Back at Bluebell, Kamil's favourite places were the flowerbed or by the river. He loved to just walk by himself and look at the beautiful flowers, or walk along the riverside while listening to the trickling of the water. However, after Lillian's incident, he found himself always by the flowers, and no longer walking by the river. He didn't like the sight of rushing water as much anymore. Instead of calming him down, it made him anxious.
This didn't help at all. He had to learn how to get over it, right? He shouldn't be so affected to the point where one of his favourite past times would make him upset.
Kamil stared out his window the next morning. The sky was clear and blue, the wind was gentle, and the ground sparkled from fresh dew. He didn't sleep very well, as he predicted. He needed to clear his mind. Quickly changing into his usual work clothes and grabbing his signature newsboy cap, he made his way to town. He wanted to try stopping by the river this time.
Kamil didn't see anyone on his way to the piedmont area. He focused on the sound of his steps, his shoes against the ground and dirt, his breath matching the sound of the wind, and the rays of sunlight touching his skin. Then, the sound of rushing water filled his ears. His breath hitched for a moment.
Lillian would always catch him walking by the river as she was foraging in the mountain area. "Here again, Cam?"
"I could say the same to you," he replied.
She laughed lightly, "I'm foraging. And you? Shouldn't you be at the flowerbed?"
"We were just there a couple of days ago, weren't we? I literally work with flowers every single day. Sometimes I need a break from it all. On my days off, I like to take a walk here. It's so peaceful."
"It is," she agreed. "It's surrounded by so much nature... You don't really have to think or worry about anything, huh. Mind if I join you?"
For once in a long time, Kamil felt at peace standing by the water. It was a familiar feeling - like he was at home. He couldn't help but miss it.
Suddenly a voice brought him back to the present. "Good morning, Kamil!"
Kamil turned around, locking eyes with the violet-eyed farmer. "Oh, hey Annie. On your way into town?"
"Yes. Beautiful day, isn't it? What are your plan for today?" she asked politely.
"Me? I was out for a walk when," he paused, wondering what to say, "I started thinking about my old hometown." Oh Goddess, that's not what he wanted to say. Why didn't he just tell her about his regular routine?
Annie tilted her head to the side in curiosity. There was no turning back now.
"I guess I got a little lost in thought," he continued.
"It's surrounded by so much nature..."
"This place is surrounded by so much nature. The path out here reminds me a lot of the mountain back home. It's been a long time since I left home to travel and study my trade. So every now and again, when I'm out in places like this, I can't help but get a little homesick," he answered truthfully.
"Don't we all? It's not your fault," she said as she smiled at him. "You still work hard!"
He never liked expressing himself to others when he was upset. The only people he really showed his vulnerable side to were his close friends back at Bluebell. But, it was something about the situation - the nature, the watercourse, and the person he was with - that reminded him so much of home, and he felt perfectly safe revealing more about himself. Her words only encouraged him to talk more.
"Well, my dream is to win a big flower arrangement tournament someday, after all. To do that, I have to get out and experience new cultures, new styles, new forms of art, everything! So no matter how much I miss it, I can't just run home. I have to keep on working and learning every day."
That's what he told everyone.
"You're right," Annie said.
"It's really not that big of a thing," he added nervously. There was so much more to it.
I have to move on.
"I mean," he began, taking a step to the side, "your dream of becoming a farmer brought you out here too, right?"
Annie simply nodded as she followed and took a step closer to him. Kamil could only hear the sound of rushing water. He couldn't help but be distracted by how Annie was awfully close to the water. He exhaled slowly before saying, "I think you're a lot more amazing than I am, really. Moving out to some country town you've never been before, all by yourself, just to live your dream."
Is that why you're really here? I want to know, Annie...
"And farming isn't easy work. But I never hear you complain at all. You just keep working as hard as you can. That's inspiring." It was like Annie already knew how to work at a farm before she got to Oak Tree Town. Everything came naturally to her.
"Oh, thank you so much! That also means a lot coming from you..." Annie covered her face in embarrassment. Kamil took notice of the blush dusting her cheeks. Where was he going with this again?
"To be honest, I thought you might laugh at me when I said I was homesick. That compliment you gave me was a nice surprise." He sighed, looking at the river. "I've heard some say that it's childish for a grown man to pine for home... But me, I think feeling a longing for home just shows how special of a place it is."
He wondered if his words struck a chord with Annie, but she just replied, "I see... Bluebell must be really special then."
Kamil smiled when she said the name. There was sadness behind his smile. "Yeah, it was a really nice village. I grew up surrounded by so many beautiful flowers. That's how my dream came to be. And my friends and my... my family really supported me in it, too."
I'm going absolutely insane. Who really are you, Annie?
"Is everything okay?" her voice snapped him back to reality.
"Oh, it's because my real family died when I was still little..." he told her, which was true. All of Bluebell knew his story. His parents died when he was young, and their friend, Howard, and his daughter Laney, took him in. There, he made friends and met so many people who are now so, so dear to him.
Kamil's voice came out soft. "Also, I lost someone dear to me."
"Lost?" Annie inquired. She was confused by his wording.
"Ah, sorry, I really rambled on about myself there, didn't I? Don't mind me. I didn't mean to talk your ear off," Kamil quickly replied.
Annie shook her head and smiled at him. She looked down at her toes, playing with the grass with her feet. Kamil, for some reason, felt some relief when she took a few steps back. He followed her.
"I liked learning about you," she said warmly. "Personally, I think it's a little early to suddenly talk about our life stories, but it brings us closer together! This would've been nice if we did this while having some coffee, though."
Their eyes met and they shared a moment of silence before Kamil felt flustered. They both laughed nervously.
"Hey, Annie? Do you think sometime, you might let me hear a little more about you?" This was his chance to find out.
Her reply shocked Kamil, as she tucked a few brown strands of hair behind her ear. The wind pushed her bangs up a bit, revealing the small scar on her forehead. Kamil noticed it the very first day he met her, and also noticed how she would hide it behind her hair or kerchief. His eyes lingered on the scar before meeting with hers.
"Since you were so honest with me and told me your life story... I will do the same."
The corners of her lips twitched slightly, like she was forcing the smile she wore. Her expression made Kamil want to suddenly wrap his arms around her, as if protecting her from the rushing water behind them.
"I don't remember much of my hometown," she said, then her smile finally dropped, and a frown was on her face, "but all I know is that I don't long for it the same way you do."
a/n: tbh i'm just as confused as you are :P
so i threw in another flower event and changed it up a little! i know some people aren't huge fans of that since it's pretty much a copy and paste of the dialogue, but personally i like adding in references and making it flow with my fanfics... hopefully it didn't feel out of place?
