Though Sylvester had come to Crocus to complete requests and make some money, in his downtime he liked to come to the gardens. It was easy for him to find peace of mind when walking amongst the flowers. The combination of the aromas and the beautiful flora was calming. Although the jobs Sylvester had been taking were not dangerous missions they were tiring. A long, quiet stroll amongst flowers was the ideal reprieve from a slurry of work.

He had come during the evening, when there weren't as many visitors present. The sky was full of stars, each one glittering and twinkling with exquisite beauty. He ambled slowly down pathways lined with beautiful, aromatic blossoms, taking in the sights and the smells. This type of stroll was therapeutic, he thought to himself–if only he had more time to do those types of things. He came to an iron bench and decided to stop and sit for a while, so as to gaze upwards at the stars.

Sylvester sat and stared to the heavens, thinking back to the nights he spent in the loft of his uncle's barn. Even though he was not brought up by the most loving of caretakers, he managed to maintain a positive outlook throughout his time as (more or less) a laborer.  Watching the stars through the hole in the barn's roof played a big part in helping him maintain that positivity. He often times wondered; were his parents up there? Sylvester was not a religious man, and he did not know if there was a heaven or not; but was it perhaps possible that at the same time he was gazing upwards, some being or soul was staring back down at him?

What if that soul was his father's?

The thoughts in Sylvester's head turned deep. He was no stranger to these notions; he experienced them often while sleeping in the loft. He used to cry at night, missing his father, but as time passed and he began to accept that his loss was a reality, the tears would eventually cease.

He began to feel lonely. He had come to Crocus alone, done most of his jobs alone, and lived alone. Being a Fairy Tail wizard, he believed camaraderie was an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and he was starting to miss having friends to talk to. As of now, the only person he could really consider a "friend" (he was really more of an acquaintance) was the innkeeper, Batra, for whom Sylvester had done some work. Batra was a nice man–he offered Sylvester a free dinner once, after a job–but he probably wouldn't be the type of person with whom Sylvester could form a strong bond. After leaving Crocus, he probably wouldn't see or hear much from the innkeeper, anyhow.

Just then, as Sylvester was musing, a shooting star darted across the sky. He would often wish upon these stars, despite his wishes rarely ever coming to fruition.

As he watched the little ball of light dashing through the night, he closed his eyes and wished for some company.

The pace of her saunter was slow, and deliberate. The pathways of the garden were curved and mazed, but were nearly empty, making them much easier to traverse than the busy streets of the capital. The young woman's typical grey eyes had a glint of red-- an indication that she, for once, had gotten a good night's sleep. Her hood, which usually cast a shadow over her face, lay flat against her back instead, allowing her long, ponytailed hair to visibly sway gently with each step. Her visage was bright, devoid of the dark circles that were usually painted beneath her eyes.

The ruby orbs scanned from one plant to another, as each footstep echoed against the pavers that lined the ground. The air was sweet from the nectar of the various types of flowers, but was most saturated with the scent of jasmine, an aroma that reminded her of home. She paused, silence enveloping her entire being. She allowed reminiscent joy fill her lungs, and breathed it out slowly. Memories of late nights with her brother, trudging around, searching desperately for the lair of the ever sneaky garden gnomes... for evidence that they were actually alive. She chuckled softly, at the terror that the ceramic little men had once offered her-- at the stark comparison of how she would react upon seeing one now-- false confidence in how far her phobia had declined. She closed her eyes, picturing every last detail of her family's faces-- somehow, she thought, she wasn't doing them justice. She often thought of writing, but there was little to share. The novels she had composed to them in her first days in Fairy Tail seemed like distant memories now, to which she had yet to find inspiration for a sequel.

Her eyes opened, searching the heavens for some muse that had long been stiffed in her flat reality. A star shot across the sky-- some sign, she hoped, of reassurance. After all, had she kept her eyes closed a moment longer, she would have missed its existence entirely. Perhaps, tonight, fate was in her favor. She let out a quick breath, as she pushed her feet to move again. Her lips curved upwards, even as she walked, the gentle smile a stranger to her normally stoic face.

Her footsteps remained soft, as she continued forward, the sense of contentment lingering with every step. Normally, the thought of her family brought melancholy, but today, it seemed to bring excitement. Her pace became more urgent, and while she wasn't sure what had caused it, Ari let her body move on it's own, only forcing herself to stop, when her gaze landed on someone familiar. She stood there for the briefest of moments, as she scanned the body, on the iron bench, basking in the moonlight. She shook her head. How serendipitous.

Her body moved, stealthily, as she neared the bench from behind. Had the man not stirred from his position, she would close in on him, fingertips cupping over his eyes. She would bend forward so that her lips would hover just above his left ear. "Fancy running into you here~" she cooed.

She had recognized the man instantly as Sylvester Hercules, though she had high doubts that he could afford her the same recognition, with her her hands covering his eyes, and his only clue being her voice. "Guess who?" she cooed again, playfulness saturating her voice, which had always remained expressive, even when her face didn't match. "I'll give you three guesses." she stated, decidedly, "Let me know if you want a hint."

The melancholic thoughts in Sylvester's head were interrupted by the sensation of hands; they cupped around his eyes, meant to block his vision should he open them. The hands were soft, but the touch was somewhat unfamiliar. He jumped a little bit when he felt the first point of contact, but relaxed when he heard the voice that accompanied it.

"Fancy running into you here," it said. This voice, belonging to a female, spoke into his left ear. It had a very playful ring to it, so Sylvester eliminated the idea that this was the voice of an enemy. He struggled to figure out who it belonged to. Her words indicated that she knew who he was. It was most likely a friend, perhaps from his guild or somewhere in Magnolia Town (he hadn't travelled much until this point). But which friend? He couldn't really match the voice to any face he knew.

"Guess who?", the voice cooed. "I'll give you three guesses. Let me know if you want a hint."

Sylvester did not know anything about this voice aside from the fact that it was that of a girl's and that  it had a friendly ring to it. Given these two qualities he still could not place a name on this voice, so he decided to throw the guesses with hopes of getting to the answer. He didn't really care to guess who was speaking; rather, he just wanted to find out.

Hmmm.... Three guesses, huh? Okay. Guess one is my conscience. Are you my conscience?

He would give her a couple seconds to respond. If he was wrong (which he very likely was,) he would fire off the next guess.

Alrighty... maybe Master Cecilia?

The guildmaster was also a female, and she was fun-loving and playful, too. If this guess was wrong (which it probably also was) he would use his last guess. It was also likely to be wrong.

So... as my last guess... I'm gonna go with God. Are you God?

He snickered a little bit as he said the first bit. If it really was God, he would have to think long and hard about realigning his faith.

Can I have a hint? I'm stumped.

Stumped he was. He hoped that whatever the voice would tell him next would reveal its identity. Sylvester, though perplexed, was grateful for the company. It was as though his wish had been granted.

His guesses fired back the same playfulness that her question had posed him. As he returned each guess, she would respond, her voice remaining a gentle coo in his ear-- airy and soft, a chuckle lingering between her words. Each time she denied his probes, she would give a clue, that when subtlety placed together, would lead the young man to the proper conclusion.

"Are you my conscience ?"
"Certainly your conscience knows more about you than I... and we'd be playing a far different guessing game if I were..."

"Maybe Master Cecelia..."
"you're certainly getting warmer, with guessing a Fairy Tail member..." she nodded, despite the fact that the man was unable to see her reaction. The smile that tugged at her lips widened some: she was having fun.

"Are you God?"
The chuckle that lingered in the back of her throat developed into a snicker as he asked this question. She knew the man wasn't serious in any of his guesses, save perhaps the second, and still she had found each more amusing than she should have. Her laugh had been her initial reaction to his question and had appeared to be enough to convince him that he was incorrect, as he quickly fired his request for a clue.

As she let the chortle decompose, so that her voice was steady once again, deciding first to solidify his assumption that she was, in fact, not God.

"Afraid I'm not God... but if you want to worship me like one you can, I certainly won't stop you...." her voice was nothing more than a whisper, soft enough to scarcely be heard, even in the short distance between her lips and his ear. She let the words settle over him for a few seconds, enough to see some physical reaction to her words, but she would speak again before giving him a chance to verbally respond.

"I don't know about that hint now that you've used up all of your three guesses, Sylvie..." she pouted some, emphasizing the nickname that she had inadvertently given him, shortly after they had become acquainted. She had attempted in a morning stupor, before she had adequately been caffinated, to formally greet the young man. His name refused to roll off her tongue and instead became mangled into some Sylvie-sounding concoction of syllables. Somehow, it stuck, and made their relationship sound much more intimate than it was. "Regardless I don't think my identity will be too much of a shock..." she hinted again, subtly this time to her magic.

She would wait only a moment for the man to respond, before she would allow her fingertips to flutter away from his face, and her body to stretch back to a standing position rather than where it had been crouched next to his ear. Ruby orbs anticipated meeting the man's gaze, a pleasant smile remaining etched in an upwards turn of her lips. She tucked her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt, as she looked down to the young man, "It's been a while, Sylvester... how have you been?"

So all of his guesses were wrong. Sylvester figured as much; he hadn't intended for any of them to actually make much sense, save for the second one. The voice's responses to his ridiculous suggestions seemed to give him a better idea as to who it belonged to. The response to his request for a hint seemed to do this as well.

"I don't know about that hint now that you've used up all of your three guesses, Sylvie..."

She emphasized the last word with a playful pout. Sylvie, huh? Only one person from the guild called him that. It was Ari Wattson, a friend who had joined Fairy Tail roughly around the same time he had joined. But was this her?

"Regardless I don't think my identity will be too much of a shock..."

Too much of a shock, huh? He was almost certain in his assumption that this voice belonged to Ari. She was a lightning mage. Perhaps her diction was not meant to be interpreted in that way, but Sylvester had made the connection.

Hmmm.... Wait... I think I know... You're...

Just as the name was on the tip of his tongue the hands lifted from his eyes. He turned around to see just whom he had been expecting.

Ari! Heya! I didn't expect to see you here!

His green eyes met her red; Sylvester's lips formed a bright smile. Ari seemed to be smiling somewhat, too. She looked happier than usual; certainly less tired. Her eyes lacked their usual dark circles. This was rather new. Looking down to Sylvester, she spoke.

"It's been a while, Sylvester... how have you been?"

Oh, me? I've been great. Just came up to do some work. Gotta make some money, you know?

He paused for a second, as his eyes moved towards the ground. He sighed, as the smile slowly left his face.

Although to tell you the truth... I've started to miss being with friends. Your presence was a pleasant surprise!

He smiled again, matching the radiance of the one that adorned his face moments earlier. Hopefully Ari would stay and keep him company for a little while, at least for the rest of his time in the gardens. He was not used to feeling alone like this; since joining Fairy Tail he was usually surrounded by his fellows. That being said, while here, he had spent so much time focusing on his work that he hadn't thought to reach out and introduce himself to anyone. Perhaps his loneliness was a result of his own actions?

Eh. There would be other times to worry about that. He felt happy now, in the presence of good company.

The young man's smile was bright as he looked up to his companion. Her own smile widened a bit more, daring almost to show teeth. It was perhaps as expressive as she got. The man in front of her was her foil, the radiance painting across his face, quickly disappearing and reappearing again as he spoke. She listened intently, as she always did, nodding, though allowing his voice to monopolize the conversation, if only for a moment.

She took the empty space on the bench next to him, without even requesting permission. Perhaps she would have, had the two of them been complete strangers: but they hadn't been. They had history, no matter how brief. "I'm glad the surprise was pleasant. It was one of my own seeing you sitting here-- quite the happy happenstance." she eased into the bench some, allowing her posture to slump towards the back of the wooden slats. "I hear you though... it's been kind of lonely here in Crocus, by myself... Away from Magnolia and the guildhall..."

She cast a sideways glance his direction, ruby orbs searching to meet his emerald ones. "I hope job searching has done you better out here than it has me... I came out here with the same intentions, but have found it hard to get motivated to do so... It's certainly not as easy to be a go-getter when you're going at it solo." she shrugged some, though even as she spoke the upwards slant of her lips remained plastered towards her being.

After a while, she would let her gaze return to the garden around them. "Sylvester..." she started, carefully dictating all three syllables of his name, her tone was etched with a mock seriousness, though the words that followed clearly demonstrated the whimsy in which they were spoken from, "Show me your favorite flower here... and tell me why." She sprung from the bench, and offered an outstretched hand to aid him in joining her, had he so wished to take it, "After all, something special had to have drawn you out here tonight."

Had he joined her in standing, she would let the young man lead her to wherever in the garden that his legs, or gaze, or nose directed them. Had he remained stationed where he was, the young woman would stand idly, in front of man, waiting instead for his lead elsewhere.

Ari had listened to what Sylvester had to say, and then taken the empty space on the bench next to him. Her grin had widened somewhat. She looked happier now than she had ever looked, which made him feel happy. She began to speak;

"I'm glad the surprise was pleasant. It was one of my own seeing you sitting here-- quite the happy happenstance."

To this Sylvester smiled. The comment was nice; it made him feel warm inside, as though her happiness to see him was reflected in his happiness to see her. Of all the guild members he could have run into, Sylvester actually wanted to see Ari the most; he was keen on further establishing a strong rapport with his fellow guildmate. As Ari leaned back, resting somewhat on the bench upon which they now both sat, she spoke again. This time her words were empathetic, relating to the situation in which Sylvester had found himself.

"I hear you though... it's been kind of lonely here in Crocus, by myself... Away from Magnolia and the guildhall..."

Sylvester sighed, and nodded his head in agreement. It was then that he decided to respond to her comment.

You know, it may have been lonely before, but at least we've got eachother now!

He flashed a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up symbol, his gesture intending to be as corny as possible. As Ari glanced his way his eyes met hers, and she spoke to him once more.

"I hope job searching has done you better out here than it has me... I came out here with the same intentions, but have found it hard to get motivated to do so... It's certainly not as easy to be a go-getter when you're going at it solo."

Sylvester agreed; it was not easy doing work alone. He'd only gotten jobs from Batra; he hadn't really dealt with work from anyone else.

With regards to job-searching... It isn't easy to find jobs that one wizard can do alone; especially if that wizard isn't particularly skilled in magic yet.

After a short while had passed, Ari spoke Sylvester's name; her tone was serious, although Syl assumed she wasn't actually being serious. "Show me your favorite flower here... and tell me why." After saying these words, she stood from the bench and outstretched her hand to Sylvester, so as to help him to his feet. "After all, something special had to have drawn you out here tonight."

He gently took her hand; it was soft, and warm. As he rose to his feet, he recalled one of the plants that he came to see every time he visited the gardens. It was a big weeping cherry tree, and it was in bloom around this time of the year. He often liked to sit by the tree and admire its beautiful blossoming flowers. Perhaps he could do this with a friend, this time around.

I don't have a single favorite flower, if you take my meaning. But there is one place I like to visit every time I come here. I'll show you.

If Ari did not relinquish her hand from his, Sylvester would gently lead her through the elaborate maze of pathways to a clearing; in the center, a tall weeping cherry tree stood, illuminated by the bright full moon. A breeze blew, scattering some of the petals from the pink blossoming flowers. They drifted in the direction of the two Fairy Tail wizards.

These flowers, the ones blossoming on the tree, are my favorites. I always feel at peace when I come to admire them; I feel like all the troubles in the world vanish and I can relax, and breathe easily.

The tree, under the light of the stars, looked beautiful.

You know, it might sound cheesy at this point, but I'm glad that for once I could admire the tree with you, Ari.

He glanced at Ari, then glanced upwards at the stars and moon; then he gazed towards the tree. He was thankful for the company. He smiled a happy smile and sighed, letting his shoulders down somewhat.

Well... now that you've asked me, do you have a favorite flower, Ari?

His voice carried a playful, inquisitive tone, now alive with an almost childish energy. What wonders a little company could offer Sylvester.

The man took her hand as he rose from the bench. To the green haired maiden's surprise, he did not relinquish it as he rose, or even as he began walking in the direction towards the collection (she assumed at least that was what it was) of his favorite flower. She trailed behind him a step or two, as he proceeded, her arm outstretched to keep the connection with him. She didn't trust herself to follow his footsteps disconnected: at least not when she was having such bad luck navigating Crocus as a whole. In fact, as she lingered behind him, her grip stiffened, if only ever so slightly, to make sure they didn't separate.

It wasn't until the young man led her to the cherry tree, that she allowed herself to center next to him, allowing her arm to relax-- dangling between them-- naturally. The two were a similar height, and in her slackened position her hand was still able to be cradled in her companion's. Indeed, she hadn't even noticed that the connection remained, as her ruby orbs scanned the pale pink petals that lined both the branches and the breeze. The sight was hypnotic, putting the young woman in a calming trance-- heightened only with the young man's explanation. She nodded, in inherent agreement of the beautiful calming effects of the topiary in front of them. After all, she too felt it...  every impact of the tree that Sylvester described. She let the sweet aroma from the tree fill her lungs with a deep breath, exhaling it with a soft sigh, her gaze fell upon the tree's extremities, and the dancing shadows the moon and stars projected in its twisting branches.

As the young man spoke again, her gaze shifted to his visage. She nodded, as words pressed against her lips, "Well I'm glad you showed it to me Sylvie-- I'm not sure if it's the tree or your company, or the good night's rest that happened upon me last night, but I haven't been this happy in a while..." She untangled her hand from his to sweep back the bangs that fallen into her eyes. The action suddenly yanked her from her hypnotized state. Her hand tingled as its fingertips brushed her own skin, instead of her companion's.

Her entire body stuttered, if only for a second, as she came to a realization of the moment that she had just been consciously thrust upon. Her reaction was subtle-- the quick glances jumping from his face, to each of their hands, and back to the tree, eyes narrowing and widening ever so slightly as they transitioned; fingertips hesitating a moment too long at her forehead before falling back to her side, curled into her palm. "It's crazy that Crocus even has a cherry tree that's blossoming this time of year... Normally that's reserved exclusively for spring... It's crazy what some affluence and power can do-- to change the course of mother nature itself... if only for our contentment." the words were gentle as the danced from the tip of her tongue, the upward curve of her lips a subdued reflection of her companion's smile.

Well... now that you've asked me, do you have a favorite flower, Ari?

Luckily, the man's next question, moved the conversation along-- it's energy was novel in its childlike nature... The young woman could nearly feel the excitement that bubbled out of it. A fingertip pressed to her lip, as she thought for a second. The first thing, that came to her mind was jasmine, just as it had when she first entered the gardens... But it certainly wasn't her favorite. A soft "Hmm..." she began, as she let her body lurch forward with a couple of steps... "I've actually only been to the garden during daylight, but I thought I saw my favorite, when I came here last... Let me see if I can find it." she said, indicating that she had little chance of finding it again, now that the pathway had completely transformed, but taking his question as a challenge.

Steps set out confidently, taking turns and pathways. She led with her left foot, allowing her right arm to trail slightly behind her, fingertips extended as the arm swung gently with each step. Her hand was an open invitation for her companion to grab, had he felt the need to stay close to her in her sporadic turns and navigational decisions-- as she had clung to his.

Regardless of this occupation, she would continue forward, eyes scanning the edges of the pathways, searching desperately for the soft yellow petals she was looking for.

She had been almost certain that she was walking in some sort of circle-- she had passed the same fountain 3 times, despite her certainty that she was taking a different pathway each time. It was upon her third pass, that she was about to give up-- to merely explain the flower to him, when her gaze had landed upon a familiar sight.

She bolted forward-- had her hand been occupied, she would pull the young man with her. Her eyes lit up as she looked between the cascading yellow flowers back to Sylvester's face. "This is it." she beamed, gesturing towards the star-shaped pale yellow petals with her left hand. The blooms were intertwined, each stock proudly displaying six to seven blossoms each. The flower itself was fairly simple, though very pretty, but the clusters of them were astonishing-- particularly as nearly all the other flower blooms around it were shut, sleeping in the moonlight.

"I knew that they were here." she stated, proudly, "These are night gladioluses. They only bloom in the evening... During the day, they're nothing to gawk at... but at night... they're really something else." she looked at the man, for silent approval.

Ari held Sylvester's hand as he led her to the cherry tree; when they stopped, and Syl explained why he liked the blossoms so much, he noticed that she kept her hand in his.

"Well I'm glad you showed it to me Sylvie-- I'm not sure if it's the tree or your company, or the good night's rest that happened upon me last night, but I haven't been this happy in a while..."

Hearing this made Sylvester happy. He was making his friend happy! After all, that's what friends were for, right? There was also the possibility that her happiness came from the good night's sleep that she finally seemed to have received that night. Syl knew very little about her sleeping habits (it was not something that was likely to come up in a normal conversation) but he had assumed that she felt tired often. Generally when he met with Ari in the guild, she looked tired- exhausted, even. He'd made this observation before, but she looked well-rested and at ease now, in the glow of the moonlight.

Sylvester's train of thought was interrupted when Ari displaced her hand from his to brush her hair out of her face. He had almost forgotten that up until that moment it was resting snugly in his own. His hand suddenly felt empty; however, he brushed this feeling aside to further listen to what his friend had to say.

"It's crazy that Crocus even has a cherry tree that's blossoming this time of year... Normally that's reserved exclusively for spring... It's crazy what some affluence and power can do-- to change the course of mother nature itself... if only for our contentment."

That was rather peculiar, wasn't it? It was early January, during the winter months. The flowers should not have been blooming at the time. Perhaps there was a certain magic that kept them flowering year-round? Regardless, they were still a grand object of beauty to Syl.

It was then that Sylvester decided to ask what Ari's favorite flower was. She thought for a second, putting a finger to her lip, before speaking.

"I've actually only been to the garden during daylight, but I thought I saw my favorite, when I came here last... Let me see if I can find it."

She began to walk; leading with her left foot she extended her right hand back so it trailed behind her, as if waiting for Sylvester to take hold of it. He followed her for a few paces, hand empty, as he considered whether or not to hold Ari's. He did not want to seem as though he were coming on to her–after all, he had a significant other at the time (even though she was somewhere far away.) However, he did not want to reject her offer, for fear of being seen as rude. He didn't even know if she was offering to hold his hand or not. She could have been letting it trail behind her subconsciously.

Through all of this thought, Sylvester found himself walking at a slightly slower pace than Ari; when he refocused, he noticed she was getting further away from him. He assumed a quick pace, catching up to her, and held her hand, had it still been trailing behind her. If he got lost in the maze of gardens at night, it would be very difficult to get out. He told himself that he would grip his partner's hand so as to not get lost, assuming she knew the way.

By the fourth or fifth turn, Sylvester was not so confident in his partner's ability to navigate the garden. He swore he had passed the same fountain three times already. When her pace began to slow, Syl spoke.

Um... Ari? Are you sure you know where to go? It looks to me like we've just been walking in circles-

His train of thought was interrupted when the hand he held jolted forward; Ari was now moving at a quick pace towards beautiful blossoming flowers. Her eyes moved from Sylvester's face to the flowers and back when she stopped.

"This is it."

"I knew that they were here."

Did you now? Sylvester interjected teasingly.

"These are night gladioluses. They only bloom in the evening... During the day, they're nothing to gawk at... but at night... they're really something else."

Sylvester turned his gaze from the green-haired girl beside him to the flowers planted in the earth; their petals were a creamy color, and their vibrance was amplified by the flowers that were shut surrounding them. In the bed of flowers in which the Gladioluses were planted, they seemed to resemble a beacon; beautiful colors among those that were faded.

He admired the flowers for a minute; then he felt Ari's gaze on him.

Wow... these are gorgeous. I mean, they really stand out. I think it's kinda special that they only bloom during the nighttime. It sets them apart from all the other plants. In a way, it lets us know that sometimes being different from others... He paused for effect. Makes us seem more beautiful.

It was at this moment that Syl realized he was still holding onto Ari's hand (unless she had shaken him off.) Had she not done anything about it he would remove it rather suddenly. His face turned a slight shade of pink, and he looked away from his friend.

Uh... sorry... about that.

The girl's lips remained fixed in their position, tugging upwards at their edges, as the young man reinforced her own opinions of the flowers gleaming in the moonlight. She nodded some at his statement, "Or handsome..." she cooed, allowing her shoulders to shrug as she mentioned it. It was soon after this shrug that she felt the sudden emptiness of her hand, as the boy's hand slipped away.

This action was quickly followed with an apology. The young woman shook her head in response: some cue for him not to worry much about it. Though the silent suggestion did little to suppress the pink that painted across his cheeks. Of course Ari noticed the man's flushing, as she did with most actions, subtle in nature.

Of course, the girl couldn't resist a chance to give the young man a hard time. Her palm, which had once gripped that of her companion's. She inched nearer to Sylvester, her voice a mere whisper floating gently to his ear. "As you should be... after all, you have a girlfriend, don't you?" she let the words settle over her companion, hovering next to him a moment longer than she needed to, only to make the man feel more uncomfortable.

After a moment, she took a step away from the man, returning her distance to a socially appropriate distance. "I hope things with Lisa are still going well?" she questioned gently, allowing her long fingers to streak through her long green locks, as she spoke. "I take it she isn't here with you in Crocus, based on your statement of missing friends?"

Her words remained directed towards her companion, though she only cast a sideways glance in his direction, as fingertips traced the petals of the night-blooming flowers.

"As you should be... after all, you have a girlfriend, don't you?"

The voice of his companion was soft, almost a whisper, and close to him. Sylvester assumed that Ari was responding to his apology. She had shook her head earlier, implying that he had nothing to be sorry for. She was likely teasing him now, as she liked to do. He feigned guilt when he next spoke.

I do. I'm a horrible person, aren't I? He smirked after the words left his mouth.

"I hope things with Lisa are still going well? I take it she isn't here with you in Crocus, based on your statement of missing friends?"

Those words caused the smirk to slowly disappear from Sylvester's face.

I think things are going well. She isn't in Crocus, though. A couple weeks ago she left Magnolia to do some work somewhere far away. She told me she was going off to Orchidia, or something- but I've been sending her letters there and I haven't gotten any responses.

He had sent a letter out earlier that day, before leaving for the gardens. A thought crossed Sylvester's mind, which he couldn't help but vocalize, as his expression turned sad.

I hope she's at least receiving them.

As his eyes moved from Ari, to the beautiful night gladioluses, to the ground, he sighed. It was getting late, and he thought it would be best if he headed back to his hotel.

It's been fun seeing you, Ari. It's getting kind of late, though. I should probably go.

With that, he left rather quickly. Thoughts and feelings concerning Lisa were forming in his head that he did not want to think about or feel.

[exit]