Fate Weaver's convergence

C54 Opening breeze, fading flowers 1

"And these right here are Imperialis lilies~."

Beryl spoke cheerfully, lounging atop a small pile of cloth as Kiyomi sat beside her. After accepting her attempt at becoming a 'role model' Beryl chose to start simple. Moving on from the braiding lesson, Beryl decided to share one of her hobbies with Kiyomi that she'd enjoyed alongside her friends in Va-ren. Flowers.

"Oooh, the colors on this one! It looks like the ones on the ice-cone stand!"

Beryl expected Kiyomi to respond in a half-bored, patronizing tone after opening the book of flower pressings and illustrations. In part, this was expected because of Kiyomi's compatibility with Vaughn. To Beryl's surprise, Kiyomi's attention was enraptured far more easily than expected, almost as if her own personality shifted in a matter of moments.

"What's this one called?"

Kiyomi tapped the next page as it hosted a rather detailed illustration of another flower, it was a flower that was non-existent in the area.

"Hmm? That's a Snapdragon."

Beryl watched as her friend's face morphed at her words. The expression gave the impression that Kiyomi was reminiscing. A soft smile adorned her face that Beryl had yet to see in any instance so far as if Kiyomi directly hid it.

I miss them... Aisha... but Kiyomi is nice. I'm glad that, of all places, we were brought here.

Beryl thought shortly before bringing her eyes back to the page alongside Kiyomi, thinking back to her friends she'd had before the move happened.

Snapdragons... Ma grew them... Pops was never a fan because he thought they looked tacky. Adorning the walkway to the front door... the windows of the house. To go back and relive those times...

My mind was clawing back in time, forcing me to reminisce as a comforting feeling floated about in my chest. These emotions, as far as I could tell, were strictly my own. Remembering the comfort of my Mother, my Stepfather, and my Sister. Strangely, it wasn't bitter-sweet, it was simply an appreciation for the memory. That I could recall it; that I could recall their faces in such a situation. While the effect may not have been Beryl's intention, I imagine she caught that expression before I shoved it away. Regardless of it, she was happy. Therefore, I was happy.

Now that I think about it, there's a disconnect from what I expected.

I shot a sidelong glance towards Beryl as she turned the page, beginning to ramble on another flower pressing.

"This one is some kind of rose that grows seasonally in Morus-"

What I'd grown up viewing as stereotypical 'girl' things aren't exactly established in this world. Or, at the very least, regionally. Adventuring, politics, military, and magic seem to all be diverse enough fields in regard to women. Without ever experiencing this world so far, I would have assumed at least two of the three would have been predominantly male. As for personal interests, my view may be skewed. From what I've witnessed, children are unable to really express hobbies or activities outside their 'family units' here. There may have never been any pressure to appear 'female' as of yet. I simply need to grow into it. That old fictional character may as well have been a role model for me here.

Beryl turned to the next page, pointing to a section to draw my attention to it.

'Adventuring' is the common profession here. In short, hunting, farming, gathering, trading, and defending the routes, crops, and farms. It's all frontier life. This is the easiest place I could have woken up in to adjust to mentally.