One week following graduation, the pristine, framed degree in Raleka's hands made her feel... well, like she was holding a degree. While having access to a university library and professors had certainly brought her a great deal of knowledge, she didn't feel smarter or more prepared for her life. She hung it up on the wall just behind the counter in her flower shop, showing that she was a botanical expert at the baccalaureate level. Just the kind of certification one might need to be able to tell apart the most obscure flowers, or identify the specific strain of plant and where it was from just by observing its leaf, or to make sure the roses in the back didn't die after only a week. Of course, the sympathetic green magic from her Dryad mother's genes helped, too.
But as she wiped off the counter, feeling the early morning light filter through the window with her every photoreceptor from her leaves to her wings, Raleka realized that she would never have found herself here if she hadn't had a chance to grow in university. By simply attending school, she had achieved so much. She was able to study for hours upon hours about the science she was most interested in. She had adopted a son - Annie - and imbued two beautiful twins with a complete stranger. She had grown to love animals, grown to develop crushes on other men, and perhaps grown into loving a bit more deeply. Thinking of her new employee, who might be walking in any minute before she propped up the "open" sign, Raleka's cheeks grew warm. Just over there, he had literally caught her - a new experience for her life outside of school.
While her classes had been boring at times, she had developed a life for herself that would not have been possible had she jumped into a job straight out of the Academy. She didn't regret a single moment of her time spent in the library, or finding yet another corner of her apartment to fill with plants. Becoming an adult enough to grocery shop for her own meals had been a stretch, but now it was second nature. Her charitable times spent organizing flower arrangements and donating them to the orphanage and other shelters had brought her a dear family member, and while being a single mom had been a struggle with school she never stopped managing. The little apartment had become a cozy home for a steadily growing family, one that she couldn't wait to hold in her arms or speak to every single night. The time that was granted from going to school gave her was, alone, a gift that she might not have otherwise had.
While she had struggled as a child and a teenager to fit in, it was best to look toward the future. Raleka was ready to bloom, and when she opened up, perhaps she'd be the most beautiful flower of all. She turned her face toward the sun, eyes closed, and breathed in.
