After all the day's celebrations, Aerith finally has a moment to herself. This is his opportunity to give her his own annual well-wishes and provision the gift he has so carefully spent each evening gathering before their party settled down for camp.
The blooms are difficult to miss, delicate as they are. Their scent carries easily over the winds. Distinct and saccharine, like tea leaves and flowers.
"Happy birthday," he says through a bundle of plant stems and leaves held ever so carefully between his teeth. Nanaki nudges his snout between Aerith's folded arms to drop the flowers onto her lap, then falls back onto his haunches with his good eye angled towards her.
"It is a beautiful and versatile plant. I would see the tribes people dry and crush the leaves to create ink. It can also be used as a basis for poultices or antiseptic. The flowers were often used to create attar. I found the smell overwhelming as a cub, but I have learned to appreciate its value." Looking down at his paws, sheepish, Nanaki realizes maybe he has spoken too much on the subject.
As much as she enjoys the company of others, and she really does love it, all the noise and the people can become overwhelming at times. Never wanting to distance herself from her friends, she's thankful for the reprieve when she finds her chance to slip away once things start to quiet down.
With her back pressed up against the tree, legs crossed, she tilts her head back and places her hands, fingers splayed and palms open, onto the grassy earth. She's always done this and always found comfort in doing this, even if nothing was overwhelming her.
Aerith has always loved the feel of grass beneath her hands and feet.
The others are setting up camp, freeing Aerith from any tasks this evening on account that she's the birthday girl, and she's more than content to just sit there and rest before preparing for bed. It's now that she hears Nanaki approaching—well, she could smell the flowers before he made his presence known.
Opening her eyes, she smiles at him and notices the blooms he holds preciously between his fangs. She welcomes them graciously when he gently deposits them into her lap, and Aerith can't help but run her fingers through his mane in an affectionate manner before he sits down before her.
She pays close attention to how he describes the flowers and their various uses. Her eyes light up at the possibilities and Aerith knows that this gift will surely be put to good use. With the same gentleness, she places them on the ground beside her so she can rise up on her knees to wrap her arms around him in a hug.
"They're beautiful, Nanaki! I love them very much," she says just as she pulls back. And, because she can't help herself, boops him gently on his nose.
Sitting back down, she makes room for him to join her beneath the tree, and picks up the flowers, holding them with a newfound reverence. Their scent carries well upon the wind, even more so now whenever she tilts her head down to bury her nose in the soft petals.
She closes her eyes and hums softly, more content now than she's been in a while.
