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Zinnia walked hand-in-hand with her girlfriend, following the trail through Tuggle's garden. Zin was glad that they each had a cherished part of their lives that they could share with the other; Zinnia had her plants, and Lenore had her books. The garden relaxed Zin just as the library did for Lenore.

"I was wondering..." Zinnia began, "are we a secret?" She scuffed her shoe into the dirt to distract herself from the awkward question. "I didn't tell Walter about us 'cause he'd just tease me, and I didn't tell Colin 'cause, well... He's Colin," she explained evasively. "But I was just wondering... I'm not that great at keeping secrets, but I won't let anyone find out-- even if they ask-- if you don't want me to."

Zinnia raised her eyebrows in surprise when the question was turned around on her. "I..." she began, when the sound of footsteps on the rough dirt path caught her attention.

She looked up in time to see Yesenia approaching. She froze in place; truly, the gray-haired soldier's appearance had come at the worst possible moment. She still didn't know whether Lenore wanted them to be a secret, and they'd just been caught red-handed holding hands by the very woman that had inspired Zinnia to ask Lenore out.

"Um, hi, Yesenia," Zin said, a little awkwardly. She gave Lenore's hand a reassuring squeeze before loosening her grip; she did not let go of Lenore's hand completely, but she tried to silently tell her that it was her choice whether they should try to hide their relationship or not.

Zinnia's heart skipped a beat when she heard Lenore declare their date with such confidence. She grinned, suddenly walking on sunshine.

"Yesenia, this is my girlfriend, Lenore," she introduced. "Lenore, this is my friend, Yesenia." She paused, registering Yesenia's interesting choice of snack. "You... like lemons," she deduced. "Isn't it kind of sour?"

Zinnia could only stare. Then she giggled. "That's kind of weird, isn't it? To like sour things so much? But I guess it's good if you like it!"

She glanced at Lenore; she seemed to be fine with the situation. She supposed that that answered her question on the secrecy of their relationship. She'd been a little worried; she knew that not everyone would be okay with it. Number one on her list of people that she knew would disapprove were her parents. She shuddered internally at the thought of breaking the news to them. Her mother would immediately launch herself into a rant on the 'mistake' Zinnia was making, and her father was sure to be disappointed.

But their opinions didn't matter; the only one that mattered was Lenore's. If she was fine with other people finding out, then she would remain proud and open.

"So," she continued, "I... I guess I never thanked you and Amalia. Since... you guys were kind of the one who inspired me to confess to Lenore..." She grinned sheepishly; she hadn't even told Lenore that yet.

Zinnia blushed deeply and averted her eyes. "N-no!" she burst out. "W-well, I..." She wasn't sure how to answer Yesenia. She certainly had not kissed Lenore right away; she'd taken Amalia's advice. But they had been doing a lot of kissing after that.

"Anyways, it was good to see you," Zin hinted. "Lenore and I were just about to go to the library..." She was lying, and poorly too, but she didn't want to be embarrassed while on her date with Lenore. She owed Yesenia a lot, but not enough to endure her teasing.

Zinnia's jaw dropped open at Lenore's sass. This was a side of her girlfriend that she had never seen before! She grinned guiltily and waved as Yesenia walked away.

"... Although, I think that that doesn't limit our options by much," she mused in response to Yesenia's instruction. She returned her attention to Lenore. "Now... if I'm reading the mood right..." She bent her head slightly so that her lips met Lenore's. She was quick to end the kiss, drawing back to shoot Lenore a wink.