#sona pink petal

[goblinschild]

My MLP sona Pink Petal!

[cherrylight]

hi. im going to show her sprite. because i think its cute. although its not set-in-stone yet just a concept for now

also !! all credit goes to this lovely dollsim :)

shes so cute GUYS LOOK AT HER!! SHES SO CUTE WAHHH

[ghostmaldo]

𓇢𓆸 Spiderverse hc: Giving them flowers with GN!Reader 𓇢𓆸

*Shrugs* I think their neat and I have no creativity to make my own spider-sona so I offer this instead 💖

No warnings, Just fluff, Can be read platonically or romantically. Remember, friends can give each other flowers and its not gay to kiss your homies goodnight.

End report

Ask Box open 💙

Playlist I listened to while writing this: https://youtu.be/LWqT5xWzQ2k?si=_mFj6LztUIBaZWOr

~Maldo

🕸️ Miles Morales 🕸️ (In a universe where he joins the spider-society)

~It’s been a busy day combating the anomalies sprouting through the multitude of universe. And with the spot still heavily on the lose and hiding within those thousands of universe… Let’s just say its been a hard day for a young man named Miles Morales

~His in the lunch room scouring for something to snack on before Miguel sends him on another goose chase or finally decides to send him home for a few days. Miles becomes a bit startled when he feels a soft pat on his shoulder. Too distracted in his own mind to have realized someone was approaching him.

~Oh, (Y/N)! Hey, sorry I didn’t see you there.” He chats with them for a little while before realizing they’ve got a hand hidden behind their back. Though he can clearly see the red and black roses peeking from behind their back. “Whatcha got there?”

~(Y/N) smiles, claiming they found these roses during one of their patrols and decided they were just right for him. They’d noticed Miggy (A nickname they call him just to get on his nerves) working him especially hard these last few days and wanted to give him a pick me up.

~Placing the roses in his hand, Miles is speechless. His never really received a full bouquet of his own aside from his family members. He stares at the petals for a long while. He can smell the black spray paint on some of the petals and it makes that much more special to him that (Y/N) put in the small detail to match his suit. This be far puts the pep back in his step.

~”Wow! Thank you (Y/N)! It’s great! I’ll make sure these don’t get ruined.”

~He gently places them in his locker until Miguel does send him home. And one he does arrive home, he has his mom help to put them in a special flower vase on the kitchen counter.

Mrs: Morales: “These are pretty Miles! Que lindo’s! Who gave them to you?”

Miles: A friend *smiles*

🕸️ Gwen Stacy 🕸️

~(Y/N) and Gwen arrange to have a friendly outing on a particular warm day. She texts them shes at the shop they decided to meet. After a few minutes of them going without a response back, she starts to look for them. Quickly spotting the back of their shirt/jacket/cloak/etc. they normally decide to wear. They seemed hunched over a bit, focused on something out of her sight.

~”Hey you, I sent you a message- What are you doing?” (Y/N) makes an attempt to cover up what they have like a child caught with something they aren’t suppose to have. Even so, Gwen easily spots the blue and pink hues covering the tips of their fingers. She lets out a soft chuckle with a raised brow. “Busy?”

~Unable to hide it any longer, (Y/N) reveals the white rose with messily done spots of blue and pink through the petals they wanted to give to Gwen as a surprise. “For me?” She takes the flower gingerly into her hands and admires the work. Being as friends are hard to come by for her, she can’t help but instantly swing her arm around (Y/N) shoulder and bring them in for a half hug. “You too much you know that? But I like it! Are there mooore flowers? Come on! I wanna make you one too! Got any more markers?”

~She sticks the flower in her hair to keep it safe from being damage. Then takes the next few minutes to make an equally as messy flower made of (Y/N) favorite colors. “There! Now we match!”

~After the outing, Gwen places the flower in a cup of water. Even after the petals have long dried she keeps them in a special box she opens from time to time. She really cherishes the object and the petals still carry a sweet scent.

Hobie Brown:

~On a random Tuesday afternoon when (Y/N) is hanging out with Hobie at his place (Where ever that might be). Perhaps (Y/N) ran out to replenish snacks before some friends came over for movie night. One the way back, they saw the yellow roses of sitting in the garden of a government building and well… the rest is history.

~Upon returning, Hobie hears the door opening. He sits up from his place on the couch and goes to meet them.

~“Took you long enough, I was about to go and look for you myself- What’s that?”

~When (Y/N) explains the roses and where they got them from a wide prideful grins appears on his face. “So you jumped the fence and ripped them right out of the ground. Thorns and all? Good on ya! I knew you were a rebel on the inside.” Brings them in for that friends side hug and a ruffles their hair.

~Hangs them upside down somewhere in his place. (I don’t know to me that just seems like something he’d do) And keeps them for as long as they’ll stay intact.

~When he sees them hanging, a fond smile aways appears on his face.

Pavitr Prabhakar: (Thses flowers are more in symbolizem to innocence and a purity)

~Pavitr and (Y/N) are out on patrol together in some form of dimension, keeping an eye out on for anomalies… but anytime with Pavitr is a time spent with much laughter.

~They’ll be on opposite sides of of the city but clogging up the com lines with jokes, banter, and some genuine talk about life. Pavitr is actually in the middle of explaining something and patiently waits for (Y/n) to respond back to him. However, when the silence become a bit to long, he parks himself on a building. “Hello? (Y/N)? Are you alright?”

~He breaths a deep sigh of relief when (Y/N) voice finally comes through. “You were starting to scare me! Don’t do that!” (Y/N) might have to spend a few extra minutes coming up with an explanation as to not ruin the surprise they have. Though he may question why they suddenly want to meet up with him. His mind immediately making assumption that they might be hurt and need help.

~And yet again his relieved to see they are unharmed. (Y/N) instantly present the basket of white flowers to him. The flowers are practically glowing under the moon.

~”For me? Oh my goodness! (Y/N) you should have! But thank you! Wow! These are so elegant! Let’s run to my house so I can put them away properly. Shhh! Don’t tell Miguel!

~He places the flower on the window seal in his kitchen as he feels it really brings the room to life and he can gaze upon him every morning when he has chai with his family Whaaat i had to sneak it in it was my favorite part of the movie-

🕸️Miguel O’Hara 🕸️ (I love this grumpy cat-)

~It’s been several days since Miguel had gotten a decent nights sleep. The screen’s were greatly starting to burn his eyes to the point they were watering if he gazed upon them too long. Begrudgingly, he was forced to walk away less his eyes balls literally felt out of his skull.

~He sluggishly made his way to the cafeteria to refresh himself with a warm cup of coffee and some warm food to settle his belly. Hoping it would help him feel better. Though, it seems it only takes one particular person, about the only person he can tolerate in the later hours perks his mood entierly.

~He welcomes them to sit and chat for a moment before he has to return to his work, as much as he dosen’t want to.

~Before he does go, (Y/N) presents the arrangements of marigold flowers to him. The petals are a bright orange and blooming beautifully. At first, Miguels at a loss of words. His nimble fingers reach out to take the arrangement and bringing it closer to him. The sweet natural scent of the flowers hitting his sense like a truck… His never received flowers like this before…

~Then, the ghost of a small smile up lifts the corners of his mouth. Suddenly the dark circles under his eyes don’t seem so deep. “T-Thank you, Este es un regalo maravilloso (This is a wonderful gift).”

~Bidding them farewell, Miguel carries the flowers back to his working area. Before doing anything, he finds a place for the flowers to safely reside in, but in a place he can still see them from time to time.

~And its just like that his screens don’t seem to be such an eye sore anymore.

[worldscollideofficialpage]

🌏MASTERPOST🌎

Hi! Mod @cooliganguy here!

Community Page for role playing in the Worlds Collide universe as anyone except the main characters: https://www.tumblr.com/join/-wfarsvs

(Okay now I’m begging PLEASE SEND ASKS)

@vyn-t0koyami also runs this blog. Go follow them, they are an amazing artist. Characters Zesteel, Ares, Anthony, Vyn, and James belong to them, and Alex is their sona. I have been commenting recently on other things, but here is an ideal selection of people to ask!

Here are some of the characters:

Rene: A handsome male with jet black hair and hazel eyes. He loves gaming and food. He hates mashed potatoes. He has magical powers and an agency at his fingertips. He is very nice and kind-hearted, but don't get him mad. He talks casually and can decipher what slang words like "skibidi" or "gyatt" means

Rosalina: (from the Mario series) A goddess. She has hair that covers one of her eyes and a star wand. She is also very nice and will help anyone in need. She talks quite formally. She knows nothing about Gen Alpha.

Pomni: (from The Amazing Digital Circus) A female jester. She dons a jester hat that goes down to her back, a jester suit, and jester boots. Pomni has a very paranoid personality. She finally got out of the circus, but can't figure out how to get the censor filter off. She talks a bit frantically and casually. SHE KNOWS THE HORRORS OF THE INTERNET.

Jax: (also from The Amazing Digital Circus) A periwinkle rabbit with pink overalls and yellow gloves. He is mean to some extent and loves playing pranks on the other members. He has no clue about what the internet has done to him. He's just afraid of the fangirls.

Talking Flower: (also from the Mario universe) A talking flower with an orange head with a gaping hole and green petals. They would love to eat anything in their paths. They are also helpful with advice.

Stargirl: A girl who has some gimmicks up her sleeve. She has honey-colored hair and freckles. She is quirky and bubbly. Suprisingly, she knows every Gen Alpha word. (but she doesn’t use them)

Meggy Spletzer: (from SMG4) An Inkling/human hybrid. She is also a talented lawyer. She has freckles and headphones and goggles on her head.She talks casually, but does not know any Gen Alpha words.

Ragatha: (from The Amazing Digital Circus) A lifesized ragdoll with a button eye and a dress. She also has doll-like hair. She is scared of centipedes and has a hate/like relationship with Jax. She talks kind of formally.

Caine: (from The Amazing Digital Circus) An AI that tried to trap Pomni, Jax, and Ragatha in a circus. He is basically a pair of teeth with eyes and a suit. He did not know any Gen Alpha words until Jax hacked into his system, now he says them constantly.

Zesteel: (property of @vyn-t0koyami ): A very powerful god. He has dark skin and eyes that can pierce anyone with just a glare. He has a ruling personality that stands out from the others. He speaks very formally, but sometimes he talks casually.

Animaniacs: A silly trio that consists of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Yakko talks a lot and is the oldest. Wakko is the middle child and eats. A LOT. Dot is always self-aware and cutesy.

Gimberly (property of Doodley on YouTube): A very optimistic lady who helps Doodley with his videos. She can stay calm in almost any situation and is great for emotional support. She has a default sphere as her hair tie.

(for other @vyn-t0koyami characters, go read their masterpost)

~RULES~

1: No NSFW

2: You can try and hook the members up with each other, but do not hook a member up with an asker.

3: No spaming asks

And 4: Have fun asking! Everyone is included here!

Anons: (0 as of 7/20/24)

[susgas-shenanigans]

redesigning my 2 old pvz sonas to actual characters lol

I'm gonna read the things I wrote down because my handwriting is garbage

"Rip purple" yeah, I changed her goggles from the iconic purple to green because character design rules say that there can't be so many colours in a design...

also, both soflare and sofpea have new names, like those just sound ridiculous "new name: Ilona. from the Greek word for sunflower" for Soflare, and Goroka "from the Russian word for pea" for Sofpea. Both are 10 years old

anyways back to the sheet, "wears a black vest with triangle buttons to represent the YouTube logo, pff", "the pattern on her pants comes from her obnoxious shirt back in 2020", and she got a tiny birthmark on her right arm. It's not written on the sheet but, there was a point in time when Ilona's hair was simplified to 4 petals and it made her look like she had bunny ears.. so I copied the shapes from her hair in those simple times. Aand she's 140 cm tall

now to Goroka, there isn't as much to write about her... She's a bratty little girl who has grown up with a tablet in her hands, while Ilona is the quiet more reserved one who grew up helping her parents with gardening and such. Goroka has lil dangly bits around her belt to "look like the wings she had" in her peashooter design. She's 120 cm tall and she has one eye purple and the other pink boom

thats all folks

[maddyartist]

My Sona in One Piece

Warnings about a ship you don't like! My Sona lives in an alternative universe!

My Sona is the daughter of Gol. D. Roger and Portgas. D. Rouge. Her name is Gol. D. Ruby, she got the name because if at the right sunlight angle are shinning her eyes like rubies. Ruby got her hair color from her mother and her personality from her father.

In Gold Roger's crew Ruby, Buggy and Shanks were best friends. (and got many punishments from Rayleigh) Ruby is some months younger than Shanks and Buggy.

After her and Ace's parents death, she took care of Ace and her bounty was put on hold until Ace became a pirate himself, thanks to Monkey D. Graps.

Ruby also took slightly care of Luffy and Sabo too, which allowed Graps as long Ruby didn't thought them some misbehavior, *cough cough* she did it anyway *cough*

Between Roger's death and Rouge's death/Ace birth, Ruby ate the Rose Rose Fruit.

She can use roses to capture others, decoration, turning herself into rose bushes (mostly her arms or legs), if she is flustered/embarrassed, so you'll get on her head pink/red rose petals and if she is really frustrated/mad than black petals.

Ruby is married to Shanks and Buggy, and so the adoptive mother from Uta.

She use a rapier to fight.

Ruby likes dressing more lumps than expensive clothes. (You're gonna need help from Shanks and Buggy, to get her in a dress. Or you ask easily Rayleigh for help.)

In my alternative universe she saved Ace's and Uta's from their death.

After Luffy got Sanji in his crew, Ruby lives by Rayleigh but sometimes goes on little adventure and stays for some weeks by Shanks, Buggy, Whitebeard (because of Ace) or Luffy.

For T-word fiction reader

Ruby is ticklish on her sides, abs, ribs, belly button, knees, toes and feets.

She gets easily teased but is a devil in teasing to.

Watch out if she use her devil fruit power!

She is definitely gonna tease you with death with lightly tickles, if she knows you for a long time, she definitely gonna use some embarrassed moments you made.

She mostly gets tickled from Rayleigh, Shanks (before he loosed his arm or teams up with Buggy or a member of the Red Hair Pirates), Buggy, Roger and Rouge (childhood), Ace, Luffy, Uta and Sabo (teamed up)

Who she tickles the most: Shanks, Buggy, Uta, Ace, Luffy, Sabo.

[rachirodehills]

Random-Island|Roselians ~ Open Species

Random-Island

Roselians

Bio These are Roselians They are plant-like humanoid species that live in the Sozo Realm. They’re one of the plant-based humanoid species in the realm. These types are ghost-type like species, so their forms are more monsterific and taller, they’re also able to detach their head or limb of freely without feeling any pain whatsoever. They’re one of the first species that inhabited the realm. They most inhabited the mint-green gem (or the Emerald world). They are known for their portal summoning and elasticity, also their healing power. Their also known for their beauty and elegance

Powers and Abilities

Portals (uses their hands to form a circle to make a portal)

Elasticity (Their limbs can stretch out far and wide. They can also grow them and make them smaller)

From-Shifting (They can change into any forms they like, mostly when they get angry or when  they encounter an enemy)

Aroma-Attraction ( They start glowing sparkling pink, and they don’t just use it to not just distract their enemies, when they show emotion to another partner, such as shyness)

Limb Decapitation (They can take their limbs of without feeling pain)

Heavenly-Voice (They have beautiful voices to charm, entertain, sing and to tame any species and creatures of any kinds)

Healing (They put both hands on the wound, then both the hands and the wound start to glow)

Floating (When They fall, they sometimes start to float. The float circle thing on their feet, petals and leaf start glowing For girls, their grass skirt grows longer and starts spinning. )

Glowing Petals and Roses (...Yeah, they just have that power for some reason. So, when they're in a dark area like a cave or in another dark area, the petals and their color palette parts that aren’t green tend to glow in the dark… )

Differences

The male’s lower body’s colors more dark camouflage green

The female's lower body’s a slightly dark mint green

The Females had a slimmer body, and the males have like a slight curvy body.

The Females have a grass skirt, while the males have a lighter outline

Permissions You can make your own character and or sona with it, you can make fusion with it, go ahead do whatever you want! Just make sure to credit, don't steal! okay?

Species ~ @Rachi-Rode-Hills

OH P.S, Check our other stuff out. Hell, We're everywhere! Twitter  YouTube  Newgrounds  Fur Affinty  Inkbunny Furbooru   Artstation  Pixiv  ToyHouse  Picarto  Wattpad  ComicFury GameJolt

[virtuosin]

Mun, Odyssey Sona, and canon Sona! Maker found here

[artificial-radiance]

I feel like just sharing my iterator OCs so uhh

their general info shall be under the read more (any iterators mentioned below that aren't one of these six belong to my friends/partners <3)

Six Pink Blossoms (SPB)

It/They

Technically my iterator sona, initially made for an rp server that never got very far

Pink and silver overseers

Is interested in genetic modification but is too concerned with the negatives to do much

Has a messenger slugcat named Petally

Has several "pet" strawberry lizards that have strange color morphs running around their can (inside and out)

Mere Mention (MM)

They/Them

Shamrock green overseers

Still tries to solve the Great Problem but hates it constantly

Uses modified lizards as messengers; currently mainly using a white called Swift End

Has middle kid syndrome

Nine Last Embers/Burning Embers (BE)

They/He

Orange and yellow overseers

So gay for their local senior iterator (Mouthpiece Of Silence)

Is also competing for said senior's affection with another iterator from their group (Countless Many Colors)

Has a slugcat named Dancer

Spends most of his time collecting data on local fauna for MOS

Many Small Miracles/Little Miracle (LM)

It/Its

Lavender overseers

Falling apart as we speak

Has long since given up on the Great Problem

Has a lot of scavengers living in and on its can

Has just enough power to get scavs to do work for it, its main one is called Third Chance, who comes from a lineage of messengers for it

Doesn't interact much with other iterators at all

Starry Skylights/Night Sky (NS)

She/They

Purple and cyan overseers

My first iterator oc! (Was going to be someone I wrote through on AO3)

Was a biologist at heart

Entirely enthralled by the local wildlife

Has sunk into marshland, among with many other iterators of their local group (only one, Echoes of Storms, remains on the surface)

Tried to upkeep contact with EOS through her cyan lizard Twinkle, until it couldn't reach down to her anymore

Maybe she's still out there...

Personal Hijinks/Hijinks Inbound (HI)

He/They

Amber overseers

Another technical sona of mine, but in a meme way

Somehow managed to get unhooked from their can, has neurons and a battery strapped to their back

Their can has since gotten overrun by creatures and is in disrepair, so it wouldn't be safe for them to go back to anyway

Travels the lands on foot with his messenger slugcat Lookout

Lookout disappeared one day and the next HI saw of it, it had two slugpups he named Jumper and Needler

He likes trying to climb other iterators' cans

Likes bothering their neighbor, Waxing And Waning

[smile-files]

do you have any tips on drawing a ponysona? Also your ponysona looks so adorable I can't-

ohh thank you!!!!

hm, tips. if this is just about drawing a ponysona, drawing other ponies is very helpful!! as an avid fluttershy fan, i've drawn her a lot since i was young, so at this point in my life i know how to draw ponies pretty well.

but for design? there are a lot of things to consider! for instance, what species do you want them to be? unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, even alicorn? something a bit more out there, like a flutter pony, sea pony, kirin, or breezie? or maybe something that isn't a pony at all, like a zebra, donkey, dragon, or griffin? there are the aesthetics of the species to keep in mind, as well as other things like abilities. for example, over the years my ponysonas have always had wings, because i've always wanted to fly! in the past my ponysona has been a pegasus, but now she is a flutter pony because 1. that adds a butterfly theme to the character and 2. i loved the flutter pony characters in the mlp g3 movies a lot!! try to find something that fits you and what you'd want to be able to do if you lived in equestria.

aside from that, the most important things are the cutie mark (if applicable) and colors! if your ponysona isn't a pony, you don't have to worry about a cutie mark; if they are one, you can use the cutie mark to say a lot about them - heck, you can say a lot with a lack of a cutie mark too! rosy cheeks has a blushing smiley face cutie mark, which not only represents their bashfulness and their desire to make people happy, but also incorporates a major part of my personal iconography (if you've been on my blog for any length of time, you should know i love smiley faces and representing myself with them)! cutie marks can contain a lot of information: the character's talents, goals, personality, aesthetic, colors... experiment! try to find something to represent you - or don't!

if you have a handful of favorite colors that work well together, it's nice to have them on the same sona! it's also a fun idea to try and incorporate some of your colors onto your ponysona: i have golden hair and green eyes, so i gave them to rosy cheeks! this isn't necessary of course, and you should always feel free to make your ponysona look however you want, but i find it nice to incorporate some real aspects of me in the sonas i make. you can also use colors to reflect your ponysona's personality in a similar way to how their cutie mark can: for example, fluttershy has pastel colors to represent her shy demeanor, while pinkie pie is bright and saturated, to reflect her energetic personality. rosy cheeks' colors work in a similar way to fluttershy's, but with the colors inverted, such that she almost looks like stereotypical depictions of cherubs (with pale pink skin and curly golden hair)! this was on purpose, and also ties into inspiration from other characters. rosy cheeks' design was inspired by fluttershy's, as i've just mentioned, but also pipp petals' concept art design, rosy maple moths, and to a very small extent cherubs and cozy glow. i personally have connections to all of these things, so incorporating them all into my ponysona is a nice way to represent that!

i hope this could help!! golly, it's a lot of fun talking about pony designs... :)

[shadow-reapr]

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS THEN TAG BLOGS YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

nicknames: Kimmie

zodiac: pisces

height: 5′2″

time: 21:09

favourite band / artist: Starset

song stuck in my head: “Speed Test” from Thoroughly Modern Millie (we practiced the dance a million times today, I’ll never get this song out of my head)

last movie i saw: Venom

last thing i googled: “Target hours” ahhjkhk

other blogs: well my other active blog is my side blog @thexmavenxofxthexstrings 

do i get asks: Sometimes???

why did i choose this username: shadow-reaper was taken and i was in a hurry to go to dance in 30 minutes when I made this blog so I didn’t have time to think about it rofl

following:  too lazy to check tbh

average amount of sleep: 5/6 hours

what i’m wearing: a dress with cats on it

dream job: therapist, missionary, professional ballerina

dream trip: Venice or New Zealand  favourite food: Spaghetti 

play any instruments: Clarinet, tenor sax, piano, kinda guitar but i suck at it, and learning cello

eye color: Blue

hair color: Naturally: brown; currently: blue

languages you speak:  English, random Russian phrases

most iconic song: ljiljakjkjj i don’t know

random fact: I have always had the weirdest fear of the sound of tv static? for as long as I can remember it’s filled me with dread???

describe yourself as aesthetic things: fae, forests, petals, pinks, ballet shoes, galaxies, fairytale things

tagged by: @nuova-luna

tagging (if you haven’t been tagged): @thelittleleprechaun @lostshadowreaper @magiccharmer @evelynn-pain-gremlin @erxhe @sona-musical-silence

[rosymiz]

Like A Rose, Epilogue

Title: Like A Rose By: ArisuChanSenpai (Visit my blog for AO3 link!) Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

An insignia of a white mask with four roses blooming from the corner and the words “Lost in Reverie” were painted on a wooden sign outside a theater. The streets were quiet and almost empty except for the faint music and singing that came from inside the building. It was a full house, rows and rows of seats taken by mesmerized fans leaning in their seats during the denouement of the story.

A man dressed in a black suit with a crimson cape adorned with gold stood on the stage, reaching out to the skies for an answer to his forbidden love. His voice boomed to the sound of trickling strings in the theater. Suddenly, the spotlight flickered off as he began to dance in silence.

Soft gasps came from the audience when the female lead gracefully walked onstage, her voice ringing loud and true as she professed her love for the man she wished to marry—a knight of a humble backgrounds—not another man of aristocracy who simply wanted her for power and influence. The spotlight then blinked off, the stage now dark.

This time, a spotlight flashed at the side of the stage, where a woman dressed in a sky blue dress that twinkled in the light like her golden instrument stood and continued a soft melody before the lights faded back on the stage. She let a chord resound before the darkness drowned her figure.

The story was reaching its end, and the audience desperately wanted to see their leads get together and elope like they wanted to.

However, the man sang of the truth. He couldn’t be with her, for he was only her knight. Nothing more, no matter how much they wished to the stars above to grant their love. The queen would never accept the marriage between a princess and a knight. He then sang a lullaby that spoke of another world where there were no laws to keep them apart.

The princess sang with him melancholically in a harmony that reflected her acceptance of the truth.

Quiet sobs were heard from the audience as the princess and knight parted ways to revert back to what they were before their love changed them: a princess and her devoted knight. They couldn’t be together. It just wasn’t possible in this world. But they wanted the other to be happy, asking each other to move on but to be true to their heart. The lights faded to dark after the knight kneeled before the princess and presented a rose to vow his dedication to her happiness, that he was her ally, her friend.

A moment of soft sobs broke out from the audience before the woman in sky blue appeared again with a happier melody. The stage lights shined on the princess, happily strolling in the rose garden with her arms linked with another man’s. She smiled as she sang of her fulfilling marriage with a man who treated her with respect and sought for the betterment of her people. Behind her followed the trusted knight of the princess now dressed in a white suit and black tie with his crimson cape pooling around his feet.

The princess turned to her knight and plucked a rose for him, thanking him for his dedication to her and her happiness. She asked him, “Where is your light? Your own happiness? Surely, you’ve finally found the rose your heart desires.”

There was a look of apparent confusion on the musician’s face as she continued to play the song. This wasn’t part of the script. Yet the princess’ words matched the melody of the song.

The knight smiled as he held the rose up to him. “I have, indeed. She is a woman of beauty and grace, a woman who I’ve dedicated my love to for years, a woman who helped me know silence, a woman I love like a rose glistening with dew in the early morning sun.” The light dimmed as a single spotlight shined on the knight. The princess and her husband began to sing in harmony to the music. “My love. My muse. Sona Buvelle.”

The woman in sky blue froze, her aqua locks bouncing as she jerked her head to the knight. Her love. She watched Jhin approach her as he unbuttoned the crimson cape and left it to fall behind his steps. Her lip quivered as he tucked the rose behind her ear and cupped her face.

Slowly, other cast members walked out onto the stage, all singing in harmony to what Sona would have been playing for the final act. Members in the audience were slowly standing up in realization of what was happening with gasps and murmurs of excitement.

“I couldn’t have come this far without you and your support. You are my love, my muse. No matter what, you stood by me and believed in me when things have turned for the worst. I am more than willing to do the same whenever your silence engulfs you like my darkness once did.” He kneeled on one knee, pulling out a crimson box from the pocket of his suit. “Now, I want to move on to the next act of our story. I would like to stay by your side until the end of time, darling.”

Tears surfaced from Sona’s glassy eyes as she gasped when Jhin opened the box to a beautifully crafted ring of sterling silver and a rose quartz glimmering under the light.

“Will you marry me, Sona Buvelle?”

Sona choked out a sob as she nodded in pure joy. She desperately tried to hold back her tears as Jhin slid the ring onto her finger. She cried into Jhin’s shoulder when he pulled her into an embrace. She was so, so happy.

The audience cheered and squealed to see Sona accept the proposal. Everyone stood up to applaud this special moment, ecstatic that they were able to see this proposal in-person.

But it wasn’t as special as it was to the two lovers who held each other lovingly, tuning out the sound of the audience and the cast members to their hearts beating in a symphony.

“What’s the surprise?” Sona signed.

“We’re almost there, darling.” Jhin was holding his hands over Sona’s eyes as he guided her up a small hill after their performance. “I was planning on coming here as soon as the opera ended yesterday, but we got held up by everyone congratulating us.” He chuckled. “Fortunately, sunrise makes this place just as beautiful.”

When they came to a stop, she let Jhin slowly uncover her eyes to reveal the very grove they first met in. Time only enhanced the scenic view of the cherry blossoms that now bloomed like a forest. The rising sun colored the trees in beautiful colors of red, orange, and yellow to their pink hue.

Sona breathed out in speechlessness, emitting a light huff of white from her lips. The grove looked more beautiful than she remembered it to be.

Jhin smiled at her surprised face. “There’s a reason why I wanted to have my next opera in this city. While the capital is more grand, this city holds more meaning to me than every other city of Ionia.” He pressed his lips against Sona’s cold cheek. “Because it’s where I met you.”

Without a word, Sona began to play the tune of their first performance together. It was the song she made in their time in the grove and performed at the capital several years ago. Letting her magic spill from her fingers onto the strings, Sona watched the fallen petals dance to the rhythm of her song around them.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and watched in awe. This song held something special to them both. It simply reminded them of the times they sat in the clearing listening to Sona’s music and talk to each other with a growing comfort between them. To others, it may not have been the most memorable. But to them, it was everything. Everything that lead up to this moment.

The music stopped, and the petals that were dancing in the air now gently floated back down. Jhin chuckled as he brushed loose petals out of Sona’s hair. “Have I ever told you why I like roses so much?”

Sona tilted her head in curiosity. “No, you haven’t.”

“Roses make everything beautiful, whether the petals are sprinkled on a stage or a whole bouquet adorning a display. Not even the morning dew can tarnish it. But you must take good care of a rose, or it will wilt. I like the precise and dedicated care so that it will eventually bloom with a beauty that can’t be compared.” He gazed into Sona’s eyes with bliss bubbling inside him like butterflies.

“Am I supposed to be the ‘rose your heart desires’?” Sona teased.

Jhin huffed in laughter. “Oh yes, but it’s much more than that.”

“Then what?”

“Everything we’ve done up until now, starting from this grove to the finale at the capital city and now to this… It just reminds me of the very reason why I like roses.” He embraced Sona from behind and watched the sunrise together with her. “My heart will always bloom for you…”

“And my heart will always bloom for you…”

Like a rose.

A/N: NOW we're at the end of this story! I thank you all for reading the story I wrote (out of spite, originally, but then it took over my life), and I don't know how to express the gratitude I feel towards the positive feedback for this! I appreciate each and every comment--even the “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME”--I received thus far, as it only motivated me to keep writing and see where it takes me.

However, I cannot thank my best friend @bekkodraws / @bekkomi enough for supporting me through a rough patch and then helping me write this story as I gained my motivation and inspiration back to draw and write again. I honestly couldn't have gone through with this story without her and her dragging me into the abyss that is JhinSona-- Love ya, my dude!

Anyways! Thank you all so much for sticking by this story! I hope you enjoyed the fluffy ride ;)

My next work for JhinSona will be a series of drabbles, so please look forward to it! It contains drabbles of different AUs (including original universe, of course) but all centered on one theme. I hope you will enjoy my next work! Thank you so much for being a part of this experience! <3

[rosywrites]

Vows

Title: Reunited Chapter: Vows By: ArisuChanSenpai (Visit my blog for AO3 link!) Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

Quiet rustling resounded in a large room, where sunlight flooded through the windows and sheer, white curtains. The hedge of rosebushes outside were colored with blooming red, pink, and peach roses that attracted butterflies and hummingbirds to their nectar.

At the end of the room, a tall mirror stood along the wall and reflected the near-empty room except for a few women surrounding one dressed in white sitting on a chair.

“To think so many people from all over Runeterra would come for this wedding.”

“I’m more surprised Demacia even let Noxians go through their gates.”

“Well, you’re a different case, Kat! You’re practically engaged to my brother!”

“You, you didn’t have to bring that up, and you know it.”

A smug giggle echoed across the walls. “Oh, I know. Besides, any non-Demacian were sworn to neutrality before they were allowed to enter.”

“I never thought I would be a bridesmaid for your daughter’s wedding, Lady Lestara. Valor and I thank you.” A soft squawk sounded from another’s shoulder. 

“I do apologize for taking your time away from your duties in the military, Quinn, but I thought you would like to see my daughter’s wedding before you moved on to your next mission.”

A chuckle. “I would do anything you or Lady Sona wishes, my lady. I am forever indebted to you for your influence on our acceptance into the military. Besides, I’m overjoyed to hear that Lady Sona is finally getting married after all these years.”

“And with a ball, no less!” Lux excitedly gushed. “I’ve always wanted to dance in a wedding. Doesn’t it sound so romantic, Kat? Dancing together hand-in hand, looking into each other’s eyes, while the music fills the ballroom?” She leaned against a blushing Katarina with a dreamy sigh. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I embarrassing you?” Katarina didn’t say a word.

“Lady Sona, how are you feeling?” Akali asked, bending down to Sona’s level. “Nervous?”

Sona’s chest rose with a deep breath. Oh, she was nervous. People from Noxus, Piltover, Ionia, Shuriuma, even Bandle City, and more came to Demacia for her wedding. Not to mention, she was going to do the first dance after the evening banquet. Dancing with her groom. Her love, Jhin.

It had been years since she and Jhin started seeing each other. Wanting to start anew with a compulsion-free lifestyle, Jhin started his own opera company and slowly built up his reputation until most of his performances were full houses. Moreover, he was able to succeed without being noticed by the cabal of the Ionian council.

Whenever she remembered how Jhin proposed to her towards the end of one of his operas, her lips curled into a euphoric smile. She placed her bouquet of white roses on her lap. “I'm fine. I don't even know where to begin to describe how I feel,” she signed.

Akali paused to interpret Sona’s signs before replying, “Of course. Today is a special day, after all.”

Lestara had disappeared during Akali and Sona’s exchange and came back from the hall with a smile. “Alright, girls, get lined up. I just got the signal from Shen that everyone is ready.” The four girls stepped outside of the bride’s waiting room to line up before the grand doors. Lestara helped Sona stand up and looked at her daughter’s reflection in the mirror. “My dear daughter is finally getting married, and I am more than blessed to be able to walk you down the aisle.” Tears prickled her eyes seeing Sona in such an elegant white dress lined with gold.

Sona hugged Lestara tightly. Her mother was so supportive of her and Jhin’s relationship throughout the years, and she couldn’t be more thankful that she was by her side too. Her mother hugged her back even tighter, rocking Sona in her embrace. They lingered for a moment longer before Lestara let her go.

“Ready, dear?”

“Whenever you are.”

Jhin stood on the altar, his finger tapping four beats against his cupped hands. He couldn’t bear to turn around and see the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of eyes that were anticipating Sona’s arrival to the wedding hall. Any form of stage fright he had couldn’t compare to the giddy feeling in his stomach. For now, he remained still under the stares of Shen, Zed, Kennen, and Garen. He didn’t even realize the nudges against his arm until he almost tipped over.

Zed had walked up beside Jhin, trying to gain his attention. “Not getting a case of cold feet, are we?”

“Cold feet? Of course not,” he confidently answered. “Rather, there are more people than I expected there to be. It’s difficult to turn around to face them.”

There was amusement in Shen’s ghost-blue eyes as Zed sent a knowing look at his friend, his brother, beside him. Shen smirked and leaned in towards Jhin. “Are you sure? Because I think Lady Sona is about to make her appearance.” They smiled in satisfaction when Jhin immediately turned to look across the room, ignoring the eyes that now followed his gaze to the opened doors.

Akali first stepped into the hallway with a basket of cherry blossoms. She scattered them around the white carpet as she walked forward. Behind her was Katarina spreading red rose petals on the sides to let them mix with the pink. Lux and Quinn followed behind next to each other with Valor sitting on Quinn’s shoulder between them.

Behind the bridesmaids were Lestara and Sona, arms linked and elegantly walking down the aisle. Sona’s face was covered with her veil, her hair adorned with golden roses. The diffused sunlight of the afternoon sun seemed to make Sona glow and sparkle with each step.

Beautiful. Absolutely exquisite. Such elegance.

Words raced through Jhin’s mind at the speed of his heartbeat as he laid eyes on the bride. His bride. His love, Sona. He let out the breath that was trapped in his lungs. All the faces and eyes he was so concerned about disappeared into a sea of blur as he watched Sona approach the altar.

She was in front of him. He was frozen in his place, too immersed in admiring how stunning she looked. He remembered to move when Shen gently pushed him towards her.

Words. Where were the words? His thoughts were going too fast to even attempt to utter a sound. Only another speechless breath that made Sona softly laugh into the bouquet. His hands moved up to hold onto the corners of her veil, gently lifting it over her head to reveal her loving expression underneath. If Sona’s walking down the aisle robbed him of his words, this took his breath away.

Gods. Give him the strength to say something. Anything.

Jhin’s lip parted to find his voice. “My rose, my love… you’re beautiful,” he whispered under his breath. He kissed her forehead lovingly before he gazed at her once more. Her eyes expressed so much joy, so much bliss, so much love. He could stare at her forever.

However, they were at a wedding. Their wedding. They turned their attention to the priest who patiently waited for them with a content smile. They nodded to let the priest begin.

“Dearly beloved…” the priest started the invocation and had Lestara tell the guests her story of how she had come to know of their relationship—without giving Jhin’s true past away—and their growing bond and love to each other over the years. She had come to think of Jhin as a future son-in-law and husband of her daughter, as he had shown only love, care, and respect towards her. To her, it was only a matter of time before they got engaged and married each other.

And here they were, now.

Kennen brought forth their wedding rings once it was time for their vows. The priest smiled and turned back to the couple. “Do you take her as your loving wife, from this day forward, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Jhin kissed her hand and looked into her eyes. “I do.”

“And do you take him as your loving husband, from this day forward, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Sona gently caressed Jhin’s face as she looked into his. “I do,” she signed.

“You may exchange vows, if you have any,” the priest said.

There was no need to exchange their own vows. Their love was a silent but powerful force that was present in their loving gaze that only reflected each other. Each second was a vow they expressed to each other from their hearts. They loved each other so much that nothing could tear them apart anymore. They’ve been through so much that their no one else could understand what and how much they could express with one simple glance.

“Then, I pronounce you husband and wife.” The priest let Kennen approach the center to let Jhin and Sona take the rings and slip them onto each other’s fingers. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Jhin cupped Sona’s cheek and slowly leaned in to kiss her on the lips to seal their vows and love. Sona also leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips met in intense affection. All the guests stood up and clapped for this joyous moment between them, cheering for their love and happiness, but the ecstatic heartbeats of the husband and bride drowned them out in their ears.

Nothing else mattered more.

After their first dance, the guests joined in to dance the rest of the evening away on this day of celebration. Women gathered near Sona to possibly catch her beautiful bouquet of white roses. Sona smiled in amusement and threw the bouquet behind her, watching them follow the bouquet and try to catch it.

The bouquet bounced off a few grabbing hands and into the hands of a vaguely interested Katarina, whose jaw hung open when she realized she caught the bouquet.

“Guess we know whose wedding will be next, right?” Lux whispered into Katarina’s ears in joy.

“Crownguard!” Katarina hushed.

“Yes?”

Katarina turned around to see Garen standing behind her, the knight having seen the bouquet land into Katarina’s hands. “You saw nothing.” She tried.

Garen’s eyes moved to the flowers in her hands and smiled. “I don’t see why there’s a need to rush. We can take our time,” he said in a gentler, quieter voice in contrast to his usual booming voice.

Lux hummed and laughed under her breath as she skipped away from Katarina trying to hit her with the bouquet itself. Garen only laughed and chased after her to invite her to a dance.

Meanwhile, Jhin and Sona had quietly slipped away into the garden for some time away from the guests. They sat on an isolated bench within the garden, where bushes and vines of flowers covered them from any peering eyes inside. The crescent moon provided them a sliver of light to see each other’s faces through the shadows of the vines.

They listened to the crickets and the hooting of an owl nearby, enjoying the silence away from the loud ballroom inside. Their ears nearly rang from all the music and loud cheers throughout the evening.

“A ball for a wedding,” Jhin started. “What a grand celebration this is.”

Sona’s shoulders shook as she giggled. “Tired?”

“You wouldn’t believe the state I was in, knowing there were hundreds of people watching me on the altar.” He chuckled to himself, shaking his head at the thought. “I don’t like crowds, but this is an exception.”

“They all wanted to see the Maven of the Strings and the Virtuoso get married. Our names are practically known all throughout Runeterra.”

Jhin gave her a look that admitted she was right. At this point, he was a famous opera singer known for his original compositions and sets for his plays. His reputation moved higher and higher with each performance that he was now sponsored to have another opera in almost every nation. Every performance he had recently was a full house, much to his surprise after he counted the numbers.

Sona turned to Jhin, admiring him as he stared at the moon, and kissed him near his jawline. “It’s surreal that we got married.”

“Indeed. I never would have thought our encounter would lead to this. It’s been so long since we first met in that grove back in Ionia.” Jhin paused to look at Sona’s face in the moonlight, her eyes and her smile brighter than light itself. “It’s almost like a dream.”

Silence befell the two again, but they enjoyed it under the twinkling stars. Sona leaned her head on Jhin’s shoulder and felt his head lean on her hair as he wrapped his arms around her frame. A sigh of bliss escaped them as they gazed out into the garden with only each other as company. This was more than enough.

They were moving on to a new act with new circumstances and a new setting. But they were willing to keep going hand-in-hand, as long as they were by the other’s side.

As husband and wife.

[string-maven]

Sona looked to the side for a second, she couldn't reach her etwahl with all the flowers in her hand. She bent over and laid them on the ground, gently so as to not injure their petals. Her etwahl appeared and she laid her fingers upon it.

Gm: i III iv V

"My name is Sona."

Above her etwahl, the words in bright pink pop up and hang in the air.

She continued to play

Gm: i III Vi V7

"Nice to meet you! What is your name?"

🌺 (Have to send one for the Scarmother.)

Sona holds about twenty different flowers carefully against her chest. Some blue, some purple, some red, white, and yellow. Though she only needed five, she couldn't help herself from picking more! As she was walking back to her home, she came across someone on the side of the dirt path. She smiled and took a white daisy flower and held it out for the stranger to have.

[virtuosin]

a gorgeous pink tinted - white hibiscus is gently placed on sona's hand. just after that aphelios moves away and watches her hands curiously. what is she going to do with the flower ? how is she going to handle it ? - he wonders.

“You know,” Sona calls out softly, fingers curling carefully around the gentle bud given to her. Cerulean eyes admire the flower, never once rising up to meet Aphelios’ stare. “I have loved nature all my life. Being from the First Lands, I was raised to respect the wilds...the chaotic magic, the folklore that was rooted in our everyday lives, the mysticism of how the flora and fauna were shaped by the energy in the earth. It’s inspired me to create many melodies in the past.” She pauses, long enough to bring the hibiscus close to her face. Not quite enough to touch, but within distance for the maven to appreciate the sweet scent the petals provided. A mirthful smile grows as long lashes flicker, cerulean hues finally meeting his gaze. “I cannot help but wonder what I will weave while thinking of this moment...I hope it’s a wonderful song.” Another pause, this time she spends it rising on her tiptoes to deliver a chaste peck to cold lips, though the warmth of her smile threatens to melt Aphelios where he stood. “I look forward to sharing that orchestration with you...thank you, Aphelios.”

[rosywrites]

Ambrosia

Title: Reunited Chapter: Ambrosia By: ArisuChanSenpai (Visit my blog for AO3 link!) Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

Poppies, roses, daisies, sunflowers, and flowers of different kinds colored the front and inside of a shop among the lines of other stores and cafes in the street. It was hard to miss the burst of bright colors and arrangements, even from far away. A sign read “Buvelle Blossoms” on top in beautiful, handpainted cursive with a golden flower painted around the letters.

A woman walked out to the front, a watering can in hand, and watered the flowers and herbs in the front. The drops of water on the flower petals and leaves glistened in the sunlight as the stream of water passed by them. She patted the dirt in some pots to determine if a plant didn’t need any more water.

“Sona, dear, can you help me with a floral arrangement please?” a voice called out from inside.

Sona turned to walk inside to help her mother. “What event is it for?” she signed.

“According to this… lengthy email,” Lestara paused to give Sona her phone, “it seems this young man didn’t do so well with his lover. He even paid in advance for this bouquet to make his apology as clear as possible.”

Scrolling through the message, Sona smiled in sympathy at the sender’s name.

Garen Crownguard, the son of a prestigious family that supported a political family, the Lightshields, as bodyguards. Clearly in a relationship with the head of another political family, Katarina du Couteu. Very clear to almost everyone in town. It was a surprise his parents or the Lightshields hadn’t noticed yet, except his younger sister. His love and care for her was apparent in his email, going so far as to apologize and thank them for their trouble in making his bouquet.

She placed Lestara’s phone back on the table. “Do we have any purple hyacinths?”

Lestara tapped her nails against the wooden table in thought. “I believe we’re running out. I’ll have to order more after this, since I get the feeling we might use what we have left.” She chuckled to herself as she gathered roses of red and dark pink. “Will you get the hyacinths for me? And any other flowers you think might be necessary for this order.”

Sona walked through the aisles of flowers, whispering flower names under her breath. She carefully took out the purple hyacinths from their glass vase and shook the excess water off their stems. She then looked around her for other flowers that she can use for this bouquet. Her eyes spotted tulips that were in full bloom. Plucking a few red and many white ones, she returned to her mother and laid them on the table.

“Tulips?”

“I think they would go well with his message and how much he loves her,” Sona replied.

“Hopefully it comes across to her then.” The two laughed as they began arranging the flowers into a colorful bouquet with the red roses and tulips forming a heart among the yellow tulips and placing the hyacinths inside the heart. “Uh-oh, I think we’re running out of ribbons.”

“I think we still have one more roll in the back. I’ll go get it.” Sona hurried into the back room, her twintails bouncing with her steps.

“Take your time, dear! I’ll just hold them with a rubber band for now!” While Lestara was wrapping the bouquet in pink paper, she heard a shy knock on their open glass door and looked up. “Come in, dear. We’re just about to finish up.”

A shy-looking young man walked in with a book in his hand. “Good afternoon, Miss Buvelle. How are you?”

“Fixing up a bouquet for the lovely bodyguard who needs to apologize to his lover.” They exchanged knowing looks and chuckled. “Sona should be coming out soon, Jhin. She’s just getting me another roll of ribbons to wrap this up.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you helped me too, Miss Buvelle. I am here to buy more flowers for my next piece, anyways.”

The first half was a lie, and Lestara knew it. “Nonsense. Besides, Sona knows more about flowers than I do. You’re better off getting her help.”

Jhin fell silent in embarrassment. Even after so long, he couldn't hide his heart from Miss Buvelle. Was it the power of motherhood, he wondered. He took a moment to collect himself before looking around the shop.

“Mother, I found the ribbon,” a robotic, female voice sounded from the back. Sona walked out with a roll of red ribbons with white hearts on it and her phone, which was reading out her text. “It was in the bottom of the box, so we’ll have to order more soon.” She paused when she saw Jhin looking at red roses and sketching them in his book. Her eyes darted to Lestara, who was trying to suppress a grin behind her happy smile. Sona playfully nudged her mother in the arm before approaching Jhin.

“Welcome back, Jhin,” she signed.

“Hello, Sona,” he greeted back while signing ‘hello’. “How are you?”

“Good! How is your sign language?”

He shrugged bashfully. “I’m definitely getting better. Not the best, but I'm getting there.”

Sona’s eyes smiled as she gave him two thumbs-up. She then took out her phone to type a message into it. “What kind of flowers are you looking for today? Did you bring a photo of what you made last time?”

“Yes, I did! Hold on.” Jhin tapped an app and handed his phone to her. “I decided to name it “Golden Bells”, because the yellow daisies scattered around reminded me of ripples of sound that would come from a bell.” He watched her eyes widen with fascination and smiled. “I’ve already thought of a theme for my next piece, but I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers would go well with it.”

Handing his phone back, Sona started typing into her phone again. “What’s the theme?”

“Butterflies. I had this vision of a snowy day, and the crystallization of someone’s breath looked like butterflies. White and blue color scheme, to be more specific.” He opened his sketchbook to show Sona a few thumbnails. “Butterflies are usually associated with spring, but I thought it would also give a sense of irony to the idea.”

“I like it! It sounds nice.” She typed into her phone again. “Did you have a certain meaning in mind? It might be easier to narrow down your selection of white and blue flowers that way.”

Jhin sighed. “Sadly, no. I was thinking of using white roses, but they have a different meaning in our culture, something I’d like to avoid for this piece. I wouldn’t want to put the meaning of death in something as beautiful as crystal and snowflakes.” He pursed his lips as he turned to Sona, who was listening intently with a patient smile. “I seem to have rambled again…”

She shook her head reassuringly. “It’s okay.” She guided him to a row of white flowers. She signed “no” for the flowers that would be used in funerals or with negative meanings to narrow down the choices for him. From the remaining selections, Jhin had to choose from camellias, daffodils, daisies, orchids, and carnations.

“What would you say would be the closest meaning of each flower in relation to my piece? I understand that flowers have multiple meanings, given the context.”

A pause. “Camellia, you’re adorable. Daffodil, respect or unrequited love or “you’re the only one”. Daisies, innocence or secrecy. Orchids, beauty and elegance. Carnation, perfect love.”

He took this time to write down the notes. “Can we go see the blue flowers? This may take some time for me to think about what may be suitable for the meaning of my piece.” He followed Sona’s lead to a shelf of beautiful blue and indigo flowers. “Is there perhaps anything that means something like ‘unwavering’ or, ehm, ‘hope’, I suppose?”

Sona scanned the blue flowers and hovered her hand over a blue hyacinth and a blue iris. “This is the closest to what you’re looking for. The blue hyacinth means ‘constancy’, while the blue iris means ‘hope and faith’. Anything else?”

“No, these should do perfectly. Let’s see…” He looked through the shades of blue as if he was looking for something else. His eyes lit up as he spotted small flowers of baby blue. “Ah, there they are.” He gently took out a handful of forget-me-nots. “I think I will take these for today. I must press them before I use them on the canvas.”

Her eyes lingered on the forget-me-nots, her hand slightly tightening around her phone. “What are they for?” she signed.

Jhin smiled. “Believe it or not, it will also be used in my next piece. But I can’t give away anything more than that.” He held the flowers closer to him. “It will be featured in my upcoming gallery, once I finish it. Or, at least I hope it will be featured in it.” He looked up at Sona with hopeful eyes. “I was wondering if you and your mother would like to come see the grand opening. Free tickets, of course.”

She couldn’t do anything other than nod. She tried to keep a happy smile as she followed Jhin to the counter. After ringing up his purchase, she tugged at his sleeve to catch his attention. Her text read, “Come back soon?” without her text-to-speech function.

“Of course. I may even come back tomorrow. I’ll see you.” He gave her hand a gentle pat and let it linger before he left their flower shop.

Lestara was secretly watching from the back, shaking her head at how oblivious the two were to each other’s longing touches. “I’m starting to wonder—” She stopped. “Sona, dear, are you alright?”

Sona whipped around with worry darkening her face. “Mother, I think he has someone he likes. He bought forget-me-nots. Forget-me-nots!”

Oh, here we go. Lestara blinked, not having expected this reaction. “Don’t they represent reminiscing memories?”

“They also represent true love. I don’t, I really, am I wrong?” she signed in a panic. “He must like someone else if he bought forget-me-nots for his next piece… He didn’t even tell me more about it.”

“Sona, dear…”

“I was hoping… he might like me back.” Her head and shoulders drooped in dejection. “Maybe I was wrong.”

“Have you perhaps given it thought that he liked how they looked? Or how small they were to use on a canvas?”

“It’s possible…”

Lestara smiled sympathetically and hugged her daughter tightly. “Oh, Sona…” She patted her back as she leaned her chin on Sona’s hair. “Don’t you think that he might like you back?” Sona bit her lower lip and sighed through her nose. “I don’t think an uninterested person would let their touch linger like that, honey. Nor would they pat your hand before they leave. Or invite you to their upcoming gallery for free.”

“Now you’re teasing me.”

“Oh no, I’m just stating facts.” She released Sona and pecked her forehead. “You’re still young, Sona. You have plenty of time to keep trying.”

“I’m more weirded out that you’re so supportive of… this.” She gestured to her heart and the outside, referring to Jhin.

“Ah, young love. I just want to see you live a good and happy life, Sona. You’ve already graduated with a master’s degree in music. Now, you’re in love.” She paused as she seemed to have remembered something. “Actually, I believe I may have seen you fall in love with him while you were still studying. He graduated that year when you both met, if I recall correctly.”

Sona chose to ignore the last two comments. She sometimes hated how perceptive her mother was. “Didn’t you used to tell me love wasn’t the answer to a happy life?”

“It’s still not,” she immediately answered. “If it was, I would have had a husband by now. But I don’t carry much interest in that.” She chuckled at Sona rolling her eyes at her response. “But my point is that you seem happy to be in love with Jhin. If he causes you heartbreak though, I am kicking him out of the store.”

“So, you mean if he tells me that he likes someone else?”

“Exactly.”

“Mother!”

Lestara giggled mischievously as she pat Sona’s head. “Just a joke, dear. But really, I think you’ll be just fine.”

Sona sighed again. “If you say so.” She turned back to the counter, where the apology bouquet sat on top of it. “Is there anything else we could do for that bouquet?”

“All we can do is wait. He’ll be picking it up within an hour or so, if the time on his email is still correct.” Lestara tapped the email again to find the time. “Yes, he should be coming soon.” She chuckled at the email again. “Garen Crownguard. I never thought I’d live to see the day that boy breaks his usual uptight personality. To think a woman, his lover no less, would bring out a whole new side out of him.”

“Funny what love can do to people.”

“Like you?”

Sona mocked anger and nudged her mother’s shoulder. “Ha ha.”

  Orchestral covers played through Sona’s headphones as she dusted the front of the shop before taking the pots of flowers out. She stepped in sync with the music with her broom in hand, almost dancing with it like it was another person. Her steps eventually became more elaborate and turned into a dance of her own. But then she turned around.

And there was Jhin, watching in fascinated amusement with a bag slung around his shoulder.

A soft whining noise came from Sona’s throat as she crouched behind the buckets of flowers in shame. Her ears turned bright red, steam threatening to burst out as she dug her face into her skirt. There were times when she was glad she was mute. This was one of them. If she had a voice, she would have woken up the entire town with her scream.

Jhin was hiding a smile behind his hand, a light blush on his cheeks. “I apologize. I tried to let you know I was here, but you didn’t seem to hear me.” Sona started signing rapidly while still hiding her face, presumably signing every curse she knew and can think of on the top of her head. “I promise I won’t laugh. I thought it was endearing.”

Sona peeked, her face still red, and looked up at Jhin. “Promise?”

“Promise,” he signed back. He even crossed his heart.

Hesitant, Sona stood up and dusted her blue skirt. She couldn’t bear to look at Jhin in the eye while she was still blushing beet red.

“It was a lovely dance, Sona. I actually liked it,” Jhin tried to say.

She quickly pulled out her phone and furiously typed something into her phone. “No. No. No. No. I can’t tell you how embarrassed I am that you saw me. I don’t think you understand how mortified I am.”

“Would it help if I said it was… cute?”

Her blush now spread to her fingers as she typed on her phone again. “No, that’s worse, you ass.”

Jhin broke out into laughter. “But it was! You dance wonderfully, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance before.”

“Shhh. Don’t.”

He snorted at how little emotion the speech function spoke in, when Sona must have been wanting to scream at him. “Before you start yelling at me again, I was wondering if you would like to stop by my studio next weekend.” He pointed behind him with his thumb. “It’s a short walk from here, and I wanted to show you some of the works I will be featuring in the gallery.”

Sona’s gaze remained on her screen. “What about your new painting?”

“It should be finished by then. I want to get your opinion on it before I show it to anyone else.”

What if his painting was for another person? Another person he liked? Another person that wasn’t her? Worry plagued her heart, but she refused to let it escape from its cage. She forced a happy smile and nodded. “I would love to see your work in person. I can be there on Saturday evening.”

“Fantastic. I will look forward to your visit.”

“Did you run out of the orchids you bought? We don’t have blue hyacinths at the moment, so you’ll have to wait until this weekend for more.”

“No. I just came to ask you about coming to my studio.”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “All this trouble for me?” she signed as a joke.

Jhin’s expression softened as he watched her laugh. “Why not?” he signed back. He slightly bowed his head to her. “Please give Miss Buvelle my regards. I’ll be heading back to my studio to work on the piece. I’ll see you soon, Sona.” He briskly walked away to hide a blush that he felt was becoming more apparent the longer he stayed.

Sona pressed her cheek against the top of the broom, stuffing her phone into her pocket, as she watched his figure disappear around the corner. She started repeatedly bumped her forehead against the tip of the broom, the memory of Jhin’s smiling eyes from catching her dance flooding back into her memory.

“Sounds like you might have a date on next Saturday,” Lestara said from behind Sona, who jumped and dropped the broom. “Am I wrong?”

“I wouldn’t call it a date. He just invited me to see his works early,” she signed with shaky hands. “It’s not like he meant it any other way.” Right?

Lestara shrugged but with a smug look. “If you say so, dear.” She went back inside without another word. Sona chased after her for answers, not knowing what her mother was thinking behind that smile of hers.

  The doorbell chimed as a woman closed the door shut behind her. There was no one around the flower shop to greet her. Strange. “Miss Lestara? Miss Sona?”

“We’ll be right there! Give us a moment!” Lestara and Sona appeared from the back, carrying a large box full of new plants.

“Oh dear. Let me help.” The woman rushed to the back to catch the corner of the box that threatened to topple over from their hands. They set it on the counter and took a moment to relax. “Glad I came just in time.”

Lestara arched her back to stretch from hunching over for the past few hours. “Our apologies, Miss Soraka. We were sorting new shipments of flowers this entire afternoon.”

Soraka chuckled. “No worries at all. Is that the last box?”

“Luckily, yes. We just need to sort these where they belong, but I think we’re in need of a break.” She gestured Sona to Soraka. “Would you mind helping her, dear? I’m going to get some water.”

Sona nodded and walked over to Soraka’s side. “Something you need today?”

“I’ve been wanting to brighten up my office after my orchids wilted while I was on a trip. Shame I couldn’t salvage them. They were completely shriveled by the time I came back.” She smelled the hibiscus and let out a satisfied smile. “I did some research about lavender recently and found that their scent has a wonderful calming effect. I thought it might be nice to have those for therapy sessions with my patients.”

Her eyes brightened as she looked at the box they carried earlier. “The lavender should be in that box. How many would you like?”

“Hmmm…” Soraka hummed in thought as she scrolled through the photos of her phone. “My office is medium-sized, and I would at least like to smell a bit of lavender whenever I walk in.

Sona tapped her chin. “I would put maybe four to five pots of lavender around the room.” She guided Soraka to the counter and took out a few varieties of lavender, sniffing for the ones with a stronger scent. She isolated a handful of stems and five handfuls of weaker-scented ones.

“Oh, that’s a lovely shade of violet.”

“You always did like that color.” Sona giggled. “Strong scented lavender might not look great, so I’m surrounding them with common ones to brighten the scent, if that makes sense.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” Soraka saved a few pages on taking care of lavender as Sona planted them in small pots. After idly watching people pass by the shop, some looking at the flowers inside, Soraka signed, “So, how are you and that young man doing?”

Sona’s fingers curled in as if they touched fire. Her eyes darted to the side in embarrassment. “Who, who do you mean?”

“You know, that young artist who’s been frequently coming here for a few years now,” Soraka signed, chuckling at Sona’s blush. “Khada Jhin, I believe his name was? I saw an advertisement that he was going to open his gallery soon.”

Her blush spread to her ears. “Does… everyone know about… him?”

“I can’t speak for everyone, but I believe some of the nearby shopkeepers might have an idea.”

Sona’s face contorted in humiliation as she slowly crouched behind the counter. Great. Just great. Not only did Soraka figure it out, but the other shopkeepers might have found out too. Is that why she saw that one barista across the street smile while she was talking to Jhin? Or those two bakers who had a weird look while Sona was excitedly talking about a new composition she made? Oh no. Everything made sense now.

“Did you tease her again, Miss Soraka?” her mother playfully scolded.

“I didn’t think it’d have that much of an effect on her,” Soraka said. She giggled as she looked over the counter. “Miss Sona, no one is judging you. There’s nothing wrong with falling in love with someone.”

“But people know now!” she furiously signed. “I know people know now! I can’t believe this.”

Soraka was about to say something until a knock on the door following the ring of the doorbell caught her attention. “Oh! If it isn’t our local artist.”

Sona sucked in a sharp breath and gripped onto the hem of Lestara’s skirt, desperately shaking her head.

“Good afternoon, Miss Buvelle. Miss Soraka. Is Sona here?”

There was a pause as Lestara and Soraka exchanged glances and then shook their heads. “She stepped out for a stroll. You just missed her.”

Slight disappointment flashed in his eyes but was quickly masked. “Ah, is that so? Perhaps you can help me, Miss Buvelle. I ran out of the white orchids due to an unexpected mistake I made. I was hoping you had more?”

“Of course, dear. They should be near the window.” Lestara walked out from the counter, her voice quiet and low as she spoke with Jhin. They weren’t close enough for Sona to hear what they were talking about, but the sudden change of tone to a surprised “oh!” worried her.

She peeked from the counter to see Lestara chuckling as she pat Jhin’s back. She took a deep breath and stood up with a nervous smile. Jhin noticed her immediately and seemed to brighten up. He went back to conversing with Lestara before approaching the counter.

“Just in time, Sona. I’m glad I caught you before I left.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jhin’s lips parted as his eyes looked up to remember something. His lips pursed in helplessness before signing, “Dinner?” He scratched the back of his head. “I wanted to ask if you would like dinner at a restaurant after I show you some of my work.”

Soraka gasped behind her fingers. “Ooh, you want to take Miss Sona out for dinner, I see,” she sang.

The artist laughed in embarrassment before looking up at Lestara. “If, if you don’t mind me picking her up early, of course, Miss Buvelle. I promise I will bring her back before her curfew, if she has one.”

Lestara joyfully shook her head. “Not at all, dear. Just bring her back safely, and I won’t kick you out of my store.”

“Of course, ma’am.” He looked at Sona, who hadn’t signed a word so far. “Don’t hesitate to let me know if you do not want to. I don’t wish to inconvenience you.”

Sona’s lips opened and closed a few times before she nodded. She held her phone up to him with a text that read, I would love to.

“Fantastic! I’ll come pick you up around sunset, if you’re fine with that?”

She nodded silently, her eyes still wide from surprise.

“How close are you to finishing your final piece, Jhin?”

“Very close. I’ve already painted the base and added the blue flowers. I just need to add in the white petals next once they crystallize.”

“What are the daffodils for?” Soraka asked. “I remember you mentioning something about a winter theme in your last work. I didn’t think you’d add yellow daffodils to this one.”

The paper crinkled in Jhin’s fingers as he brought up a bouquet of golden flowers. “I looked up a few flower meanings before I came here, and I found that daffodils are close to how I feel. The color suits the blue also.” He smiled shyly as he placed the flowers inside his bag. “I shall be taking my leave then. Good-bye.”

They waved him good-bye and turned back to Sona, who was frozen in place. Lestara cleared her throat to gain her attention. Sona blinked rapidly before she returned to reality. “I thought, I thought I was going to die of a heart attack.”

“Seems Miss Sona has a dinner date this weekend,” Soraka teased, watching Sona’s fair skin turn red. “Young love, right?”

Lestara huffed in amusement. “You’re telling me.” She helped Sona plant the rest and packing the pots in bags. “Make sure not to overwater the lavender. I’m sure your patients will love the new flowers, Miss Soraka.”

Soraka smiled as she took the bags into her hands. “I’m sure they would too. Thank you, you two. Enjoy the rest of your day!” She exited the flower shop and went on her way to her office.

After a few minutes of silence, Lestara nudged Sona on the arm. “Look at you. You get a first look at his gallery and a dinner date.”

“And it’s this Saturday, too…” Sona signed, dumbfounded.

“You mean the day after tomorrow,” Lestara stated.

Her lips tightened into a flat line when her hands stopped midair in realization. She checked the date on her phone. It was Thursday.   “It’s the day after tomorrow? Oh my god.” Sona dropped her phone on the counter and covered her face in her hands.

“Nervous?”

“More than nervous! What if I screw it up? What if I accidentally blurt out that I like him?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want to make it awkward between us. I definitely don’t want him to avoid me either.”

Lestara cleared her throat to suppress a chuckle. “Sona, honey, you’re worrying too much. Just let the date happen. Just let whatever happens happen.”

“That’s not easy to do, mother. Especially when you’re in front of someone you like.” Sona sighed and picked her phone back up again. She tapped on the email from Jhin that contained two free tickets for her and her mother to his upcoming gallery. Her eyes then darted to the side. “He bought daffodils.”

“He did.”

Daffodils had different meanings depending on the context. It usually meant a regard for the other, a message for a lover, or… Unrequited love, she thought. Sona sighed again in dejection. There was no way he could have been talking about her, right? If other shopkeepers knew about her affection towards Jhin, he must have known too. Was this meant to be an indirect, but polite way of telling her he can’t reciprocate her feelings?

Lestara clapped her hands to snap Sona out of her thoughts. “Now I know you’re overthinking things.” She smiled and kissed Sona’s head. “I promise you as your mother and a fellow woman that your feelings won’t be taken for granted.” She chuckled when Sona raised a brow in confusion. “You’ll see what I mean.”

  “Mother, is this dress really necessary?” Sona’s phone read. “This seems like overkill.”

“You call this overkill for a dinner date? It’s just a dress, dear.”

Sona was wearing a v-neck blue dress with golden flowers designed into the hem and climbing up to the waistline. She pulled her white cardigan closer to her chest in embarrassment. She typed into her phone. “But this is the dress I wore for my performances.”

Lestara turned Sona around to look at her outfit. She shrugged. “I don’t see anything wrong with wearing this to a dinner date. It becomes a casual-formal dress without the sash and cape you wear anyways.”

“I guess.”

“Jhin should be arriving to the flower shop soon, so you head down first. I’ll be watching from the back.”

Hesitation planted her feet into the wooden stairs that lead upstairs from the flower shop to their home. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“More than certain, honey. Now get out there!” Lestara gently helped Sona down the stairs to the back of the shop. “Tell me everything that happens when you get back, okay?”

Sona couldn’t understand why her mother was more excited about this than she was. But she had no time to question her. Jhin was probably waiting in the shop. She nervously stepped out of the door to see Jhin in a fuschia collared shirt and a grey vest on top with black slacks. He was checking his watch before looking up to see Sona by the door tucking in a strand of hair behind her ear.

He gave her a heartwarming smile that made her want to melt. “You look… beautiful,” he signed.

A blush colored her cheeks as her lips curled into a smile against her fingers. “Thank you,” she signed back. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Great.” He opened the door of the shop and gestured outside. “After you.” He gave Lestara, who poked her head out to wave him good-bye, a bow of his head before escorting her to his studio. “How was your day today?”

Sona scratched her cheek before answering with her phone, “Good! Garen stopped by today to thank us for the bouquet we made last week for Miss Katarina. He gave us some cooking supplies since he didn’t know what else to give us. His words.”

Jhin chuckled to himself. “I find it amusing to see them try so hard to hide their relationship when everyone knows already. Well, almost everyone. But I admire their effort.” He noticed that Sona was a little more quiet than usual. He slightly bent his back to her level, stepping a little closer to her. “Is something on your mind?”

She did a double-take at Jhin, letting out a breath she was holding in. Quick, think of something. “Sorry. I've never seen your work in person before, so I'm excited to see your final piece too. You finished it, right?”

“I did. The crystallizing of the orchid petals took some time, but I managed to get it finished.” He squeezed the strap of his shoulder bag as he pursed his lips, turning around the corner with Sona following next to him. “Uh, Sona, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you think it strange to draw someone you're inspired by? Someone you've been friends with for a while, but you want to change that?”

This question might have been risky, but Sona couldn't handle the suspense anymore. “Is your Butterflies piece a confession?” she spelled out the last word in letters.

Jhin gazed at her in surprise. “I… yes… was it that obvious?”

She knew it. Sona smiled a little sadly, nodding.

He exhaled, holding his hand to his face. “I suppose you would've figured it out eventually, since the flowers I used had a romantic context to their meaning.” He hummed in thought as he looked at Sona, who seemed to droop like a wilting rose. Something clicked in his head. She didn't realize it yet, did she? “Sona,” he called out to her with the gentlest voice. When Sona refused to look at him, he slipped his hand under hers, surprising her to look at him. “You’ll like what I made. I'm sure you will understand it immediately.”

They stopped in front of a building painted white and maintained cleanly. Jhin guided her upstairs to a door, unlocking it with a key and opening it for her to see. Sona was greeted by canvases and canvases of flowers painted onto them with oils, acrylics, charcoals, and so many other mediums. She breathed out in speechlessness. There were no words to describe how stunning each piece looked up close.

Many flowers were either pressed or fixed to maintain their fresh appearance, but they were beautifully incorporated into each artwork without looking gaudy or like an afterthought.

Jhin watched Sona observe his work with such mesmerization that he wondered how she would react to what he made for his final piece. He idly walked around the room as Sona went through each canvas. “My apologies for the scattered arrangement. I had to move them all to my living room to make the transferring easier for the moving people.”

Oh, so this was his apartment.

This was his apartment.

Sona felt her ears turn hot. She brushed her hair near her head to hide them as she moved onto the canvas hung up on the wall, covered by a beige sheet and lit by a spotlight. She turned to Jhin, who urged her to be the one to reveal the final masterpiece. Sona turned back to the canvas. It was one of the largest canvas among his other work, and she was able to see the flower petals pop from behind the sheet. Her hand slowly grabbed onto the corner of the sheet.

Jhin had held her hand before they arrived, reassuring her that she would like it.

She pulled it off the canvas, wondering what was hidden underneath.

He said that she would understand it immediately.

Her breath caught in her throat as the sheet revealed the artwork behind it. She stepped back in awe, looking at the whole canvas.

It was her. Her hair was colored with pressed forget-me-nots with the blue hyacinths accenting the former’s bright blue. The flowers hid her eyes, but she smiled in the painting, her breath turning into crystallized orchids that looked like butterflies and white wisps of paint. On her ear was a bouquet of daffodils, which protruded out the most from the pressed hyacinths and crystallized orchids. She looked so beautiful.

“What do you think? It was hard to come up with a message that wasn't so straightforward.” He lowered his head with a shy smile. “This is how I wanted to convey my feelings to you before I displayed it in my gallery.”

Sona slowly turned to Jhin in surprise. This had to mean differently. Was this piece… really for her?

Jhin chuckled nervously. “I've been practicing this for the past week, but please bear with me. I'm still not very fast at sign language.” He cleared his throat and brought his hands up. “I fell in love with you a few years ago, when we were friends. It was winter, when you were back for winter break. I was going through dark times, but I remember when you approached me with a bouquet of roses of all colors because you saw that I didn't seem like myself recently.” He took a deep breath. “You told me how flowers contain a beauty of their own, like how you saw my art containing a hidden beauty. I began experimenting with my art, and thanks to your bouquet, I was able to start my next painting using those roses. Your kind and faithful words brought me back up to my feet, and I began to fall deeper in love with you since then.”

Sona’s heart began racing as she interpreted his signs.

“At first, I tried to hold it back. I didn't want to ruin the friendship we already had. But then, I saw that our feelings may have been mutual.”

A squeak came from Sona as she covered her mouth with her hands. “You knew?! You knew all this time?!”

Jhin averted his gaze. “I expected this reaction, and I still don't know how to respond to it. Ehm… How do I say this… I didn't want to assume your feelings, so I kept telling myself that it was just me and my own feelings.”

Sona then started typing into her phone. “And to think I thought you had feelings for someone else this past week. I am stupidly embarrassed.” She crouched on the floor and dug her head into her knees.

A quiet chuckle soon turned into laughter. “You really thought I had feelings for someone else? Why else would I visit the flower shop so frequently, especially those times when I went to buy just one flower?”

“Work, maybe,” she signed while still hiding her face.

“When I could have gone to any other flower shop in town?”

“Shut up.” She lifted her head to type into her phone. “I want to crawl into a hole and live there forever.”

Jhin kneeled in front of Sona after recovering from his bout of laughter. “Then how would you see the rest of what I want to say to you?” He patiently waited for Sona to meet his eyes, her own hesitant but asking him to continue. He chuckled before signing again. “I wanted to convey my feelings to you before it was too late. Before I finally decided to tell myself to give up.” He pointed to his masterpiece above them. “Everything about you is so beautiful and elegant like the orchids, from the way you talk about flowers to the way you dance to your music.”

Sona playfully slapped him on the arm for the last part, shaking her head with a smile on her face and earning another laugh from him.

“My feelings for you have never wavered, and I've always loved how sincere you were in our conversations—like the blue hyacinths. But my heart would never forget you. I couldn’t forget the way you left my heart longing for you. Just like the forget-me-nots.”

“And the daffodils?” she asked, pointing to the golden flowers that adorned her hair.

“Oh, those.” Jhin cupped Sona’s hands in his and gazed into her eyes with a loving expression. “The daffodils weren't meant to represent unrequited love, if what I assume you were thinking earlier was correct. I wanted to say that the sun always shines brighter when you are around. Even when it storms or overcast, you brighten up my day.” He brushed a lock of hair away from Sona’s eyes. “I suppose what I want to ask is, would you like to go out with me?”

Sona, overwhelmed by joy, nodded and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly in her embrace. Happiness wasn't enough to describe the feelings that wanted to burst out of her. But she was so happy. So ecstatic. Their feelings were mutual after all. She felt his arms wrap around her back, holding her tightly. They lingered a moment longer before releasing each other.

The clicking of her keyboard filled in the silence as she typed a message. “If I rejected you, what were you going to do with the painting?”

“I was going to ask for your consent to hang it up in the gallery. I wouldn't have, if you felt uncomfortable about it.”

“I'm more impressed that you thought about different scenarios.”

“Well, with a confession like mine, I had to take them into consideration. But I'm glad it turned out for the best.” Jhin kissed the back of her hand before helping her stand up. “So, how would you like that dinner to be our first date?”

Sona snorted and typed into her phone again. “Were you planning on the dinner to be a date?”

He admittedly shrugged. “Only if it turned out you reciprocated my feelings. Otherwise, I would've taken you out as a friend.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile and linked her arm with his. “Then what are we waiting for? We should get dinner soon.”

“Gladly.” They walked out of his apartment, Sona leaning her head on his shoulder while Jhin nuzzled his cheek against her hair.

  Guests immediately noted the gentle aroma of flowers when they entered Jhin’s gallery, attracted by the burst of color beyond the glass windows. They wandered around the gallery, looking at Jhin’s artworks in awe. A few repeatedly stepped back and closer to examine the techniques and strokes. In front of each canvas was an open glass box that contained a vase of flowers used for the painting, the flowers neatly arranged to compliment each other, and a plaque that stated the meanings of the flowers.

The bigger canvases lured crowds to their beauty, but the most crowded was “Butterflies”, which displayed a vase of white orchids, blue hyacinths, forget-me-nots, daffodils, and two pink ambrosias in the center. The guests approached the vase to read the meanings, but the ambrosia’s was missing.

Where was the artist responsible for these gorgeous paintings though?

Jhin stood among the crowd beside Sona and Lestara and watched the guests marvel at his work while guiding the two around.

“It's so clever how the artist stained the petals. It almost looks natural.”

“Doesn't it? I especially love how he uses roses frequently in his works. I've been following his Insta since he started posting his flower series.”

“No way, he has an account? Send me the name, I want to see more stuff he made!”

Sona elbowed Jhin. “Your Insta is going to flood with comments and new followers later. How do you feel about that?”

“A little overwhelmed, but at least my art will be known more,” he signed back. He placed his hand on his chest and exhaled. “I'm nervous to make a speech though. I'm not good with crowds.”

“You'll be fine!” Sona held his hand and gave it a little squeeze to reassure him. “I'll be near you when you do.”

“Thanks.” Jhin squeezed her hand back.

Lestara cleared her throat. “I think I'm going to leave you two alone for a bit. I'll be wandering around the gallery, dears.” She chuckled, walking away to another painting with a little wave of her fingers.

Jhin and Sona flushed red in realization Lestara was watching them this entire time. They couldn't bring her back by the time they recovered. She was too far and preoccupied with a conversation with another guest, Soraka. They decided to move on to the next painting, hand-in-hand.

“I wonder why there's no price tag on that one,” a young woman with golden hair mused. “All the other ones do.”

“Eh, maybe the artist got lazy and didn't even bother,” another young woman in an apparel jacket muttered.

“Come on, Jinx, there's no way the artist got that lazy. I mean, look at all these artworks! How could he miss a price tag if he painted these with such careful detail?”

The other listlessly shrugged with a crooked, lazy smile. “I dunno. Art’s not really my thing, Lux. I'd rather go play with some fireworks.”

Lux rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Alright, my little pyromaniac. Let's keep going.” She pulled Jinx to another painting, Jinx protesting but compliantly following along.

Sona raised a brow at their conversation and turned to Jhin. “You're not selling “Butterflies”?”

“I wanted to keep it. It holds a special meaning to me, after all.” He brought Sona’s hand up to kiss the tips of her fingers. “How could I sell a piece that depicts the feelings and memories I've had with someone I love?” He and Sona softly laughed to themselves as they pressed foreheads. The beeping of his watch caught his attention. “It's time for the speech. Wish me luck.”

Sona signed to do his best and gave his hand another squeeze afterwards as they made their way to his “Butterflies” piece, where most of the guests now gathered to hear the speech.

Oh, this was more people than he thought there would be. He gripped Sona’s hand tighter before letting go and walked to the front. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Khada Jhin, the artist of this gallery. I thank you for attending the grand opening, and I was very pleased to hear that everyone enjoys what I've painted.”

“And he says he has stage fright,” Lestara joked under her breath to Sona.

A giggle shook Sona’s shoulders. After he finished his speech, she joined the crowd to applause Jhin for his hard work and effort.

“I am open to questions, if anyone has any. Otherwise, please feel free to look around more.”

A smaller crowd drew closer to Jhin as the rest dispersed to the rest of the gallery or to find the exit. Sona stepped closer to Jhin, now half an arm’s length away, to remind him of her support.

“Is Khada Jhin your real name, sir?”

“No, it is just an alias. But it's a name I've come to think of as a second name, so I don't mind being called that.”

“What inspired you to start your flower series? They're all so gorgeous!” Lux asked excitedly.

Jhin glanced at Sona, whose eyes smiled at his gaze. “It's more of a case of ‘who’. A longtime friend of mine gave me the inspiration I needed to try something new. A different vision. It's thanks to her that I was able to become this successful.”

“Is she the lady that's on your big painting right here?” Jinx asked.

Straightforward, that girl was. Jhin cleared his throat. “Yes, she is. She has become a special person in my life, and that is why I dedicated my final masterpiece to her.”

“Is that piece available for purchase, by any chance?” someone asked.

“No. This is a piece that holds a special place in my heart. I have no plans on selling this one.” A few murmurs of disappointment sounded from potential buyers, but he didn't care. This one stayed. “Please feel free to look at my other works, however. I assure you they are just as good, and they will be available for delivery starting the week after next.”

“So where’s the lucky girl in that painting?” Sona turned to see the barista across the street with the two bakers behind him. Oh gods. They were doing this on purpose. Her ears turned red when she turned back to Jhin, who gazed at her lovingly and reached out to hold her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“She’s right here… my friend who has become much more to me, now my significant other.”

Gasps and sounds of endearment sounded from the crowd.

“That is what the ambrosia means.”