Private Sweet Warmth

Mystel needed to catch a break. Desperately. While there was no denying she was a mere plant that technically doesn’t require rest, she was completely drained of her mental energy. Stepping outside the boundaries of Starlight Academy, the girl headed to the one place where she could ease her mind - the forest.

Upon spotting the unmistakably plush canopy of the woods at the edge of the horizon, she picked up her slow pace and broke into a sprint. Once she entered the forest, girl relished in the crisp winter air as she indulged herself in the essense of the forest. From the meandering vines to the age old oaks, this, this was home. Eventually, she stumbled across a rather peculiar living area. The lone fire in the midst of the woods was concerning but a spark of curiosity pushed her on. Tone coming off as a little to timid for her liking, she spoke:

“Hello?”

Mystel walked a few paces foreward, slackening her posture ever so slightly as she did so. Peering up at the fox, she gave herself a moment to simply take in what she was seeing. For lack of better words, it... or rather, she, was beautiful. From her coat that shone with more radience than the sun's rays itself, to the glistening gold condensed in the sphere of her iris, every inch of her spelt divine.

Snapping herself back to reality, she gave her head a few good shakes as she addressed the other in an unhuried tone. "I'm so sorry for intruding, I was wandering around the woods and I seem to have gotten a little lost." Clasping her hands behind her back, a few vines sprouted form her shoulder blades and idly spun in lazy circles above her head. "Do you happen to know a way out?"

Mystel had little time to regain her composure and before she knew it, she stood face to face with the fox. Startled, she instinctively flinched back ever so slightly as a few vines protectively hovered in the air around her. The longer she observed, the more strange this situation seemed to be. A million questions surged from the sea of her thoughts but she quickly bit her tongue down as she tried to digest all that was going on around her. The flames disappeared? Was that safe? In more pressing matters, was this fox even hostile to begin with? Wait, scratch all that, did the fox just shift into a girl? So the fox was a girl, why was Mystel even surprised at this point - if the fox had some kind of fire resistance, anything was possible.

Humans used to know me as Hakushoku, but my real name is Soosei. Nice to meet you.

Her fears slowly dissipated as she released the pent up tension in her shoulders. Indeed, the woman before her seemed every bit as aesthetic as her name sounded. From what she could see, plush golden hair cascaded to her shoulders accenting her fair complexion. Mystel couldn't quite comprehend it but the other stood with a certain divinity that made her heart pound with slight trepidation - almost like she wouldn't dare to make an enemy out of her. Letting her lips curl into a genuine smile, she then replied, keeping her tone silky smooth.

"Soosei is it? Well, it's very nice to meet you too." Extending a hand toward the other as a gesture of greeting, Mystel then continued. "I'm not sure what a Hakushoku is but from what I observed, you seem to have a firm grasp on your fire abilities. Why would you choose to live in this forest?"

"Fire for healing purposes..." The girl thought out loud as she slowly tried to digest this information. Turning her attention back to the other, she then continued: "I've honestly never heard of anything like it. Well, perhaps it is possible since I presume you're a deity." Though it was phrased as a statement, the last part came off as more of a question as her tone hitched up ever so slightly.

"Ah, I apologize for my reaction." Lightly tapping her head with a vine sheepishly, she let out a light chuckle. "Fire is simply something that I've known to cause destruction. It definitely is interesting how your flames seem to cause no harm." Pausing, a pensive expression crossed her face. "Almost as if it was a friendly flame."

Mystel was just a little taken aback. The woman spoke with such dignity and grace that she simply felt out of place in her presence. Nonetheless, she continued to listen intently. The more the other described her powers, the more intrigued Mystel became. She'd never admit it but a small part of her wanted to know what it was like to touch those harmless flames but she could never bring herself to ask.

"That's so interesting!" Pausing, she glanced away in a moment's contemplation before continuing. "If it's not too private, what kind of life have you lived as a minor deity?"