It was a quiet dawn, with the smell of fresh coffee and the light of the barely risen sun filling the kitchen. A clock hanging on the wall showed that it was just barely reaching six, and the atmosphere present represented the time well. Hardly anything stirred, and for a while, it would feel like the world was still. A few soft footsteps lightly whispered against the ground before their owner took a seat on a stool by the granite-topped island in the center of the room. Also present was a male voice, older in years, and sounding rather weary. It was quiet, as the volume of the nearby television was lowered, but the words could be heard perfectly fine given the current nature of the environment.
“We have more updates on the incident that occurred late last night in Shinjuku. Late Christmas Eve, an eye witness testifies that a wielder was responsible for a series of attacks on innocent bystanders. As much as it pains us to relay this information, so far, six casualties have been found with more expected to be discovered in the rubble as law enforcement and other emergency responders work to clear it away. At least fifteen others have been injured, several of which in critical, life-threatening condition. On a somewhat much needed positive note, the suspect has been found and apprehended in the early hours of the morning today, roughly around two or three. We haven’t received any further word or comment about this individual except for his status as a wielder.”
There was a quiet beeping to signal that the coffee machine had finished the brewing process, just briefly interrupting the newscaster. While feet shuffled quietly across the ground to fetch a cup and return to the counter once again, the man continued.
“This, of course, adds onto the rising tensions and anxious feelings concerning the safety of having wielders and humans coexist so freely. As riots and spiteful encounters increase in regularity across not only the Sakura Nation, but the other nations as well, many people are left to wonder if new laws should be implemented, and new regulations should be brought up for consideration to help control our powered counterparts. People have spoken out for the removal of our own governor, being a wielder himself, over controversial accusations of biases towards his own species, while neglecting the greater population of humans. There will be a re-election in the coming months where this decision will be put to a vote for the nation itself to decide on what steps should be taken next, and who should be at the helm of it all.”
Ferain let out a quiet, exasperated sigh as she clicked the power button on the television remote, putting an end to the dreary broadcast. This was unfortunately becoming more commonplace on not just the local news, but news networks worldwide. The division between wielders and humans were starting to become more clear, and the loudest people that represented one side or another were becoming more outspoken. Even worse than that were these attacks, all caused by people who believed actions spoke louder than words. As time went on, as the attacks became more frequent, Fera was finding it harder and harder to argue against that logic. Who cared what a politician said about unity when dozens of people were blown up by a wielder’s power, or when a few wielders were shot by a paranoid human with a vendetta? What did it matter then when the governor said everything was being investigated and negotiated when people in the street were being frightened, threatened, and harmed?
Fera sipped slowly from her coffee before setting the mug down on the counter. She let out another slow breath as she gazed down at her bandaged arm, finding it even harder to argue against the primary point of the human activists that were rallying against her own kind. Wielders were dangerous, there was no going against that simple fact. For all of history, weapons were made to kill, and that was exactly the purpose of Fera’s existence, like it or not. Her entire species was created to kill as many people as possible. No amount of pretending that wasn’t the case would make it so. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit, not when they were centuries past the end of the war and they’d been in a time of peace for so long, but that was the truth of the matter.
Fera thought about it for a moment, pondered how she might handle the situation and whose side she was really on, but after several seconds, no answer came. “It’s too early for this.” she muttered, taking a final sip of her coffee and sliding off of the stool she’d been sitting on.
Once her morning mess was cleaned, she walked to the entryway of the house and took a seat on the small step across from the front door. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a gray shirt, and pulled on a black hoodie after sliding her feet into her boots. The world she walked out into was probably one of the coldest days that month. It was even snowing lightly, causing her hair to slowly accumulate clumps of white powder as she walked along the driveway towards the street. There was a shopping district not too far from Anita’s home, though it was a tiny one that paled in comparison to some of the larger cities that surrounded it. Despite it being Christmas, many of the stores were open, even at this early hour. Some of them were still getting ready for the day, as their employees were flipping signs on and propping the doors open on a few of the cafes and other eateries.
The crowd of patrons was miniscule, however, making Fera feel comfortably alone as she walked along the sidewalks, eyeing the stores one by one, hoping to come across the perfect place. She didn’t know what exactly she was looking for, but she hoped that she would figure it out once she saw it. The idea made Ferain a bit nervous, doing something like this, as she’d never done it before, but she kept reminding herself that it was the thought that counted most. A bit cheesy, perhaps, but it was true in most things. A gift didn’t have to be lavish to be meaningful, it just had to be right.
As Fera continued down the several blocks of shops and restaurants, she eventually found herself walking into a pottery shop. It was a simple place with nothing really noteworthy about the appearance. The look was much like most shops in the area, with their single door and their displays out front, and a plaque by the door that read the name of the business, which was something she didn’t even pay much mind to. The main reason she was drawn inside was a display piece. It was a tea-cup with a blue base, a few clouds painted in the foreground, and a sun peeking out behind them. A simple piece, but Anita always said she was easy to please, and she did enjoy her tea. The door opening caused a digital bell to chime within the store, alerting anyone present to her entrance.
“Good morning.” came a young girl’s voice. It was somewhat familiar to her, like she’d heard it from somewhere before. As Fera approached the counter, she saw that the space behind it was empty, or, that is until a person stood up from behind it. “Sorry, I was looking for something. Can I help you?” the girl asked.
Fera tilted her head slightly as she took in the sight of the person. She had darker hair, a light caramel tone of skin, and a face that was kind and genuine. Her eyes were a soft shade of hazel that seemed to expand out around the pupil like a miniature wave of energy had burst outwards within the iris. Up close like this, Fera recognized them as being quite beautiful, having a perfect blend of green and brown, and the right amount of sheen to make them sparkle in a breathtaking sort of way.
“Oh, Ferain, isn’t it?” said the girl, eyeing her curiously. “Sorry for my bewilderment, I don’t expect to see many classmates outside of school. I always thought most of the students lived closer to the heart of Tokyo instead of way out here. Ah, my bad. I forgot to introduce myself, I know we’re not really acquainted. My name is–”
“Amber.” interrupted Ferain, smiling. “I remember. We’ve talked a few times, and I know your brother. Or, not personally, but–”
“By reputation.” Amber finished, before lightly rubbing her forehead. “Yeah, that’s Zaz alright. Does anything he can to make a complete fool of himself. Anyway, glad to finally really meet you.” Amber said, holding out her left hand. In response, Fera held up her left hand and grinned. That was when the girl seemed to notice Fera’s bandaged hand at her side and grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t know. I heard that you got hurt but…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“O-okay, if you say so.” Amber said, lowering her hand awkwardly. “So, uhhh…” She then cleared her throat. “So, what can I help you with?”
“I don’t really know, to be honest.” Fera replied. “I’m looking for some sort of gift for a friend of mine. I don’t really know what she’d like and I just sort of came in.”
“Well, does she have an interest in pottery?” asked Amber. “Like, maybe tea-cups or perhaps entire sets? I could show you a few items and see what you think, if you would like?”
“The thing is, I know she would like some of it. It’s just, she’s sort of… rich. She kind of has everything already, or she could have it if she wanted it.”
“I don’t see that as a problem.” said Amber. “She wouldn't have whatever one you chose, so it would be special all the same, wouldn’t it?”
“What makes you so sure of that?” asked Fera.
“Simple. We made all of these.” the girl replied, gesturing out at the shelves and tables of tea-sets and vases and bowls. “My family owns the place, and we all have contributed to it. I guarantee that you can’t find any of this in any other shop. So, would you like to take a look around, or have you changed your mind? I can even offer some suggestions for you too.”
“Do that then.” said Fera, before blushing faintly and raising a hand to play with the earring dangling from her left ear. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. Um, if you wouldn’t mind, could you show me a few? I don’t really know what I’m looking at, and I want it to be special.”
Amber smiled warmly and walked around the counter. “Here, I’ll show you some of my favorites. This shelf over here has a whole bunch of beautiful pots and cups, I’m sure you’ll find something that would suit her.”
Just as Amber stated, the display that Ferain was directed towards offered a wide variety of finely crafted pottery. From porcelain and clay cups with colorful and varied designs to large vases or miniature sculptures, there really wasn’t much that didn’t catch her wandering eyes. In the end, Fera found a simple vase that was maybe a foot tall with a few slight contours in the design, and a pattern of storm clouds and painted droplets of rain. While at the register, Amber also threw in a note that the flower shop next door would give her a discount if she mentioned her name, so after paying and thanking her, Fera made that her next stop.
An older woman met her this time, not another student, and as she was told, the woman even offered her a free flower of her choosing upon hearing Amber’s name and seeing the vase in Fera’s arm. After containing her astonishment at the large variety of potted flowers and displayed bouquets, she managed to find one that caught her eye at once. It wasn’t the gray petals surrounding the dark black center that fully drew her in, though they played a part. Mainly, it was the name of the species. A small white card by the shelf of pots that contained them read “Anitia Grays”, which instantly brought Anita’s name to mind. Ferain reached a finger out and gently ran it along a faintly curled petal.
“You have a nice eye, dear.” said the elderly woman, walking up beside her with her hands clasped behind her back. “The Anitia Grays are an odd specimen. They only came into existence during the war. Nobody really knows what caused them to start popping up, but some speculate that this flower is symbolic of the war, or the peace that came from its long anticipated end. Popular theories say that it’s the blood spilt on battlefields, wielder blood in particular, that caused the flowers to bloom. You may notice how they look faintly similar to roses. Other people theorize that the genetics within wielder DNA mixed with the rose and altered it, sapping the color away and curling up the petals in odd ways.”
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“Is any of that true?” asked Fera.
“Maybe, but maybe not.” answered the woman, with an odd sort of grin as she eyed the colorless rose herself. “It is true that they spawned during the war, and it is true that they appeared on battlefields where wielders fought, but nobody will ever really know the whole truth behind them.”
“How do you get them, then?”
“With seeds. Like wielders, once the seed was planted, the flowers bloomed, and more seeds came from those. Inevitably,” the old woman said, waving a hand over an empty pot next to them. “More followed suit.” she finished, as a flower began blooming from the soil, standing tall in a matter of seconds, and resembling the original flower almost perfectly, with only a few alterations in the shade of gray and the curl of the petals. “Just like us, they took root and are actually rather commonplace now. The only certainties about these flowers is that they are now as strong in number as we are, and that these are our flowers. So, child, will this fit your needs?”
“Yes. That vase I left at the desk, could you put the flower in that?”
“I could.” said the woman, and with that, her shopping trip had come to a close.
Being extremely careful with her new bundle, Ferain made her way back to Anita’s manor, growing more nervous with each successive step. This was really her first Christmas in a way, and likewise, it was certainly her first time giving a Christmas gift to anyone. More doubts flooded into her mind as she made the trek home. She began questioning if it was a good decision to get the vase and flower, or if she should have only gotten one of them, or if Anita would like either of them in the first place. Then, she began thinking it would be best to just throw them away now and save herself the embarrassment. Better to bring nothing than to force Anita to accept something she didn’t like, and worst of all, make her act like she did to save Fera’s feelings.
Just as Fera found herself leaning more towards the latter idea, she somehow made it to the manor. It would seem that the arguments with herself proved a useful distraction from the walk, and she’d run out of time to solidify her decision. Shaking her head, she pressed forward, determined now to just go through with whatever was in store for her on the other side of the front doors. After sliding free of her shoes, she moved towards the kitchen, which she assumed would be the best place to put something like a vase and flower. Fera was setting it down when a noise behind her made her jump in surprise.
“There you are.” said Anita. “I was looking for you.”
“I, uhhh, went out. I wanted to do a little shopping.” Fera said, turning around while keeping the vase out of sight behind her body. “You know, I saw a kid from school too. She was working in this pottery shop and…” Fera paused and sighed. With one step, she moved to the side.
“You got a flower?” asked Anita, stepping closer to examine it. “I didn’t think you liked flowers, Fera.”
“I don’t normally. I… Err… Actually, it’s for you. Originally, it was only the vase, but then Amber, the girl from school, said that if I was going to get a vase, I should get something to put inside of it. She mentioned a flower shop next door and then I went over there and they had this gray flower that caught my eye and–”
“And you bought it.” interrupted Anita, laughing quietly as she gently lifted the flower out of the vase. Her eyes then met Fera’s with a cute sideways glance. “Slow down, okay? You’re talking a mile a minute.”
“I’m a bit nervous.” Fera admitted.
“Why?”
“I didn’t know if you’d like it.”
“Ferain, I’d like anything you got me. Besides, I’d say you chose the perfect flower, even if I don’t like them much either.”
“Perfect? Why? Because it sounds like your name?”
“Fera, it is my name. You’ve met my family, did you take note of their eyes?”
“No, not really.”
“Well, I’ll explain then. My parents don’t have gray eyes like mine. In fact, nobody in my entire family does. It was just some weird genetic quirk that I was born with this color, which sort of makes sense when you realize that wielders are already a genetic mess. Either way, once my mother saw my eyes, she instantly thought of these flowers. Anitia seemed like too much, I guess, so she called me Anita instead. Personally, I like Anitia more. It sounds more… fancy. Anyway, I guess I might as well take care of this little guy for the time being, huh? Can’t have my namesake rotting away on me, especially when it was such a precious gift.”
“Quit talking like that, I feel like you’re being condescending.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” said Anita as she walked towards the vase. “It does have a sort of charm, doesn’t it? Though, I think this sort of thing is more in line with a different holiday, Fera.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know what to get and that… Umm, I guess there’s not really a need to explain.”
“No,” giggled Anita. “Especially since you sort of already did.” Anita, with the vase in hand, put her remaining one on Fera’s shoulder. “Relax. It’s not a test. You won’t get in trouble for anything.”
“Sorry.”
Anita laughed and shook her head. "Come on, we have some plans for today, remember?”
“Plans?” asked Fera.
“Yeah, like watching movies all day and going to the park later this evening for the light show. You really spaced it, huh?”
“Guess so.”
“Good thing I’m here to keep you in check, then. Come on, I have a whole list of movies to watch, and it’s not getting any shorter.”
Cuddled together, the pair of them made it through most of Anita’s movies before it was time to leave for the park, which was the highlight of the day. At first, Ferain was rather uncomfortable by the late excursion. This was mostly due to the amount of people, primarily couples and families, that also decided to take part in the viewing. A light snow was falling, the lights glistened all round them, hanging from trees and coiled around railings. It was a sight that she’d never forget, a moment in time that would forever be frozen in her memories. They didn’t speak much throughout the walk beneath the stars and lights, enjoying the atmosphere of it all rather than spoiling the charm the music and surrounding muttering voices created.
Only when the hour was nearing midnight did they decide to break away from the line of still marching onlookers. The two of them found a quiet place, a playground that currently remained unoccupied. Fera was the first to find a seat, her legs feeling as if they would simply shut down if she took another step. Her saving grace was a swing that sat in the middle of the playground, and with there being a vacant one beside her, that’s where Anita decided to take her rest. Still silent, they both sat there, Anita kicking back and forth faintly enough to just rock her in both directions, and Fera looking up at the sky.
“I guess this was our last big day before leaving again.” Anita murmured.
“Yeah.” said Fera.
“Do you think it will be weird?”
Fera looked over at her partner, a confused yet curious gleam in her eyes. “Why would it be?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I thought the same thing last time. The manor was really all I knew. I mean, I had school, and I went to a few places with Regi from time to time, but I always went back home when the day was done. Being away for so long is a little intimidating. It’s funny, in a way. I thought that the second year would be easier, like I would be more used to it or something.”
“Sounds to me that you actually like your home,” said Ferain.
“I never said I hated it.” Anita pointed out. “Sure, I have problems with it, mostly my parents, but I was raised there. That room of mine is probably home to so many of my worst memories, but it also has a lot of good ones. Like when I learned my first chord on my guitar, or when I found out how to play my first song. Anyway, it’s stupid, isn’t it? I’m not leaving forever, and besides, I’m going back with you this time.”
Fera saw her partner’s smile and couldn’t help but return it, but it only lasted a second before she found a question she desired to ask. “Anita, were you nervous when you decided to go to Olirian?”
“All the way up to arriving, yeah.” Anita gave a snort of laughter suddenly. “I’m not perfect, Fera. We’ve been over this. Going to Olirian was the biggest unknown step I’d ever taken in my life at that point. I knew I wanted to try something new, to go somewhere I would be judged as an equal, or as close to one as I ever have been. But… I didn’t know if that would actually happen. I had no clue who I’d get partnered with, if I’d like them, or how I even wanted to act myself. Did I want to make a whole new persona? Did I want to be completely honest right from the start? Did I maybe want to be the lazy cool-kid for a while and see how that felt? There were so many uncertainties that I couldn’t help but be nervous.”
“You really didn’t seem like it when we first met.” said Fera, grinning stupidly as she recalled the scene from a year earlier. “You didn’t even bat an eye when you saw me in the living room, and you were naked. I might’ve passed out instantly if somebody saw me that way.”
“I went to school, unlike you. Changing in front of other girls was actually common, Fera, it’s why I was so used to it. Besides, you were a wreck back then. I bet your own shadow would’ve sent you packing.” They shared a giggle as Fera nodded in agreement. Afterwards, Anita sighed and kicked her feet a few more times. “I’m really proud of you, Ferain.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?” joked Fera, feeling faintly uncomfortable by Anita’s quiet statement.
“I’m just being honest.” Anita answered. “You’ve done a lot in a year, and I’m sort of itching to see what you do next year.”
“Hopefully a little less.” Fera said timidly, looking at her bandaged hand. “I wouldn’t mind a more quiet year this time around. No bullying, no advancement tests… no Kiko. I want it to be normal, with normal problems to get over. And honestly, I think I’ve done enough growing for a little while.”
“I don’t know, I can think of a few more areas that need to grow out a bit more.” Anita chimed in, sounding more like her usual upbeat self.
“Rude.” laughed Fera. “I actually prefer myself this way.” she added, puffing out her cheeks.
“Me too. I like my little Ferain just the way she is. I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Plus, if you were bigger, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun watching you climb up on the counter to get to your little crackers.”
Fera growled playfully as she lightly shoved Anita. “I knew you were putting those there on purpose. You act like I’m the size of a child.”
“Aren’t you? Last time I checked, four feet tall is the size of a little kid.”
“I’m not four feet tall.” pouted Fera.
“Well, you’re not five.”
“I’m only a couple of inches away. And quit mocking it. You’re going to make me self-conscious.”
“Nonsense. You couldn’t get like that over something so stupid. Besides, like I will continue to say as many times as I need to, I like you fun-sized.”
Fera blushed as she looked away shyly. What drew her attention back was a sudden, powerful tug on her left arm. Both girls were pulled towards each other in the center, where Anita’s lips met hers. Fera’s eyes were wide with astonishment for a mere half-second before giving into the tantalizing connection between them. She closed her eyes and shut out the world as they shared this moment. Anita laughed as they broke apart and released her arm. Both girls drifted away from one another and came to a slow, shifting stop after a second of swaying over the ground.
“Merry Christmas, Ferain.” Anita said, sounding happier than ever.
“Merry Christmas.” Fera replied, though she sounded more soft and confused than happy.
The night ended back at the manor, with Anita sleeping soundly in her bed, and Fera sitting in the kitchen, eyeing her gifted flower on the counter top. Without any doubt that sleep that night would be nearly impossible, she sat there, staring at the curled gray petals.