Green Roses – Represents harmony, peace and tranquility. Also symbolizes best wishes for a prosperous life and good luck. The green shows a sense of balance and stability to the mind.
Someone help. Someone, anyone please help. For the love of Etro someone stop this unbearable pain.
Gone. They were gone. The reason for her being, the reason she woke up every single damn day. All of it was ripped out of her hands mercilessly within a blink of an eye. In a mere ten seconds she was abandoned, left to fend for herself as she stared at the lifeless eyes in front of her. In five seconds? She lost her control. And in two seconds? Her sanity shattered. Burning tears flooded from her eyes, racing down her pale complexion and pitter pattered onto the white sheet that was gripped in her slender fingers. From head to toe her body shook. A hand was wrenched away from the blanket to clasp over the girls mouth as the insistent sobs were surfacing. She bit her lower lip to cage in the wails that were sure to come. The moment her anguished hiccup sounded the metallic aroma of the crimson fluid spread through her mouth. As her teeth continued to clamp onto the fresh wound on her lip her legs went limp and her body numb. She fell to her knees hunching over, her other hand now clutched the fabric of her of her black t-shirt over her chest. The pure agony deprived her of four out of five of her senses. She could only hear the endless, sharp, one toned sound vibrate against her ear drums. The constant 'beeeeeeeeep' reminding her that the situation she was in was all too real.
"Claire…?" At the soft voice she looked up immediately, the two nearly identical colored eyes, albeit one was a darker shade of blue, connected.
"S-Serah…" Claire's voice crackled inaudibly, staring at her younger sister who was still in her school uniform. The smell of disinfectant bombarded the air as she took in the happenings in front of her. The flat line on the monitor, the broken state her sister was in and the sorry looks pasted on the passing nurses faces. When the realization seeped into her mind she let out a shaky breath.
"No…Claire…no. Please! Please don't tell me…!" Her desperate voice resonated through the air. She began to tremble while she took frantic steps towards her fallen sister. Serah bent down and lifted Claire's head to look at her once again. "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me this isn't happening! This is all a sick, twisted prank isn't it Claire? Isn't it?! Claire!" The two mimicked each other's hurting expression before Serah buried her face under her sister's head and wept relentlessly. Through her blurred vision she stroke Serah's hair comfortingly, sniffling every now and then.
"I'm sorry Serah. I'm so, so sorry." Claire continued to recite apologies in low whispers. She knew exactly what she was apologizing for. She wanted to apologize to her father for not being able to take care of her mother. She wanted to apologize to Serah for letting her experience this pain. She wanted to apologize to her mother for being so weak. For minutes on end they sat on the cold tiled floor in each other's arm, clinging onto one another as if it was for dear life, because now they knew that they only had each other left in the world.
Life was hard, unforgiving and brutal, Claire Farron knew. To win in this world she would have to be equally tough, clever and strong. With her being only seventeen and Serah being only thirteen getting by was going to be hard. When it came down to it, Claire decided that she would be the one who worked, meaning that she would have to drop out of high school despite only being a year shy from graduating. It was for the best, Serah didn't think so, but Claire did and what Claire said usually goes. The middle schooler offered to work as well, even if it was only part time, but this notion was quickly shot down by the high school dropout. Claire swore at her mother's grave on that rainy day that she would do anything and everything in her power to give Serah a happy life. To be able to see the carefree smile on her face was all that Claire wanted. To see Serah grow up into a bright, beautiful and mature woman was all she could hope for. She didn't care about what would happen to herself, so long as Serah was okay. Months rolled by as Claire scoured the city, looking for a good paying job. Her first instinct was to join the military, unfortunately they quickly shooed her away and told her to come back when she was at least eighteen. The Farron's family saving's was running dangerously low. All of Claire's hard work had almost all been in vain, but one day it seemed the Goddess looked kindly down on her. During her distraught journey to find a job she bumped into and spilt her water on a certain Oerba Yun Fang all in one go.
"What the hell?! Watch where yer going!" The intimidating woman bellowed, wringing out the excess water of her damp black tank top. Claire looked at the woman with wide, fearful eyes. Not fear of the woman herself of course, but the fear of her asking for money as compensation, which she really didn't have. Fang stood straight and proud then continued to glare down at the younger girl who so rudely soaked her to the bone. The corners of Fang's mouth quirked up slightly as she her near emerald eyes met icy azure ones. Impressed that the younger one didn't cower in fear as most men and women would, she leaned down slightly to the offender; analyzing her. The young girl had slate pink hair, with slightly spiked bangs off to the side while the rest of her lengthy hair was brushed down her left shoulder. Girl's got quite a face. If she worked for me I could get a pretty penny or two out of this. Fang thought bashfully. "Hey kid, where's my apology?" It's not every day that Fang would run into someone as interesting as this. She laughed to herself when the pinkette sucked her cheeks in and clenched the hem of her shirt.
"Sorry." Claire spoke monotonously, before side stepping around the older woman. She began to walk swiftly forward, avoiding any further eye contact or conversation. Claire's heart thumped in her chest, hoping that the lady would just let her go on her merry way.
"Hey pinky wait a minute will ya?" 'Pinky' was a bit confused as to why the woman's voice sounded so close until she turned around to be met with her face four inches from her own. Instinctively she stepped back, restoring a comfortable distance between them. "You looking for a job Pinky?"
"How did you kn-?"
"The resumes in your hand!" The stranger grinned fully, motioning towards the bundle of papers in Claire's hand.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
"Well Pinky? How about it?" Fang prompted the girl, tilting her slightly, never losing her smile. She waited patiently for the now mute girl.
"What's the job?"
"Barista."
"How much is the pay?"
"Eleven dollars an hour, not including tip."
"Full time?"
"If that's what ya want."
"Where?"
"Take a left once you reach the corner of this street then take the first right at the intersection."
"You're not joking are you?"
"Nooooope!"
"When can I start?"
"Right now. The name's Fang by the way." The said woman raised her hand towards her new employee.
"Claire. Nice to meet you." She grasped this Fang woman's hand and gave it a subtle shake.
Later that night on her way home she couldn't help but smile at her new found job. The drinks were simple and easy to make, she just needed to remember the recipe for each by heart, which in her case was a possible feat. She worked out the math in her head and thankfully she would make enough to get by and this was not including tip. She rushed home quickly to share the news with Serah. After the two sisters celebrated this little victory Serah had gone to Claire's room to sleep. Even though months have passed it seems as though the hollow void still remains unfilled at their recent loss. Every night after the funeral Serah would come knocking on Claire's bedroom door in the middle of the night seeking her sister's comfort; unable to sleep alone due to the unconscious fear of being deserted. It had been so often that Serah would appear at her older sister's door it quickly became a sub routine of their daily lives. Along those lines whenever the clock struck two AM Claire would abruptly wake up in a cold sweat as the lingering images of her passed on, sickly mother haunted her nights. Following this frequent occurrence Claire would noiselessly slide out of bed and tip toe into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She would sit at the edge of the bath tub and rub her eyes tiredly. The chill of the night air was second nature to her as her figure hunched over, head resting on her palms. From the bathroom window the pasty moon always peered down on her exhausted form; reflecting on her dull eyes. A deep pang of guilt, sadness and frustration always resided in her heart. All of her bottled up emotions would spill onto the canvas of her thoughts and at night, only when she was alone would she reveal her true vulnerable state. She couldn't be weak. She had to be strong for Serah. She had volunteered to be the keeper of this burden and so she would never again let Serah see her defenseless. She leaned back on the bathroom wall and stared at the bright orb in the starry sky. Every night, as she looked up solemnly, tears would never fail to escape her dim eyes. She never complained nor did she ever think about her own needs. The one known as Claire Farron would be fine outwardly, but her humanity would slowly shrivel up and die inside. This was the way things were; she would wake up, work and at night her silent cries would become deafening, only to those who noticed though.
As time passed on Serah began to notice things, things surrounding her sister. She would notice the haggard hue to her skin. She would notice the lethargic movements as her sister cook, but most importantly she would notice the vacant expression in her eyes. To say Serah was worried didn't even scratch the surface. Melancholy struck her heart as her worst fears had come true. She had lost her sister. Sure Claire was here physically, but where was she. Where was the independent, caring and determined sister she once had?
"Can I have one peppermint mocha, medium?"
"Coming right up, Sir. $3.50 please." Claire smiled as genuinely as she could to the customer, but her body was just so damn tired. Her eyes stung, begging for rest while her legs cramped up as she added the topping to the drink. Her mind screamed for her to sit down.
"Heya Sunshine? Take a break after you finish that drink. I'll tag in for you."
"I'm fine Fang, I can still work."
"The burn marks on your hands say otherwise. Take a break Sunshine, it'll do you some good."
"Yes'm."
Claire took off her visor and apron and let down her ponytail. Seeing as there were no ordering customers she decided to sit at an unoccupied table. She laid her head down on her crossed arms on the round table and closed her eyes, to which her body thanked her. Her closed eyes became half lidded as she felt foreign eyes on her. Not lifting her head her eyes gazed up to find the source of this feeling. Lazily, she saw a pair of cobalt eyes meet hers briefly before they turned away, embarrassed that they were caught. She smirked to herself and nestled her head into her arms again. Five minutes, I'm just going to rest my eyes for five minutes.
"Yoohoo, Sunshine. It's closing time." The drowsy girl felt a finger prod her cheek none too gently. She swatted the hand away before glaring up at the perpetrator. Fang only chuckled at her grumpy little employee. "It's closing time, Claire." She reiterated. This time Claire's form shot up and looked at the wall mounted clock. Shit.
"Crap. Sorry Fang, I'll work you're shift tomorrow to make it up to you. I-I just meant to rest for five minutes. Shit. Sorry." She kept apologizing until Fang clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Chill out Sunshine." Fang took a step back and released the pinkette's mouth once she calmed down. She shook her head meaning well and a light smile graced her face. She spoke with a little disbelief in her voice. "I don't know how you do it Sunshine. You can still make me money even when you're out cold. Must be you're precious sleeping face."
"What?" She deadpanned.
"You usually bring in customers, all of them hoping to woo you. Have you seriously not realized?" Fang saw Claire's blank face before erupting in a boisterous laughter. "You have got to be kidding me. Well either way, some guy bought like six drinks today and gave you a hundred dollar tip while you were sleeping. I'm pretty sure he said 'She's a hard worker, she deserves it.' I swear he's smitten with you."
"Wait… a hundred dollar tip?! Who was it?" She stood mouth agape. Who would give her so much money as a tip? She didn't even serve him the drink.
"Uh… Tall dark and handsome, usually wearing black… Oh! His black hair was spiky in the back and he had dark blue eyes. I'm pretty sure he's here every day… to see you." Fang added unnecessarily, sending her a sly smirk.
"Hmph, I doubt it." She tried to shrug off the last part to her boss' description, although the red that dusted across her cheeks didn't help her case.
"Come on its late. You should head home." She patted the head of the blushing teenager in front of her. "Oh and tomorrow do you think you can close up shop? I need to leave a bit early to pick up my cousin from the airport. Get a good night's rest."
"Sure."
Claire never paid it much attention before until Fang mentioned it, but the mystery man did drop by the shop a lot. Peppermint mocha, that's what he always ordered. If she recalled correctly, the man might have introduced himself, but knowing her, she was too tired to retain any of that conversation, which would explain as to why she hadn't recalled knowing him until tonight.
"White hot chocolate, small and a caramel macchiato, small."
"Sure thing. $8.65." She tried to get some sleep. She really did. She even got into bed a bit early, but every single night the nightmares would come. She lost her dad and her mom. Losing Serah was the last thing she wanted. There was a bittersweet taste in her mouth because she knew Serah would move away to go off to university. Serah would find a boyfriend, get a good career and start a family. Claire didn't want her sister to abandon her, but it was only a matter of time. The last thing that kept her going would leave her behind. Then she would be alone, no one to look after and no one to look after her. She was scared. Nevertheless, Serah never found out about her nightly routine and Claire wanted to keep it that way. Oh Etro, I'm such a hypocrite. I don't want to lose her, but I don't want to hold her back. I'll miss her, but she's growing up and has to walk on her own two feet. Dear Etro, I don't care what happens to me, just please keep Serah safe.
"Excuse me?"
"…Hm?... Oh, sorry! How can I help you?" Snapping out of her trance, she quickly greeted the next customer. When she saw who it was she froze instinctively. Her eyes widened slightly as she breathed out a detectable whisper. "Peppermint mocha man."
"Peppermint mocha man? Haha, well I guess you're right." He smiled cutely while scratching the back of his head, flustered at the nickname. Claire didn't speak as yet another blush crept onto her face.
"I-No, I- I didn't mean it like that. It's just that..."
"Don't worry, no offense taken, if it's coming from you I wouldn't mind being called that." Both of them stood in silence as they both absorbed what he had just said in. Only this time it was the man who blabbered foolishly. "Wait! That didn't come out right. I-It's not what you think. I'm not trying to flirt with you or anything. Shit, well I am but, I didn't want to say it like that. I'm not used to this kind of junk a-an-"In the midst of his jibber jabber his ears perked up as he heard a giggle. Amazed, he stood there listening to her, a silly grin on his face. "Finally I get a real smile out of you, it only took how many visits and how much money spent here?" He snickered to himself. "Well, it was worth it though."
"One peppermint mocha coming right up."
Claire sighed to herself as she cleaned up the last bit of coffee off the tables. She stretched out her aching back, fatigue coursing through her body. Four hours of sleep a day, every day was not doing it for her. Thinking back to the pseudo stranger she couldn't help but smile when she remembered his reddened face. It reminded her of an eleven year old talking to their crush for the first time. After handing him his drink he bid her a good day. Claire supposed she was kind of disappointed, seeing as how she forgot to ask for his name, but there was always tomorrow, she guessed. Returning back to the task at hand she began to feel light headed. Yup, four hours was definitely not enough. She swayed forward and knocked a chair or two off of the table accidentally as she used her arms to lean on the table, keeping herself up. She pressed her hand to her forehead feeling the temperature of it rise. Not taking any chances she decided to sit on the floor for a bit to regain her wits. Just as she sat down the door flew open. Alarmed, she looked up and began to speak "Sorry, but we're clos-…what are you doing here?" She eyed the peppermint mocha man, who was panting harshly, questioningly. Between gasps he ushered out ragged words.
"I…I heard…uh… I heard crashes coming from… inside the café. I thought… you got hurt." Still shocked, she replied dumbly.
"No, I'm fine. The chairs were knocked over." He grinned charmingly back to her, composing himself.
"Yeah, clearly. Are you sure you're okay? You look tired."
"Just taking a breather, stranger." The man went to sit next to Claire, causing her to stiffen a little.
"Noctis, my name is Noctis and judging by your name tag you're Claire." Too tired to speak she hummed in confirmation. She had to admit, the warmth Noctis emitted felt nice, soothing even. Naturally, she began to lean onto his shoulder as the drowsiness took over and soon she found that his heat lulled her to sleep.
Claire awoke to the scent of lemon. Confused, she peeked through one eye to find the cause. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief when she looked around. There room was freaking spotless, from the floor to the counters, you name it. She adjusted her sitting posture only to feel some weight on her front. A black suit jacket was draped over her. Just beside her on the floor was a bouquet of green roses. What the…? Curiously she grabbed the note attached to the bundle.
You're so amazing; you work hard every day even when you're tired. You know, green is supposed to have a calming and balancing effect on the mind, so I hope this makes you feel better. I wanted to give these to you as a way to say good luck and best wishes in everything you do.
P.S It took you long enough to notice me):
P.P.S I may or may not have a small crush on you.
The sound of Noctis clearing his throat caught Claire's attention. She looked up to where he was standing only for her mouth to go dry. He was wearing a black long sleeve button up with the first two undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Wow.
"So I guess you read it huh?" His face blossomed in a gorgeous red once again as his looked at the floor in front of her, looking up to meet her eyes every ten seconds or so. Claire bit her lip to hold back a grin. An embarrass Noctis is an adorable Noctis and Claire was sure she would never get tired of seeing it.
"You better believe it."
"So… what do you say?" With all the tiredness gone, thanks to her little nap she actually felt giddy for once; something she hadn't felt in months.
"Want to grab a bite to eat?" Noctis sighed in relief.
"Absolutely."
