The man took her hand as he rose from the bench. To the green haired maiden's surprise, he did not relinquish it as he rose, or even as he began walking in the direction towards the collection (she assumed at least that was what it was) of his favorite flower. She trailed behind him a step or two, as he proceeded, her arm outstretched to keep the connection with him. She didn't trust herself to follow his footsteps disconnected: at least not when she was having such bad luck navigating Crocus as a whole. In fact, as she lingered behind him, her grip stiffened, if only ever so slightly, to make sure they didn't separate.
It wasn't until the young man led her to the cherry tree, that she allowed herself to center next to him, allowing her arm to relax-- dangling between them-- naturally. The two were a similar height, and in her slackened position her hand was still able to be cradled in her companion's. Indeed, she hadn't even noticed that the connection remained, as her ruby orbs scanned the pale pink petals that lined both the branches and the breeze. The sight was hypnotic, putting the young woman in a calming trance-- heightened only with the young man's explanation. She nodded, in inherent agreement of the beautiful calming effects of the topiary in front of them. After all, she too felt it... every impact of the tree that Sylvester described. She let the sweet aroma from the tree fill her lungs with a deep breath, exhaling it with a soft sigh, her gaze fell upon the tree's extremities, and the dancing shadows the moon and stars projected in its twisting branches.
As the young man spoke again, her gaze shifted to his visage. She nodded, as words pressed against her lips, "Well I'm glad you showed it to me Sylvie-- I'm not sure if it's the tree or your company, or the good night's rest that happened upon me last night, but I haven't been this happy in a while..." She untangled her hand from his to sweep back the bangs that fallen into her eyes. The action suddenly yanked her from her hypnotized state. Her hand tingled as its fingertips brushed her own skin, instead of her companion's.
Her entire body stuttered, if only for a second, as she came to a realization of the moment that she had just been consciously thrust upon. Her reaction was subtle-- the quick glances jumping from his face, to each of their hands, and back to the tree, eyes narrowing and widening ever so slightly as they transitioned; fingertips hesitating a moment too long at her forehead before falling back to her side, curled into her palm. "It's crazy that Crocus even has a cherry tree that's blossoming this time of year... Normally that's reserved exclusively for spring... It's crazy what some affluence and power can do-- to change the course of mother nature itself... if only for our contentment." the words were gentle as the danced from the tip of her tongue, the upward curve of her lips a subdued reflection of her companion's smile.
Well... now that you've asked me, do you have a favorite flower, Ari?
Luckily, the man's next question, moved the conversation along-- it's energy was novel in its childlike nature... The young woman could nearly feel the excitement that bubbled out of it. A fingertip pressed to her lip, as she thought for a second. The first thing, that came to her mind was jasmine, just as it had when she first entered the gardens... But it certainly wasn't her favorite. A soft "Hmm..." she began, as she let her body lurch forward with a couple of steps... "I've actually only been to the garden during daylight, but I thought I saw my favorite, when I came here last... Let me see if I can find it." she said, indicating that she had little chance of finding it again, now that the pathway had completely transformed, but taking his question as a challenge.
Steps set out confidently, taking turns and pathways. She led with her left foot, allowing her right arm to trail slightly behind her, fingertips extended as the arm swung gently with each step. Her hand was an open invitation for her companion to grab, had he felt the need to stay close to her in her sporadic turns and navigational decisions-- as she had clung to his.
Regardless of this occupation, she would continue forward, eyes scanning the edges of the pathways, searching desperately for the soft yellow petals she was looking for.
She had been almost certain that she was walking in some sort of circle-- she had passed the same fountain 3 times, despite her certainty that she was taking a different pathway each time. It was upon her third pass, that she was about to give up-- to merely explain the flower to him, when her gaze had landed upon a familiar sight.
She bolted forward-- had her hand been occupied, she would pull the young man with her. Her eyes lit up as she looked between the cascading yellow flowers back to Sylvester's face. "This is it." she beamed, gesturing towards the star-shaped pale yellow petals with her left hand. The blooms were intertwined, each stock proudly displaying six to seven blossoms each. The flower itself was fairly simple, though very pretty, but the clusters of them were astonishing-- particularly as nearly all the other flower blooms around it were shut, sleeping in the moonlight.
"I knew that they were here." she stated, proudly, "These are night gladioluses. They only bloom in the evening... During the day, they're nothing to gawk at... but at night... they're really something else." she looked at the man, for silent approval.