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Out of Season (13) : One would think that winter would be dismal and gray, and after each snowfall there's a hefty dose of white covering up the world. Except, all winter bright patches of wildflowers begin sprouting straight through the frost--as if spring has decided to push its way into winter a few months early. Blues, pinks, yellows, and purples bloom in vivid clusters, warming the landscape with bursts of color that look impossibly alive against the cold. The flowers behave exactly like their normal spring counterparts--soft petals, gentle fragrance, and even suitable for tea or simple crafts. They’re simply appearing far too early. Whether it’s a harmless anomaly or a sign of something stirring beneath the seasons, the sudden blossoms bring an unexpected beauty to the winter chill.
Carterhaugh almost couldn't believe it, when he first laid eyes on the wildflowers poking out of the snow. They were truly beautiful, and he found himself taking a long moment to pause and simply....admire them. There had been a lot of bad this winter, and he often found himself on the back foot, fighting things he wasn't ready for--the giant wolf that had nearly killed him and probably would have if Murikabushi hadn't shown up to save him, among other things--and yet....every once in a while, he found some bit of incredible wonder.
The Code on his Wonder. The sight of that place covered in snow. And now, these beautiful flowers, growing in the midst of all the white.
He walked towards them, and...well, he couldn't help himself. He sank down, sitting among the flowers, and let himself delicately run his fingers over them. They seemed so...delicate and precious, and yet they had to be particularly hardy to be breaking through the frost.
It felt like a promise of spring, in among all the ill weather, and even though Carterhaugh did love a peaceful winter snow, the blooming of flowers in the spring was equally special.
He was suddenly glad that he'd gotten into pressing flowers, while he was away from Destiny City; though it felt wrong to disturb this magical little scene, Carterhaugh also felt like....it was worth preserving. This beautiful, magical moment where spring flowers pushed through winter chill, and seemed unharmed by the frost despite everything. There was something wonderful here, and carefully, he selected a few blooms to take home with him.
They would stay preserved in his subspace long enough to get them into his press, he hoped, and then he would have to decide exactly what to make with them--though a simple frame might be well enough. Anything fancier might take away from the flowers themselves, and that wasn't the point.
He wanted to linger. To take all of this in for as long as possible. To really enjoy this magical little moment, a wonder that he would be unlikely to find again.
And a second wonder came along with it.
At first, he didn't notice the little wisp of light, but when it spun around him and stopped right in front of his face, he certainly couldn't ignore it any further. He'd thought, at first,t hat it was a trick of the light--but no, it was definitely present, bobbing in front of him.
"Hello there," he said, extending a hand, and the wisp moved to brush up against his fingers. It was a strange sensation, being touched by something that didn't quite seem to have physical presence, and it made Carterhaugh blink. "Did you come to admire the flowers, too?"
The wisp wobbled, and then bumped against his hand again, and Carterhaugh couldn't help but smile.
"Friendly, aren't you?" He asked, charmed immensely by the little thing. "So, are we friends, now, then?"
The little wisp made some quick circle,s in a way that Carterhaugh could only interpret as pleased. Then, it bumped up against him again and vanished.
And yet, he was sure it would show up again.
[wc: 526 words]
