No matter what had happened or how the world had ended up, there were still moments when Serah felt as though she could have done more. She could have fought harder or thought quicker, she could have done something simple that would have made the outcome of everything better.
It was a pointless pattern of thought to get trapped in and Serah knew it, because going back to change the past wasn't something she could do, but that didn't stop her from wishing it. She did try to stop the thoughts when she caught them, however, finding some way to distract herself, some little mundane task she could use to comfort herself by saying she was making things better in a tiny way.
Tending over a small patch of flowers wasn't something that would really help anyone, but it would make Vanille smile and that was something important. Serah had helped the woman plant them, after all, not questioning her insistence about it as dirt got under her nails.Â
She had dirt beneath them right at that moment as well, and her knees were red from kneeling as she sang softly and removed a dead bloom. It was a peaceful past-time and easy to lose herself in, something that helped her relax and lowered her defenses so that she didn't realize someone was joining her until she saw a shadow.
Lifting her head, Serah reached up to push her hair from her face and unknowingly smudged dirt along her skin as she blinked in the bright light.