Bloom

25: The Soothing Mint Aroma

Five seconds.

The pain has a rhythm, aggravating their back until it dulls only to start back up again. The daffodil now has a "friend". They rock back and forth, holding tight onto their ankles with a hunched back. Waiting.

After about a minute, Pepper returns, holding a plate with a cup of peppermint tea. They're not wearing a cloak anymore, and their hair is down. The cup rattles against the plate as Pepper trots over to a pained Tulip. They place the plate down by their feet.

"Here," Pepper sits across. "I cooled it down a little so it doesn't burn your tongue."

Tulip pulls the cup closer to them. They stare down at their reflection in the tea before picking it up. The pain refuses to die down, which makes Tulip almost drop it. Pepper's quick action leaps towards Tulip to grab the cup for them. Slowly they lift it to Tulip's lips. The aroma wafts over to them, which obscures the pain for a moment. They take a small sip.

"How is it?" Pepper's eyebrows make their forehead wrinkle with worry.

The warmth of the tea travels down to their back and immediately soothes the pain. They pull the cup back to their mouth with Pepper still holding most of its weight. Another gulp, another sigh of relief.

"Daffodils..."

Pepper's voice pulls Tulip from their meditative state.

"Daffodils are Narcissus's flower. He's always the 'talk of the town' in terms of his beauty. Which is what he's known for being confidently fond of."

Tulip absorbs the information. They lower the cup back down and put it on the plate.

"But back to the flower, though," Pepper sways to one side to peer over Tulip's shoulder, "daffodils mean rebirth. Which is, not far off from what death deities do. We may carry the weight from Death, but we also carry the souls to be brought back to Life."

Tulip's eyes move to the two daffodils that have grown from their back. Five petals for each flower, ten deaths total. Ten souls carried through the afterlife. They stare at the tea, which shows their face in a green-yellow film.

"What does death mean to you, Pepper?" They ask.

Pepper's taken aback by the question. They lean a little, twiddling their thumbs. Eyes travel to the ceiling.

"I think it's more devastating in the eyes of a mortal than an immortal," they say. "To us it's a continuation for time, but to them it's... a pause in their life."

"But are you... happy, in doing the job you have to eventually do?"

Pepper chuckles a bit, then shrugs their shoulders. "It's a job. A duty. Happiness isn't akin to it."

Sadness pinches at Tulip's heart. They try to read Pepper's expression as they look into their eyes. Their voice sounded sad, but on their face is a smile.

"Happiness..." Pepper says, "I feel it more and more in your presence."

It feels like the world has gone still. Tulip feels their face burn up, not because of the tea or the pain. They look down at Pepper's hand and, ever so carefully, take it into theirs. Pepper blinks, letting their hand grow limp in Tulip's grip as they bring it to their face. With closed eyes, Tulip kisses the top of their hand. Pepper watches, blinking wildly as their face grows warm. They don't know if they should say something, but they resist the habit to cover their now-blushed face as their other hand is still held.

Tulip guides it up to their forehead, eyes still shut. The flowers on their back sway in slow motion, as if reacting to Tulip's mood change. Pepper does the same thing as before, petting their forehead with a finger. They stay like that for another minute, until Pepper stops.

"Tulip..."

Tulip lets go to look at them. The pink on their cheeks has faded.

"Do you want to go out into the garden again?"