Chapter Text
Roxy bounded down the stairs, confused by the dream that she had just had.Was it even real ? Or was this stress surrounding her new life just consuming her ? But for some reason, it didn't feel fake to her….and didn't Bloom mention something about her getting dreams from her dead sister ?
A shiver of dislike passed through Roxy as she thought of the other girl.Roxy did not like Bloom at all.Yes, she shouldn't have made that comment about her being insane, but the fire fairy has done nothing to endear herself to her.
Roxy entered her kitchen, breathing in the scent of her father’s signature bacon and eggs.The man had his back turned to her, humming along to what Roxy recognized as Musa’s newest pop song Heart of Fire.
“ About time you got out of there. “ Klaus said. “ I was starting to wonder if you drowned in the bathtub—oh.You changed your hair again ? “
“ Yup.” Roxy responded, feeling her dark magenta hair. “ They're called Racoon Stripes.I saw it online, and I really liked it.”
“ Awesome.Remember you have your 3-6 shift at the bar today, and you have your math class from 2-3. “
“ Yes, I remember. “ Roxy confirms. “ Hey Dad ? “
“ Yeah ? “
“ Macy messaged me earlier.She wants me to help her out with a new plant she brought ... .can I go over with her to the plant shop ? “
After her….altercation with the Wizards, Roxy came home and her father was understandably upset and worried after she had disappeared without a trace…especially with the news of the inexplicable damage done to the industrial plant.
Which ended up with Roxy being severely grounded, with her not being allowed to go anywhere salve from school, to her new “ math “ tutoring class and the restaurant.
Her father’s facial expression turned into something unreadable.
“ I don’t want you to stay in the house all day.” Klaus said finally. “ So I suppose you could go.”
Roxy cheers internally. “ Awesome, thanks dad. “
Klaus puts the food on the table, and father and daughter dig into their food.
—---- —------- —------
“ I'm just concerned about this plant.” Macy relays anxiously. “ I've been feeding it nutrients, but I don’t think its going to make it ! “
Flora looked the plant over. In Roxy’s humble opinion, the thing looked like it was going to kick the bucket any minute.
Macy and Flora hit it off quite easily, and Roxy found herself sitting on the sidelines of Vanessa’s flower shop as the two chatted about plants.
“ I'm concerned about the longevity of this plant.” Macy relays to the older girl anxiously, as she pushes the plant over the countertop. “ I just bought it at a flower show the other day–I don’t understand how it's dying so quickly ! “
Indeed the flower was in critical condition, its bud tipping downwards as the tell tale shriveling of the plant’s leaves signified it was close to its final stages of life.
“ Do you know its birth date ? “ Flora asked.
“ Not really.” Macy stresses. “ The seller told me that it had just sprouted a few days ago and now it seems to be dying ! Am I doing something wrong !? “
Flora pressed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“ Let’s take a breather. “ She soothed. “ I'm pretty certain that there is something we can do…”
Having heard enough, Roxy waltzed out of the flower shop and promptly plopped herself on the bench right outside of it.
Instinctively she scanned the street, searching for sinister presences in the way that the specialists have taught her to.
Once again, she was thankful for Nabu’s Illusion spell that allowed her to be unrecognizable to any magical folk while she was out and about, but nonetheless, the wizards have been WAY too quiet, and it was starting to put her on edge.Quite honestly, the sooner all this magic crap was
dealt with, the better.
Once she was assured that the coast was clear, she relaxed against the bench and started
lazily traced circles on the street, waiting for her friend to come out.
The door shop’s bell jingled and Roxy turned her head to see Macy emerge from the shop, a dejected look on her face.
“ No Luck ? “ Roxy called.
“ No, not really.” Her friend admits. “ Mrs Peter’s new assistant just gave me some plant food and to come back to her in a few days to see if she sees any changes.She’s really nice. “
Roxy nods, careful to keep her face blank.She knew just how nice the Fairy of Nature could be but she didn't need Macy to know that.She’s not supposed to know Flora at all, and Roxy is using whatever control she has left in her life to keep her regular life and her magical life separate.
It was nothing that she had against Macy, far from it.The shy girl was her best friend, and always has, ever since Roxy stood up for her in the first grade when a group of third graders threatened to take her favorite stuffed toy away from her if she didn't get out of the sand-box right away.The
The two had stuck together ever since, the girls bonding together over their shared experiences of having initial trouble making friends.Macy was anxious, terribly shy and could be a bit of a push over while Roxy’s more blunt, abrasive nature had frequently landed her into trouble, alienating possible friendship opportunities.
This eventually eased as the pair grew up, and they managed to form significant friendships outside themselves, adding three more friends to their friend group.But despite these new bonds being forged, theirs never faded, even when Macy’s parents had opted to send her to
the new, private school across town.
Roxy exhaled slightly, wishing that she could talk to her about her fairy at times, because it was severely stressing her out.
The pair walked down the street, and turned the corner.
“ Man. “ Roxy says, trying to advance the conversation. “ So uh, How’s Life going ? “
Macy shrugs. “ Nothing much….Just counting down the days until Spring Break. My parents are still dealing with the aftermath of the freak accident on the powerplant.There’s rumors of colorful explosions from people that were within distance, but the camera footage was deleted so we still can’t confirm anything. “
Roxy was trying ( and failing ) to quell the pool of guilt in her stomach.It was her fault that the Yamamoto’s were dealing with that nonsense in the first place.
“...Right.” She answered. “ I wish your folks the best of luck with that. “
The duo fell into a comfortable silence.
“ Hey Rox.” Macy began hesitantly. “ …Can I ask you something ? “
“ Hmm ? Yeah what’s up ? “ Roxy answered.
Macy fidgeted with her uniform hoodie, visitably hesitating on what she was going to say.
“ …..Is there something going on ? “ she asked. “ Manuel and the others say that you've been a lot more….distant lately. I mean, I go to another school and I've noticed. “ She laughs nervously.
“ There’s nothing going on Macy, you don’t need to worry about me. “ Roxy lied.
Macy’s onyx eyes narrowed. “ That’s Hogwash.You re-dyed your hair this morning.You do this only when you're stressed out. “
Roxy froze in her tracks. “ Maybe I just wanted a new hairstyle. “ She said, but that sounded weak, even to her. “ Plain dark magenta was too boring. “
“ What’s really going on, Roxanne ? “ Macy cries.
“ Nothing. “ Roxy stresses. “ Okay fine ! I've been ...really worried about my Math performance. “
“ I thought that you had a tutor for that now ? “ Macy inquired curiously.
“ I do but ...It doesn't mean that it stopped being confusing. “
Techna had a particular style of Teaching Mathematics.She was a good teacher sure, and Roxy had learnt a great deal from her…after she got used to her methods of course.
“ Oh, uhm alright. “ Macy said feebly.She looked away, focusing instead on the other side of the street.
Roxy saw this as an opportunity to escape the situation.
“ Ohh Uhh would you look at the time ! “ She laughs nervously. “ It's almost time for my shift to start ! “
Roxy hurriedly said goodbye from her friend, and all but bolted out of that situation.
Macy looked at the form of her retreating friend suspiciously.Something was definitively up.
—- —------- —----------- —--------------
She lied.
She was supposed to be at the frutti music bar in an hour.Instead she jogged across town to get to the Winx’s penthouse.Roxy unlocked the front gate with ease, and rapped onto the wooden door.
Bloom opened the door, and the two stared at each other for a prolonged amount of time.
“ Nabu’s teaching me magic today. “ Roxy said bluntly. “ Can I come in ? “
“Uh.Okay. “ Bloom replied. “ Nabu’s still not here yet, so you’re going to have to wait a little bit. “
Roxy gave her a thumbs up and passed her, headed for the kitchen, only pausing to wave to
Musa and Aisha who were animatedly talking on the couch.
Roxy took a double take when she noticed Aisha’s scales.A few classes back, The Winx have
The girl opens up the fridge, looking for the grape soda’s that she knew Helia bought for her during his supermarket runs, eavesdropping onto the other girl’s conversations.
“ Techna’s right. “ Musa said. “ The Wizard’s have been suspiciously quiet.We need to find a way to speed up this process.Roxy’s life is in danger ! “
“ Look, Musa, I understand what you're trying to say but you can’t be so rash-“ Bloom began, adopting a seemingly patronizing tone.
Wasn’t she supposedly one of the most hot headed people of the bunch ? Hypocritical much Roxy thought.
–But we cannot afford to rush this.The Wizards not being present isn't ideal but maybe it's for the best.Remember what happened last time we confronted them ? It….didn't bode well. “
The woman actually had a point there.
Roxy pulled her drink out from the fridge and stood awkwardly in the corner, hoping they wouldn't notice her.
“ Actually, you’re right Bloom. “ Aisha agreed.
Bloom’s eyes flickered over to Roxy. “ Could we no longer speak of this ? “
The other two nodded, and seemingly satisfied, Bloom left the room.
Roxy’s lips curl in disgust.She could never imagine being bossed around like that.
Suddenly, a * poof * and a bunch of purple smoke filled the living room. When it cleared, Nabu stood in the middle of the living room.
“ Nabu ! “ Aisha cried, launching herself into her boyfriend’s arms. “ You're back ! “
Roxy ducked down beneath the kitchen counter once more, cursing whoever had decided that this Kitchen must be open-aired.Although she was happy for her…friends(?), she did not wish to
See them being romantic together.
“ Hello my love, “ Roxy heard Nabu say to her. “ How are you today ? “
Roxy opened the other cabinet, focusing her attention on looking for potential snacks.This was a house filled to the brim of young adults, there could not not have food.She saw Lays, Pringles, Cheetoes, Chips ahoy as well as some unfamiliar brands that she didn't recognize. Were they possibly from Magix ?
A hand tapped her on the back.
Surprised, Roxy jerked up, ,momentarily forgetting that she was in a narrow cabinet.Wincing, she got out of the cabinet, rubbing at her head.
Musa looked at her apologetically.. “ Nabu’s looking for you. '' She offered a way of explanation.
“ Also by the way, can you pass me the bag of cheetos at the bottom ? Aisha loves those. “
Roxy nodded, passing up a bag of family sized cheetos.
“ Are you avoiding them too ? “ Roxy asked.
Musa nodded. “ I Love them but nah….Im not third wheeling that. “ The older girl grimaced.
Roxy stood up, settling on a box of unopened pringles.Nabu detangled himself from Aisha and spotting Roxy, Invited her over.
“ Roxy ! “ He greeted her warmly. “ Just in time ! I was looking for you.Are you ready to start today’s lesson ? “
On cue, a small purple portal opened behind him.
“ You betcha. “ Roxy replied, walking past him and into the portal.
Passing through a portal was..weird.If she was asked to describe it, she would describe it to being similar to passing into a very cold air conditioned room on a hot day.A very drastic temperature change, and then…a totally new location.
Roxy blinked as she stepped into the space.Since the Wizards have the ability to sense when magic was being used, she had to travel to another place to develop her magical abilities.The room itself was blank and devoid of personality—a sort of pocket training room that Nabu told her he uses to practice complex spells in his free time.
A beat, and then Nabu stepped in after her.
“ Flora said that she will be here soon, and that we are free to start without her . “ He said. “ She has something special planned, so we're going to review the basics today. “
Immediately, a set of cutlery appeared in the center of the room.
Roxy exhaled, and focused.Using magic was a strange feeling.Her palms begin to tingle, as they were going numb, but then they would feel slightly heavy, as if they were underwater.Nabu
Explained to her that this is a natural phenomena for most magical users, and it just means that its her magic bending itself to her will.He also told her that her magic would get better to visualize once she would develop her magical aura, aka the color that her magic produces when she’s wielding it.
Slowly but surely, the dining set began floating through the air and towards them.Nabu grinned, then deftly caught them in the air.
“ Great Job Roxy ! “ He praised. “ Let’s try something else. “
The wizard stood back, and dropped the ceramic plate he was holding onto the ground.Not soon after it hit the ground, the pieces rearranged themselves and fused back together, as if
It was never even broken in the first place.
Nabu looked at her, impressed.
“ Here we are, at least five lessons in and you’ve already mastered two of the most important basic spells ! “ He raised his hand, aiming for a high-five. “ Youre’a natural at this ! “
Roxy settled for a half smile and raised her own hand to meet his, although her impact on his hand lacked significant force, a mix of complicated emotions mixing themselves around in her stomach.
As stupid as this was, Roxy wished that she would turn out to be bad at magic, which would prove to them all that she was not meant for the magical realm.However, this seemed to prove otherwise which ... .was not good.
Nabu picked up on his pupil’s noticeable lack of enthusiasm.
“ You don’t seem too happy about that fact.” He noted. “ Is there something bothering you. “
Not wanting to tell Nabu the truth, Roxy decided to settle on telling him about something else.
“ Its Bloom. “ Roxy said. “ I didn’t exactly like how she seemed to boss everyone around earlier. “
Nabu could see that that was not the real root of the problem but he indulged her anyways.He looked at her perplexed, so Roxy decided to fill him in on what she had heard earlier.
“ And I hate to admit this, but I don't really like this. She’s a bit… bossy. And there’s something about her that’s a bit..off. “
Nabu was quiet for a while.
“ Bloom’s under a lot of pressure right now. “ He said finally. “ And I know this might not entirely justify her actions but, it would explain quite a fair bit of it. “
“ Okay. “ Roxy said, uncertainty tainting her voice.
Nabu fixed her with a look. “ Remember that your perception of her is also a little bit warped due to your…..mishap when we all first met. “
Roxy reddened under his gaze.
“ Tell you what.” Nabu said kindly. “ How about you come clean to her ? You can both start over with a fresh perspective with each other. “
Roxy looked at him consideringly.Maybe he had a point.
“ I will try. “ The girl said honestly.
Nabu smiled, sensing the sincerity in the girl's tone.However suddenly, a purple light emerged from the back of the room, and Flora emerged from it, looking exhausted.
“ Sorry. “ The fairy panted. “ Vanessa had a few extra customers she needed my help with….how are we doing ? “
Nabu beamed, and then proceeded to catch her up on recent activities.By the time he was done, Flora looked positively delighted.
“ Wonderful ! “ She cried. “ That is great news, and that will greatly help with my idea ! “
“ Which is ? “ Roxy said, perplexed.
Flora looked over at her, growing unusually nervous.
“ Well, Uh you see I was thinking….”
“ Oh My Lord Flora, Spit it out !” Roxy snapped, more anticipatory than upset.
“ Oh Uh !I was thinking,since I am a Nature fairy, and since Techna, I and Bloom’s research seems to Indicate at Earth fairies being nature bound….. I was hoping….maybe we could use my powers to see if we could bring out your powers ? Only If youre okay with it of course “ she added quickly.
Roxy looked at her, something like excitement boiling in her gut.
“ I would…actuallly really like that. “ The younger girl settles on. “ What do I do ?
Flora extends her hands.
“ Just grab onto them. “ She says soothingly. “ I will do the rest. “
Obeying, Roxy slowly put her hands in Flora’s and closed her eyes.
In the beginning, she felt nothing.But as the process went on, she slowly started to drift away into her imagination.She remembered the birds at her window chirping, or soft sound of a butterfly’s flapping wings.She imagined how a deer must feel, skipping and hopping through the underbrush in search for its dinner….
Flora pulled her hands away from her own.
“ I couldn’t see anything. “ Flora said.
Roxy tried ( And failed ) to hide her disappointment.
“ Now that’s nothing bad, It just means that your specific magical abilities are still developing. “ Flora continued, addressing Nabu “ But I think that it's in our best interest to continue to stick with our regular program for now on.Has Roxy transmuted objects yet? “
“ I'm not assessing her on that yet.Remember, we began learning that last session ? I though it wise to just test her on the two basics first. “
“ Smart.We can focus on that topic for the remainder of this lesson. Roxy, do you remember what we did last lesson ? “
“ Uhh, Sure. “
The young girl backed up, and focused herself on the plate once more, feeling the familiar tingle in her palms.But this time, something was different.
Roxy gasped in shock as her fingertips were surrounded by a transparent indigo hue, and so was the plate that was laying on the ground. In a flash, the plate was transformed into a beautiful blue butterfly, which flew aimlessly on the spot.
Roxy was stunned.
“ Did I just do that ? “ She whispered.
“ Indeed you did !” Flora said proudly. “ Transmutation is an especially tricky part of magic…you ’ve exceeded our expectations! Did you make a conscious decision to create a butterfly ? “
Roxy swallowed. “ Im..not completely sure. “ she replied.
Flora made a mental note.“ Hmm.That’s…. interesting. “
She glanced over at Nabu, who was looking at the magical insect quzzically.
“ Indeed. “ Nabu said, his gaze focused solely onto the butterfly.“ This is very interesting indeed.