Aftermaths

“Ugh. It was a complete disaster!” Ui complained as she leaned her head on Odoe’s food cart right after the audition. “Are you listening, Odoe?”

Odoe was busy shifting her attention between multiple customers, placing food in her oven, and taking payments. “Of course, Ui.” Ui had a feeling she wasn’t listening, but she understood. “I’m sure it was better than you think.”

“No, no. The song was only fine and I was completely awkward.” Ui buried her face in her hands. “I asked him why he didn’t have more assistants and paintings. Can you believe it?”

Odoe laughed heartily as she kept expertly managing the shop while juggling Ui’s problems. “That does sound like you, Ui.” She finally managed to look at Ui and smile. “The usual?”

Ui looked at her empty cup, embarrassed. “I’ve had two today already...”

“It’s not like you’ve stopped before at three…” Odoe teased.

But Ui was still worried about her earlier audition... “I’ll have a meat mussa this time, I’m waiting for my brother to be done with school.”

“Right. Waiting for your brother to get out of school. Totally normal.”

Ui rolled her eyes.

“Meat huh? Been a while… On it.” Odoe went back to managing her shop while Ui admired her. She rolled up her special made mussa dough, dabbed a spoonful of her specialty sauce, topped it up, wrapped it in a cone shape and threw it into her oven. Ui was still feeling like a failure by the time the crispy on the outside, soft seasoned dough on the inside, was ready for her to bite into.

“It’s hot, watch out.”

Ui stared at her food for a bit longer, basking in the steam rising from her food. “Hey, Odoe?” Ui asked. Odoe looked at her, just like she did to any customer that needed attention. “What do you think of Lullaby?”

“Songs to sleep children?”

“No, the Lullaby.”

“I…” Odoe shook her head. “I’m glad the war is over, but it will never sit right with me that they sent a child down Mt. Aure to fight their battles. A lot of things could’ve gone wrong. They got lucky. But what do I know, these topics are too complicated for both of us.”

Ui didn’t want to back off, and her eyes were more defiant. “Every cornered animal is forced to fight, Odoe.”

“Look, Ui—we’re talking about children. I’m sure you agree with me!” The food stand customers had started noticing the argument brewing between them, too.

Ui stopped caring about the customers as her outrage took over. “Children can choose for themselves too. Udari children mature much faster—”

A fortunate interruption broke up both of their rising voices. A large boat-like object appeared in the sky and descended on the port. It was equipped with loud machinery that mitigated the weight of it as it landed safely on the docks of Novestr. The silenced crowds once again started talking as the flying vehicle quieted down.

“What is that?” Ui completely forgot about her food and the conversation as she looked at it in awe.

“It’s an airship.” While most patrons had gotten off their stools to observe its landing, Odoe seemed familiar enough with them. “New magicore technology being tested. They can fly and use normal ship docks.”

“That’s amazing, isn’t it?” Ui and Odoe smiled at each other. Ui looked around, noticing Odoe’s stand becoming more and more crowded, and decided it was time to leave. “If my brother is looking for me, tell him I’m at the Royal Gardens across the street.”

Odoe chuckled. “Sure.”

◆

Ui made her way into the Royal Gardens while taking bites of her mussa. The guards’ eyes glared at her, cautioning her to watch her choice of food from disturbing the gardens. But she ignored them.

She sat on a cold bench in front of her favorite flowers, taking a bite into the warm mussa, with the layered meat inside seasoned and softened to perfection. She was done eating before she knew it, and threw the rest away at the appropriate place. The guards could finally rest easy knowing no mishaps would occur.

Ui sat back down on the now slightly warmer bench taking in the views of the flowers once more. A group of tourists, with a Uman guide, walked around the gardens.

The pale pink petals that mirrored Ui’s hidden hair made her smile, sigh, and close her eyes and exhale, all at the same time. The color was just right and the flowers were healthy, and that was exactly why they seemed so out of place in a capital that was otherwise full of grey and white.

“These are known as the Aure roses.” The guide pointed at the pale pink roses that Ui was admiring. “They’re… maintained here as a reminder of the war that was fought on this island.” The crowd got closer to the roses to appreciate them. “Rumors say a notorious Udari…” The guide paused, the next word seemingly not sitting well with her “...rebel, known as Lullaby, was known to leave them in the fields—letting others know after a battle that the area was under her protection.”

The crowds admired the roses as Ui grinned.

“Botanically, they’re known to be far too demanding in water and resources to artificially grow in large amounts… Which is why they grow in very select, water-rich areas of Mt. Aure. They also wither far too quickly when unattended. Hardly worth it to maintain some here except for the Duke’s generous efforts to remind us how important peace is.” The guide continued, and although she knew she was talking mostly about the flowers, Ui wasn’t happy with the guide’s explanation.

“And next is our newest display. These deep purple flowers were brought from the main continent by the Duke.” The crowd seemed even more impressed than with Ui’s flowers, much to her displeasure. “They’re known, unlike the Aure roses, to need very little resources. They also give nutrients back to the land they grow in tenfold.” The crowd at that point seemed incredibly impressed by what Ui thought was a fairly bleak patch of flowers.

Pft. What’s so great about that Duke?

She stopped listening to the guide’s explanation. The exhausting morning’s events and Odoe’s hearty meal had started catching up to her, and Ui slowly nodded off. The crowd of visitors gradually left the area and all that was left was a pleasant shade dancing over her. The sound of the trees’ leaves rustling and a gentle spring breeze slowly but inevitably weighed on her eyelids.