"Hand me the wrench, Raymond." Descole held out a hand, not taking his attention away from the Detragigant.
A few seconds later, the tool was placed into his hands. A soft, muttered 'thank you' before Descole started to screw down the bolts.
He had taken off his hat, his aurburn hair spilling down around him. His was also sans cape and feather boa, his suit jacket undone. He was almost finished with it. Just a few more preparations, and he'd be ready.
The only thing that would be a problem now was Mr. Whistler. He wished that they could just find a girl and get it over with. The old man had insisted finding a girl suitable for Melina's memories. It was annoying, a hassle, if nothing else.
Nina seemed like a perfect candidate, at any rate. The song had transferred over to her.
Des tightened down the last bolt, then sat up, stretching his back and feeling it pop. He set the wrench on the ground, then grabbed the rag set aside for him to wipe his grease-slicked hands. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, next, heaving a sigh.
He wanted to take off the mask, as the sweat was beginning to make the object uncomfortable over his eyes. He placed a hand over the mask, then began to take it off.
"Hey!" Des jumped, fixing the mask on his face. The little patter of feet approached him.
"What is it?" He asked quietly.
"Do you want to play with me?" Nina stood next to him, grinning. "There's flowers outside. I want to make a flower crown." Descole furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to face her.
"Is Whistler busy?"
"Nope!" She smiled. "But I wanted to pick flowers with you." Descole sighed.
"I'm working."
"Not right now, though, right?" Descole glanced at Raymond. He motioned for him to go, he'd work on it instead. Des nodded.
"I… if you want to." Nina would bother him until he went with her. She giggled, grabbing his hand. Descole tensed, but stood and allowed her to lead him out.
Des sat on a rock, watching Nina carefully.
If he lost sight of her, Mr. Whistler would lose it. Not like he'd lost it anyways, believing you could erase someone else's conscious. There was no bringing his daughter back, no matter how hard he tried. Descole knew this better than anybody else.
He had tried to bring Violet back, as well. It was impossible.
"Mister!" Nina came running up to him, holding a small cluster of flowers. "Mister, these are for you!" Des tensed slightly, then slowly took the flowers from her.
Most were exotic flowers, one only found on the island of Ambrosia. Vibrant yellows and pinks caught his eye.
"Are they, now?" The petals were soft. Descole fingered them lightly before a small flower caught his attention. He stared at it for a long moment.
He didn't know violets were native here. His expression fell the longer he gazed at it, then gave a long, hard sigh. He looked at Nina, who was watching him expectantly. He gave a smile that felt fake.
"Thank you, Nina." She smiled, and Des was suddenly reminded of Violet. He'd never seen her that way before. His heart gave a sharp pang.
"Can you make flower crowns, Mister?"
Of course he could. How could he forget? He'd made so many for Violet. He nodded.
"Would you like me to make one for you?"
"Mhm!" Nina's smile grew as she nodded. Des's own smile fell into a much more genuine, smaller smile as he stood, following Nina to where the smaller flowers grew. As he started weaving the stems, he'd never felt more at peace than when he'd been with his family.