set during first mantaic visit i think. i don't remember exactly what i had in mind when i started writing this... orz
"Rita! Look what I found!" Estelle pranced over to the mage with several red flowers tucked behind her ear, and another few clutched in her hand. "They don't really match me, but I think they'd look perfect on you!"
"E-Estelle, thank you, but I really don't think-" too little too late. Rita now sported two flowers behind each ear, sticking out liked ruffled feathers. Estelle gave a little laugh. It was then that Rita realized she was willing to tromp around all day with the flowers behind her ears, however ridiculous they looked, just to hear that laugh one more time.
Unfortunately, another laugh broke in after it. And it certainly wasn't the sweet, melodious kind Rita was daydreaming of.
"Wow, Estelle's right! They really do suit- ow!" Raven didn't get to finish that sentence.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion old man!"
"And I don't remember asking for a beating, yeesh."
"You asked for one the second you opened your mouth!"
"D-don't fight! There's enough for both of you!" Estelle nestled a few flowers in Raven's ponytail. Then it was Rita's turn to laugh.
"What's-" she managed between laughs. "what's wrong Raven? Weren't you the one saying how nice they were?"
"They look pretty on you Raven!" Estelle, being Estelle, didn't catch on at all. She moved off in the direction of the oasis. "Although I think they'd look better if they were yellow… or maybe purple…" If Rita didn't know any better, she might've thought that Estelle was being sarcastic. But no. She was seriously musing on the topic of which color flowers would look best in Raven's hair.
"Exactly! You should wear them all the time Raven. The girls will be all over you." Rita offered him a shit-eating grin.
"Would it kill you to pull a punch once in a while? Go on, trample on this old man's feelings." Raven shot Rita a piteous glance before sulking away to where Karol and Yuri were buying gels.
"Aw, he's gone… Rita, did you scare him away?" Estelle had apparently gotten her hands on some purple flowers and was standing there holding them in mild disappointment.
"Tch, no way. He chose to leave. Not my fault."
"Well… okay. Here, you can have them!" Rita was about to protest, but at the unadulterated joy that shone in Estelle's face, she stopped.
"O-okay… thank you."
"Our genius mage sure has a hell of a crush on her hands, huh?" Raven held his chin in his hand as he watched Rita and Estelle doing an awkward dance of laughing and flower-picking along the shore of the water, as the sun began to melt below the horizon.
"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked as he picked the flower petals from Raven's hair.
"Call it intuition."