MARCH UPDATE

446 height

she looks like, if you bit her, honey and milk would flow from her

awards

2,003 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @luka

POSTED ON May 7, 2022 8:20:07 GMT

Remiel Calcifet likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","siege"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]
The crystalbloom phenomenon is old news by now, but that doesn't make it any less fascinating. Luka still has the specimen Remiel Calcifet had brought her sitting on her desk, encased in resin to immortalize the gift. But as sweetly romantic as the gesture was, it's not quite the same as seeing them for herself.[break][break]

Curiosity and mystery drives her in equal measure; the blooms are interesting in more ways than one. Luka is no scientist, but even she she can tell that there must be some correlation between the glowing blossoms and the so-called Illumina Phenomenon found in certain babies that have hatched this season.[break][break]

And so she's brought her hatchling Eevee to Petalburg Woods, where they're sure to find some of the crystalized blooms amongst the petals of budding wildflowers and dazzling Gracedias.[break][break]

( Perhaps she's here to check on her own plot as well...two birds, one stone! )

[break][break]

There's the chance that something science-y might occur, which is very exciting. Or perhaps nothing will happen. Either way, her Eevee is enjoying a romp through the woods, which is all that really matters. A star-tipped tail glows faintly as it bobs and weaves through the underbrush, but comes to an abrupt stop at another woman's feet. Boundaries go ignored as Eevee nudges her little face against the nearest leg, shamelessly begging for pets while Luka hurries to pry her away from the stranger.[break][break]

"Ah— I'm sorry! Come back here..." Lithe arms extend to scoop up the wiggling baby, who yips happily and bats her paws in the air. "Ehe...sorry, again! She's a little too young for proper manners..."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

[newclass=.siege] width:450px; margin:0px auto; background:#222; position:relative; color:#000; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege] --accent:#ffd5da; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege:hover .top] border-left:450px solid var(--accent); height:10px; transition:1s all; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .top] border-left:0px solid #222; height:10px; transition:1s all; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .main] font:11px 'roboto'; margin:20px 30px 30px 30px; text-align:justify; color:#bbb; background:rgba(0,0,0,0.2); padding:25px; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom] background:var(--accent); min-height:135px; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .avatar] width:90px; float:left; margin:20px; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .name b] color:rgba(224,0,0,0.4) [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .name] font:48px 'Poppins'; line-height:50px; letter-spacing:-3px; padding-top:10px; text-align:center;[/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .subtxt] background:rgba(0,0,0,0.3); padding:2px 0px; font:bold 8px 'roboto'; color:#fff; margin-left:100px; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:right; padding-right:10px; letter-spacing:3px; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .pkmn] margin-left:140px; margin-top:-10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .pkmn img] margin-left:-10px; filter:grayscale(100%); transition:0.5s all; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .bottom .pkmn img:hover] filter:none; transition:0.5s all; [/newclass] [newclass=.siege .credit] font:bold 11px poppins; text-transform:uppercase; position:absolute; transform:rotate(90deg); right:-40px; top:20px; background:var(--accent); padding:0px 10px; color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);[/newclass]

[googlefont=Roboto|Roboto+Mono|Montserrat|Robot+Mono|Poppins]

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON May 7, 2022 9:32:14 GMT

[attr=class,elisafont]
[googlefont=Meddon]

La Vie en Rose

[break][break]

[break]

Clover (♂) Leaf Guard: TACKLE, GROWL, SOLAR BLADE, SAND ATTACK, CURSE, RAZOR LEAF

Walking through Petalburg Woods had become as routine to Elisabeth as breathing. Being outside cleared her head, the scents of nature and the surrounding wildlife a welcome distraction from her work, both civilian and Rocket alike.

"Slow down, Clover," she said patiently to her Leafeon, who bounded ahead with gleeful abandon, ignoring her completely. The florist shook her head, mildly bemused at his endless store of energy, and followed him into the nearby clearing. As dappled rays of sunlight cut through the canopy of trees, she shielded her eyes for a moment, looking back up to see where Clover had gone.

A pawing at her legs drew her attention first, however.

What met Elisabeth's lowered gaze, to her surprise, was not her Leafeon's insistent mewling at all. Instead, a different Pokemon entirely looked up at her with sparkling eyes. The blonde's footsteps stopped, eyebrows lifted as she leaned down to see a small Eevee shamelessly looking for her attention. "Oh. Hello, there?"

Her brow furrowed. For all her time spent in these woods, this was Elisabeth's first time finding such a rare Pokemon here. Unlikely that the Pokemon was wild, then. Had someone lost this little one?

And speaking of, where was her own mischievous Leafeon hiding?

The question lasted only a second as a pink-haired woman rushed forward with apologies, pulling back the curious Normal-type. Elisabeth laughed gently, shaking her head.

"It is no bother. I am attempting to teach some manners to a few of my Pokemon, myself."

As if on cue, Clover came bumbling back from the undergrowth, rubbing against the stranger's legs before beaming back up at his mistress with a swish of his tail.

"You see?" the florist said, releasing a long-suffering sigh. "This is Clover, Clover meet... I am sorry, I don't think I learned your name?"

A hand was extended, followed by a brief introduction: "I am Elisabeth. I run a little flower shop just outside these woods. A pleasure to meet you."

[break]

[break]

[newclass=".elisafont b"]color: #7bb661;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

fish

sleeping beauty

she/her

July 15

lumiose city, kalos

bisexual

public relations

rising star

446 height

she looks like, if you bit her, honey and milk would flow from her

awards

2,003 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @luka

POSTED ON May 22, 2022 6:20:31 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","siege"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]
Roseate bangs fall in her face as she bends, still struggling with her Eevee before finally righting herself. The little trouble maker seems more than happy to play a perfect angel as soon as it’s convenient for her, tiny paws batting at Luka’s face and pushing some of her hair out of her eyes.[break][break]

It allows her to get a proper look at the stranger before her. And for a moment, she’s spellbound.[break][break]

Never has she seen someone more at home amidst a thousand flowers.[break][break]

“Eh? Ah...oh!” Soap-bubble laughter floats from her lips as she regains her composure. It’s a feat made more difficult as her Eevee begins to squirm again, tail wagging at the sight of one of her kin.[break][break]

“They can really be a handful, can’t they? But they’re so cute that it makes up for it…this one’ll end up spoiled rotten if I’m not careful.” Gleeful yips seem to agree, and in the midst of trying to calm her again, Luka nearly forgets her manners.[break][break]

“Oh...er! R-right, sorry! My name is Luka.” She shifts her weight so she can hold her Pokemon under one arm and shake the extended hand, palms soft and carrying the faintest scent of strawberries.[break][break]

“But a flower shop...gosh, that’s exciting! It suits you. And I’ve seen it, I think. F- erm...f-florence’s floristry, or something? It looks so cute from the outside! I’ve always been meaning to check it out...”[break][break]

In the midst of idle chatter her Eevee breaks free and immediately bounds over to Clover, weaving in between the Leafeon’s legs and sticking a luminescent tail right in his face.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON May 22, 2022 6:42:01 GMT

[attr=class,elisafont]
[googlefont=Meddon]

La Vie en Rose

[break][break]

[break]

"Then it is lovely to meet you, Luka." Where Luka's palms smelled of strawberries, the fragrance of lily-of-the-valley and rosewater wafted from her own. Gardening could be taxing on the skin, but vanity had driven Elisabeth to create a strict regimen to ensure her hands kept their softness -- if only for her own benefit, and no one else's.

A touch amused at the difficulty that her companion had in placing the name of her little shop, Elisabeth decided to put her out of her misery: "I would enjoy showing you Fiorelli Floristry." Her lilting accent betrayed the truth of her next statement even as she spoke it aloud: "Mine is an unusual surname for Hoenn, I'll grant you. I hail from Kalos."

Not that she minded the anonymity of being a stranger in Hoenn. In many ways, Elisabeth preferred it.

The pink-haired young woman's kind compliments regarding the suitability of her work elicited the faintest of smiles from the florist. "I have a deep, abiding fondness of flowers and plant life. I am fortunate enough to live close enough to these woods that I can enjoy the wildflowers as much as my own carefully curated plots."

The mention of wildflowers drew her gaze towards the glittering petals of the peculiar 'crystablooms' that had blossomed as of late. Clover had already begun sniffing at one, pawing curiously at the blossoms so that they swayed unsteadily on their stems.

Elisabeth let out a soft, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. "Speaking of. I don't think my Leafeon has learned anything from me regarding how to treat flowers. Believe me, it is not for lack of trying." A click of her tongue attracted the Pokemon's attention, followed by a disapproving look that shamed him into returning by her side.

[break]

[break]

[newclass=".elisafont b"]color: #7bb661;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

fish

sleeping beauty

she/her

July 15

lumiose city, kalos

bisexual

public relations

rising star

446 height

she looks like, if you bit her, honey and milk would flow from her

awards

2,003 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @luka

POSTED ON May 25, 2022 7:12:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","siege"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Kalos.[break][break]

Fresh croissants and cobbled streets, the romance of wandering Lumiose under honey-gold streetlights. Perhaps it's no longer home, but it's still home, the birthplace and gravesite of so many memories, cobbled puzzle pieces that still fit behind her ribs.[break][break] Luka is thrilled to meet someone else from the region. She beams, eyes sparkling in obvious delight.[break][break]

"I could tell! I thought it might be weird to say, but...I mean, i-it's the accent, and your dialect...from the south-west, I think? Ah, n-not to be creepy about it! I just have, erm, a bit of a fascination with linguistics and...gosh, sorry! I don't mean to prattle on..." Luka snaps her mouth shut very quickly. The tips of her ears burn.[break][break]

She suddenly feels very silly— childish before someone who seems far more put together. Excitement crawls right beneath the skin, but she holds it back and becomes a pair of ears instead, nodding along and offering a smile when appropriate. Though she can't help a huff of laughter at the Leafeon's antics and his trainer's exasperation.[break][break]

"It really is lovely out here," she agrees with a deliberate slowness. "First the Gracedias in spring, and now the crystal, erm...w-well, you know. "I thought, um..." Luka crouches next to her own Eevee, lithe fingers weaving through the fur at her ruff. It sparkles faintly under the light— how very Edward Cullen of her.[break][break]

"It's hard to see during the day, but she's glowing too. Illumi...na, or something, I think it's called. And when I heard about these flowers, I thought the two might be related somehow..."[break][break]

The tips of her fingers graze a sparkling petal with the delicacy of one handling newly blown glass. "But I'm no scientist, so I'm not sure. What do you think, if you don't mind me asking?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON May 25, 2022 14:48:25 GMT

[attr=class,elisafont]
[googlefont=Meddon]

La Vie en Rose

[break][break]

[break]

"You are quite right, as it happens. The countryside outside Camphrier Town to be exact."

Her own memories of the region remained bittersweet. The taste of the Kalosian wines that her father so prided himself in lingered on her tongue, the sun-dappled petals of her mother's rose garden glimmered in her memory, the solace that could be found in narrow and winding cobblestone streets whispered in her mind.

And pressing against the edges of those distant memories, a confined darkness that smothered all her joy in years of sorrow that she could not quite name.

All this passed in but a moment -- a clouding of her gaze, a faint frown of reminder -- before the crease in Elisabeth's brow smoothed and a polite smile returned to her lips. The past decade had taught her how to cloak such unpleasant things, more or less.

Hers was a composure that was not intrinsic, but self-taught out of necessity.

"I am glad to say as time passes, I consider Hoenn more and more my home. Have you found it a pleasant change from Kalos?"

The woman opposite her held no such reservations, her heart worn on her sleeve and her emotions laid bare in every word she uttered and every glance of her large, sparkling eyes. There was a strange familiarity in listening to her, as if returning to speak to someone she had once known a long time ago, but could not quite remember now.

Such thoughts dispersed at the mention of the Gracideas and the crystablooms, both topics that had become common in Elisabeth's day-to-day discourse. Her own Gracidea had yet to flower, and as for the crystablooms that glittered and flowered around them...

"I am not a scientist either, not a true one anyway, although I have studied botany and plant physiology enough I like to pretend at the role." A self-deprecating laugh followed, masking the slight regret of the admission. "However, I believe you are right."

The faint glow emanating from the Eevee seemed to brighten beside a pink crystabloom, its heart of rosy quartz glittering with an enchanting radiance.

"There is much we don't know about the Illumina phenomena, but the manner of it... Appears similar to this, at least. The crystals themselves fascinate me, although geology is not my field. I cannot recall another flower that shares this unique environment for their flourishing."

A faint pursing of the lips, then a considering glance at the field of sparkling blooms.

"So much in Hoenn has changed in such a short time. I cannot help but think something in the region's environment has shifted, affecting the local ecology. Knowing what that something is would go a long way to pinpointing the nature of the occurrence, I think."

Turning back to Luka, the florist asked with gentle curiosity, "You have been here longer than I. What are your thoughts?"

[break]

[break]

[newclass=".elisafont b"]color: #7bb661;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

fish

sleeping beauty

she/her

July 15

lumiose city, kalos

bisexual

public relations

rising star

446 height

she looks like, if you bit her, honey and milk would flow from her

awards

2,003 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @luka

POSTED ON May 27, 2022 7:46:46 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","siege"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

A common thread lies between them, buried under the mask of polite pretense. Perhaps Luka hides it so well because she hasn't quite lost the spark of idealism, a love for her country and her people that can't be tainted by the shadows of her past. She has known sadness, and it has made her kind— but far be it for her to judge anyone for being unable to do the same.[break][break]

Old wounds might scar over, but that doesn't always mean they heal.[break][break]

"I think home can be anywhere, so long as the heart is there," Luka anwers after a moment of consideration. "So Hoenn is just as much a home for me as Kalos is. Though I must say the beaches here are far nicer," she admits with a giggle. "And the people here...they're unlike anyone I've ever met. Perhaps that's what makes this such a special place."[break][break]

A slightly Kalosian lilt seeps into Luka's voice as she speaks, native accent coloring her tongue. [break][break]

"I don't know that much about plants," she confesses with a sheepish shrug. "Except for flower language. Did you know—" She flushes. "Well, I'm sure you know."[break][break]

She turns her gaze to her Eevee instead, masking embarrassment under the pretense of watching her Pokemon. Soft paws bat at the quartz crystalbloom, and a dainty nose comes in for a sniff. The Eevee wrinkles her nose, sniffs, and lets out a tiny sneeze before bounding away, continuing to frolic through the field of impossible flowers.[break][break] Interestingly, the glowing patterns on her tail seem to shift in color and hue— blue to yellow to purple and green, and so on. Were Luka of a scientific mind, she might contribute that to an Eevee's unstable DNA.[break][break]

[break][break]

Her observations should have bought enough time to come up with a answer to the other woman's inquiry, but as always Luka comes up blank. No thoughts, head empty.[break][break] "So like, um..." Lips purse in careful consideration. "I don't know, really? Um. But if I had to guess...the Tree of Life had already grown before I arrived. But it's a newer phenomenon, I think? It can do...strange things too." She recalls an afternoon spent with Ceri Glynn, vials of purified venom collected for further study.[break][break]

"I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it though. Strange things seem to happen around here all the time, don't they?" Interdream zones, dimensional travel, giant meteors. The bingo card of possible Hoenn disasters is growing alarmingly full. "And yet we're still sticking around! We must be stubborn, huh?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON May 28, 2022 3:00:30 GMT

[attr=class,elisafont]
[googlefont=Meddon]

La Vie en Rose

[break][break]

[break]

'Do not underestimate others based on appearance.' It was a mantra that Elisabeth repeated often in her mind, enough that she believed herself well-armed against the fallacy that so often was wielded against her. Every human being, however, possessed their blind spots. Even her.

For Elisabeth, vulnerability could not be strength. Her own had caused her too much pain for her to imagine otherwise. Luka's scars concealed themselves too well for her to ever guess at them.

"I have yet to visit the beaches," Elisabeth admitted, turning her gaze skyward. "Summer is fast-approaching, though. I may find the opportunity to soon enough."

The people of Hoenn were diverse indeed. As if sifting through a series of files in her mind, Elisabeth recalled the many faces she had met since her arrival a mere few months ago and chuckled softly. "Admittedly, I do not think I have been this social in years. Even so, I think you aren't wrong. The people I've met in Hoenn have been... shall we say, colourfully varied."

Resulting in the first friendships she had known since she was a young girl, built on something stronger than bonds of childhood idealism.

The way Luka's Eevee frolicked amidst the crystablooms seemed like something out of one of the watercolour paintings that adorned Elisabeth's cottage. Pastel pinks, blues, and yellows danced along its tail, sparkling among the stunning petals as the florist's Leafeon joined in, joyfully leaping across the kaleidoscopic field in a blur of brown-and-gold.

Luka's faint embarrassment was noted, but dismissed in favour of kind reply: "My mother used to tell me that flowers had their own language, even if they didn't have a voice for it. It used to be a game between us in her garden. I'd leave her a flower on her pillow, and she'd leave me one in reply at dawn."

Elisabeth knelt down, petting her own Leafeon behind the ears. Clover lavished in the affection, his tail wagging with unmasked delight. 'And what do you mean?' she silently wondered at the crystablooms at her feet. 'What is it that you are trying to say to us?'

The list of disasters in Hoenn grew and increased tenfold by the day, as Luka herself noted. It was enough to create a sense of ennui and fatigue even in someone as recently arrived as herself.

"Stubborn? There could be truth to that. We do live in interesting times." A pause inserted itself as Elisabeth pursed her lips in thought. "Although if I have to choose between this and tedium, I can't say I could stomach much boredom. I don't know what that says about me, however."

Some strange sense of masochism and self-loathing, perhaps. Better not to dwell on that for too long.

[break]

[break]

[newclass=".elisafont b"]color: #7bb661;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

fish

sleeping beauty

she/her

July 15

lumiose city, kalos

bisexual

public relations

rising star

446 height

she looks like, if you bit her, honey and milk would flow from her

awards

2,003 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @luka

POSTED ON Jun 1, 2022 0:53:26 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","siege"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

"Oh my gosh...that's so sweet! Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman." She loves little stories like these. Small glimpses of the building blocks that shape a person, a little peek behind the curtain. It feels as if she's been granted a piece of the woman's soul. And even though it's not asked of her, Luka promises to keep it safe.[break][break]

She smiles gently, fingers grazing the petals of a softly swaying wildflower. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just speak in flowers? I think it'd be easier to understand each other. No confusing words to get in the way."[break][break]

Soft laughter rides the coattails of a whimsical fancy. Hers is a silly thought; but sweetly idealistic, something out of a daydream. It speaks to the way she sees the world: not as it is, but as it could be.[break][break]

When Clover decides their playtime is over, her Eeevee flounces back to her side and rather dramatically flops to the ground, shamelessly begging for pets. Luka gives her her fill of head scratches and belly rubs as she ponders Elisabeth's question, though finds herself without an answer. There's only so much she can infer from someone she barely knows, and she's never been the most insightful besides.[break][break]

"I think...well, I don't know. It depends on what you consider boredom, I guess?" An absentminded hum sounds in the back of her throat. "I wouldn't mind a peaceful life though. Something like this. Walking through flowers, spending time with my Pokemon and the people that I love. It's simple, but it's enough to make me happy."[break][break]

There's something wistful behind her eyes, and those who know her well might detect the softest shade of sadness. She holds onto it privately, feelings stuffed into her pocket and stubbornly ignored.[break][break]

Her gaze flickers instead towards the sky, noting the faint pink that has started to bleed into the horizon. "Mmm...gosh! Time flies in good company. Ummm..." Though she stands, she seems in no great hurry to take her leave. "I'd love to stop by your shop sometime, if you don't mind. I think I'd like to build a bouquet for someone, erm...special to me." Warmth settles into her cheeks and she finds that she suddenly feels a little shy.[break][break]

"It's important, so...I'd like to get the meanings just right, you know?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Jun 1, 2022 3:21:31 GMT

[attr=class,elisafont]
[googlefont=Meddon]

La Vie en Rose

[break][break]

[break]

"Ha... You might be surprised. Flowers are rife for miscommunication, in my experience."

Unwanted, a previous confrontation with Felix Gallagher over a single red rose came to mind and went, the memory briefly colouring Elisabeth's cheeks with faint embarrassment. An awkward clearing of the throat presented itself, the first true crack in the woman's composure since this little visit began, before she swiftly moved along.

"She was though, however. My mother. A wonderful person, that is." The florist mirrored luka chêne's wistful smile. "I think she'd find your dream a beautiful one. Beautiful enough to paint, even."

A hand absently fidgeted with the fabric of her skirt as if agitated, despite the woman's serene expression. Why did speaking of such things make her feel so unsettled? A gnawing sense of guilt bit at the edge of her tongue, unspoken: What have you done to deserve peace?

In so many ways, she had long ceased to be her mother's daughter.

The sky bled scarlet overhead, and as Luka brought attention to the time quickly spent between them, Elisabeth felt herself untense. Her mind returned from the dark recesses where it had wandered, placing her firmly here in Petalburg Woods with a kind young woman who had been, altogether, a pleasant way to spend the time.

"I'd be glad to see you, if you came to visit. I am generally present during our weekly hours, although you might see ana fell instead some days. She is my part-time employee."

A business card was plucked from her satchel, dainty and lilac-scented, which Elisabeth handed to Luka with a warm smile. When she spoke her farewell, her voice was light, and gentle with fond teasing:

"You're a linguist, are you not? I'm certain the language of flowers will prove easy enough for you. Should you need any translation, however, I'm glad to lend my assistance as interpreter."

[break]

[break]