After that event, Varian and Camalia talked way more, trying to know eachothers better. The guitare girl secret goal was to help Varian out of his dark past. He blamed himself so much for it, but couldn't help and see how unfair his situation was and how normal his reaction felt. He explained to Camalia what he has done, why, and how much he would give to free his dad. How much he would do.

She could see how a brilliant and kind person he was, but also how this all story changed him deep within. She wished she could help him, but she knew she couldn't. The guitare girl also told him her story. She woke up as a baby in Corona, with her guitare. She was crying in a street and a poor couple rescued her and help her live and talk for the first 3 years of her life. Then they sadly passed away. For almost a year, little Camalia was all alone, and she tried making money by playing and singing, but it was never enough. So one day she stole an apple. She was quickly catched by the guards and the king, still heartbroken by the disappearance of his daughter, ordered to put her in the prison. Soon enough, the king regretted his decision and send a guard to set her free, but Camalia had never known nor seen so much luxury, and she didn't want to be thrown in the streets again, so she decided to stay. The king and queen offered to give her more, to be a servant in the castle, but she always refused. The prison was her home now. It was there she felt like she could help as much as possible.

-Oh ! I almost forgot ! I also am a music mage !

Varian looked unsettled for a second, then his natural scientist curiostity took over.

-What's a music mage ? I have never heard of it. Does it involve magic of some sorts ? Linked to music ?

-Yes, exactly ! The reason you have never heard of them, explained Camalia, is because they are nomads. It's more like a tribe than an entire people. They're a very few of them.

-Why do you keep using « they » ? Aren't you one too ?

Camalia hesitated a little.

-Well, yes, but no. I practice musical magic, but I can't say I am a music mage as I have never lived amongst them. I am not part of their people.

-Oh. I'm sorry if this was a bad question. Winced Varian.

The guitare girl brushed it off, saying she couldn't miss what she never had. She still looked a bit down, so the alchemist decided to change the subject.

-And how does this "musical magic" works ?

-Oh, it's very easy ! Lightened up Camalia. The mage plays a certain melody, linked to their emotions and control of the music, and depending on how skilled they are, the magic will act up or not ! It generally forms as a wave of shock, but if you find the right melody, it can transform into many different things. It's a very special magic, which deeply link the mage and the instrument. It's not very powerful, though, and is hereditary. It can be teached throughout childhood, after it's too late. This is why there are only a few music mages in the entire world. They are slowly disappearing.

The blue strip boy seemed really interested by the link between mage and instrument Camalia had mentionned. She explained to him that she always had this guitare, which is her own instrument, and that she discovered the depth of that link when someone tried to break it back when she was singing in the streets.

-Despite the fear eating my guts, I noticed that it was super strong, because the guy was really smashing it hard to the ground and it only had a few scratches. Then, after hitting it around five times, a small crack appeared on the guitare... and on me.

Camalia turned and showed her back to him, reavealing a scar that was exactly like the one she was pointing at on her guitare.

-So I guess that if you break the instrument, you kill the mage.

An angel passed as Varian examined the scar and the crack, fascinated.

-This is amazing, you seem to have a... a physical link to this object, which can cause violent side effects... This musical magic seemed deeply different than anything I have ever studied so far.

-It is very uncommon, and honestly I have never met anyone or anything even close to having this kind of magic. Not even other music mages !

-Do you think this magic could be used in alchemy ?

-Oh I think it can be used in many ways. Laughed Camalia.

She explained to him teached herself. She discovered that those melodies, those « spells » are more about what the artist, the « mage » want to radiate rather than the traditional melody you've held for generation. This way, she invented a melody for comfort, for healing small wounds, for defense, several melodies for attacks, a melody for speed, for levitating stuffs, for changing matters, shaping it...

-Wait wait wait ! Changing matters ?! Exclaimed Varian. But this IS alchemy !

-Really ? I thought it was all about potions and stuffs...

-No no no, alchemy is a chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life ! To keep it simple, it's an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting.

-But hum... you can explain it, and it's not that mysterious to you...

-Yes, but it is to everyone else. He said with a smirk.

Camalia let out a giggle. She took her guitare and stepped away from Varian, facing the walls of his cell.

-What are you doing ? Asked the blue strip boy with a chuckle.

-I am transmuting in a mysterious and inexplicable way, Ball.

She started playing a melody filled with big jumps between high-pitched notes and low notes. A green looking fog, as green as her eyes, came out of the guitare as she started humming the melody in union. The fog went to the wall of the cell and shaped something in it, before the melody stopped and Camalia handed the thing she made to Varian. He took it with admiration to see it was a transparent vial, with even a cap to close it.

-This is amazing...

It was the only thing the alchemist was able to say, as he was indeed amazed by the thing he just witnessed. The guitare girl just sat back on the ground with a big provocating smile.

-Well it looked like you wanted to study this magic, so I showed you a piece of what I can do !

-Yeah, well I don't believe in magic, heh. But I am SURE there is a totally logical and scientifical way to explain that. To begin, I just saw a transmutation of...

Ruddiger went on Camalia's lap, just like he usually does, and started happily sleeping as Varian decided to explain what he just saw with a lot of scientifical terms. Half of them Camalia didn't understand, but she didn't care. She listenned with a smile, while petting the raccoon, glad to see she could help out her friend.

A month later, Varian and Camalia were really good friends. Varian really liked the inventive way and the goofy side of the music mage, and Camalia loved Varian's passion in alchemy and his kind and stubborn side.

They didn't often mentionned the past and the alchemist's mistakes, that he tended to avoid, ashamed of what he has done. But one time he trusted Camalia with his thoughts. He explained he was still pretty upset about the behavior of the coronians people when he needed help, but reflecting on his actions and on what happened, he could began to see that the princess didn't really have a choice. It was just a start, but it was a good one. For the guitare girl, they didn't talk much about her past because there wasn't much to talk about. Ten years in prison may be long, but not much happens.

Camalia also presented to her friend her skills of inventor. Which obviously picked his curiosity, that went downhill when she explained she invented new intruments to make music.

They installed pretty quickly a routine, using Camalia's privileges for the most part, since there isn't much to do in jail. Since the alchemist started to rapidly stink, she gave him a long robe and took his usual clothes to clean them, and brought back a large basin of water for him to wash himself with.

Of course, since privacy was a vaguely known concept in prisons, Camalia had to spent the next thirty minutes staring at the wall in her cell, and then play some tunes out of boredom. She also kept sharing her food with him, because actual prison food tasted horrible.

Still using her right to get out of her cell, Camalia brought a comfortable pillow and a big blanket.

At some point during their little shenanigans, Cap went down to yell at Camalia for a solid fifteen minutes, on how Varian was in PRISON, which was a PUNISHMENT, and wasn't supposed to be CONFORTABLE. And also that if she kept doing that they would move him to another cell. So, she stopped doing anything more. But she didn't brought back the pillow, the blanket and the bassine. And she also continued to wash his clothes from time to time.

When an infuriated Captain came back to strangle the guitare girl to death, she had arguments and big smiles to oppose to his yelling, until he gave up, thinking that if it kept her away from the thought of releasing this dangerous psychopath, she could do whatever she wants.

Their routine was pretty much waking up, eating and sharing food, talking about alchemy, music, and stuffs in Varian's cell. Then, at lunch time, they ate and shared together. Depending on if Camalia had to shower, clean or do something in the castle, they either runned some experiments on the musical magic, practice alchemy or do things their own separate ways. Sometime they also (mostly the music mage) did some music to relax or just enjoy the moment, without really thinking of the scientific side. Camalia suggested several times that varian should try playing the guitare and sing, but he always refused. After that, it's dinner time, and the sunset slowly lower their capacity to see, until they can almost not see their faces 10 inches apart. Of course the corridor is enlighten by candles and the cell with moonlight, but sometime the moon was hidden by clouds, and it was pitch black in the cells. Which, one night, led to Camalia violently slamming her head on a bar of her cell, causing Varian to burst out of laughters. After dinner, since they cannot see, it's basically time to sleep.

It wasn't much but it was enough, and it was all they had.

One evening, Varian was in a bad mood, reflecting like he did sometime on his past villain self, and realizing all the wrong he has done. But no matter how much he turned the situation in his head, he couldn't help but think that he was right all along. He did what he had to do. And it slowly killed him.

As usual when he gets in this state, Camalia didn't know how to react. She never had real social interactions with someone beside small talks. Having an actual friend was a first. Usually she just sat beside him, to make him now she was there if he needed to talk, but didn't do anything more.

This time was a pretty bad one, thought. She could feel it was different, worse. It didn't look like it was anything different, but Camalia knew.

She just knew.

She knew but she had no idea what to do. She was sitting close to him, but the frustration of not doing anything to help him was destroying her and percing her heart. She couldn't do anything. Huh, Camalia ? What could you do, actually ? What, just sit here and look at him sink in darkness without doing anything to help ? Of course you would. You're way too much of a coward to actually do something. Do you think a REAL friend would act like that ? Obviously not ! Just let him go. Let him sink and maybe die. Why do you care anyway, huh ? You already have friends ! Friends that have always been by your side. Friends like us.

Camalia took her guitare, and made a bet. A very risky bet. She opened Varian's cell, stood in the middle of the corridor, without locking it again. If Varian decided to escape right then and there, she couldn't have done anything. She had to trust the glimpse of his personnality she saw in this month.

The music mage raised her arm in a very dramatic way, and then played a violent note. Ruddiger jumped out of his nap, and looked around for the source of the noise, his little legs trembling. The warm melody started filling the prison, as Camalia bounced in rythm. She taped her foot, smiling softly as the music was dancing and spinning around her, gracefully, oh so gracefully. She started moving her hips with it, her smile going wider, the happy music dragging her into a frantic danse. The young girl turned, taped, jumped, laughed, bowed with the melody, not seeing, not hearing anything but the fantastic sound taking away her will of crying, of sobbing, of not being filled with an inexplicable happiness.

Then she started singing.

"Hey, little ball

Aren't you tired of remembering a past you can't change ?

You keep blaming yourself

But a villain feeling bad, isn't that a lil' strange ?

Hey, little ball

Wouldn't you like to see

All of what you're missing out

Instead of feeling like you shouldn't be

Oh !

You are so much more than what you think

You can move mountains and change the past

You are incredible, little ball

And never,

Oh never,

No never

Let anyone, even you, say otherwise

Because hey little ball !

Aren't you the best person I have ever met

And oh, little ball !

I bet you are even more, oh even more than what I see

So, hey, little ball !

Please keep being the unique and wonderful person I know you are

So please, little ball

Don't give up on you

Because I know I won't"

Camalia let the last notes escape the guitare before looking up and smiling to a speechless alchemist, standing in the doorstep of his cell. He stood there for a couple of minutes, without saying or doing anything. The music mage just patiently waited with a small smile on her face. She waited, and she would have waited as long as it would have taken him to react. She would have, because no matter what, she wouldn't give up. She would never give up on him.

Varian felt his eyes tear up, and he stepped forward and hugged his friend tight, and she hugged him back, with relief.

They embraced eachother for a while, neither of them wanting to move, the blue strip boy being still shaken, and the guitare girl just really glad it actually worked out. What really made them move, and move fast, was the sound of Cap steps on the stairs leading to the prison, and, if they wouldn't act quickly, to the unbearable sight of Camalia and Varian hugging in the corridor, outside of any cells.

Never in her life Camalia could say she ever felt the warmth she felt in her heart when she saw Varian willingly run back to his cell, and when he explained that one, it wasn't the time for a breakout, and two, he still had to figure some things out before heading back outside. But figure things out without looking down on them anymore.

Because if this girl he met only one month ago was ready to risk everything just to make him smile, then the least he could do was listenning and thinking of a brighter future.