Morning Snow

The new layer of snow was unbothered so early in the morning, with the few exceptions being small pathways cleared by tiny creatures stirring. Petal always woke before the sun was high, thanks to an authoritarian schedule set by her mothers. Without the sun shining brightly, it was freezing out, and she pulled her shawl tighter around her body. She was waiting for Aspen to return from flying, so she could warm herself by the fire, but the falcon was nowhere to be seen. Though, she didn’t worry. Aspen always knew how to get back to her, no matter how far from home she was. At the very least, the dwarven city they were staying in was friendly, and the inn rooms were warm and homely. Petal had a room to herself, being the only girl, which she supposed was nice of the others. But she wanted to interact with them more. 

Petal swung her legs as she sat on the wooden bench, her feet swiping gently against the snow. She was about to stand up and head inside, and just watch the skies from the windows, when she heard shuffling in the snow. She looked up, and as the sun was just peaking over the horizon, found Luciel looking down at her. His tanned cheeks were red, surely from the cold. His breath came out in little white puffs, and Dillon puffed his black feathers on his shoulder. “Sorry, did I interrupt you?” Lu asked, his voice quiet.

Petal immediately shook her head, and patted the place beside her on the bench. “Not at all. You can sit down,” she smiled.

Lu glanced at his bird for a moment, as if waiting for some kind of remark, but he made no noise. Lu sat down, fair enough away from Petal that another person could sit between them. Petal pouted, but turned her head to the sky so he couldn’t see her disappointment.

“I love watching the sky. I always have,” she commented, folding her hands on her lap. She found Lu’s head move from the corner of her eye, and he looked at the slowly changing sky, as well.

“Maybe it’s because Mistral is so high in the sky. When I was little, my mom never let me go up to the towers or go across the sky bridges. She was always worried I was going to fall. But,” Petal grinned and turned to Lu, “I like that feeling.”

Lu didn’t speak. His golden eyes were still focused on the sky, the color of his irises almost matching the shades of blue and yellow as the sun rose on the horizon. But soon, he nodded. “I get that.”

“I’ve never left Axonis. I’ve always seen airships leaving, though. I want to see what it’s like to fly like that someday.”

Lu rubbed the back of his neck, and the movement made Dillon jump off his shoulder and perch on the arm of the bench. He chuckled under his breath. “That’s actually how we all got here. An airship. But, it… crashed.” He looked at Petal. “I don’t mean for that to scare you, or anything.”

She seemed unphased by the confession. Instead, her amethyst eyes glittered, and she leaned closer to Lu. “You’re not from Axonis? Where are you from?”

“O-oh…” Lu leaned back a little. “Betronix. A country called Gartnik.”

“Is it bigger than Agrines?”

Lu though for a moment. “Yeah. A little bit.”

Petal finally leaned back against the bench again with a big grin. She seemed incredibly content. “I’d love to visit with you someday.”

“With me?”

She laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Of course! You could show me your home. Just the two of us, perhaps. When… when all of this is over.”

Lu looked away. His arms fell from being crossed over his chest, and he placed one hand on the bench between them. It seemed like he wanted to say something; to tell Petal something. Like something was eating at him. But, instead of saying anything, he glanced at her with a small smile. “I think I’d like that.”

Petal’s smile was blinding. Absentmindedly, she placed her hand down on the bench, too. Their fingertips brushed for just a moment, and Petal held her breath. She hoped he wouldn’t pull away, or just leave entirely. She just shut her eyes and basked in the touch for as long as she could.

But, Lu didn’t leave. He didn’t pull away. His skin was warm against hers, and after awhile, his larger hand came to cover hers completely. She could feel her heart in her throat, and suddenly the cold air of the morning didn’t feel so frigid. The sun’s rays just barely reached them, and Aspen finally came into Petal’s view. When she landed on the arm of the bench next to her, Aspen perched in a similar fashion to Dillon. 

Petal thought, at that moment, that nothing could feel warmer.