A Flower's Words

Oh. Hello... Can I help you? [Kamil RP Blog; Story of Seasons; Affiliated with Return To Prana]

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The brunette fought down a blush as she sauntered over to his outstretched arms; a small, shy smile on her face the entire time. She slowly climbed into her bed, the frame creaking almost inaudibly at the additional weight, and situated herself in his arms.

The atmosphere inside the room lulled considerably, making the rest of the world seem lethargic. But Minori did not mind. It was soothing being in his arms like this. Normally, they’d have little banters here and there, but today, it seemed like their actions would convey their words. She gently played with a lock of his hair; twirling it around her finger before brushing it back behind his ear. She repeated this until the side of his face was free of stray hair. Ah, all seemed to be well and good between them..

.. Except, her heart refused to calm down at all. Instead, it continued to drum against her chest; the sound resonating to her ears. She shifted herself as to prevent the other from noticing, placing her arm between them subtly as a safety net. She tried her best to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, opting to trace the patterns on the jinbei absentmindedly. Apart from her stupid heartbeat, everything seemed to be back to normal now.

The young brunette supposed talking to Veronica could wait for a few more minutes..

[fieldsofbriar]

The moment Mimi had settled against him, Cam wrapped his arms around her softly. Things were fine now. Any problems he’d been contemplating simply melted away when he laid with her like this. He nuzzled the side of her head gently with his cheek in an affectionate manner. The familiar smell of lavender and mint still floated around them from earlier. She was right, it was clingy.

Everything was very warm and comfortable. Usually they would make small talk during these times, joke or pick fun at each other. Today, however, that didn’t happen. Neither one of them spoke, just enjoying the others company and unspoken words. All the while a very subtle difference from the normal atmosphere hung lightly in the air. It made him restless, the guy who was almost always likely to fall asleep in situations like this, and he wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

A very light blush dusted the Florist’s face as Mimi brushed bit by bit of hair behind his ear with her hand. He ran his hand carefully through her long brown hair in response to this. For the brief moments she rested herself against him, he could once again feel her erratic heart beat. Had she been paying attention, Mimi might notice that Cam’s heart was beating a bit faster than usual as well. However, this was soon cut short by her shifting to settle her arms between them. It didn’t occur to him that she had done it on purpose, but he inadvertently tightened his hold on her afterwards anyways.

Any previous things Cam was meant to to today were totally forgotten. They could wait. He rested his chin against the top of Minori’s head and let out a content sigh. This was where he wanted to be.

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Seeing him smile brought one to quirk up her lips as well, her petting never ceasing.  She continued to pat him until she felt him lean against her, her smile widening into a grin. It was a complete reversal of how they usually were, wasn’t it? The brunette let out a small laugh before enveloping the man in her arms.

She nodded slightly in understanding at his words, before realizing he probably didn’t see it, since she was standing and he, still sitting down; the farmer was only able to hug his head (which was now pressed against her bosom). She hummed softly in agreement before leaning her head against the top of his. Her heart thumped harshly against her chest, hoping against all odds his hair had masked its erratic beating from him.

“Maybe we should take this elsewhere,” Minori murmured after a while of head-hugging, feeling that the silent conversation had regressed to a more relaxed tone. She slowly pulled herself away from the man, reaching down to grasp his hand. A soft pink flush dusted her cheeks but she quickly turned away to avoid his gaze. She tugged on his hand gently, asking him silently to follow her, leading him to the privacy of her bedroom, and the comforts of her bed.

[fieldsofbriar]

Despite usually being on the giving side of the affection, Cam was fine with this. It was soothing, and there was no doubt that he soaked up this kind of attention like a sponge. He had for as long as he could remember. Though with Mimi, he had to be more careful. There was the danger of getting a bit too greedy about it.

The florist hadn’t really been expecting her to hug him. It was a bit awkward positioning since she was standing and he was sitting, but he didn’t mind. She was very warm. Mimi always was. As he sat quietly enjoying the moment he heard something... Thump... Thump... Was that? Thump... Thump... A warm smile swept across his face. Ah. That was Mimi’s heart beat. Even through her clothes and his hair, it was pounding strong enough for him to hear it clear as day. She wouldn’t have been able to hide that if she tried.

After hearing her suggestion, Cam looked up and nodded with the same warm expression as before. He didn’t say anything, just took Mimi’s hand in return and followed her into the room. When they arrived Cam slid his hand out of hers, turned around to face her and plopped on the bed with a soft ‘fump’ sound. Glancing up from his laying position, the florist smiled and reached out his arms in the brunette’s direction, silently beckoning her to him.

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

A somber air hung over them as the brunette listened to his words. Her heart clenched as the young male continued with his recounting.. She’s never experienced seeing someone close to her, much less a parent, slowly being taken away right before her eyes. Sure, there had been her dad who had slowly lost himself.. But he had taken his life quickly by the hands of a handgun.

So she watched him talk. The more he told her, the darker his expression had gotten, and the more her heart ached for him. She knew he probably must have already gotten to terms with it, being the person that he was. The way he spoke about his mother earlier was also a telltale sign. But watching him reminisce those events made her almost want to stop him right then and there and pull him in for a hug.

When their eyes met, she nearly gasped at how dull they had gotten. She was sure she’s never seen him look so.. out of it, before. And then she realized why. The boy hadn’t even been there for his mother’s last moments. She felt the tears stinging her own eyes but quickly pushed them back. Instead, she stood up and made her way around to him. And, just like that day back in the Lantern Festival, or that day in his room at the inn; she placed her small, work worn hand atop his head and stroked it as soothingly as she could.

[fieldsofbriar]

When Cam was finally done with what he wanted to say, he let out a soft sigh and leaned back against the chair. Mimi’s expression when he looked at her had been a bewildered and upset one. Well, if he looked anything close to how he did the day he told Howard all this, then she had good reason to be shocked. The whole ordeal had caused the cafe owner to burst into tears, lots and lots of tears, and hug him for nearly an hour. Apparently according to him the young boy’s eyes had looked ‘completely empty’. Though he wasn’t sure what that actually meant.

For some reason, Cam hadn’t even seen Mimi stand, let alone walk towards him. He had been too buried in his own thoughts. The sudden warm sensation that hit him as she patted his head almost spooked him, but it subsided quickly when he realized what had happened. Looking up quietly at Mimi, his eyes slowly blinked back to their usual bight green color when their gazes met again. Not only that but it made him smile almost instantly, though it was a rather sheepish one.

“Thanks, Mimi.” The florist said softly, quite enjoying the patting on his head. This all definitely felt familiar. It was a complete role reversal from what happened on the lantern festival. That thought was enough to make Cam’s smile widen. Quite a bit of time had passed, and now it was like things had come full circle? It was odd. Either way he opted to push put that aside and just enjoy the attention he was getting. Without even noticing Cam moved into her patting, which cased him to now be leaning against the brunette farmer. “Today has just been one of those days, you know?”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The smile on Minori’s face stayed as she listened quietly to the florist. His mother sounded like a wonderful lady; kind and compassionate. She would have loved to meet her. Her smile grew ever so slightly as he continued talking, the way he spoke so fondly of her warmed her heart immensely.

“She sounds wonderful,” She said, nodding slightly in affirmation. Though, it wasn’t only the love of flowers that he got from her, she realized. It made sense to her now why Cam was the way he was. He was so gentle and compassionate and caring, even though he wasn’t the best at showing it, and it was all due to how his mother had been.

The brunette admired the proud smile her companion sported once he finished speaking. It was adorable how he looked up to her so much; reminding her of her own love for her parents, or how June, her foster parents’ real daughter, always loved to talk about them. She sighed happily as she felt his love for her seep out of him and fill her room.

Though, having picked up the way he worded his sentences, she felt a question prick at the back of her mind. But she refused to let herself ask it as she didn’t want to pry. It just wasn’t something she found appropriate to ask about; especially since she’s never opened up about her own parents, even when people had asked before. And when she finally did, she had done it on her own accord. So she sat there, wondering if Cam would continue, change the subject, or if he wanted her to speak up next.

[fieldsofbriar]

“Yeah, she was...” There was a light pause after Cam’s words. He’d spoken to a few people about his mother, briefly, but never at length. It was mostly just how she was when she was alive, and happy. He only told one person about the other parts, and that was Howard, who was more like a dad to him than his real one was. Even Laney and Ash didn’t actually know what he’d gone through before he wound up in Bluebell.

Mimi, on the other hand... She’d spilled everything about her parents to him before, without him even having to ask. They’d gotten to know each other so well now, they were really close. There was no decent reason why he wouldn’t be able to open up to her the same way, or at least try to. He wasn’t going to sob or cry. He was sad about his mother’s passing, sure, but he’d gotten all of those emotions dealt with some time ago.

“She... Was sick a lot though.” Cam mentioned hesitantly, glancing up to see Mimi’s reaction. She was waiting for him to continue. Time to dig in and unearth all the stuff he hadn’t talked about in years. “After my dad died, she had to work enough to take care of both of us. It was hard on her, she always had a frail body.”

“I remember a lot of days where she’d come back from work, and just collapse on the couch. Couldn’t even make it to her own bed. I took care of her during those times.” The florist’s expression darkened a bit as he continued. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to remember, but he wanted Mimi to know. “One day when I was 7 or 8... She got really sick. She could barely move at all, couldn’t keep down any food, and kept blacking out. I had to ask a neighbor for help taking her to the hospital.”

“I went to visit her every day while she was there... But every time I went she only looked worse. Thinner, more pale, her hands colder than before.” Cam turned his glance back upward to Mimi again, his usually vibrant green eyes had dulled slightly at the likely traumatizing memory. “One day, after about a week... I went to visit my mom again, like I usually did, but... When I got there, the bed was empty and the room was being cleaned. She had passed away early that morning.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The young farmer washed the teacups quietly, not aware of the embarrassment emanating from the florist behind her. She continued to smile, thinking of all the things that they’ve been through, wondering where it all started, when Cam replied to her jest.

“Yes, sorry,” She started, turning to face him with a glint of mischief playing around on her lips and in her eyes. “You’re prettier as an old lady than an adult my age.”

“Although… I suppose you’re pretty handsome for an adult my age.”

Once she finished cleaning and drying out the dishes, she made her way back to her dining table, taking her seat across from him and listened to what he said. Her stomach erupted with the sensation of a thousand butterflies fluttering at the sight of his bright smile. She tries to remember if she’s ever seen him smile that widely and happily before. The brunette then wondered how his parents were like. He knows about her family, but she didn’t know his. Time to remedy that.

“What was she like, your mother?” She questioned softly, a small smile on her lips.

[fieldsofbriar]

Cam wasn’t sure what he had been expecting her to say, but Mimi certainly didn’t disappoint. ‘prettier as an old lady’. He wasn’t sure how to take that, he was about to let it go when the next comment dropped from the farmer’s mouth. He looked less than impressed.

“Hm. You ‘suppose’ huh?” He said rolling his eyes lightly. He wasn’t upset by it, but really there were better ways to compliment people. Mimi was so good with words but for some reason didn’t have the knack for wording these kinds of things properly. Though the more likely scenario was that she was messing with him. Either way she could do better.

The question about his mother caused Cam to pause. Right. He hadn’t really told Mimi about her yet. Better late than never, he guessed? “She was a sweet person. Always bright and cheerful. Even when her life wasn’t great she tried not to let it get to her. She was a real klutz though. Always dropping things and tripping over nothing.”

“But she worked really hard, and was honest. She worried about me all the time.” Cam nodded to himself, smiling. Then looked back up at Mimi. Yeah, thinking about it made him a bit sad. He missed his mother, but if he spent all day being depressed about it he wouldn’t get anywhere. He preferred to think of all the good times rather than the bad ones. “Ah, she ran a flower shop. I got my love of flowers from her.”

“She was really a great person. You would have liked her.” The sweet smile Cam gave afterwards was one he rarely showed. Certainly one like a child bragging about how great their parent is. He couldn’t help it. To the florist, his mother was the center of his world when he was little. It was impossible for him not to be proud of having a mother like her.

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The farmer felt her heart speed up at the sound of his laughter. Ah. She smiled to herself as she turned away from him, moving to collect the cups of cooled tea. Now that she’s been hit with the revelation of her feelings towards the delicate florist, everything seems to have shifted around quite radically.

While she’s still very at ease towards the young man, and she’s still at home around him, little things like his laugh, or his smile, seems to set her heart ablaze with affection and her stomach alight with butterflies. How peculiar it was to feel this way for Cam.. But not unwelcomed in the least.

“You’re right. And you’re gorgeous for an old lady,” She said, still playing along while she cleaned up. It feels nice engaging in friendly banter with him like this, despite her crush on him. It’s entirely different from when she had been pining for Klaus. She was tongue tied and flustered every time she was around the latter, but with Cam, it felt.. natural, in a way. Like this was supposed to happen. “I’m quite jealous myself, granny. What’s your secret?”

[fieldsofbriar]

As Mimi began to pick up the cups Cam walked back around the table and settled himself down in the chair he left earlier. He watched her carefully. Her mood had definitely improved, which was a huge relief. Whatever had happened, it worked. At least she was smiling again, and not in the polite ‘I’m faking it’ way as she was before.

When she mentioned that he was ‘gorgeous’ the florist’s face flushed a light shade of red. More things he hadn’t expected to be called, but this time it was very complimentary. Even if it was in jest, compliments like those coming from Mimi were a little more than he could handle. Or at least, it made hiding his embarrassment very difficult.

“Only for an old lady though, huh?” Cam retorted in fake disappointment, but he had an almost nervous smile accompanying it and the redness on his face had deepened ever so slightly. He lifted his hat, which was sitting on the table, and fidgeted with it while Mimi cleaned. His hair was still a bit damp so he wasn’t going to put it back on just yet.

“My secret? Genetics of course.” He responded with a chuckle, then looked down to the purple plaid hat in his hands once more with a soft expression. It made him think about his parents again. When he looked back up he had a bright smile on his face, “My mom was a beautiful lady, you know. Got it from her.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Silence enveloped the room again. But unlike earlier, this silence wasn’t ringing in her ears. In fact, it seemed to bring a blanket of comfort over the shaken farmer. She brought her hands up to her face, wiping away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. The moment her eyes were sufficiently dry and clear to see the man’s face, quiet laughter slipped past her lips. It grew worse as she heard him speak.

“Sorry, grandmother. I didn’t know your health digressed this badly already.” She murmured in mirth, a wider smile encompassing her lips. The face he was making was adorable. “I’ll be sure to pick up stronger medication next time.”

The young woman let out a small, almost inaudible, sigh of relief after the giggling subsided. What a day today has been, so far. She picked herself up off the floor and patted her skirt down to remove dirt that may have clung to her.

“Oh. The tea’s gone cold.” She said, frowning just a little. She turned to face her companion with an apologetic gaze, knowing it was her outburst that caused it. “Sorry.”

[fieldsofbriar]

“Gra--” Cam’s expression shifted to a baffled one. He’d been called many things before but ‘grandmother’ was definitely not one of them. Though between his delicate disposition, love of tea, and flower arranging profession he couldn’t deny that he had some very ‘old lady’ like qualities. This realization only warped Cam’s previous frown into that of a smile as he reached his hand up to his mouth stifle a laugh.

“I sure look good for being such an old lady, huh?” The florist joked. They had gotten back to the point where they were teasing, laughing, and having fun again. Good. These kinds of interactions with Mimi always made him feel better. Especially after things like what happened a few minutes ago. It was a bit of normalcy they had which he liked to cling to.

Ah. The tea. Cam had forgotten himself until she mentioned it. They’d gotten so caught up in what was going on that it was left sitting there. He stood up from his spot and glanced at the tea, then back at Mimi with a slight smile. “It’s fine. Some things are more important than tea, and we can always make more.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Time seemed to slow to a staggering halt the moment Cam’s confession reached her ears. Dream? Magic mirror? The young woman’s gaze raised to meet his own. That sounds exactly..

“Like the dream I had..” She murmured softly to herself, the dream replaying in her head. This seemed to break her out of her stupor, her body finally starting to cooperate with her again. She slid out of her chair gingerly and placed herself on the floor, her hands trembling ever so slightly as she acted on impulse and pulled him close to her.

The dream had scared them both to their wits end, it seemed. Both of them frightened at the prospect of losing the other. Her heart began to beat erratically at the thought, her cheeks heating up. Her hands, still trembling, felt clammy all of a sudden. How odd. This only ever happened with–

Oh.

Oh.

Minori buried her face in Cam’s shoulder, a shaky laugh-sigh escaping her lips. Of course. That’s what this was. She continued to hug him tightly, her revelation causing her to tighten her hold on him. That’s why she was so shaken up by that dream. That’s why she was so embarrassed in the bathroom. It all made sense now.

The farmer had been so hung up over Klaus that she hadn’t even stopped to think about everything she’s been feeling about the man in front of her, going as far as to dismiss them as mere anxiety attacks. It was almost laughable how far from the truth it really was. She pulled away from him with a far more relaxed expression than the tightly wound one she sported just minutes before. Her eyes glistened with tears of relief, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

“Thank you.”

[fieldsofbriar]

At Mimi’s response, Cam looked surprised and mildly confused. Like the one she had? Did she have a similar dream? If so that would certainly explain her panic this morning, and the way she practically threw herself at him when she saw him at her doorstep. They both had a similar dream on the same night. It was... Weird.

Their eyes finally met again. Just that alone was a relief to Cam. So he wasn’t really expecting her to slide to the floor where he was and pull him close to her. His face reddened a bit without him noticing. She seemed shaky, but at least she wasn’t pushing him away anymore. He rested a hand on her back, rubbing it gently in a reassuring manner.

The Florist let out a soft sigh. If things like this happened too often it was going to be problematic. Mimi sure was something. He was more involved with her than anyone else he knew. Even Lillian didn’t take up as much of his attention as Mimi did. Which was saying something cause he had a crush on her for a while. It just went to show it’s not how long you know some one, but the quality of your time with them that matters.

When Mimi pulled away she looked a lot better. Calmer, but she also looked like she was about to cry. She did that so often around him... More so than she did around anyone else from what he could tell. Between that, the cuddling on the doorstep, and a variety of other things that had happened, it was no wonder most of the town thought they were a couple. They always corrected people, but it wasn’t like Cam minded that misunderstanding.

“You’re welcome.” Cam replied, but then he got a complicated look on his face. Like a cross between pouting, thinking, and concern. The slight bit of red from earlier hadn’t left his cheeks, but he still didn’t notice it. “Just, please don’t do that again any time soon. It’s bad for my health.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The silence that followed her faux pas was loud. Deafening, even. Her ears were ringing as the young farmer tried to find the words to explain, to apologize.. But nothing would come out of her lips. Her throat closed up in embarrassment, like a child caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar after explicitly being told ‘no’. Her eyes wanted to brim with tears, her face wanted to turn red, but she tried to fight it down.

“I-I.. I didn’t…” She tried to say, though her tongue felt like lead, and her mind was a mess of apologies and explanations. None of which wanted to be verbalized. Another silence followed, with her companion not saying a word, nor moving an inch. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, her eyes cast downwards in regret and shame. She was backsliding; something she did to protect herself from getting hurt. And it usually worked, to a degree. But now..

“There’s something wrong. I can tell. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine…”

Her eyes were still glued to the floor, refusing to meet the other’s gaze; knowing that if she did, she would break down and cry. He always seemed to have that effect on her, she realized. The florist managed to pull out her rawest emotions and thoughts without any effort at all. It was frightening.

“… But it’s not okay to push me away because of it. If it’s my fault, then tell me and I’ll try to fix it, but I don’t want you to act like I’m a stranger.”

“I’m not!” She blurted out. Realizing what she did, she bit her lip. She felt her heart grow heavy at what she’s done; how it affected one of the closest people to her, and how it might change their relationship for an indefinite period of time. “I…”

Minori wanted to cry. This kind of emotional confrontation wasn’t her strongest point. And with Cam, it was worse. There were so many things that wanted to come pouring out her mouth; that she’s frightened at how vulnerable she’s gotten around him, that she’s been having reactions akin to anxiety attacks around him, that she was so confused and scared. But none of it actually turned into words. So, instead, she sat there, her eyes dry but brimming with the pain of unintentional silence.

[fieldsofbriar]

Despite Cam’s attempts to fix things, Mimi just wasn’t responding. She was shutting down. It caused him to think this might be something else entirely that was wrong. Either way things were not going well. This was why he didn’t talk to people that often, he sucked at it. He was just as bad at reassuring too. Before she’d opened up to him without too much trouble, but right now was different and he couldn’t figure out why for the life of him.

“You were.” The florist responded in an even tone to her denial. She was more upset. Good job Cam. He let out a sigh and went from kneeling to sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and stared at the floor. “And it hurt... But I’ve been hurt before. Far worse. So right now I just want to help. Even if all I can do is sit and keep you company. It’s better than doing nothing.”

Another brief pause, and Cam looked back up at her with a slightly sad smile. “You know how I showed up on your porch this morning? It was because I had this dream. A dream where you and I knew each other since childhood, but only on different ends of this stupid magic mirror.”

“We laughed and talked and spent hours in front of it, just keeping each other company. But one day... The mirror ran out of magic and broke. Right in front of me it shattered and the last thing I saw was you crying for me to stay. You were gone... And there was nothing I could do about it. I felt powerless.” He continued, His words heavier and his expression getting more solemn the longer it went on. “In that dream you disappeared and I couldn’t do anything, but the real world is different. I at least have control over what I can do. So I don’t want to let people important to me leave without giving me the chance to stop it. Not any more.”

“But I don’t know what I can do if you aren’t open with me. You know I’m not good at reading people.” This was probably the first time Cam remembered blabbering on this long about anything. He rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. Now she knew the dream he wasn’t intending to share. He wasn’t sure if anything he said would help, but it was worth a try... Probably.

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

The sound of tea hitting the cups was calming to the young woman’s ears, another sure-fire way of reining in her thoughts. It was funny how much they knew each other. After all, they only ever really talked at the Lantern Festival. But look at them now, it was scary how much Cam knew about her, and how much she knew about Cam. They were both quite vulnerable with each other that it caused palpitations within her. She honestly hoped it wasn’t an anxiety attack or anything..

“That is true, however, I tend to stick to only a number of styles; most of them for special occasions, and the occasional need to dress up.” She hands him his cup of tea before sipping at her own. Oh? Well, she supposed it made sense that her companion had a limited wardrobe. For someone who traveled a lot, traveling light is always preferable.

“I could provide you with some of the extra male garments I have in my closet. I have no need for them,” Before he could even begin to protest, she smiled reassuringly at him, stating, “Autumn is always a good season financially, so I have no need to up my income. Just as long as those finicky golden crops live until they bear fruit.”

“And about Madame Veronica,” She started, a blush starting to stain her cheeks. “Ah, I believe I remember bits and pieces, although not too much. Thank you for reminding me, Kamil. I’ll have to drop by and–.. uh… see what she wants..”

Uh oh. She slipped up. She slipped. Darn it. There were always verbal ticks that surfaced in her sentences when she wasn’t careful, but usually they were always quite minute. Nothing sounded quite off in her sentence, until she uttered his full first name.

Now, normally, not even when they had first met, the farmer opted to use the man’s endearing nickname, finding it far more inviting and easier on the tongue than its full version. She always reserved it for when she was being serious. But when she’s placing so much into keeping her appearance up, she forgets to think about the actual relationship she has with who was in front of her; causing her to make ‘small’ slip ups such as the one now. She only hoped he didn’t realize it.

[fieldsofbriar]

The moment she started to speak again Cam’s heart sank. She was... Doing that again. Talking very formally. Like she had before they got to know each other. Like she didn’t know him. He didn’t make any sort of expression to show he noticed, simply kept his normal neutral tone and listened quietly to what she said. “You’d know what looks best on you, I guess.”

Before he could even say a word about the extra clothes, she shut him down. Of course, even when she was like this, she still knew exactly what he was going to say. She just seemed so... Distant about it. She was likely upset. About what? Probably the whole bathroom incident earlier. It would just figure that something he said without thinking came back to bite him. He had a hard time hiding his discomfort in the tone of his voice, “Ah... Yeah, that’d be a big help...”

“Thank you for reminding me, Kamil.“

Cam froze. Did she just...? His emerald eyes slowly looked up from the table to read her expression. Her composure was starting to crumble, but the florist was completely silent. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t even reach for his cup of tea. She called him by his complete first name... Something that was normal for others, but coming from her it was hurtful. He doubted she intended it to be, but that didn’t stop it from bothering him.

The silence continued for a while. Then, when Cam had finally had enough, he stood up from the table. He walked his way around to the other side where Mimi sat, and knelt down to eye level with her. His expression was serious and concerned, but not angry.

“There’s something wrong. I can tell. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine...” There was another brief pause. His expression changed to a solemn one. “... But it’s not okay to push me away because of it. If it’s my fault, then tell me and I’ll try to fix it, but I don’t want you to act like I’m a stranger.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

It was times like these that the farmer was glad her foster parents had raised her. Hiding her true emotions behind a mask was second nature. It felt automatic, really. In fact, it was showing her real thoughts and feelings that took time and effort (except maybe around Cam, who seemed to pull her thoughts straight out of her).

Now, outside, she was the picture of calmness. On the inside, however, her mind was still reeling from his comment, with her heart thudding not-so-gently against her chest.

“Thank you,” She smiled, a rosy tint adorning her cheeks at the compliment. She let out a whisper of a laugh before continuing, “Though I’m certain I wouldn’t be this adequate at sewing if I’m not forced to practice. There’s really no other place to buy clothes in this town.”

Before she could do anything else, her kettle’s high pitched squeal pierced the air, causing her to turn and tend to it. Having known the aloof florist as well as she does, she knew to make herbal tea using her spring tea leaves. She added some mint leaves to the small pile in the teapot and poured over it with the hot water, then placing the pot on the table. She laid out two teacups and a plate of biscuits and cream puffs, after.

[fieldsofbriar]

Sometimes Cam had a very difficult time knowing was what going through Mimi’s head. One moment he could read her like a book and the next there was some sort of solid wall there. Right now felt like one of those times. She was one of the few people who understood him, and when he couldn’t reciprocate that it made him nervous. He could bring it up, but right now he thought he probably shouldn’t.

The florist’s thought bubble popped when Mimi thanked him for the compliment. He nodded. There really weren’t many places to buy clothes. If you couldn’t make them you were out of luck. “Well, at least it means you have plenty of nice things to wear. I’m kind of limited, it’d be nice to have more options but... I’m better with flowers than I am clothes."

The soft sent of spring herbs and mint flowed from the pot. Cam smiled a bit. She always knew what kind of tea he wanted, knew what food he liked, his favorite colors and more... She knew a lot. He’d told her most of it himself when she asked. He didn’t mind her knowing. They were friends after all, knowing things like that was normal.

Hm... ‘Friends’... Something about that last thought caused Cam to pause. He soon shook it off and sat down at the table, glancing up at Mimi. Today had certainly been a wild ride. He woke up in a panic because of the dream, ran to Mimi’s house very early in the morning, sat on her doorstep for a few hours, then cuddled and comforted her for a few more when she got back, dealt with the interlopers, put Mimi to bed, did a bunch of chores, got filthy, took a shower, said something stupid, and now he was about to have tea. So... VERY much. He hadn’t had a day this full of stuff happening in a while.

Then remembered. The interlopers. Did he tell Mimi that people had come by? Did she remember? She seemed out cold at the time. He should probably remind her just in case. “Oh... I don’t know if you were awake or not, but Veronica came by with a new trader. They didn’t want to... uhh... Bother us so she said you could come by the guild later.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Minori, after running out of the bathroom like an idiot, had gone outside to her barn to clear her mind. She tended to her animals; brushing, milking and sheering her cattle, brushing her rabbits, and petting her chickens. Surprisingly, there really wasn’t much left for her to do, not even in the animal care department. Now she was really impressed with Cam’s work.

After making sure everything was in order, she went back inside her home, a canister of milk in her hands. She was just about to place it inside her refrigerator when a voice cut through the air.

“Mimi?”

“Yes?” The brunette answered, shutting the refrigerator door before walking over to the source of the voice. She took in his appearance, a light blush dusting her cheeks before she willed it away, a polite smile gracing her lips as she nodded at him. “I see the clothes fit you. Tea? Food?”

She was about to turn away to start the tea when she caught a whiff of her shampoo. A wider smile lit up her face, before she made an exaggerated inhaling noise, “I smell quite nice, don’t I?”

[fieldsofbriar]

The sudden response almost caused Cam to jump, but he restrained himself. Mimi didn’t seem... Upset. Or angry. She seemed fine? Hm... It was possible he just overthought the whole thing, and that she wasn’t as bothered about it as he initially assumed.

“Ah.” For a moment the florist didn’t know what to say, he was going to apologize at first, but now that she seemed just fine he wasn’t sure if he should. This only served to further remind him of how bad he was at handling people. Clothes...? Oh right, the clothes. “Yeah, they’re really comfortable. You made them yourself right? You did a great job.”

If only he could makes clothes like this. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about his.. err... Limited wardrobe. He was kind of tempted to ask if he could keep the outfit, but he’d save that request for later. “Tea would be nice.”

Cam paused for a moment at her remark of the smell. Yeah, it was lingering around everywhere now. She didn’t seem mad but the topic was still brought up again. He gave a light, but slightly sheepish, chuckle. “Yeah, I guess now we both do.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

A giggle unintentionally left her lips as the bathroom grew quiet, the brunette knowing that the florist finally realized what had happened. Of course, sometimes she managed to overdo the shampoo as well, then proceed to do her daily chores, walking around town, and having people comment on it. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell, so her companion wouldn’t have that big of a problem with it, right?

“It’s fine, I like this scent anyways. Lavender was always one of my favorites…”

A slight hum of agreement resonated through the air, before it was silent once again. Deciding that it was time for her to leave, Minori turned to walk out the door until Kamil’s voice permeated through the steam.

“Besides, if I didn’t want to smell like you, I wouldn’t have been holding on to you so tightly this morning.”

As soon as the words registered in her mind, a bright red blush blossomed on her cheeks. The words were seemingly innocent in nature, but the tone was obviously meant to fluster. And fluster it did.

“Y-You.. W-we.. I-I..!” The young farmer’s words seemed to be caught in her throat, as her tongue went to tie around itself. Images flashed in her head that weren’t exactly platonic. Was it getting way too hot in here or was it just her? The blush began to spread down to her neck, her whole face flushed in embarrassment. Why was she so affected? Why was her heart pounding like she was caught in a very bad lie? “Y-you..! Kamil!!”

With that embarrassed squeal of his name, she left the bathroom hastily, not wanting to make a fool of herself any further. Why was it getting harder to respond to his teasing lately?

[fieldsofbriar]

There was silence after what Cam had said. The door hadn’t opened again, so he knew she was still there. He was about to call her name but she finally broke the quiet with a squeak of her voice. She was stuttering... Flustered? Cam blinked in confusion. He’d meant to get a rise from her, but he didn’t expect to get a reaction like that.

“Uh. Mi--” Before even getting out her name Cam felt the cool air from outside the bathroom, followed by the quick sound of the door shutting. Ah. She left. Had he gone too far? He didn’t really think he’d said anything too bad. Then again, he kinda sucked at dealing with people... He’d have to apologize.

The florist continued the rest of his shower in strained silence, mentally scolding himself for pushing a dumb joke too far. Especially after how upset she was at... Something this morning. Ugh. Think before you speak Kamil, seriously. When he finally felt clean enough he turned off the water and exited the tub, taking the town she’d left by the sink and drying himself with it.

After another few minutes he’d put on the clothing she’d picked out. It was a shimmering blue outfit. An oriental style shirt and shorts, with white patterns. It was nice. The quality was good too. Mimi made this? It was pretty impressive. For a girl who didn’t even know how to properly plant crops when she first arrived, she’d really gotten the hang of things.

Cam stepped out of the bathroom and looked around, his hair was still slightly damp, and he smelled strongly of lavender and mint. “Mimi?”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Upon entering the bathroom, Minori reveled in the slight heat that washed over her. The chilly autumn winds had nipped relentlessly at the exposed areas of her body, making the thick, heavy steam enveloping her a welcomed sensation.

“I’ll leave the clothes and the towel on the sink,” She called out, setting the clean items down carefully. “Oh, and don’t use too much of the shampoo, it’s quite overpowering–”

The strong scent of lavender and mint wafted through the air, a delicate sigh leaving the brunette’s lips. Well, too late. It wasn’t that she was particularly iffy with the smell. It was her favorite scent, after all. However, she wasn’t sure Cam would want to leave her house smelling so much like her.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier.. Well.. I hope you enjoy the smell,” She quipped, a smile tugging on her lips. “That scent tends to stick quite stubbornly to whoever uses it.”

[fieldsofbriar]

The florist didn’t bother glancing towards the other area of the bathroom when the door opened. He could feel a bit of the warm air seep out, but was too busy rinsing the shampoo out of his hair to pay it much mind.

“Okay, thanks.” He called back. Before she could finish her next sentence Cam had already noticed that the smell of the shampoo had gotten stronger... Even after he’d washed his hair out? ... Oh.

The Lavender, mint mixture had pretty much engulfed him at this point. It had stunned him at first, but that was mostly because being surrounded by Mimi’s scent was... Uh... There was probably a word for that, but he wasn’t going to use it. Nope. Either way, it was certainly... Something.

Mimi’s voice rang out once more from beyond the divider. She sounded quite proud of herself, almost like she had planned it. Well, it wasn’t like he disliked it or anything, so there was really no problem. “No wonder you smell like it if it’s this strong.”

“It’s fine, I like this scent anyways. Lavender was always one of my favorites...” He paused for a moment, just long enough to make her think he was done talking, then spoke again in a louder voice with a slight feigned innocence, “Besides, if I didn’t want to smell like you, I wouldn’t have been holding on to you so tightly this morning.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Huh. Surely that jinbei was bound to be in here somewhere. The young farmer kept rooting through the closet, bewildered at how hard it was to look for the silky pieces of fabric when she heard the florist’s next thoughts.

A big, fat “No” was about to tumble past her lips as she visibly blanched at the thought of bathing with other people. She loved the villagers, don’t get her wrong. They have become a second family to her in the relatively short time she’s been around. But the thought of being naked around other women made her feel uncomfortable in her own skin. No thank you. Her companion seemed to realize his mistake, they were one and the same in this situation after all, and retracted his words.

“I’d rather bathe in the river,” She retorted, faux disdain laced in her voice. “And I doubt, even if you’re not as delicate, you’d still abhor the added socialization during a private time such as bathing.”

“Huh? Oh, of course. You can use my toiletries… Hmm… Now that I think of it… Public baths would be a bit iffy, but, hot springs would be a nice addition to this town,” She added thoughtfully as her eyes trailed up her closet, sighing dreamily at the thought of the steam warming her up during a cold winter’s day. This move proved to be beneficial as her gaze caught onto something blue and shimmery. “Aha!”

Taking the garment from its place wedged in between dress boxes, she aired it out a bit before walking out. She walked swiftly across the small expanse of her living room, before realizing she forgot to grab a towel for him. Right, duh. She skipped back into the closet, grabbed the nearest towel she got her hands on, and finally made her way to the bathroom. She knocked a couple of times before walking in with the essentials.

[fieldsofbriar]

The more thought he put into that statement the more he realized that he definitely didn’t want public baths. He really needed to keep his random thoughts to himself, cause now he was making himself sound stupid in front of Mimi. Not something he wanted.

“You’d freeze if you did that in the winter time.” He pointed out nonchalantly, dipping his hand under the water once again to find it was finally sufficiently warm. He thought about what she said for a bit then responded. “It would depend on who I had to socialize with. I don’t dislike being around everyone, just most people.”

“Thanks.” Cam responded, at least he didn’t have to worry about that. There wasn’t really any point in a bath or shower if you were just in water without actually getting clean. Cam mulled over the idea of a hot spring. If it was a bit more private than maybe. “Especially when it starts getting cold out.”

The florist took a quick moment to check the divider between the bathing area and the main area of the bathroom. Just in case. It seemed sturdy enough. He then proceeded to undress himself the rest of the way, switch the bath faucet to shower mode, and step it.

It was nice, warm, and most of all, clean! The feeling of all the dirt flowing away was great. When he popped the cap off the shampoo a familiar scent filled the air. It smelled like Mimi. Or more likely, Mimi smelled like the shampoo. Either way that was the fragrance he smelled every time he was nearby her. It make him calm, but kinda restless for some reason.

The knock at the door almost caused Cam to jump clear out of his skin. He was so lost in his own little world that he forgot Mimi was going to come in with a change of clothes. “Uh... Come in.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Minori let out another airy chuckle at his words. Of course she’d be one of the only ones. She knew how many of the townsfolk found him feminine; she even heard Melanie call him a her while playing with Lutz once. Her lips curved into an amused smile as she reminisced the conversation she had with the two children afterwards.

“You can start your bath now, you know,” She called out, still wedged inside the closet. “I’m still in the process of attaining a new heater, you know. The water heater I have now doesn’t work as fast, or stay as hot consistently, as I wish it would. So if you don’t fancy bathing in cold water, it would be best to start it up now.”

“And don’t worry about the clothes. There’s a sturdy divider between the bathing area and the rest of the bathroom, so I can leave the clothes without any problems.” With that, she continued to riffle through the messy closet, making a small note to re-organize the chaos inside. When did her closet get this bad???

[fieldsofbriar]

The previous conversation brought up a bunch of not so pleasant things for Cam to remember. Like Laney forcing him into dresses when they were younger, or that for the first two weeks after meeting him, Ash had a crush on Cam cause he thought he was a girl. Then there was the day Howard put his hair into pig tails because it looked cute and he couldn’t undo it so he had to go to school like that... Ughhh.....

Cam’s scowl from his memories soon went back to his neutral expression when he heard Mimi’s voice. Oh right, bath. He was still super gross. Almost forgot that. Which he really didn’t want since he was tired of being dirty. “Hm, okay.”

With that he wandered into the bathroom and turned on the water. He took the outer layers of his clothes off while he waited. Jacket, vest, pants, shoes then socks. Until all that was left was the white button up shirt and boxers. He looked around a bit. It was a decent bathroom, a little cramped, but Cam wasn’t about to complain.

“I bet a public bath house would solve that. I’ve seen lots of towns with them. That way there’d just be one place and no one would need a water heater.” Cam mentioned loud enough that Mimi could hear him. He then paused and considered his own words, then frowned and spoke again. “You know what, never mind. That’s a horrible idea. I don’t need the people in town talking about how girly my body looks more than they already do.”

After a few minutes of waiting Cam dipped his hand under the running water, which was still not very warm yet. It was sure taking it’s sweet time. No wonder she wanted a new water heater. Something then occurred to the florist as he glanced at the tub, causing him to call out to Mimi again. “Uh... You don’t mind me using your soap and shampoo, right? Since I don’t have any with me.”

[fieldsofbriar]

Aftermath | Kamil & Minori

[mementominori]

Hearing the florist’s reply, the farmer laughed unabashedly at the unexpected retort. Her heart, though very subtly, sped up at the sight of his grin, before flashing him a grin of her own. She took his hat from its place on the table and replaced her signature kerchief with it, doing her best to mimic her friend’s default expression as she thought about his question.

“Mmm,” She glanced at her closet in thought. Since she built that sewing studio, she’s been making extra income off of the clothes she made, and she vaguely remembered sewing a blue jinbei, and a nifty looking blue jacket with some pants. “I do believe I have a few male clothing items lying around in my closet.”

Realizing how that could have been interpreted, Minori quickly added, “I made the clothes myself, and I had been intending to sell them to the traders for extra income. However, I don’t remember getting around to selling all of them.”

“I won’t have you walking around my house in a dress, don’t worry.” She said as she crossed her living room to her closet, as if sensing what he was worried about. She smiled at the memory that surfaced in her head before saying, “I’ve already seen you in one, and I doubt we both want to repeat that happening.”

Now rooting through her closet, she murmurs more to herself than to the man she’s addressing, but still kept it loud enough for him to hear, “Besides, your physique may be on the more delicate side, but your build is far from dress material.”

[fieldsofbriar]

The florist was somewhat proud of himself when Mimi laughed at his joke. He didn’t make them often, so it was nice to know that they were at least sometimes funny. Going back and forth like this with her did a good job of making him forget his worries. More so than anything else he could think of.

It took Cam a moment to process what she said. Without context it sounded... Uhh... Weird? Suspicious? Something like that. He raised an eyebrow but before he could comment on it she quickly explained herself. For some reason, upon hearing what she said, Cam was a bit relieved. Right, it wasn’t like she was the sort of person to have guys coming over and stripping in her house or.... .... .... There was a long pause while he watched her sort through the closet. Wasn’t that exactly what he was doing??? No, no. That’s different. It’s fine. He didn’t have any hidden intentions or anything. He just didn’t like being filthy. Yup. That’s all.

Quickly Cam snapped back to reality when Mimi mentioned dresses. A sour expression along with a slight blush appeared on his face at the thought. Yeah, he certainly remembered. It hadn’t been the first time he was in a dress either, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Ahh... Yeah, can we not bring that up?”

The next comment, that seemed not totally directed at him, caught Cam by surprise. It was the first time anyone had said that to him. “Oh. Thanks. You’re one of the only people who thinks that... besides me.”