Unlike her last, somewhat dangerous adventure with Cypress, Astrid has kidnapped her satyr partner for something much more fun and informative while also being an adventure: meeting her Grampa Beist. It still, of course, involved some amount of travel since Elsewhere Juice can only get them to the nearest settlement, but that’s no problem with the mighty drake Big Frizole along to take them.

While they soar through the air, Astrid looks at the roughly drawn map Beist provided when she ran into him at the Consortium, having not forgotten that he offered up a big pet barbecue. Showing up unannounced doesn’t exactly bode for that, but no way is Astrid going to introduce Cypress to Beist while Morrigan is around (at least not while Morrigan is also joined by Kvasir). Finally, she spots the giant-sized house for the giant-sized grandfather and directs the drake to land nearby in some attempt to avoid disturbing the many animals Beist keeps as companions.

As she slides off the drake’s back, Astrid helps Cypress down then clasps her right hand in Cypress’, pats Big Frizole’s side, and strolls to the house, calling out ahead of them. “Grampa Beist, I sure hope yer home in there! Otherwise, this is gonna be real awkward fer all a’ us!” She doesn't know why he wouldn't be home considering his gigantic wagon is parked outside, but with adventurers, you never really know.

Astrid, of course, told Cypress as much about Beist as she could think of before offering to bring her to meet him, including his love of animals, alchemy, people, and also his ridiculous height.

Is it really kidnapping if Cypress goes willingly? Maybe that’s a question for her guardians; but for her it’s another adventure alongside Astrid, and she is nothing less than enthused if not a little nervous. The satyr leans against Astrid’s shoulder while they soar over the landscape on Big Frizole’s back, arms hooked around her waist while she watches the world below pass by between the drake’s wings with a faint smile.

Grandpa Beist seems very nice; Astrid told her all about him.

Her stomach keeps doing little flips - not because she’s afraid of heights - but because she really wants to make a good impression and each flap of Big Frizole’s wings gets them closer to their destination. Not only is Beist a member of the consortium, he’s also someone who’s very important to her girlfriend and so he’s very important to her by association.

( Plus, the idea of learning alchemy from him makes her heart buzz; it all feels so surreal. Tinkering inside of Shade’s Orphanage with harmless recipes is one thing, but learning to really and properly understand Alchemy is another. A dream that once felt so far off feels within arm’s length, and she… hasn’t figured out how to feel about it all. There's not a big guarantee that he will definitely teach her, but the possibility is exciting enough. )

She squeezes Astrid and closes her eyes as Big Frizole descends, landing nearby a cozy home with - to Cypress’ excitement and delight - a big greenhouse and what looks like a stable. She’s buzzing even before they get off Big Frizole’s back. “This is it?” she asks, reaching for Astrid’s hands; she slides off Big Frizole’s back, wide-eyed while she releases one of her hands, but laces her fingers around the other. “It’s so big! He’s got a huge greenhouse and everything!”

It’s not like she’s never seen one before, but they’re all different - this one’s tall, she supposes because he is. She’s so in awe that Astrid ends up pulling her forwards a few steps before she remembers to walk; she skips a few steps to catch up with Astrid, a smile on her face while she glances at the wagon parked nearby.

Despite Astrid's attempt to land far enough away to not disturb any of Beist's animal companions, there was no way the intrusion of such a massive drake into the airspace above the house wouldn't be noticed by the griffon that laid claim to this area's skies.

Dora immediately approached the drake as it landed. She looked on guard, though she seemed to have noticed Astrid sliding off the creature's back. She was smart enough to recognize that the drake and Cypress must be friends of hers, and she and Beist were both friends of Astrid's. She still kept a wary eye on the unexpected drake.

Dora wasn't the only creature outside when Astrid and Cypress arrived. A fuzzy bumblebee the size of a cat was buzzing around the garden outside the greenhouse, completely undisturbed by their arrival. A much larger than usual woolful with green wool was grazing in the fields on the opposite side of the house, near the stables.

From a lake a short distance away, something suddenly splashed out of the water and came bounding toward them. With a body structure like a greyhound but the head, tail, and skin of an eel with a yellow and brown coloring that looked like a slightly overripe banana, a soaking wet eelhound ran straight up to the two of them, circled the group a few times, and then stopped to sniff at the drake like two dogs meeting at a park for the first time.

Dora rolled her eyes at the eelhound's antics before walking up to Astrid and lowering her head to let Astrid pet her and rub her neck feathers.

“Well, aye, a’ course he’s got a big everythin’,” Astrid says with a giggle, squeezing Cypress’ hand. “I told ya, he’s like three times taller than us!” Seeing that she’s so nervous, Astrid stops and sets her metal hand on Cypress’ shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. He’s super nice. He’ll be happy ta meet ya.” Then she turns to trek to the house.

Big Frizole notices the griffin near the house, and while he is a proud and mighty drake, he lowers his head toward her to indicate that he does not mean to intrude. Once his riders are off, the drake lumbers farther away and settles in the grass, watching the two children make their way toward the house that looks welcoming in size to him. Except that he spots the strange slick dog rushing them and is immediately back on his feet to stand over them defensively.

Astrid’s met several of Beist’s pets before, but she’s confident that she’s never met them all because he simply cannot travel with all of them all at once, can he? The eelhound’s friendly appearance throws Astrid for a loop, and Big Frizole looming over her makes her wonder if it’s a threat, but it doesn’t make sense that it would be with how friendly it is. Big Frizole watches the eelhound carefully before Astrid simply just steps out to greet the friendly fellow, much to the drake’s dismay.

“Hiya, fella,” Astrid says, reaching out to pet him if he’ll let her. “I dunno who ya are, but yer real slimy.” With Dora approaching, Big Frizole settles down since his rider seems especially comfortable with her and he collapses his large body in the grass once more. “Oh, this is Dora,” Astrid says, giving the griffin a good ruffle on the neck. “She’s real smart and pretty,” she affectionately explains/flatters. “Dora, this is Cypress!”

Cypress throws her a lopsided grin, her smile widening when Astrid squeezes her hand. “I know! It’s just hard to imagine until you see it for real.” she admits, taking a breath that feels a little too big as she tries to steel herself for this meeting. A cool touch on her shoulder has her glancing back at Astrid; her eyes soften, “I’ll try…” she agrees, squeezing her hand in return, when -

Wuh!

“Look at the size of that bee!” she gasps, her smile widening when she spots a buzzing bee in the garden out front… she’s never seen a bee that big! It’s so fluffy! It looks like she could just hug it, and it would be soft and plush; not that she would, because it would probably sting her, but she’s definitely thinking about it!

There’s a Woolful grazing whose also big and plushy, and… “What is that!?” She bristles a little when a long, slender dog-eel-thing comes running at them and circles around them. She bursts into a flurry of nervous giggles, pushing against Astrid to give the slimy puppy its space while it bounds around; but if it allows Astrid to pet it, she hesitantly reaches out to let it sniff her hand and give it a pat, herself. “Hi, there…” she greets curiously, giggling at its antics before Dora approaches.

She startles a little, eyes widening in awe when she looks up. A real griffon? She’s… she’s never seen… she’s only seen griffons in books before. She feels the same way she felt when she met Big Frizole, Buttfellow, and Arcus. “H-hi, Dora.” She greets, her voice pitching nervously while she watches Astrid give the griffon generous ruffles and scratches. Oh, man. She really wants to pet Dora. Is it rude? Astrid gets to pet Dora, but Astrid also knows Dora more than she does. “She's beautiful... it’s nice to meet you, miss Dora!” she ends up greeting the griffon nervously instead, dipping into a polite half-curtsy the way she would usually greet the adults in her life.

The eel hound took a playful stance, its tail high in the air and its head lowered as it faced the drake lying on the grass. It doesn't mind Astrid petting it at all, its tail wagging wildly. The slimy mucus coating it gets on Astrid's hand as she pets it and water is flung across the grass by its tail. Once the big drake gives no indication of wanting to play with it, it spins in place a few times, chasing its own tail, before rushing back to the lake, running down the length of a wooden dock, and leaping back into the water with a splash.

Dora let out a soft trill of approval at Astrid's flattery and petting. She looked to Cypress as she introduced her. She seemed just as pleased by the curtsy and flattery from the newcomer. Almost as if she could read Cypress' mind, she took a step closer and lowered her head again to let the Satyr have a turn to pet her feathered neck, as if returning her curtsy with a bow.

In one of the windows, a small figure that had been standing still slipped out of view. The small, round, winged feline walked over to Beist who was sitting in his armchair reading a book and flew up onto the back of the chair. With a meow, Beist looked over his shoulder with surprise on his face.

"Visitors? I wasn't expecting any company today. I hope it's not someone from the Consortium wanting to order more potions again..." Beist sighed as he marked his page and closed his book, setting it on the side table nearby along with his reading glasses. He stood and walked to the door, the winged feline hopping onto his shoulder for the ride.

He opened the door, expecting an annoying talk with some suits, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw who was here.

"Oh, Astrid!" He said with a chuckle. "I didn't know you were coming. I would have prepared that barbeque we talked about!" Beist said jokingly as he walked over to his granddaughter, his long snake-like tail dragging and almost slithering in the grass behind him. He was happy to see her even if she was unexpected. Even more unexpectedly, she had brought a couple of new faces with her. He'd never seen the drake before, but he could already tell just from the size of it that it must have been one of the special drakes bred by the Winged Expedition Force.

He looked at the drake and then down to the Satyr girl beside Astrid. He'd never met her before. Was this the friend Astrid had told him about that needed an alchemy tutor when they'd met at the Consortium's guild hall? He was eager to meet her as well.

But first.

Beist lowered himself to one knee, his arms to his side, waiting for Astrid to jump into them as she usually did, in a hug.

“I’ve got no idea what this is!” Astrid giggles, giving the eelhound a good pat. The mucus coats her hand, and she makes a bit of a face and wipes her hand on her pants while it bounds away. Dora, on the other hand, is much more appealing to pet.

When Beist opens the door and comes outside, Astrid’s expression lights up. “Ta be fair, I can get here faster than a letter would. I’ll give ya a proper heads up next time.” Seeing his arms open, Astrid rushes forward and steps through the air^[1] to throw herself into Beist’s arms and hug his neck with a giggle. “I didn’t wanna drag all me pets around without knowin’ exactly where ta go. I’m happy ta see ya!”

From his place in the grass behind Astrid and Cypress, Big Frizole looks as surprised as a grumpy drake can to see the sheer size of the man in front of him. He finds himself glad that his rider is so small. Not that he couldn’t carry anyone in the world. He is a mighty drake, after all.

Once they’re all hugged out, Astrid drops back down to the ground and offers her hands to Cypress to try to pull her forward. Standing very nice and proper, the half-dwarf spins around to face Beist and motions to Cypress with the biggest, proudest smile in the world. “This is me girlfriend, Cypress! I was hopin’ ta introduce ya an’ also hopin’ that ya could maybe help me out with teachin’ her some a’ the plant stuff ta do with alchemy. I got her a kit ta practice with an’ some books, but can’t everythin’ be done with book learnin’ alone.”

Astrid then turns to Cypress and motions to Beist. “Cypress, this is me grampa Beist!”

---

1. Step of the Wind

“He reminds me a little bit of Skelly,” Cypress laughs, watching Astrid wrinkle her nose while she wipes her hand off on her pants. She watches that weird little guy trounce away before Dora approaches; and oh boy, it is so hard to control her excitement when Dora lowers her head to her like a bow. She practically sparkles, hesitantly reaching out to touch the griffon’s feathers carefully, as if they were glass; they’re soft and plush, and it’s easy to see how well taken care of she is.

The girl restrains a squeal as she gently runs her hand over Dora’s feathers. “Thank you,” she whispers, a giggle escaping her parted lips, “Your feathers are so pretty, miss Dora.” Her smile remains until she hears the door open, and her open palm flinches slightly. She’s not sure why it does, but maybe it’s all of her nerves kicking up; like, what if she’s not supposed to pet Dora? Except Astrid said her grandpa was really nice, so he probably wouldn’t get mad. But what if he does?

She glances towards the sound of very tall footsteps; her eyes widen.

Astrid wasn’t kidding when she said he was tall! No wonder the buildings are so big! Woah, and his tail! Is it a tail? Or is it a snake? Is it both? Is it a side-effect of a potion, or was his tail always like that? Oh, that’s probably rude to ask, actually; she shouldn’t ask that. She wants to make a good impression! Except her ‘good impression’ thus far is just staring at Beist with wide-eyed awe until Astrid bolting past her for a hug breaks the trance. She blinks, placing her open palms on her warming cheeks to hide her embarrassment over just staring at Astrid’s grandpa without making a single sound of greeting as he approached.

Oh, gods, she’s being so rude, already! Dang it, Cypress! Get it together!

Her panic is quick to dissolve when she glances towards the two in a happy embrace; her eyes soften slightly, and she drags her palms off of her face and clasps them together close to her chest, and a smile finds its way onto her lips. Astrid’s happy to see her grandpa, and that makes her happy to see; it does until Astrid pulls her over to actually meet Beist, and then all of her nerves hit her like a train again.

Oh, gods. Astrid's grandpa and another member of the Golden Consortium.

She takes Astrid’s offered hands but finds her hooves dragging in the dirt while she’s pulled forwards to meet Beist. She almost trips over herself, but catches herself on Astrid’s hands while she tries to recover; she glances up at Beist with wide eyes and perked ears, and all of her practiced introductions in her head on the way here melt away like snow in a spring thaw. “H-hi, grampa Beist.” She immediately greets; but her expression shifts into slight horror when reality hits her like the clang of a gong.

Not your grandpa, Cypress! Astrid’s grandpa! Shoot!

“I-I mean, mister Beist!” she stumbles over to correct herself, “Astrid’s told me a lot about you, and all your work with plants and with the animals and it’s really nice to meet you!” She dips to curtsy the way she did with Dora, but she catches one of her hooves on her legs, and nearly flops on her face. She corrects herself before she does, but her face is already burning in embarrassment, and she finds herself staring at the ground where flowers are beginning to curl around her hooves in response to her fluttering nerves. ⁽¹⁾

GREAT JOB, WONDERFUL INTRODUCTION. THIS IS ALL GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

---

^{(1) Plant Growth}

"Hm, that's true. I understand. Knowing you, you could probably out speed the letter drakes. I should buy something to let us communicate from a distance. I've heard of some hoods that do that. I'll have to look into them. But I'm happy to see you too." Beist agreed with a chuckle. With Elsewhere Juice, a flying drake, and Astrid's lightning speed, he doubted any letter she sent could arrive before her. He also understood not wanting to drag her pets around. As much as Beist loved all of his animal companions, taking all of them everywhere he went would be a bit much now. He was glad he'd gotten a home when he did or else trying to fit them all into his wagon would have been a nightmare.

Beist let Astrid jump out of his arms and watched her pull her friend forward. He noticed she seemed a bit nervous. Maybe she was frightened of him. He knew his appearance could be quite intimidating, especially with his size. His ears drooped a bit and his tail tip which had been swaying in the air behind him stilled.

His ears perked up though as Astrid introduced her. "Girlfriend?" He gasped to himself, surprised. He didn't know Astrid had a girlfriend! She never told him. Was she really at that age already? Oh, they grow up so fast! Oh, what was he supposed to do? He had no idea. He had nothing to reference. He had never had someone to tell his mother about! Was he supposed to congratulate her? No, that sounded silly. What was a proper greeting for your grandchild's girlfriend?

Now it was the giant beastman's turn to be nervous of the little Satyr girl.

While he was still puzzling and overthinking, Cypress greeted him. It took a moment for him to even register what she'd just said, but when he did, he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"It's alright. You can call me grandpa if you'd like. I don't mind. After all, you're Astrid's girlfriend, so that would make me your grandpa anyways once you get married. When you're older." He chuckled happily.

All the nervousness he'd suddenly felt just seemed silly now. He was happy to meet Cypress, and to know more about Astrid.

"So, you're the friend Astrid told me about needing a little tutoring in alchemy. It's wonderful to meet you, Cypress. My name is Beistmild, but you can just call me Beist, or grandpa Beist." He greeted her, reaching out a hand to shake. He thought about offering her a hug, but thought it might be too soon since they'd just met.

Beist stood back up and looked to the drake lying in the grass behind Astrid.

"And who is this? I don't remember seeing him the last time I visited your house. Is he from the Expedition Force?" He asked Astrid.

The feathered tip of his tail was pointed up and swaying side to side behind him happily.

“Oh, aye, I’ve got one a’ the hoods!” Astrid chirps. “They’re real hard ta get, or I’d have gotten one fer Cypress by now.” Ever since their miscommunication (i.e. letters not making it to Cypress), Astrid has been looking for more of the special telepathic hoods that the Red Rogues use, but it’s been a fruitless endeavor to say the least.

As she jumps out of his arms and pulls Cypress forward, Astrid grins, her eyes cutting between Cypress and Beist, happy to introduce the two of them. The mention of them one day getting married makes her snort, and she covers her mouth to stifle the giggling that shakes her shoulders. She mentally counts down to Cypress blubbering in the cute and helplessly awkward way that she does sometimes.

Astrid sees the look on Beist’s face that she knows is contemplating a hug, and when Cypress presumably reaches out to shake Beist’s massive hand, Astrid takes the opportunity to try to bump them together for a group hug. Cypress likes hugs as much as Astrid does, or at least, she’s pretty sure the satyr does, and so Astrid takes any opportunity to get hugs that she can.

Looking back at the white drake who is as cool as a cucumber, Astrid says, “Oh, that’s Big Frizole! Got ‘im after huntin’ the Nightcaller Troll King with the WEF! He’s real smart an’ protective, even if he’s too stubborn ta admit it.” Not that the drake can talk, but the unimpressed expression he shoots over at Astrid before resting his head on his paws says all it needs to say.

Cypress wants to cover her face and shrink away after making herself look silly in front of Astrid’s grandfather. She curls her fingertips into the fabric of her skirts, cheeks burning in embarrassment; when Beist stops laughing and starts talking, it takes the word ‘married’ to get her to look up again.

She didn’t think she could get more embarrassed! She feels unpleasantly warm and her heart flutters in her chest.

“M-married!?” she parrots; her ears are burning, “W-well, I… I mean… Y-yeah, that would make you my grandpa too, when… whenwe’reolderandmaybewegetmarriedoneday…” She can’t look at Astrid; she just knows she’s probably grinning in that smarmy (but admittedly cute) way that she does.

Instead, she covers her cheeks with the palms of her hands to try and cool down while she stares at the space between her and Astrid’s grandpa like there’s something more interesting than flowers that she’s definitely caused to begin blooming there.

It takes all of her willpower to glance up at Beist tentatively, eyes wide, while he introduces himself formally. “O-oh, that’s… that’s me.” She agrees when he mentions the friend who needed a little tutoring in alchemy, “I, um… I’ve always really liked alchemy, and I really wanted to learn proper… So Astrid’s been teaching me all the basics.” She glances warmly at her, before tapping her hands together in an idle fidget before she continues with a sheepish smile.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you, mist…” she hesitates, brushing the bottom of her hooves through the grass, then reaches out to shake his hand, “Grandpa Beist...”

… It doesn’t last long though because Astrid pushes her forwards - and given Astrid has the upper body strength to rival Buttfellow she is pretty easily bumped forwards and swept up into the group hug with a muffled bleat of surprise followed by a fit of laughter.

She still feels embarrassed of her slip ups, but Astrid’s straightforward interruption is enough to encourage her to slip an arm around Astrid’s shoulders, and hug the newly dubbed grandpa Beist with the other. Kind of, anyways… He’s a little too big to hug, but she does her best crowded together the way that they are.

Beist was too excited about having guests that he didn't even notice how flustered Cypress was at the mention of her and Astrid getting married some day in the future. Beist looked down curiously as he felt something brush his foot and saw the flowers beginning to sprout up through the grass around them.

"Oh!" Beist let out a slight sound of surprise as he felt Astrid and Cypress suddenly bump into him and throw their arms around him (as much as they could). He was surprised for just a moment before smiling cheerfully and putting his own arms around them, happy to be part of the group hug, and to be called Grandpa by Cypress.

"Well, I'm happy to have you both here. I'd love to teach you some alchemy. I've never had an apprentice before. Oh, but first, why don't I show you around a little? You're my very first visitors! A little tour sounds fun, doesn't it? I can show you my alchemy lab, and the greenhouse." Beist started to go on excitedly, his arms still around Astrid and Cypress in a tight but gentle hug. He stood up, letting them choose to slip out of his hug or come along with him and be carried in his arms as he turned toward the house.

"Why don't we start with the garden? I have quite a number of herbs and other plants growing here that are used in alchemy that you can see. Oh, it looks like Ned is out and about. I'm sure he'd love to meet you. I wonder if Simon is out here somewhere, hiding."

Beist looked back at the huge drake lying in the grass. He thought the name Big Frizole was amusing. Astrid certainly had a unique naming sense considering Spicy Pawsage and Buttfellow, and now Big Frizole. They were much more creative than his though. A majority of his animal companions he ended up naming after foods or random objects. Some of their names were even puns.

"Big Frizole, feel free to stay here if you'd like, but you're welcome to roam the fields and meet some of my companions. You can also swim in the lake with Banana if you're feeling too hot, and there's some picked fruit by the stables if you're hungry." Beist told the drake politely. His hospitality extended to the drake as much as it did Astrid and Cypress, considering the drake a guest as well.

With that, he started walking toward the garden, onto a brick path that wandered between the beds of herbs, flowers, and a variety of bushes that Beist pointed out and identified as they walked, acting as a tour guide.

Here and there were some simple fruits and berries that were less used in alchemy and more for food. Some tendrils of sugar snap peas grew up onto a trellis arch that went over the pathway, tall and wide enough for even Beist to comfortably walk beneath it. On the other side of the arch, miniature watermelons grew up onto it, a few of them large enough that they had a small hammock of netting tied to the arch to keep them from breaking off of the vine and falling.

"Are either of you hungry? It must have been a long journey to get here. If you'd like anything from the garden, just let me know. I have plenty here that make wonderful snacks. These sugar snap peas are delicious right off the vine." Beist told the two as he picked one of the pods and tossed it into his mouth with a soft crunch.

“Aye, a tour sounds great!” Astrid agrees. She’s never one to turn down the chance to ride on Beist’s shoulders, especially since it’s not something she ever got to do as a kid and still can’t do now since Cantio would literally fold like a lawn chair under her weight. However, the idea of being carried around and cradled like a wee babe is really funny to her, and it’s even better if she can do it with Cypress, so she makes a motion with her head combined with a smile that encourages the satyr to choose to ride along. It isn’t often they’ll get the chance for this kind of thing.

When Beist addresses Big Frizole, the drake raises his head once more and stares at him with sleepy eyes. This area seems safe enough, and he’s confident his rider will be safe given her attitude. So, while he inclines his head in a silent thanks and acknowledgment, he immediately lays it back down to bask in the warm afternoon sun.

“Gramps, ya know I’m always hungry,” Astrid says, giggling and attempting to snatch a handful of peas from the vine too. “Hungry fer food, fer adventure, fer family, ya name it!” None of this is untrue. Astrid will take anything she can get and appreciate every little thing.

Beist hugs them; he’s warm and surprisingly gentle given how big he is; and it’s… nice. Cypress doesn’t get a lot of hugs, save from Astrid, and she cherishes those in their warmth. She nuzzles her cheek against grandpa Beist’s arm and squeezes Astrid around the shoulders tight, ears and tail wiggling happily while daffodils unfurl around her hooves. She goes wide-eyed when Beist asks if they’d like to take a tour, and she glances at Astrid for her opinion- one that’s an enthusiastic gesture to go along with it. 

So, she does.

“Please!” she agrees, giggling as Beist pulls her and Astrid up when he stands; she wiggles her hooves, ears perking while she grins at Astrid; then, cranes her head back to look at Beist. “I would love to see the garden! It’s so pretty even from here!” When he mentions a couple of names, she turns to look for them - she sees the big bee. “Is that Ned?” she asks, pointing at the fluffy bumblebee buzzing about. “Ooooh, he’s so fluffy…” She admires Ned’s bumbling about for a little bit while Beist heads towards the garden.

It really is pretty from afar, but it doesn’t hold a candle to seeing it up close. Cypress sits up straight, a smile wide on her face while she glances about from plant to plant and cranes her head to watch the vines of the snap peas pass by above them. After Astrid snatches a few off the vine, Cypress perks her ears, and reaches out to snap one off as well. “You do have an endless appetite for a little bit of everything- mischief, too.” she puffs in a giggle, bumping Astrid playfully with a hoof while she munches on one of the pods from the snap pea.

It’s very sweet, with a crisp bite and a fresh, earthy aftertaste. It’s not at all like the kind she gets from the Marketplace in Darkveil, sometimes; those are still okay after they’re cooked, but she’s never liked the taste before. “Oh- they are really good!” she chirps, excitedly popping the other half into her mouth while she glances over Beist’s shoulders at the miniature watermelons on the other half of the trellis. “Ohhhh, cute!! They’re so little… Are these all foods for you and the animals, or do you use them for alchemy too, grandpa Beist?”

Beist let out a soft chuckle and smiled at Cypress's praise of his garden. He was happy to hear that she thought it was beautiful, and it was obvious from the end of his tail swaying in the air behind him as the rest dragged on along the path.

"Oh, thank you. It takes a lot of work to keep it looking nice. I'm glad I have some help with it. Terry, my earth golem, is a wonderful gardener. He really has a way with the soil. Not surprising, considering he's mostly made of it. You should meet him soon. He's probably in the greenhouse if he's not out here."

Beist looked over to the fluffy bumblebee flitting from flower to flower and nodded.

"Yes, he is quite fluffy, isn't he? That's Ned. He's also a bit of a gardener, isn't he? Helping to pollinate all the flowers along with Cookie and the other, normal bees." Beist explained as he nodded toward a bee house in the corner of the garden where regular sized bees could be seen going in and out. Beist started walking in the direction of Ned as he navigated the winding paths.

"Of course, I should have known." Beist chuckled, agreeing with Astrid and Cypress. He knew she had a large appetite from the last time they'd had a meal together. She ate as much as he did despite being several times her size, even while transformed by his tonic into a human.

He noticed Cypress eyeing the mini watermelons on the opposite side of the trellis arch and grabbed one that was ripe and ready to pick.

"Oh, most of what I grow in the garden and greenhouse are for alchemy, but some of it I do just grow to eat. Most of what we eat, I can just grow using magic, but I just like the taste of something grown naturally better sometimes. I don't think even this whole garden would be enough to feed me and all of my companions for very long."

He held the melon between his hands and pressed it together slowly until he heard a slight crack. He opened his hands to reveal a split in the melon's rind that he gingerly pulled apart more until the melon had been fully split in half, and handed them to Astrid and Cypress. With a slight wave of his hand, the juices that had gotten onto him vanished, leaving his hands clean and dry.

"You might be surprised though. Quite a few more mundane fruits and vegetables are actually quite useful in alchemy. I even put just a little watermelon juice into my healing potions to help them not taste so bitter from all the herbs. And I know Astrid has used starberries in a potion before."

Beist was happy to go on and on about alchemy and his garden, but he wanted to hear about his granddaughters.

"So, tell me, how did you two meet?" Beist asked, looking back and forth between Astrid and Cypress.