In the Garden

Kalas kicked at a random mess of weeds and squinted into the sunlight. He had been waiting in the garden for a while now — he didn't know how long, he never paid attention to exact times, not when waiting — but he knew the shadow of that birch tree had grown since he'd gotten there and even the air had started to smell like nightfall. He had to admit that he was not happy about this.

He had places to go and things to do, too, and just because she was a girl didn't mean she could stand him up. Though that's what she did, she kept him at her beck-and-call — why he obeyed was the only mystery — but he knew why he did, it was just that he couldn't complain much. Not to her.

At last, she showed up, a flower in her hair and a quiet smile on her face; the sun shone brighter from her, and the red flower made the sunset behind more brilliant. She said something about being sorry for coming late, that Peachy had wanted to re-dress her hair, but he shrugged and decided to let it go. Instead he picked his way across the garden to meet her, careful not to crush the profusion of flowers at his feet, and when they faced each other he complimented the one in her hair.

"I chose it because it reminded me of you," she said, her fingers shyly touching it. Then she put on a coy blush, and with measured deliberateness dug her heel into the colony of small blossoms between them. "Because I like you best."

He hardly noticed the snapping of the stems or the bleeding of the petals; he was too busy watching the look on her face. He was fascinated by the girl, that she could make him wait and wreck the things that he'd saved and still be able to charm him in the end. Especially with the sky all washed with red behind her, that smile was so enchanting.

He wondered vaguely if it was for his sake that she did those things, things like crushing flowers and ruling over him, and he knew at least part of him hoped it was. He forgave her and went along when she called for that reason, he followed when she turned and wandered through the garden. To him it was something more than loyalty, more than vows. He cared about her, and when she had things to do, he would be there to do them. No matter what.