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Ilmeria couldn’t help but adore Firis in moments when the other woman was preoccupied with other things.
Distracted is the better word, perhaps.
Ilmeria admires how easily mesmerised she is by a lot of things.
An extra streak of purple on a butterfly’s wings, how Ilmeria’s bow manages to stay up and bouncy still even after an exhausting battle, and even with alchemy, sometimes – though they’ve both practiced its ways for a good number of years now, there is still a spark of childlike innocence that never fails to make Ilmeria gazing at her, softly and quietly as the butterflies in her stomach begin to wake and flutter.
There’s also the fact how the smallest detail often fails to evade her watchful eyes.
Particulars that even Ilmeria herself would unintentionally miss, such as an extra step in synthesis that she’d somehow overlooked while pondering a different issue, or even the fact that they’d seen the same Puni circle a lake twice already.
Of course, her excited giggles always gave way for a tender smile to form on her lips, affectionate and adoring, though a bright pink hue would also surface on her cheeks when Firis reaches for her hand and beckons for Ilmeria to come with as they investigate the seemingly confused Puni.
Then there’s how sensitive Firis was to everything that is left unsaid in their midst.
When Ilmeria was too embarrassed to admit that she’d named her Punis, Firis would console her and say that she would name her Puni based on their colours – that there was nothing to be ashamed of.
When Firis left, and she sent letters constantly – though at first they were unopened, they never stopped. Week after week, Firis never failed to send a letter to Ilmeria, no matter where they were, and eventually Ilmeria’s heart melted and she couldn’t help but to gently open them one by one.
Words of encouragement, unique souvenirs from the neighboring continent, apologies, Firis wrote all kinds on various types and shapes of papers.
But what held the most space in her heart, the most special ones were the love letters.
The letters that always came with a petal inside, sometimes even a whole flower if it were small enough to fit, and Firis would detail what she was doing and how much she missed Ilmeria.
And every single time, every single reiteration of how much she loved her, Ilmeria would always hold the piece of paper close to her heart as she sighed, her face red and her heart pounding as she bites her lip trying not to smile too much.
But she does anyway.
“Il, look!” She exclaimed with the usual enthusiasm and glee that Ilmeria had grown to adore, and squatted near the bushes that grabbed her attention. “I didn’t know that these flowers came in these colours!”
The way that she cupped the petals gently in the palm of her hands, how she speaks to the flowers with her heart on her sleeves, and how she turned to look for Ilmeria to be sure that she was right behind her.
“It’s so pretty!” She gleamed at Ilmeria. “Flowers are amazing, aren’t they?”
Ilmeria was right behind her, and bent down slightly to look at the flowers that Firis was referring to.
“You’re right, they are.” Ilmeria said. “...But let’s not forget what we’re here for, Firis.”
“Huh?” Firis was quiet for a bit, her thoughts lost in the clouds, until she exclaimed with surprise – a clear indication that she had completely forgotten what they had gone out here for.
Luckily, her quick “Oh!” showed that at least she was quick to remember what their original goal was.
“Firis…” Ilmeria tilted her head to the side.
Firis only briefly giggled at the chastising tone that Ilmeria had taken up, and put her hands behind her back.
“I remembered, though!”
“You should…” She shook her head. “This was your idea, right?”
“Right.” She nodded, and stood up with a wide grin on her face.
In response, Ilmeria only crossed her arms and sighed with an amused expression on her face.
Firis reached out to hold Ilmeria’s hand, and in return she extended her hand. As Firis cupped the smaller woman’s hand in hers, Ilmeria smiled as they walked the grassy fields hand in hand as she continued to point out the small things that fascinated her.
Ilmeria really, really could only smile and let the butterflies in her heart flutter and remind her of her feelings. She followed with a quiet yet euphoric heart as they continued down the unkempt dirt path, greens and dandelions growing on the sides threatening to overtake the bright caramel road against the green leaves and dark brown soil.
And as the evening fell upon them, all that Ilmeria could think about was how she had found herself falling for Firis all over again, just like she did the first time they spent time together under the twilight swirls of dusty orange and lavender, when they bashfully placed their hands together and only smiled as they forgot for a second that there were other things in the world besides the two of them.
Not that the feeling ever went away, because every time they found themselves sharing in the comforts that only they could provide for each other, Ilmeria let herself indulge and forget there was a world beyond her smile.