Plurk paste

Blair's earliest memory was being inside of a small greenhouse. She couldn't remember if it was theirs, or if it was just a place her mother brought her to often, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she knew she was happy whenever she was in that greenhouse.

She loved the way her mother's bright red hair contrasted against the foliage as the woman sang spells for the flora. She loved picking herbs and storing them in her little wicker basket. The earthy scent made Blair feel at home and safe despite seeing strangers come and go often.

"Mamaí, here's the hawthorn!"

"Thank you, my sweet. I hope you were careful with the thorns," her mother said as she stroked Blair's brown-red hair before taking the basket from her chubby little hands.The little girl grinned before skipping away from the queue of people gathering before her mother.

One of the people in line looked different from the rest. Blair squinted and rubbed her eyes, but the man still looked hazy, as if there was a mist surrounding him. A splash of red on the man's chest caught her attention. She was about to open her mouth to tell her mother when a pair of strong but gentle hands grabbed her from behind.

"You know, it's rude to stare," said her father as he made her sit on his lap.

"Tatay, the man over there, he… Oh, he's gone. Where'd he go?"

"To a better place," he said as he tightened his hug.

Blair shot her father a confused look. "Huh? How do you know?"

"Hm, I'll tell you all about it later, okay?"

She acquiesced and made a mental note to ask her father when they got back home before going back to watching her mother work.