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Crepus always said to never leave the vineyard or go too far from the servant homes near the winery, but that is pretty boring, and Diluc can’t find what he needs in the vineyard, not even near the staff’s houses. So Wolvendom it is.
Elzer may have made a mistake in telling Diluc about a special flower that could glow when the sun goes down. It was an interesting plant, not many could glow in the dark, but to the boy, it wasn’t enough to just read about or trace his fingers on the same three photos of them in the book he carried. He needs to see it himself to answer the burning questions that were bouncing around.
How bright is their glow?
Are they big or really tiny?
Could they make a good flower crown like the windwheel asters Adelinde sometimes brings and make for him? Ooh, maybe he can make her one instead, and father as well.
The more Diluc thought about finding this wonder flower, the more he wanted to find it. Technically, in the book it says it’s a type of grass, but when have you ever seen glowing grass? Never! Besides, in the photos, it looked more like a flower than any grass he had seen.
So off to Wolvendom he goes!
Okay, so maybe going into overgrown woods when it's closer to night was a bad idea, but he was too far now; he couldn’t come all this way only to run because he got scared of the dark. Besides, it will make it easier for him to find the lamp grass.
Diluc was getting more and more careful now. It was getting darker, he still couldn’t find them, and now he had to make sure he didn’t step on an uprooted root.
Then he sees it. At first, he thought it was just a bit of moonlight that managed to seep through the leaves and nearly ignored it before remembering, moonlight usually isn’t a bright blue color. The boy let out a small laugh, forgetting to be careful with the roots, and broke out into a run to see if it really was what he was looking for.
And there it was, there were three of them all in a small group growing next to the base of a tree. They were in various sizes, but even the smallest one was bigger than the average windwheel aster. It was in the shape of a candy cane, the end ended in a big bulb that looked like a flower that hadn’t yet budded yet, but the buds all glowed a bright blue like a little light in the dark.
Diluc managed to reach the lamp grass with only minor tripping. He knelt down in the dirt, getting up close, and he wondered how it glowed; it looked so cool.
“Woah,” his voice sounded breathless in wonder, lightly touching the leaves before moving to the stem and then finally the bud. It was cool to the touch, just like the air around them. Would Elzer know how they glow? Or why? A plant would need to adapt to do so for some reason.
Then a new question bubbled up. Would they still glow when pulled out?
Only one way to find out. Diluc reached for the smallest one first it didn’t come out easily, probably not to be pulled out or break easily in the normal storms that come through Wolvendom. Finally, after some tugging at the stem, it broke off. It still glowed as bright as before.
Another woah spilled from his lips. It was getting darker now, maybe he could use this to help him on his way back.
Diluc picked the other two as well, he turned back in the direction he was sure he came from, using the biggest lamp glass to guide his feet, being able to go faster than the small steps he had to take on the way here.
On the way, Diluc found two others that he might have missed because it wasn’t dark enough to see during the time. Maybe now he has enough for Adelinde to make him a flower crown.
“Diluc!”
Diluc turned. The voice was distant in the direction of the winery, the voice was deep, his father's. He was back home. Now that Diluc was out of the worst part of the woods, less roots to trip over and more moonlight that helped him see much better. He burst into a sprint, holding the lamp grass close to make sure they didn’t blow out of his hand.
“Father!” he yelled back. He should be closer now. And sure enough, he noticed a figure in the distance holding a lamp in one hand, he was still wearing his work suit, his hair tied back like a longer version of the pigtail Diluc wore, his red hair back. Diluc ran straight for the figure.
The man kneeled down to Diluc’s level, ready for the tackle hug he gave. Crepus squeezed onto Diluc tightly, “There you are! Do you know how worried you made us?”
“Worried?” Diluc looked up. Why would they be worried he was fine?
“You didn’t tell anyone where you ran off to, and you know not to leave the vineyard.” Crepus loosened his grip, finally noticing the lamp grass in Diluc’s hand. “What are those?”
“Huh? Oh, this is small lamp grass. Elzer told me where to find them, and look, they glow!” The guilt left as he started to go on about how he found them making Crepus sigh. “Son, next time, ask someone if you want to go and get lamp grass. I understand you were curious, but a kid like yourself can’t go off running into the woods alone. Do you understand?”
Diluc was upset, but lowered his head. He knew he probably should, but he really wanted it to be a surprise; it seems like it backfired on him. He gave a nod, “Okay, Father.”
Crepus straightened up, switching the lamp in his hands, taking Diluc’s open palm. “Come on, it's late and it's getting cold. I don’t want you getting sick as well.”
The pair of them walked in silence, the only real sound being the dirt crunching under their shoes. Finally, Crepus spoke, “So you wanted Adelinde to turn them into a flower crown?” Diluc jumped, nearly forgetting he even told his father. “Yeah! Do you think she can? It can be like a glowing crown and will look so cool,” the excitement came back. Diluc looked down at the five glowing flowers.
“Hmm, we will see what she can do.”
The two finally made it home to a worried Elzer and Adelinde. But Diluc didn’t mind the extra talking to he had what he wanted. And wore it with pride the next few days after the crown was made until the lights finally dimmed into a dull blue, still just as pretty.
Small lamp grass is his favorite flower.