Flowering fields

A few days remained until Mother's day as Tsuki pondered the gardens, the days were counting down yet she had been unable to find a good present for Aylith. While she was not her blood mother, Tsuki did look up to her enough to want to show her gratitude for all that she had done over the years but sadly the uncertainty of wanting to get the perfect gift had taken over her and now she only had a few days to figure it out.

I mean what could be worse than disappointing your mentor? Tsuki paced back and forth between ideas in her mind, mildly caving into the pressure and anxiety of the moment before snapping out of it.

Resigned for the time being she sat down near one of the lakes, her gaze shifting over the surface as frogs jumped on and about into the water from lilypads. The weather was quite nice today, a relaxing breeze was flowing through the willow leaves and hydrangea bushes surrounding the area as Tsuki pondered over her options in this situation.

She wanted to give Aylith something special, but lacking expertise in most creative endeavors: making something herself was off the table and buying something from somewhere... felt lazy and lacking of importance in her own eyes.

She wanted something meaningful but not luxurious, she knew Aylith wasn't the type of person to take pleasure in lavish things and sadly chocolate or baking didn't fit the bill either due to her.. unique lack of a mouth. Tsuki frowned a tad in frustration, still meticulously going through her options.

A card would be too simple, nor did she have the time to write out something complex and thoughtful. Jewellery would have close to no personal meaning and little interest from Aylith.

Lost in thoughts for awhile she eventually remembered something that Aylith used to teach her way back when she was little, basket weaving which combined with a bit of foraging could make a good gift.

Settled on the idea she headed out of the wind valley to collect some yucca leaves in a nearby dry area to get the necessary material to weave the basket.

Tsuki spent the next two days trying her best to weave a functional basket out of the leaves, placing them over and under eachother in twisting repeating patterns. She wasn't the best at it, had been years since she last made one of these so it took a few attempts but eventually, she got the hang of it and held up the basket proudly.

Hopefully Aylith would like it too.

( . . . )

On the last day, foraging around the area for a little while Tsuki picked up the basket of flowers ready to go meet up with Aylith, while flowers could seem like a generic gift - she had been taught a lot about the different meanings that they could hold and she used that knowledge Aylith had given her to find the perfect match: hydrangeas.

Hydrangea represented gratitude, grace and beauty while the different colors could also signify love, harmony and peace. It wasn't perfect, but Tsuki was pretty happy with her pick and arrangement regardless even though they were pretty abundant at this time of year she hoped that Aylith would be just as happy with her gift as well.

With her basket ready, Tsuki made her way to the Wind Valley where they had planned to meet up for the day. She was a bit nervous but calmed herself remembering that Aylith had never been the harsh type and would probably be happy to receive anything regardless. 

She had arrived earlier so she sat down in the grass near one of the viewing points, getting lost in the valley's calming scenery.

A few minutes passed until she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around with a slight jump she was greeted by Aylith with a wave.

Tsuki signed back her greetings with a smile, apologizing for getting lost in her thoughts and getting spooked so easily, Aylith giving her a head pat as to calm her rambling signing that everything was alright.

After a hug and some back and forth signing the two settled down for a picnic, Tsuki signed to get Aylith's attention, explaining that she had wanted to give her a small gift as a thank you for all these years she had been there for her and guided her. The small fox handed over the basket of flowers and as Aylith took it off her hands she added that while it maybe wasn't much she hoped that she would still like it.

Aylith held the basket close and signed her gratitude with her other arms, picking up one of the flowers herself and placing it in Tsuki's hair - she proceeded to sign 'gratitute can be shared' before settling the basket next to them as they enjoyed their picnic and the rest of the evening together.

( . . . )

As the end of the day approached and the two parted ways heading back home, Aylith looked over the basket carefully picking it up before leaving. Holding it close along the way and setting it on a table once she reached her den.

She hadn't expected anything but it was certainly a pleasant surprise, she moved the flowers to a few vases around the house so she could keep a few around whatever room she was in. 

Taking another look at the basket she noted the few mistakes here and there pointing out on the fact it was handmade, hadn't noticed earlier as it wasn't what mattered at that moment. She remembered back when she first taught Tsu how to make these, it had been forever ago. She smiled internally knowing the kiddo had gone the extra mile to try and make one again for this occasion.

Aylith went and placed the basket on her desk where she worked, setting a few items in it for storage and decorative purposes as she didn't plan to get rid of it. Today had been a nice day.