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Death is uncommon for elves, but even so, they've developed cliches to spout to those in mourning. A sentiment echoed to Grady and Edaline over and over as they prepared for their daughter's planting, as they stood at the front of the crowd accepting meaningless words and not caring because Jolie was gone and no flowers or food or condolences would ever possibly fix that. People recited it anyway; "Wear green to mourn her, and when you're ready, other colors will return to your life."
There should be an expiration date for the green, because it has been sixteen years and that damn color still tints Edaline and Grady's world. The memories of Jolie's life linger in every hallway of their house and the wave of Edaline's hair and the crook of Grady's smile, and with it, the aching sorrow of knowing that life is gone. They're not yet ready, and they wear green. Green, green, green. The carpets and curtains and blankets are green. All the clothes in their wardrobe are green. Edaline's earrings are green. Grady's fingernails are green. The whole ugly, miserable world is an ugly, miserable shade of green.
When Alden asks whether they'd be willing to take in this new girl, the one who lived with humans, Edaline looks at Grady and shrugs. Why not? It'll be something new. Maybe something brighter. Maybe she'll make the world look beautiful again. (But maybe she'll remind them of what they've lost.) "We'll try," Grady tells him, eventually. The next day, Sophie Foster is on their doorstep, looking small and terrified and lost. It's a familiar feeling. That's how they've felt for sixteen years.
"Come on in," Edaline greets her. She's silent as she steps through the door. Her dress is bright red, and she looks out of place in the cold, green house. Even as she introduces herself, voice perfectly polite, her eyes dart towards the door like she would rather be anywhere else. Maybe she feels the grief in the house too. Maybe it's suffocating. Grady and Edaline can't imagine what that would feel like to a newcomer. They've grown used to it, and it still hurts.
When Juline stops by a while later, giving the inside of the house a disapproving look, she says "Still green?"
"It's hard to move on," Edaline says simply.
"I know. But you can't live in the past forever."
Edaline sighs. "I'll try."
Trying was supposed to be meaningless. The last thing Edaline expected was to succeed.
Edaline bakes mallowmelt with Sophie, and flour ends up all over the kitchen and in both of their hair. After cleaning up, Edaline goes to her sister's house and takes a pair of silver earrings from Kesler. He gives her a toothy grin when she makes the request. "I'm proud of you, Eda."
Grady bombards Sophie with corny joke after corny joke, and she begs him to stop, laughing near-hysterically. He laughs too, and distantly thinks, I can't remember the last time I've smiled this much. With the laughter still ringing in his ears, he goes to Mysterium and buys a bright pink pair of knee-length dinosaur socks. Edaline shakes her head fondly when she sees.
One night, as Sophie's falling asleep, she whispers out "I love you guys."
"We love you too," they say, and smile at one another.
The next day, they both wear red. Each with a green bracelet, because Jolie isn't someone they'll ever forget, but their lives- somehow, miraculously- aren't stuck in a spiral of missing her. There's some color in the world.
And then, another daughter gone. Drowned.
Edaline and Grady wear green to the funeral.