Vermeil looked around the market, searching for a certain someone. "Where is that girl?" The demoness scanned the area around her, before turning her sights to the horizon, where she saw just what she was looking for. A little girl with purple hair in a pink dress was running down the path, holding something in her hands. "Mama!", the little girl called out joyfully.
Vermeil crouched down and held out her arms. "Rose!" Her daughter ran into her and was lifted up into the air. "Where did you run off to?", giggled Vermeil. Rose showed her mother the object in her hands: a flower crown. "I made this for Papa." Vermeil chuckled. She remembered how Rose made a flower crown for her and felt bad not making one for Alto.
"Will he like it?", asked the little girl. "He will love it, sweetie", said Vermeil. Rose smiled brightly, with a twinkle to go with it in her amber eyes, the only thing that she inherited from her father while the rest of her appearance was from her mother. "Now let's go show it to him", said Vermeil. Rose was put back on the ground, where she took her mother's hand.
"Let's go!", she said enthusiastically. She ran ahead and practically dragged Vermeil along.
. . .
Alto focused on the giant water bubble that he was levitating with his hands. It then began boiling violently, before exploding.
The sorcerer wiped the water from his face. "Got close that time", he said. "But what else am I missing?" "Papa!" Alto turned around and fell to the ground on his behind due to a small figure hugging him around his stomach.
"Hey Rose", he chuckled. He stood up while picking up his daughter and raising her up high. "And how's my little girl?" "I'm not little! Mama says I'm getting bigger!" "Well she's not wrong", said Alto. He turned to his wife, who was walking up to him and their daughter. "You took longer than expected", the silver haired man said. "Well someone made a detour", said Vermeil as she looked at the little girl in her husband's arms.
Alto looked at her as well. "Have you been causing trouble for your mother?" Rose shook her head. "I've been good! Honest!" "She has been", said Vermeil. "She actually just went to go do something. Rose, why don't you show Papa what you made." The little girl excitedly left her father's arm and ran to the bag her mother was holding, taking out the flower crown she had made earlier. "You made another flower crown?", asked Alto.
Rose nodded, and held the crown out. "I made it for you, Papa." Alto's eyes widened. He took the crown and placed it on his head. "You looked sad when I made Mama one, so I made you one", his daughter explained. "Thank you, sweetheart. I really like it." Vermeil then had an idea. "Wait here just a second." The demoness quickly ran back to her and her family's home, leaving her husband and daughter confused.
After a few seconds, Vermeil came back out, with something in her hands: a flower crown. When she was standing before her family, she put it on her head, and moved closer to Alto. "Now we match." Rose placed her hands on her head, then puffed her cheeks. "No we don't. I don't have one." Alto crouched down so that he was eye level with his daughter.
"Why don't you make one then? There are flowers over there by the tree." "Those are Mama's flowers. I already used them. I made your crown out of different flowers." Alto looked at Vermeil's flower crown and then inspected his own. "Indeed it is. You know, I do know of another place where there are pretty flowers. Want to go there?" Rose smiled brightly and nodded.
"I'll go pack a basket. Then it can be a picnic", said Vermeil. "Yay! Picnic!", cheered Rose as she ran to the house. Vermeil looked at Alto, and walked over to him. "You are always so cute when you're being a dad", she said as she kissed her husband on the lips. Alto looked up at his wife's flower crown, seeing a flower that was busy wilting. He pointed at it, restoring it into its healthy state.
"Don't want to destroy Rose's gifts." Vermeil took her husband's hand and walked with him back to their house.
