Let's go our separate ways

Part 8

"Eh?" Flos widens her eyes and voices in surprise, "What do you mean there is nothing? I touched something etched on it!"

Hearing Flos's words, the Knight who originally has the same judgement as Rhythm re-examines the dog tag. He still can't feel what Flos did. Thinking about it, the Knight closes his eyes under the helmet and focuses his senses on touching the dog tag.

In that way, he did feel like he touched something. Not letters which mean not words. But... Something like a symbol? Unfortunately, the Knight can't understand what symbol it is.

Opening his eyes, not like the esteemed guests know what he does under the helmet, the Knight tells them, "I will include this finding in the report later," towards Flos, the Knight politely asks, "May I take this dog tag, Miss Flos?"

"Go ahead. It's yours now," Flos dislikes that dog tag, she has no intention of holding onto it either

"Thank you," the Knight smiles under his helmet, but nobody can see it still

~~~

Good news. Thanks to Flos's contribution, including Picky Eater's contribution, in defeating the variant bear beast, the mayor will not ask Flos to pay for the property damage.

But Flos is asked to not release Picky Eater in the City, which Flos readily agrees to. She has no plan on releasing Picky Eater anyway. Unless there is another variant beast attack. Picky Eater will stay in Day's stomach, although not digested.

Now that things are sorted out, Flos still wants to follow her original plan of going sightseeing.

"In that case, shall I arrange guards for you?" the housekeeper suggests

"No need," Flos doesn't want to bring a crowd, "I can protect myself," saying that, Flos raises her left hand to show her wrist, where a green bracelet can be seen, "This is Lashes the vine, it is enough to protect me,"

The housekeeper is now very wary of the plants around Flos so he is keeping a well-deserved distance from the person herself. That harmless-looking green bracelet will not fool him.

"Is it possible for me to meet with the mayor for a moment?" the escort Knight now has a clue regarding that variant beast, so he wants to check on the investigation done beforehand by the mayor whilst making his investigation

"Yes," the housekeeper is friendlier towards the Knight, "The mayor also wishes to talk to Sir Knight,"

"That's it then," Rhythm concludes cheerfully. For the member who will not go shopping with the party, Rhythm offers, "Do you have anything you want? We can bring it back to you,"

"I am okay," the Knight shakes his head, "Go have fun,"

The Knight and the housekeeper leave them alone in the room. Flos asks May-Day to tie her hair into a high ponytail whilst telling Rhythm, "I am thinking about going shopping for a new dress,"

Hearing that, her childhood friend gapes at Flos, eyes wide and jaw drops, "Are you truly Flos? Are you not an impostor!?"

"If I am an impostor, I would have eaten you to shut you up," Flos squints at her ever-rude childhood friend before reminding him, "To meet up with the Queen, I can't wear old dresses. I need something fancier,"

As a person who grows up with this girl, Rhythm knows how stingy she can be and how much she dislikes this and that. For the sake of the Queen, Flos comes out of her comfort zone to do all sorts of things she is not used to, such as going shopping for a new dress.

Usually, Flos asks Rhythm's Mother to buy the dresses for her, specifically requesting the dresses to be 1 size bigger so she can still wear them if she grows more; even though she has stopped growing long ago. With his Mother's aesthetic, Flos's dresses are pretty old-fashioned. As for the dresses his Older Sisters bought for Flos, those are all put away, never to be seen again.

Rhythm always wonders if Flos, a young girl, has the same aesthetic as his Mother, a middle-aged woman.

"You didn't bring any dresses my Sisters bought for you?" recalling the past, Rhythm remembers that his Older Sisters has bought several beautiful dresses just for Flos

"I didn't think I would need it, so I didn't bring any," Flos is also a little regretful for this oversight. Suddenly occurring to her, Flos walks closer to Rhythm and whispers, "Do you think I can make it if I go back to the village to look for the dress and come back before dinner time?"

"You don't have any companions that specialise in speed, do you?" pretty certain Flos doesn't have such a thing, Rhythm just gives Flos a look questioning her brain

Flos has May-Day, Lashes, and Picky Eater with her now. May-Day may be able to help Flos reach the village, but making it back to the City at dinner time might not be possible.

"Let's go buy a new dress," Rhythm hits Flos's back, to snap her out from her wild thoughts, "This will teach you to appreciate the gifts my Sisters bought for you,"

"I do appreciate their gifts," Flos grumbles as she follows behind Rhythm, "That's why I treasure the dresses they give me,"

"They will like it more if you wear the dresses instead of storing them who knows where," Rhythm snorts with humour

Flos thinks about it again. It's not like Rhythm's Older Sisters haven't told her that before. She just thinks it's a waste to get these pretty dresses dirty with her gardening work. With that mindset, Flos now does not bring a good dress for her audience with Her Majesty the Queen.

Before working for the Queen, if that's what Her Majesty invites her for, Flos will need to have a formal audience with Her Majesty the Queen 1st, huh? So that means she will have to dress up 1st, right?

Speaking of dressing up. Aside from a new dress, does she need to buy make-up tools too? Because she doesn't use nor does she have any.

...Now, why not keep it simple and fresh with a new dress and May-Day to brighten the meeting.

~~~

"I think this dress looks good," Rhythm points at a ready-made dress displayed inside a store

"It doesn't suit me," Flos rejects it after a glance

"What do you want anyway?" now Rhythm is getting annoyed, "All my recommendations are rejected, why do you even ask me to pick for you?"

"You know me," Flos responds blandly, her eyes staring at the sky above blankly, "If you let me choose it myself, I will decide to just meet with the Queen in this dress,"

"I know," Rhythm nods in agreement, "So, you should stop rejecting the dresses I pick before trying it out!"

"But," Flos looks down to frown at her childhood friend, "Those dresses are gaudy,"

This has Rhythm pauses to question his aesthetic before waking up from the sudden self-doubt from a realisation that Flos's aesthetic is the problem.

As a proficient florist, his aesthetic is unquestionably top-notch. Convincing himself so, Rhythm looks at another store selling dresses to find a suitable dress for his hapless childhood friend. A big man with 4 Older Sisters plus 1 female childhood friend, Rhythm thinks he can pick a dress that will drop people's jaws when Flos wears it to show them.

Wait a minute.

Rhythm now realises why the dresses he picked were all rejected by Flos. His standard is too high!

What Flos wants is just a good enough dress to show the Queen, not to make people's jaws drop. Knowing her, she will probably not put on any make-up, as if she has anything like that, when meeting the Queen.

By lowering his standard, the dresses he chooses now are at least being considered by Flos instead of instant rejection. Cheers for his hard work.

When Flos is trying out a dress in front of the mirror, the shopkeeper smiles as she teases them, "Shopping with your beloved?"

"No," Flos replies serenely, "He is my servant,"

Being called a servant, Rhythm rolls his eyes. But he is not going to correct her for a stranger. After all, even if they are not romantically involved at all, people in the village still think they are a couple.

Telling people they have a master-servant relationship is better at shutting them up than explaining their pure family-friendship that nobody is willing to accept. Case in point: the shopkeeper now knows her error in making undesirable assumptions.