"Failed again?"
I groaned in frustration as I placed another vial to the reject pile at the corner of Klaus' house. As a perfumist, he had equipment that allowed me to extract colors from all sorts of plants and flowers. Theoretically it was simple: order flowers from Ibuki and Giorgio, boil them in a flask until the water turned colorful, place the white ixia into the water, and soon, the stem will absorbed the color into the petals. By the end of that process, I should get a naturally made turquoise flower. However, I didn't expect creating turquoise would be hard. I'd been struggling to mix yellow and blue to make what the bride wanted.
"I'm beginning to question this method." I grumbled, slightly defeated.
Klaus leaned over the failed batch and rubbed his chin to think. His eye bags were noticeable even under the dimmed lighting.
"Your method is the most natural version that you could get. Unless you plan on going back to dipping them in paint."
"Perhaps my eyes are getting tired. I should take a quick break," I stretched, cracking my back in the process before grabbing my suit from the coat rack. Klaus escaped to his bedroom before I could invite him out. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't enjoy it in the first place. The man had made it perfectly clear how he hated the summer temperature and the sun in general. He preferred to leave the house during early morning or dusk. The lack of sun caused his appearance to be quite pale. His sunken eyes didn't help brighten up his looks either. His passion for his work reminded me of Reina who once stayed in the forest the whole night to do research on a flower. Everyone searched the two towns inside out to end up finding her in the mountain, sleeping without a care! I could laugh about it now but back then, people were panicking especially her uncle.
Speaking of Reina, I wondered what she had been doing. Ever since I got back from the city, I busied myself with my work that I didn't get a chance to chat with her. Back in Bluebell, Lillian would happily update me about the townsfolk whenever she visited my booth. Here, everybody was busy with their own goals and dreams. It felt a bit lonely sometimes yet motivating in a sense.
I found myself entering the diner, a place that every town folks would go, and scanned the room. Raeger was there but no sign of the young botanist.
"Late lunch today?"
"Ah no… I was just looking for someone." I was about to retreat when Raeger scooped up some ice cream into a bowl.
"In this heat? Then I suggest you have a quick ice cream break before starting again."
The sparkly cool dessert beckoned me to eat it. The heat wave was attacking my back causing my shirt to stick from the sweat. I get why Klaus didn't want to leave dressed as he did. "Fine. One pineapple ice cream."
"Coming right up. Please, take a seat."
He flashed a satisfied smile before turning to his kitchen. Though a bit side tracked, I figured the sooner I finished, the faster I leave. I was about to enjoy the first bite when Reina entered, sweating from the summer heat. She had a towel around her neck that she was using to wipe her face. Her outfit had undergone a summer makeover where she ditched the usual long skirt and had put on a pair of shorts instead. She was wearing a different turquoise top with flower patterns decorating her waist and sleeves folded to her elbow. Never have I thanked the Goddess for the existence of summer until now.
"Raeger, can I have the usual, please?"
"Sure thing, Licorice. Come sit at the counter."
When the raven-haired woman noticed me, I could see the subtle movement of her eyebrow indicating her surprise. Perhaps it was my staring?
"Long time no see," I cleared my throat to greet her as she sat down. "Busy with anything lately?"
"I should be asking you that."
"Sorry. I've been working on a job at Klaus' place and got lost track of time."
"Hmm… Well, I, on the other hand, have been staying outdoors working on my job," she said, stretching her arms forward in an attempt to relax her shoulders.
"…Really?" I searched any sign of tanned skin or sunburn only to find none.
"They have roofs on the barn, you know!" Reina pulled back from my scrutiny.
"Why the barn?"
"I'm developing a manure-based fertilizer for Elise. She's hoping to export them through Trade Depot and bring more traffic here."
"M-manure?" Now it was my turn to pull back, getting a knuckle from the woman.
"Hey, I washed up already."
"Sorry, sorry, I'm sure you still smell like a lovely flower," I straightened up. "It shouldn't be hard since you've made fertilizers with Mako before."
"That's what I thought but apparently her animals are fed with different feed. Konohana used about the best natural crops; Elise used man-made formulas and grains, the best money can buy. So I pretty much have to start from scratch. I also need to match it with the kind of soil that they have here. I've asked Ibuki to let me borrow a plot of his greenhouse for testing but the seedlings takes time to grow." Reina went into her regular mumbling, muttering more to herself than to me. She didn't even realize when Raeger placed her cold noodle dish; the chef seemed familiar with her habit already.
"I didn't realize food can make such a difference," I replied, halfway through my ice cream.
"Ever heard the term 'you are what you eat'? In this case: you excrete what you eat."
"Can we … not talk about this while we're eating?"
"Sorry. Let's talk about what you've been doing then," she apologized with another slurp of her noodle; completely unbothered by her topic.
"Ah, I'm currently creating a turquoise flower by mixing blue and yellow but … it's not coming out as I hoped."
"Use green."
"Pardon?" I turned to Reina who was busy dipping her noodle to the sauce before she elaborated her suggestion.
"Don't use yellow. Mix green with blue to get turquoise. Start with green and add blue until you find the shade that you want."
"You've done this before?"
"Nori did. I'd watch her dye my clothes. Green from grass and blue from blueberries, mix them together to make this shade," she said, bringing my attention back to her new outfit. Indeed, it was close to the color that I wanted.
Once again, my brilliant partner prevailed. With her suggestion fresh in my mind, I paid for the ice cream and excused myself. I took one green vial from the "failed" pile before slowly adding drops of blue. I could see the color starting to become turquoise. Now, all I need to do was to soak the flower and let it do its job.
I made a few more batches, measuring the number of drops to keep track. By the time I was out of white flowers, I had made 12 mixtures to leave overnight. After saying goodbye to Klaus, I left to rest in my own room.
It worked! Overnight, my flowers had turned completely turquoise. Sure, some of the shades were different, but it was still possible for me to use them as long as I arranged it correctly. I started making mock sketches for the centerpiece. The blue orchid and ixias were still my main choices. My idea was to create a gradient from white to turquoise using the ixias as it spiralled to the center.
With the centerpiece sketch finalized, I moved on to the bouquet. This time, I picked poppies mixed with white rose. White rose meant purity and I thought it would be appropriate to symbolize the innocent love between the two people.
After completing my sketch, I went ahead and ordered the flowers from Ibuki. The farmer managed to build a greenhouse that allowed him to plant any kind of crops in any given season. It was something that intrigued Reina who declared it as her research subject. The only downside was that the crops grew much slower. With the white roses growing and sketches made, I busied myself with making batches of turquoise water.
In the time I spent working in Klaus' house, I found that Mistel visited the place quite often. He'd go there to remind Klaus to eat by inviting him out to dinner. Other times, he'd go there to complain: about his sister and her weird writing method, about the lack of antiquities in town, and most importantly, about his height.
"I just don't get it! Klaus, you don't even eat and sleep properly yet you're so tall! I always make sure I eat nutritious food, stretch myself whenever I could but nothing's working!" Today, Mistel was in the middle of his rant about height. At first, he was a bit reluctant to complain too much in front of me but once he found out I wasn't judging, he let loose pretty quickly.
Aside from the close proximity of their house, Klaus proved to be a great listener. He'd nod and empathize with Mistel, giving him advice when needed. No wonder Mistel felt comfortable.
"Have you tried drinking milk?" I suggested, joining in the one-sided conversation.
"I've tried it all! Cow milk, goat milk, horse milk, even almond milk! Maybe I'm just doomed to be short."
"Why are you so obsessed with being tall anyway? You're still pretty average. My friends from my hometown are about your height." I recalled Ash and Hiro from the two towns. Though Hiro wanted to be manly like Kana, he never had any problem with his height.
"Well, I bet your friends don't have to live with a tall, fussy older sister. She treats me like a kid because of my height," Mistel crossed his arm and pouted.
"I … don't think your height is the reason why she does it." I tried to say.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. You should try taking naps. I heard that you grow while you sleep."
"Is it really true?" Mistel's eyes lit up at the newfound suggestion. "Curses! All this time, I thought my sister was just trying to make me nap because she sees me as a child. Now I see her in a better light."
"But … how old are you …?" I was almost afraid to ask since age was an important factor regarding the whole nap theory.
"Me? I'm about the same age as Raeger."
"So … in your 20s?"
"Yup. It is precisely why I insist on being treated as a man."
"Then, maybe the height thing …"
I was about to tell him the age that men stopped growing but the young collector seemed very excited about this that I didn't have a heart to tell him otherwise. I glanced at Klaus to see if he had anything to say but the older man just shrugged.
"Maybe I should order a bouquet from you to gift my sister. I bet she'd like that."
"I'll always welcome a business prospect. What's her favorite flower?" I instinctively took out my notebook to jot down information.
"Ah … Iris seems to like any kind of flower bouquet really. Nothing specific."
"I get what you mean. Girls tend to like flowers in general. My sister is like that too. Even the simple wild flowers can get her to a good mood."
"You have a sister too, Kamil? Does she nag a lot, like mine?"
"Not really. She likes to worry though, but since my dad fusses enough for the both of us, my sister had to be the more rational one." I let out a small smile as I remembered the fun time I had growing up. Laney would get angry at Howard for being over dramatic whenever I need to go out.
"I bet your sister looks just like you," that comment suddenly came from Klaus. It was such an … odd sentence that we became silent for a while before Mistel shook his head.
"Klaus, I know you mean well … but that could be misinterpreted on so many levels."
"I-is it? What did I say?"
"It's okay, friend. I guess you just need a girlfriend. Want me to set you up with my sister? You both love being indoors so … I don't see why not."
As the two men continued their conversation; Klaus bent down so that Mistel could wrap his arm around the older man's shoulder. Based on what they told me, Klaus and Iris were classmates who shared the same interest in period fashion; they got close (though Klaus denied the fact that they ever went out). A few years later, Iris was looking for a quiet place to stay to write her novels and Klaus-who was already living here-recommended Oak Tree Town. She brought Mistel along with her and soon the two men became attached like brothers.
Mistel was responsible for collecting most of the vintage paintings that Klaus had put around his house. Their styles and interest did match, after all. It was sort of like having a personal interior design.
"Have you considered being one?" I asked the young man.
"I … had never really thought about it. I mean, I do like decorating houses but it had always been mine or Klaus' … never someone else's house completely," the blond man shuffled his feet anxiously, "Not a lot of people share the same … interest in my passion."
"Then, make them see it. Make an exhibition or something. An auction, a competition, or join some. I'm sure there's bound to be something in other towns."
I proceeded to explain how I used to leave Bluebell on Mondays to join flower arrangement competitions and how my achievements made the other villagers took interest in my job which, later on, began to request flowers from me. If Mistel were to showcase his abilities and style to everyone—excluding the fashion show competition—I was sure people will take notice. At least, out-of-towners would trickle in to find his shop.
"Gee, thanks Kamil. I'll consider doing that." Mistel straightened his back, showing a slight confidence in his pose.
Seeing his countenance improved made me feel … good. Perhaps I was being conceited but I hoped that I managed to spark a small fire in Mistel to achieve something great just like what Howard did to me. Everyone needed that tiny stone to create a rift that would soon overtake the lake or even ocean that we dwell in. When we had someone that believed in ourselves, we could do anything. I mean, look at me now, if Reina hadn't believed in my abilities, I wouldn't even dare to move out of my comfort zone.
I began to understand how important human interaction was. I almost always kept to myself unless that person forced themselves in my life like what happened with Ash and Lillian. Now that I moved here, I was the one that had to take the first step interacting with people. It was harrowing at first; I never knew what to say or how to carry on a conversation. I enjoyed silence. I never knew those "uncomfortable silence" since I could easily put my mind elsewhere and completely ignore whomever I was with, but now …
"You seem happy, did you figure something out for your flower?" Klaus' voice stopped my trained of thoughts. I didn't realize I had been smiling.
"No, it was … something else," I shrugged off his comment. I might have grown more sociable but I wasn't ready to be openly honest about everything. Please, one step at a time. "Anyway, I think I should get back to my work."
Once I had all of the flower supplies in the color that I wanted, Angelo came by to bring his finished vase. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as I was able to work on the centerpiece right away in front of the artist. Although we only met a few times but it always left me with a bitter aftertaste and so I wanted to show off my talent. "A little harmless competition isn't going to hurt anybody", I thought to myself.
"What do you think?" I said, taking a step back to admire my work. I had put the blue orchid at the center, standing tall and elegantly, as it was being surrounded by patches of ixia that created the illusion of a triangular shape from all sides. I put blade leaves to neutralize it from too much turquoise.
"It's great! It compliments my vase design perfectly! I'm honored to be collaborating with you." Angelo, honest with his admiration, was quick to praise me.
"Thanks. I'll send you the payment as soon as I get it from the client." I looked over to him and noticed that he was still carrying another rectangle shaped item. It was covered in white cloth for protection against the weather, I supposed.
Angelo noticed my curious glances and beamed with pride as he explained, "ah, this … is my finished work of your friend, miss Licorice. I'm planning to give this to her once I'm done here, which I think I am!"
Without waiting for my reply, he immediately turned on his heels and left my room. I followed him with an uncomfortable feeling in my chest. I'd seen his draft and his painting was beautiful, naturally, I was extremely curious: of the final result and of Reina's reaction.
"M-maybe you should just leave it at the inn. You don't even know where she is right now."
"Nonsense! My greatest joy will be to see her reaction when she first lays eyes on it. Maybe I'll even score a chance to ask her out." The cheerful man replied, skipping his way through town.
I quickly checked the time, usually Reina would be busy somewhere in the mountain and there was no way this man was going to check the whole place just to find her. All I needed to do was to steer him away from her possible location and—
Alas, as I was thinking on my plan, Reina appeared with Elise from the mansion. The painter didn't notice them at first but his attention was caught by the loud voice that could only belong to the lady farmer. As always, she was boasting about the quality goods she was going to produce from the new fertilizer from Reina.
"Like I said, should you require any financial support on your research, I'll be happy to aid you."
"Thank you Elise. I'm truly indebted to you," came the botanist's reply.
Today she was wearing her summer outfit that showcased a lot of skin. Thankfully, this time she had her sleeves all the way down and knee length socks to cover more of her skin. I would hate it if Angelo got to see what I saw the other day. Still, her new look was enough to trigger the smooth talking artist.
"Is this an angel that I see descending down from heaven?"
"Hmm, another man who acknowledges my beau—" Elise had started saying before Angelo continued with his speech.
"Miss Licorice, truly, your beauty is something that I can never replicate."
"Uh … Angelo was it?" Reina uncomfortably inched away from the two people. I, too, avoided seeing the reaction of the proud farmer since it was incredibly awkward.
"Ooooh, it is an honor to have you remember my name though our meeting was only fleeting."
"I don't think you asking her to pose for hours was anything but 'fleeting', Angelo." I stepped in, honestly annoyed by his honeyed words.
"And let me to show you the result of those sketches I was allowed to make," Angelo completely ignored the sarcasm in my tone and began to open his artwork.
With a bow, he flipped it towards Reina so the botanist could see it clearly. Her face brightened and her eyes glowed at the sight of her painting. She put her hand on her cheek trying to hide her blushing face to no avail.
"I-Is this really … me?" she asked, slightly breathless.
"I could never capture your true beauty but … this is my interpretation of it."
The painting showed Reina with a white gown amongst a green meadow under a blue sky. She was wearing a summer hat, tucking strands of hair behind her ear as she smiled at us. It was as if she was alive. Truly it was a great work of art. Even Elise admitted that Angelo was talented although she began to claim that she was the true beauty. As the two argue, Reina was silently admiring the painting that she was holding in her hand.
Pain began to surface in my chest as I watched her being swept off her feet. Not moments ago I shamelessly flaunted my "talent" to Angelo when he had been the winner all along. No matter how many flowers I had grown, how many bouquets I had designed, I never managed to cause that expression from her. Reina—the woman known for her few expressions—managed to show that kind of face at another man's creation. Clearly, I had lost.
"Do you also like the painting, Cam?" she shyly asked.
"Does it matter?" came my weak reply. "I'm sorry, I still have work to do."
With that, I rushed back to my room to finish the bride's bouquet. However, I was no longer in the right mood to create anything beautiful. I went back to the drawing board in order to find inspiration but all I got was gloomy sketches filled with angular shapes instead of the elegance that the bride had requested. I kept on throwing my rejected sketches until my waste bin was full of crumpled papers. Finally, I was so frustrated at my lack of creativity that I threw my pencil away almost hitting the person by the door.
"Reina? Why are you here?" I didn't intend to sound so harsh and unwelcoming but I was not in a happy state.
'How long had she been there? Did she see how pathetic I was?'
"Hey, I just wanted to check on you. Angelo said that you finished your flower piece?"
'Angelo. That name again.'
I didn't answer her for fear of saying something rude. Instead, I turned around in hopes that it was enough to relay the message that I didn't want her to bother me. Apparently, it didn't work.
"Oh wow, your flowers … they're beautiful."
"Please … don't force yourself."
"No, but it's true. I love it. I can tell that you've worked hard on it."
"It wasn't without your help, though." I continued to sulk.
"But all I did was tell you how to get the color. You were the one with the idea in the first place."
"Yeah, after following the bride's request. She was the one that gave me the—"
SMACK!
"Ouch!?"
I finally turned around after I felt something fly to my head; it was my pencil that was thrown by a very angry looking botanist.
"Stop that wallowing! What is wrong with you? If this is your way of getting compliments, it's seriously pissing me off." Suddenly I felt a sense of déjà vu. "For someone who uprooted himself here, you're so weak! Why do you doubt yourself? Did someone say they hate this? And even if someone did say that, so what?! It's your creation! You're supposed to be proud of it. If you won't, then who will?"
"I …" Once again, I was rendered speechless, unable to defend myself. How could I? When I knew that everything she said was correct.
"You should learn from Angelo. He didn't even flinch when Elise criticized his work and, yeah, he was also unsatisfied with it but at least he proudly showed it to everyone. Why can't you do the same as him, huh?"
"It's … too big … I can't just carry it around," I finally found my voice back.
"Then learn to accept compliments without putting yourself down. What if the one that complimented it was your client? Are you going to make excuses for your own work? Then why do you even do this job? Do you even have any pride in it?"
"Of course I do. I never make anything I'm not proud of but how was I supposed to compete with Angelo's painting?"
Reina stopped herself from shouting and lowered her voice down. "What are you talking about? Why do you need to compete with him?"
"Well I … I …" Come to think of it, there really was no reason to. "I'm not sure …"
"Pfft—" Suddenly, Reina started laughing. Her voice echoed throughout the room, casting all of the gloomy feelings away. "You're so random, Cam."
"A-am I? I mean, you were so taken by his painting that …" I chose not to finish that sentence.
"Can you blame me? How would you react if somebody painted a handsome picture of you?" She wiped her tears that leaked out of the corner of her eyes.
"…. You have a point."
A small silence fell upon our conversation but I managed to let out a sigh of relief. Talking—or shouting—with Reina helped clear my head from all of those unnecessary feelings. She probably also felt relieved as she sat down on my bed.
"I can see where you're coming from. Having a talented man like Angelo appear like that was probably new to you. But, like I said, you can't compare flower arrangement with a painting. They're in a completely different category."
Then, she found the scattered paper on the floor and picked one up. "Are these your sketches?"
I got up and took a seat next to her on the bed so I could peer over her shoulder. "Yep. For the bouquet."
"Hmm …" The botanist looked over my sketches and at my centerpiece, "what if you use the glass blade as a, like, some sort of plate for the flowers to sit on?"
With her suggestion, I started another sketch where I used the blade leaf at the bottom part to create a rounder look that surrounded the poppy. The darker turquoise was placed in the middle as it slowly faded out towards the green leaves. Once we both liked how it looked on paper, it was my turn to make into a reality. My trained hands swiftly wove the flowers and leaves together and in no time the bouquet was done.
"See! I knew you have talent! You should've seen yourself. Your movements were calculated and precise. Just like any other artist in this world."
"You mean Angelo?" I teased.
"I didn't say it." She said, flopping herself on the bed. "But I guess he does have something that you lack."
"What?" I was triggered as I climbed my way back to the bed.
"You can't compliment women." Reina stared at me dead in the eye. Her accusation pierced straight through.
"Hah… I … Well, you just … I mean,"
"It's okay. Everyone has a weakness. Yours is that."
"I've done my share of compliments, I'll have you know!" I could feel my competitive fire was burned once more.
"Then prove it. Compliment me," she continued.
"Y-you? N-now? Here?!"
Suddenly Reina began to imitate the sound of a chicken with her hands flapping about. "Hey, that's uncalled for."
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over your inferiority."
"Fine. I'll just have to compliment you right? I'll do it." As an attempt to silence her, I bend over her with my hands beside her shoulders. I did not realize that our position was quite compromising since I was too focused on trying to make her eat her words.
"Y-your … fair skin … glistens under the … night sky and your eyes … they shone—shine, they shine like the stars in the … night sky and your lips …" I felt a lump on my throat as I pushed those words out of my mouth. My eyes were glued to hers as I frantically searched for a feature that I could comment on and when they focused on her lips, the lump got bigger and harder to swallow.
"Your lips … are like a rose petal that are soft to the touch, swaying against the wind in the …"
"Night sky?" Our faces had been so close that I could feel her breath as she whispered those words. The sudden realization caused me to jump back to a normal sleeping position.
"Now you're just making fun of me," I protested while covering my face to hide my embarrassment. Thankfully Reina didn't seem to mind my lack of decorum and simply chuckled.
"It's a good start though. Maybe you should just look at your ceiling as you practice some more."
I took up that offer and began to let out exaggerated compliments that would only came from novels, some of which I stole from excerpts of Iris' books; My neighbor laughed at all of them of course, all the while adding her own attempts of complimenting one's beauty. We continued our battle until our voices turned groggy and were nothing more than incomprehensible mumbling. I didn't know how long we went on but I remembered sleeping with a lighter heart that night.
AN:
Flower meaning: Rivalry
Okay, on this chapter I managed to describe a little bit of Cam's inner struggle and growth a bit. It's quite a mix. But I'm glad that he gets to interact with Mistel and Klaus even just for a little bit. I kinda feel bad that I haven't been able to write more about the rest of the characters.
I know I described Reina's outfit change but it's basically just like the picture on the cover for this story. It's not canon at all, for sure, but it's a design that I really like from so I'm just going to keep it there.
Anyway, I know my progress is really slow but I hope you guys still enjoy this story! I do plan on finishing this in, at least, the next 3 chapters.
