"Go away, Rayman. I'm busy."

Ly didn't need to open her eyes to confirm he was nearby. Even if her natural senses weren't enough to pick up the telltale signs of him approaching, there was always a peculiar presence around him that would clue her in. It also made it extremely difficult for him to sneak up on her.

"Rude!" he said, the sharp, yet amused scold in his voice almost drawing a smile from her right away.

"I'm meditating."

"No, you're not." his voice got closer, each word accentuated by him hopping across the little lake that separated her home from the rest of the area. "If you were, you would have just stayed silent."

She scoffed, but relented all the same. Trying to pretend like she was deep in thought at this point would have been a childish endeavor. The faint aura of magic around her faded away, as she floated right back down to ground level. By the time she opened her eyes, Rayman was standing before her, not even trying to hide a playful grin. As a proper and dignified fairy, she did not immediately returned the gesture and let her head rest in her palm, as she exhaled in a very theatrical fashion.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ly asked, stressing her words just a little.

"Murfy's been summoned, Globox is busy." he said, completely ignoring her vague attempt at sarcasm. "So I thought I'd visit. I haven't seen you for a couple days now."

"Just the usual stuff." she shrugged. It was frighteningly easy to slip into a completely casual demeanor around him. "Books, scrolls, incantations stacked right up to the ceiling."

"More training?"

"I'm starting to doubt there will ever be an end to it." she sighed, cracking a small smile nonetheless. "Every time I think I've mastered something, I realize that I'm still barely scratching the surface."

She continued, summarizing some of her recent lessons with her elders, most notably the nymphs. Her explanation veered into technical terms she wasn't sure Rayman had so much as an inkling about, but even if so, his focus did not waver. He was ever the attentive listener, his hair flopping forwards a bit with each and every nod.

"Sounds like you could use some time off." he remarked only once she was done.

"No." she replied, her brow falling a little. "Slacking off is honestly the last thing I should do right now."

"You're not slacking off." he shrugged. How he managed to do that without visible shoulders always mystified the fairy. "You can't be expected to study all the time."

"Even though I really should…"

"Well, you're wrong." he said, extending a hand towards the rest of the Fairy Glade. "That's where you should be more often, instead of those dusty tomes."

She sighed, waving off the friendly suggestion.

"Rayman, I can't. Half the Council have their eyes on me all the time." she said, her tail snaking up to curl softly around her waist. "They expect a lot from me."

"And they'll get it." he flashed a reassuring smile. "Right after you unwind a little, like you planned on doing."

"What do you mean?" she shook her head, somewhat confused.

"Well, you weren't exactly pouring over a book when I arrived…"

The remark was met with immediate retribution, in the form of a harsh tap on his nose with a finger.

"Don't you get cheeky with me, limbless!" she said, a bit of heat rising into her cheeks.

He rubbed his nose, but both of them devolved into a brief stint of laughter. He wasn't exactly wrong, she just didn't want to give him the satisfaction of saying it outright.

"Just a few hours, okay?" he said. "Then you can dive back, if you really want."

"I have a feeling if I go with you, I won't be studying at all today." she raised a brow as a grin crept across his face.

"Luckily, my schedule is all clear." he said. Rayman's attempts at mild sarcasm always came across as infuriating, particularly from someone of his stature.

The fairy sighed one last time, glancing back to her home. She could all but see the books waiting for her, filled to the brim with mystical knowledge. Boring as some of it may have been, she was still fascinated, especially at how much remained hidden to her. Magic was a vast ocean of rules and exceptions and sometimes she almost wanted to just immerse herself to the fullest. And then Rayman would come knocking at her door, pulling her out of the metaphorical dive, as she once more failed to show her face around the Glade for days on end.

Even now, that ocean was inviting as ever. The currents of arcane power, calling out to her to go just a little deeper, to thread paths only the nymphs could ever reach. Sometimes, she even entertained the idea of going beyond those, though whether that would have been curiosity or hubris, she wasn't quite sure. A part of her wondered what or who she might find there.

But as she looked back, Rayman's smiling face met her, his freely-floating hand extended and waiting patiently just for her. Such a peculiar and undoubtedly special being and yet he seemed more embroiled in everyday, mundane life, than anything beyond that. In a way, his insistence on living in the here and now, was perhaps even more fascinating. More than enough to keep even her grounded, at least.

Ly took his hand and stood up, the midday sun combing through her purple locks. She squinted a little, which was more than an apt reminder of how long she's been cooped up again. She looked deeper into the forest, a sense of exhilaration swelling within her chest. As they departed, her steps became quicker, wilder, and it didn't take long before the two broke into one of their playful, yet fiercely competitive little races.

The faint breeze carried their laughter all across the Fairy Glade.

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