Shadow stumbled across Nillyna's bag as she departed, picking it up by the strap and pulling out the ancient book.
 
 
“They always bring it with them,” she said to herself as she reclaimed her book. She would plant this book around in random places, waiting for some unsuspecting victims who sought eternal youth to come and purchase it, track its whereabouts after it was purchased, then lead the buyer here. “It’s amazing that I have never had to write this book more than once.”
 
 
She slipped it back into Nillyna's bag and slung it over her shoulder, claiming it for herself. Her attention was then drawn to the glowing cane that was sitting on the ground at her feet, the light it gave off marking it as a talisman. It was a powerful talisman at that and one that would be sought by most.
 
 
But Shadow just gave it a look of disgust.
 
 
“Useless,” she said, hooking her foot on the cane and kicking it away.
 
 
No, after tonight she would have no need of talismans. While normally Shadow would set out to replant her book somewhere for someone to find tonight would be the last night she'd lead someone to Lily. Tonight, she was ready to achieve what she had always dreamed of.
 
 
Extending her hand to the ground, Shadow's palm glowed red, sending a magical pulsate through the ground that fed information back to her. “Yes, it's ready.”
 
 
During all the times Shadow had visited this clearing to accept payment from Lily, she had been secretly weaving a spell into the soil that surrounded the plant-girl, and after all this time, the spell was finally complete. Shadow smiled as she pinched her fingers together and snapped them, a tiny spark flying from her hand and drifted through the air. After a while it slowly floated to the ground.
 
 
Lily had been lost in Nillyna's struggling when suddenly a blinding flash of light erupted throughout her clearing, followed by intense heat. When she opened her eyes again, all she could do was gasp in shock and sadness as her precious meadow started burning around her suddenly, fire spreading from one end to the next, forming a ring of red and yellow flames around her. But the sadness quickly turned to concern as the flames began closing in on her.
 
 
But Lily did not panic.
 
 
Having lived her life in this forest, she was no stranger to forest fires. It was something that just happens sometimes, and although the forest may take some time to recover, the damage would eventually heal. But she herself would have to recede back into her plant half where she would be safe, for whereas her vines, pod, and even her plant mouth could regrow as long as her roots aren't damaged, her human half was just as frail as any normal humans was and would not grow back if destroyed.
 
 
After taking one last sad look at all the grass and trees she had grown alongside for many years Lily began to retract her human body into herself.
 
 
But that was when real panic 'took root' within her, for she suddenly found she could not recede into the safety of her plant body. Looking down, Lily found a twinkling red aura surrounding her middle, and, despite the fact that it looked incorporeal, it was somehow stopping her from slipping to where she needed to go in order to protect herself from the flames. The heat began to rise and when Lily looked up she saw that the fire was spreading closer to her.
 
 
Terrified, Lily began to press and swipe at whatever it was that was keeping her outside with the flames, desperately trying to break its hold on her.
 
 
“That won't do any good.” Lily looked up to see Shadow step out of the wall of fire, a translucent red bubble surrounding her, protecting her from the flames. “The only thing that can interfere with magic is magic, you know that.”
 
 
Lily looked to Shadow's force field, the flames spreading through her clearing, and the sparkling light that was keeping her from slipping into her plant half. It was not hard to put two and two together. “You...? You did this?”
 
 
Shadow didn't respond, but by her cruel look of amusement it was more than obvious that she was responsible. Lily wasn't particularly close to this woman, heck, almost everything that walks this planet was nothing more than food to her, and yet she could not fathom why she would do this. They had held up their agreement for years and Lily had not done anything 'overly' threatening to Shadow. Why was she doing this to her?
 
 
Yet, even though she didn't understand why Shadow had set fire to her meadow, there was something else she didn't understand even more. “How is this possible? Magic can't be used at night unless you have a talisman and you don't have a talisman!”
 
 
It was true, no luminescent piece of jewelry was present on any part of Shadow's body.
 
 
“Oh Lily, you are living proof to the contrary,” Shadow said smugly. “After we made our pact all those years ago I discovered that your fruit not only grants eternal youth, but it also increases magical prowess and allows magic users to cast spells even in the darkest of nights without the aid of talismans.”
 
 
It was true.
 
 
After her first encounter with Lily Shadow had decided to experiment on her fruit to see if it had other properties other than granting eternal youth. What she had discovered was most interesting, not to mention the certain steps required to give the fruit the properties that grant increased magic.
 
 
Lily gasped in terror, if that was true, she was at a disadvantage against Shadow now. Lily had no defense against magic, and the only thing that saved her from all the magic user's that had been lured to her was the fact that Shadow had timed things precisely so that it would be night when they arrived. But now it seems that advantage no longer applies in Shadow's case.
 
 
Especially considering she had just received a fresh piece of fruit from Lily not moment's ago.
 
 
“Unfortunately, at the moment, it doesn't help much more than a talisman does, but if I can make it more potent I will be able to use magic at night indefinitely," continued Shadow. "And that will require much more fruit than I usually have access to.”
 
 
“You don't have to do this!” Begged Lily, her fear increasing as the flames spread closer to her. “I'll give you whatever you want! Just please...I don't want to die!”
 
 
“Sorry, my dear, but this is about more than just harvesting more fruit,” said Shadow emphatically. "Your death is necessary. Your fruit becomes much more potent when infused with pain, fear, and a touch of death. I discovered this during my experimentations. ”
 
 
Lily didn't get the chance to continue pleading for her life any longer, for at that moment her plant mouth erupted in flames. All she could do now was let out a scream of pain that reverberated through the forest as horrible agony spread throughout her being, the long thick stem leading the fire to her vines along the ground, setting them ablaze as well. It was only a matter of time until it reached her human body.
 
 
Shadow teleported to the tree line on the other side of the clearing, watching as the creature she had known for so long writhed in agony but she felt no remorse for her actions.
 
 
“I am going to miss luring gullible fools like that Lepidopteran to you Lily, but I feel our deal has run its course,” she said from her secluded spot behind a tree that was still far from the path of the flames. “And you will be much more valuable to me dead than-”
 
 
Shadow didn't get to finish talking to herself as something thin and hard impacted her back with enough force to send her through the tree she was leaning around, the huge oak toppling over as its trunk was split in two. Shadow landed back in Lily's clearing with a thud, rolling to a stop on her back, but the flames had yet to reach that spot so she was in no danger of burning alive yet. But that would do her no good, for the moment her mind recovered from the initial shock of being blunted by something her entire middle began throbbing in unbearable agony.
 
 
She tried to sit up but everything from her stomach down was unresponsive. All she could do was support herself on her arms, propping herself up with her elbows, but when she moved she was unable to breath as something forced its way up her throat, and when she leaned to her left she released a torrent of blood onto the grass. It was unmistakable now that she was hurt, really bad.
 
 
She tried to scream but more blood obscured her throat so all she could manage was a garbled moan.
 
 
She tried channeling her magic to restore her damaged body but whatever magic did have was used on all the spells she had recently cast in setting fire to Lily's meadow, and she had cast her own personal talisman aside long ago. She was powerless. Looking around frantically for anything...anything that might help, and a small glimmer of hope presented itself when she saw the fruit she had recently gotten from Lily lying a few feet away. As she had discovered it could provide a sorceress with magic even after dark, and, even though it would not be too potent, it was her only chance.
 
 
But Shadow did not get that chance, for right then something slammed into her chest and forced her down onto her back, the prong of a high heel could be felt against her neck. Looking up all Shadow could do was let out a gargling scream until a silvery cane came down and pressed to her forehead. Her whole being stiffened up, a foreign sensation coursing through her body like cold water.
 
 
The diamond’s set into the shaft of the cane flared blue, and then Shadow vanished forever, melting away into motes of dust.
 
 
Nillyna scowled as the human woman turned to dust under her foot, a deep disgust flaring inside her as saliva and digestive juice dripped from her body.
 
 
A few seconds after Lily caught fire some sort of gag reflex must have been triggered, for Nillyna had come spewing out of the huge pod mouth as the long appendage thrashed in pain. Choking and slightly disoriented as she landed on the grass it took her a moment to comprehend what had happened, but the blazing inferno around her was all the proof she needed to realize she had somehow escaped from Lily's innards. But being consumed by fire wasn't much better than being digested so she stood up and fled. It was sheer luck that she stumbled upon her talisman as she escaped from the blaze, but she had no time to ponder on why it was lying so far from where she had initially dropped it, instead she scooped it up and continued her sprint to the clearing’s edge, the flames spreading fast.
 
 
She stumbled into the trees just as Shadow appeared, unaware of her presence and seemed to start talking to herself. Nillyna didn't know this woman and her first thought was to tell her she needed to get out of here before the fire spread to this area, but then Shadow began praising to herself about all she had done. Seeing her own bag over her shoulder Nillyna pieced together what had happened. So this woman lured her here solely to feed her to Lily, in exchange for some of Lily's fruit.
 
 
'Fools like that Lepidopteran, huh?' thought Nillyna angrily to herself, charging a powerful impact enhancing spell into her cane. 'I'll show you who the fool is.'
 
 
So wrapped up in watching the flames the human sorceress never saw Nillyna coming and was now reduced to dust under her foot.
 
 
“You will never hurt anyone ever again, bitch,” whispered Nillyna, bending down and picking up her bag and peering inside at that potion book.
 
 
Who knows how many unfortunate souls were lured here to this death trap with this, and the thought was completely revolting to Nillyna. She contemplated throwing it into the surrounding fire, but dismissed the thought when she saw the lumpy fruit lying on the ground a short distance away. The original reason for Nillyna coming here came flooding back to her.
 
 
Looking between the fruit lying on the ground and the book in her bag Nillyna bent down and picked up the little lump of green.
 
 
“So this is what I came for?” Said Nillyna to herself, quietly placing the fruit in her bag. Though, somehow she felt empty inside, even though she had found what she was looking for.
 
 
She had not expected to go through all this when she set out. Having sex with a malicious plant, getting eaten alive, then finding herself among a burning forest. Not to mention killing someone.
 
 
 It was supposed to be a simple outing to retrieve ingredients.
 
 
“AAAAAAHHHH!!!”
 
 
The scream of pain brought Nillyna's attention to the fire again and between the mighty tongues of intense flames she could see Lily thrashing about as fire began spreading up her plant pod, a red twinkling around her waist preventing her from receding into her plant half. Nillyna turned away with an aggressive huff and began to depart the burning meadow. As far as she was concerned this is what Lily deserved.
 
 
'Serves you right, bitch! All I wanted was some of your fruit, I even enjoy your company, yet you just so heartlessly ate...'
 
 
“AAAAAGGGHHHH!”
 
 
Nillyna's thoughts were interrupted by another scream of pain and this time she couldn't just huff at it as if she didn't care.
 
 
No, this time when Lily cried out a great wrenching sensation rippled throughout Nillyna's chest, stopping her dead as she involuntarily put a hand to her heart. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth as image upon image of Lily forced themselves through her mind. She remembered the gentle softness of her lips as they kissed, remembered her soft skin as she ran her hands throughout her body…
 
 
...She remembered how cute she looked with her hair covering half her face.
 
 
'What am I doing?' Nillyna thought bitterly to herself, trying to snuff out this horrible feeling in her heart. 'That... ‘thing’... ate me alive.”
 
 
Of course she was angry at Lily for eating her, and seeing her engulfed in flames as soon as she was free from her stomach brought her a sense of justification. But why was her heart calling out to her like this now? Shouldn't her heart feel as gratified as the rest of her, now that Lily was getting her comeuppance? Why was she suddenly in such emotional turmoil now that Lily was suffering?
 
 
Her heart couldn't possibly be telling her to do something to help the plant-girl, could it?
 
 
“No chance in hell,” Nillyna said out loud, as if to verbally argue with her own heart. “She ate me, I was just food to her. Why would I...?”
 
 
“HELP ME...! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE!”
 
 
An audible thud followed this brief plea for help.
 
 
Nillyna's eyes sprang open and immediately filled with tears as she gasped. The desperation and fear in Lily's voice was unmistakable and in that moment whatever bitterness Nillyna felt at being eaten completely vanished, to be replaced by something else. An impulse she could not ignore, fueled by the wrenching sensation in her heart.
 
 
Anger and hatred replaced with concern and compassion, Nillyna turned around and sprinted for the writhing form within the flames, tears of intense worry streaming behind her. She was no fool though, so with a simple enchantment a barrier appeared around her, completely shielding her from the flames as she plunged into the wall of searing heat without hesitation. She didn't really know what was driving her but she knew she just couldn't sit idly by while Lily was in danger, despite what the plant-girl had done to her.
 
 
“Lily!” she called as she reached her, bending down over the still plant-girl as she lay prone on the ground.
 
 
She had fallen over while Nillyna hurried to her side, unresponsive, her eyes closed.
 
 
Thinking fast, Nillyna threw herself against Lily's human body, grabbing her from behind and spreading her force field so it would protect her too. Suddenly, the flames increased in intensity, erupting in a tidal wave of fire around the two, Nillyna cringing as the increase in heat began to strain her shield severely. She had to do something or it would mean the death of both her and Lily now.
 
 
She first thought of trying to douse the fire with a spell, but not only was she not powerful enough to put out such intense flames she also noticed something that made the situation several times more dire.
 
 
“That mediocre spell caster...what did she do?” whispered Nillyna as she noticed how unnatural the flames looked, analyzing them with a spell.
 
 
She detected that it had been enhanced by some form of magic, but it was so crude that the fire was even more out of control than any natural fire could be. Not only was it burning everything that it could fuel itself with it was destroying every life giving element in the area, and without any restrictions it would spread throughout this whole forest before the magic sustaining it subsided, and all that would be left would be a barren area where nothing could grow ever again.
 
 
If it were day time Nillyna probably could have done something, but with only what magic she had in her cane available she was powerless to stop the flames. She looked down at Lily below her (she seemed to be unconscious) then to her cane again. She couldn't save the forest, there was no denying that, but maybe, just maybe, she could save Lily.
 
 
Though why Nillyna was so compelled to save this ravenous people eating plant was still a complete mystery to her, nor could she figure out why she was so ashamed of herself for being unable to save her meadow.
 
 
“I'm sorry,” Nillyna found herself saying as she pressed herself as tightly to Lily as she could. “I'm so sorry...”
 
 
Nillyna and Lily both glowed blue for a second before vanishing in the blink of an eye, the ground where Lily had been rooted receding in on itself before the fires closed in.
 
 
Nillyna let out a breath, having been unsure if she could teleport something as large as Lily as far as she needed too, but when she looked up she sighed in relief.
 
 
Her expansive mansion lay silhouetted against the starry night, dominant, yet grand as always. She had made it back home. Looking down, Nillyna saw the prone form of Lily beneath her, safe and sound, though still unconscious.
 
 
 But soon Nillyna began to notice several things about the plant girl that both baffled her and filled her with worry again. What worried her were the several burns that marked her petite flesh, especially around her navel, her left wrist, and part of her face. Most of the vines she had restrained Nillyna with during their brief first encounter now hung as limp, charred stubs that only extended about two or three feet each from where they attached to Lily's body, only five being the exceptions that had luckily managed to escape contact with the fire.
 
 
But what stunned Nillyna was that she now had a complete view of what Lily looked like, having been completely uprooted when she had been teleported.
 
 
Lily's roots were long, thin, green appendages about as thick as a finger but extended out several feet, even yards, in all directions. There were hundreds, even thousands of them, all originating from a single huge white and purple tap root that was just as thick as the stem of the huge plant mouth of Lily's, which was attached to the opposite side as the plant girl's tap root, which, in turn, attached to the green pod Lily's human torso protruded from. And speaking of the mouth, when Nillyna looked down farther she saw that, judging by distance, the thing had to be at least a couple yards long, lying prone and limp, covered in burns.
 
 
All in all, if Nillyna didn't know better, she would say Nillyna somehow resembled a colossal serpent, sprawled out like this.
 
 
But eventually these emotions subsided and Nillyna brought her attention to Lily's soft face as she lay beneath her. And, surprisingly, a calm smile of relief came over her as she gently tilted Lily onto her side and held her from behind. Again, despite all that had happened, despite all she had been through, despite the fact that Lily had in fact eaten her, all she felt was intense relief and self gratification at the fact that Lily was alright.
 
 
Just thinking about the gorgeous plant-girl sent her heart fluttering.
 
 
'What do I do now?”
 
 
The thought rang through her mind out of nowhere and it made Nillyna fully grasp what really just happened.
 
 
What was she going to do with Lily now that she had brought her here to her home? She could not send her back to her forest, for even if the flames die down eventually nothing could live in that area ever again. Lily's home was gone, she could never go back. Nillyna thought about it and surmised that if she really was bent on helping Lily, for whatever reason, she should just find her a new home.
 
 
But that would take time and research, and what would she do with Lily in the meantime?
 
 
'I may not hate her for it for some reason but she did eat me,' thought Nillyna, having no choice but to come to terms with the fact that she didn't resent Lily for consuming her. 'What will she do when she wakes up and finds herself here...with me, a person she had eaten once before?'
 
 
 Another issue was what would Lily do if she awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar location?
 
 
As intelligent as Lily is, she was still a plant and had most likely spent all her life in that clearing, so how would she react when she found herself here? Even people not rooted to the ground would be more than inclined to lash out if they found themselves in an unfamiliar location, and even badly burned, Nillyna suspected Lily would be a force to be reckoned with. But Nillyna had to find Lily a new home if she was to survive.
 
 
But then the burns brought another thought to mind.
 
 
“I can't relocate her like this,” said Nillyna out loud to herself, looking at all the burns Lily had along her body. “She is going to be in so much pain when she wakes up.”
 
 
A plan began forming in her mind.
 
 
Though the burns were probably superficial without her vines she would be hard pressed to catch food of any kind in her new environment, and would most likely starve, even though Nillyna had no idea how long Lily could go without food, but she wasn't going to chance it. As said before, Nillyna was very skilled in all types of magic. She even knew just the spell that could heal burns, as well as help accelerate the vines' regrowth
.
She could basically heal Lily with her magic.
 
 
But that would take time, days even, and odds are Lily would wake up between now and then, and if Nillyna's suspicions proved to be true, she would not react well.
 
 
“I don't have a choice, I have to restrain her,” said Nillyna with regret, she was against restraining Lily or abusing her in any form, regardless of what she had done. Besides, at the very least, Nillyna should restrain Lily just so she would not be able to eat her again?
 
 
 And Nillyna knew just the place to keep Lily while she restored her. With another teleport Nillyna and Lily appeared in the supply cellar underneath her home. To say it was expansive was an understatement. This place was at least two stories tall and at least two hundred feet in all directions.
 
 
According to those who sold Nillyna this place, this cellar was designed to hold enough food to last several years in the event it became impossible to travel to the surface below for supplies for one reason or another. Though Nillyna hadn't put much in terms of supplies down here at all it was more than big enough to house Lily, even though her long plant mouth had to at least fold in on itself once to fit.
 
 
 And after Nillyna got through she wouldn't be going anywhere.
 
 
Standing up Nillyna pointed her cane at Lily and long cords of solid blue light slithered out. First they wrapped around the huge plant mouth tightly, sealing it shut so it could not open (to try and eat her again) though Nillyna hoped it would not be too uncomfortable. The mouth appeared more burnt than any other part of Lily. The rest of the cords interwoven themselves around the rest of Lily's body, then slithering down and phasing incorporeally through the stone floor so as to bind the plant-girl in place, but left her human half untouched so as to not completely immobilize her.
 
 
Once again Nillyna was baffled at the length she had gone to on Lily's behalf so far and all that she still intended to do more for her. Why was she pushing herself like this for a creature that had eaten her?
 
 
But her resolve was unshakable, leaving no room for second thoughts, plus the sensation in her chest that had appeared when she had saved Lily from the fire had not lessened at all, in fact, it had grown stronger. She could do nothing further tonight. Her talisman was barely glowing, signifying it was almost depleted.
 
 
But she did do one thing before she decided to go back up to her home and sleep and recuperate after such a horrendous day. She gave Lily a gentle kiss on the lips, an action she knew was the right thing to do for some reason.
 
 
The next morning came as any other, with the blue sun peaking over the horizon, a green blanket beginning to drape over the stars, not to be seen until the next night.
 
 
 Nillyna felt her magical fortitude return as soon as she felt the sun's rays shining through her bedroom windows and embraced her slumbering form, then, with a yawn, she extracted herself from the comfort of her bed. Now that she was well rested and the drama of the night before had worn off Nillyna now knew what had driven her to save Lily last night. In her sleep Nillyna relived the memory of hers and Lily's bodies intertwined in passion over and over again. The sensations…the pure bliss of what transpired between them before Lily had swallowed her whole continued to echo through her mind.
 
 
 Against everything that happened Lily had left an impression on her heart while they were engaged in intercourse, despite the unpleasant business that followed. All Nillyna had to do was remember the passionate emotions she felt when Lily made her cum for even the fact that Lily had initially devoured her in the end to matter very little, try as she might to use that to try and argue with herself about how she felt. It would seem she saw something in Lily that she could only see through her heart.
 
 
And her heart told her something else as well.
 
 
The night before, after everything had accumulated inside her, Nillyna felt a new desire. She wanted Lily in her life. Again, despite all that had happened, she felt drawn to Lily in a way that made her desire the plant-girl in every way.
 
 
She no longer wanted to release Lily back into the wild after she recovered. No, her mind was constantly plagued by daydreams of her and Lily spending their days together, a couple bonded by love. But that only made Nillyna's predicament all the more complicated.
 
 
“Could I even be with her?” Nillyna asked herself as she walked across her grand balcony that overlooked her estate, her thoughts turning in her mind as she took in the view of her lush property.
 
 
How did one become romantically involved with someone, something, like Lily? There was no denying that was what Nillyna desired, the very thought alone sent a pleasant sensation rippling through her heart. But all the fantasies in the world wouldn't change the real facts of reality.
 
 
And the kind of 'thing' Lily is.
 
 
To say she was a unique individual was an understatement. Not only did she not seem like the dating type, her view towards others was anything but inviting, for she had not even hesitated to consume Nillyna the moment after they had finished their intercourse. That was another fact, Nillyna might have feelings towards the ravenous plant girl now but how could she expect Lily to ever return them? How could Nillyna approach such a being with a desire for companionship when she had already made it clear what she thought of her.
 
 
It was obvious Lily saw Nillyna as nothing but food.
 
 
'I should just let her go,' though Nillyna bitterly, seeing how it was plainly obvious that there was no way this was going to work, but the thought of never seeing Lily again sent a wave of agony through her heart.
 
 
Nillyna was torn.
 
 
Her head was telling her to release Lily somewhere back into the wild, but her heart was telling her otherwise. No, it ‘demanded’ that she at least try to come up with a way to be with Lily.
 
 
As she contemplated how to at least start her sights fell on the lush forest that dominated the southeast section of her floating estate.
 
 
'Could I...at least try to convince her to just stay up here with me?' contemplated Nillyna, remembering the forest Lily had lived in, wincing slightly as she knew it was most likely just a field of ashes by now. 'I would be more than happy to take complete care of her if she can be persuaded to stay.'
 
 
She had a lot of space up here, and while the treey area of her property wasn't as expansive as Lily's forest had been, Nillyna felt that Lily would at least be comfortable there. But there was another not so minor problem, the fact that Lily was a man eating creature. Even if Nillyna somehow did convince the plant-girl to stay with her, what would stop her from eating her, 'again’, sometime in the future?
 
 
'It wouldn't be smart if she did,' thought Nillyna, slightly amused by a side thought. 'If she stays up here with me I would have to provide her with food, so if she eats me...'
 
 
Wait, that was it.
 
 
Lily made her way to Nillyna's heart through her lust, maybe she could find a way to Lily's heart through her stomach. The plant-girl made a pact with that dark witch for food once before, as far as she could tell from the tidbits Nillyna had overhead, however unpleasant it turned out in the end, maybe Nillyna could make a similar deal with her. But instead of bargaining for fruit all she would want from Lily was her company.
 
 
'The fruit...'
 
 
Nillyna had not thought about it since she rescued Lily from the fire. She even had the small sample that that woman had had. For a brief moment Nillyna felt her original intense desire for eternal youth flare up…
 
 
… but within a second it was gone.
 
 
Nillyna did not know how, but her original goal felt so redundant now. It had been washed away under the wave of passion she felt when Lily made her cum.
 
 
Nillyna's desire to remain young forever was no longer her focal point...Lily was. Everything about the plant-girl had somehow completely undermined her own selfish vendetta and now the only thing she wanted was Lily. It was bizarre. To feel such determination for another's well being so strongly it even made you feel as if your own needs were secondary concerns.
 
 
The fact that she would grow old eventually didn't even bother her anymore.
 
 
The thought of growing old with Lily almost sounded appealing actually.
 
 
Plus, even if she did still want eternal youth, it would mean she would have to ingest a piece of Lily and the thought was overwhelmingly revolting to her now. How could she eat a part of someone who meant so much to her now? She couldn't, that's how.
 
 
But, for now, Nillyna had other, more pressing things to focus on other than how revolting the thought of eating part of Lily was. She had to at least make the offer to Lily to stay with her but she needed a way to ensure that the plant-girl didn't try to eat her again as soon as she could get the drop on her at some point in the future. It was very possible that the plant-girl would just pretend to agree to stay only to wait for an opportunity to eat Nillyna again. It had to be some sort of agreement that Lily could not break even if she wanted to.
 
 
'I could use 'that' spell,' Nillyna thought to herself. There was something she could use and it was not only a surefire way to assure Lily never turned on her but also to assure Lily that Nillyna could never turn on her either, like the last sorceress she bargained with. It seemed like it was the best course of action so Nillyna decided to try it. 'But all this can wait, because Lily is still hurt. I need to see to her injuries before I can even hope to try anything with her.'
 
 
But before Nillyna did anything else she sought out her pipe, for it was guaranteed she was going to need the relaxing effects of the trusted herbal blend today. Later that morning Nillyna teleported off her balcony and into her cellar, leaving her spent pipe on a nearby marble table.
 
 
As expected, when Nillyna appeared in her cellar she found that Lily had not moved from where she had placed her, lying prone on the stone floor on her side, but at least her expression was peaceful. But Nillyna's expression became anything but peaceful once she noticed the stream of gleaming red liquid flowing across the floor, reflected in the light of the fancy crystal chandeliers that illuminate the cellar. Following the stream towards the source Nillyna saw a steady dripping of red coming from one of Lily's roots.
 
 
Lifting the limp appendage, Nillyna noticed that the thick fluid flowed from a small hole in the surface, about as wide as her finger tip. Confusion began to mesh with Nillyna's concern as she examined the small wound; how could something so small bleed so profoundly?
 
 
And how did it even happen? Burn wounds don't bleed, plus, the fire should not have been able to get to her root through the ground.
 
 
Cupping two of her hands around the wound, Nillyn channeled the spell she was intending to use to treat Lily's burns, fueled by her talisman that she held in a third hand, since sunlight could not reach her here. To her dismay, the wound showed no signs of closing, it just continued to seep blood, which now dripped onto Nillyna's hand. Nillyna's worry increased when Lily actually moaned in pain from Nillyna's hand making contact with her injury, but still did not wake. Normally, that would be a concern regarding the spell, but Nillyna had used it a thousand times, especially regarding using it on plants.
 
 
When you first learn this spell in magic school you actually practice it on plants.
 
 
“The spell is only meant to reconstitute damaged tissue,” Nillyna said to herself. “But it cannot restore tissue that has been severed if the piece of tissue can be reattached.”
 
 
And that is when it all fell into place.
 
 
Nillyna noticed more of the grape sized fruits clinging to the root further down, several others could be seen along the length of other roots. If Nillyna had surmised correctly the fruit she had found on that sorceress out in the meadow must have come from here. Was this really what happened when Lily had her fruit plucked from her body?
 
 
Without a second thought Nillyna summoned the coveted fruit from where it lay inside her bag in her house and placed it to the wound, the little round object reattaching to its place on the root as soon as it made contact.
 
 
Just like that, she gave a valuable fruit that can grant eternal life back to its rightful owner.
 
 
“If this is truly what it's like to harvest your fruit Lily I will definitely not be requesting any from you, ever,” said Nillyna sadly, wiping away a tear of pity as she looked to the stream of blood still glimmering on her floor.
 
 
Kneeling before Lily's face, Nillyna put two of her hands on either cheek, her blue magic bridging between them. The burns on her face healed with little effort, as did the ones on her body as Nillyna moved to each one. Her plant mouth appeared to have taken the most damage during the fire, for both its jaws and at least ten feet of the stem were so burnt they felt crispy to the touch.
 
 
But it was still within Nillyna's abilities to heal, and, even though it took a whole lot of magic, soon the foreboding mouth she herself had slid down was fully restored to the vibrant green it had been when she first saw it looming before her. Despite the indomitable, unexplainable affection Nillyna had in her heart for Lily, she was now sure restricting the mouth with magic was the best idea, for her own sake.
 
 
After all, it was the most dangerous and threatening part of Lily.
 
 
It was well past nightfall when Nillyna had healed all the burns she could, and, of course, without the sun she could only continue with the aid of her talisman. She had gone outside to recharge it multiple times during the day, and now that the sun had set she could only use it one more time. The last thing she managed was to remove the spell around Lily's waist that Nillyna assumed the other sorceress had cast to keep Lily from receding into her plant half so she would be trapped outside and would burn to death in the evil fires. The effort had drained Nillyna of the last of her magic, so now she would have to wait until tomorrow before she could regrow Lily's vines for her.
 
 
But, unable to help herself, Nillyna bent down and placed her long tongue to the flower growing from Lily's head (miraculously undamaged by the fire) and sampled some of her nectar before she retired to her bedchamber.
 
 
The next few days were a little more challenging.
 
 
Using her magic to stimulate regrowth on Lily's extensive vines was several times more taxing than healing burns, to the point that it took half a day to fully restore just two. Not to mention she was playing it safe by restraining each vine as she finished repairing them (especially after some of the longer vines grew long, pointy thorns as they grew back) so Lily could not attack once she awoke. But other than when she cringed when Nillyna touched her wounds where one of her fruits had been removed, and the occasional twitch, Lily showed no sign of coming out of her comatose state anytime soon and that concerned Nillyna.
 
 
 What if she hadn't gotten her out of the flames in time and Lily was permanently damaged? That thought was unbearable.
 
 
But one day Nillyna noticed that, despite her efforts to restore Lily's wounds, her leaves were starting to wilt, and that was when it occurred to her that, despite her animation and intelligence, Lily was still a plant and might not be taking being uprooted so well.
 
 
Feeling slightly foolish for overlooking it for so long, Nillyna immediately went to work on a solution. The obvious one would be to plant Lily somewhere on her property. But, as much as she wished otherwise, Nillyna knew there was a good chance Lily would not want to stay here with her when she finally woke up, and if that turned out to be the case she would have to be uprooted again. So, instead, she put her potion skills to work, and soon enough came up with a simple brew that will stimulate the moisture and nutrients usually absorbed from the soil through plant roots.
 
 
And it didn't take long to produce results.
 
 
Nillyna would pour potion on Lily (in a watering can, actually) after the sun went down and she had depleted her talisman repairing as many vines as she could. On the second day of applying it Nillyna heard a soft moan come from Lily and watched as she slowly lifted herself up off the stone floor. Nillyna almost dropped the watering can in shock and relief, immediately overcome with the urge to hug the humanoid plant, but held herself back by remembering she didn't know how this would turn out. She needed to see Lily's reaction before she did anything.
 
 
The first thing Lily seemed to notice when she came to was the unfamiliar enclosed surroundings illuminated by strange sparkling things hanging up on the ceiling, then memories of her meadow burning resurface and panic overtook her mind. She instinctively sprung up to recede into her plant half, but upon changing positions to where her humanoid body was upright she began to comprehend her current situation all the more clearly. Not that it was much better than a burning meadow.
 
 
After all, she had lived her whole life in the open, so suddenly finding herself in an enclosed space was anything but comforting.
 
 
The first thing she noticed was her vines were restrained to the strange stone ground by some kind of glowing cords. Lily was no stranger to magic, she also knew she was pretty powerless against it so struggling would do her no good. She tried to move her plant half but felt something restraining it to the ground as well, also finding the large jaws of her other mouth sealed tight when she tried to open them. But this movement brought her attention to something she had not noticed, ever, and when she turned and looked down her body her single eye visible through her hair widened in shock and overwhelming fear.
 
 
For the first time in her life, Lily saw her own roots.
 
 
She was completely uprooted out of the ground.
 
 
“NO!” she screamed, thrashing and throwing her entire weight at her restraints. “I...I'LL DIE!”
 
 
“LILY, CALM DOWN!” Shouted a concerned voice.
 
 
Turning her attention to the source, Nillyna and Lily met face to face again. Lily gasped in surprise, she could not believe what she was seeing. The last time she saw this girl she was sliding down her own throat, yet she stood here before her. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Lily reacted violently, as Nillyna thought she would, lunging forward with her arms outstretched, but Nillyna backed away in time for Lily to be left only to swipe at air when the magic cords went taut.
 
 
“YOU?!” shouted Lily as she thrashed about. “HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?”
 
 
Seeing Lily like this sparked a complete primordial fear in Nillyna's heart, now more certain than ever that restraining her was the best idea. But she still felt her obligations toward Lily, even with her lashing out like this. Her heart would not be denied what it desired, and what it desired was Lily.
 
 
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Nillyna stood as tall as she could and that made her a good few heads taller than Lily, due to her bindings preventing her from rising to her full height, “I saved your life.”
 
 
“What?” hissed Lily angrily, not having heard what had been said because of the gentle tone. "Speak louder!"
 
 
“I saved your life,” repeated Nillyna, trying to increase the volume of her voice past her extreme anticipation.
 
 
“Saved me?” asked Lily mockingly, gesturing to her restrained vines.
 
 
“What else could I do to prevent you from eating me, again?” asked Nillyna sarcastically, but her heart was pounding with nervousness now that Lily was awake.
 
 
Lily hissed threateningly, squirming in her magical bindings like a trapped animal. She didn't know where she was or how she got here, but she did know that if she was restrained like this, it was unlikely her captor was going to let her go. This had, of course, been the first time she had ever been in a situation like this, so she was at a loss at what to do, so she tried to think of something that would grant her release, but she was coming up with nothing.
 
 
And amongst her struggling the memory of the fire began to return to her again.
 
 
“My meadow was burning,” she stated fearfully, looking herself over, but was surprised to see no burns upon her body. She remembered the searing heat as the fires licked at her flesh, it should have left something. “Shadow set it on fire!”
 
 
'Shadow? Was that the name of that sorceress who set the place on fire?' Thought Nillyna, remembering the dark woman evaporating underneath her foot with grim satisfaction.
 
 
“You don't have to worry about her anymore,” said Nillyna, Lily looking at her as the petite moth girl dared to move closer to her human body, gesturing across her neck with a finger. “I've made sure she can't harm you anymore.”
 
 
It didn't take long for Lily to deduce what she meant. So Shadow was dead?
 
 
 But she still didn't understand. “Why have you brought me here? What is this place?”
 
 
Nillyna knew by Lily's tone getting her proposal across wasn't going to be easy, but her heart was still spurring her to try. “This is my home.”
 
 
Lily gave her a look. She knew that most civilized people had a certain lifestyle that differed from hers, and even though she had never given it much thought, she wasn't expecting this.
 
 
“You live in a cave?” she asked, looking around arching an eyebrow.
 
 
Nillyna gave her an incredulous look. “Does this look like a cave to you?”
 
 
Scowling at Nillyna's tone, Lily began to take note of her surroundings. What she had initially thought was a cave had shelves with crates stacked on top of them along the wall, some even forming isle's off in the distance as they became more numerous. It was obviously manufactured.
 
 
“This is the supply cellar of my home,” explained Nillyna, “I figured it was the best place to keep you while I tended to your injuries.”
 
 
Growing more confused, Lily brought her attention to her body and began to examine it more carefully. She remembered the flames crawling up her body, and knew full well the damage she should have sustained, but there wasn't a mark on her. The only thing she noticed were the burnt stumps that used to be her vines, but even that wasn't as bad as it should have been, with several vines she actually remembered being completely incinerated having already grown back.
 
 
She looked at Nillyna with a suspicious scowl.
 
 
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked, her voice a low, aggressive whisper. "Why have you brought me to this place?"
 
 
Nillyna's breathing increased with her nervousness. This was her only opportunity to offer Lily her proposal, and the chances of her accepting were stacking against her, she could feel it. After all, how do you persuade a creature of the wilderness to live with you?
 
 
But Nillyna's heart would not back down, willing her to try.
 
 
"I brought you here for your own protection," Nillyna began hesitantly, figuring that explaining she wasn't there to be held prisoner was the best course of action.
 
 
But she knew from Lily's expression that she had made a bad start.
 
 
"PROTECTION!?" Lily's frantic voice reverberated off the walls of the enclosed space of the cellar. "YOU CALL THIS PROTECTION? YOU'VE TAKEN ME OUT OF MY HOME AND ENTRAPPED ME IN SOME DARK PLACE THAT I CAN'T ESCAPE FROM!"
 
 
Nillyna trembled slightly, Lily's voice was somehow a combination of anger and an enraged animal. Maybe she should have restrained Lily's humanoid parts too, but she hadn't wanted to deprive her of all her mobility, or all semblance of freedom.
 
 
"Your meadow was burning," she tried to explain, "I had to get you out before…"
 
 
"Yeah, yeah, I remember that," snapped Lily. "That bitch Shadow double crossed me! Said she could gain the ability to use magic without the sun if she harvested my fruit off my body after I died a painful death." She arched her eyes at Nillyna and folded her arms. "That explains why you're still alive. I must have regurgitated you while I was burning to death."
 
 
To have what spared her life be explained so casually hurt Nillyna inside, though she had actually expected Lily's reaction to be this way. Still, her frazzled emotions weren't taking Lily's attitude towards her well, and it was twisting her up inside. But Nillyna snapped out of her worries when Lily grew a confused look.
 
 
"But why did you pull me from the flames at all?" Asked the plant-girl. "I ate you, you had every reason to leave me there to die and just get yourself to safety. There was no need for you to bring me here, I was already doomed."
 
 
"I…" Nillyna was tripping over her words for the first time in her life. She had actually not thought about how she was going to explain all this to Lily. "I couldn't just let you die…"
 
 
The look Lily gave Nillyna said she nowhere near believed her.
 
 
“It’s true,” insisted Nillyna, almost growing desperate. “You... looked so helpless and scared. I couldn't just leave you to die so horribly.”
 
 
“If that is true, and I'm not saying I believe you, why didn't you just extinguish the flames then leave me be?” Asked Lily spitefully. “Why drag me here?”
 
 
Nillyna braced herself, trying to word her explanation in her head before she said it out loud, “I... I couldn't save your meadow, Lily. It was nighttime, and you must know how limited magical abilities are at night.”
 
 
Lily did know. She often used it to her advantage when eating magic users. “So your solution was to transport me here and bind me?”
 
 
Nillyna looked at her feet. She felt if she was going to get the proposal she had for Lily out, she needed to get it over with before her resolve failed her.
 
 
"Well, I...I was hoping we could come to some kind of arrangement," Nillyna lifted up her talisman and channeled her focus through it, weaving the spell she was hoping would open a path to Lily's heart.
 
 
In a flash, what could only be described as a transparent scroll with luminous blue letters appeared in Nillyna's hand, and the sight of it made Lily recoil. It was a Soul Contract, the most binding, most unbreakable arrangement that could be made in this world. Once signed, a Soul Contract binds the signature to the terms of the contract and nothing could break it. The signer and signy would be placed under a spell that made it impossible to act in any way that was in violation of the terms.
 
 
Nillyna cringed at Lily's harsh reaction to the Soul Contract, her behavior signifying that she knew what it was. She hadn't wanted to use such an extremely binding deal, but it was the only way she could be absolutely sure Lily would not be able to harm her. As much as she wanted to be with Lily she wasn't about to take risks with her.
 
 
Hesitantly, Nillyna held out the scroll to Lily, who only recoiled further, trying to come up with an explanation for what she desired. "You... you made a deal with Shadow before…"
 
 
That was the wrong thing to say.
 
 
"So that's how it is," Lily hissed threateningly. "You want to make the same deal with me that Shadow and I had, only you want me to sign that contract so I can't double cross you."
 
 
Nillyna gasped at her blunder, how could she not have suspected that Lily might come to that conclusion, that Nillyna wanted the same thing Shadow had? "No, Lily! That's not true, I…"
 
 
"Well, forget it," said Lily angrily, receding particularly into her plant bulb. "The last sorceress I had an arrangement with tried to kill me. I won't make that mistake again.
 
 
"Least of all if a Soul Contract is involved."
 
 
Nillyna actually dared to move closer to Lily, desperate to make her see that what she wanted wasn't what she thought it was. "I don't want what Shadow wanted…"
 
 
"It's always about what she was after," snarled Lily, squirming in her restraints as Nillyna moved closer. "My fruit, which can grant eternal youth."
 
 
"No...no, that isn't what this is about, not anymore," said Nillyna desperately, only a hair's width from Lily's body, trying to show her the contract. "If you…"
 
 
'SMACK'
 
 
The sound of flesh on flesh echoed through the cellar as Lily backhanded Nillyna across the face so hard she sent her sprawling to her stomach a good two feet, the Soul Contract rolling across the floor. Propping herself up on one hand and putting a hand to her stinging cheek Nillyna felt her heart drop like a lead weight, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
 
 
"I will never make any kind of deal with the likes of your kind again," said Lily as Nillyna struggled to her feet. "No matter what you may offer me."
 
 
"Then I won't," said Nillyna, her voice straight.
 
 
Lily became confused again, "What?"
 
 
"If you aren't interested in making any kind of arrangement I'm not going to argue the matter," replied Nillyna, suddenly heading to the exit of the cellar.
 
 
"Where are you going?" Snapped Lily.
 
 
Nillyna paused at the door and gave Lily a sideways glance from behind,"You can't very well stay in my cellar forever. If we can't come to some sort of understanding, then I am going to search for a place where I can send you so you can be replanted."
 
 
Lily looked more confused than ever. "You're just letting me go? Without even forcefully taking some of my fruit?"
 
 
Nillyna cringed at the thought of plucking the bulb's fruit from Lily's roots.
 
 
"Yes," was all she said before she slammed the door of the cellar behind her.
 
 
Nillyna kept an even face until she made it the first bedroom of her expansive house, to which she then collapsed on the silky sheet of the massive four-poster bed and began to sob, clutching the cheek Lily had slapped with one hand and holding a full body pillow to herself with the rest of her hands. It wasn't as if the pain was overly excruciating, it was who had done it that hurt. Her feelings for Lily were growing beyond measure, and despite how briefly they had become acquainted, and what Lily had done to her not even counting that slap, Nillyna felt deep emotional anguish from what the plant-girl had done to her.
 
 
Like she had been slapped by a lover she had been with for several years.
 
 
That, and she was deeply berating herself for getting her hopes up over such a pipe dream such as being in a relationship with Lily. How could she have ever believed such a creature could ever have any feelings of attachment for anything? Lily, despite her grace and beauty, was basically just a wild beast, who most likely has eaten hundreds if not thousands of people just like her.
 
 
Especially considering her previous deal with Shadow.
 
 
The despair and heartache washed over Nillyna like a sudden rainstorm. It was only made worse by the fact that Nillyna could not fully understand why she felt so broken up. She was more than convinced that this would be the outcome of her offer to Lily, and wasn't the least bit surprised when it came to pass.
 
 
Yet...it hurt so much.
 
 
But despite all the anguish she was enduring as Lily’s harsh words of rejection echoed through her mind, Nillyna still felt no animosity towards the plant-girl. Underneath all her hurt and sobbing, the Lepidopteran sorceress still felt deep affection for Lily. And more than that, she still intended to relocate her somewhere where she can take root again.
 
 
If that was all she was able to do for the one she loved, then so be it.
 
 
The following morning, after Nillyna cried herself to sleep, Nillyna entered her cellar with a watering can filled with a fresh batch of the potion she had been using to keep Lily healthy. What she found was that, sometime during the night, Lily had receded into her plant half most likely to sleep, the bulbous section it usually protrudes from clenched shut. Taking a deep breath, Nillyna approached the mass of green, careful not to tread on any of the multiple vines bound to the stone floor, her eyes half lidded with a depressed expression.
 
 
It took only a second to reach the epicenter of the vines, but Nillyna wished it had been longer.
 
 
With a sigh, Nillyna began sprinkling Lily with the watering can, her planty flesh involuntarily absorbing the precious moisture and nutrition. Unfortunately, the sensation obviously aroused Lily from her slumber, her organic aperture flexing and wiggling before opening to reveal a head of green hair that came complete with a small flower growing from the crown. Nillyna paid no mind to this, just continued her task of sprinkling the amber colored liquid on more sections of Lily's body.
 
 
Lily fully emerged from her plant half, stretching her arms out as she yawned. She was loathed to find out that she was still in the same place as before, and still just as restrained, but the trickling sensation that she had initially believed was rain persisted. And when she turned to the source, she found Nillyna sprinkling her from a watering can.
 
 
To say that it less than pleased her would be an understatement.
 
 
“What do you think your doing?” She snapped, struggling to wiggle her plant body out from under the trickling of Nillyna’s watering can, but was prevented from moving because of Nillyna's restraints.
 
 
Nillyna's only response was a sideways glance, then to move on to a different section of Lily's body.
 
 
“Quit sprinkling that stuff on me!” Shouted Lily, but Nillyna ignored her protest like she had said nothing at all.
 
 
“STOP IT!” Lily lunged forward, suddenly stretching forward from her plant body farther than previously revealed, revealing that her humanoid body could extend out of her plant half a good several feet as the long stem-like extension attached to her hips revealed its true length, which was a lot more than just what she used to extend her humanoid body out of her aperture.
 
 
Nillyna was taken by slight surprise by Lily's ability to do something like this, but wasn't inclined to care for long. Without much effort, Nillyna lifted her talisman and more cords composed of her magic shot out towards Lily as she lunged for her. In an instant, they wrapped around her arms and waist.
 
 
At first they did nothing, Lily halting in place to look at her newly bound limbs in shock, trying to verify what they would do.
 
 
“Move,” hissed Nillyna, gesturing with her hand and some extra length from the cords extending towards the ground, stopping just an inch short of hard stone, weaving through the air almost threateningly. “And I take away what little mobility you still have left.”
 
 
Despite her aggression Lily understood. If she made one more move, her humanoid body would be bound to the ground just like her plant body had been. With a scowl, she begrudgingly receded back into her plant pod, but kept her torso exposed so as to keep an eye on Nillyna.
 
 
The Lepidopteran just humphed and went back to sprinkling Lily with the watering can, much to the increasing scowl forming on the plant-girl's face.
 
 
Noticing that the can was almost empty, Nillyna contemplated where the last of the potion would be best used. She only had a little bit of this potion left, and was short on the necessary ingredients, so it would take a while for her to brew, considering she would have to travel to get more ingredients, so it was best to use the last of this batch where it would do the most good. Looking up and down the expansive rooty body, Nillyna deduced that the roots, plant-mouth, and vines were doing well enough. But there was a section of Lily that had yet to receive any of the potion at all.
 
 
And it was going to be an aggravating task at the least.
 
 
Lily's human body, despite not resembling a plant in any way (other than the leaves and flower at the top of her head) had obviously taken a toll from being confined in this enclosed space for so long. Her luscious green skin was dull and no longer gleamed like it had when Nillyna first met her, and even her hair had lost a lot of its luster. To say nothing of the poor flower and leaves growing out of Lily's head, who looked on the verge of wilting.
 
 
The sight was too much for Nillyna to bear. Taking a deep breath, Nillyna tightened the grip on the watering can and approached Lily's humanoid body. As expected, she shied away as soon as the Lepidopteran approached her main body, but could not move anywhere that would be considered even close to out of her reach because of her restraints.
 
 
“What are you doing?!” Lily hissed as Nillyna tower over her, still unable to face her at eye level due to being unable to rise to her full height, and she dare not extend out further from her plant body through fear Nillyna would restrain her the instant she tried.
 
 
Nillyna didn't respond, she just nonchalantly began to drizzle Lily's torso with her watering can.
 
 
“HEY!” Screamed Lily in protest, flailing her arms to try and deflect the amber liquid sprinkling over her body, moving to recede back into her plant pod, where the sprinkling could not reach her.
 
 
Nillyna flicked her wrist, and the new cords attached to Lily's body extended towards the ground again. Lily got the message and stopped resisting, but lay on her side with her arms folded as the liquid continued to shower her, a pouty expression on her face.
 
 
Nillyna could not help but giggle slightly, the childish display was kinda adorable.
 
 
Once the watering can was empty Nillyna set it down and moved to Lily's body where her vines attached. Lily watched her suspiciously, and became concerned when Nillyna took one of the many stumps that had once been vines before the fire burned them off. But before she could protest in any way, Nillyna cradled the stump in three of her hands, the fourth holding her talisman, and bathed it in her magic.
 
 
Lily could only watch as, over an extended period of time, Nillyna restored her vine to its proper length, every last leaf and thorn fully regrown. Nillyna left the cellar for a second after that, and once Lily was alone, she noticed that her body no longer felt withered or wilted anymore, not after being sprinkled with that liquid. She ran her hands up and down her body. It felt as smooth and sleek as usual, not rough and dry as it had started to become.
 
 
What had Nillyna been sprinkling on her?
 
 
Said Lepidopteran came back into the cellar not long after leaving, most likely, she just needed to make contact with the sunlight outside to recharge her magic, moving on to the next burnt stump that was once a vine and began to restore it as well. This series of events became a kind of repeat pattern for the next several hours, and during that time Lily watched Nillyna's every move, still suspicious of her actions. She didn't know how, but she was certain that this little sorceress was up to something, even if she could not figure out what.
 
 
Night eventually fell, and when Nillyna had drained her talisman of all its reserved magic, she surveyed her progress. About half of the vines Lily had lost in the fire had been grown back, so another day and Lily would be ready to be moved somewhere else. Nillyna was less than thrilled at the idea, it almost made her feel sad.
 
 
But truth be told, she hadn't felt much of anything for the last couple of hours.
 
 
“Another day like today and you should be all better,” said Nillyna in a dull, craggy voice due to the lack of use for a whole day, walking towards the exit of her cellar.
 
 
Lily scowled at her, surveying her fast recuperating body in what seemed to be loath. “And I am to believe that once I am fully healed that you will just let me go? That you have no intention of stripping me of all my fruit, a fruit that grants eternal youth that only a fool would pass up? Or that you won't take retribution for me consuming you?
 
 
“That you will just return me to my meadow and that will be that?”
 
 
Nillyna had not even halted her trek to the door during Lily's ranting, having seen no point, but she did pause at the mention of Lily's meadow. Should she tell Lily that she can never go back? It was her home after all, it was only fair.
 
 
Yes, Lily had the right to know.
 
 
“I'm sorry Lily, but I can't return you to your meadow,” she said, giving Lily a sad sideways glance from the door.
 
 
“AHA! I knew it,” snapped Lily, “you do want to hold me prisoner here.”
 
 
Nillyna hadn't been the least bit surprised that Lily had reached that conclusion first, but she did not know how she was going to convince her otherwise. But she was going to try. Taking a deep breath, Nillyna turned around and walked over to stand before Lily, making sure not to come within reach.
 
 
“It's not that I don't want to return you to your meadow, Lily,” explained Nillyna, fighting to keep her voice even. “Your meadow is destroyed.”
 
 
“Likely story,” humphed Lily, crossing her arms suspiciously.
 
 
“I know you would think I'm making it up, but that doesn't make it any less true,” explained Nillyna, “if you remember, Shadow set fire to your meadow.”
 
 
“So?” Lily didn't appear convinced. “Meadows and forest's burn naturally. It will grow back eventually.”
 
 
“Not this time,” said Nillyna, looking down sadly. “It would grow back if the fire itself had been natural, but thanks to Shadows meddling, nothing can grow in that meadow, or that forest, ever again.”
 
 
Lily didn't seem to be pleased to hear that, nor did she appear to even believe Nillyna.
 
 
“Shadow's dark magic was so crude that the fire damaged the land too bad for life to exist in your forest anymore,” explained Nillyna, though she didn't know why she was bothering when it was obvious Lily didn't believe her. “It has become completely devoid of life.” She turned back to the door, “But I will find you a new home, I promise.”
 
 
Nillyna turned to leave again.
 
 
“Why tell me this?” Lily suddenly asked. “Even if I was so inclined to believe what you say, why tell me?”
 
 
Nillyna paused, her hand on the frame of the door to the cellar, “Wherever I send you is going to be your new home, I didn't want to send you there without telling you beforehand why I didn't return you to your original home.”
 
 
Lily paused, but somehow, she could not convince herself that Nillyna was lying this time. Somehow, she could tell that the
Lepidopteran was telling the truth. So her meadow is destroyed and won't grow back?
 
 
It was the first time in a long time that Lily felt a sense of loss.
 
 
“I am sorry,” said Nillyna when Lily appeared downcast.
 
 
Lily looked up with what could best be described as a broken look. She was still suspicious of Nillyna's motivation through and through, but now that her mind wasn't completely clouded by anger and irritation from being confined to this place she was actually beginning to see how little Nillyna seemed to be gaining from all this. How did she plan to take some of her fruit by doing what she had been doing?
 
There was an obvious reason why she was doing this, but Lily still refused to believe it. There had to be something else. And Lily just thought of what the alternative might be.
 
 
Where was Nillyna planning to send her?
 
 
“What’s your angle?” She asked, folding her arms as she surveyed Nillyna with another suspicious look. “Do you intend to place me somewhere only you know the location of so you can hold me prisoner there instead? Put me somewhere where there's no food or water, and unless I cooperate, will you leave me there?”
 
 
Nillyna blew an exasperated sigh from her nostrils, but at this point she didn't expect anything less.
 
 
“Don't you walk away from me!” Snapped Lily when Nillyna continued through the door. “I demand you tell me what you intend to do with me!”
 
 
Nillyna didn't see the point of this conversation. She had already told Lily she wasn't interested in her fruit anymore... that she wanted something else instead. And though she didn't get a chance to tell Lily what she really wanted, it was doubtful she would believe her. Not when Lily was convincing herself at every turn that Nillyna was only out to do her harm.
 
 
Nillyna caught sight of her glistening Soul Contract, still lying where it had rolled after Lily had slapped her.
 
 
“You really want to know what my motives are?” Nillyna pointed to the translucent scroll. “Read my contract.”
 
 
“Never!” Snapped Lily, glaring at the contract herself, “you just want me to…”
 
 
With a flick of her wrist, Nillyna bound Lily's mouth shut with a cord with what little magic she had left.
 
 
“You don't have to sign it,” she said, her back still to Lily, “If you don't sign it it can't bind you to anything, you know that. And since you know so much about Soul Contracts, you should know that it's just as binding to the contractee as it is to the contractor. That means I have to abide by the terms set out for me, just as much as you would have to abide by yours if we both signed it.” She began walking up the stairs out of her cellar, releasing Lily's mouth as she left. “And if you knew what those terms were you might be surprised at what little I have to gain from you if we signed the contract.”
 
 
Nillyna made it a little further into her house this time, but still couldn't stop from breaking down into tears once she settled into a random room in her mansion, her aching heart still torturing her. The next day she would have to brew more of that revitalizing potion, but it was getting really hard to motivate herself to keep doing it, especially since it meant parting ways with Lily. But she had dedicated herself to the task.
 
 
 Besides, despite all Lily had put her through, was still putting her through, she still felt a warm softness in her heart for the plant-girl. It was unlikely that she was ever going to emotionally move past her.
 
 
Lily sat alone in the cellar once more, her only company being the luminous chandelier’s above.
 
 
She was still racking her brain, trying to figure out what Nillyna was trying to do, what kind of trick she was trying to pull, but so far hadn't come up with anything. And even stranger, while she was examining herself, she found that, somehow, the fruit she had given to Shadow was back among her root’s. It could not have grown back so soon, so the only logical explanation was that Nillyna had magically reattached it, most likely after she found it after killing Shadow.
 
 
Now Lily was even more confused.
 
 
If Nillyna already had some of her fruit, it was even more reason for her to have just left Lily to die in that fire. Yet, not only did Nillyna save her, she reattached the fruit that she had already plucked off herself. A fruit that gives eternal youth.
 
 
And Nillyna practically just gave it back, without any reason to have done so.
 
 
Why would she do such a thing?
 
 
Lily eyed the Soul Contract wearily, but could not deny that Nillyna was right about one thing. Whatever Nillyna wanted from her had to be written in that contract, plainly and with no deception, for whatever the Soul Contract was designed to do had to be written out clearly upon its page for the enchantment to work. Lily didn't want to rise to Nillyna's bait, but if she was to have any chance against whatever Nillyna had planned she needed to know what her intentions were.
 
 
With an irritated scowl, Lily extended her humanoid body out of her plant half on the long, stem-like appendage below her waist and slithered along the floor to where the rolled up contract lay and scooped it up.
 
 
Huffing irritatedly, Lily unfurled the contract quickly and scanned the page, her eyes following each line from start to finish, the words legible to her because she was literate, despite spending her whole life in a forest, isolated from the rest of the world. The more she read though, the more her scowl morphed into a look of confusion. The contract states that if Lily agreed to Nillyna's terms and signed this contract Lily would be allowed to take root on Nillyna's estate anywhere she wants, which, according to the contract, was extremely expansive, with more than enough room to accommodate her. It also stated she would be provided with plentiful amounts of food, water, or anything else she desires, and it would be all under Lily's free will, and that she was obliged to leave Nillyna's estate if she ever desired, nor would she ever be restrained against her will unders any circumstances.
 
 
Nillyna's terms, what little there were of them, were that Lily would not ever attempt to eat Nillyna again, or harm her in any way. The only other benefit the contract states for Nillyna was that Lily has physical contact with her, such as hugging, kissing, and if Lily herself wanted, maybe even engaging in coitus, saying towards the end 'like when we met’. But that was the end of the terms. Try as she might, Lily could not find a single reference to her fruit in the contract, or anything in general that would cause her harm.
 
 
So if she signed it, she would be under no obligation to share her fruit with Nillyna ever.
 
 
All she would owe Nillyna in return for a place to root down, be provided as much nourishment she could want, or anything else, was a little physical contact.
 
 
And the contract had no statute of limitations, so it would be in effect until one of them dies.
 
 
“What is it that you are after?” Said Lily to herself, her eyes curious instead of threatening for the first time since finding herself here. “Nillyna?”