The Wishing Tree (1): A Destiny City Star Festival Tradition to be held every year; In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn’t wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn’t so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn’t wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn’t so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
So, he'd done it. Despite his spiking anxiety, Basyl had never really believed that he would fail the second portion of the USMLE. No matter how much his mind tripped over 'what if'- what would he do if he didn't pass? How much time had he wasted? How much of his life had he wasted pursuing something he wasn't intelligent enough to achieve?
His heart hadn't been in it. He'd studied and prepared and put all of himself into school, and he'd never truly thought he wouldn't pass. And he had. The worst of the dread was behind him now, though he acknowledged that the testing would never really be over.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he'd been paired with the same hospital he'd done his rotations at. He didn't have to move to a strange place or get a new apartment or learn a new city. He would still get to work with everyone he already knew. His instructors would now be his mentors and supervisors. Just instead of being a 'student,' he was a resident. An intern, more specifically, but still a doctor. When someone called him 'Dr. Phloros,' it was accurate. It was something he'd earned.
Things were going well. Really well.
Basyl was pleased with his job, pleased with his friends, pleased with his magical progress. Everything was just working out in such a way that it was almost surprising, and it felt like maybe he'd earned a small chance to relax and just bask in the glow of success. His schedule wasn't set in stone by any means, but when he saw that he had two days off in a row, it seemed as good a time as any to make use of it. He didn't even spare a second to think it especially bizarre that he had any time off during a city-wide event.
Don't think, just enjoy.
Since they were getting along reasonably well in private, Basyl thought it might be nice to invite Nataniel out to do something in the city. It had been almost a year ago, during this exact festival that they'd met as Narcissus and Rakovanite- though still neither of them had admitted who they were, yet. Nataniel wouldn't say he knew Basyl was Narcissus (even though Basyl knew he knew), and Basyl had decided it would just be more considerate for him to wait until Nataniel was comfortable enough to admit it, whenever that would be.
What Nataniel was comfortable enough to do was spend the night in Basyl's bed, "when schedule permitted." And if he was comfortable enough with that, it should be easy to just go out on a date with him. In public.
Easy, so easy.
So Basyl had invited Nataniel to meet him downtown. Maybe they could grab a drink at the cafe Basyl used to work at and walk around and look at the decorations the city had put up for the Star Festival. Not expecting too much, just a chance to spend a little time together outside of work- and bed. It should be more than fine.
But he'd still been somewhat surprised when Nataniel had agreed. Neither of them went out very often, and Basyl knew that Nat's avoidance of public was due more to a disinterest in it than any particular anxiety or inability to do so due to time or ability. But he was pleased by the concession for him. Things were going well, as he'd said.
Basyl folded his arms behind his back, lacing his fingers together and fidgeting as he kept out of the way of anyone else on the sidewalk. They'd agreed to meet outside, so now he just needed to stay calm and trust the he wouldn't be waiting indeffinately.
