As Serendipity and Primrose glided over the countryside below, Prim felt an odd sense of dreamlike peace. Only a minute ago she had been tossing and turning in the bedroom she had known for years, huddled under her pillow and hiding from the sunrise. And yet here she was, a hundred feet in the air, with the entirety of her hometown spread out below her like a map. Maybe she was dreaming and just hadn't woken up yet.

She found herself hugging Serendipity's back, her vision filled with the purple fabric of their coat. Despite there being no obvious safety mechanisms on this skinny broomstick keeping her from slipping and plunging to the fields below, Prim was not at all afraid. Seren guided the two of them through the air at a leisurely speed, and the sky showed no signs of an impending rainstorm or ruckus. It was a clear, calm morning, and Seren had helpfully pinned Primrose's arms beneath their own. She felt secure.

...and maybe a little sleepy.

~ ~ ~

"Ahhhh, here we go," Seren whispered to themself as they guided the broom back down to ground level. Just up ahead, a lively town square was buzzing with midday foot traffic. Seren gently brought the broom to a full stop. Before they could dismount, however, they had to deal with the sleepy rabbit on their back.

"Psssst, hey Prim..." they whispered. Poor thing must not have slept all night. "Psssst."

Seren whispered and shuffled for a moment until Prim began to stir.

"Nnnnnn... hm?" she muttered, realizing she was back on the ground. "Ohhhh... oh! Sorry!"

Seren grinned. "No problem, hon. I'm just glad you got some rest. Can you make it off the broom?"

Prim took a moment to examine her situation. The broom was shockingly stable, but she was hesitant to start moving around.

"I'll hold it steady, just take it slow."

Hurriedly adjusting her glasses and straightening her witch hat (her witch hat!!!), she swung one leg over the broom and dropped to the ground. After spending the morning in mid-air, standing on two feet felt awkward and heavy. Seren followed suit and dropped down beside her, taking a deep breath.

"Look at that sky. It's a beautiful day out."

Prim noticed the town square a short ways away. "Where are we?"

Seren perked up. "Ah! If my map is correct..." they began, reaching into their coat and unrolling some parchment, "We're out of the Grenflyn countryside and entering the maples."

Seren pointed at the map, kneeling down for their apprentice to see. "This is where we came from, your house is right about here. We're heading southwest into maple country, so I think we've just hit Lilyveil. That's the town square up there."

"Wow..." Prim whispered. She had always done her daily traveling on foot, so making it all the way out of Grenflyn by lunchtime was unheard of.

"I thought it would be nice to stop here on the way to Chiasmus," Seren explained, rolling the map back up. "Are you hungry?"

That was an excellent question. Prim hadn't thought about food for the past twelve hours. She looked down at her stomach, as though expecting an answer. 

"Because there's an amazing chef here in Lilyveil. He holds your hand and uses telepathy to figure out what you're craving!"

"Is he close??" Prim asked, intrigued. 

"I bet he's just over there in the square~," Seren sang, pointing. Prim stood on her tiptoes and peered at the nearby hustle and bustle.

"...Oh...!" Prim swallowed hard.

Seren sensed the anxiety creeping into their apprentice. "Is everything alright, Prim?"

Prim hated this part. She was tempted to say "of course!" and hide her panic, but the earnest look in Seren's eyes was making it difficult.

"Yeah!" she began, "It's just... um..."

She was looking down at the ground, pushing the grass around with her shoes.

"I'm... afraid of big crowds of people."

Seren gasped. "Oh! My goodness! And here I am dragging you into one!"

"No it's fine, I just-!..."

Seren crossed their arms and nodded knowingly. "I want you have a nice time on this trip. Come on, let's have lunch somewhere a little quieter!"

Primrose could feel her cheeks burning as she remounted the broom.

~ ~ ~

It was a quick flight, just over some nearby trees and out into a clearing. The grass was decorated in a dazzling display of autumn leaves that gave out a satisfying crunch as the witches dismounted their broom. Seren was humming to themself as they strode out into the clearing, but Prim was shuffling behind with her with her head still down.

"Hm hm hmm, la la la~." Seren reached into their coat and pulled out their small cloth bag.

Prim wanted to apologize for ruining lunch plans, but was having trouble finding her voice.

"Forgive me if I worried you, Primrose!" Seren began, retrieving a large cloth from their bag and unfolding it. "A good friend of mine doesn't do well in crowds, either."

Wordlessly, Primrose shuffled over to her teacher. Seren knelt down as they spread the cloth out on the grass.

"Can I tell you my greatest fear?" Seren asked.

Prim was surprised. How could a cool witch like Serendipity be afraid of anything?

"What is it?" Prim replied, curious.

Seren looked around for a moment before leaning in close and whispering behind their hand.

"I'm afraid of sour foods!"

Prim was shocked. She had so many questions but they all felt rude to ask!

"They're just so... intense. They attack your tongue with acids and powders and leave your face all scrunched up!"

Seren had spread out the cloth and was fishing around in their bag again.

"And they're sneaky, too. Spicy foods smell spicy. Sweet foods smell sweet. But sour foods? Incognito!"

They retrieved a small burlap sack with a tie at the top.

"That's why I make so many sweet and salty things," Seren explained, gently shaking the burlap sack, "You won't find any sour notes in my cooking! Haha!"

Prim couldn't help but grin. "Is there anything I can do, Seren? For your fear, I mean?"

Seren had shifty eyes again. "I might ask you to, ah... taste some foods for me. Just to be safe."

Prim stepped forward and placed a hand on Seren's shoulder. "Seren... as long as I'm with you, I'll make sure you never have to eat anything sour. Ever!"

Seren sniffled. "You're a good apprentice, Primrose."

Seren revealed that the burlap sack contained a batch of potato cakes. Basking in the midday autumn sun, the two of them reclined on their blanket and enjoyed their lunch. Prim was delighted by the salty goodness she had been given, and made sure to savor every crunchy bite. From somewhere in their coat, Seren retrieved a bottle of birch beer and offered Prim a sip. By this point her hesitation was gone and she took a healthy swig.

"It's minty!!" Prim cried, eliciting giggles from her companion. 

Seren watched fondly as Prim took another swig. This trip was a wonderful idea.

---***---