A Flower In The Rain

8

Hana knelt down to the wood rotting wooded ground and gently began placing items into the hut in the Community Center...

Ever since her visit to the wizard it felt as though her eyes were re-opened. She began to see the Junimo much more often...

And they always led her here.

"Help~ Help~" They spoke in sprinkled words...she could hear them clearer but some times the words seemed distant. Perhaps she was still getting used to this dormant ability of hers...

Some of the information she had gathered from these spirits is that they enjoyed helping...and asked to be paid with bounty from the land. So she picked a few extra vegetables from the garden and gifted them with it, and they seemed rather pleased with that. It was early morning and the sun was just lighting the sky. She needed to hurry home. As she snuck out quietly, she was soon startled by an unlikely yet familiar visitor...

"Well you're looking awfully suspicious~" a teasing tone startled her as she looked frantically, caught, like a deer in the head lights, by none other than Sebastian.

"Oh...uh...I." she gulped blushing as he snickered.

"Don't worry, I won't snitch~" he teased, "Just invite me next time~" he winked.

That brought just a little bit more color to her cheeks. She didn't really speak too much with many people...and not many peple spoke very much to her either. Some of them were probably still sispicious of a new face in the Valley.

In a small town like Pelican Town, a new face could really alter the community dynamic...

"It's... nothing like that-" she spoke out softly, "The Mayor leaves it open now." she explained.

"Oh...really?" he blinked as he took in a long gaze, absorbing the run down old Community Center, "Huh..." he shrugged and slid his hands into his hoody pocket, "I wonder why...?" as he shifted his gaze back he noticed her small basket full of veggies, flowers and foraged items which peaqued his curiosity as he rose a brow, "Ah ha...s-so ah..." he cleared his throat, "You...come here in early morning to...have a picnic and...eat your breakfast?" he wondered. He was curious, trying to find a logical understanding for this strange new girl...

Not that he would say anything more about it-

After all he knew that he himself could easily be classified as abnormal as well...

"Actually no, I was leaving gifts-" she began to explain before stopping herself.

This caught his attention.

"Leaving Gifts?" Sebastian chuckled, "For who? The rats?"

"Uh...Yeah." she said awkwardly...S-Something like that..." she chuckled and shook her head, taking advantage of this moment to rearrange her story.

"Actually...what I meant to say..was that I was arranging gifts." she explained, "For the Towns people." she smiled, "By the way...it was you, right?" she questioned softly, "Who found me and brought me to the hospital?" she hummed, "...The Dorctor told me. You and your sister?"

"O-Oh...that." Sebastian said softly blinked a few times as he ran a hand through his hair, "Ahh...yeah well...you were just kind of sprawled at the door step of this old rotting building." he stated, "My sister and I were walking by...and just happened to find you like that...that's all." he shrugged, "Kinda had us a little concerned...I always come by here now...just to make sure you're not taking a nap in the rai or something." he chuckled.

...Well that explained while he was here now...

So he comes by here every day now...just to see if I'm here passed out somewhere?

She smiled as she handed him a Parsnip.

"My crops came in." she said softly, "So I figured I would share some." she stated, "Sometimes...I just have a really hard time... adjusting." she stated, "Trying to talk to people...it's hard, you know?" she shrugged, "I figured this would be as good a place as any to collect myself...in privacy and undisturbed." she hummed, "I like it here." she chuckled, "It's...peaceful...in a weird way I guess..."

"Huh... You don't say..." he stated as he examined the vegetable in his hand. He stared at it a while, as though trying to collect and gather all the information she had given him...finding it to be a plausible solution, he seemed to buy it and smiled.

"I can get behind that." he chuckled. He was a man of few words, but his body language and tone showed understanding on where she stood, "Whatever way you choose to live is on you."

She shrugged and chuckles softly.

"So what about you then?" she wondered, "Aren't you up rather early?"

"Heh...more like, I'm up still." he shrugged, "Anyway...it's...nice of you to be willing to share some of your produce with the town." he smiled, "I'm certain the Towns people will appreciate it too." he smiled and raised his hand that held the Parsnip she had handed him, "...Thank you." he said softly with a softer smile that caught her off guard, " I really like these." he said to her, "Later." he waved as he graciously accepted his gift and continued traveling down his path. It seemed he was merely just passing by as she wandered out, so it was a matter of timing...

Good or bad timing? She couldn't tell. But that smile he gave her...remained fresh in her memory...even when she closed her eyes.

"Thank you...!" she called to him. He stopped a moment and looked back at her. A soft smile affirmed his acknowledgement, and he was off with a wave farewell.

To Be Continued