Genuine

In through the nose

Out through the mouth

In...

Out...

Once more...

Breathe in

... Then out

Or else she was going to scream. God, does she want to scream - frustration tearing at her chest and clawing to escape through her lips. She's lucky the cherry blossom trees were void of life this morning and she can have a meltdown with no prying eyes. The pink blossoms were a sight to behold, she knows, the sweet scent doing nothing to calm her, but she is unable to appreciate it at the moment. Licorice knows she's being emotional - that being this frustrated out in the open could pose a number of problems and issues to pop up. But it wasn't like now that the frustration had overflowed and could easily be bottled up again... Why, oh why, did she have to check her purse and realize that the brooch was gone?

The week certainly was getting worse and worse for her

First it was that experimental mishap - her equipment, notes, and precious brooch part of the casualty. Then she was informed that the replacement for her broken vials will be delayed to next week. And she vaguely remembers blowing up at a certain brunette the other day when she had perfectly no reason to do so other than just being thoroughly stressed

Licorice lets her hands run through her scalp and lightly tug, the pain helping with distraction

God, she doesn't care much about all the mishaps but she just wants that brooch back!! She'd already counter herself lucky when that hadn't suffered any damage during the inter-dimensional travel but to have completely lost it? She couldn't even remember where she had seen it last, Licorice having thought she'd tucked it safely inside her pouch until she found a solution to having it repaired!

Before she could further spiral - 

A tap-tap-tap on her wrist caught her attention. Patterned and insistent enough for her to recognize it was not her imagination

Licorice whirled around and comes face to face - well, face to chest, she had to tilt her head a little more to actually see the other's face - with... 

...

Are those rabbit ears?

Oh!

A niggling voice in the back of her mind - one that oddly sounds like a certain blonde - reminds her that this was one of the few half-beasts in town. She's heard a couple of stories about them here and there - mostly from the innkeeper since his workplace is where they dwell. There was an excited energy about their presence here, some new fascination lingering at seeing another race of natives aside from the angels, dwarves and fairies. The villagers had gotten used to them, probably and the animal ears and tails were no doubt a novelty. He was either the singer or the craftsman

"Are you okay?", he asks, one eyebrow raised and eyes watching her carefully

In lieu of an answer, Licorice snapped her head to the side. She was not in the mood for a conversation now, knowing full well how that could turn out. An irate her had caused her to blow up at a well-meaning brunette. An irate and spiraling her could pretty much spell disaster

She hoped he got the message 

But by the way he still lingered - quiet and searching - it was clear he didn't

The half-beast speaks again, his voice accompanied by rusting, "I think I might have something to cheer you up"

Licorice scoffed. She'll humor him, at the least. She doesn't want a completely rude exchange make its way back to the villagers - well, a certain number of villagers. Especially the innkeeper who seems to have become well acquainted with all the natives so far. Licorice will be polite, look at whatever he thinks could 'cheer' her up. Glance at it maybe but Licorice doubts he has anything that... can... Wait!

"Here"

Glittering in his hand was her ruined butterfly brooch. Only, it wasn't ruined anymore. The wings that were cracked was now free of any blemish... curved outwards once more as if it had not met an unfortunate end in a previous accident. The jade innocently sitting in its center remained undisturbed and twinkling under the sun's rays

"... Where did - How did - ?", flustered, Licorice repeatedly hovers both her hands over the accessory, unbelieving. How?! It certainly looked like her brooch but how had he gotten a hold of it in the first place?!

A little impatient - maybe - he gently holds on one of her wrist, pausing, then checks her expression. Possibly looking for a protest. And when he found none, he nodded and turned her hand palm up, depositing the butterfly brooch and relinquishing it back to her. Licorice's fingers wound around the accessory and she took it closer to her chest, inspecting. It certainly looked like her brooch! Prior to this week's mishap! As if it hadn't gotten ruined in the first place - !

Ah. So he was the craftsman

Maybe still noting her confusion and fluster, he continued, "There was this tiny little thing that brought it to me. Asked if I could fix it for a friend of hers"

Tiny... thing...? The only one she could think of that she'd talked to these past days fitting the description...

"... And where is this... 'tiny little thing' now?"

He shrugs, "She said something about going back to work then dashed out of my workshop with that large hammer"

Definitely Noelle. Who else had found it a neat idea to carry about and wield that large dangerous thing without any worries? ... Now she feels even worse, remembering herself blowing up at the brunette as she prodded at the irate Licorice. Noelle had only wanted to figure out what was wrong and she'd chewed her out with biting tone and a venom she hasn't really used in a while

Then she still - without her knowing - had gotten her precious trinket fixed? Licorice was equal parts embarrassed and amused at the subtlety

... She did still panic when she finally noticed the missing brooch in her pouch so maybe the brunette hadn't completely thought it out - not considering the consequences of taking the item behind her back. Or maybe she decided it was a risk worth taking...

Licorice would find out later. With a proper apology prepared, of course

"She seemed nice"

"She is a headache if you ask me", Licorice corrects, "No one told her to have my brooch fixed"

"You seem nice too", he continued as if not hearing her

This time, she nearly scowls at him, "And that just means you are a poor judge of character"

"Well, your accessory doesn't lie", the craftsman nonchalantly shoots back, "Despite the cheap material, it is very well cared for"

Of course she cared for it! It was precious to her! The very first token that her darling fiancée gave without having her occasional inputs and reminder that she did not need anything worth thousands of dollars from him. The first item from him that Licorice did not have him run back to return. "... Apologies if it wasn't made of gold"

"Mhm", with how he agrees, Licorice thinks he missed the sarcasm, "I guess the components doesn't have to be expensive for the accessory to be priceless"

With that said, he promptly turns away and starts walking

Panicked, Licorice called out, "Wait!"

The half beast hesitantly pauses in his steps, as if unsure it was him that he called out for. Which is completely ludicrous, if you ask her, he was the only one around! And they had been talking just now! He wasn't just gonna give her his piece then walk away!

The nerve!

"I... How much do I owe you?"

He had the audacity to look confused, his rabbit ears that had been casually laying by his sides, suddenly perked straight up. It certainly made him look taller than he already was. "For what?"

"This. Fixing this", she nearly shoves the accessory to him for emphasis

If anything, it seemed to further confuse the craftsman, and he looked at her like she was the one getting confused, "It wasn't really all that difficult"

"But - "

"The jade was intact so it was an easy fix"

"Still - "

Their back and forth continued, neither side looking ready to back down

"I had nothing much to do and it kept me busy"

"Even so - "

Finally, the half beast huffs in exaggeration. He crosses his arms, and he actually pouts, pulling the look of a stubborn child, "Keep pushing as you want but I'm not gonna take anything from you as compensation"

Licorice pulls a stubborn expression of his own, "... We're at a standstill then. Because I want to thank you in some way. This is... really precious to me"

"I can tell", he nods

"I owe you one - ", she tries to pursue

"So you keep saying", and he sounded huffy at that

" - and I will find a way to repay you"

He waves his hand around, dismissing, "I really don't think you have anything I am interested in"

"Right now, maybe", Licorice smirks, realizing that at the very least, he's worn him down, "But I'll find a way. I can be persistent in returning favors I owe"

Finally, it seems he's recognized the futility of denying the redhead what she wanted and his stance loosened. With a non-committal, "Sure", thrown over his shoulder, he starts leaving again. Licorice stops him for one more time

"Oh! What was your name again?"

"Haylee" 

He doesn't stop moving, affording her no time to say anything else - not even giving him her name

No matter. She's got plenty of opportunity to introduce herself properly - opportunities she'll be making of course. She is quite persistent to return favors she owes. Plus, she'll need to make it up to Noelle... maybe she'll like an accessory of her own? For now, she cradles her butterfly brooch to her chest and allows the calmness of the fields surround her

Finally, she can truly enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms