"Yo! Ishiki."
The voice cut through his thoughts like a knife through silk. Ishiki turned to see Filch stepping out onto the balcony and looked at the black pot with narrowed eyes.
Filch walked to him and put the vase besides him, curiously enough Ishiki looked inside and found that it wasn't empty.
Inside the pot, suspended in what looked like perfectly clear water, floated a single flower. Its petals were a deep crimson that caught the moonlight and transformed it into something almost warm. The stem remained green and supple, as if it had just been cut moments ago rather than sealed in an impossible prison.
Filch set the bottle down on the small table between them with a gentle clink.
"Found this," he said, fishing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting. The orange ember flared bright in the crimson darkness. "Well, Nina found it actually. In the cathedral ruins over in the Secondary Ring."
