She found her peace in flower arranging more than ever. She would go buy a lot of flowers to make her own arrangements at home, often just putting them around the house to make it seem less empty and gloomy. Rin thought about trying to find some sort of class to take, or group to join to try to make friends. While she wasn’t exactly a people person much anymore, she did get lonely and wanted to text someone, talk to them, have them come over, or anything like that.

Rin even thought about getting a cat or a dog, but had no idea if she would be able to take care of them. The koi were proving to be their own problem. She’d had to get specialists out here to figure out why they were sick, had to watch so many Youtube videos on how to drain and clean their pond or something. It was a handful most of the time, but someone important had entrusted them to her. She had to take care of them. They were sort of like her children or something.

Today had her outside with wild flowers she picked from a walk around her block. She was listening to the pond after feeding the koi. They were really active and it made her heart ache in a good way. There was actually a smile on her face, even. She might have one eye, but it was good at what she was doing now. The flowers seemed to take all of her negative thoughts and worries from her, letting her feel empty and at peace for once in her life. While she didn’t remember some details, something told her that she hadn’t exactly had the easiest life once she came to Destiny City. Doing this helped her not think about it. These flowers took her thoughts about her eye away, her worries about how people looked at her, her fears on never being loved.

When she was doing this, she could tell herself that she would find a dog and spend her life with that dog. Maybe not her entire life, but some dogs lived till sixteen. That’s what she wanted, just someone to be with her for a long time.

Every friend she’s made so far is gone one way or another. None died, but honestly it was worrying. Kip had been the hardest one to lose, actually. She’d formed some kind of attachment. He had taken such good care of her once her new youma eye was implanted after a General force corrupted her. (Sometimes Rin thought she could feel that hand in her chest still.)

Getting out of her head for a minute, the woman slowly clipped off thorns from these pink roses she’d grabbed and trimmed the leaves and stems before adding it to the vase with baby’s breath and these yellow flowers she didn’t know the name of. Looking at them, her lips stretched into a smile that felt a little unnatural on her lips.

Eventually the flowers would die, but everything did. At least they could provide brightness to someone before they lose their color and wilt.

“Maybe I can, too.” She knew flower arranging would help her.

With the last couple of flowers added to the vase of water, Rin picked it up and turned it this way and that before nodding. The aspirin at the bottom was sizzling away and she headed right inside to put them in her bedroom on her nightstand.

“Maybe I can, too.”

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