The day was a bubble that couldn't be popped soon enough, or so it seemed. All Shirayuki wanted to do was to get to the evening, not the very end of the day, and not for frustration with the day. It just felt like so long of a wait, an eternity wrapped up in a day. Come on, come on, come on! And then, finally, the evening comes, and Shirayuki wraps her bundle of pretty herbs and flowers up cleanly and precisely, the same bundle that Ryuu kept asking why it was on her desk and what could she be planning?

It's simple, but it feels too simple. She hasn't been to town in what feels like millennia, her engagement and work kept her so busy, that this was the best she could do. She'd heard belatedly, that Zen had managed to finish up his paperwork early today, and that he'd be waiting in the ballroom for dance practice and lessons that evening, that he'd beat her there.

Sometimes they walked together, and other days, she even beat him there, waiting with only the wall as support, until she could see the beautiful blue of Zen's eyes, sapphires of sort, that always brought a sense of calm along to her. And she twirled the dark purple ribbon, something that she'd asked Kiki to buy for her the other day, passing her just enough money along, though she knows that Kiki isn't broke either. Just Shirayuki can't seem to get out to town, and Kiki had been heading out that day.

She twirled the excess ribbon around her fingers idly, until finally Garack released her with a smile, as if amused to see Shirayuki so fidgety for once. Normally, Shirayuki's filled to the brim with working, like an ever present distraction, but today, she can't even keep her mind on task. But finally, she looks up at the time, pausing when she realizes she'd been let out a half an hour early. Wow.

So, she hurries off to the ballroom, so quickly her ever aching feet don't even seem to hurt or bother her at all, the path has grown so familiar, that Shirayuki's half-convinced that she could find the place in her sleep. She's just grateful that her tired feet don't take up sleepwalking from how often she seems to rely on them now. She'd be right there.

And despite beating their instructor to the room, Zen is standing, leaning against one of the pillars, looking as nervous as a boy on his first date. And Shirayuki's heart warms on instinct upon seeing him. "Zen!"

And it's like a testament to their engagement, that she knows that even if their instructor was here, she wouldn't be scolded for using her fiancée's name without the title so often attached to it.

"Shirayuki?" He smiles, pushing away from the wall, and it's only then that she notices that Zen's hands are balled in little fists, gently, not even angry ones.

"I'm here." And she doesn't know why she says that, because he can definitely tell that much, and her nerves leave her in laughter. She's made it, and doesn't need to be so on edge about time, as she had waited all day just to see Zen again.

"Me too." And Zen grins, and it doesn't matter that they look like fools as they burst into laughter in the middle of an empty ballroom. It's just so nice to laugh!

And it's only after their laughter ends that Zen breaks the approaching silence before it can consume them, "Oh, I have something for you."

"For me?" It doesn't matter that Shirayuki's holding a bouquet for Zen, she still feels surprised that he's thought of her too and brought a gift along.

"Yeah." Zen swallows like nerves have reappeared, "I know we haven't picked the flowers yet or rather you haven't, because you're so much better at things like this, but I, uh, I got something for you."

"You picked the flowers?" Shirayuki guessed, surprised at the thought.

"Ah, no." Zen laughed, "Sorry, that was not what I meant to say. I bought you a gift; you don't have to pick the same flower. I don't really remember what it is, but it's pretty, and it made me think of you." Zen opens both of his closed fists, and Shirayuki watches like it's a flower unfolding.

And in Zen's closed fist was a bracelet, orange like the hairpin that Obi got her once, but despite the little orange gems that made it up, hidden beneath the big, center one was a flower. It was a pretty pink shade, pretty much fully preserved in its submersion in the stone.

"Oh, wow." And Shirayuki's not quite sure what else to say, "Thank you." And she holds out her right arm, and watches as Zen pushes the bracelet on; it fits so nicely. A bit big around her wrist, but not so big that it's in danger of falling off. The gems are cool against her skin, and she looks up at Zen, lacking any words to explain the sheer joy and warmth that fill up her chest to the brink of overflowing and then casually spill over, until she forgets what is overflowing and what is full.

"You're welcome." Zen raises a hand to brush against his neck, a tad nervous, and as he looks at her, admiring the joy surely that must be written all over her, he finally adds on more, "What's that you have?"

Shirayuki looks down at her hands, just to remember the bouquet that suddenly feels like not enough. Zen must have went into town earlier today to buy the bracelet, and all she could manage was to make a simple bouquet of things that she had on hand that were beautiful enough to fit, "A bouquet, for you." She nervously swallows, because all of her anticipation has run dry.

"It's beautiful." And Zen offers both of his hands, so Shirayuki places the small bouquet in them. And he lifts it up to smell it, even though most of it isn't of the floral sort, and Shirayuki almost wants to giggle at the sight of her fiancée sniffing herbs and a few lone flowers.

"I'm sorry that most of them are herbs." Shirayuki tries to apologize.

"No, I love them!" Zen reassures her, "It's okay. They're incredible, and I know you love herbology, and you work with herbs all day. To think that looking at some of them, that you'd think of me, that you'd love me so much. It's amazing. Thank you."

And Shirayuki feels almost lost, like somehow Zen finds more beauty in her gift than anything ever. "You're welcome." And her face is red, because how couldn't it be?

"I love you." Zen whispers to her, holding the bouquet against his heart, two that she loves together; plants and Zen.

"I love you too." And when their dance instructor comes into the room, Shirayuki doesn't feel the pain in her feet as she and Zen dance together, at all.