Alexei watched as Kleo went back down to the Apothecary to finish his shift and wondered if he should have gone with him. He could tell that he was maybe feeling a little overwhelmed with what was going on, but he figured the distraction of working would be enough for now. At that moment, Flora was still helping Effie and the workroom still needed some attention before they would be done with it for the day. He wanted to at least finish that up so Kleo wouldn’t have to worry about it. He wanted to do something special for him and take the initiative in learning a bit more about this magical side to Kleo’s life. It was so new to the both of them, and Alexei couldn’t imagine how difficult or stressful such a change in his life would be. Yeah, knowing about magic was cool and the idea of suddenly being magic seemed like something so beyond crazy and awesome that even he himself felt a tad bit jealous, but there was some other level of responsibility that came with Kleo’s new powers and he could tell that even though it’s gotten easier, it was still taking a toll on him.

Alexei headed back up to Kleo’s room to try and finish organizing the last of the piles that were taken out of the workroom. He took a pile of books, making sure to place them properly on the newly dusted and cleaned shelves. He and Flora had spent a good handful of hours just dusting and sweeping what they could. Surprisingly, they had got a lot done before Kleo pulled them away to help with the Effie situation. Flora was able to whip up some magic to help get the most of the dust and grime, and they cleaned up whatever the magic didn’t quite get to. Now, the place looked pretty great in his opinion. Colorful glass lights hung from the ceiling, bathing the large room in a soft glow. An entire wall as lined with bookshelves filled with not only books, but scrolls and jars of various contents, now organized thanks to himself and a handy encyclopedia-like book that helped him figure out what exactly was in each of those jars. He held onto “magic encyclopedia” the entire time he was down there, trying to learn as much as he could about it all.

The work tables that once cluttered the center of the room were now cleaned and pushed to the side, revealing what looked to be a stone altar built into the ground? Alexei still wasn’t too sure what it was and Flora herself admitted to not knowing what it was, suggesting it to be some sort of magic circle. At it’s center rested a large cauldron which was (thankfully) empty save for dust and cobwebs when they first approached it. Upon further inspection, he realized the carvings on it resembled the crest that was on the front of Kleo’s grimoire. He still didn’t know what it meant or what it was for, but he figured it there should be nothing to worry about. Everything down here was here because of Kleo’s mom, and he still trusted Arina even if he personally knew nothing about most of the room’s contents.

Another wall housed a few cabinets and armoires, filled with more jars, vials, and other various supplies that Alexei found himself curious about. Against this wall, they also found an antique sofa and some chairs hidden beneath dusty sheets, which they dragged out and placed around the edges of the altar. Time flew by as Alexei worked to finishing what he could in the workroom, but soon all the piles were cleared from Kleo’s room and their contents were placed in the respective homes. Alexei blew away a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail and took a seat to catch his breath. He took in their handy work, knowing they had done a pretty good job. He took another look at the room, his eyes catching on some portraits they found earlier that were hung up on the wall. There was one that stood out to him the most, and he hadn’t really thought about it earlier but now that he was able to get a better look at it, he wasn’t sure how he felt. It was a portrait of an older couple and a young girl. Of course, he didn’t recognize the couple but he couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was Arina when she was younger. If that was the case, the couple must have been Kleo’s grandparents and it would make sense as to why it was here. He wondered if they knew of him and what had happened to Arina, or if they were even alive. He couldn’t help but be a bit saddened at the thought. Kleo had never spoken of his grandparents and Alexei always assumed that maybe they simply passed away, but given that Arina had kept magic from Kleo for all of his life, maybe that assumption wasn’t so true. He didn’t know how to bring it up to him, but knew the possibility of it coming up when Kleo would see the portrait. He only hoped he’d openly talk to him about whatever feelings it trudged up, and wouldn’t hold it in.

Alexei sighed and laid his head back.

“It’s looking real nice in here,” Flora said and he looked over at where she stood the entrance from Kleo’s room. “Thanks for finishing up, I know it would have been easier with an extra hand.”

Alexei shrugged in response, picking his head up. “It was my idea to do this, it’s fine.”

Flora simply hummed in response as she looked around the room, eyeing the empty back wall. It was the only wall that was really void of anything and he hadn’t felt like moving any of the furniture over there to try and fill up the space so it stayed that way. Alexei became suspicious with the way Flora started to fidget with her fingers, and realized there must have been something on her mind. “What is it?” He asked and she let out a short laugh.

“Oh, well, it’s nothing really,” she began and did nothing to assuage his suspicion at all.

“Well it must be, otherwise you would have said it already.” He gestured to the wall, “what about it?”

“Okay,” she said, dragging out the end of the word with her breath as if she was trying to push off saying it even longer. “Selkies really like to be in water, and the bathtub isn’t really hitting it for Effie,” she said before pausing and Alexei just watched her, waiting for her to continue.

“Okay?” He prompted her to continue when she still didn’t speak up.

“Doyouthinkkleowouldcareifweputapoolinhereorsomething?” She said, entirely too quickly and all Alexei could do was blink in response.

“What… the fuck did you just say?” He asked again, trying not to become impatient with her but clearly, that wasn’t working as well.

“Do you think Kleo would mind if we put in like, a pool, or something,” She said again and honestly, he just looked at her confused. Would Kleo care? Most likely.

“Like, a kiddie pool?”

“No, a kiddie pool would be much too small.”

“What type of pool are you trying to put down here?”

“Just, you know, something nice for Effie to have while she’s here. Selkie’s need water even when they’re not in their seal form and who knows how long it will take us to get her skin back.”

“So you just want to put a giant pool in here.”

“Exactly.”

“How do you expect to even do that?” He asked, incredulous.

“Magic, of course,” she smiled, and Alexei knew that this wouldn’t end well.

Kleo was finally done with his shift and the Apothecary was in the faithful hands of another employee. He hung up his apron and headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water when he suddenly heard a noise upstairs. He paused, then turned to look towards the stairs that lead up to his room.

“Is everything alright up there?” He called up but received no answer. Concerned that maybe it had something to do with Effie, he began to climb up the stairs and check it out.

“Hey, you guys good in there?” He asked again once he was inside his room and heard a splash, followed by some laughter. Now he was really confused.

“What have you done! I said don’t crazy, and this is the definition of crazy!” He heard Alexei’s voice.

“Nonsense! This is perfect, look how happy she is!” Flora’s voice followed and Kleo suddenly found himself hesitant to walk any further.

“Kleo is going to flip,” Alexei groaned and he knew he had to see whatever it was for himself. Quietly, he walked up to the opening of the workroom to take a look inside. He was surprised at how different it looked, it was really nice, but then his eyes fell on the bak side of the room where now a giant pool rested, flushed against the back wall. Ivory and moss climbed the entirety of the wall, leading to the water where Effie was happily splashing about. His eyes widened and he was at a loss for words.