They walked in comfortable silence to clothing store nearby. Warm air hit their faces, a welcome contrast to the biting cold outside. The room was small, but not cramped, with caps and scarves outlining the walls and with dresses in the center in hangers.
The inside was an old, antique vibe. The dark mahogany's woody aroma immediately entered their noses.
"Welcome!" The store clerk greeted.
Lloyd nodded faintly and went off to the dress section.
"Pick out something reasonable" Lloyd let go of of Silvia's hand.
Her green eyes lit up and she immediately scoured through her available options. The prices were steep, but anything was expensive for Lloyd unfortunately.
But what was the point of making money if not for your loved ones? He watched her with a slight smile while resting his chin on one hand.
Eventually, Silvia picked out something.
"Lloyd! Help me put this on" She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the dressing room.
"Eh?"
Two people entering the dressing room at the same time. Isn't that kind of weird?
The room was small enough for them to get easily noticed. He didn't want anyone to think that they were…messing around in a tiny dressing room. The fox in front of him didn't seem to care however and dragged him off.
Lloyd could've stopped her, but he didn't.
I'm so weak for her.
Luckily, the store clerk was occupied with other customers, so their little rendezvous wasn't noticed.
…
It shouldn't be a big deal. It really shouldn't. This wasn't the first time Silvia undressed in front of him. She wasn't even naked.
But god, his face couldn't stop burning. So, like the gentleman he was trying to be, Lloyd turned around. He could hear the sounds of her zipper going down, the rustles of fabric, and everything falling down.
After less than a minute, she told him to turn around.
"Pull my zipper up." She spoke casually, ignoring the redness of Lloyd's ears.
This is normal. I'm normal. She's my partner.
Lloyd moved her silky, pink hair to the side and pulled up the zipper carefully.
When she turned around, he finally got a clear look of the dress. It was an off-shoulder, pitch black maxi-dress that was surely too expensive for it's own good.
It wasn't practical, didn't fit the weather, could probably be worn only a few times, but holy shit.
She looked gorgeous in every way possible. The dress outlined and accentuated her curves perfectly. The black was a sparkling contrast on her pale shoulders. Her pale, bare shoulders.
"You look stunning." The words came out subconsciously.
"I know right? I wanted it as soon as I saw it!" She twirled, giving him a full show.
Just like that, half of his earnings vanished.
Worth it.
He had also brought a soft, cozy pink coat for the kid at home.
…
They walked around a bit more, simply basking in each other's presence. The bright sun had gone down, leaving the orange lighting of a setting sun.
They tried out a few samples, brought some food (for Nora as well), and other utilities that Silvia would need. She couldn't be using his mom's ones forever after all.
Lastly, he spent the rest of his money purchasing seeds. Winter would be ending soon, presumably in less than a month. It would make sense for him to stick with same kale, lettuce, spinach combo, but he wanted some variety.
And with his new accelerating ability, he could probably plant crops made for spring during winter.
So with that mindset, he bought rye, potatoes, corn, along with the usual.
He brought a slow-growth crop, garlic, as well to test out different time-lapses.
With everything done, they went back to the village and made a quick stop at Auntie Yang's to pickup Nora.
As they reached Auntie Yang's cottage, a thin line of smoke rose lazily from the chimney. Warm light spilled from the windows, casting a welcoming glow. Lloyd knocked on the door.
"Lloyd! You came," Auntie Yang opened the door and greeted him with a warm smile. "Nora's been waiting for you all day."
Almost on cue, Nora peeked from behind her, eyes lighting up the instant she saw him.
"Brother!" she squealed, running out and jumping straight into his arms.
Lloyd caught her with ease and lifted her up high. "Hey, short stuff. Did you behave while I was gone?"
Nora nodded furiously, snuggling against his chest. "Uh-huh!"
While Lloyd hugged his sister, Auntie Yang's gaze shifted, finally noticing the woman standing behind him.
"Oh? And who might this gorgeous young lady be?"
Silvia stepped forward with a bright, confident smile. Her emerald eyes glimmered as she looked Auntie Yang straight in the eye.
"I'm Silvia," she said, her voice light yet firm. "Lloyd's girlfriend."
"That she is." Lloyd agreed, pride spilling out from his otherwise cool tone.
Silvia held back a laugh from seeing Lloyd acting so proud. She talked with Auntie Yang briefly, laughing and smiling about matters Lloyd wasn't concerned about.
Eventually, they went home. It was clear that Nora had missed them both dearly, despite her cheeks puffing out with defiance. She had the stubbornness of his mother and it was getting more pronounced as she grew older.
When Lloyd was getting ready for bed, Nora was already snuggling up in Silvia's arms. They were both fast asleep on his bed. Lloyd joined them and instantly fell asleep as well. Today was exhausting for all of them it seemed.
…
The morning came quickly, Lloyd was practically willing the sunlight to come out sooner. It was bright and early, the sun had literally just came out by the time Lloyd woke up. He ran out to the fields and immediately planted his new crops.
The soil was too cold for potatoes and corn so he just planted winter rye, a few garlic bulbs, and his usual. After that, he ran to the greenhouse which was empty because of how early in the morning it was. He planted the potatoes and corn alongside the spinach seeds he was regrowing. Then, he activated his new ability. He hovered a hand over the dirt where he had planted a potato tuber.
He felt warmth flowing from his core into his arm and then into the soil automatically. A blue ray of light shined over the dirt and steadily streamed into it. After a minute, the light dissipated and a tiny sapling sprouted.
The spell had worked. He repeated the process, one tuber and seed after another, until his mana was completely drained. The emptiness in his core was draining. The mana particles in the air drifted toward him, phasing into his body to help him recover, but the process was agonizingly slow. Even after ten minutes, the 250 mana points–that was only good for 25 seeds–hadn't restored a single drop.
…
For the next two weeks, Lloyd poured every drop of mana he had into the fields. Morning to evening, he crouched over the soil, channeling the energy from his core into the seeds.
He noticed incredible results. The kale and spinach had fully bloomed already, the cabbage was almost there, the potatoes were half-way, and the garlic and winter rye were showing signs of promise. He suspected that these two wouldn't show much change because of the much longer growth cycles.
From 60 days to 2 weeks, holy shit.
Lloyd couldn't wait for spring to arrive. There, he could finally plant so many more crops!