Nirvana Short 2 - Crystalbloom

Stepping into the wide garden and out of Director Meysa’s office, the four of us walk down from the Central District courtyard into the massive elevator platform. Behind us, tourists from towns all around the coastline pile in, many with various souvenirs, and a recently released device called a “Super-lens” that captures a moment in time within it’s memory core.

Staring out over the beautiful city sprawled below us, my gaze lifts to the branches above. The Great Crystalbloom stood guard, her massive branches sprouting small formations of coloured glassy rock. When the rays of the warm sun shine through one, I see the myriad of colours separate within and behold as it’s warm rays sprout through the other side. Jokingly, I nudged Nir on the shoulder.

“In this city, there really is a rainbow around every corner, huh?” She smiles.
“Yes, I suppose so. But I’ll never understand how this wondrous hybrid works...”

She turns back to the Crystalbloom, the courtyard now well above us, nestled within the safety of her embrace.
Through the beautiful branches and glistening roots, the metal and plant meet, as if grown off her natural body. Looking forward once more, we pass one of the very many turrets lining the branches.
A fusion between all three Aura elements, based upon the Theory of Colour presented by Meysa, these monstrous weapons have been used just once to defend CB’s roots. Yes, I gave the tree a nickname. Don’t judge me.

While Nir, Cherry and I talk about girl things through the ride, I glance back and see my beloved, Snow, staring out into space on the side railing, his face the usual monotone glare. You’d swear the guy has a grudge against emotions, because he rarely, if ever, shows them. But, the one time he did, my life was saved..
Although that’s a story for another day.

I stroll over to him on the huge platform. The elevator generally takes about a half hour to reach bottom level, and while there is a Staff Only variant, I somehow managed to convince my team the scenic route is the better one.

Coming up behind him, I poke Snow in the back with a giggle, making him jump. With a sigh and a voice so monotone Robots would be jealous, he turns to me.

“Why is it that every single time I jump out of my skin, it’s your fault...” He shoots me a glare.
“Just the price you have to pay for this beautiful body I’m afraid” I reply teasingly.
With an adorable blush that makes him look living for once, he looks away.
“You know that’s not how I see you... You’re beautiful yes, but...”
His sentence is cut off by my finger on his soft lips and my white-tooth smile
“Shush, I know. You don’t value my body, you value me.”
With a kiss on his cheek, I guide the dazed boyfriend back to our group and pull everyone together as the sun sets over the horizon. The forest is bathed in a warming glow, as if Nature herself were closing her eyes for the night.

Little flecks of light begin to shine through the night as CB lights up with radiant colours, the darkness of night pierced by the joyous talks of the people below. The further down we get, the louder it all becomes, until the massive platform grinds to a halt and clicks into place with a hydraulic hiss and shudder.
The lights switch from standby to clear, and the railing lowers, freeing the crowd to explore the city.
Over everyone, I hear a little girl gasp and see her tug at her mother’s sleeves, pointing at the crystal lanterns that hung from the web of vines over the ground floor. The older woman only smiles and picks her child up, walking past us into the Aqua Cascade. Well... It’s actually named Fountain District, but majority of us use it’s nickname because it sounds cooler.
Taking my arm with pride, Snow leads the team to a small Café with a great view of the massive fountain. As we sit down, an adorable waitress takes our order.
Four cups of tea later, I bring up the mission.

“So, we’ve been ordered to patrol around the Northern Shores.”
I place my phone on the table and a holographic display pops up. After inputting my voice verification, the space around us dims a little as a field is projected to stop any nosy neighbours looking in.

“Cherry, you and I will take the West, Nir and Snow, you two hit East. We keep moving until we hit one another, which should be roughly centre.”
I see Snow pout a bit and giggle, resting my hand on his.
“Don’t worry honey, we won’t be far. You know why we do this.”
He looks away and lets a snowflake dance in his hand.
“Yeah yeah, for the sake of team building...”
Nir puts her hand on his and his face goes red enough to make Lady Scarlett jealous.
“Don’t worry Snowy, you two will be back together before you know it.”
With a smirk, I add to the end of her sentence. “Be a good boy, ya hear?”
He shrinks into his jacket while Cherry just shakes her head with a light chuckle
“Ahhhh, to be young again...” said with a tone of nostalgia.
“Act your own age, old lady.” With that playful comment from Nir, we all laugh and cheers, finishing up our drinks to start our mission.

Although, I gotta ask, what the hell did they see out there during the night that needs Team Zero on it...?