04: Rise and dine

Branches Of Sunshire

Chapter 4

Rise and Dine

The morning after the party, Ashley soaked in the bathtub, surrounded by deep teal walls and rose-stained glass arch windows. They held their staff over the water, spreading light across the bath like sunlight spilled underwater. They leaned back, wet hair draped over their shoulders, toes curling over the porcelain edge.

Beneath the room's silence, the party still pounded in their ears, and Makayla’s bass lines still rattled in their head. Why didn’t Makayla trust Madelyn and the other girls? Why would Madelyn sabotage her song? And how did I end up with that cake?! It’s like it just manifested in my hands and mouth out of thin air.

Warm droplets fell from their feet, tapping against the black-and-white checkered marble floor as they tried to relax, but then they noticed the strange overhead nozzle. It looked like a giant golden sunflower sprouting from the ceiling.

Before they could decipher the mystery, a rhythmic knock rattled the bathroom door.

Madelyn: “Hey, Ashley, when you’re done in there, I got something for you!”

She hollered from the hallway landing. Ashley’s face lit up excitedly.

Ashley: “Ooh! Really?! Coming!”

They shot out of the tub and grabbed a plush towel hanging on the wall beside them, wrapping it snugly around their body. The warm humidity escaped into the cold hallway as they pulled the door open. Madelyn stood in the doorframe with a woven basket overflowing with blooming flowers. Her cheeks flushed red, matching her velvet hood and dress at the sight of them in that towel.

Ashley: “Flowers?! That’s so nice! Thank you, Madelyn!”

They beamed as they leaned in to admire and breathe in their sweet aroma. Madelyn shifted her gaze down to the basket of flowers to steady herself.

Madelyn: “No, silly! They’re for your fresh clothes!”

She chuckled, raising her hand above her head to summon her wooden staff as a waft of floral air drifted by.

Ashley: “OH! Are you gonna do Vernal-Majique?”

Their eyes sparkled. Madelyn nodded with a grin.

Madelyn: “Yeah! You probably shouldn’t walk around in those robes if you’re trying to blend in, haha!”

She teased and laughed. Ashley flicked their gaze down at their neatly folded Sunshire robe.

Ashley: “...I guess not.”

They smiled sadly.

Madelyn: “So, what do you want?”

She asked them, dangling her basket.

Ashley: “Ooh! I get to choose what I wanna wear?!”

They gasped with excitement.

Madelyn: “Yeah… you never did that?”

She gave them an incredulous look.

Ashley: “Ooh, ah, how about something with big flowing sleeves?!”

They gestured with their wrists.

Madelyn: “Bell sleeves? Sure!”

She gave them a thumbs-up.

Ashley: “And pants with flowing bits at the ends, too!”

They glanced down at their legs.

Madelyn: “Bell bottoms? Can do!”

She grinned.

Madelyn: “What colours do you want?”

She pointed the tip of her wisteria staff down at the flowers. Ashley leaned forward, mulling over the choices.

Ashley: “These, please!”

They gestured their hand towards the red and orange petals.

Madelyn: “You got it!”

Madelyn grinned and waved her staff, unleashing a vortex of red geraniums and orange chrysanthemums around Ashley. They took in the pleasant aromas and watched as the petals stretched out like bubblegum, threading around their body like a chaotic garden spider. Long, flowing bell sleeves formed on their red blouse, paired with orange bell-bottom pants trimmed in gold.

Ashley: “Oh my stars! That’s amazing!!”

They spread their arms, delighted as their bell sleeves swayed beside them.

Madelyn: “Ooh, very cute!”

She giggled with a playful grin.

Ashley: “The colours are SO pretty! I love it! Thank you!”

They chirped, wrapping their arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

Madelyn: “It was my pleasure!”

She flushed a deeper shade of red than her dress and hugged them back, laughing.

Ashley let go and turned to her.

Ashley: “I’m gonna make breakfast! Want some?”

They offered, spreading their arms out again.

Madelyn: “No, Ashley, I wouldn’t want that!”

She deadpanned and broke into a grin.

Madelyn: “Of course I would!”

Ashley laughed.

Ashley: “Do you have any eggs?”

Madelyn chuckled.

Madelyn: “Of course we do! Come along with me!”

She grabbed her wicker basket and led them down the stairs.

~

Madelyn hopped, skipped, and jumped across the stone path like a bouncy ball, dangling a wicker basket as she led Ashley to the backyard pond. Ashley paused, taking in the quiet calm. The morning sun and deep blue sky reflected across the water. Dragonflies darted across the floating lily pads, while tall reeds and moss-stained boulders framed the muddy banks. A small wooden structure by the pond caught Ashley’s eye. It resembled a miniature of the manor, with tiny ladders leading inside.

Ashley: “Ooh, it’s a mini house!”

They remarked. Madelyn steered them over to the coop.

Madelyn: “That’s where our mini dinosaurs live!”

Ashley’s head spun with confusion.

Ashley: “Dinosaurs, haha?”

They shifted their eyes nervously, searching her face for a joke.

Madelyn: “Yeah, birds are pretty much dinosaurs!”

She clarified with a grin, reached into the mini manor, and gently pulled out an ISA brown chicken from her roost.

Ashley: “OH! You mean chickens!”

They beamed at the realisation.

Madelyn: “Here! Hold Silly Simon!”

She handed the chicken over to Ashley. Ashley’s eyes widened with a chuckle.

Ashley: “U-uh okay!”

They awkwardly held the chicken and petted her like a cat.

Ashley: “Silly Simon?”

They looked up at Madelyn.

Madelyn: “Yeah, it’s some reference to Majique mushrooms? She’s Juniper’s chicken!”

She shrugged with a laugh. Ashley tilted their head in confusion. Majique mushrooms? They wondered.

Madelyn: “Let’s see what you have for us today!”

She turned back to the roost, beaming as she spotted three brown eggs nestled in the soft hay.

Madelyn: “Nice! Now we have breakfast!”

She gathered the eggs into her basket and petted the chicken on her head.

Ashley: “Thank you!”

They smiled at the chicken. Madelyn gently put Silly Simon back into her roost.

Madelyn: “Night Owl only lets Nari go near her, so I’m not even gonna tempt that, haha!”

She gestured to the black Sumatra chicken resting in her roost across from her.

A loud, raspy quack rang out from beneath their feet. A white runner duck waddled out of her coop, like a bowling pin with a head and legs, her webbed feet clapping against the ground as she ran toward them. Madelyn’s face lit up with pure joy.

Madelyn: “LUCINDA!”

She scooped the duck up into a tight hug.

Madelyn: “This one’s mine!”

She petted Lucinda’s soft feathers.

Ashley: “OH! You have a duck?!”

Their eyes brightened.

Madelyn: “Yeah, ducks are really cool!”

She peered back into her roost to gather the two white eggs; they were larger and longer than chicken eggs.

Madelyn: “They also lay good eggs!”

She swung her gaze to the pile of soft white feathers with a smirk.

Madelyn: “And their feathers are nice and soft, too!”

She turned back to Ashley with a playful grin and tickled their neck with her feather.

Ashley: “HAHAHAHAHAheeheehehehehehehe!”

They burst into peals of giggles and squirmed.

~

Madelyn washed the fresh eggs in the kitchen sink while Ashley prepared the ingredients in a bowl. They waved their staff, summoning a warm amber glow from the sunstone, melting the butter into a golden liquid.

Madelyn: “Ooh, what are you making?”

She bounced over, tiptoeing up to peer over their shoulder.

Ashley: “I’m gonna make pancakes!”

They chirped, adding a splash of milk and a careful drop of vanilla extract.

Madelyn: “How many eggs do you need?”

She asked. Ashley stroked their chin, scanning the ceiling.

Ashley: “Hmm, there’s five of us in the house, so three regular ones or two large ones?”

Madelyn spun on her heel, grabbed the basket of eggs from the sink, and scurried over to the marble bench.

Madelyn: “Ah, Lucy’s eggs are perfect for baking! Allow me!”

She leaned over beside Ashley and cracked two large eggs into the small glass bowl. Ashley paused and flashed her a smile.

Ashley: “Thanks!”

They beat the eggs until they turned amber, then whisked them straight into the wet mixture.

Ashley: “Now to combine it all together!”

They poured the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Madelyn leaned closer, watching as the ingredients combined into a creamy liquid.

Ashley: “Where do I cook this?”

They scanned the kitchen. Madelyn stretched up and grabbed a cast-iron pan hanging above, making a clatter.

Madelyn: “With this! On there!”

She gestured to the black, Victorian-era cast-iron stove behind them, with intricate swirling designs carved into it.

Ashley: “Oh, okay!”

They set the pan down onto the stove and summoned their staff with a beam of light. They tilted the staff's head down as a warm glow enveloped the pan and heated it. Madelyn glanced down at the unlit piles of wood under the stove.

Madelyn: “Uh, well, that’s… one way to heat it, haha.”

Madelyn observed as Ashley dropped a pat of butter into the frying pan. It melted with a rich sizzle, filling the kitchen with a warm, toasted scent. As the pancake batter was slowly poured inside, tiny bubbles began surfacing across the top.

Madelyn: “I think I know why you like cooking so much!”

She swung her gaze back to Ashley.

Ashley: “Oh? Why is that?”

They turned to her with a smile, flipping the pancakes over to reveal a crisp, golden-brown side.

Madelyn: “Because it’s like Majique! You transform one thing into another… but then you eat it!!”

Ashley chuckled.

Ashley: “Haha, it totally is like that! It’s like a spell to make you feel good and whole when you eat it…”

They chuckled and served up the first steaming-hot, golden-brown pancake.

Ashley: “I always loved it…I did it all the time with my mother…”

Their smile softened, trailing off into nostalgia. Madelyn caught their shift in demeanour.

Madelyn: “Oh! Where is your mother?”

She asked gently.

Ashley: “Sunshire!”

They waved their hands, pouring more batter into the pan.

Ashley: “She will be here with father soon enough!”

They clutched their staff close. Madelyn opened her mouth and went to ask for clarification when heavy footsteps marched over to them.

Blake: “Ashley! What are you doing with that?!”

He marched into the kitchen, freshly showered, his hair still damp at the ends. He wore a faded black cutoff shirt, charcoal-grey jeans, and a studded belt. Ashley gaped at him.

Ashley: “Blake?! Where did you get those clothes from?!”

Blake shifted his eyes.

Blake: “Don’t change the subject.”

He mumbled, crossing his arms. Madelyn leaned in, sniffed his clothes, and immediately recoiled with a grimace.

Madelyn: “Eww! It smells like Craig!”

She fanned her face, trying to block out the unpleasant scent of cheap sea-breeze cologne and stale beer.

Blake groaned, staring at the ceiling.

Ashley: “What?! Why are you wearing Craig’s clothes?!”

They gasped. Blake drew a long breath.

~

Earlier, Blake climbed the tree and peered over the fence, eyeing the fresh clothes swaying on the Hills Hoist clothesline. He scanned across the yard and spotted Craig, passed out on the lawn like a sleeping lion among the grass and beer cans. Blake clicked his tongue and groaned. He carefully climbed the tree and dropped over the wooden fence, the long blades of grass cushioning his fall onto his bare feet. Slowly, he crept over to the clothesline, keeping one eye on the sleeping beast. Craig grunted and shifted his weight among the beer cans with a clatter. Blake hastily plucked the jeans and T-shirt off the line and sprinted out of the backyard before the beast could wake.

~

Madelyn burst out laughing, and Ashley stumbled over a laugh.

Blake: “What was I to do?! I had to strip away that loathsome robe!”

He folded his arms.

Ashley: “Loathsome?”

They knitted their eyebrows. Blake turned to Ashley, staring at their new clothes.

Blake: “I see you did the same. Good!”

He then paused when something dawned on him.

Blake: “...Where did you get those clothes from?”

He stepped closer to Ashley.

Ashley: “Oh! Madelyn made them for me!”

They smiled, spreading their arms as their bell sleeves hung at their sides.

Blake: “Really now?”

He turned to Madelyn with a scrutinising look.

Madelyn: “Yeah, I could have just made clothes for you, too!”

She grinned proudly and summoned her staff from overhead.

Blake: “Thanks, but no thanks!”

He shook his head and held up a hand.

Madelyn: “Okay, your loss. At least let me get the Craig smell out of those clothes!”

She waved her staff over him, releasing a sweet floral aroma that cut through the unpleasant odours.

Blake: “Great, now I smell like potpourri.”

He sniffed the floral aroma and frowned.

Madelyn: “Beats smelling like Craig!”

She shrugged.

Blake: “I guess so.”

He groused. Madelyn glanced down at his bare feet.

Madelyn: “You forgot to swipe his shoes!”

She chuckled. Blake’s face contorted with disgust.

Blake: “I would have passed out.”

Madelyn slapped her knees with laughter.

Madelyn: “Yeah, his feet are Nuklear intoxicating! That’s where the band name came from!”

She snickered in jest. Ashley laughed.

Ashley: “Haha, really?!”

They asked with genuine curiosity.

Blake: “That’s stupid.”

Ashley: “What about Makayla?”

They chimed in. Blake and Madelyn both turned to them. Madelyn fell silent.

Ashley: “Did you see her when you went over there? Is she doing okay?”

They asked with concern.

Blake: “No. No one spotted me.”

He stepped closer to Ashley.

Blake: “Stay away from those people, Ashley!”

He said firmly, narrowing his gaze on Ashley.

Ashley: “Why, Blake?!”

They knitted their eyebrows.

Blake: “Because they’re weird and I don’t trust them!”

He swung his gaze toward the house.

Ashley: “But… we’re weird!”

They exclaimed.

Blake: “Not that kind of weird. I don’t like them, and I don’t trust them!”

He pouted and folded his arms across his chest.

Ashley: “You say that about everyone!”

They sighed and dropped their shoulders.

Ashley: “Makayla is really nice, and she’s going through a hard time right now…”

They said in a sorrowful tone. Blake’s expression didn’t budge.

Blake: “Something is off about her…”

He thought about Ashley’s strange behaviour last night around Makayla, and how absorbed they were in the cake and her music.

Blake: “I don’t trust her or her barbarian brother.”

He said dismissively.

Ashley: “What?! You don’t even know her!”

They protested.

Blake: “Neither do you.”

He countered.

Madelyn broke her silence and chimed in.

Madelyn: “Well, I know her.”

They both turned to her.

Madelyn: “He’s right… She’s not what she seems, Ashley!”

Ashley studied her face, unusually serious, with no hint of a joke. Blake’s eyebrows rose surprisingly. Recalling the conversation with Makayla, Ashley knitted their eyebrows.

Ashley: “...She said the same about you, too.”

They murmured. Madelyn recoiled.

Madelyn: “Of course she would say that...”

She laughed bitterly.

Ashley: “Why would she say that?”

Their head spun with confusion; they didn't know what to think or who to believe.

Madelyn: “Because she doesn’t want you to believe us about her!”

She drew a long breath. Ashley paused as something was eating at them.

Ashley: “…Why did you sabotage her performance?”

They finally asked.

Madelyn: “Because it was funny, and she had it coming!”

She laughed bitterly. Ashley recoiled, taken aback by her surprisingly mean response.

Ashley: “What do you mean by that?!”

They stared at her, bewildered.

Madelyn: “I had to break her spell on you!”

Her voice quietened. Blake froze, thinking again about Ashley’s strange behaviour around her.

Ashley: “Spell?! She’s a Sortilege?!”

They gasped. Madelyn flicked her gaze to them.

Madelyn: “...So she didn’t tell you she’s a Vernal-Wielder, huh?”

She paused and pondered. Ashley tilted their head.

Ashley: “Oh, she’s a Vernal like you?!”

Madelyn frowned.

Madelyn: “No, Ashley! She is not like me!”

She huffed, folding her arms.

Madelyn: “She manipulates the air with sound!”

She wiggled her fingers in the air as a demonstration. She paused for a moment and took a breath.

Madelyn: “...She was wielding music to hypnotise you both!”

Her voice dropped into a more serious tone. Blake froze, his thoughts racing.

Blake: “...Hypnosis?!”

His mouth hung open, and the sizzle of the pan died down.

Ashley: “What?! But she didn’t have a staff?!”

They gasped disbelievingly.

Madelyn: “Her guitar IS her staff!”

She explained. Ashley’s eyes widened when their mind flashed back to that glittering purple guitar.

Ashley: “Really?! How?!”

They cupped their mouth.

Madelyn: “Who says a staff has to look like a staff?!”

She shrugged.

Madelyn: “You can enchant anything into one!”

The infinite options of staves completely overwhelmed Ashley’s mind.

Ashley: “Wow…”

Blake cleared his throat, cutting between them like a knife.

Blake: “Let’s get back to how she hypnotised us!”

Ashley stared down at their hands, remembering how light and joyful they felt as her music pulsed through their body.

Ashley: “...Are you sure that’s what she did?!”

Madelyn and Blake both turned to them.

Madelyn: “Yes, that’s what she does!”

She drew a breath.

Ashley: “Why would she do that?”

They asked disbelievingly.

Blake: “Control, obviously!”

He shifted uncomfortably and shook his head.

Blake: “She had you spaced out, eating out of her hands, and I couldn’t do anything! Stay FAR away from her, Ashley!”

He snapped. Ashley bowed their head, not knowing what to believe. They didn’t want to believe it, and they couldn’t understand why Makayla, or anyone, would do that.

Footsteps skipped into the room as Juniper entered, as if she had stepped out of a fairytale book, wearing a long, flowing ivory lace dress and a beaded crown.

Juniper: “Good morning!”

She greeted them cheerfully.

Madelyn: “Hey, Juniper! Looking regal today!”

She smiled up at Juniper, marvelling at her outfit.

Juniper: “Thank you.”

She curtsied and winked at her. Juniper shifted her gaze to Ashley and Blake.

Juniper: “Ooh, you got new clothes!”

She studied Ashley’s beautiful red-and-orange clothes, which contrasted with Blake’s dark, grungy attire.

Ashley: “Yeah! Madelyn made mine and Blake stole his from Craig!”

Blake groaned. Juniper chuckled.

Juniper: “Well, you both look different in a good way!”

She paused to sniff the air.

Juniper: “Are those pancakes?!”

Ashley’s eyes widened.

Ashley: “Oh, my stars! The pancakes!”

They scurried back to the kitchen, summoning their staff again to resume cooking. Juniper followed, peering over their shoulder from her towering height.

Juniper: “Those look delicious!”

She marvelled at the plate of golden-brown pancakes.

Ashley: “Thanks! I’m almost finished! Help yourselves!”

They gestured to the plate. Juniper took a plate and started serving ‌pancakes to them.

Blake: “Ashley! Put that away!”

He huffed and marched to intercept them, gesturing to their staff as they hovered it over the pan, melting a fresh dollop of butter.

Ashley: “Why, Blake?!”

They clutched their staff to their chest protectively.

Blake: “Because it’s dangerous!”

He snapped, towering over them.

Ashley: “Dangerous?!”

Madelyn snorted.

Madelyn: “What’s so dangerous about pancakes?!”

She gaped at Blake.

Blake: “Obviously I’m not talking about pancakes.”

He rolled his eyes. Juniper looked between Blake and Ashley’s staff.

Juniper: “Oh! Is it about Majique?”

She chimed in, grabbing maple syrup from the pantry.

Madelyn: “Majique is only dangerous if you're messing around with forbidden stuff!”

She said flippantly.

Ashley: “There’s nothing forbidden or dangerous about lighting up rooms and heating pancakes!”

They exclaimed as they heated the last pancake. Blake kept a close eye on Ashley’s staff. Juniper swung her gaze to Blake.

Juniper: “Wait… are you worried they will burn the pancakes?”

Blake: “No! It’s not about pancakes!”

Juniper: “Oh… are you worried they'll set the house on fire?!”

Ashley froze, remembering, and Blake slowly turned to Juniper.

Madelyn: “Whoa, Juniper, that’s a bit extreme!”

Ashley retracted their staff and turned to Blake and Juniper.

Ashley: “That wouldn’t happen because Sole-Wielders don’t cast fire!”

They pursed their lips and turned to Blake.

Ashley: “Look, I know you don’t understand Majique, Blake, but it’s harmless!”

They assured him. Blake twisted his mouth.

Blake: “I understand enough.”

He said carefully.

~

Directly beneath their feet, in the basement apartment's dim, cool, Nari stood frozen in the shadows. She pressed her palm flat against the ceiling, listening intently as their muffled voices carried down through the floorboards. She wore a sweeping black lace gown and stroked her pet raven perched on her forearm.

A rhythmic knock at her door startled her, and she staggered back.

Nari: “Give me a minute!”

She hollered to the door and sauntered over to open it. Madelyn stood on the basement landing, leaning against the frame.

Madelyn: “Yo, Nari, you coming up for breakfast?”

She gestured up the stairs.

Nari: “No, thank you.”

She said coolly.

Nari: “I shall give Juniper my well wishes at an opportune, private moment!”

She said flippantly. Madelyn blinked and paused.

Madelyn: “...Wait, her birthday is today?!”

She gasped, cupping her mouth. Nari swung her gaze to her.

Nari: “Do you not check your calendar when you wake up each morning?”

She huffed, gesturing dramatically at her black moon-phase calendar on the wall. Under the twenty-second of December, Juniper’s name was written in neat cursive, directly following the previous day’s entry ‘Sole-Solstice’, which had been blacked out with marker.

Madelyn: “I don’t have a calendar!”

She shrugged.

Nari: “What?! How do you track events, harvest dates, and moon cycles?! Go get one! The new year is upon us!”

She gaped at her.

Madelyn: “Alright! I’ll go into town and get that wine she likes and a calendar!”

She laughed. Nari glanced up at the ceiling.

Nari: “What about the Sole-Wielder?!”

She folded her arms. Madelyn turned to her.

Madelyn: “Oh! I’ll bring Ashley with me!”

Nari opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, pausing as a slow smirk spread across her lips.

Nari: “Actually, I think that’s a marvellous idea! Take the Sole-Wielder with you!”

She clasped her hands together.

Madelyn: “I just hope Blake doesn’t get mad and follow us.”

She huffed. Nari’s smile widened.

Nari: “So, what? Let him! He’s mere Common folk! What is he going to do?”

She waved her hand and rolled her eyes.

Madelyn: “Yeah, I guess so.”

She shrugged.

Madelyn: “This is gonna be fun!”

She scurried back up the stairs. Nari smirked and watched her go, staring up at the ceiling. With a plume of dark shadows, she summoned her staff and stroked Dalnim.