𝙂𝙊𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙁𝙇𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍

The earth made as good a bed as any mattress, warm under the soft blanket of the sun, the plants a gentle pillow for the weary head. It made for the perfect spot to rest, well away from prying eyes, and the quiet trill of the birds soon lulled Columbina into a peaceful doze. 

She stirred to a shadow across her form, blocking off the warmth of the sun - concerned. Amusement tugged at the corner of her mouth - quite an amusing thought, that Columbina was the one in danger - though she didn’t rise from her impromptu bed on the ground. 

“I am quite alright.” Columbina opened her eyes to look up at her concerned onlooker, shaded enough by her form that she didn’t even have to squint against the sunlight. “Is a traveler taking a short rest really so uncommon, here?” 

yes, it was uncommon. uncommon outside that is. humans weren’t too keen on resting in the outdoors, at least, not without any proper equipment.   (   a tent, bedding, things to create a fire   )   and from what aster could tell, this woman had nothing. the earth was her bed, the shade the trees above gave was her tent. were travelers nowadays like this?? the goddess wasn’t well-versed with humans.  ❝   i... suppose not??   ❞

❝   however...   ❞   here, the goddess would turn her gaze to their surroundings. despite how beautiful and peaceful it may seem, creatures still lurked in the shadows. still hid beneath the dirt, waiting for any unsuspecting prey to wander by.  ❝   i do not believe it’s safe here?? we are rather close to a pack of rishboland tigers.   ❞   cute as they were and normally passive, there were days where the beasts would attack without a single notice. who knew if they would see the two as prey.

    Said feline ears would then flick , senses had hairs on the back of a warrior’s stand up ; someone or something is watching . They hated when others stared - were it not for Eremite being on guard dog duty ; perhaps a fight would’ve broke out . First an argument , then fists - a - swingin’ .

    Crystal irises scanned around , quick to catch the culprit . Pair even made contact during that SECOND && A HLF . Head quickly flicked chin upward for a ‘ what’s up ? ‘ motion . 

    ❛ Can I help you ? Or you just want to kiss me that bad ? ❜  Said in a provoking manner ; this usually worked with that of the male species - Rarely had Dehya done it to a woman . && when he did … well , fire - main were rather bad at hiding the flush on their cheeks .

ah. she had been ... discovered. well, that made sense ; however hard she tried to be sneaky, to mimic the people from the sand, she was not one of them, she wasn’t trained nor born to be subtle. her domain, her authority were with flowers ; bright, sweet smelling flora that blossomed wherever they could. inconspicuous wasn’t in their reaction.

the strange  ...  provoking statement, one that caught her guard   (   but was very understandable, if aster thought about it   )   caused the goddess to blink a few times. was there ... a little tint to their words??   ❝   i ... no??   ❞   goddess was sure she didn’t want to kiss the other, after all, it would be strange to want so from a stranger. but what an odd thing to say out of the blue.

❝   my apologies, i didn’t mean to stare. i was just ... curious about your ears. i’ve never seen people with your features before.  ❞

thankfully, after a lot of care, water and sunlight, they were starting to bloom. and what a wonderful array of colors they grew! a rainbow of pinks, blues, whites and oranges ; all from the same group!   ❝   how beautiful  ...  !!   ❞   aster paused, head tilted to the side ever so slightly as to turn her ear behind her. something...

someone was here. someone had found her garden.   @luminousglimmer​

     ❛  Huh  ?  ❜  Seele  purses  lips  ,  perplexed  by  the  unfinished  request  .  Eyes  follow  the  woman’s  gaze  ,  confusion  only  growing  until  she  finally  reaches  her  feet  .  Oh  .  She  didn’t  even  see  those  !

     A  step  back  ,  watching  feet  to  make  sure  she  doesn’t  further  disturb  little  daisies  .  ❛  Shit  .  Sorry  .  I  hope  I  didn’t  just  kill  your  flowers  before  they  could  even  grow  all  the  way  …  ❜

❝   no! it’s uhm - they’re not actually mine. i just like flowers.  ❞   a little bit of an understatement. daisies were the type to thrive where most couldn’t, some places even humans can’t. durable little ones. some might find them annoying, how they bloomed even where one didn’t want them to but some found their strength as admirable. after all, they are able to keep growing, even after humans plucked and got rid of them.

❝   you... shouldn't worry too much. daisies are durable, perhaps a little. stepping on them won’t hinder them all too much.  ❞   of course, enough boots against their petals will eventually flatten them but let’s not mention that.

she should really think about moving them.    //    @babochkas​

aster wondered if she could grow these in sumeru, could add them to her growing garden but thought against it. flowers grew and bloomed better where they were found. to take them away would be rude of her. besides, she wasn’t sure if she could... provide it the amount of blood it needed.

(   she also knew the odd looks she would receive from her friends if she even mentioned what these flowers needed   )

❝   it would still be nice to have even one to take with me home...   ❞   @eiterniti​

(   but aster knew that appearances could be lies. deshret, while large and towering, held her flowers with careful hands, fingers brushing against the petals like one would touch a kitten. nerium oleander, beautiful flowers with their pink-to-white petals and fruity scents disguised  a deadly poison capable of sending people into a coma.   )

oh dear, aster was still staring. quickly, think of something, anything to say!   ❝   h-hello?   ❞   that worked.     /     @raideity​