i'm turning into a fool...

The aroma of the coffee shop lingered as he breathed in and he couldn’t wait for his little pick-me-up. As the server placed a few of the ready orders on the counter he took his and headed for the door. But as he was about to take a sip he noticed something was off, a hint of spice that he didn’t order. Turing the cup around in his hand he saw the name and realized he had picked up someone else’s drink. Slightly embarrassed he went back to the counter to see the person whose drink he swiped trying to talk with the server.

“Excuse me,” he addressed the other, casting a quick ‘it’s ok’ glance at the staff, “but I took your drink by mistake. I’m not even in a hurry so I don’t know why I didn’t catch that!”

Of course she was going to confront the barista about it, because it’d been over five minutes and she had yet to see anyone even making her drink. The woman on the other side of the counter continued to insist, however, that they’d already served it. 

So, yes, she was a bit irritated. But when she saw a tall boy coming towards her, she quickly backed down from the barista, and realized she had to leave. Boys were always suspicious. Better to get out of there without her drink-- well, wait. She’d already paid. What a hassle! And she had to be back in class soon. 

When he said he’d took her drink by mistake, her face immediately melted into a frown. She reached up and snatched her cup out of his hand.

Going to a school that had boys and girls in it was weird, to say the least. Hana had really liked Hachimitsu. Girls were just… nicer than boys, you know? But at least Tancho was really pretty. And if she went out back, she could pick flowers by the base of the mountains. Maybe she could find dandelions for some tea? 

After class, she headed out the back entrance. It was beautiful out, and the sun was just beginning to go down. So she set her bag near a tree and squatted down to start picking flowers. And maybe she’d find some clovers while she was at it, too? 

But when Hana got invested in picking flowers, she tended to lose track of time and space. So she wandered around the field on her hands and knees, picking the flowers that looked the prettiest and discarding the ones that weren’t, humming as she went. And then, half way through reaching for a little white clover flower, she was stopped by a pair of legs, directly in front of her. She froze and looked up. 

The scenery is beautiful, which isn’t that surprising for such a lovely town, but treading along a beaten path towards grassier fields littered with flowers becomes absolutely breathtaking.

It’s not long on her walk that she notices the back of a girl crouched down by a path of flowers. What’s the girl on her hands and knees doing all the way over there? Curious, she treads closer. She doesn’t mean to, at first, but her curiosity leads her to circle around the girl and stops as she in front of her. Looking down at her, but with a smile, she greets the girls warmly.

Kind of refreshing, maybe even kind of appealing? Hana smiled, hesitantly. She opened up her palm and used her other hand to pick a clover flower loose from the bundle. Aoi, that’s what she said her name was? A first name basis already... she must have been used to meeting new people, maybe? Hana didn’t think she could ever be that comfortable that quickly. 

Going to a school that had boys and girls in it was weird, to say the least. Hana had really liked Hachimitsu. Girls were just… nicer than boys, you know? But at least Tancho was really pretty. And if she went out back, she could pick flowers by the base of the mountains. Maybe she could find dandelions for some tea? 

After class, she headed out the back entrance. It was beautiful out, and the sun was just beginning to go down. So she set her bag near a tree and squatted down to start picking flowers. And maybe she’d find some clovers while she was at it, too? 

But when Hana got invested in picking flowers, she tended to lose track of time and space. So she wandered around the field on her hands and knees, picking the flowers that looked the prettiest and discarding the ones that weren’t, humming as she went. And then, half way through reaching for a little white clover flower, she was stopped by a pair of legs, directly in front of her. She froze and looked up. 

“…Excuse me.” 

Saber saw the school each day as she made the commute to class, and each day her curiosity grew. The rising arches, and uniform-clad students reminded her of her old high school, and as one is wont to do during a period of reminiscing, she walked inside.

Tentative steps led her past the threshold, and although she was certainly not a high school student any longer, Saber looked not too out of a place. Donning a suit which closely resembled the school’s uniform, it was only through careful observation that the differences between their clothing could be discerned.

With no real intentions in mind, Saber wandered the school grounds, until finally she ended up in the garden. Not as grand as she had hoped, yet not so lacking that it would be relegated to the status of ‘flower patch’, it was a place that was just nice, and if she could return again, she would certainly be inclined to return to sit here and smell the flowers.

… And watch a posterior wiggle before her very eyes.

“I didn’t lose anything,” Hana said, almost defensively. “I was picking flowers.” She stood up off her hands and knees to show off the crumpled bouquet in her left hand. “I think I picked all the good ones, so you’ll have to go somewhere else if you want to look for flowers too.” The ones in her hand had melded together a bit and turned her skin green. Not good for making tea with them, and besides, there weren’t any dandelions. Hana wondered if Tancho was under the impression that dandelions were weeds. She supposed they were, by technicality. But they certainly did not possess the ugliness a word such as “weeds” seemed to necessitate. 

Hana supposed it was not entirely true that she hadn’t lost anything. She’d lost several things. Her first kiss. Her first time switching panties with a boy... wait, that wasn’t a first that people longed for. Just a weird happening. But still, he’d taken that too. Did it count as losing it if someone took it by force?