Bliss Among Flowers||Bernadetta & Dedue
There was nothing that Dedue wouldnât try at least once, and he had tried his hand at embroidery, but found that it was far to hard of a task. While he was able to tend to the flowers in the greenhouse with ease, each touch delicate to ensure that he didnât accidentally harm any of them, that delicacy didnât translate to using a needle. He found it hard to grasp the small, sharp object and found that he often broke needles before even getting the thread through the small, almost impossible to find eye. He figured that it would be best for himself, and the needles, if he stayed away from anything involving having to use them.Â
âI enjoy taking care of the flowers. They are easy to tend to. Needles often break easily in my hold and I thought it best for me to stay away from activities that involved them.â It didnât surprise him that embroidering was something that Bernadetta liked to do. She was able to do the task alone, without anyone bothering her.Â
I wonder how long she has been embroidering or if she has ever shown anyone what she makes. What is it that she would embroider? While he had questions about the others hobby, he didnât voice them, not wanting to push her to far outside of her comfort zone. Bernadetta was already uncomfortable being around him to begin with, which was something that he was used to, but he understood wanting to maintain a safe distance. He wasnât going to force her to come out of her hiding spot if she didnât want to, but his offer to help him tend to the plants still stood.Â
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her take another step forward, he moved slightly to the left, allowing her to see the flowers that he was tending to a little easier. He set down his watering can before grabbing his pair of pruning scissors and starting to cut away any of the dead part of the plants that stunted the growth of new flowers or leafs. He was surprised that she hadnât known that he was from Duscur, but they hadnât had much interaction before and he wasnât sure if her land had even had any ties with Duscur before the Tragedy.Â
âYes, I am. You may not want to be seen with me. I would not want people to talk and cause you trouble because you were seen in the greenhouse with me.â Even though many did not have any problem being around him, he didnât want to be a burden to anyone because of where he was born. He looked around at the other flowers around him and nodded, in response to Bernadettaâs question. It had been hard to procure even the small amount of flowers that he had, but he was grateful that he was given the space to grow them.Â
âThere were not many flowers left after the Tragedy. The land was ravaged after the attack.â He knew that seeds for any type of Duscurian plant were outrageously expensive and would never ask any one to get him any. âI have gladiolus, antirrhinum, and daffodils. The gladiolus flower is one that my family used to grow togetherâŠI am very grateful that I am able to grow it here.â There was a softness in his expression as he spoke about the flowers, allowing the memories of simpler times to come forward, grateful that those memories no longer caused him as much pain as they used to.
Needles would break in his grasp? That was enough confirmation for Bernadetta Dedue was definitely as strong as he appeared, which caused her anxieties to return. If he could snap a needle with his bare hands, he could easily crush her like a twig with a single grip. She shuttered at the thought, even crying out a little, though she hoped Dedue didnât notice. She recoiled a bit, but refrained from taking a full step back, refusing to let her fears control her so much she fled. She was finally feeling somewhat comfortable in this conversation. Would it really be worth throwing that all away?
Recomposing herself, her attention fixated upon the plant Dedue allowed her to get a better look at. The flowers bloomed from a tall stem, almost as if they were full of pride. Although Bernadetta didnât envy the perceived confidence she saw in those flowers, she could appreciate how vibrantly they stood out. The other was certainly masterful at his craft.
Then he mentioned she shouldnât be seen around him. Why? Because he was from Duscur? She had heard of a great tragedy befalling upon the people of that country, but what could have happened that caused those people to be seen as monsters to be avoided? She shook her head. Although curious, she wouldnât want to stir up anything too traumatic, for both her and Dedueâs sakes.
Even though he off-handedly brought up the tragedy, he spoke fondly of his plants and the memories tied to them. He seemed at ease, which, in turn, put Bernadetta at ease. The names of the other two types of flowers mentioned were, of course, unfamiliar, so she thought it a good time to speak up.
âThe antirrhinum and daffodil... Are you growing those now? C-could you maybe please... point them out to me? I might have seen them around here at some point, but never knew what they were called.â