Five years later...
Alto stares out at the vast plot of land in front of her, now lined with row after row of moist, freshly tilled dirt. She wipes the sweat from her brow, a small, amused smile finding its way to her face.
'Not bad...fire to burn the existing weeds and grass, earth to till and mix the charred remains in as fertilizer, and water to hydrate the soil for planting, all in one go. I think I can consider another custom, tri-element master-tier spell fully mastered.'
Her magic education may have frustratingly stalled, but that doesn't mean she hasn't found ways to practice over the years. Still, it's nothing compared to her rate of growth prior to graduating from the Academy. One would think that would drive her mad, given her love for magic, but...
"It looks great, Altera!" (Belle)
The sound of a familiar, chipper voice behind her causes Alto to smile happily, a warm feeling blooming in her chest. She turns around to see a young, brown-haired elven girl displaying a beaming smile, walking towards her with a worn sack slung over her shoulder. She looks equally as sweaty yet satisfied as Alto.
Alto gives a friendly nod towards Belle.
"Thank you...are those the seeds they want planted?" (Alto)
Belle nods, dropping the bag between them with a heavy sigh.
"Yeah...just wheat, so it makes our job simpler. You should have seen their faces when I told them the entire plot of land had already been stripped of weeds, tilled, and watered...priceless." (Belle)
Alto smirks.
"I'm sure...did they give you any trouble about what they're paying us?" (Alto)
She's been working with Belle on these agricultural jobs for years now. At first, they'd negotiate their wages as 'pay per day', but it soon became clear how truly expeditious her master-tier elemental magic made basic farming jobs. Potential weeks worth of land preparation reduced to a day, thus destroying a lucrative payday.
So, rather than stop using her magic, she suggested they negotiate on a 'pay per job' basis instead. Essentially, she'd estimate the cost of normal farmhands completing the job manually on a pay-per-day basis, then charge the farmers half that cost as a flat fee.
Almost without exception, the farmers were thrilled by the initial offer, recognizing how they were guaranteed to save money. However, when their job requests were miraculously completed in mere days, and they realized they'd still be paying for what 'should' have been weeks of work, many of the farmers would become angry. It didn't seem to matter to them that, without Alto and Belle, the jobs' expenses and timeline would have inevitably increased many fold. All the farmers could see were two people getting paid far more 'per day' than reasonable.
Hence, the reason for her question to Belle just now. She finished preparing the relatively small plot of land in under an hour, and now they're going to do the seeding with the rest of the day's time.
Belle rolls her eyes and sighs.
"They asked if there'd be a discount since the job will be done so soon, and things got a bit heated when I reiterated that we charge a flat fee. I handled it, though..." (Belle)
She chuckles, imagining what Belle handling it would look like, then raises her eyebrows.
"Does 'handling' it mean you threatened them again?" (Alto)
Belle smiles mischievously.
"Threatened is such a strong word...I prefer 'reminded'. I merely reminded them that you, an esteemed graduate of Lady Uril's Academy, could write a letter to her about some poor, ungrateful farmers trying to swindle you out of your pay, even after you completed their job request with half the cost and a tenth of the time they expected." (Belle)
She shakes her head in amusement, then points down at the sack between them.
"Well, now that you're done terrifying our employers, are you ready to help me plant these?" (Alto)
Belle makes a pouting expression.
"I just lugged that heavy sack all the way here by myself. Can you at least let me cool off before we start?" (Belle)
Alto smirks, then mutters a couple incantations in sequence. A cool breeze suddenly whips up, laced with a fine mist, and swirls around Belle before vanishing inexplicably. When it's gone, the sweat has been pulled from her body, and her red, heat-exhausted face has cooled to a nice rosy color.
Feeling the changes, Belle flashes her a grin, then unexpectedly launches forward for a hug.
"Thanks! You're the best, Altera!" (Belle)
Alto blinks, initially stunned by the sudden display of affection. But only for a moment...before she hugs Belle back, smiling happily. She responds, her voice carrying a faint, teasing edge.
"Does Kenan know I passed him in your rankings?" (Alto)
She feels Belle chuckle against her chest, pulling away from the hug to look her in the eye.
"Best friends and boyfriends are on different ranking systems." (Belle)
A lot has changed for Alto in the past five years, and she doesn't even bat an eye at being called Belle's 'best friend'...save a quiet, blossoming warmth in her chest. After that day she walked back into Belle's life, she's been pleasantly surprised to find that the girl she met in childhood is still the same at heart. Still warm and kind, supportive, quick to trust and befriend, and...obsessed with plants.
More importantly, Alto has found that she has grown quite attached to Belle's company...a realization that brought her no small amount of relief. Like a quiet affirmation that she's not entirely broken, not too far gone to have meaningful relationships with people.
Of course, that's not to say that befriending Belle once again in adulthood was without its...growing pains. It has shed light on parts of her childhood, on her life, that she didn't even know she was lacking. For example...getting hugged.
Something that Belle does as easily as breathing was beyond jarring for Alto the first time it happened. She nearly pushed Belle away, overcome with a heavy sense of claustrophobia and violation. Reflecting upon it after the fact, she'd realized that while it was clearly a normal gesture for other people, she couldn't remember anyone ever holding her like that. Not her parents, not a friend, not...anyone.
What should have been a calming, reassuring gesture from Belle had been twisted into a torturous, violating experience by the cold nature of her upbringing, and that realization made her feel violated in a different way. It was a reminder that her parents, her father, was still taking things from her, even after all the years she'd been away.
But once she became aware of that fact, it was her first step towards regaining what she lost. Now, years later, even though Belle hugging her can still be surprising, she doesn't instinctively recoil from it. Rather, it leaves her awash with feelings of security and contentment, and those sensations in turn fuel a sense of pride. One deriving from her reassurance that she isn't just a product of how her past tried to shape her.
Feeling that even now, she releases Belle and picks up the heavy sack full of seeds. She gives Belle a small smile.
"Come on...let's get this finished so we can do something fun." (Alto)
Belle's eyes shine excitedly.
"Ooooh, can we do a nice restaurant and some girl time in the city? It will probably take the boys several more days to finish their jobs." (Belle)
Imagining how Kenan would react to that statement brings a smirk to her face...both his unease around her, and Traz's cuckolding jokes, are still alive and well. She nods at Belle approvingly.
"Works for me." (Alto)
With that, the pair proceeds to the new field that she prepared. They walk side-by-side through adjacent rows of the tilled soil, planting seed after seed at regular intervals as they chat merrily. Belle regales her with fact after fact about the life cycle of wheat, its uses, and legends about how it was originally brought to the elves from an alien world by their god.
Hours pass that way until, as the sun is moving towards the horizon, they finally finish seeding the field. Belle, covered in sweat, gives her a tired grin.
"Less than a day...that's got to be a new record, right? I mean, that job would have taken me over a week by myself. Still, I'm beat!" (Belle)
She smiles in return, casting one of her custom elemental spells. A cool, misty breeze swirls around her and Belle, cleaning and rejuvenating them. Belle stares at her, blinking in surprise at the sudden changes, then smiles appreciatively.
"Gods, have I ever told you how glad I am that you joined us?" (Belle)
She chuckles, smirking at Belle.
"You might have mentioned it over the years...you're nothing if not generous with praise." (Alto)
Belle shrugs good-naturedly, then walks forward and loops her arm through Alto's, pulling her along.
"Well, that's because you deserve it! Now come on, we still have a few hours left until sunset. If we hurry, we can go to that restaurant!" (Belle)
She raises her eyebrows.
"In the city? I don't think we have enough time." (Alto)
Belle gestures dismissively.
"Sure we can! If you do the thing." (Belle)
She blinks, then gives an exasperated smile when she realizes Belle's meaning.
Once upon a time, when she was showing off her magic with the same enthusiasm that Belle talks about plants, she introduced Belle to a certain master-tier earth spell. The spell perturbs the earth around the caster in a way that carries them forward, like riding a wave of earth. She used the spell to take them for a little joy ride, and Belle loved it.
She's never used it for long-distance travel before, since it's conspicuous and damages any road underfoot. That said, it's just as fast as taking a horse, and could probably get them to the city using a little over half of her magic reserves.
She nods at Belle hesitantly.
"Alright...I suppose that's fine." (Alto)
Belle beams back at her.
"Great! But first...we could both use an actual shower. No offense..." (Belle)
She sighs, unsure whether to feel happy or annoyed at how liberally Belle is requesting complex magic feats from her.
"Alright. I'm cutting the water spell off at five minutes, though, so don't just stand there like it's a spa treatment this time." (Alto)
Belle places her hand over her heart, her expression and voice dripping with faux-honesty.
"Of course not!" (Belle)
A short while later...
Alto stares at the makeshift privacy barrier she erected, tapping her foot absentmindedly. She sighs, then speaks over the sound of falling water generated by her spell behind the barrier.
"It's been five minutes, Belle!" (Alto)
Belle's incredulous voice responds.
"Already!?" (Belle)
She rolls her eyes, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
"Yes...I warned you." (Alto)
Belle whines pleadingly.
"Alteraaaa, come on, that was too quick! Just five more minutes!" (Belle)
She shakes her head in exasperation.
"You're the one who wanted to try and make it to the city before dark. That's not going to work if you keep wasting time. I need to shower, too, you know." (Alto)
Belle sighs in frustration.
"Then just join me! I get my five minutes, and we stay on schedule – win-win!" (Belle)
She raises her eyebrows at the suggestion. Finding no issue with the logic, though, she merely shrugs and begins shedding her sweaty clothes behind the secondary privacy barrier. A few moments later, she steps into the makeshift shower with Belle, only to frown at the sight before her. Belle is standing under the water stream, eyes closed, smiling blissfully, and...looking already washed clean.
"It seems these five minutes you wanted are just to indulge, then." (Alto)
Belle's eyes snap open, looking towards her. She blinks, then smiles sheepishly at Alto.
"Busted...but no harm done! You're showering as scheduled now, right?" (Belle)
She rolls her eyes, moving to stand next to Belle in the water stream. Without delay, she begins lathering soap in her hands, washing herself with an almost mechanical efficiency. Meanwhile, Belle continues lavishing under the hot water, letting out a contented sigh, and begins studying Alto curiously. After a few moments in silence, Alto catches her distinctly puzzled gaze on her. She raises her eyebrows.
"What are you staring at?" (Alto)
Belle's brows furrow, her voice turning hesitant.
"It's just...this may sound like a crazy question, but...has your hair always been black?" (Belle)