A/N Hi, sorry for the late update. I've been lacking inspiration, as others may say.
I try to work hard on this fic because the GS community is awesome.. pardon me if it's not good enough. :P
Anyway.. without further delay, here's Chapter 2!
Chapter II - Edelweiss
The night was young but the pitch black sky already enveloped the land. The cold North Wind howls, scattering the dry leaves afloat and making the stagnant water flicker. Oddly enough, it was supposed to be the first days of spring, but much more it resembled the unpredictable Imilian autumn as the sands drop by the hourglass.
But no matter how strong the wind blows, it would still have an inevitable direction: To go forward.
A round glass window in the small shoppe burst open after it was pummeled by a freak squall. The cold, numbing gust flew inside, chilling everyone in the vicinity of the store. Isaac instinctively covered his face with his free hand, and after the mischievous and playful wind receded, the first thing he thought to fix his eyes on was Mia.
Mia.
Against the strong gust, her pale blue hair fluttered like an angel's wing in flight.
And fated as it may seem, their eyes met. His suppressed feelings for the Mercury Adept were free-flowing again, like a water reservoir whose floodgates were unlocked with exuberance. One glance from her was all it took to ignite the past sentiments ablaze, and effectively douse the shackles of fear that was holding him back for the longest of times.
Mia timidly stroked her wind-swept hair. Though seemingly bashful from finally meeting him after a lengthy while, she was the first to clear the awkward silence and gently muttered "I..Isaac.. I d-didn't imagine seeing you here." She fidgeted her sky blue cleric uniform, trying to unnerve herself from the rare, but awkward, situation they were both in.
Her soft and gentle voice reminded him of the days she was taking care of his wounds; she was always there to lend a hand and a healing spell.
Never mind his sentiments, he was too nervous to reply properly. "I know.. I-It's been a while.. Mia." Isaac shrugged his trembling legs off and slowly stepped forward. "Uhm, so how are you, Mia?" He reaches out his free hand, showing a gesture of a handshake.
Trying hard not to show that her palms were shaking too, she hesitantly reached out a hand and shook Isaac's, while nodding timidly. "I've been alright.. So, how's the rest of the gang? Madam Dora, Garet and-" she evidently clears her throat and looked away, blushing, while she continued. "..and, uhm.. Jenna?" Their hands parted ways, shortly after.
Though Mia was expecting a change of emotion on his face, Isaac replied, unflinching. "They're alright.. Still a quirky neighborhood, I guess.. Which reminds me - I traveled to Vault for some, uhm, Hermes Water.." He gulped hard, and started feeling a little bit of irresponsibility on his side. "My mom has a mild illness.. And I thought the water would be a good remedy for it."
All of a sudden, she crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh no.. That's unfortunate..." Her face showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
Isaac was quick to explain the situation. "H-hey, no, she's alright, it's actually nothing serious!" His eyes were flared up and apologizing.
"I-I, I had some Hermes Water earlier.. but, see, I used it already.." Mia translated her worries. It seemed to be just a little misunderstanding for the two. "I went here for healing duties, after all.. Maybe we can go get some, together..?" And after she realized that she had just invited him on a journey together, Mia blushed profusely and was quick to patch things up. ".. if that's okay with you.." she added.
"That'd be great, Mia!" Isaac burst in joy, though he got a little bit embarrassed shortly after. "Ehrm, yeah, I'm okay with that. Besides, if ever we encounter some wild creature or something..." Isaac, shifting his eyes from one place to another, suddenly fixed a glance at her. His cobalt eyes reflected his fierce determination he showed ever since they were burdened with the quest to save Weyard. "...I'll do my best to protect you."
It was as if a paintbrush streamed scarlet across Mia's cheeks, she hastily turned sideways and tried to regain her composure. "..T-Thanks.. Just like.. the good ol' days, huh.." She bashfully nodded. Mia still couldn't hide her repressed admiration from him; Isaac was always polite, always sacrificing.
But then, an awkward bout of silence passed. Isaac's eyes were still focusing on one object to another, Mia on the other hand, has her gaze steady at the sturdy wooden floor of the small boutique.
It took a while before Isaac realized that he hasn't paid for his stuff yet. Opening the Iron Curtain that enveloped them for a moment, he spoke up about getting his favorite beverage and proceeded to the counter. Meanwhile, Mia offered to wait for him outside.
"I'll just wait for by the door outside, okay?" Mia gently nodded. Her smile was brighter than ever.
"Don't worry. I'll be there in a second." Isaac smiled, and then, walked to the young lass over the counter, while Mia going her way outside. A strong feeling burns inside the two after they briefly parted, that after this short ordeal, they will be together again. It'll just be a quick minute before the two souls, longing for each other, again entwine their paths.
He leaned over and briskly placed the two vials of herbal tea on the polished rosewood counter.
The cashier prompted a question on him. "Is that all for today, Sir?" she said, in a light and cheerful tone.
"Yes, please." his answer was short and direct, a little bit frustrated that he couldn't get his coins from his deep pocket.
Upon hearing that, she turned around and browsed the store's product catalog, then calculated the total price for Isaac's stuff. "It's a total of 50 coins, Sir." And after he handed his his change to her, she proceeded in counting it and afterwards, gave the correct change to him.
"Thank you, Sir. Have a good night." She gently smiled again.
"Thank you." He nodded, obviously very excited to rush outside the store and be with her, again.
However, the cashier was quick to quip. "Go get her!" Out of nowhere, she flashed a carefully played wink towards him.
He turned his eyes away in embarrassment and furiously blushed. Immediately, he fixed his gaze to an empty flowerpot with a seemingly fertile soil in it. His face brightened; an idea has just crossed his mind. With a stern concentration and a flick of a hand, he invoked a spell. And in the blink of an eye, an elegant white flower sprouted from the once empty pot.
Growth.
There it sprouted; a rare flower that only thrives in the cold mountains of Imil. His memory began to seep back to the past, where he clearly pictured Mia admiring this certain white flower called 'Edelweiss'. It was the moment that stroked his feelings into liking her. Her pure and noble smile, her delicate blue eyes, and her unfaltering compassion - just some of the puppeteers that pulled his heart's strings towards hers.
Whilst his left arm was holding a bag of the beverages, his free arm was, again, pressed to his forehead as he chuckled. Their quest in saving Weyard was already finished but his pursuit of her heart was nowhere near the final frontier. How ironic.
With an admiration to the enticing specimen, he dropped to his knees and prudently picked up the flower. The scent it gave off was just as sublime as its façade.
"..Mia...UGGHH-"
All of a sudden, he felt a puncturing pain in his head that grew stronger.. and stronger and stronger. And just seconds after the initial sting, it felt like his head was an anvil being mauled by Thor's hammer. That dreadful, enigmatic affliction struck Isaac again. In his mind were bright and hazy images flashes robustly, to an extent that it breaks your mind from too much. And again, the pain subsided. No aftershock like an earthquake, he felt unusually fine again.
He gasped heavily. The obscure occurrence still remains a mystery to him. On the floor, he noticed a bag with two vials of beverage that he likes. And disturbingly enough, he rushed back to the counter and uttered the most nonsensical phrase to the girl in the counter.
"Hi.. How much for these two?" he said, in the most natural of voices. And trying to shove the non-existent change in his pocket, in which he already handed to the cashier earlier.
The young lass was unsurprisingly bewildered. Hasn't he paid for it already? She replied, with the question in her mind. "Uhm.. You already paid for it, minutes ago. Is there something wrong?"
"Really? Well, if you say so... I'd be best on my way, then." Clearly, Isaac was amused by her answer and he probably thinks the girl let her go, or she could've knew him from before - they were Vault's heroes not long ago, anyway. Nonetheless, could it possibly be another lapse from his troubled mind? Is it from the fatigue, maybe?
Isaac strolled towards the door and went out. And moments after he left, the girl noticed something unusual in her sights.
"An Edelweiss?" she thought. "Did he leave it here?.. It doesn't make sense... I guess I could keep it, then."
The girl gingerly picked up the pristine flower and carefully pressed it between the pages of a thick book. After that, she held her hands and clasped the book shut. Most likely, she knows that this is an excellent way to preserve flora and keep it's natural beauty intact. The girl deeply sighed and momentarily paused, looking lost in her reverie. And she muttered in her thoughts: 'What a pretty flower. I'll make sure it won't go to waste.'
