Chapter Text
“Please, leave me alone! What do you even want from me?” The merchant begged.
“Information, my dear lamb.” Temenos smiled kindly, almost as though he wasn’t looming over the poor man. “Would you be so kind as to educate me about the city of Wellgrove?”
Agnea sighed as the poor merchant started listing off everything he could think of. Temenos was a bit of a bother to travel with, if only because of his approach to information. He treated everyone with scrutiny, even their companions sometimes. In the half a year they’d been traveling together, this had not changed one bit.
Hikari was better about it, though it was absurdly expensive. The man understood that he could get lips to move, as long as he had enough coin. Where Osvald, Castti, and Temenos failed, Hikari succeeded with a hefty bag of coins. Of course, this meant that there were periods of time where the group’s purses were extremely empty. Agnea couldn’t stay mad at him, though. She was far too-
She cut her thoughts short, catching herself as she broke her stare at Hikari. If she wasn’t careful, her thoughts would become apparent. Oh, how embarrassing that would be.
“That will be all! Good day to you, kind sir.” Temenos shook the merchant’s hand, eliciting a squeak from the man. Agnea mouthed an apology to him, and they were on their way once again.
As they walked, it didn’t take long for Hikari’s face to light up again. He looked around them, a childlike energy filling his every move. Agnea suppressed a giggle, something she had been doing ever since they entered the Leaflands. She wanted to say something, but worried that he would get embarrassed. She would much rather enjoy the sight of him excited like this than fluster him.
Or so she thought.
“What’s got you so riled up, Hikari?” Agnea asked.
“Huh? Oh, err, my apologies,” Hikari replied. His excitement did not dwindle. “I just can’t contain myself around all these plants.”
“Do you particularly like plants?”
“Yes, very much so. There aren’t very many plants in Hinoema,” Hikari explained. “To see so many of them in such health and abundance is incredible to me.”
Agnea smiled. She hadn’t really thought of it like that, but she understood it now.
A flower on the side of the road caught her attention, and she grabbed Hikari’s arm. “Hey, come look at this!”
“Huh?”
She brought him to the side of the road, crouching down by the flower. “D’ya see this flower?” Hikari nodded. “This is a Lion’s Mane. It’s named for its petal pattern resembling the mane of a lion,” She explained. She traced her thumb over the petals. “They’re real common here in the Wellgrove Wilds, and apothecaries mix it into a brew that makes it easier for our bodies to build muscles.”
Hikari stared at her, taking in every last bit of information she was providing. “They’re usually used on patients who have just healed a broken bone, so they can get back to normal life faster.”
The warrior stared at the flower. He grabbed Agnea’s wrist and brought the flower closer to his face, opening his mouth and moving the flower toward it.
“Hikari!” She pulled her hand back, letting her accent slip. “What’re ya doin’?”
“I, uh… I wanted to know if it would really help to increase strength,” Hikari said. “I apologize if I have startled you.”
“Hikari, you’re so silly!” Agnea laughed. “Like I said, it has to be processed first. It won’t do anything for you in this state.”
“I see,” Hikari nodded. A light blush crept onto his face. “How do you know all this?”
“Castti’s been teaching me a few things,” Agnea replied. “I wanna be more useful to the group than I have been, so-”
“Agnea, you’ve been indispensable to this group,” Hikari interrupted. “Please don’t ever think otherwise.”
Agnea’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “Thanks, Hikari. That means a lot.”
“Heeeeey!” A higher voice rung out. Ochette took a deep breath. “We’re gonna leave you behiiiind!”
“I suppose we’ve lingered here long enough,” Hikari acknowledged. He stood up, offering his hand to Agnea. “Shall we keep going?”
“I think that’s a splendid idea.” Agnea took his hand, standing up herself. They jogged to catch up to the group, resuming their conversation once they did so. “What kind of plants are there in Ku, anyhow?”
“A fair amount of cacti,” Hikari joked.
“And?”
Hikari laughed, and began telling the dancer of the few plants that held onto life in the desert. They walked, the talk of plants outliving their journey to Wellgrove.