Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! First things first - reviews!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee (Poor Tressa XD At least Eye for Money is useful, if...slightly morally questionable XD) and Guest (Perhaps even "honorable merchants" have their vices, haha! XD) for reviewing!

With that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: Alfyn and Ophilia Travel Banter in Ophilia's Chapter Two

14. Smile

"You can find lots of rare plants and herbs in these lands," Alfyn commented enthusiastically to Ophilia as they and their companions made their way through the town of Saintsbridge. "Especially lion's ear and sweet wormwood - a dash of each makes nearly every salve better." He grinned, adjusting the strap of his satchel. "When I was studyin' to be an apothecary, I sometimes journeyed out here in search of ingredients."

"Is that so?" Ophilia asked, a curious light in her eyes.

Alfyn nodded proudly. Then, his grin widened as he caught sight of a cluster of white blooms, their petals tinged with shades of violet and pink. The apothecary moved closer to them, motioning for the cleric to follow him. "Here, look at this one! White skullcap, they call it. The petals are good for fevers. I grind them with root starch and honey…"

Before he could finish his explanation, however, Ophilia gasped, clasping her hands together as she admired the skullcap flowers. "Oh, it's wonderful!"

"Ain't it?" Alfyn chuckled. "It was one of the first medicines I learned."

Ophilia nodded. "Well, yes, but…I mean, I've never seen such a beautiful flower!"

"Hm…" Alfyn tilted his head slightly, glancing back at the flowers. "I s'pose it is pretty to look at." Suddenly, he was struck by an idea. He leaned forward, carefully plucking one of the skullcap blooms, then he straightened up and held it out to Ophilia. "Here! You can have this one if you like."

The cleric's eyes widened in pure awe as she carefully reached out to accept Alfyn's gift. She held the flower gently, as though it would crumble into dust at any moment. "Why, Alfyn…you are too kind!"

The apothecary laughed sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Shucks…if you like flowers that much, I can pick plenty more for you."

A smile more beautiful than any flower even Alfyn had ever seen then blossomed across Ophilia's face. She delicately tucked the flower behind her ear, then said softly, "I'd like that."

Alfyn found himself blushing as she smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip several beats. Gosh, she's a cute little lady… he thought, offering a sheepish smile of his own.

"I'm glad," he said aloud, trying (and likely not succeeding) to hide how flustered he had just become. "You haven't been too far outside the Frostlands, right, Ophilia? I guess you don't see that many flowers like this that far north, huh?"

She nodded. "You're right, we don't. It's still a beautiful land, of course, but…admittedly, there's not much color to it. It's quite refreshing to journey southward like this and see so much plant life I'd only heard about before!"

Alfyn grinned. "Well, me bein' an apothecary and all, I know plenty about lots of different plants! Just say the word and I'll be happy to show you some real nice lookin' ones - and tell you all there is to know about their medicinal properties, of course!"

"Thank you very much, Alfyn," Ophilia giggled. "Truly, your kindness means a lot to me."

"Shucks, any time! If it helps put a pretty smile on your face, then it's all worth it, trust me."

Now it was Ophilia's turn to blush. "A…a pretty smile?" she asked shyly, subconsciously fiddling with the clasp of the short, white cloak she wore around her shoulders.

"W-Well, of course!" Alfyn stammered, flustered once more. "I-It's just…you know, when you saw that flower, your whole face kinda lit up. You seemed real happy to see it, and…well, um…I like makin' people happy! S-So it'd make me happy to help make you happy some more! You know…?"

For a few moments, Ophilia was completely silent, refusing (or perhaps unable?) to meet his eyes, and Alfyn had to physically restrain himself from slapping himself across the face. What was he doing, acting like a stuttering fool? Sure, Ophilia was cute, but that was hardly any reason to lose his composure completely and start babbling nonsense. At this rate, he wouldn't have been surprised if his sudden, awkward shift in demeanor was starting to creep the poor cleric out.

To his surprise, however, after the initial shock wore off, Ophilia simply began to giggle. Alfyn wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but at the very least, it didn't seem like she was upset at all, so that was certainly a good sign.

"Alfyn," Ophilia managed through her soft (and remarkably cute) laughs, "truly, you are one of the sweetest people I've ever met!" She smiled and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, as though reassuring him. "Once again, I thank you. I would love to learn about all of the flowers and other plants you have to show me."

"G-Glad to hear it," the apothecary replied, relieved. "And…I'm lookin' forward to it!"

Ophilia nodded, her smile never fading. "As am I. Now, come…let us continue exploring the rest of town!"

With that, they stepped away from the patch of flowers and rejoined their other traveling companions. The eight of them swiftly resumed their self-guided tour of Saintsbridge, with the apothecary and the cleric blissfully unaware of the wry, knowing looks many of the other travelers were exchanging behind their backs the whole way through.

I'll see you guys next week for Tale 15: Silence!