Gone are the days of wintry light kissing coldly upon her face, in those blustery days the great golden orb above was friendly. When uncovered by snow or sleet laden cloud it gave colour to the day, finding any glint of greenness left in the world. When spring came, its brilliant rays shone not just brightly, but with a touch of warmth, a promise of the growing seasons to come. Orchidia Town was a relaxing burst of green when she first took a breather at the curved slope of a burrowing mountain path. Her first taste of the air made her wonder if the winds gathered here differently, flocking to one side and hovering to another, seeping into the leaves and harvesting the scent of growth, stillness.

Only a hint of excitingly charged sunlight was present then, as the winds drafted by her figure. The sunrise was nearly at the end of dawn and morning would come in fast to melt it away. Everything around her seemed to be stuck in a verdant pause, lively yet so quiet. Perhaps the earthly scene was to be left undisturbed for a bit longer if it hadn’t been for the steady clacking of a hooves working tirelessly down the path she came from. The sound of horses brought her out of her own reverie and there she noticed; the streets busy with a lively tempo as people flocked to places they were supposed to be, finding things they were supposed to do, and a silver haired maiden would be there, muddled through the crowd, alongside her beau, unknowing of what to pursue first.

It was one of the very few times that she had ever seen Orchidia so crowded and the female wondered what might be cause of the sudden appearance of many tourists and guests from around Fiore. It was then, her eyes involuntarily drifted towards a sheet of paper pinned up against the wooden board located beside her. As if the man responsible had pinned it up recently, the sheet appeared new, with bright colours sprawled across the paper. ”Flower festival?” she read out loud, her head titling to a side nonchalantly. Perhaps that was the reason why the citizens of the town appeared so energetic—for the festival. It wasn’t often for festivals to take place in this location, and now that she was here, she wasn’t going to miss it, especially when she will be having the chance to look upon beautiful flowers.

”Let’s go to this festival.”

Snowflake should have known that her beau would have been the most excited regarding the ’Flower Festival’. After all, he was one with the nature, and within the group of people she was acquainted with, he was the only one who seemed to know about nature more than anyone else. As she walked by the streets of Orchidia, the fragrance of flowers wafted into her nose, a warmth in the depths of her chest that quickly spread to the rest of her body, making her feel like she was lying in a field of beautiful flowers, showered by the sun’s rays like the warmest of rains. And before they would head to their destination, she quickly slipped her hands into Chelvaric’s and pulled him back.

”Yes, but we still have to follow the rules of the festival.”

The festival didn’t generally have any rules of sort, but perhaps, it could be said that they were her own. When attending a festival, the person should always, or at least once, wear a outfit of the festival’s theme, in which case is a kimono. ”We need to dress up first,” she couldn’t deny the fact that she was more excited about getting new outfits for the festival than the event itself, but who could blame her? She was a fashionista, she loved clothes—loved the feeling of silk, of velvet, of satin, of suede and chiffon—and was fascinated by the grace of seams, the intricate perfection of an embossed surface. What’s more, she was dressing up for no other than her lover, thus, it was necessary to look her best at an event they were partaking together.

”We still have plenty of time before the festival actually begins. Let’s go shopping!” The sudden change in the pitch of her voice indicated that she was very enthusiastic about the activity and she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of outfits they might have in store.

Soon, they would stumble upon a kimono store that was recommended by the majority of the citizens due to its unparalleled quality and their variety. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the unbelievable amount of customers that flooded within the store, which was to be expected. A sigh escaped her lips from frustration, as well as from the sight of the large number of people, but she certainly wasn’t leaving until she found the perfect kimono for herself, even if that meant stealing dresses from the other customers.

”Of course. It’s my favourite hobby,” the woman chimed in, stating the obvious as if her paramour wasn’t aware of her love for clothes. She was a materialist and she certainly love all her cosmetic possessions; bracelets, earrings, dresses and so on, far more than anything else. Despite her distaste for crowds, Snowflake had no choice but to push herself through the swirls and eddies of people. With a responsive nod at Chelvaric’s suggestion, the couple separated ways while she meandered over to the women’s section. It was no doubt, flooded by an uncountable number of customers as she’d expected; the majority of them being teenage girls.

Snowflake ran her hand along the long line of clothing, feeling the texture of silk and cotton, listening to the hangers jingle as she idly glossed her fingers over the clothes. She watched them move back and forth, independent of each other and paused after the first strike, her poised hand dropping to her side with her thumb hooked into a pocket. Her eyes were fixed on a white kimono, embroidered with different coloured roses scattered over the fabric. It was beautiful, and as if it was a love at first sight, the frosty maiden didn’t hesitate to grab the kimono off the clothing rack and quickly ushered herself towards the dressing rooms, which indeed, was filled with a long queue of girls.

Seconds plodded by, each separated by an eternity until it was eventually her turn to take the cubicle to herself. Smooth as butter, she slid into the dress and was evidently pleased by how well it fit her slender body. The sash that keeps the entire outfit secured was tied at the back, in which she had to request assistance from one of the employees. Awestruck, she’d stare at her own reflection in the mirror, slowly registering her new appearance into her mind that might slightly be a bit too feminine for her taste, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, she was growing to love it by each passing second, as could be seen by the content smile that grew on her lips.

She’d return to the location where they had parted their ways, hoping that she’d see Chelvaric. Snowflake circled her wrists; a habit that she had yet to discard whenever she was feeling anxious. Curious of what his reaction would be upon seeing her and how he would look like, the young female waited nervously.

Despite the increasing number of customers inside the building, it wasn’t difficult for her to notice her man walking straight towards her, especially when his head stood out so evidently amongst the rest due to his height. Her eyebrows raised in surprise upon seeing her lover, for she hadn’t expected him to look so good in such an attire. ”Thanks. Seems like my choice of clothing was perfect then,” the woman rewarded him a stunning smile, clearly satisfied with the compliment whilst her eyes glided down his figure, observing him thoroughly. His long hair complimented the traditional outfit, in a way that made him look more elegant that he already was. ”You look dashing yourself,” she’d fix the clothing for the young man, making sure there were no wrinkles on the fabric.

Snowflake, while not exactly the epitome of feminity, favoured etiquette and walked with her hand slightly hooked onto her lover’s arm, whereas the blond man opted for a more relaxed dispute – but there was an unmistakable quiet strength and grace in him. When one looked at the pair from a distance, they’d notice that the duo was quite a unique sight indeed. One like the sun, bright and exotic in colouring, with a similar cheery and free-spirited personality, and the other a polar opposite; possessing a pale and ethereal beauty—quiet and spirited.  

The couple would pay for their purchase, but of course, she wouldn’t have forgotten the most important part of her apparel; shoes. Once she had selected a pair of heels of her liking, she’d finally cease her shopping spree and exited the building to head towards their destination next.

The streets were busy as ever, and never once she’d seen Orchidia so crowded before. For a town that barely had any guests—to see such a large number of tourists from all over the country, it was quite the shocker to the snowy maiden. The sweet fragrance of flowers began to waft into her nostrils as they meandered through the paved roads and the scent would only grow stronger the further they went, which meant that they were nearing their destination.

Unlike Chelvaric though, the snowy beauty did have her breakfast but due to her large appetite, she was already famished by the time they exited the kimono store. ”Oh, I’m sure they do. I saw food stalls being mentioned on the flyer,” she’d respond. It would have been impossible for such a festival to not contain any type of food stalls, especially when tourists from all over the country travelled miles down to Orchidia solely for this flower festival.

Though it had been brief in reality, the journey there seemed to have stretched on for eons to her, as if time was thinned out into a linear form that made her steps just a tad bit slower, if not from her enthusiasm. How surprising it was for herself to be so excited about the festival, when she wasn’t a lover of flowers to begin with. Perhaps it was simply just her curiosity to see what the hype was about. Upon their arrival, they would be greeted by the sight of an immensely decorated arch with a variety of flowers. It was as if they were walking underneath a wedding arch, seeing how overly adorned the structure was and people would stand below, taking pictures with their beloved ones, only to delay the entrance of other onlookers.

The beginning of the festival had already been quite hectic for the couple, albeit, once they were inside the park where most of the festival congregated, she’d entirely forgotten the chaotic experience. The flowers lay scattered on the grass like frozen flames, bringing their cool blaze to the late spring morning. Numerous stalls lined up on the side; bar stalls, tarot card reading, flower stalls and many others, surrounding the park as if it was a barricade of walls. Music filled the air as people began to enter the area. In a far distance was a stage, which she assumed was the location where the artists’ performance would take place.

The frosty maiden scooped the flowers on instinct and took in the sweet fragrance of the petals. It’s stem was the hue of spring grass and it’s brilliant purple petals so thin that even the air, made dim by the plumes of debris and smoke, could shine through them; bestowing an unearthly glow. The woman lifted her gaze and let her eyes glide over the stalls in front of her. ”Should we find some food stalls and eat first before we view the flowers?” She was aware that her lover was hungry, but so was she, and before they begin their long walk through the park, they needed to fill their stomachs first.

Amused, Snowflake raised her eyebrows upon her lover’s suggestion to eat takoyakis for starters. ”Mmm, takoyaki sounds yummy.” It was spring, so the weather was neither too hot nor too cold, which was the perfect season to eat street food. There were other stalls other than takoyaki—no doubt—but she decided to visit each one of them later. After all, they’ve got enough time to spend their entire day at the festival.

Sometimes she’d prefer street food over eating at restaurants, mainly because she gets to see the chef preparing food right in front of her eyes, as could be seen in this situation. Though it was quite hot to stand close to the stall due to the cooking pans, she was curious to see the process of making takoyakis. There were numerous metal pans lined up by each side to serve the growing number of customers that came by to watch and try the delicious plate of meal, just like herself. She could tell that these chefs were professionals at their work, just by seeing how fast they move their hands without a moment of delay.

Mesmerized by their work, Snowflake almost forgot that it was their turn to make the order. ”I’ll just get the original one,” spoke the female. She wanted to taste the flavour of the takoyakis without any coat of sauce or toppings—that way she would be able to achieve the most natural flavour of the food. There were small tables and chairs located by the side of the stall, and they almost appeared to her like the ones from dollhouses. Either way, the couple would take a seat at a vacant table while they waited for the order.

Takoyakis tasted the best when they’re freshly cooked, and still warm. She loved how it burned her tongue—in a nice way—while the flavour explodes inside her mouth. It was a simple dish, yet it tasted so delicious. Snowflake hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, just so she could try out all the food in this festival. She’d originally intended to simply just watch the flowers, but somehow, it’d turned out into a gobbling festival for the silver haired woman.

While the couple watched the flowers, they’d pass by food stalls as well and Snowflake made sure to try each and every one of them, though it was possible that she’d miss a couple. By the time they were done looking at flowers until the end of the park, as well as eating every food she could find, dusk quickly arrived. Food vendors were beginning to close for the end of the day and people were already beginning to return to their homes after a long, restless day. ”Wasn’t it a lovely day? I hope there’re more festivals like these,” wished the female, in hope that they would be able to experience many more beautiful festivals (with food) in the future.