Rosemary, Marigold, Daisy, and Celandine
Labrador has been thinking too much. Lance tries to cheer him up.
Setting: Two years prior to the events in the manga/anime, Barsburg Church.
In my timeline for this story, Labrador is 17, and Lance is 24.
Written from Lance's point of view.
Disclaimer: 07-Ghost belongs to Yuki Amemiya & Yukino Ichihara.
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"Rosemary," he said softly, holding a white flowering sprig of the plant carefully in his right hand. "It is symbolic of remembrance." I looked up from the book I was reading – something about a desert far to the south of the Barsburg Empire – and stared at the teenager, taking in his uncharacteristically slumped posture and depressed attitude.
Holding out his left hand for me to inspect, he showed the orange petals of a marigold. "The marigold stands for pain, as well as grief. It is often used in ceremonies to celebrate the dead…" Labrador trailed off, staring at the two dissimilar plants in his hands. Lavender eyes, troubled from God knows what, raised themselves to my confused ones.
"They suit each other, do they not? So many memories are so dark…" I stood as Labrador began his last sentence, stepping up to him as he trailed off yet again. My eyes searched his, as though I were prying into his very soul with the glance.
"Lab…" I began before pausing. How to say this? I brought my hands up to the flowers held in his cold and pale hands, studying them, before grabbing them and placing them on the table, next to the rather dull book I had been amusing myself with. I would simply respond in kind to his rather abrupt presentation.
Grabbing the small teenager's hand, I lead him through the winding halls of the church, dashing to the large greenhouse in the western half of the building. Several times I heard a protest begin from behind me, but each time the young bishop stopped himself.
Sliding to a stop in front of a large group of daisies, I picked the one closest to perfection from among its peers. Turning, I caught sight of a pot of celandine, the petite yellow flowers spilling over the edge of the ceramic container. Carefully, I pulled a small group of the flowers out of the plant.
Turning back to face my young companion, I smiled and held up the daisy for his inspection. "You know, this stands for patience. And this other flower is representative of joys to come. You can't fret about the past too much. What's done is done. You can't change it. However, if you just wait, you never know what happiness you'll come across. So cheer up, okay?" I shot him one of those endearing winks of mine – it never failed me before – and smiled.
After several moments, Labrador's expression softened once again, and the smile was quite warmly returned.