#verdelixir

"Did you hear? That man loves mints so much that he's flooding the hall with them!"

"He's enlisted so many people to give them away, but there's still always more!"

Midori never expected the man at the end of the trail of gossip to be the man who reminded her of the sad clown from months ago, but the resemblance is still strong enough to immediately remind her the moment she sees his face. Withdrawing something carefully from a pouch, Midori approaches, gift in hand.

"Are you the Mint Man?" She looks up at him, "I mean, I didn't expect it to be you, but that's nice! Mint is really good for you! Not just for your breath, but also for digestion and congestion and focus and all kinds of stuff..."

Oh, but being the Mint Man, he probably already knew all this, didn't he? She hastily holds out her offering, a sprig of fresh mint leaves from the limited stock she'd brought to Fódlan.

"I'm not sure what else they've put into those candies, but the actual plant is always the best thing for you! Here, take some!" Her love for herbs might be more all-encompassing, but she won't deny this bond with a fellow mint-lover!

Is he the Mint Man?

Finn stares blankly at the young lady as she rambles before him. She's excitable in a way that's so different from Nanna, who usually keeps her excitement bottled until it's near to bursting.

Is he the Mint Man?

Is this to be his fate? Not a proud knight of Leonster, not the personal retainer to his lord, but a man with mint in his pockets? With every passing minute, the exhaustion that regularly sits on his shoulders feels heavier, more weighty.

"I did not..." make them, he thinks, because the bowl full of them is right there on the table over there for anyone to take, and she could just go grab some if she pleased, but he accepts the bundle of mint that's shoved into his hands without a word because what else is he going to do?

"Mitama, is it okay if I watch the stars with you for a bit?"

A far cry from the exuberance Midori had last left her friend with, her tone is much more subdued now, and she leans closer, though she keeps her gaze firmly on the skies, watching intently as the stars rearrange themselves into different messages.

You're important. I'm glad I met you! I will stay by your side forever.

"I asked Corrin earlier, and... she said that my father didn't come here with her."

The confession comes after a stretch of silence, quiet amidst the surrounding bustle. It hadn't felt unreasonable to assume that'd be the case, and while she'd done her best to smile and agree with Corrin's statements in the moment, that painful feeling it left behind, somehow, didn't just go away on its own.

"I'd thought... I'd thought maybe if she was here, then he'd come here even if it's just because of work. And then I'd get to see him too, even if... even if..."

Even if I'm not the person he'd really be here for.

Your father loves you more than anything, Corrin had said, and there's nothing that'll keep him away from his little girl. But it seems like all her friends had at least one parent here except for her. It doesn't feel fair.

Midori knows she shouldn't be whining like a little kid, and especially not to one of her friends. She'd made the decision to come to Fódlan of her own free will, and she had no right to ask for anyone to change their own plans to account for her.

But the pressure builds and builds anyway until the starlight shatters in her wavering vision, and she lowers her head, shoulders shaking.

"Now even if I send him a message in the sky like this, he won't be able to see it...!"

Mitama inhales. Exhales. And then she takes Midori by the hand. "Come with me."

The eyes of those around them are turned upwards. It makes it easier to lead Midori through them, weaving past the members of the crowd until they are spat out by the beast into open air. The festival takes up much of the grounds, but there are still bits of freedom to be found, if you look. Mitama gently leads her friend to a spread of grass where the stars can still be seen from and plops down onto the earth. She tugs on Midori's hand until the younger one joins her down on the ground.

"...have I ever told you why I decided to leave?" Certainly not in person, their time together here in Fodlan has been too short, but she cannot recall if she had ever scribbled it in passing in a letter sent back to them. Likely not. She would hate to make them worry.

"I was jealous of you all." She laughs. It is quiet compared to the nearby awe of the spectators. All the better for it. She keeps her eyes on the hand that holds Midori's instead of the sky. "With the war's end, everyone seemed so happy to be reunited with their parents. Even those who griped about it like Asugi or Shiro, you could tell that there was still a delight in the opportunity to experience what we had all been so long denied. To get the chance to play family. Except me, of course. My father was not there."

It stung. She knows that they did not mean harm, but there are only so many times you can watch the faces of your friends soften with pity at the topic of what you obviously lacked before it began to feel like fangs shutting around your throat.

"It is not fair, is it? We lived so much of our lives without them, but now it feels so awful when they are not there." She leans backwards until her back touches the ground. Above, the stars dance and sparkle to the wishes of those down below. But they are only witnessed by those who know to look. "But I hope you know that I am here for you." The hand that is not already holding Midori's gently settles on her cheek to wipe up some of the stains that her tears have left behind. "It may not be enough, and it is certainly not the same, but so long as I and the others are still here, you are not here alone."

Midori hadn't expected to see a familiar face at the door of the greenhouse after making her rounds for the day, but she takes this reunion in stride, peering over her carefully balanced herb basket to grin at the other girl.

"I didn't know you came to Garreg Mach too! Are you here for herbs as well?" With how numerous their allies had grown by the time both had joined Corrin's army, Midori hadn't ever really gotten to know Soleil past a friendly acquaintance, but maybe they did share some hobbies after all!

“Midori? MIDORIIIII!!!” Selkie beams as she sprints towards the second familiar face of the night, scooping her up into as big a hug as she can manage before the scent of bitter herbs still clinging to her even her forces her to recoil. At least her excitement is enough to minimize to exactly what extent her ears involuntarily pin down as her nose scrunches up because of it. Last thing she’d want would be for the other girl to think she hates her just because she’s stinky. Though if she does notice, she can probably blame it on the feathers in her face making her wanna sneeze every time they brush against her nose.

…wait, feathers?????

“Hey, I didn’t know you could grow feathers. Why didn’t you tell me about that?!” The kitsune gasps as she pulls herself back from the hug fully, batting a hand at the colorful headdress adorning her… well, head. Weird. She’d have thought Midori-bird-feathers would be green. Kinda matches the stuff near the booth next to them… Maybe it’s an epic-demo or whatever? Epic-cure-all?

"It's always amazed me how good you are at this, Midori. It's really fun to watch!" Kaze was a gentle man despite his lethal prowess as a Hoshidan ninja, and it was adorable how that trait had been passed down to his daughter too. There's never been a doubt in Corrin's mind that he taught her well, in both the subject of being kind and in the subject of various aspects of botany. Midori had flourished in her own way, too. Every meeting that came, Corrin had begun to see how she'd matured-- amusing in both the similarities to Kaze and the few things that were a stark contrast. "As payment for your efforts, take one of my hyacinths! You can pick any of them that you want. After all, my bouquet only looks this put together because of you...!"

He isn't perfect.

It's a foreign dance, and imperfections are thus to be expected while he familiarizes himself with the steps—and there are quite a number of them, some in long strides, others in short taps, carrying them through the dance hall with the kind of pacing that might be considered frenetic if it wasn't for the way their feet fall in line. One long stride from him has her tapping after him, while he adjusts to take half-steps to account for Midori's shorter strides. The music swells, and he misses his cue to leap and flip and turn on his heel.

So, again: he isn't perfect.

But, this time: it isn't so bad.

The next sharp beat has her twirling and laughing, taking a leap that rises with the chorus—and though unchoreographed, Siegbert catches her easily, letting momentum carry them through the rest. And somewhere in the process, he finds that he's grinning alongside her, less worried about missing the proper steps and more concerned about how to time the next spin to keep that look of pure delight on her face.

It's nothing at all like the dances back home, and he's certain that if any Crimean saw them, they might even be a little offended. But as the song draws to a close, he can't say that he regrets much of it.

If spectating the first third of the battle had been too thrilling for Midori's tastes, she's glad she made the decision to stay inside for the remainder of the event. She'd peered out just long enough to see the victors get announced, but the excitement of that definitely takes second place to making sure her friends are all unharmed.

Having retrieved the necessary medicines before leaving the medical tent, she's saved the hassle of having to rummage in her cabinet again, holding her hand out right away.

"I prepared some burn ointments, but I didn't think it would get this serious. I thought it'd just be for a stray Fire spell or something like that."

The canister Midori hands over is only enough for a small patch of skin, and with barely a second's consideration, she fishes out two more identical ones, placing them all into Caeldori's palm.

"I can definitely make more for you though, if you need it!! Just let me know anytime!"

With her job done and worries abated for now, Midori finally breaks into a grin, clapping her hands together as she looks up at her friend in admiration.

"Anyway, you're so strong, Caeldori! Congratulations on winning!"

FINALLY, A LITTLE TIME TO GET HERSELF TOGETHER.　𑣲　she still had yet to join the banquet and the rest of the festivites, and it was because she couldn't just show up to them looking like this——clothes dirty, burnt in places, streaked with mud. and her hair! it was all over the place ; she hadn't known just how bad until he looked in a mirror.

but looking good on the battlefield was a skill too, one that, like all others, it was important for her to learn growing up. it was one she took seriously——the array of bottles, pins, wipes, even a small sewing kit beside her spoke to her meticulousness ; a first-aid kit wasn't the only thing she made sure to carry whenever she was out. a bobby pin here, carefully hidden by a lock of hair, and then. . . headband back into place.

"perfect."

it wasn't ideal, but for now before she had a chance to bathe, it'd be as good as it could get. with carnelian tresses at least straightened, sorted, oiled, and lightly perfumed, and the dirt scrubbed from her face and changed into a better set of clothes that wasn't sticking to her with grime and sweat, she felt like. . . well, maybe sixty-percent a new person.

when a small, energetic voice calls her name from the doorway, she turns around, smiling at the jars of ointment placed firmly into her hand——two, three. . . she has no idea where midori pulls these out of, but they're always better than anything she can find in stores. getting one is like receiving a pouch more precious than gold. "wow, for me? this is perfect——just what i needed." these would have to be stowed someplace special ; she definitely couldn't afford them getting damaged. "that's a big help. i got the worst of the burn handled already, but they said there'd be some tenderness for the next several days, so this should take care of that. thanks a lot, midori."

Not too long after the battle starts, she completely changes her mind. There's nothing fun about seeing her friends (or even strangers!) get slashed at with real, actual swords, or having to fight each other, just like in a real war, and it doesn't take long before she retreats into the tent to focus on her medicines, only looking up from her concoctions when a familiar face walks in.

"Mitama!" Hopping off her stool, Midori grabs a sweet-smelling tincture as she rushes over, worriedly looking her friend over for any signs of serious injury. There are healers in the tent, too, in the case that anything requires more serious attention.

Seeing nothing that provokes immediate alarm, she presents the vial.

"Here, drink this! It won't make injuries go away just like that, but it'll help with muscle aches, especially into the next day. Oh, and you can rest up here too!"

She indicates an empty cot, ushering Mitama towards it while she follows, voice lowering a notch like she's sharing a secret.

"This is a lot more realistic fighting than I was expecting..." Midori mutters, peering towards the exit of the tent with concern still etched in her features, "Won't there be people who get really badly hurt in this battle?"

Her partners in combat are dropped off into hands that Mitama is only mildly confident in when they finally arrive at the medical tent. Still, she allows them to be taken with little fuss. She can tend to more people if she leaves the preliminaries to the healers, so giving them time to get to work is better in the long run.

Secondly, she has little choice in the matter, as it seems her own tending to has already been claimed by someone.

"Hello, Midori." Though she is tired and a bit disappointed, her tone remains warm as she greets the friend who returns to her side. A tincture is offered and she takes it without question, allowing herself to be herded and shepherded towards a cot with little fuss. "You need not worry, I am not that severely injured. We chose surrender in the face of defeat, I spared myself a miserable month of soreness."

Still, it seems wasteful to turn away such concern, and Mitama knows that Midori's work is good. She obediently sips away at it and does her best to only pull faces when Midori is not looking. She never imagined she would find a drink that was too sweet before...

When she worries and frets over the others, she always feels like she is being a nuisance, or that he concern is disproportionate compared to the feelings of those who choose willingly to fight. When she catches a passing glance at Midori's expression, she is surprised to find a mirror of her own emotions there. Surprised, and also relieved. Mitama's own expression softens into a smile as she reaches out to put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.