Lily shook her head as she steadied herself. It took all her will to sway instead of stumble from the way the world spun. Thankfully the side effects only lingered for a moment. Once her eyes focused it became clear she was successful in her venture. Surrounded by the vines of weeping willow and the rush of water.

I hope that doesn’t happen every time I teleport this far. The thought made her frown. Not that I should be making this a habit. This had to be a one time thing. Two at most. Three total counting the other day. That was more than enough.

With a deep breath she followed the river down the same path she had before. Taking more time than was necessary to reach the beach. If someone told her she would be choosing to meet an Erys a week ago, she would have laughed. Yet here she was.

Will they even be there? she wondered. Maybe he wouldn’t even show up. Or maybe he would, and strike her down where she stood. Anything was possible at this point. 

She paused when a chill pierced her chest. That same dreadful feeling came over her. But this time she shook it off. Deep breaths. This will be easy. She pressed onward to the shore.

Willis stood with his back to her. Thankfully on his own side of the beach. He didn’t turn until she came closer, ear flicking at her footsteps.

“Hello Lilium! You actually came back,” he smiled at her, eyes upturned cheerfully. He held a large dark blanket in his hands.

“I did. You sound surprised.”

He chuckled. “I am! You seemed reluctant before.”

Who says I’m still not? Her focus shifted to the divide between them. “How is this going to work? Are we going to… stand here and talk?” Her legs were still sore from before.

“Oh! Well,” Willis held out the blanket he had. “I brought this so we could sit down. I figured we would choose a side to be on,” he explained.

It was a smart idea. Also an awful one. Which one would minimize how bad I look? If she went over there, she would look stupid for being reckless. If she let him come over to her it would be as bad. Perhaps more so since she already did before.

“I suppose I can come over there,” Lily decided aloud, partly to herself. 

Willis’ face lit up. He took a step back, looking at her expectantly. “You have my permission!”

I forgot I needed that. I would have broken the law. Not that it mattered at this point. She stepped back as well. Taking a running start before she leapt over the border. She landed with ease.

“You are much better at that than I am.”

“Being agile is a necessary aspect of being monarch. If you can’t defend yourself, how can you be expected to defend your subjects?” Lily said simply. She watched their face twist in a variety of emotions before it settled on something mildly pleasant.

“Right. Anyways!” Willis unraveled the blanket. He walked towards the middle of the beach, laying it out. 

She followed slowly. Gaze drifting to the intricate design of it. At the center was a large moon in the waning gibbous phase. Smaller moons of each phase lined the border. The empty space was decorated with stars. It was largely navy, nearly black. Details a pale yellow to contrast the dark background. The whole thing was, thankfully, large enough for both of them without being too close.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? It feels too nice to be using it as a beach towel,” Lily asked.

“It'll be fine! Nothing that can't be washed,” Willis reassured. He sat down on the right side. “But you can take off your boots if that would make you feel better.”

Definitely not. The idea of being one layer from the sand made her shudder. Much too close. She went to the left side, sitting carefully. They were just barely out of reach of each other. “Is it alright if I put a light down?”

“Hm? It's not that dark is it?” Willis asked. He glanced at the moon before looking back.

Technically it wasn’t. The visibility hadn’t changed much in the day since they saw each other. “It feels odd to be having a conversation like this. Even if I can still see you,” she said. Night vision only does so much.

“Well I don’t mind if you want to. Just curious,” he shrugged.

At that, Lily closed her eyes, holding out her hand. Warmth spread through her chest. Easily manifesting as a ball of pink-tinted light within her palm. She set it down between them.

Willis stared at it with starry eyes. He leaned forward to look closer. He held out his hand before pulling back, focus shifting to her, “Can I see it?”

She frowned. Such a vague question. “What do you mean?”

“Oh- like hold it. I’m just curious, your magic is so much different from mine,” he explained, shaking his hand as he did. His ears quivered.

“...Sure.”

At that he scooped it up. Bringing it close to his face. He gave it a squeeze, his fingers going straight through. She could have sworn she saw him shiver.

She flinched when star marks appeared on his cheeks. He brought his other hand over it, as if getting ready to pull it apart. What is he doing-

Something clicked in her mind. Yet her jaw locked shut. Entire body going taut like a bow string. She had to watch this play out.

A moment passed. Another.

Then, he pulled it apart, light dimming when he did. Tearing it like paper. The magic flowed around his hand. He opened his eyes to admire his work, paying her no mind. He played with it like it was putty, and not part of her essence. “It’s so warm,” he pointed out the obvious.

Lily swallowed roughly. She gripped the blanket, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers. I need to say something. The words didn’t come to her. What was she supposed to say to such a display?

Finally Willis seemed to notice her silence, turning his attention to her. He opened his mouth before promptly closing it. A look of alarm crossed his face. Her horror must have shown on her’s.

“Ah…” he licked his lips. She watched the gears turn in his head until he finally seemed to realize something. “AH! Oh I should not have done that I’m sorry-” He returned what he stole from her spell before setting it back between them. The stars faded off his face.

The ocean waves filled the heavy silence. Eventually he gave her a strained smile. “I… forgot that doing that tends to freak people out-”

“So it’s true, you can pull magic from someone,” Lily blurted out the question. Even if she already knew the answer now. Her shoulders burned.

His smile turned to a tight line. “Yes. That is a thing I can do,” he sighed, fidgeting with his fingers. Gaze on the sand rather than her. “I guess that's why you were calling me dangerous before?”

“Of course.” Wasn't it obvious? She kept that one to herself.

A rush of emotions flickered over his face again. Including exasperation. He tried to hide it with a smile, but his ears pulled back, shivering. “I usually don't have to worry about being conscious of my magic. I have a bit of a reputation for being… harmless I guess. Promise I didn't mean to spook you or anything.”

“It's fine,” Lily lied. It was less than comforting to have her mother be right about something. If that was true, what else was? Perhaps the Erys were cunning manipulators too. Given that they had somehow convinced her to be here again, and she somehow hadn't run already.

Morbid curiosity got the better of her, “How does it work? I've heard stories of course, but I would assume at least some of them are exaggerated.” Hopefully. She forced herself to sit up straight, releasing the death grip she had on the gentle fabric beneath her.

Willis flinched at the question, eyes darting to her. His ears shot up before they dropped. “I’m not sure I’m the person to ask. But I could try to give a simple explanation.” His gaze drifted elsewhere as he hummed. He raised a hand, “A lot of people seem to think we can just snap our fingers and boom! You’re dead. But it’s much more complicated than that.”

“Just like any other magic you perform, it’s a spell. One that requires a great deal of practice, concentration, and energy. Also contact, that’s a big part of it. You can’t take energy from something you aren’t touching,” he rambled, making a circular motion with his hands. He gestured to the light between them. “That’s why it took me a moment to pull from that. I really needed to focus in order to break part of it away without dissolving the whole spell.”

“That… makes sense. Much more sense,” Lily muttered. She reached out to her creation, grabbing it. Even though he had taken energy, nothing had been lost in the exchange once it was placed back. Its soft pink light at the same intensity, external feeling all the same. “My mother always made it sound so horrific,” she admitted, partly to herself. 

“It can be scary. It’s a scary idea! But I don’t think it’s all that bad compared to any other spell,” he chuckled. His focus on the star painted sky as he continued, “Any combat spell can be dangerous when someone knows how to use it well. But it’s the caster that makes it that way, not the magic itself.”

“I think you’re just trying to convince me that you’re not dangerous,” she huffed.

“Is it working?”

Is it? Lily asked herself. It is a tad less alarming now knowing how it works. I could easily handle something like that in a fight. Especially if it takes him that long to do it properly. “I suppose. I still don’t believe you’re not a threat to some extent. It would be foolish of me to think otherwise.”

Willis sighed, but it sounded more amused than anything else, “I’ll take it.” He sat up like she had, back cracking as he did. He stretched his hand and fingers. “Am I allowed to ask how your magic works? Or is it a special secret,” he said the last bit with a teasing tone.

She thought for a moment. There’s no reason I shouldn’t. It would be a good way to keep the conversation going. “There’s not much to tell. It works how you would expect,” she said. “You need an understanding of what you wish to create. Be able to visualize it, imagine the texture, the weight, the elements that compose its being. Then you manifest it.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

“It isn’t, truly. The process is deceptive. Being able to understand an object well enough to mold it yourself is the hurtle,” she explained.

Willis leaned towards her. In a way she was almost certain was subconscious. “Could you make something right now?”

“I made the light.”

“I know it’s just- I could make that, you know? No offense, not trying to insult your abilities,” he stumbled over his words, backtracking quickly. “I meant something that only you could make.”

If you want to get semantic I am the only one that could make that light. Though she knew what he meant. She tsked. “Maybe another time.”

He grinned at her, a glint in his eyes, “Another time? Does that mean you’re warming up to me?”

Maybe. “Definitely not. It was a slip of the tongue,” she retorted. Fidgeting with the light ball before sitting it between them once more.

“Aw.”