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As the sun grazed the horizon over the sea, Mizore stretched their wings to their full span; the end of their shift being only time they expressed such an open movement. Another peaceful day, another sunset. As much as days filled with stress or trouble were few and far between, taking these peaceful times for granted was a habit Mizore was eager to break. So, they bent their knees, perching comfortably as they tucked their wings to their sides.
From up here, they could only barely hear the bell at the front door ring, a pair of hurried footsteps and wingbeats following soon after. Rain raced a few paces ahead of little Mila, whose smile was growing brighter by the day. Mizore watched them go from their vantage point, all the way until they reached the top of the hill leading towards Vitae. With a hug (and reluctant farewell), Rain waved with both wings as Mila walked back home.
This sight, too, was becoming routine.
The sea breeze blowing in brushed against their auriculars; the feathers spread slightly in response. Mizore brushed them back down with a few careful strokes. Rain made her way back, using her wings to glide as she skipped down the path.
Mizore didn't consider themself an optimist, per se, but they were far from a pessimist. Rather, they believed life tends to work out in the path of least resistance. They took pride in making that path comfortable; as seen in their choice of specialty.
Still, though, they had been wondering if perhaps it would be better to assume life was difficult.
"Hello, Rain," Mizore called out as the young girl stopped just a few skips short of the post office door. "Another busy day training our newest courier, I take it?"
"Mizore!" The wind carried Rain's already projected voice up the tree. Mizore smiled — it's a sign of good health for a child. "Yeah! Can I come up?"
"Surely you know you needn't ask that. Come along."
With a few flutterings, she was perched beside them, sitting close enough for their wings to touch. She struggled to catch her breath amidst wanting to share a story as soon as she could (short distances of flight are no trouble, but flying straight up is always a taxing endeavor). Yet she made the effort all the same.
"C-Caile… Caile said…!"
"Take a moment. We're in no hurry."
A long, drawn out inhale.
"Caile said that the post master said that no one has ever said a seaborn can't be a courier, so, she's official!" Rain rambled in one exhale, taking Mizore's advice only long enough to share this exciting revelation.
"Is that so?" Mizore tilted their head with keen interest. The fact that Caile had told them as much a day before was better kept a secret. "Well! Seeing as you are a senior courier yourself, you've a lot of experience to share with miss Mila. You'll have your wings full showing her around while maintaining your own responsibilities, won't you?"
"Yeah! I've been so busy, I haven't even organized the outgoing mail to Alchema yet." Rain's eyes shone with the excitement.
"It's good to see you don't shy away from the work. Never hesitate to give me a call if you need it, I'm sure our home wouldn't mind a day free from weed-pulling and trimming."
"Hehe. Sure, Mizore." Rain adjusted her position, bringing her talons closer together to huddle in her own feathers and dip her chin to rest against her chest. Hiding her rosy cheeks in that furtive way that only a young girl would. "I was thinking of asking Mila to help me tomorrow, though… N-not that I don't want to hang out with you! It's just. Um. She needs a lot of training to catch up with me now."
"Of course, of course."
It was a relief. While Mizore, Caile, and Neve grew up more or less joined at the tailfeathers due to their relatively close ages, Rain's had no peers of her own all this time. That she found another girl who she so easily fell into step with, different as the two can be, was nothing short of a miracle.
Ah. Mizore stopped that train of thought. No, it was not some random miracle, was it? Thinking that way was a disservice to the many days that Mila made that walk alone to the post office, asking after Dandelion's letter. To the countless efforts Rain gave to finding it with her. The two were friends now not because of chance, but because they've overcome the odds to make that possible.
"What's so funny?" Rain broke the silence, looking up at them.
"Hm?" Mizore opened their eyes to look down at her, suddenly aware of the smile on their face. "Ah, nothing at all. I was simply thinking what a remarkable pair you and our new courier are."
Rain's face flashed bright red, and she stood up — but for all the good that did, it just made the two eye-level. "W-what!? N-no, it's not like that, I! I just like her!"
…?
"And I don't even know if she likes me! Well, likes me like that! That'd be… crazy!"
… …?
"So we're not a pair! Okay!"
"… Y-yes. Although, I had simply meant as a pair of young, promising girls. Nothing more?"
"… Oh." Rain sat back down. "Um… Yeah." She paused. "Can you forget I said that?"
"Said what?"
"The part about me liking Mila. And stuff."
"I don't remember anything of the sort."
"But I just—ohhh."
Mizore tried not to, but they laughed under their breath, which only made Rain retreat more into her cloak.
"Anywho… Tell me, Rain. Did you know dandelions are not flowers?"
Thankfully, Rain is not the type to dwell on insecurities. She looked up, tilting her head.
"Um. Yeah, I think so. But I don't really know the difference…"
"It has to do with the conditions they require to thrive. Dandelions are called weeds because they find a way to spread easily throughout most of the Cradle — only needing a small breeze to take to the skies and bloom wheresoever they fall." Mizore glanced down at her once more. "Surely you must have seen at least one or two on your adventure up the tree? I find them quite plentiful on the higher branches."
For some reason, Rain cringed a little. "Uh. Yeah. I did…"
Best to not push the point, Mizore thought. "Seaborn and earthfoot can eat their flowers, their greens… I'm told some even make tea from the roots. So, one is to wonder, why bother?"
"Why bother… with what?"
"Well, with farming. With growing other flowers. It requires a great deal of effort to keep fields free from dandelions, whose roots will prevent any other seeds from taking to the soil. And from an aesthetic perspective, they're quite beautiful, so it's not as if they're an eyesore."
Rain stared out towards the sky, greatly considering this. In this short conversation, the sun was already halfway gone. Time seemed to pass so fast when the day was near its end.
"I guess… It'd get pretty boring."
"That's my thinking as well! And what else?" Mizore nodded, hoping it would encourage her.
"Hm. Well…" Rain smiles, shifting her weight. "Even if you like how it tastes, I'm sure it's better with other things. And… Mila told me her mom's favorite flowers are sunflowers, so it'd be really sad if she couldn't have those."
"Exactly." Mizore stood up. The cold would be coming soon after the sun is gone — even now in snowmelt, the nights become awfully uncomfortable fast. "My point of the matter was that… essentially, I've been trying to be more thankful for sunflowers. And so, I am also very thankful that you and Mila have become such fast friends."
Rain didn't seem to know how to respond, besides standing up alongside them. The two watched the sun disappear over the ocean before she finally spread her wings wide, shaking her head to catch whatever last bits of warmth she could. "… I'm really happy we are, too!"