Of course she did. Of course she missed him. It had come as a great shock to her that when he'd left, he had left without saying goodbye (not really) and hadn't made any attempt to stay in contact. She'd sent him mail, she'd reached out to his family, and he hadn't done the same. Radio silent, like static from a fried connection.

She feels sick.

All she had ever wanted was for him to be happy. She had wanted her friend to be happy. But in the end, she had lost them both. Encouraging their relationship to grow had soured everything for everyone. It had turned him bitter, it had broken her heart, too.

"I--" she starts, desperate to stop him. But he turns so fast, his expression so cold. He hated her. He wanted nothing to do with her. She had hurt him so badly he never wanted to see her again.

'Just leave me alone,' he says, and it feels like the entire aquarium could break and wash her away from here. She wants it to.

"I'm sorry, Finn..." she whispers, holding back tears.

Finley Black

☉

Her babbling falls on deaf ears- or that is at least how she interprets it. They seem to bicker between each other, and while it seems playful she can't help but feel a twist in her gut to suggest otherwise. She dips her head, stops talking, and lets them handle the crates by themselves.

But the sound of her name spoken in such a cold, detached manner. It makes her freeze and leaves her sad. It clings to her tightly, her lip trembles, but she only glances at him briefly. Silence permeates between them afterward, awkwardness settling in the fine lines between their footsteps.

August speaks up, asking about the weather. Filly opens her mouth to answer, only for him to interrupt and fumble before addressing Finn, specifically. Her ears redden in embarrassment and she tucks her chin again, avoiding eye contact. But she curls her hair behind her ear to listen, because she really is interested in what Finn might have to say.

Finley Black August Gallagher

☉

Ophelia, for a moment, is confused by his redirection question. The girl glances from him to the Gardevoir, and only after a second of pondering does she realize how naive she has been. She blushes, though she realizes that Hideo wouldn't see it.

Though his words are spoken softly, probably so that she wouldn't be able to hear, she can see his lips move and can interpret the meaning. He's being discreet, but she's being awkward. Her blush intensifies, but she nods toward the pair and follows the direction of the Gardevoir's hand.

"Oh! Red, okay. And... hmm.." she pauses to think, leaning in to smell the begonias. "What would you say she smells like? Is there anything here that smells a bit like her, or makes you think of her?"

By now, Ophelia is thinking of what sort of bouquet to build.

Hideo Kino

Ophelia smiles shyly as the woman takes a sip of water. She nods, listening intently and taking another quick glance around.

"Have you done all of this by yourself?"

She quiets quickly, however, as she's just interrupted Willow's question with her own. The girl blushes and glances down at her shoes, apologizing meekly below her breath.

"Wh-- I do? I, uhm.. Well.. I was born in Sinnoh and grew up in Snowpoint city. I'm sure that sounds a bit strange, given no real flowers grow in the cold and snow. But I've always loved gardening and flowers, so I studied botany and the like, anything related to flowers. I loved travelling, too, outside of the bleak white of my city. There is a lot of green when everything isn't covered in snow."

She giggles, lifting her gaze.

willow atkins

☉

Oh, what a charming little boy.

She smiles in response, hers widening in the bask of his own. He moves in front of his Gardevoir and with such confidence and ease that she still has not yet picked up on his disability. Oblivious, Ophelia beams down at him and she nods in response to his request.

"Of course! What is it that you need help with?"

Naturally, he elaborates just as she asks.

"Oh! That is so sweet of you to do. Hmm.. do you know what colours she likes? Perhaps you should choose one that she wears often?"

Hideo Kino

☉

She can't help it, but she is painfully observant. Stolen glances over the slope of her shoulder, through the burlap fabric that she uses to wrap each vase. She can see that the woman is hurried and in great distress. Several unfamiliar faces come and go, as well as a lovely, sleeping Skiploom.

In all honesty, even in spite of the confusion and the panic, Willow manages to keep the shop in order. Frankly, it gives the young teenager hope and relief- that maybe not every day is quite as intense as this one had already shown to be.

That, and she hadn't yet been scolded for doing something wrong, though that may just be because Willow was busy. Filly's cheeks grow rosy when Willow eventually stops by to tidy up her first bundles and begins to speak.

"Of course! I really am honored to learn under you.. Willow. This place is beautiful."

She removes her hands and folds them in front of her. The teenager offers a shy smile, but she seems to be positively brumming with awe. So much so that she doesn't even notice the bottle of water. Willow has officially taken the position of Ophelia's role model.

willow atkins

☉

Her heart is in a panic, as, just as she suspected, the boy’s body language and expression had changed the moment she opened her mouth. It felt awful, like she was the cause for all of their pain. It made her stomach hurt and her voice quake.

”N-no, wait— you don’t have to—“

Awkwardly, Filly reaches out with her hand to stop Finn. She doesn’t really know why, as he’s right. She can’t pick up the crates herself she is far too weak. But to make the situation worse, August steps up to interrupt and assist, talking to Finn about how he could carry it instead so as to not put him out. And then August turns his cheek to her, causing the girl to suck in a breath and appear nervous.

”Of course! Only if you’re sure you want to, I mean. I don’t want to put you out or anything, I’m really sure I could handle it on my own so I don’t have to bother or inconvenience you both.”

Her voice shakes and August won’t meet her eyes. Finn is already carrying a crate and instead of being at all useful, Ophelia just stands there looking nauseous.

Finley Black August Gallagher

☉

Everything had been complicated back then.

All of a sudden now, she can hear him reciting those words to her. She can hear her heart beating fast, feel the tears welling behind her eyes because he was saying exactly what she had wanted him to. That he had feelings for her, that he loved her (or maybe that was just what she tagged on in her dreams after).

But guilt and a desperate attempt to stay close to her closest friend, she had crushed her own heart as well as his in an attempt to save her friend. In the end, all three of them had been hurt in the aftermath. He hadn't had feelings for her friend, and her friend had never forgiven her for having taken his affections.

In all of the time that had passed, however, he remained a prominent ghost of her past. She had seen him in busy crowds, a brief face on the train, in the grocery store, in her dreams.

So when an opportunity had risen to move to Hoenn-- she hadn't hesitated. But perhaps she should have, given the pain in his face now and the way he struggles to comprehend the situation. She had hurt him, and nothing she could do could take that back- not right now.

His harsh response is bitter, and it is like a slap in the face. Filly flinches, swallows, pulls her hand back to her side.

"I-I-- just.. wanted to say hi. It's been a while, and I.. I've missed you."

Finley Black

☉

Every once in a while, Ophelia steals glances in the boys direction. But every time she does, all she sees is pained expressions, exasperation, and flailing hands. Finn wore his heart on his sleeve, which meant his emotions and his thoughts as well.

He was upset about something, and he had seemed perfectly fine up until the very second he'd made eye contact with her. What was more concerning was that August's soft smile had fallen to the wayside, too. Neither of them were happy, now, and so she did her best to keep her distance from them.

After all, the only reason she could think of was that they were mad at her. And given the context of her last meeting with Finn? Where she had pleaded for him to stay and talk to her, and he'd shrugged her off and walked away? It had to be her.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, however, Filly is the one chosen to retrieve the crate of goodies the two boys had helped unload. Her, one small teenage girl with arms as wide as noodles. It was smart, really, she wasn't being sarcastic at all.

"U-uhh.. hi there, you two. I'm.. um.. I'm here for the crate? Is it alright if I take it from you?"

But how was she supposed to manage lifting and carrying it all by herself?

Finley Black August Gallagher

☉

And that tiny step forward ends in a reality-shattering noise. The image in front of her smashes to pieces, shattering into tiny fragments that dance around. She's really quite dramatic, but it's true.

Her heart is in her throat, dread, anguish, disbelief all working hard to drag her under.

"Wrong person," he says, but she knows that that isn't true. Does he not recognise her? Why would he have said that?

"O-oh."

Her hand, once outstretched, now sinks awkwardly, fingers reaching for nothing. He moves away, walking briskly, and her vision of him is broken as people move in and out in front of her. But that familiar red hair, that tall figure. It has to be him.

She doesn't know what possesses her, but she chases him. Someone bumps into her rather roughly, but she bounces back so that she might just catch up to him. And when she does, if she does, she reaches out to catch the back of his shirt. Her head is kept down though, bangs covering her eyes. Her face is bright red because his words swim in her head.

Wrong person.

"You are not the wrong person, Finley."

Finley Black

☉