I FOUND THEM!”


Reuben stopped in his tracks, letting out a sigh as he turned around. The woman came barreling toward him, holding a small, polished wooden case. When she reached him, she thrust the box into his hands with surprising force.


Opening it cautiously, Reuben saw a few pristine agaric mushrooms, perfectly preserved inside. His initial irritation melted into relief. “Well, I’ll be,” he muttered, finally smiling with genuine gratitude.


“I told you I had it!” she proclaimed triumphantly. “Now listen here — these are magical mushrooms! You’d better take good care of them, you hear me? They’re powerful!” She emphasized her point with a dramatic wave of her hand before turning sharply and marching back to her stall. “AND DON’T FORGET — POWERFUL!” she yelled over her shoulder, her voice fading as she continued muttering to herself.


Reuben’s face twisted into a mixture of confusion and bemusement as he watched her disappear into the distance. What just happened? he wondered, shaking his head. But when he looked down at the elegant wooden case, he couldn’t deny his success. The mushrooms were in his hands, and that was all that mattered.


As he walked away, a sudden realization struck him. He glanced down at the case, then back at the woman’s stall. I didn’t even pay for these, he thought, conflicted. He took a deep breath, debating whether he should go back. After a moment, he shook his head. No, not today. I’ve had enough of this market for one day.


With that, Reuben continued his journey home, eager to finish the special infusion and leave the chaos of the market behind.

After returning home from a morning of chaotic market crowds and eccentric vendors, Reuben wasted no time diving into his work. He poured himself a glass of green tea before heading out to his workshop, ready to craft the special infusion his new client had ordered. However, as he entered the room, his eyes were once again drawn to the wooden crate and jar that had been sitting on his desk for days. He sighed, moving the mesmerizing jar of "Visible Imagination" to a smaller side table, hoping it would be less of a distraction. Still, he couldn’t help but glance at it, entranced by the swirling colors within.

Determined to focus, Reuben cleared his main work area and carefully arranged all the ingredients in a wicker basket. He began the familiar process of grinding the dried herbs, meticulously working each one into a fine powder with his mortar and pestle. Yet, as he made the repetitive, circular motions, his thoughts began to drift. Faint, soothing voices seemed to whisper tales in his ear, coaxing his imagination to wander.

He found himself lost in the rhythmic swirling of the herbs inside the mortar, losing track of the task at hand until the pestle slipped from his fingers, clinking against the stone bowl and jolting him out of his daze. He blinked and checked the time — an entire hour had passed, and he hadn’t even realized it. Reuben's gaze shifted accusingly to the jar across the room. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered, “Is that essence really messing with my head?”

It wasn’t the first time he had lost focus since receiving the jar, and he was starting to suspect a connection. Frustrated, he decided to move it even further, placing it on a high shelf across the room. “There,” he said, dusting off his hands, as if ridding himself of the distraction altogether.

Returning to his desk with a renewed sense of determination, Reuben began combining the powdered herbs with water in a small cauldron. He cut an orange into large chunks, tossing them into the mixture, and set about the last task — slicing the mushrooms. But as he reached for a toadstool, his thoughts drifted once again to the jar, its vivid colors tugging at the edges of his consciousness. The rhythm of the knife hitting the cutting board seemed to echo unnervingly in his mind: One slice, two slice, three slice, four…

The slicing gradually slowed to a halt, and minutes passed as he stared off into the distance, frozen in a half-conscious daze. It wasn’t until his hand knocked over the wicker basket, scattering the remaining toadstools onto the floor and into the crate, that he snapped out of his trance.

“Damn it!”
he cursed, his voice tinged with irritation. He hastily collected the fallen mushrooms and placed them back in the basket, muttering to himself, “What the hell is wrong with me?” An uneasy tension settled over him as he tried to shake off the lingering fog in his mind. Once again, he had no memory of where his thoughts had wandered.

“Come on, Reuben. Just get this damn infusion finished,” he muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. “Think about the money.”

With renewed focus, he added a few carefully sliced mushrooms to the pot and carried it into the kitchen to boil. Stirring the concoction, he watched as the water turned a murky, reddish-brown. The transformation brought a faint smile to his face — he was almost done.

Finally, Reuben strained the tea into a large flask, admiring the rich color of the finished product. “Perfect,” he murmured, satisfied. But as he glanced at the clock, he realized just how late it had gotten — far past the time he’d planned to finish for the night.

He placed the flask of infusion in the fridge, turned off the lights in his workshop, and headed to bed feeling a rare sense of accomplishment. Little did he know that this simple act of brewing a special tea would mark the beginning of something that would change his life forever.
Awakening from a well-deserved sleep, Reuben opened his eyes feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Slipping on a pair of slippers, he shuffled to the kitchen and poured himself a comforting cup of Earl Grey. The warmth seeped into his fingers, and he let out a contented sigh. Unlike most people who relied on their morning coffee, Reuben thrived on tea — black teas in the morning, green teas in the evening. It was a ritual that anchored his days.
 
Cup in hand, he stepped outside, breathing in the crisp morning air. The sun had just begun to peek over the treetops, casting a soft glow over his garden. Still warm enough to lounge in his shorts, Reuben made his way to the gazebo, where he prepared for his daily ritual.

In the gazebo, he set his tea down on a small meditation table and lit a stick of dragon’s blood incense. The air filled with its heady aroma, mingling with the gentle tolling of windchimes that swayed with the breeze. Reuben opened a small chest in the corner of the gazebo, retrieving his well-worn Fountain Tarot deck wrapped in satin. He laid it on the table, settled into a cross-legged position, and took a few deep breaths to center himself.

Deep breath in. Hold. Slow exhale. He repeated the steps a few more times, focusing on the chimes’ delicate clinks and the incense’s comforting scent. Reuben let his thoughts drift past him without lingering, clearing his mind of any lingering distractions.
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Feeling grounded, he slowly opened his eyes and unwrapped the deck from its protective cloth. Holding the cards between his hands, he murmured, “What do I need to know today?” He shuffled the deck methodically, cut it into thirds, and reassembled it before drawing the top card: The King of Wands, upright. He chuckled softly to himself. The message was clear — life is a growing adventure. It was a card of leadership and embracing change. Reuben took a moment to appreciate its significance before drawing a second card: The Ace of Cups, upright. A grin spread across his face. These cards hinted at the beginning of a new emotional journey, something promising yet unpredictable.


He nodded, satisfied with the insight. After returning the cards to their deck and giving them a cleansing shuffle, he carefully rewrapped them and placed them back in the chest. Leaning against the gazebo’s frame, he watched as the morning sunlight danced across the creek behind his house, reflecting off the gentle ripples in the water. It felt like a good day already.

But a glance at his watch made him snap back to reality — it was getting late. He rushed inside, grabbed his keys, the slip of paper with his client’s address, and the flask of tea he had dubbed Divinitea, before dashing out the door.

Returning home from the delivery, Reuben set his keys down on a small table near the entrance and carried the bag of money to the kitchen. A broad smile spread across his face as he emptied the bag onto the counter and began counting the cash. It was all there. “Wonderful,” he muttered to himself. He felt a pang of excitement at the success of his creation and hoped the client enjoyed it as much as she seemed to need it.

But the joy was fleeting. As he gazed out the window towards his workshop, he remembered the mess he had left behind. Letting out a reluctant sigh, he decided he couldn’t avoid it any longer. It was time to clean up.


Back in the workshop, Reuben began gathering the used bowls and pestles, muttering to himself about being more organized next time. As he reached for the wooden crate, something caught his eye — the sacred bottle, the one meant to capture a soul, was no longer empty. Instead, it was filled with a swirling mass of red and orange smoke. His eyes widened in shock, and he frantically scanned the room, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. What could the bottle have absorbed?

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His gaze fell on the wooden crate. Wedged between the glass and the velvet cloth inside was a small, shriveled toadstool. No... The memory of knocking over the wicker basket flashed through his mind, and a wave of dread washed over him.


“A toadstool? Seriously? Fuck.” he groaned, scratching his head in disbelief. He stared at the bottle, its colors shifting hypnotically within the glass. How could I have been so careless? He had left such a powerful artifact sitting out in the open, and now it had captured the soul of a simple fungus. Of all the possibilities — a majestic fox or a rare magical creature — yet he had ended up with a toadstool.


Reuben took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, but his mind kept flashing back to the cards he had drawn earlier. “The Fool” card from a few days ago now seemed like an omen, a warning he had ignored. And today’s reading — the King of Wands and Ace of Cups — had foretold an emotional journey. He certainly wasn’t feeling the emotions he’d expected.


Reuben glared at the bottle, rolling his eyes at his predicament. He picked it up with a resigned sigh. “Well, what can you do?” he muttered. With the bottle in hand, he left the workshop, knowing that despite his best-laid plans, the universe seemed intent on throwing him curveballs.


His emotional journey had indeed begun, but it was not the adventure he had anticipated.

A feeling of hopelessness and failure weighed heavily on Reuben in the days following the realization that his sacred bottle had been filled by a mere toadstool. Disappointment gnawed at him — not only because it wasn’t the powerful soul he had hoped for, but because he felt he had failed Zeke and the entire Lab 305 community. Who would choose a toadstool? It was far from anyone’s first choice, and certainly not his.

Over the next couple of weeks, Reuben poured his energy into finding a way to release the soul from the bottle without breaking it. The thought of reaching out to Zeke crossed his mind more than once, but fear held him back — fear of looking foolish or, worse, being dismissed entirely. So he kept his dilemma to himself and scoured every resource he could find. Unfortunately, his books and online research offered little guidance on how to reverse this type of soul capture.

He often found himself staring into the bottle, watching the swirling red and orange smoke inside, imagining the types of souls he could have captured. A majestic phoenix, a mischievous forest fae, or even a graceful fox — each thought felt like a missed opportunity. The reality of what he had actually captured filled him with growing despair. But he knew he had to send the bottle back, no matter how much he dreaded the outcome.

Reuben sat at his desk, eyes fixed on the swirling colors within the glass. With a sigh of anxiety, he picked up a pen and a piece of paper, trying to compose a letter to Zeke. After several crumpled drafts, he finally settled on something that seemed passable, even if it didn’t fully convey his sense of regret.

Dear Zeke,


First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible opportunity to serve as a guardian to one of these remarkable, magical creatures. This gift is something I will always hold dear, and I am truly honored to have been entrusted with such a responsibility.


The bottle itself remains safe, as you can see. It is even filled, though not in the way I had hoped. Unfortunately, I have some disheartening news to share. Despite my efforts to protect it, a toadstool accidentally fell into the crate where I had carefully stored the bottle. By the next morning, the bottle was filled and the mushroom had withered away. I am deeply sorry for this oversight and regret not taking greater precautions with the lab’s valuable equipment.


I understand that the soul within the bottle may not be worthy or suitable for such an esteemed experiment. If that is the case, I fully respect your decision to dispose of it in whatever manner the lab deems appropriate. Should this mean that my gift is revoked, I will accept that outcome with humility. However, please know that I am willing to take full responsibility for this accidental capture.


If I do not hear back from you, I will understand. In the meantime, please extend my best wishes to everyone at Lab 305.


With sincere apologies,

Reuben Rothmore

He read over the letter several times, sadness clouding his expression. Once he was satisfied with it, he folded the paper into thirds and slipped it into an envelope addressed to Zeke Farris. He placed the letter alongside the completed paperwork on top of the briefcase and securely closed it. Reuben locked the case, then carefully packed it into a new box lined with bubble wrap. He taped the box shut meticulously, addressing it with shaky hands, and called the courier service to arrange a pick-up.

For the next hour, the sealed box sat inside his front door while Reuben remained on the couch, nervously biting his nails. He couldn’t shake the feeling of dissatisfaction, plagued by thoughts of what might have been. The beautiful souls he had imagined capturing drifted through his mind like ghosts of missed chances.

Finally, a knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Reuben opened it to find a courier standing there, smiling brightly. He managed a half-hearted smirk in return as he handed over the package, signed the necessary paperwork, and watched as the courier carried the box to his vehicle. Reuben peered through the small window next to the front door, following the courier’s movements until he drove away, taking the box — and Reuben’s hopes — with him.

The deed was done. The bottle had been filled and sent back, and now all Reuben could do was wait for Zeke’s response…if there would be one at all. Deep down, he wasn’t counting on ever hearing back from Lab 305 again.

A few days had passed since the courier had collected the package for Zeke, and there had been no word in return. Reuben was resigned to the fact that he had messed up, and the silence from Lab 305 only confirmed what he already knew: they wouldn’t be reaching out again. Why would they, after he had wasted a valuable soul bottle on something as insignificant as a toadstool? He had done enough sulking — now it was time to accept reality and move on.


Seeking some clarity, Reuben decided that a good tarot reading was in order. He got out of bed, brewed himself a cup of tea, and headed out to the gazebo. The cool morning breeze rustled the leaves as he lit a stick of dragon’s blood incense and retrieved his trusted Fountain Tarot deck from its chest.


After a few deep breaths to center himself, Reuben gave the deck a thorough shuffle, cut it, and drew a single card. As he flipped it over, he couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle. The Fountain card lay before him, upright and clear.


“Just be,” he murmured, a small smile forming on his lips. It was the card that symbolized presence and acceptance — a gentle nudge to let go of his anxieties and simply exist in the moment. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.


Even though the message was obvious, Reuben decided to draw one more card, just to see if the deck had anything else to say. He turned over The Sun, also upright — a card representing joy, positivity, and new beginnings. A sense of relief washed over him, and he took a deep breath. The cards were always so reassuring, always there to pull him back to center when he needed it most.


So what if Lab 305 didn’t call back? Life would go on. If they reached out, that would be wonderful, but if not, it wasn’t the end of the world. Reuben leaned back in the gazebo, feeling the warmth of the morning sun filtering through the trees. A smirk played at the corner of his lips.

“Just chill, relax, and ‘be,'” he muttered to himself, letting the peace of the moment settle over him.

"Will you just come over, please? I need someone to talk to."

Reuben walked from the kitchen to the living room with a cup of hot tea in his hands and his cell phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear. With a heavy sigh, he set his tea down on the coffee table and brought the phone into eye's view. Clicking the "End" button, he set it down before picking up his tea to take a sip. He needed a good cup of tea after the troublesome month he'd had.
Within the hour, Reuben heard his front door open up. A tall 5'11" woman with chocolate skin, curled short dark brown hair and bright honey colored eyes entered the home. "I'm here. Now what're you needing to talk about, hmm?" she asked in an annoyed tone, turning to see Reuben with a bright, cheesy smile on his face sitting on one of his couches. She chuckled, crossed her arms and waltzed across the room with big strides, making her way to the other couch which sat across from him. She planted herself down and waved her hand, as if to give him permission to speak, all with a look of annoyance on her face.

"I've missed you," Reuben stated with some sincerity as he leaned forward.

"You haven't talked to me in over a month, bitch. Why call now?" she questioned, sitting herself back.

"I'm sorry. I'm a terrible person, I know. But you can't stay mad at me."

"Mhmm." A look of utter annoyance on the woman's face.

"Calista, c'mon. We're grown adults and we need to talk out our problems. You're acting like I wronged you. I've had a rough month and I need someone to talk to...seriously."

"You want to talk out our problems? Okay, fine. Lets start with the fact that you've ignored all my phone calls for the past month and-"

Reuben cut her off, "Lets actually start with the fact that you hexed my ex-boyfriend, which you can't, for whatever reason, figure out how to undo. Now he won't talk to me."

"Pfft. That boy deserved it. And you needed to wake up. He treated you like utter shit. And for the record, ignoring me wasn't very 'grown up' of you, either."

"All I asked of you was to help me perform a love spell! You purposefully went behind my back and hexed him so that he has the worst nightmares about me every time he falls asleep. I feel like you owe me an apology."

"I owe you an apology!? You should be thanking me for saving your dumb ass from that dickhead." Calista gave Reuben a death-filled glare, tightening her grip on her biceps with her crossed arms.

Seeing as though she wouldn't budge, Reuben rolled his eyes and sighed. "All I want is to make amends with you and put this behind us. I'm over Clark. Now, can we just move on and catch up, please? I have much more pressing matters to discuss."

Calista eyed Reuben up and down with a raised brow. She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Fine, we can move on. I guess I kinda missed you too," she said, looking away with a smile growing ever-so-slightly on her face. "You have to admit that my hex was funny as hell, though."

Reuben chuckled. "Yeah, and I guess he kind of does deserve it," he said with a growing smile.

The two stood and hugged. Calista had been Reuben's best friend since elementary school. She is a natural witch, born with the gift, but due to her family's strict rules, was never able to practice whilst living at home, even though she would dabble here and there without her parent's knowledge. Once she moved out, however, she had free reign on all things magical. She immersed herself in her studies, practicing day in and day out; oftentimes making bad choices and messing up her incantations, but it was all a learning curve for her. She dabbled in many branches until she finally found illusion magic. Oh, how she enjoyed her illusions. She could pull the wool over anyone's eyes with that. Thus, it became her main branch of study throughout her college days.

"So, Cali, I have some news to tell you," Reuben began, grabbing his cup of tea from the table and taking a big swig and setting it back down. "I fucked up...big time."

Calista sighed and rolled her eyes. He was always so dramatic when it came to things. She was certain of that. "Oh, Reu, of course you did. So, what STD did you bring home this time?" she questioned, raising a brow.

"Ugh, it's not like that at all," he waved her words off with a disgusted look before continuing, "I was given the opportunity of a lifetime and I fucked it up. I was given this gift...a magical bottle and-"

"You were given something magical!? Well, where is it!?" Calista interrupted. She was always extremely excitable by anything having to deal with magic.

"I sent it back."

"Why the hell would you do that!?"

"Would you just shut up and listen a minute."

The woman sat back in her seat a moment, simply glaring at Reuben with crossed arms and legs in an annoyed, yet attentive fashion.

"As I was saying, earlier this month I was given this magical bottle that I had to fill with a 'soul' of some sort. It's for this experiment of sorts; they're like people, only not fully? Anyway, I figured I'd want it to be like a magical type of soul. Either a fae, vampire, dragon, or some sort of magical creature. But I messed up and wasn't paying attention. I was making a special tea for a client of mine and it required toadstools. So I brought them home and misplaced one of them. The next day, the bottle had sucked the life right out of that mushroom and was swirling with smoke. The only thing I could do was send it back. I haven't heard from the people at the lab since. I'm just pissed at myself for wasting the bottle and potentially fucking up the entire gift. So it's been bumming me out lately. Today was the first day that I've felt any sort of relief from it, and that was only due to my meditation this morning."

Calista cocked her head a bit as she listened. What a story. Magical bottles with soul sucking abilities? This sounded like some Lab 305 shit. "That sounds...interesting. This 'lab' you are referring to...it doesn't happen to be called Lab 305, does it?"

"Yes! That's it exactly! So you've heard of them? Do you-"

"Oh my god! You fucking whore! How the hell did you even get a bottle!? You're a damn mundane! What the fuck is wrong with that place!?"

Reuben's face fell into utter confusion. "Wh-what're you talking about?"

"What am I talking about!? You have the opportunity of a lifetime! I'm a natural born witch and I can't even seem to get a fucking letter back. I've been trying to get my hands on a raevan for years. I've sent multiple requests in to become a guardian and I've never once heard back. Honestly, why on earth do you want a raevan anyway? What would that bring you? Do you even realize the kind of responsibility that comes with such a thing!? Magical creatures that contain all sorts of powers you can only imagine; but it's real. A raevan would be a witch's best friend! Ugh! But no, they have to give it to the damn mundane," she spewed, rolling her eyes and heaving a heavy sigh, throwing her arms about in a fit of - what could only be considered - a grown woman's tantrum.

'Maybe it's because of your attitude and temper,' Reuben thought to himself a moment, looking at his distraught friend with a puzzled stare. But, the question she asked in that bout of rage struck him. Why did he wish to become a guardian? At the time, looking back, it sounded like something he had really wanted to be apart of. He thought it'd be fun to take care of something other than himself for once. But, in reality, what the hell was he even doing? Calista was right. This was a huge responsibility. Much larger than caring for something like an animal. This was a magical being, who could get well out of hand; and with him not having any innate magical powers, why would they choose him to care for a creature over someone well versed in magic, a natural witch no less? He was both extremely upset, and yet, strangely relieved. Upset because he had messed up the soul capture and telling Calista hadn't helped his feelings on that; in fact, she made him feel worse. But he also felt a sense of relief knowing that there was a huge possibility that the lab wouldn't accept such a boring soul choice.

Finally, after a few moments of contemplation, he spoke, "To be completely honest, I signed up because I wanted to take part in the endeavor. I met a raevan and she was intriguing. Magic or not, this was something that I was more than wiling to be apart of. But you're right, I guess I didn't consider all the consequences before sending back the soul glass, filled. What the hell do I do now?"

Reuben brought his thumb to his mouth and chewed slightly on his nail. His eyes darted about the room in wonder and shock. What was he to do? He was in the dark completely about whether or not he'd even receive a call back from the Lab. Finally, his gaze rested down the hall towards the bedrooms. The most responsible thing would be to ready a room for the creature once it was born if, in fact, they did finally call him back. Better safe than sorry, right?

Calista sighed and watched as Reuben's eyes darted down the hall in quiet contemplation. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and stood up. "Alright, lets go get this room ready for your future child," she said, walking towards the hallway, turning around to see Reuben stunned. "Well, c'mon. It ain't gonna ready itself!"  

Despite his best efforts to NOT go out this Halloween, Calista seems to have wormed her way into forcing him out onto the scene. Costume? Check. Swarms of kids and teenagers roaming around in search of candy? Check. Reuben being unhappy with his situation? ...Maybe? Regardless, Halloween is in full swing and for better or worse Reuben is a part of it this year. His hometown seems to be taking this year above and beyond with every street and public space being filled to the brim with holiday-appropriate fare and fairs. How does Reuben handle it all? Does the fact he's a soon-to-be Guardian change anything about his feelings in regards to Halloween? Does he end up having any fun?!?

"Are you ready yet?" a voice rang out from the living room. It was piercing to the ears and filled to the brim with an undertone of utter annoyance. The woman was clad in witchy attire from head to toe. A large witch's hat adorned her head with dark lips and makeup, as well as a dark short dress with a broom. Your stereotypical witch costume.

"Almost," he stated with a roll of his eyes. A sigh escaped the new guardian's piercing red lips as he flipped the cape over his shoulders and tied it around his neck to keep it in place. His face was decked out with pale cream makeup and darkened eye shadow with a small drip of fake blood flowing down the sides of his mouth. He wore two fangs and bright red prescription contacts. He was a vampire for the evening, that much was obvious. He actually recycled an old vest and suit pants for the occasion and wore a white collared shirt underneath with a red necklace medallion that Calista had let him borrow. This was her favorite holiday, and one that was only mediocre in his opinion.

Reuben normally enjoyed a quiet evening at home on Halloween. If any children dared venture out past Oakdale to his cottage, he was armed with some candy to pass out. But tonight he'd have to turn out the porch light, because Calista forced his hand this year.

They were apparently supposed to go to the Halloween bash in San Francisco. Calista, being from San Francisco, always loved the people and the scene. Reuben, on the other hand, tried to avoid the city at all costs. Somehow, even unbeknownst to Calista herself, Reuben agreed to attend the festivities.

Giving himself one last glance over in the mirror, he licked his teeth and went out into the living room to see Calista standing there on her phone scrolling through tumblr, no doubt.

"Okay, lets go," he said, standing at the hallway's entrance.

"Finally," Calista stated, looking up to see the entire costume put together. "Wow, Reu, you really clean up well. I'm impressed."

"What is this? A compliment? Coming from you? It really must be an odd day of the year," he jested.

"Oh shut it. Lets go," Calista stated with a cracking smile, taking Reuben by the hand and leading him out the front door to her truck.
Crowds of people lined the streets of the halloween fair. The night was definitely upon the world and people from all over came to San Francisco for the annual Fairytale Fair. Orange jack-o-lanterns lined the streets with dim lights strung up from telephone pole to pole. Even the buildings were decorated with cobwebs and some terrifying cheer. Everyone was in a good mood...except Reuben. He rather regretted the decision to come out. The last thing he wanted to do was be seen by anyone he used to know growing up.

Calista, on the other hand, was drawn to the night and loved the festivities. She acted as though she was a child running from booth to booth, playing the little games and such and gathering candies for herself.

Reuben sat on the sidelines at almost every station. Oh, how he had wished he stayed home and lit some candles, meditated, and read some tarot cards instead.

Out of the corner of his eye, a couple walked past. They were both dressed in "Dia de los Muertos" attire. Half face skull painted on the man's face whilst hers was done up more intricately and entirely. The couple walked by them and the man glanced at Reuben as he sat on the bench and smirked with a quick nod.

Reuben's heart skipped a beat a second. It wasn't that type of smirk you'd give a stranger. It was a "checking you out" sort of smirk and nod. Reuben shook it off, yet began to blush behind the makeup. He decided to distract himself and check out his phone instead. Finding that Tumblr was far more entertaining than just sitting there.

Suddenly, a presence joined him on the bench. Out of the corner of his eye, it was just a large figure. Reuben quickly glanced up to see the same man from a few moments earlier sitting there, looking straight on at one of the games. Reuben quickly looked back at his phone and only acted busy to keep from becoming too awkward.

"This is a little lame, isn't it?" the stranger asked, still looking forward.

Reuben was caught off guard at the man's voice. "Y-yeah, a tad bit, heh. I'm waiting for my friend over there to finish her game," he said, looking over at Calista who was unashamedly bobbing for apples.

"Same here," the man said, turning to look at Reuben straight on. "I'm Evan, by the way. I'm really diggin' your costume," he said with a smile, eyeing Reuben up and down.

"Ah, yeah? Thanks, I appreciate it," Reuben began, a smile growing on his face. "I really like you and your girlfriend's costumes as well. They look really nice. And I'm Reuben; though you can call me Reu."

The two shook hands quickly and Evan spoke up, "Thanks, it took her a few hours to paint them. Very nice to meet you, Reu. So, what brings you to the fair? Your girlfriend over there?"

Reuben chuckled a bit. "Yeah, she's been hounding me to go out for a while now. I don't know why I agreed to come out; but I did."

"Yeah, same here, man. Ah, looks like she's done. It was nice meeting you. Have a wonderful evening," he said with a smirk and a wink, patting Reuben on the back. As he stood, he looked over at his girlfriend who ran up to him with a stuffed jack-o-lantern she had won. The two hugged. Before leaving, however, Evan turned, winked once more and waved at Reuben as they walked into the crowd.

Reuben smiled as the man patted his back and just nodded when he was told to have a good evening. Did that really just happen? Was he being slightly hit on by a random stranger...with a girlfriend no less? Stranger things could have happened. Reuben couldn't stop smiling a moment before he got up, waltzing over to an unhappy, soaked Calista who just couldn't seem to get an apple.

"Goddamn these games. I can't stand this," she stated, looking at the obviously goofy smile on Reuben's face. "What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked.

Reuben looked off in the direction Evan walked and shook his head with that same smile. "Nothing, just enjoying my time here," he said.

The two spent the rest of the evening at the Fairytale Fair laughing, playing the games and visiting the booths. All in all, coming out this halloween was a very good idea, Reuben decided. A very good idea indeed. 
Thanksgiving. A time for Americans to give thanks for all that they were given. If it weren't for Calista, Reuben probably wouldn't celebrate it at all. But this day had become a good reminder to give thanks for all you have in life, regardless of location in the world. Since the two became good friends, Reuben would join Calista at her family's thanksgiving celebration except for the year or two they traveled back to the United States to spend the holiday with Calista's extended family. But since the two turned eighteen, they've been doing the celebrating separately due to the many familial issues that Calista has encountered with her family.

Every year, the night before Thanksgiving in America, Calista would come to Reuben's home and spend the entire evening preparing things for the next day. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and all the fixings of a true, traditional Thanksgiving meal. The two would discuss their favorite things which happened that year and what they were thankful for. But over all, the two would just use this day as an excuse to hang out, eat, and talk about life.

The smell of baked pies filled the home for days to come, and everything just felt right. Especially since Yule was just around the corner and the two could go into December with high spirits.

Thanksgiving, or Friendsgiving as they called it, was just their magical little night. Most years the two would read tarot together and Calista would practice her magic with the help of Reuben. Obviously, they would do this any day of the year, but this day was festive and always brought joy to both of the friends. 
◈ WHO: Fisher & Reuben (Smerdle & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: Early Afternoon on November 29, 2016
◈ WHERE: Downtown Market in Oakdale
◈ WEATHER: Overcast, yet dry. Rain to come.
Yule was always such a huge deal. Snowmen with candy. Santa and his reindeer lurked on every street corner. Everywhere you looked, no matter where you were from, there was some sort of holiday cheer awaiting you. People bustling about getting gifts and wrappings. It was a ton of work for some shop keepers who presented the more high-tech gifts kids wanted.

Sadly, for Reuben, the Mystic Herb wasn't as bustling during this season. The regular clientele would come in, but not as many people as he had expected. People were getting sick, sure, but they weren't wanting the natural remedies. All they wanted were the quick and easy, the simply pill popping that true doctors gave. Reuben hadn't even seen a doctor in years due to his new lifestyle. He was always fairly healthy and even the slight colds and things he did get were easily taken care of by herbal tea and natural remedies he'd create himself.

But, the time had come to close the shop and get ready for the Yule celebration with Calista and a few of her co-workers. He locked up the shop and put up his "Happy Holidays" sign on the front door before returning to his house to ready it for the party that evening.

Within two hours, the entire living room and kitchen was decked out in winter decorations. Snowflake streamers drooped in the entrances to the kitchen. A large Yule tree stood tall in the corner of the living room. Garland was strung up across the entire house. The large chalkboard behind the bar in the kitchen even had a winter flair to it. The drinks and dessert platters were prepped and ready. There was even a fire started in the fireplace. The sound of wood crackling under the heat was so soothing to him. Then, the wait for the guests began.

The large grandfather clock struck 8 o'clock and Reuben sat alone in his living room enjoying a mug of hot, fresh apple cider. Finally, a knock was heard. The first guest had finally arrived. He picked himself up, placed his mug on the coffee table and waltzed over to the front door.

Opening it up, it was none other than Calista. "Hey, girl. About time you showed up. Where is everyone?"

"Ugh, you'll never believe it, Reu," Calista stated as she walked into the room, taking off her large overcoat in the process.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Reuben asked, closing the door, slight worry in his voice.

"Everyone bailed, again. I invited my co-workers for friendsgiving, nobody showed up. I invite them for Yule, again, no-shows. Why do I even bother?" she said, plopping herself down on the couch. "Is this cider?" she asked, picking up Reuben's cup and taking in the aroma.

A sigh of annoyance escaped the alchemists lips. Of course they'd cancel without actually cancelling. "Well, that's just wonderful. A waste of all the decorating I did, not to mention the baking," he mused quietly, more to himself than directing it at Calista. He took a seat on the opposite couch and watched as the witch brought the cup to her own lips. "Can't you just get your own?" he spat, eyes narrowing.

Calista rolled her eyes and sipped the cider once more before putting it down. "Can you stop being a little bitch? I'm just as disappointed as you are."

Reuben's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he leaned back in the seat, resting his head upon the cushion.

Calista stood and made her way into the kitchen, picking at the desserts and grabbing a cup of cider for herself before returned to the couch. "Well, is tonight going to be a Netflix and chill kind of night?" Calista suggested, taking a bite of the delicate vegan cookie.

Reuben looked over at the clock, then to the kitchen. A moment of silence passed and he finally spoke. "Yeah, might as well be.""

Reuben went to the kitchen, filled his cup, and grabbed the plate of goodies before bringing them all back to the living room and setting them on the coffee table. He slipped off his shoes and propped his feet up on the large couch he was sitting on before grabbing the remote and turning on the Smart TV that hung on the wall above the fireplace. He flipped through the apps on the television until he found Netflix. Starting it up, he looked over at Calista who was gobbling down on some homemade carob covered pretzels he made.

A smile grew upon his countenance as the realization of what the holiday season was really about sunk in. It was about spending it with people you care about, people you love, and enjoying their company. Parties don't matter, the perfect plate of desserts doesn't matter, and neither does the hot apple cider. All that truly matters is time spent with loved ones; and with that, Reuben truly did understand the meaning of Yuletide cheer.  
◈ WHO: Sam & Reuben (Byagane319 & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: Early Afternoon on November 27, 2016
◈ WHERE: The Mystic Herb
◈ WEATHER: Partly Cloudy, but some sun shining through.
Valentine's Day. A holiday, according to Reuben, used to promote fake, over dramatic ideals of love, relationships, and a day to make the chocolate and floral businesses flourish for a time. At least until today...

Reuben was out with Calista running some errands on a lunch break before returning to the shop. All he could see for a mile was people bustling to get their gifts for their loved ones. Pinks, reds, and whites lined every street. Items shaped as hearts, boxes of candy, balloons, and fluffy stuffed animals were in everyone's hands.

The tarotist knew to keep his attention on his work, not rifle with affairs of love or affection. He had a business to run. Sure, he'd find people cute here or there, and even have a fun time with someone on rare occasion; but there was nothing worse for a career than establishing a "lifelong" or even long term bond with someone else.

"You really need to download Tinder. I'm telling you, you could get a lot of dates if you just tried. You're an okay looking guy," Calista jested as she kept her eyes glued to her cell. "Swipe left, swipe left, swipe right. It's truly very simple," she concluded, sipping her coffee and following the motions she spoke as a new fellow's photograph popped up in place of the prior.

"Cali, you know I have no time or patience for an actual relationship," Reuben stated coldly, pushing forward. "Not anymore at least."

"Who said anything about a relationship?" she chuckled. Shaking her head, eyes still on her phone, she continued, "All I'm saying is that you should go out and have some fun. You've really delved into your work ever since you supposedly 'fucked up' the soul capture for Lab 305."

"I'd really rather not talk about that," he replied, rolling his eyes as they continued their walk down the street.

"Fine, we don't have to. But you really do need to do something else to get your mind off of your stresses. Shit, go get yourself a fuck buddy if nothing else." Another long sip, this time, with sound.

Reuben sighed. "If it'll get you to shut up, I'll go download the app."

Calista grinned, finally locking her phone screen and placing it in her pocket. "Good. But you have to know I'll never shut up."
The evening came quickly and before Calista left back to Modesto, she forced Reuben to download the popular dating app and quickly showed him how to use it.

It didn't take long for Reuben to get the hang of it, swiping left and right on people became second nature. It wasn't like him to judge someone so superficially to think someone was a "good match" for him, but this was like a game. Those whom he swiped left on would never know. He spent a good portion of the evening going through the local men that popped up, one after another, on his screen.

As the night progressed, Reuben took a break, only to come back to a few matches and a couple messages. He dove into the messages quickly, probably too quickly and began to get a bit too personal early on and never received responses.

Finally, a message popped up from a guy named Evan, 28.

  • From: Evan, 28
    • Hey there. I'm diggin' your photos. How're you doing? What brings you to Tinder?


Reuben couldn't help but snoop a bit. Something about this man felt familiar. He had remembered swiping right, but only because he was in a swiping fit and hadn't really taken a deeper look into their photos or about me's. Now that he got a message, he decided to look a bit deeper.

The about me was very weak, in Reuben's opinion. A small blurb about him liking the outdoors, the fact that he's a bartender in Stockton, likes to dye his hair a multitude of colors constantly, and the fact that he owns a German Shepherd who he named Axel.

His photos, however, proved a bit of insight into the man's life. A couple selfies, quite cute; one with bright green, acid-esque hair, shirtless (abs for days), and the other with a cute little outfit and titanium-gray hair. Another was a photo of him and Axel lying on a bed together. And finally, his fourth and fifth picture were of him and this woman. One of them was a cutesy couple-esque photo of them hugging and acting "adorable" to the camera, something he could see a multitude of his gay friends doing with their girlfriends. The other was a shoddy photo of, what seemed to be them at Halloween last year.

Reuben's heart picked up pace as he glanced at that final photo. Both of their faces were done in Dia de los Muertos paint. The man's heart skipped a beat as he wished the photo was slightly less overexposed and a bit less dark overall to make it easier to make out. Obviously the photo was taken at night, and by the background lighting, it looked as though it was at the San Francisco Fairytale Fair. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach. Nerves overtook him and all he was doing was looking at his phone screen. This couldn't be the same man that sat with him on the bench that night, could it? Reuben couldn't remember what the man told him his name was, but this was promising.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of figuring out what to write back, Reuben decided it was time to respond. He knew he didn't want to overshare like he had been doing all night, but keeping it kind and to the point.

  • To: Evan, 28
    • Thank you, man. I have to say, you're quite the handsome fellow. I'm doing quite well, thank you; and yourself? I'm just here because of one of my friends. She told me I needed to get out of my element and find something new to do with my life aside from work. What about yourself?


It didn't take long before Evan responded.

  • From: Evan, 28
    • You're welcome. I'm also doing alright. Just here to pass the time, really. My girlfriend said that I need more guy friends and I shouldn't be home all the time when I'm not at work. So, I figured Tinder was the right option. Looks like we're in similar boats. Haha.


Reuben's heart dropped, this time in sadness and disappointment. 'My girlfriend'. What kind of shit was this? Tinder was a place for dating, right? Not for someone to go to make friends. With a heavy, saddened heart, Reuben couldn't help but continue the conversation, even if it wasn't going anywhere.

  • To: Evan, 28
    • Ah, I understand that. So, you're just here for friends, huh? I have to say that's a little disappointing. You're really cute.


The responses slowed down, and it took Evan a good hour to respond. It was getting late, but Reuben was determined to stay up and continue to text this guy.

  • From: Evan, 28
    • Hahah, sorry man, I'm not gay. Just here for friends. But you seem like a chill dude and I'd like to go to coffee this weekend if you want? Hell, I'll even buy! My girl is tired of me sitting at home with no life, lol.


Reuben laid in his bed, light cascading down onto his face from the phone screen alone. A saddened facial expression was all he could muster. With a sigh, he clicked the lock button and laid it beside him, staring up at the ceiling in the pitch black room. A good few minutes of thinking later, he couldn't help but respond. Strangely enough, however, the topic of the Fairytale Fair hadn't come up yet. Maybe that was something he should ask about in person. Coffee was innocent, right? With little friends in his own personal life, he decided to just go with it.

  • To: Evan, 28
    • Ah, damn, really? Well then, that changes everything. Umm, I don't normally go out to coffee with straight guys, but if you're offering a free drink, I'll take a green tea and whatever I can get. When's a good day for you?

  • From: Evan, 28
    • How about this weekend? Or next weekend? And if you want to get off this stupid app and text, my number is 887.1212.

  • To: Evan, 28
    • This weekend works. See you Saturday! And I'll text you.

Even with a saddened heart, Evan's number was placed into his phone and a date officially set for February eighteenth in the morning. This would be a nice little distraction from Lab 305 and work, even though they were to be just friends.

Reuben placed his phone to charge on his bedside table and rolled over, ready to sleep.  
The morning of the coffee date had finally arrived. Reuben awoke early to prep himself mentally and physically for such an occasion. He and Evan had been texting for the past few days just getting to know each other more and more. That little blurb of an "about me" on Tinder was nothing in comparison to learning about a person through messaging and talking on the phone.

Even though there was no reason for it, Reuben still had butterflies in his stomach. He had no idea why, but deep down, he had begun to like the man he was getting to know. If only he was single...and gay. That thought would come and go during the days following their initial meeting on Tinder, but Reuben suppressed those feelings deep within, never to see the light of day.

One thing Reuben knew he wanted to bring up on this little excursion was Halloween night. He needed to know if this was the man that sat with him on the bench. It haunted him not knowing, but he did want to get to know Evan on a deeper level.

Finally, the time had come to leave the house. Reuben was ready and looking rather cute, even in his own personal opinion. He got into his Prius and drove to the local Starbucks.

As Reuben arrived at the Starbucks, he got out of his car and leisurely made his way inside, only to see the titanium haired hottie that was seated in one of their leather seats in the corner wearing a gray tank top that accentuated his biceps and faded, slightly ripped blue jeans. He was on his phone, not paying much attention to his surroundings. Reuben walked up to him and waved a hand between his phone and his face only to receive a surprised Evan in response.

"Oh, hey! So glad you could make it," Evan stated as he stood up with open arms. "Bring it in."

Reuben chuckled and nodded, going in for the hug. The smell of this man's cologne was to die for. So masculine.

As the hug ended, Reuben finally spoke, "I'm glad I could too. Did you order already?"

"Nah, not yet. I was waiting for you," Evan stated, walking around Reuben towards the cashier. "What do you normally order here?"

"Well aren't you sweet," Reuben stated with a chuckle as he followed. "I generally go for the passion tea or the passion tea lemonade." A fairly simple drink, yet so tasty.

"Sweetened?"

"Definitely."

As the barista called out Evan's name, he scurried over to pick up both drinks and returned to the small table the two were seated at.

"Thank you so much," Reuben said with a bright smile as he took the drink.

"Of course, so tell me, what's it like to be a business owner?"

"Rough, to say the least. But very rewarding. I'm just so lucky to have been able to use my expertise and craft a business from it. I love my work, I do, but I do agree with my friend, Calista, when she says that's all I think about."

"That's awesome, man. I wish I could own my own business, but shit's expensive."

"Yeah, it takes a bit to start up, that's for sure. But save up little by little and you'll be able to do it in no time," he said, taking a sip of his tea. "Can I ask you a random question?"

"Shoot," Evan stated with a curious smirk after sipping his own drink.

"When you messaged me, you looked awfully familiar. Were you, by chance, at San Francisco’s Fairytale Fair for Halloween last year?"

A look of shock overtook Evan's face. "Actually, yeah, I was. I assume we've met?"

Reuben laughed. "I doubt you will remember, but I was a vampire and I think you sat with me on a park bench while our friends were off doing their own thing."

Evan looked as though he was trying to reminisce. He vaguely remembered a vampire, though that night had been one of his drunkest in a while. "Yeah, I do kinda remember talking to a vampire that night. That's hilarious. Is that why you swiped right on me? You remembered me from that night? What makes this more funny is that one of my Tinder photos is my girl and I from that night."

Reuben nodded with a smile, taking another sip of his tea. "Actually, if I'm being completely honest, I swiped right because you're cute. It was only after I was matched with you that I noticed the photo and remembered who you were. Though I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I'm fairly positive you were the one chatting with me for a few minutes there. It was so brief, but it was definitely the highlight of my night."

Evan just chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I was able to be the beacon of light in your otherwise dim evening."

Reuben smiled and shook his head. He was quite enjoying himself on this mini coffee date. He hadn't done something like this in quite some time, but this was really something he enjoyed.

As the two continued to converse, they seemed to really hit it off. Reuben became comfortable quite quickly and the conversation just flowed as though the two had known each other for years.

Soon enough, day turned into night, and the two realized they had been in a Starbucks with empty drinks for a few hours now.

"Oh, dude! It's already seven! My girlfriend is gonna be pissed! I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Ah, it's not a problem. I didn't even realize how late it was getting. I'm sorry to have kept you."

"Nah, man, not your fault at all. I've really enjoyed our chatting. I think we'll be good friends. Definitely gonna keep in touch!"

Reuben smiled.

Evan stood up and stretched, baring a glimpse of abs that Reuben couldn't help but get caught up in.

The tarotist quickly cleared his throat and stood up as well, trying to avoid the fact that his cheeks began to blush.

Evan grinned and held out his arms for a hug.

As the two embraced, Reuben couldn't help but take a deep breath of his cologne, which still smelled very good.

The two left the Starbucks together and as they split ways, Evan waved and gave a soft smile, a hand making it's way through his titanium hair before turning around and walking off.

Reuben just watched, as Evan made his way towards his car, with a huge smile on his face. He had really enjoyed himself and was sad to see his newfound friend go.

With the "date" completed, Reuben returned home. Turning on the lights in his house and sitting on the couch, he couldn't help but bring out his phone and clicking on the Tinder app, going to Evan's profile to stare into those beautiful blue eyes some more. He knew nothing would ever come of this "schoolboy crush", but it was nice that he was able to find a friend in this stranger from the fair.  
◈ WHO: Sam & Reuben (Byagane319 & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: On the weekend of February 24, 2017
◈ WHERE: Yosemite National Park
◈ WEATHER: Sunny with a slight breeze.
The first moments in the car were rather quiet. Reuben kept glancing at his charge sitting shotgun, who kept himself busy by looking at the world outside.

"So...ummm..." Reuben mumbled to try and get the frei's attention.

The toadstool ignored the request for attention completely, staring out the window. Everything that passed by was beautiful to him. His imagination went wild. He imagined himself walking on the pavement as the passerby's did, not even knowing what it would feel like whatsoever. He looked down at his ribbon, which was draped gently beneath him on the seat and became discouraged. He then glanced at Reuben's legs as he drove.

"What are those?" The frei asked, pointing down at Reuben's legs. "Alice has them too. What are they for and why don't I have them?"

Reuben's face lit up as he heard the frei's voice, but nerves overcame him instantly. Glancing at his charge's finger to figure out what "those" were referring to which, in turn, led Reuben's eyesight up into his charge's face and then back to the road quickly. "Uh...umm...well, they're called legs," he began, slowly, looking at the frei as he spoke the word 'legs' to really get the point across. "They're used to move about. Like your wings help you move. So, I guess you could say, your wings are your legs," he concluded. That sounded like a good enough answer, right?

The raevan simply nodded. "Huh...okay."

Reuben smirked and his heart leapt into his throat. The first question in the real world and the kid was receptive to it. This wouldn't be so bad after all, right?
Reuben pulled up in front of the house and a bright smile grew upon his face. "So, this is our home. Where you will live with me."

The toadstool looked out the window and gave a half smile at the sight. "Cool," he stated quietly. It was a nice place, definitely not as nice as the building they had just left to come here, and not as nice as some of the buildings they passed on their way, but it would definitely do for now.

Reuben ran around the Prius and opened the passenger door for the toadstool to get out. With wings outstretched, the frei floated up into the air, his ribbon dangling below him. Reuben closed the car door and ran up the short path to the front door, unlocking it and opening it up for the raevan to enter.

The toadstool entered the house, and it was as if out of a movie. A scene where the main character enters a darkened house on a windy day with an ominous "hello" echoing before removing their hood and closing the door behind them. Only this wasn't a movie scene. The frei entered the home and floated about the living room, curious to see what he could find out about this new place he was supposed to call "home".

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable and look around. I'll be right back with some tea," Reuben stated with a smile as he half-jogged into the kitchen to whip up a quick pot of tea.

Tea. Now that was a familiar word to the frei. After all, Alice drank tea at the party. It didn't take the toadstool long at all to find a seat on the couch, staring down at some tarot cards that were left out on the coffee table.

The raevan tapped the side of the deck, causing the cards to slide a bit. With curious eyes, he picked it up and began to thumb through the cards a bit, taking the time to really look at each one. As he did so, Reuben returned with tea.

A smile on his face, Reuben looked down at his charge. "So, you found the tarot cards."

"Tarot?" the toadstool questioned, looking up from the cards into his guardian's eyes.

Reuben got lost a moment looking into the large green eyes his charge possessed. Shaking himself from it, he sat the platter of tea and cups down on the table and took a seat next to the frei. "Yeah. They're called tarot cards. They provide some answers to willing querents. They are a fortune telling tool. There are many decks as well. This is the Rider-Waite deck."

The raevan kept his eyes on his guardian the entire time he spoke. "They're pretty," he said as he looked down at the cards in front of him.

Reuben smiled and nodded, pouring himself a small cup of green tea.

"Rider-Waite. That sounds nice."

Reuben's eyes widened. "Yeah? It's one of the most well known decks."

"I see. You said earlier that I could pick my own name. Can I be called Rider?"

Reuben's eyes lit up and a smile grew upon his face instantaneously. "Well, of course, if that's what you'd like. But, see, Rider is spelled with an "I", which is oftentimes a last name. But if you change that "I" to a "Y", it becomes more like a first name," Reuben stated, taking a pen to his tarot journal he had sitting on the coffee table and drawing out the names to make it more visual for the frei.

The raevan raised a brow and shrugged, a slight smile growing on his face. "That's fine. I prefer the way it looks better with a 'y' anyway."

Reuben chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. Welcome home, Ryder."

A smile grew upon Ryder's face as he heard his guardian say his name for the first time. This was to be the beginning of a beautiful life.  
The first week had come and gone in a blink of an eye. Ryder was alive, well, and living within the home. The two Rothmore men were still getting used to each other, how to integrate into each other's lives, and just over all getting to know one another.

This was far different from growing with a baby, Reuben mused daily. Ryder seemed like he had a past, even if it was unknown. The fact that he was able to communicate so fluently, easily, and could now read, just after a few days of him and Alice reading the books together, was incredible. The fact that he could pick up on human concepts after a bit of explanation was fascinating to the tarotist.

Ryder had become accustomed to his room, the home, what went where, and just little things over the course of that last week. He hadn't met anyone else, yet, but didn't necessarily care to. He had Alice, Reuben, and the books in his already growing collection. Reuben had gone out and bought him a few books on day two, and by day four, they were read completely. Ryder's mind just swallowed information and continued to flutter with thoughts and imaginings constantly.

Reuben prepared a very quick meal in the kitchen for the two of them. Over the course of the week, he realized very quickly that all Ryder truly liked to eat was moldy and rotting foods. Once he got hungry, Ryder just took to the fridge on his own and found an old, rotting bag of spinach at the bottom of the bin. When Reuben told him not to eat it, Ryder didn't listen and felt much better for it. Thus, Reuben realized the fungus in his charge would crave the older food. That's what a fungus' job was, after all. To decompose rotten items. Well, in this case, Ryder would just scarf down anything he could. But it was never truly satisfying to the toadstool.

Ryder kept to himself most of the week, even with Reuben's attempts to bring the toadstool out of his shell. All Ryder wanted to do was read. But, towards the end of the week, and when all the books that Reuben had bought him were complete, he did venture out a bit to explore the garden, the gazebo, the small lake next to the home. It was all so peaceful, and Ryder recognized it as such immediately.

Through all of this, Reuben knew that he had one specific person to talk to, whom he hadn't yet told of Ryder's existence. One person he knew would be just as fascinated, if not more so, with the news of his charge's birth. Calista.

With a quick text, Reuben got Calista's attention.

  • To: Calista
    • Hey! I have some awesome news! Come by whenever you get the chance.


Within a minute, Reuben received a text back:

  • From: Calista
    • On my way!


"Ryder, go to your room for a little while. There's someone I want you to meet, but I want it to be a surprise," Reuben stated with a grin on his face as he walked out of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder and a knife in one hand.

The toadstool glanced up from the couch and sighed. With a small flap of his wings he floated up into the air. "C'mon Alice, lets go," he said, looking straight ahead before floating off slowly down the hallway.

"Fine. Why does he have to be so bossy? And why does it have to be a surprise?" she questioned as her long legs galloped behind the frei to the bedroom. She began to dissipate into the void before she was even able to enter the room.

Reuben rolled his eyes with a quick chuckle at the girl's questioning. She was a strange one, that much was for sure. He still didn't completely understand his raevan's abilities; but he knew that she was just a figment of his imagination.

After a few minutes of food prepping, he heard his front door open. With a smile on his face, he put down what he was doing and scurried into the living room.

"Hey babe, got here as soon as I could. What's up?" she asked curiously, walking over to the couch and setting her purse down on it.

"Like I said, I've got some news that I'm excited to share. Have a seat. I'll be right back with some tea."

With a curious, unamused glare, Calista walked around and sat down on the couch to wait for her friend to return.

"Who are you?" Alice's voice chimed from behind the couch.

Calista jumped and spun around to see nobody there. "What the fuck..." she huffed under her breath.

"Who are you?" the voice spoke again, this time it sounded ominous and echoing about the living room, followed by a high pitched, little girl giggling.

Calista's fingertips flickered with magic as she stood up and moved towards the center of the room. "Don't you mess with me, Reuben Rothmore. I swear to the gods above and below that I will kill you."

The giggling continued. "Don't you worry. No worries. No worries. No worries."

Calista's eyes narrowed as she turned around the room. Nobody was there, but the ominous echoing of this girly laughter wouldn't leave her mind.

Reuben re-entered with some tea only to see Calista looking crazed and hearing Alice's voice echoing throughout the room. "Alice, stop that!" Reuben called with annoyance in his voice.

A heavy, ominous, high pitched sigh could be heard throughout the room. At that point, the giggling had completely stopped.

"Reuben, what the fuck is going on?"

"Alice, that's what. You'll see. Sit down. I'll be right back," he said as he set the tea set down on the coffee table and walked down the hallway towards the bedroom.

Calista eyed her friend as he went down the hallway, but did as she was told. She could only hear muttering, but he was definitely talking to someone. She couldn't even imagine what was going on. Had he somehow enchanted his home or something? So many questions ran through her mind.

Reuben finally appeared at the hallway's entrance. "Cali, this is Ryder," he stated with a smile, stepping out of the way to bring his frei into the light of the living room.

Ryder floated in, a soft smile on his face. "Hello."

Calista's jaw dropped. She instantaneously knew what Ryder was. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT REU-"

"CALISTA! Language!" Reuben scolded.

"Words are words, Reuben. Language is a wonderful thing. She should be able to express herself however she likes," Ryder said with a smile on his face, turning back to see the woman quite excited and giddy over seeing him.

Reuben rolled his eyes at his charge. He seemed so smart for being so new to this world. What books had he been reading, anyway?

"No, no, I'm sorry, Reuben is right. Umm, well shit. You're alive! Welcome home!" she exclaimed with a huge smile, walking over to inspect the frei. Grabbing him and giving him a hug, she caressed his soft skin ever-so-gently and squeezed.

Ryder didn't do anything but accept the hug. Though, in all honesty, he wasn't enjoying the contact. Reuben hadn't even tried to hug him. Ryder just took that as how Reuben was.

The physical contact lasted longer than Reuben had wished, and Calista pulled back a bit, slightly dizzy. "Whoa," she stated as she backed away. "Man, you are so fucking beautiful, hahahahahah!"

Reuben's eyes narrowed. What on earth was going on. He had never seen Calista burst into laughter like that. At least not when she was sober.

Turning her attention towards Reuben, she glanced back at Ryder a moment. Her body drooped a bit. "He's so colorful. So magical. Wow."

"Cali, are you alright?"

"No, yes, yeah, of course. Wow."

Ryder just raised a brow at his guardian's friend. "Thank you for the compliment, I think."

"Oh, baby, of course. Anytiiiiime."

"Calista, sit down, drink some tea."

"I'm fine, I don't need to sit," Calista insisted, waving a hand as she hunched over, acting almost annoyed.

Reuben eyed her and looked at his charge. "Did you do something to her?"

The mushroom raevan was taken aback by Reuben's questioning. He wouldn't have ever purposefully done anything to cause something like this. What was his guardian thinking? "Of course not. At least, not that I know of."

Reuben watched as Calista wobbled her way towards the couch again to sit of her own free will. He was sure that something had overcome her the moment she had hugged his charge.

"Here, Cali, drink this," the tarotist stated after pouring a cup of tea and shoving it into his friend's lips.

Ryder hadn't moved, but instead just watched as his guardian took care of his friend.

Behind the frei, Alice began to manifest slowly out of thin air. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Shall we go read and leave them alone?"

Ryder just continued to watch the scene in front of him and, with a shrug of his shoulders, Ryder couldn't think of anything he could do to help this situation. "Sure," he stated quietly.

Alice smiled and turned around, hobbling off into the room. Ryder turned and began to follow, but before he made it down to hallway too far, he turned around to see Reuben still fussing with the tea cup and trying his best to get Calista comfortable.
An hour later, a knock was heard at the raevan's door followed by a slow and steady creak of it opening.

"Hey Ryder," Reuben's voice called out. "Calista is feeling much better now, and if you'd like to join us in the living room, feel free."

Ryder closed the book and set it beside the bed on the table. He then floated up and began to follow Reuben out into the living room. Alice continued to lay upon the bed still with an annoyed look on her face before dissolving away.

As Ryder floated into the living room, Calista stayed seated on the couch. "Hello Ryder, I am so sorry for earlier. I don't really know what came over me. But I am so happy to finally meet you."

Ryder nodded, a very slight smile creeping in the corners of his mouth. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

The frei floated over and sat across from the woman on the opposite couch and she began to talk, pouring her heart out trying to get to know the quiet mushroom frei.