#yewnolia

“Hmm… Well this is troublesome.”

“Troublesome? There's only two beds, old man!” Janne snapped.

“These were the only sort of rooms available,” Nikolai explained calmly, “I was under the impression you and Yew would have no trouble sharing. I wasn't going to waste precious pg getting a second room for a single person. This was not poor planning on my part.”

Janne sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Except now there's four of us, because for some reason our ‘local’ guide doesn't have anywhere else to stay.”

“Je suis désolée,” Magnolia apologized, “It's my fault, really. I can sleep outside.”

“We wouldn't do that to you, Magnolia,” Yew said, turning to the other Cavaliers, “Right, guys?”

Janne and Nikolai grumbled, but more or less agreed.

“See? We won't let you sleep outside. You can have the bed.”

“Hey, I did not agree to that!” Janne interjected, “You can't just make that decision on your own.”

“I'm the leader of the Three Cavaliers," Yew argued, “I should be the one to make these decisions!”

“Like hell I'm just going to let you hand over our bed to some stranger we just met!”

While they squabbled, Nikolai turned to Magnolia. “And you say you have no pg of your own, Miss Magnolia?”

“Oui, something like that.”

The truth was Magnolia did have money, but Luxendarc simply lacked the technology for electronic transactions.

“And you're sure they can't just spare us another room?”

“I already asked and they said they cannot,” Nikolai answered, “I even asked twice, for good measure.”

“I'm not giving up the bed and that's final!” Seems their argument was just about wrapped up.

“Fine then, you can have the bed and sleep with Magnolia!” Yew conceded.

Awkward silence fell over the group for a few seconds, as Yew's words hung in the air. Nikolai coughed.

“Don't say it like that!” Janne hissed at Yew.

“T-that's not what I meant!” Yew stuttered, then turned to Magnolia, “You know that's not what I meant, right?”

Magnolia tilted her head, clueless to the awkward phrasing.

Nikolai crossed his arms. “It would be best if this were settled quickly, lest we argue in circles through the night.”

“Please, I don't want to cause you any trouble. Don't put yourselves through all this just for me,” Magnolia insisted.

“No!” Yew protested, perhaps a bit too loudly, “What kind of Cavalier would I be if I just let a lady spend the night out in the cold?”

Janne sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, Yew's right. We couldn't sleep soundly knowing we'd hung you out to dry. You have been helpful, and are a formidable fighter, at that.”

“Magnolia, you should at least stay in the room with us,” Yew urged.

“But that still leaves us with three people and one bed,” Nikolai reminded them, “Unless one of you would so choose to bunk with me.”

“No way, old man. You take up too much space and you snore way too loud.” Janne was not one to mince his words.

After much deliberation, and a bit more arguing back-and-forth, they eventually reached a decision.

Magnolia was insistent that she not trouble them further, and volunteered to sleep on the floor instead of taking the bed. Despite Yew's protests, she refused to be swayed otherwise. Thankfully the inn was at least willing to spare an extra set of blankets, Magnolia chosing to nest by the window. “So I can see the moon,” she said.

Nikolai did snore as loudly as Janne said he did, perhaps even louder. Magnolia was a bit of a night owl anyway, and spent her time gazing up at her far-away home.

Magnolia had only just started nodding off when she heard someone calling her name.

“Psst. Hey. Magnolia.”

It was Janne.

“Oui?” She whispered back.

“Yew's practically glued to me, so there might still be enough room, if we try.”

Magnolia quietly tiptoed over to their bed, trying her best not to wake those still asleep. Once she reached the bed, she began to lift the covers on Yew's side, but Janne stopped her.

“Wait. It's probably better if you lie down next to me. Yew's brain would probably fry if he woke up next to some pretty lady.”

Magnolia chuckled inwardly. Janne was probably right. She moved over to the opposite side, and laid back to back with him. Janne tried to shuffle himself and Yew over a bit without waking him. Yew whimpered in protest, but did not stir.

“Comfortable?”

“Much better now, yes.” 

“Good. Now get some sleep so I don't regret doing this.”

“Of course.” Magnolia was quiet for a moment before she added, “Goodnight, Janne.”

“Oh.”  Tiz felt a little flush coming on himself now, as well as a bit of disappointment.  “I can’t really help you with that, you’ll have to ask Agnès.  Agnès--!”

Yew frantically waved his hands, shushing Tiz.  “D-don’t call her over!  Magnolia’s with her!”  Tiz quickly closed his mouth, but Yew was still flustered.  “And just what do you mean, you can’t help?!  You married Agnès!”

“Agnès is the one who asked.”  Yew stopped, dead still, and stared at Tiz, who considered a bit more and added, “Well, she kind of just declared herself Agnès Arrior, and it sounded wonderful to me.  No objections on my part.”

“You...didn’t ask?”

“No, sorry.”

“Sir...I looked up to you.”

“Uh...okay.  Don’t you think that’s a little harsh...?”

“There’s only so far shyness and modesty can go!!  The man isn’t supposed to make the lady ask!”

“I have no idea what you mean with that first part, but you sound like Ringabel now,” Tiz sighed.

Yew straightened up.  “I should ask him about this.”

“He would tell you to do it now, immediately and passionately, or to wait for the most dramatic moment, like when you’re using the hourglass to stop time or nearly dying from letting the succubus whip you one too many times.  ...He’s got a weakness for being charmed,” Tiz explained at Yew’s horrified look.  “But there, that’s Ringabel’s advice for you.”

"...Then I don’t know what to do,” Yew sighed, pushing back in his chair at the small table in the Arrior kitchen.  “I don’t know anyone who’s actually asked, well, properly, and I want to do it right for Magnolia...”

“Look, Yew, even if I had been the one to ask Agnès, that doesn’t mean what worked for us would work for you.  Agnès and I have more simple tastes.  Magnolia’s very much a romantic, and she’s from a world that has different romantic traditions.  So...”  Tiz trailed off and then frowned.  “Guess it’d be a little hard to ask Appleberry with Magnolia knowing.  At least you already know how they propose on the moon?”

“But is it still special if I already did that by accident?” Yew sighed. “I’d have to find some way to really outdo it.”

“Why do you have to outdo what’s already a special moment to her?”

The younger man paused.  And then he looked up, beaming.  “You’re a genius, sir!  I don’t have to outdo it, just redo it!”

“Uh...I didn’t think that was so extraordinary, but...glad to be back in your high esteem, I guess...?”

Yew had not been as subtle as he thought.  Though Magnolia had not caught his conversation with Tiz, he had been acting a little oddly for a while now...and Edea had started asking “Did he propose?!  Did he propose?!” whenever they talked.  Magnolia had thought for sure that it was coming.  Or maybe she simply wanted it that much.

It did not come, even after a few months.  She tried not to show her disappointment or be annoyed, but once in a while she felt a sting.  Yew loved her...but did he not love her enough to marry?  Was he afraid of committing to a lifelong bond?  She’d made it clear how she felt, she thought, given him her true name and all, but... sometimes the thoughts made for uneasy sleep.

But one morning, she woke up feeling strangely energized, despite having tossed and turned while going to sleep.  There was something pleasant in the air...Magnolia smiled and drew a deep breath through her nose, drawing in the sweet, heady scent of...flowers.

Yew didn’t give her flowers, she thought, yet then her hand brushed against something soft, but too velvety to be her sheets.

She opened her eyes.  Immediately in front of her were flowers, a dizzying array of them: small but vivid red poppies, delicate orchids, buttercups so full their leaves were tightly packed, elegant lavender peonies and darker, smaller clematis aside them.  There were a few varieties besides those, too, ones she hadn’t learned yet.  The bed was full of flowers, and Magnolia instantly felt wide awake, her toes curling with excitement, because Yew never got her flowers.  Not after he’d learned what they meant on the moon, to avoid misunderstandings.

This most certainly couldn’t be a misunderstanding.

There was the softest cough, and Magnolia looked over to see Yew, blushing slightly but beaming.  She rolled over to see him better, and noticed he was holding a small jewelry box.

“...Good morning, Magnolia.  I wanted to wait until the magnolias were in season,” he admitted.  “But that seemed too long for what I want to tell you, so...I had one made.”  He opened the box, and Magnolia gasped at the magnolia flower sitting inside: made of white gold and decorated with pale amethyst gemstones, it was beautiful.  “Magnolia...um...will you--”