The Language of Flowers

“Ack! Lost it again!” Mahannana grumbled as the flower tumbled off her stick and plopped back into the water. “This is starting to piss me off.” “Hey, hey, you’re doing great! It takes a little work, but I’m sure you’ll get it soon!” Aqua bashfully cheered as he crouched next to her, not having any better luck. “How is this your favorite festival activity, Mr Aqua?” Mahannana pouted, hugging her knees. “It seems like a waste of time...”

The light from the lanterns and moon gleamed off the glassy surface of the pond being used for the festivities. The slight evening breeze made the flowers drift lazily across the surface. It was beautiful and mood setting...until you actually tried to scoop the flowers out with the paddle-stick-thingy. Mahannana knew that it would be a snap using her magic, but the rules strictly forbid it, so she was left to realize how pathetic her fine motor skills were.

“It’s never seemed like that to me. It’s always been an enjoyable challenge.” Aqua admitted, eyeing a large water lily floating by. “But I do prefer quiet activities that I can do by myself. You’re more energetic, so maybe this isn’t your strong suit.” With a swift movement, Aqua used his stick to flick the lily into the air and gently caught it in his hand. Mahannana watched in awe. “That was amazing, Mr Aqua! How did you do that?” Aqua shrugged. "I'm good with plants? I don’t know, but it worked.” He looked at her expectantly. “Do you want to be done and move on? Or do you want to keep trying?”

Mahannana narrowed her eyes. “I will not be defeated. If you can do this, I can too.” She looked at the abundance of flowers. ‘Everything looks pretty, so I'm not too picky.' Her eyes landed on a flower about a foot from the water’s edge. ‘That’s the one! Now, let’s see, what’s the best way to get it?’ The faint outline of the string floating in the water sparked an idea.

Carefully, Mahannana stretched herself out, gripping onto a rock with her left hand for dear life. ‘Where’s the end with the tag?’ “Mahannana! You’re leaning too far! Don’t fall in!” Aqua fretted. Mahannana only gave him a grunt in response. ‘There it is!’ Placing her stick on the end of the string near the tag, she began rolling it so that the string wrapped around it. Once she was convinced that it wouldn’t fall loose, she lifted the string up with the flower on the end like a pastel fish. “Got it!” She announced triumphantly as she slowly edged backwards.

“Uh, that isn’t exactly how this is supposed to work, Ma-Chan.” Aqua cringed in embarrassment. “Huh? What?” The teenager asked, looking at him innocently and pausing in her effort to disentangle the string from the stick. “...It’s nothing.” Mahannana held the flower with both her hands. ‘It’s so beautiful!’ Aqua noted the joy on her face. “Why did you pick that one, Ma-Chan?” “It looks like a giant apple blossom.” She responded without hesitation as she admired her prize. “Well...that’s true...do you like apple blossoms, Ma-Chan?” 

Mahannana nodded. “It’s a weirdly specific story but, my apartment back in our world was in a really tall building. It was taller than even some other apartments and office buildings. One of those buildings had a greenhouse on top of it. From my bedroom window, I could see right into one side of it. There were apple trees there so, ever since I was little, I’ve seen the apple trees in there blossom over and over again. I guess I have a fondness for apple blossoms because of that, and this flower was close so...” She smiled at the flower. ‘This is so beautiful though! Even though those trees in that greenhouse were so carefully cared for, they can’t hold a candle to whatever this flower is!’ “Mr. Aqua you’re a plant person. What flower is this?” Aqua frowned. “I’m not entirely sure. I know it’s typically a mountain flower, but I can’t recall the name. Why don’t we ask Ms. Elfrida? She’s smart and, since she’s a dwarf, you’d have better luck asking her about the flowers that grow in her people’s territory.”

Mahannana finally got the string loose and grabbed the colored card. “What’s your fortune, Ma-Chan?” Aqua scooted closer. “Soon, you will have encounters that will form life-changing friendships and forge bonds stronger than blood ties.” She squinted. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” Aqua peered over her shoulder. “Hmm...maybe it means that you’re going to make friends who will become like family to you? You and Ms. Selena did say that you didn’t have any other family.” He suggested. “Maybe? But you’re like a big brother to me and Elfrida-Chan seems like a wise and fun auntie, so don’t I have that already?” Aqua struggled to hide his pleased grin. “It makes me happy that you consider me so highly! But let’s see...maybe it’s talking about Mrs. Lirhilde and Mr. Omthor? You did say that Mrs. Lirhilde gave off a warm, maternal feeling even before you knew how old she originally was?” He offered. “They're getting closer with you and your mother, but you still only met them a few days ago?” Mahannana bit her lip in contemplation. “But I already met them! It says I’m going to have an encounter. Future tense.”

Aqua laughed and stood up. “Well, it’s just a fun game, anyway! Don’t take it too seriously. At the very least, it means you shouldn’t have any trouble making more friends, right?” Mahannana nodded in agreement as she stood up. “What about you? What did you get?” Aqua gently stroked the large flower peeking out of his shirt pocket. “A water lily. They’ve always been my favorite flower. When I was little, my family lived by a lake and they would always blanket the water in spring. It would be a pain to get the fishing boats into the water because they were so thick.” He grinned. “I’m a bit sentimental with the things I like, too, I guess.” Mahannana returned his grin, happy that he understood her mindset. “Your fortune any good?” Aqua’s smile instantly turned to a frown as they searched for their two friends.

“It’s not bad but...it’s something I have no idea what to do with. You will find true love with an unexpected and unusual person.” He wrinkled his nose. “What does that even mean?” He blushed slightly. “And l-love?” “You aren’t any better with romance than you are with humanity in general?” Mahannana guessed. “I’ve never had a friend, let alone a girlfriend!” Aqua laughed awkwardly at himself. “I’m better with plants than I am with people. Apples are a lot less intimidating!” Mahannana snickered. “Eh, romance is overrated and you’re not all that older than me. You have lots of time to do whatever you want with your life.”

“What is this about love that I hear?” Lirhilde wiggled her eyebrows as Mahannana and Aqua approached the bench where her and Elfrida had been waiting for them. Aqua turned beet red and froze. “Oh, just talking about the fortunes we got. Nothing bad, just kinda cryptic for me and out of character for Mr Aqua.” Mahannana shrugged it off. “Hey, Elfrida-Chan?” She tuned to the dwarf with her flower cupped in both hands. “Do you know what kind of flower this is?” The librarian adjusted her monocle.

“Oh, that’s a mountain’s bane!” she replied quickly. "They grow on trees at the very top of the highest mountains here.” A look of confusion flashed in her eyes that didn’t escape Mahannana’s notice. “Is something bothering you, Elfrida-Chan?” The dwarf hesitated. “What kind of fortune did you get, Ma-Chan?” Mahannana held out the tag. “Basically, that I’m going to make some really strong friendships.” She shrugged. Elfrida’s eyes popped in suprise. “That’s the fortune you got? That’s a strange combination...”

Mahannana tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Well...” Elfrida hesitated. “For my people, this flower symbolizes upheaval and that can be a bad omen...or a good one. It can either stand for a positive chaos that shakes things up for the better...or a negative one that brings destruction, disaster, and despair.” She quickly shook her head and smiled. “But that’s just how the dwarfs view it. Floriography isn’t consistent the way science or magic is. Five different cultures can give you 25 different meanings or symbols for the same flower. As far as I know, I don’t think humans have meaning attached to it. It’s just a pretty flower to your kind. It just seemed like an odd match for your fortune, that’s all.”

Lirhilde leaned over. “Well, I guess that just means that you’re going to meet some interesting people that are going to shake things up! Even if it’s a bad omen or something, it also does say that you’re basically going to find honorary family members, right? So even if things do get rough, it should even out, right? You won’t be alone.” Mahannana cradled the flower carefully. “That’s true, Lir-Chan! I'm not worried.”

‘Me and mama already got pulled to another world. What else could happen that would be any crazier than that?’