Chapter 13 : The art of getting lost

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He shouldn't have listened to Lord Baekhyun. That's what Jongdae had been repeating himself, over and over, and over again, as he had woken up a few days ago in an unknown blanket, on a unknown window, inside an unknown house. He should have gone back to Hazelbarrow immediately after their meeting. He shouldn't even have tried that delicious, exquisite fresh mint. He knew mint wasn't reliable. All fairies knew that. He hadn't even eaten any in all his life, until that fateful day. Mint wasn't the most common shrub around. He knew Junmyeon loved it surely more than his own life, but the older fairy was always talking about it with a frown, because mint was trouble. Mint was a trick from life. Mint couldn't be trusted. Mint was too good for this world and would make him crazy.

He shouldn't have eaten it, yet he did. And now, he had to live with the fact that he had ridiculed himself in front of some elf he didn't even know. The worst part was to know that if someone was to offer him some mint right about now, he would still devour it without a second thought. Mint was terrible.

But right now, it wasn't about mint. It was maybe even worse.

Jongdae was standing still, as proudly and tall as he could from all his 9,7 centimeters height, and was trying to gather some courage as his eyes were fixed on the very large, brown door a few meters away from him. He was too fidgety to fly, so he took some courageous steps forward. Also, walking was slower than flying. It would give him more time before he reached said door, to find an excuse not to do what he knew he had to do.

His eyes flickered to the right, taking in the sight of the large, imposing magnolia tree enthroned in the small garden. It still gave him the same strange feeling that it had a few nights ago. The tree was radiating with magic, in a way that was so familiar, it was impossible to mistake it. It felt like Jongin.

Jongdae had seen magnolia trees before, he had been with Jongin as he had transformed once too. Jongin's magnolia wasn't just like any magnolia around. He was special. He was warmer. And Jongin surely wasn't standing there in the garden of that ordinary elf. Such mystery bothered Jongdae greatly.

Finally, his small feet taking the tiniest of steps brought him within reach of the door. He sighed deeply and decided to get this over with. Jongdae took off, flying high to attain the little bell and pushed with both his hands on it. He heard it rang clearly inside the house in a singular melody, then there were footsteps, and his own heart hammering in his chest.

The door opened, and he saw Kim Minseok frown. It took a few seconds for the elf to notice him flying in front of his nose. Then his pink lips parted a bit.

"Oh, it's you..."

Jongdae took a deep inhale before he bowed, bending in half, his arms along his body.

"I am sorry for the bothering to you!"

He winced. His voice had been louder than expected, and he was practically certain that he had made at least one mistake in elvish. But hopefully, the other would understand his intention. He had sworn never to speak elvish again, yet here he was. All because of some mint.

"So, you can speak elvish."

Jongdae cracked one eye open. He hadn't even realized that he had closed his eyelids in the first place. He shyly straightened up, looking at the elf who was smirking at him.

"A bit," Jongdae answered, in a much more normal tone.

There was a slight silence. Jongdae was starting to feel himself relax, as it didn't seem he would be scolded by that elf. Minseok slowly leaned against his door frame, his arms crossing on his chest.

"I asked Choi Minho about you. You got me a bit worried, you know. Annoyed, and then worried."

Jongdae crossed his arms behind his back, his eyes falling on the ground. Minho had been the one pushing him a bit to come give his excuses.

"I am sorry."

"He told me that you ate something not really appropriate for your kind. But that you came home safe."

The fairy looked at him, and shrugged. He wasn't sure what to answer. He had only come here to apologize and then go away. He didn't want to get involved in some conversation with that elf. He wasn't really fond of those pointy ears folks anyway.

"You were a lot more talkative in the middle of the night..."

"You want me to yelling and do funny face?"

Minseok chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

"No, I think that I had enough."

Jongdae gave him a smug look, snickering silently.

"So, what do you propose to do now?" Minseok continued, a sparkle in his eyes.

Jongdae lost his self-satisfied smirk and blinked stupidly. He wasn't sure that he understood that right.

"What you mean?" He demanded, warily.

"Well, what do you offer as a compensation for ruining my entire evening, the other day?"

The fairy's mouth fell in outrage as he frowned, flying closer.

"Ah! Why? I have come and apology! It is enough!"

"You think so?" Minseok simply asked with a blank expression. "After all you made me go through?"

Jongdae flew right, then left, his wings going a bit too fast with exasperation, making him twiddle around. It hadn't been that bad now, why was that elf complaining like that! He came all the way to apologize when he could have very well gone back to Hazelbarrow and forgotten about the whole incident, never to see Minseok again. What was that snail waiting from him now? Those elves, really they were the worst.

A thought suddenly occurred to Jongdae. Could he have forgotten something from that night? Could he have been a real bother?

"Apology is good!" He insisted stubbornly. "Jongdae was not very terrible."

"You were snoring an awful lot for such a minuscule body."

Jongdae's cheeks grew red in a second.

"I don't snore. I am big, other fairies are more little," he pouted.

It was wrong. He was smaller than other fairies, besides Junmyeon. But Minseok probably didn't know that. Jongdae hoped that he didn't.

"So, you refuse to apologize properly?" Minseok asked, getting back to the subject.

Jongdae pleated his eyes, crossing his arms on his chest.

"What you want?"

"I have one wish, will you fulfill it?"

Jongdae rolled his eyes, letting out a loud whine.

"Fairies make no wish. It is not like that."

Minseok laughed, shaking his head.

"I know, I know. I didn't mean it like that," his hand reached out a bit, as he offered his palm before the fairy, "It's a simple wish. Something for you to do. Come here, please. You owe me. I could have left you in the cold to sleep, you would have been very sick."

That terrible elf had a point and Jongdae landed on his palm, very reluctantly. He did owe the elf a lot. Minseok brought him closer and his other hand approached the fairy. Jongdae squatted, protecting his head, suddenly afraid of getting hurt, but the elf only his hair with a gentle finger.

"Can you take good care of yourself?" Minseok asked in a soft voice.

Jongdae fell on his , his head raising to look strangely at him.

"Is your wish?"

"Yes. As an apology, please take care of yourself."

Jongdae lowered his head, his hands coming to rub his cheeks in a poor attempt to hide the blush that had crept from his neck to his ears.

"I can do."

"Very good," Minseok praised in a cheerful voice.

Jongdae gave him a side glance with an embarrassed pout. He was hoping that Junmyeon would never hear about what he was doing right now.

"Minseo' take care too?"

"I will," the elf nodded.

The fairy extended his arm in the air, his tiny hand turned towards Minseok. And he waited. The elf frowned, looking at him without any clue of what Jongdae was asking him.

"Your hand, for the promise," Jongdae grumbled, his eyes turning away in shyness.

That was how Jongin had taught him to do a promise.

Minseok nodded sharply and put his hand against Jongdae's. It was a bit ridiculous, how their hands couldn't fit in the slightest, but it seemed to be important to the fairy, so he didn't question it.

As he woke up that morning, coming out of his pond in a smooth jump, Kibum noticed the little sparkles shining at his shores. The early sun made the small frosted bites glint almost teasingly, reminding him that far too soon, he would have to sleep. He remembered the year when he had decided not to go wait inside his pond; he had thought that he could just let it freeze by itself and stay out to enjoy winter. Lord Baekhyun had come to him, explaining that, unfortunately, Kibum would still freeze, even out of his protective pond. But then, out in the forest, he wouldn't be protected. Only bad things could come out of it. So Kibum had accepted his bitter fate, and didn't argue anymore.

He had then started a lot of small traditions, as to make the transition to those few weeks of inactivity smoother. There were the nights he would spend walking in the forest alone, escaping sleep and enjoying everything around himself even more than the rest of the year. There was the afternoon where Jongin and him would go together to the high waterfalls, which were the only ones who never froze, and play around for hours. It had been especially funny this year. Jongin had finally been brave enough to jump from the top and dive in the cold waters.

And then, there was today. Kibum had combed his hair nicely, he had put the fabulous hair clip that Choi Minho had given him a few moons ago. Jongin had made flowers bloom in his hair, and on the seaweed covering his . He had patiently waited for Jinki to arrive.

Jinki had been one of the very first being whom Kibum had seen when he was born into this world. He had been the one who taught him how to speak and reassured him that the water wouldn't attack him. He had played with him as a child for hours, answered all of his questions, even if most of the answers were only jokes that Kibum had learned far later. Jinki was largely responsible for what Kibum had become, all the good and polite parts, along with the mischievous, idiotic ones. They bickered to no end and didn't admit even liking each other, but the bond linking the two of them was ridiculously strong.

Once a year, they had a good excuse to go away together.

"Where are we going?" Kibum asked, jumping over some roots as he followed Jinki who flew lazily in front of him.

"'Surprise," the fairy only answered with an enigmatic grin.

Kibum rolled his eyes, swinging left and right.

"Will we be in troubles?"

"Nah. Not today."

Jinki's ideas weren't always safe. To say the least. One year, they went far away in the North, in the territory of a tribe of pixies. Jinki had assured Kibum that the little creatures held a fantastic show every full moon, which was such a sight to see, with lots of lights in the sky coming to touch the earth, songs, sparkles... and food. But the food wasn't supposed to be touched, not even by a forest spirit, as it was an offering to the moon.

Jinki's had been painful for two weeks after that escapade. Those savage tribes up the North had pointy sticks to defend themselves against the wolves.

"How' you doing lately?" Jinki asked nonchalantly, as he bounced from trunks to trunks.

Kibum pursed his lips, thinking about it for a second before he smiled.

"Good, I think. I am always a bit sad at this time of the year, but... you know... I am alright."

"Is your prince doing well too?" the fairy asked with a little smirk.

Kibum coughed, trying to act as if his cheeks hadn't suddenly blushed at the mere mention of Jonghyun.

"I guess so. It's not like I could be sure. I think, he is. He has to be. Minho would tell me if he was in troubles, I suppose."

Jinki cackled next to him, making a sign for the nymph to follow him to an unusual path surrounding a hill. They were going down and Kibum was hopping slightly as to not fall in the sudden slope.

"I take it that you still haven't showed yourself to him," Jinki blurted.

Kibum rolled his eyes a bit, making a face.

"No," he grumbled, "it's-... not the right time."

"And when will it be exactly, that grandiose right time?"

The nymph stayed silent, deciding not to answer that question and the fairy finally shrugged, before flying down, disappearing between rocks at the foot of the hill. Kibum's eyebrows shot up as he kneeled, approaching the crack. There was a crevice, just large enough for him to slide in, but it was all dark in there and it left him puzzled.

"Jinki?" he called softly. "Do you know where you're going? Should I enter here?"

"Yes, yes! Come in, it's bigger inside," came Jinki's voice in echo.

Kibum took a deep breath and squeezed himself in. He only had to walk a few steps before he ended up in some sort of cavern, large enough for him to not feel suffocated. Jinki had created little balls of light, floating around, allowing them to see before their noses.

"Trust me, we just have to walk a little more."

Kibum nodded with a smile and they went on, up and down a hall.

"What about you?" he suddenly asked.

Jinki turned back to look at him, frowning.

"About me? What is it about me?"

"How are you doing?" Kibum asked with a chuckle.

"Oh."

Jinki continued flying backward, facing Kibum as he shrugged.

"Same old, same old," he chirped. "I've finished to take care of my food stocks right on time this year, so if all goes well I shouldn't have to steal from Kyungsoo. Apart from that, everything's fine. There are lots of scatterings in Hazelbarrow, everybody in the Council went nuts, but it's none of my concern."

The fairy gave him one of his bright, large smile and Kibum held out one hand to tickle his feet.

"You're always so joyful," he simply said.

"I don't bother myself with worries. It might be that. As long as I got some food and adventures with good company, why wouldn't I be joyful?"

The passage they were in became a bit tighter, but Kibum could see some low light a bit further away, so he didn't trouble himself with that. His eyes kept looking at the tiny figure in front of him, who was now wiggling his fingers in the air, dancing to a melody he was the only one to hear.

"Jinki, do you have a prince?"

"A prince? What do you mean?"

Kibum shook his head, with an apologetic smile.

"I mean... someone like my prince. Someone you fancy."

Jinki went on dancing.

"No."

His simple answer didn't satisfy Kibum, somehow. It was strange to him. Never had he heard of Jinki having a liking to any creature, at least not in a romantic way. Not the way he himself would blush at the sound of Jonghyun's voice. Jinki was far older than him, and yet, to Kibum's knowing, he had never been involved in a lovey-dovey relationship.

"Did you have a lover, before?"

"No."

"Don't you want to have one?"

Jinki himself, flying upside down and scrunched his nose as he looked at Kibum.

"Nope," he repeated.

Kibum's mouth opened in a circle. He was so confused.

"Why is that?"

"I'm simply not really interested in those things."

The fairy stopped, and Kibum did the same. Jinki finally returned to a normal position and gave Kibum a gentle smile.

"You're not the first being to ask me this, Kibum. Let me answer you before you start giving yourself some wrinkles. I think what you have with your prince, even if it's one-sided, it's very beautiful. The way your face brighten up when you see him, or think about him, it's wonderful. I think love is a very nice feeling, and I feel it so much for you, in a different way. But I am not interested in having a someone the way you have your prince. No matter how sweet it seems, it's not appealing to me, personally. It was troublesome before, when I was younger and I saw Junmyeon fall in love for the first time and I was jealous. But where I am now, I am happy. I'm joyful, and I'm not interested in having a someone. Is that okay?"

The nymph stayed silent for a moment, before he slowly nodded.

"It's okay, Jinki."

He wasn't sure that he even understood love and all its shades for now anyway.

"You won't get all worried about me, will you?" Jinki insisted with a wink.

"I promise."

Kibum was asking himself a lot of questions about those feelings, about romance and friendship. He was wondering if Jongin was interested in those romantic things too. Maybe he was just like Jinki. He never heard his friend talking about someone like his prince. Kibum wanted to discuss a bit more about all this, but for now, his mind couldn't make itself clear about his thoughts, and Jinki seemed to not want to stay on that subject for too long. Maybe they could get into it later, when Kibum would have had time to untangle his concerns properly.

Jinki gave him a few minutes, as if he could sense Kibum was actively thinking and ordering his opinions.

"We've arrived," he finally said after a little while.

When Kibum's attention was fully back, he flew forward and let the nymph enter the large cave.

The ceiling was high above their heads, and the air fresher than it should have been as they were buried underground. The rocks had been roughly carved in arches, and icicles had formed everywhere around, reflecting a low light. Kibum couldn't see any hole and he had no idea where the glow even came from in the first place, but it was sparkling everywhere.

Finally, his eyes caught on the steady lake down and a smile immediately bloomed on his face. He breathed deeply, his nostrils catching up on the salty, pure smell of the water and he approached immediately.

"It's so beautiful! How did you find that place?"

"I'm an explorer," Jinki answered in a laugh as he flew around at full speed, his chuckle echoing everywhere. "I wanted to take you there because the acoustic is incredible!"

Kibum leaned on the shore, his fingers going to dive into the cold water with delight. His fairy friend finally came closer, sitting on top of a stalagmite.

"I thought we could sing together," he added with a cheeky grin.

Kibum's eyes went wide as he nodded eagerly. It had been so long since they sang together. Jinki's voice was wonderful. It was warm, and soft, and Kibum loved it immensely. He shifted on his , his feet sinking into the water.

"That's a brilliant idea. Let's sing!"

"What do you want to sing?" Jinki gently asked.

Kibum had been about to request one of his favorite faerish song, when he suddenly stopped himself. He squinted his eyes a bit and bit his bottom lip.

"Do you know some elven songs, perhaps?"

Jinki didn't seem particularly surprised by his question. It wasn't exactly astonishing anymore to have the nymph inquire about anything elven.

"I know some, yeah..."

"I've heard my prince sing the other day," Kibum suddenly admitted with a bashful face. "I couldn't understand anything, it was too difficult. But he sang and it was beautiful."

Jinki brought his legs against his chest, circling them with his arms as he tilted his head.

"Can you hum the melody? I don't know so many elven songs, but if there's a chance-..."

Kibum seemed delighted that Jinki had been the one to offer. He sputtered and straightened up, looking at Jinki as he started to gently sing the tune. He felt a sting of sadness when he noticed the slight frown on Jinki's eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I've never heard this one before."

"It's okay," Kibum answered in a tight voice, as he tried to not get to affected by it. "We can-... we can sing another one then. Can you teach me your favorite?"

Jinki moved around again, crossing his legs in front of him to give his lungs more space.

"I can do that. The one I really love is “Always with me”. Do you understand that?"

Kibum pinched his lips, squinting his eyes to try to assemble all words together.

"I'm not sure...," he admitted with a pout.

"Always with me," Jinki repeated in faerish.

"Thank you," the nymph whispered.

Jinki winked at him, and started to sing.

"Somewhere, a voice calls, in the depths of my heart... May I always be dreaming, the dreams that move my heart..."

The silent cavern seemed to light up to Kibum's ears. Jinki's soothing voice was filling every corner, springing up on the rocks and water, twirling in the air.

"So many tears of sadness, uncountable through and through... I know in the other side of them I'll find you... Every time we fall down to the ground we look up to the blue sky above... We wake to it's blueness, as for the first time..."

The water was awakening around Kibum's toes, as well as the stone surrounding them. Suddenly the silent cavern was making tiny sounds and noises, as if to give Jinki some music to follow his voice.

"Though the road is long and lonely and the end far away, out of sight... I can with these two arms embrace the light... As I bid farewell my heart stops, in tenderness I feel... My silent empty body begins to listen to what is real..."

The nymph couldn't understand a single word of what Jinki was singing, as it was too difficult for him to isolate each of them. Still he felt a lump in his throat and a chill run down his spine. Pearly tears were forming in his eyes and he didn't dare to breathe anymore.

"The wonder of living, the wonder of dying... The wind, town, and flowers, we all dance one unity... Somewhere a voice calls in the depths of my heart... Keep dreaming your dreams, don't ever let them part..."

Jinki closed his eyes as his voice was going stronger and stronger, drowning everything close to him in a warmness that was only his.

"Why speak of all your sadness or of life's painful woes... Instead let the same lips sing a gentle song for you... The whispering voice, we never want to forget, in each passing memory always there to guide you..."

There was a strange melancholy, tangled with a soft comfort blossoming from the melody.

"When a mirror has been broken, shattered pieces scattered on the ground... Glimpses of new life, reflected all around... Window of beginning, stillness, new light of the dawn... Let my silent, empty body be filled and reborn..."

Jinki had both his fingers intertwined next to his heart and seemed so deeply involved in the lyrics that he was singing, that Kibum truly wished he was able to understand them.

"No need to search outside, nor sail across the sea... Cause here shining inside me, it's right here inside me... I've found a brightness, it's always with me..."

The fairy's warm voice wavered into soft humming sounds, before the song gently came to an end. The silence enveloped the cavern once again and Jinki opened his eyelids. The two friends looked at each other for a moment, smiling as they relished in the peaceful feeling surrounding them.

"Did you like it?" Jinki finally asked.

"I did, it was incredible," Kibum assured.

"Do you want me to translate it for you? I could teach you the first part, at least. I want us to sing together."

The nymph agreed vehemently. They sang together until Kibum could remember the lyrics perfectly, and continued with joyful faerish songs for hours as they couldn't get tired of it.

When they finally stopped, letting their throats rest a bit, Kibum let himself fall into the lake. His mind soon went to wander in deep thoughts, wondering if maybe, one day, he would sing together with his prince.

Only a few minutes after Kibum and Jinki's departure to their cavern, Jongin got a visitor. He had actually asked Kyungsoo if he was free to come, hoping to use this afternoon to learn more elvish. Their last lessons had been quite successful, in the nymph's opinion, as he had been able to converse, even if only a little bit, with his very dear elf, a few days earlier. Taemin had smiled at him so much, he had seem so impressed, that Jongin's ego had blown up to the moon and he was even more eager to study and get better. He couldn't wait for the day where he would be able to have a decent discussion with Taemin about everything his elf liked in life. Jongin was so curious about whatever Taemin could say to him, what the elf did all day, his favorite fruits, his favorite song. And maybe his favorite color, so that Jongin could make him flowers of that shade and Taemin would probably smile again. The thought of all the possibilities awaiting him and Taemin made him giddy.

Kyungsoo had agreed to come by. It seemed that the fairy wasn't exactly able to say no to Jongin. But the nymph hadn't realized that quite yet and kept being anxious every time he had the smallest request and would put up those hopeful eyes at Kyungsoo, that always softened the grumpiest of the fairy's frown.

They were presently sitting in Jongin's home, drinking a warm jasmine tea that the fairy had brew for them. Kyungsoo had brought brownish teacups that were about the right size for his tiny self, and he had to use magic to make one of them big enough for the nymph to drink from it. Jongin liked drinking tea with Kyungsoo, and he especially enjoyed trying to mimic the elegant way the fairy was holding his cup.

After a small exchange of formalities because they hadn't seen each other in about a week, Kyungsoo had inquired about Taemin, and if Jongin had been satisfied with their lessons. The fairy let out a tender sigh at the sight of Jongin radiating with joy the moment that his elf was mentioned in the conversation, his smile growing bigger and bigger, if possible, the more he was narrating his afternoon with Taemin.

"There's something he said that I didn't understand," Jongin said. "Or well, there are a lot of things he said that I didn't understand but-... one thing I remember. I think-... I hope I do."

Jongin's face darkened a bit and Kyungsoo smiled gently at him.

"Say it, maybe I can recognize it even if you don't pronounce it perfectly," he encouraged.

The nymph straightened up with a slight nod.

"He said... “ma-i-ma-kno-li-a”..."

Jongin blinked a bit, his cheeks reddening as he stared at Kyungsoo, hoping the fairy would get it. That was the first thing Taemin had said when they had met again. It had been too difficult for Jongin to remember every single thing that the elf had said, to ask for translations later, but somehow, that word had stuck in his mind. He had wondered if it was a greeting. Taemin's expression had been so soft and dreamy at that moment.

Kyungsoo pleated his eyes, his smile widening a bit.

"Was it “my Magnolia”?" he repeated, his accent far better than Jongin's.

"Yes, yes! That was it. What does it mean?" Jongin exclaimed.

Kyungsoo shook his head, taking another sip of his tea as Jongin was buzzing on his , waiting for his reply. The fairy almost wanted to roll his eyes at how unbearably cute those two idiots were.

"'Magnolia' is your tree's species, in elvish. The one you turn into."

Jongin froze, his mouth hanging open. It really wasn't what he had been expecting. His heart seemed to explode in a thousand butterflies doing jolts inside his chest. Taemin had remembered his tree from their very first encounter. It was so easy to imagine Taemin not knowing his name, and referring to him as a magnolia.

"And “my”, well... he called you his."

Kyungsoo's voice had taken Jongin out of his musings, only to throw him back in it immediately. The fairy couldn't help but remember the afternoon, a few weeks before, when Jongin had blushed like crazy, trying to explain that Taemin felt like his flowers.

Taemin had called Jongin, his. Taemin had called him, Jongin, his. Taemin had referred to him as his magnolia.

Jongin curled up on himself, trying to hide behind his tea cup as he couldn't help but close his eyes and smile. His fairy friend would have been worried to see him cowering like that, if it wasn't for the two pinkish flowers that bloomed in the nymph's hair.

Kyungsoo stayed silent, giving Jongin enough time to get down from those fluffy clouds he was flying on. The nymph was silently giggling to himself, wishing he could simply run to Taemin right this instant.

"Thank you, 'Soo," he murmured finally as he sat back correctly.

He was biting his lips to try to contain that large, silly smile of his.

"You're welcome. Is there anything else elvish that you want to learn today?"

Jongin immediately started asking for a hundred things, chirping excitedly, demanding explanations on everything and doing his best to pronounce every new word correctly. Or at least in some understandable way. He was insatiable and kept coming for new sentences, as there was so much he wanted to ask Taemin about. He would blush once or twice, a bit embarrassed by what he was asking, but the fairy always answered him seriously. Kyungsoo finally had to point out that if they went on too long, Jongin probably wouldn't remember anything at all, and the nymph, despite his pout, had to agree with him. It would already take him much efforts to keep repeating everything he learned today, again and again for a few days, to make sure he wouldn't forget it stupidly like he had done with his name.

"Ah!" Jongin suddenly blurted out. "There's something else I need to ask you."

He seemed a bit timid again, and Kyungsoo waved a hand for him to talk, as he was stuffing his face with carrot cake.

"See... I don't know when he will come to me again. Taemin, I mean," Jongin started. "But hum-... maybe he will soon and-... and it's really cold lately. I mean, for you, non-spirits. And last time... I think that he was cold. Very cold. I tried to warm him up a bit, but his cheeks were almost frozen! I thought-... I had taken him inside a hollowed tree, but it wasn't good enough. I don't know where it will be good enough. I can't-... I can't take him here."

He was starting to stutter again. He had thought about taking Taemin to his home already, because it seemed warm enough, as Kyungsoo always felt comfortable in there. But Kibum still didn't know about Jongin and his elf, and the nymph was scared of what could happen if his friend were to surprise them.

He still felt atrociously guilty for not saying anything to Kibum, but every time the thought of being honest came back, his friend would mention his prince again, and Jongin would get scared of hurting him.

"Do you know a place where I can take him?" Jongin finally asked. "Do you know a place warm enough?"

He was surprised to see Kyungsoo suddenly hit his own forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Son of a wooden pipe!" The fairy exclaimed. "I do! I very much do. I was actually supposed to tell you about it weeks ago. I'm so sorry, Jongin!"

The nymph looked at him, confused.

"You were supposed to-...?" he repeated.

"Yes, yes. I met with Lord Baekhyun, and he told me about a house in the forest. I was supposed to take you there. He said you would need to know about it."

The mere mention of Baekhyun had Jongin feel small again. He knew about the nymph Lord's ability to foresee things, and it made him uneasy to wonder exactly how much the other knew about him. And Taemin. But if it meant he would know of a nice house to bring his elf to, then maybe he could deal with it.

"So... where is it?" Jongin asked shyly.

Kyungsoo got up, rubbing his hands together.

"I can take you there now, if you want. Lord Baekhyun said that I had to take you there. It's in Nowhere. Have you ever been to Nowhere?"

Jongin stood motionless for a second, before he eagerly put his tea cup down and got up as well. It was rare for his fairy friend to be that spontaneous. Kyungsoo would usually take an appointment, and say they could go in two days, eventually. But the fairy probably felt pretty guilty for having forgotten about his duty for so long, and Jongin wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. Maybe Taemin would call him tomorrow, hopefully. There wasn't any time to waste.

"No, I haven't," he answered with a frown. "I never even heard of that place."

"Well, I hadn't either, until Lord Baekhyun took me there."

Kyungsoo rapidly tidied up the remaining of their tea party with a scrunch of his nose and a flutter of his wings, and put his hat back on his head before he led the nymph out. He winced as the cold wind immediately hit his cheeks and sat on Jongin's shoulder.

"So," he coughed. "Lord Baekhyun has been as enigmatic as always. Apparently, Nowhere is quite a hassle to find. You have to get lost to end up there, but you also have to know about it beforehand so you can find it. Which mean, I could find it again, because he took me there once, but you alone couldn't."

Jongin frowned, trying to keep up with his explanations.

"You have to get lost to go to a place you know of? It doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Exactly my point. There's also the fact that I know this corner of the forest pretty well, I don't think either of us could get lost around there..."

Jongin sighed, scratching his head with a pout.

"How could we do that without walking for days, then?"

Kyungsoo got up, turning in circles on the nymph's shoulder.

"Let's get out of your clearing for now, maybe. Let's see if we happen to see a path that we never took before..."

Jongin nodded and took them out of his garden. They walked for a minute, looking everywhere around them for anything that would seem unfamiliar. What worried the nymph, was that even if they were to find a way they didn't know of, getting lost was something else. Seeing something new to his eyes happened often. Getting truly lost hadn't happen to him in a very long time.

"Do you think I could ask the forest to give me a path where we could get lost?" Jongin suddenly asked.

Kyungsoo blinked twice.

"Well, you can try that. Lord Baekhyun did summon a path, actually. But well... it's Lord Baekhyun. I don't know if this will work for just us."

Jongin made a face and extended his arm before himself.

"Please, help us get lost," he gently asked the forest.

He saw the well-known arch form in front of them, the one the forest always created for him. But all they could see inside was a blur. It was a bit weird. Jongin was used to being able to see where he was ending up. Then again, maybe that was the point of getting lost. He took Kyungsoo in one hand, to make sure the fairy wouldn't get left behind, and crossed the passage.

They ended up in front of the mist lake they knew so well, and their shoulders dropped.

"That would have been too easy," Kyungsoo grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Jongin sighed.

Kyungsoo made a sign that he shouldn't feel bad about it, but then froze on his spot.

"I got an idea," he said with a little smile. "Please, wrap one of your root around my ankle, so we don't get separated..."

Jongin obeyed, looking curiously at the little fairy for some explanations. Kyungsoo was rubbing his hands together with a mischievous gaze.

"I'm gonna fly in front of you, as I am the one who has to lead you there, but we should both close our eyes. If we don't see where we're going, maybe we'll get lost!"

Jongin's face brightened.

"That's a brilliant idea!"

Kyungsoo cackled for a moment, and they both closed their eyelids.

"Okay, let's go left," the fairy chirped. "Walk slowly and be careful not to fall."

They went on, trying their best to stay alert as to not walk right into a tree, but distracted enough to not recognize the sounds around them. At some point, Jongin started to feel a bit stupid, but didn't dare to say anything. He wanted to open his eyes and see if they got lost already, but thought that if he opened them too soon, it could ruin the whole thing. The nymph breathed out to calm himself down, forced himself to be patient and waited for Kyungsoo's signal. His thoughts went back to Taemin by themselves, reminding him that his precious elf was the whole reason of their little adventure. If he managed to get lost, then Taemin wouldn't have cold hands next time. This was definitely worth it.

"What are you doing?"

The sudden loud voice next to him made him jump and he heard Kyungsoo's little cry of surprise too. It seemed that the fairy had been caught up in his own thoughts too. Jongin opened his eyes to see his friend Chanyeol looking at him curiously.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the faun chuckled with a bright smile that didn't seem that apologizing.

One hand on his heart, Jongin pouted.

"It's okay... We-... we are trying to get lost."

Chanyeol blinked at that, his eyes only then noticing the small fairy that let himself fall back on Jongin's shoulder with a sigh.

"Seems fun! Can I join?" The faun called out.

Jongin raised one eyebrow and turned to look at Kyungsoo, who simply shrugged. As long as the nymph was okay with it, it wasn't much of his concern.

"If you want...," Jongin agreed, before he turned around a bit. "So, where are we now?"

He pleated his eyes as he realized that he didn't recognize the trees around them. At all.

"Oh, you're-..."

Kyungsoo jumped, rushing forward in a buzz to crash on the faun's lips with wide eyes.

"Don't say it! Don't say!" The fairy yelled. "We don't know! We got lost!"

The bright, uncanny, pitch dark eyes of the faun pleated at the fairy, but Kyungsoo was too busy smiling at Jongin to notice it.

"We got lost, Jongin!"

The nymph raised his arms in triumph. Chanyeol pinched Kyungsoo's waist with two fingers and looked at him better, scrunching his nose.

"You're not Jongdae," he simply said.

Kyungsoo bit his lips, discreetly trying to escape the faun's grip.

He didn't exactly like fauns. Fauns gave him the creeps. Out of all the creatures in this forest, fauns were probably Kyungsoo's least favorite. Along with the pixies, only because those things were nasty and loud. But fauns looked eerie, in a way. Their complete black eyes made him feel uneasy, as he could never tell where they were exactly looking. Also, they were so mischievous that they made Jinki look like an amateur, and to be perfectly honest, fauns could quickly become mean.

Kyungsoo hadn't exactly been pleased when Jongin first told him that he had befriended one, but both Jongdae and the nymph had assured him that Chanyeol was such a nice being, very joyful, warm and even funny. So the fairy had tried to accept it as much as he could. But in his eyes, that creature was still on probation.

He finally freed himself and flew back to Jongin as casually as he could.

"No," Jongin answered Chanyeol with a smile. "That's Kyungsoo. He's my favorite fairy."

"You have so many friends," Chanyeol babbled with an envious tone.

That took a blink out of Jongin.

"Do I?"

As Chanyeol turned his head slightly to Kyungsoo again, the nymph suddenly remembered his very first encounter with the faun. How lonely and sad he had been back then. Jongin felt bad for a moment, but thinking how outgoing and full of life Chanyeol always was lately when they met, relieved him.

"You look very gentle," Chanyeol murmured to Kyungsoo, offering him one of his biggest smile. "Can I be your friend too?"

Kyungsoo's jaw fell open. Gentle was definitely not the first word people usually used to describe him. Grumpy was more appropriate. He had been called grouchy, distant, rude, even pretentious. But gentle was a first.

The fairy coughed and turned his head, still not feeling comfortable enough to drown in those black orbs.

"We'll see about that," he stuttered.

And Chanyeol seemed to be content with that answer, as he wiggled from one foot to the other.

"So, so," he excitedly blurted, "now that you're lost, what are we doing?"

Both Kyungsoo and Jongin straightened up, only now remembering the whole purpose of them leaving their tea party.

"Right," Kyungsoo said as he cleared his throat. "It's time to go to Nowhere. I'll lead again. Jongin, please get us linked. And you," he turned to Chanyeol, "if you want to join, try not to look where we're going."

The faun eagerly nodded, looking at Jongin as the nymph created wood ropes from his hands, one gently circling Kyungsoo's ankle again, the other one whirling around Chanyeol's wrist.

They went ahead, Chanyeol whispering questions to Jongin about what Nowhere was. Now that they successfully got lost and ended up in a part of the forest that seemed strangely unfamiliar, Kyungsoo wasn't sure what to do. They walked for a while, turning around trees, and the fairy was at least reassured that Jongin and Chanyeol seemed in too much of a deep conversation about carrot cakes to realize that they weren't ending up anywhere.

Kyungsoo thought about giving up. He thought about excusing himself to Jongin and go find Baekhyun and demand better explanations upon finding the house in the middle of Nowhere because this was getting very frustrating. He stopped himself, his eyes falling on his right, following the sound of a river nearby. He couldn't see any water. The stream seemed close, considering how well he could hear the water rush against stones, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Kyungsoo was suddenly aware of Jongin and Chanyeol having stopped nearby too. He heard Jongin's inquiry about why they halted. But the fairy didn't answer him, as his mind was preoccupied by that déjà-vu moment. Kyungsoo straightened, his eyes widening a bit as he looked around himself closely. They were on top of a small hill. A smile bloomed on his lips.

"We made it," he chuckled to Jongin.

The nymph blurted out a litany of congratulations and thanks which Kyungsoo dismissed with a cheeky grin, and the three of them slowly went down the slope.

As Jongin's eyes fell on the house that appeared in front of them, he felt strangely giddy. He had never seen a house quite like that. It was of course far bigger than Kyungsoo's one, and completely different from his own hole, but it also didn't look like the elven houses he had seen once, at the ball. It looked a bit out of place, but so lovely.

Kyungsoo led them inside, both Chanyeol and Jongin jumping with surprise when the light went on, along with a myriad of strange little sounds. Chanyeol was hopping around, looking at everything with a laugh, touching all he could reach. Meanwhile, Jongin slowly made his way all around the house, not daring to make any physical contact with anything.

"Who lives there?" he quietly asked Kyungsoo, who kept flying close to him.

"Lord Baekhyun told me that it was a wizard. But he hasn't come home in centuries, apparently. So the house is free for you to use..."

Jongin looked at him, a bit anxious at the idea that said wizard could come back out the blue. But then his eyes fell on the cozy armchairs and loveseat by the window and he could imagine sitting there next to Taemin, where his elf would feel comfortable. He could imagine them talking and not being bothered by the rain.

"Thank you, 'Soo."

As the fairy was about to answer, they heard a loud crackle on the side and turned to see Chanyeol in front of the fireplace, his eyes wide. A fire was roaring in the chimney and the faun was looking at them, his palms held out in front of him, his bottom lip quivering.

"I'm sorry! I made a fire!"

Jongin blinked like an owl at the statement.

"You what?"

"I can make fire!" Chanyeol yelled out in bewilderment.

Kyungsoo snorted and rolled his eyes.

"No, you can't."

"Fiddlestick, I just did! I did! Look at the fire!"

The fairy massaged his temples as he gave him a deadpan look.

"The house did it. It's still filled with its wizard's magic, and it obeys to spirits too. You cannot make fire on your own, the house simply fulfilled your wish. You wished for a fire, right?"

Chanyeol's mouth rounded up and his shoulders dropped.

"Oh, yeah... That's too bad. Controlling fire would have been cool."

He shrugged and Jongin couldn't help the laughter that left his lungs.

They stayed inside the house for a while. The nymph was taking in everything within, considering what would be helpful for his next meeting with Taemin. Kyungsoo explained him, between two bickering with Chanyeol, that he could also summon tea, and food. They had another little tea party all together, and only made their way back home at dusk

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Hello my lovelies,

How have you been? Did you like this chapter? It was far longer than usual but ohmy, did I have fun writing it... ♥
Small info, I keep track of the words count of each chapter, and with this one, Magnolia Boy is officially longer than the first Harry Potter book. How cool is that! I was very proud of myself when I realized that. It's gonna be a year since I started writing MB, even if I only started to publish it few months ago. It feels a bit weird to be honest... like I wrote so much already, and so little. There's so much more stuff in my head that I can't wait to write.

Are you still happy following this story with me? I want to thank you all for your support and all the wonderful comments you leave me. Sometimes I really wish so many of you weren't so silent... I get a bit anxious, wondering if you're still really here, enjoying this as much as me, but yeah... it's okay. I only hope for you to be alright.

Also, ah. Jinki sings a song in this chapter. It's this masterpiece, Itsumo Nando Demo, the beautiful ending theme of Spirited Away. I honestly think Jinki would sing it so perfectly, his voice would make it so wonderful, I get emotional just thinking about it ♥♥

Time to let you go. Have a nice week-end. See you in two weeks :)) (I'm sorry I'm still not sure how to title next chapter buuh)