Ravi wasn’t taking it well, but he didn’t have a choice. Even if she had to knock him out and send him back, Risa was going to. He had escaped a possibly horrible fate; no way she was going to let him waste that. She let he take his time though, the sun warming them both.

“I’m worried about you,” Ravi finally said, pulling away. His eyes were a little red, but it didn’t look like he had cried. “You haven’t even met Hades yet, and Leo just seems… too quiet. What are you going to do?”

Risa plopped back into the grass, ignoring the throbbing in her head. The sweet scent of the flowers seemed to be easing it anyway. “Yesterday I met someone else,” she started, and went on to tell him all of the details of her meeting with Eva, and the portals that were likely scattered around the castle. Ravi listened, enraptured, his earlier emotions dulling as he heard of Risa’s latest adventure.

“Wow,” he said at the end, flopping across the grass as well. “That sounds… eventful. You should probably make friends with her. I wonder how old she is…” He trailed off, and Risa snorted.

“That’s not what you're supposed to be paying attention to,” she pointed out, but let it lie. As long as he was happy, it didn’t matter. They chatted for a while, reminiscing, and for the first time she began to feel the impending separating. Soon, he would return home.

She looked around her at the flowers. Risa felt a compulsion towards them, to be with them, and thought that maybe once she released a soul from them she would find her place her. With Ravi leaving, this was all she had.

“Do you like them that much?”

Ravi interrupted hear thoughts, and when she looked at him in confusion he motioned to the flowers.

“You’ve always liked them… but even these? They aren’t right, you know. Aren't natural. Flowers that should have died after one day are still alive, and we’ve been here for ages now.” He pondered a small pansy near his feet, and then exhaled. “But if anyone can do this, you can. Good thing they didn’t get someone afraid of dirt.” His lis twitched and Risa grinned, knowing exactly what he was thinking about: countless years of mud wars.

“I would like to try, I think.” She said, giving into the compulsion and running her hand across the nearest stem. “Not just because Leo told me to. But I actually want to.” When she had felt the spirit that first time with Leo, she didn’t realize how it would impact her.

“Have you tried again? To release a spirit I mean? Eva’s advice doesn’t seem helpful to me, but…” Ravi trailed off. “Is it to you?”

“I haven’t tried yet.” Risa hesitated. “Should I?”

Ravi leaned back on his elbows and motioned to one of the nearer flowers. Risa bit her lip, but turned and drew in into her hands. If she failed, she reminded herself, it was hardly the first time.

She closed her eyes and let herself be surrounded by the feeling of the soft petals between her finger and the gentle scent in the warm air. She belonged there, for just a moment, and she explored the flower, the ridges and bumps that made it what it was. She remembered the color— a pale pink, nearly white, and it felt just as gentle.

She heard Ravi shift positions behind her but kept her eyes closed. She could almost feel it, almost touch the spirit within. It's particulate warmth was just there, just—- there. She felt it, the little wiggle as it awoke and moved and acknowledged her. Quickly, while she could still feel it, she tried her best to let it go.

At first, it resisted, curling around her as though she was its source of life. She tried her best to be as gentle with it as the color of the flower suggested it way. Don’t be afraid, she said internally. Don’t be afraid. It slowed, and the paused, before all the sudden it disappeared.

Her eyes snapped open and her hands flew back from the flower as it suddenly grew cold beneath her fingers. “What—” Ravi said, but her eyes were already in focus and growing large with shock. The flower she was holding was covered in frost, the small ice crystals as clear as day even though the sun was still shining brightly and the air warm.

“I think…” Risa said, “I think I did it.”

*****

They ran through the castle, both going their separate ways as they tried to find someone to tell. Ravi went to hunt down Leo, and Risa went to Eva.

She stepped through the portal without any preamble, her hand going through first only because she needed it on the wall to find her way. She looked around the large room quickly, ignoring the broom sweeping the too-clean floor and flew into the kitchen area.

“Eva!” She called, glancing around. She was about to leave to search elsewhere when Eva slowly appeared, sitting up from behind a sack of potatoes in the corner. Her long black hair was everywhere and he wide eyes were half closed; in the middle of a nap. Risa didn’t let that stop her as a grin split her face.

“Eva,” she repeated, getting the willowy girls attention, “I did it.”

Eva snapped to attention, a potato flying through the air to roll across the floor as she knocked it away. “Seriously?” She asked, and Risa’s hesitant nod was good enough for her.

“I think…” Risa began as Eva pushed herself to her feet. “I felt the spirit and let it go, and then the flower frosted over—”

“That's it!” Eva said and grabbed her by the wrist, hauling her out of the portal with her inhuman strength. Risa didn’t have time to respond as she was pulled down the hallway and then shoved face first into another wall, only have time to hear Eva yell “Tell him!” before she fell through.