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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]So dahlias didn't just signify commitment, or the meaning that their colors conveyed. They also seemed to represent new beginnings. Were they different? Yes. Did they require care and attention? Also yes. But they were also quick, and forgiving, and the perfect way for a newcomer to ease their world into the world of gardening.[break][break]

How fitting. Isaac's own new beginnings were coming to a head. Maybe this was the perfect way to put a coda on them.[break][break]

"I'd really like that," Isaac admitted. "Should I tell Cygne? Or would you rather be the one to do it?" He didn't know a ton about Cygne's work-life balance, but whenever she did speak about Elisabeth she did so glowingly. With this place already being kinda their thing, he understood if he wasn't the best choice for popping this surprise.[break][break]

For a while, Isaac thought that was that. And then Elisabeth started to laugh. It was like night and day. The scary godmother was gone, and in her place was a kind, sweet queen of the woods. It was like any remaining tension between the two had completely evaporated. She was smiling. Not smirking, not probing, but genuinely smiling. And, hell, so was Isaac. After everything that had unfolded, how could he not?[break][break]

"I appreciate that a lot," Isaac admitted, his smile equal parts bright and bashful. "Thank you. But . . . before you get those seeds, could I ask you something real quick?" After seeing that smile, Isaac knew that the game was up. What sense was there in hiding anymore? This wasn't an employer and a stranger. There were only two people who wanted to make some gearhead nerd's day.[break][break]

Finally bringing the secret out into the open, Isaac took the brookies out of his backpack. "Think you could pass these along to Cyg for me?" Isaac asked. "I was trying to find her today to give her a little mid-shift pick-me-up, but.[break][break]

"Well, I guess I got a little sidetracked, huh?"

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La Vie en Rose

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]It's funny. Normally, Isaac took issue with getting such a direct compliment like that. It always felt like an expectation being set that he would inevitably end up falling well short of. However, something about this just hit differently. Maybe it was because he'd actually coaxed a compliment out of Cygne's scary godmother. Maybe it was because Cygne was somebody whose happiness was worth striving for, risk of failure be damned. Maybe it was because the universe had just given him proof that his plan would leave her smiling.[break][break]

It was a rare feeling. It was also a really, really nice one.[break][break]

He took the dahlia cautiously, a warm smile creeping up his face without even realizing. Of all the blues in the garden, Elisabeth managed to find one that matched her eyes perfectly. "You really know her well, huh?" Isaac asked, peering at the flower from a few different angles to get a good look at it. "I think she's really going to love this. Thank you."[break][break]

Then, for the first time today, the witch of the woods was stumped. Did she not know what a brookie was? "Y'know, it's like you take a chocolate chip cookie dough, you take a brownie batter, you kinda put them together," he said, ears burning a little bit more from being under the microscope like this. "And it's, like. Tada. It's a brownie-cookie. A brookie."[break][break]

He felt ridiculous. Why? God, he didn't even know at this point! But he'd also come in trying to sneak some pastries to his friend on her job and he ended up co-owning a little plot of garden, so this entire day had been ridiculous. In a good way, though. He wouldn't change a moment of it. Even the parts where he thought he was being made into cauldron soup.[break][break]

Maybe he'd start hanging around Petalburg more often.

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La Vie en Rose

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]" 'Course I do," Isaac said. "I mean, you just spent a ton of time talking to me to make sure I wasn't some kinda random asshole looking for your employee. You also helped me come up with a really sweet idea that I just know she's gonna love. And whenever she talks about work, I swear, it's like she lights up. All that makes it clear to me you two care about each other, a lot."[break][break]

He thought about the work they did with Rocket. The way being reminded of it during their hangouts often cast that little bit of a cloud over her. The risk that being in the League's crosshairs put the grunts in. The dirty moments of their job. The brutal moments of their job. The shadow underneath her cozy, flower-and-pastry scented life. How much did having something so stable to come back to every day help her cope with it all?[break][break]

"I know it sounds silly, but. I'm glad she's here."[break][break]

And here was about to become a lot more literal! The king and the queen were now on the same side of the board, teaming up on Player 3. Isaac was increasingly sure that chess was a Kalosian conspiracy designed to make people remember the names of the monarchy, because he had no clue how it worked or what else it would be for.[break][break]

Ah well. Who needed convoluted metaphors anyway? Fairy queen was being kind of a sneaky badass here. Isaac didn't expect it, but boy was it welcome. "Shit, you'd do that?" he asked. Who was he kidding? The brookies were fresh. The flower was fresher. It'd be a shame if all of those went to waste. "Cause that sounds perfect to me."[break][break]

Yeah, at this point Isaac's smile was as infectious as it was bashful. He couldn't help but steal little glances away at the flower he'd been given. "I swear, that makes this the second one I owe you," he mused. The first? Well, the thermometer trick clearly hadn't succeeded due to his deception alone.

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La Vie en Rose

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