He hummed softly to himself as he strode through the white framed doorway. Twirling on his left heel, he used the momentum to grasp the metallic knob, pulling the steel door to a close behind him. He stumbled backwards a few steps when his fingers released the knob, only catching himself by flailing his arms outwards for balance. Shaking his head, he let out an almost inaudible huff as he straightened himself out, brushing down the wrinkles on his white coat.

He tapped his fingers to his side in an unnamed tune as his hazel gaze swept along the steel shelves that bordered halfway up the perimeter of the stark white walls. His gaze softened, a small playing on his lips as he skirted the wall, towards the far left corner of the room. His fingers trailed the shelves.

"You're perfect" He sighed, his head tilting slightly to the left as he gently picked up a clean blade from it's resting place on the corner shelf. "Yes... You will do fine for my next project" He hummed as he ran his right pointer finger along the blade's edge, nodding with a faint wince when blood began to slowly bubble forth. Pulling his finger away from the blade, he brought his hand up towards his head and placed the weeping finger into his mouth, sucking until the flow ceased. "Still sharp it seems" His voice was muffled before he removed his finger.

His fingers twirled the blade in his left hand as he pivoted towards the gleaming steel table that stood in the room's center, heart speeding up as his gaze rested upon the freshly cut tree laying atop it's surface. "This will be my finest carving yet" His voice trembled a few octaves higher than usual as he bounced towards the tree with a wide grin. "The best..." He sighed softly, his mouth quirking to the left as he glanced towards his previous carvings that rested within the clear glass boxes atop the shelves.

He placed the blade down beside the tree, causing it to emit a soft clinking sound against the table. He raised his left hand towards the tree, stopping just before making contact with it, hazles gleamed as they took in the soft, almost invisible crevices of the bark.

"Perfect for a masterpiece!..." He mused, lowering his left hand back towards the blade, twirling it as he picked it up. He gently grasped the side of the tree furthest from him, holding it in place as he brought up the knife towards the middle of the trunk. With a swift flick of his wrist, a shallow gash was created running horizontally across the trunk. "Gotta remove the bark" He muttered as he placed the blade back down beside the trunk, his brow furrowing as he leaned down towards the incision. The fingers of his left hand were fidgeting as they hovered above the gash, his gaze narrowed as he brought them down to tentatively prod at the soft, newly exposed delicate flesh.

His left hand took hold of the edge of the gash, slowly, he began to peel the bark down the tree's trunk. He managed to peel the bark down approximately five inches before it gave way, leaving

behind a short flap of skin. He clicked his tongue before leaning back from the tree, bringing his left hand up to run through his short sandy locks. The sap on his hand left streaks through his hair.

"It was supposed to be a perfect peeling..." He exhaled, throwing his weight backwards onto his right leg, arms crossed over his chest. His lip protruded outwards into a pout. He tapped his left pointer and middle fingers on the crease of his right elbow a few times before nodding to himself.

"I'll just come back to it later..." He muttered under his breath as he whisked the blade away from the table's surface with his left hand, giving the blade a quick twirl as he brought it up to eye level. His lips quirked upwards, breaking out into a tooth filled grin as his gaze swept along the upper left branch towards the tiny twigs that were sprouted outwards.

Taking hold of the branch, he let out a soft hum, hazles skimming over the unique creases that lined the tips of the twigs. His grin faltered for a second, brows furrowed as he lowered the branch a few inches. "Because of me-" His eyes close as he shakes his head a few times before taking in a breath. "No- It's better this way" Hazels opened as he released his breath, a small smile tugging at his lips. "My carvings help feed people".

He nodded his head once before setting the branch down onto the cool surface of the table. He then brought the blade up to the smallest twig, angling it horizontal to the stem. He allowed the blade to hover over the twig for a few seconds before chopping it up like carrots, closing his eyes, he let out a soft hum with each successful chop. Metal against metal rang throughout the room. He flinched before opening his eyes. He had chopped all of the twigs up to the joint.

"Oh..." He glanced between the blade and the shavings before setting the blade down onto the table. He brought his left hand up to eye level and flexed his fingers before massaging his wrist with his right hand. "Guess I got carried away" He mused as he swung his arms behind his back, clasping his hands together before stretching them outwards with a long sigh as he listened to his muscles pop. After around ten seconds had passed, he allowed his arms to fall down to his sides as he rolled his shoulders.

With a twirl of his fingers, he swiped up the blade from the table in a fluid motion, his gaze flittered over the other branch before moving towards the crown, he wet his lips with his tongue. "I should actually do some cleaning before I continue carving..." He paused, tapping his right pointer finger against his side. "It's always easier to carve when the muck has already been removed" He concluded with a nod.

The blade was brought forth, hovering over the left knothole that rested just a few inches below the crown. A crooked smile creased his lips as he thrust the blade into the nook, he twisted it slowly until the contents were reduced to a gooey mess. He tilted his head to the side, releasing a soft hum before removing his blade from the knothole and repeating the process with the right knothole, adjacent to the left. He hummed a short note as he finished cleaning out the knotholes.

Taking a few steps backwards, hazles took in the tree's condition, analysing the trunk's curves and creases. With a nod, he steps forward. He croons softly as he grazes the blade over bark concealing the tree's heart. "Mine..." He whispers under his breath, the blade sinking down to it's hilt as it tore the flesh. "All mine..." He repeats, dragging the blade vertically down the trunk until the midsection was met. He brought his left arm up with a soft smile as he watched the blade exit the tender bark. He flicked the blade. Droplets of sap littered his coat.

He then lowered the blade back onto the table, his left pointer finger twitching slightly when the handle left his touch. Shifting his weight onto his right hip, he clasped his hands together, fingers intertwining for a split second before separating. Hazles softened as he brought both hands down towards the new incision, pausing halfway for a moment before meeting the edge of the gash. All ten of his digits tenderly ran along the crease.

A shaky breath was drawn in as he took hold of the left side of the incision, for a second, his eyes closed before opening to reveal hazels. He nodded, a calm smile ceasing the trembling of his lips.

In a singular fluid motion, he tore back the bark, leaving the left side of the tree's inner system exposed. He shuddered as a cool shiver trailed down his spine. "The heart will be forever mine..." He cooed, gently nudging his left hand into the tree's cavity, angling around the obstacles until the tips of his fingers brushed the tree's heart. "There it is..." He let loose a chuckle under his breath as he wrapped his hand around the heart in a gentle caress. With a gentle tug, he severed the heart's link to the remaining tissue before removing it from the tree.

"It belongs to me" He laughed, clasping the removed tissue in cupped hands. "Me and only me" He continued as he raised both hands, bringing the tissue up to face level. Nuzzling the tissue, he let loose a breathy laugh.

"Hello?" He paused, head jerking up towards the door, shoulders tense. "Are you almost finished in there?" The soft voice continued, he let out an inaudible sigh as his shoulders dropped. His lips pursed as he gently placed the heart down onto the table, wincing when his elbow pushed the blade onto the floor, eliciting a soft clang to resonate throughout the room.

"Y-yeah!" He called, his voice cracking. "I just need to wash off!" He continued as he stumbled over towards the steel basin in the far right corner of the room, almost tripping over his feet in the process.

Thrusting his hands into the slightly chilled water, he scrubbed his arms and face until they were red before running his fingers through his hair. Hastily, he shook off the excess water droplets from his hands before removing his stained coat from his shoulders, allowing it to crumple to the floor in a dirty pile.

Taking in a breath, he straightened his back before briskly walking over towards the metallic door, reaching out and turning the knob slightly. He waited a few seconds before pushing the door open a few inches. He peeked his head through the opening.

"Hello Naifu" Naifu raised his left hand in greeting as he smoothly slipped through the doorway, closing the door behind him with a soft click, flashing a quick smile as he met her grey gaze.

"It's been a while Celica" Naifu breathed, Celica grinned, brushing a strand of her red locks out of her face before glancing towards the steel door behind Naifu.

"It has, by the way-" Celica trailed off as she attempted to step around him. Naifu let out a soft sigh, as he caught hold of her right shoulder with his left hand. "C'mon..." She whined, crossing her arms across her chest with a soft huff. "You never let me see your work...".

Naifu raised a brow, releasing her shoulder. "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" He replied, tilting his head slightly to the right with a grin. "If so, I was in the middle of creating a new piece" Naifu continued, Celica shook her head, returning the smile with one of her own as she rested her weight onto her left hip.

"Nope, I actually came to see Erika, it's been awhile since I've seen her" Celica replied, glancing around. Naifu pursed his lips for a second before smiling with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Sorry, I have not spoken to your sister for a few days" Naifu stated as he raised his left hand, running it through his hair. Celica's eyes narrowed as she leaned up into his face, her hands resting on her hips..

"Oh I see..." Celica trailed off as she leaned away from Naifu, her lip curling up into a grin. "Problems with the wifey?" Naifu raised a brow, eyelids drooping halfway as his lips quirked upwards.

"There are no problems between me and Erika. Recently, we've become a lot more-" Naifu paused for a second, wetting his lips. "Intimate with each other" He continued, Celica nursed her chin with her right hand.

"Really?" Celica inquired, Naifu nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned backwards against the door. After a few moments of silence, Celica clasped her hands together, a smile playing on her lips. "I see!" Letting out a soft giggle she continued. "That's great! Does that mean that you're going to show Erika and I any of your carvings?" Naifu gave a small smile, shifting his weight against the door.

"No, my carvings are special, I must dispose of them soon after they are made" Naifu paused, flashing a soft smile before continuing. "If I don't, something bad could happen"

Celica furrowed her brows, her lip protruding into a small pout as she crossed her arms across her chest. "You and your superstitions..." She let out a soft sigh, glancing over her shoulder. "Anyways since I'm here, I might as well ask, have you started the stew for that orphanage on Kitsune street"

Naifu hummed softly in response, tapping his left index finger against his right elbow. "No, but I've come across some high quality meat to put into the stew" Naifu replied, a small smirk snaring his lips.

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So.... What was this story about? It was so much fun to write~

Please comment your opinion~