[center][b][i]A Trip to the Royal Gardens[/i][/b]
[hr][/center]

	Upon the conclusion of the meeting with Duncan, and other important figures, Aurelia took her time returning to her chambers. In fact, she did not return so hastily, for she diverted her path, and ventured out into the royal garden’s, of which she was given control over. If she were going to experiment further on how to increase productivity through a dormant object, such as the soil itself, she would need to understand the scope of the well-being of the gardens. With fair weather in the skies over head on this day, the windows in the keep allowed a brilliant light to pass through the panes, illuminating the typically dark, and rather dreary keep. As her heeled slippers clicked against the stone floors, Aurelia kept a steady pace down the corridor, anxious not to be called for help by anyone, there was only so much talking she felt that she could contribute in a day. Had it not been for her good friend, Lanaya Triskell Dionisia, or simply Lana, as she knew her, she doubted she would have acquired such a position within Miserth Keep. Meeting at the Mage’s Circle in the Summer Isles, Aurelia and Lana shared a room during their entire stay throughout their lessons on the island. At first, the air was filled with tension, as it was clear to Aurelia that Lana questioned her appearance, with her eyes sweeping over her, brows furrowed together. It felt as if Lana wasn’t certain if Aurelia was the maid, or her room-mate. Luckily for Aurelia, she was not the maid. The first few weeks were awkward indeed, but finally, after not having anyone to speak to, Lana opened up to her by asking her where she came from.
	
	While Aurelia was unsettled by her roommate’s affluence, she came to bear with it, just as Lana came to a quick understanding that Aurelia was more of a back-woods, hill-billy, albeit, with a knack for magick. It was this, perhaps, that brought them close together, for Lana couldn’t stand the way Aurelia ate her food, or the incorrect way she prepared her bed, or how she only used water to wash her hair. Lana took it upon herself to teach Aurelia the finer points of living, how to hold her fork properly, how to sit up straight, how to make it look as if she were floating when she walked, and even how to speak like a lady ought to. In exchange for her lessons in etiquette, Aurelia aided with Lana’s learning of magick, not that she didn’t understand it to begin with, but how to control the flow of her power with a more direct approach. During their stay at the Summer Isles, Lana and Aurelia became friends, while Aurelia mostly listened to Lana’s ravings, occasionally, Aurelia would also join in with her frustrations of daily life. They were like the moon and the sun, one bright and talkative, the other more morose and withdrawn.

	Emerging onto the stone dais of the royal gardens, Aurelia paused in the sunshine, allowing herself to bask in its warmth, relishing how it felt upon her skin. A slight breeze in the air whisked her thin dress around her body, tossing her inky locks about her face. Her eyes swept over the gardens, taking in the sights of the red rose bushes in bloom, alongside the white lilies planted beneath the dais. There were many fragrant flowers found here in the garden, everything from common herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and lavender, to daisies, irises, clematis, and many more. Three oak trees took residence in the royal gardens as well, offering the only shade from the blistering summer heat. As she took a step off the dais and onto the stone pathway, Aurelia couldn’t help but to admire the smell of fresh earth from the recent rain’s days prior, it vaguely reminded her of home, not that ever had the chance to roam freely outdoors, due to her parent’s fear of the curious neighbors, but when her mother happened to leave a window open, it was then that young Aurelia would poke her head out the window and breathe in the fresh air.

	Making her way to the farthest corner of the garden, where Queen Ruth’s roses bloomed in deep shades of crimson, Aurelia hoisted the folds of her dress up to her knees, and settled in amongst the flowers. She pushed, poked, and prodded at the plants, pinching and plucking the leaves of several flowers, careful not to take away any petals. These would become useful in her research later on. She would have only a few weeks to produce results for Duncan, or else she would be deemed a failure. If anything, she would need to write a letter to Lana, asking her for help in her latest endeavor. It helped to have a second, similar mind thinking like her, and even gaining a second opinion would help even more so by allowing her to view her projects from different aspects. Once she gathered what she needed to run tests on in her alembic instruments, she told herself that she would need to make a trip out to the Grand Library by scouring the shelves for any mention of enhancing the growth of plants in the soil by means of magick. Since she was High Magister, she would have access to the scrolls, tomes, and other articles of ancient literature stowed away, if she asked nicely that is.