You held the tray of food that you were given, thankfully without a word said, and you awkwardly roamed the cafeteria, remembering that you didn't have a single friend to run to.
When you saw Maki, you quickly noticed that she was a very popular person, with people crowding around her to be her friend. Not that you blamed them, of course.
You felt a hand on your shoulder and you nearly threw your bowl of miso soup until you realized that it was Inumaki, his eyes smiling like they had before. "Sit with us?" he asked, pointing to the exit of the cafeteria.
You nodded, glad that you wouldn't be sitting alone, and followed him outside to the back of the school, where the bleachers were.
"Are we allowed to do this?" I asked.
"Maki said that no one would stop us."
You nodded again, this time a little less earnestly, and placed your tray in your lap.
"You seemed confused in the cafeteria," Inumaki noticed, his head tilted in curiosity. "Have you never been in one?"
You shook your head. "I come from a really small town, so there's a bakery, restaurant, cafe, and three tea shops within five minutes from the school, so we never really needed one."
"Really? That seems fun."
"Yeah, and you know everyone within a kilometre of your house by the time you're five, so it's not like you won't have friends."
Inumaki's eyes smiled again, although it sounded odd. It was like when a flower glowed although there was no light emitting from it at all, you simply knew that if it had a mouth, they would be grinning.
"Sounds like a nice place," he said.
"It is. Although, you get no privacy, because at least a quarter of it will know when something big happens in your life. And leaving it is terrifying because for once, you can't recite the street names or remember where all the good coffee is from."
You swore Inumaki laughed, even though you were told he had no voice and even if he did, you wouldn't hear it.
"I get that." He stared out into the field where the track was. Slowly, he lowered his mask to put a piece of food in his mouth, and you quickly noticed a bandage on his jaw.
A strange place to get a wound.
You waited for him to turn to you again, and when he did, you said, "What about you?"
He shrugged. "I come from the same school as Maki. She came to like me because I didn't crowd her for attention, and when she started hanging out with me, people started to stray away. No one wants to talk to someone who can't talk back." He grinned. "Not that I want to, of course."
"Perfectly understandable."
While you were curious as to why he was mute, you knew you hated it when people made your being deaf your only interesting feature, so you didn't mention it.
His eyes flickered to behind you and you almost turned until the metal bleachers clanged, making the seat under you vibrate.
"Sorry I'm late," Maki said to Inumaki as she put her bag down. She walked to the bleacher right below the one you and Inumaki sat on, placing herself in between the two of you. "Sorry, did I startle you?"
"Not at all!" Most definitely.
"What were you doing while I was being mobbed?" she asked you.
"Inumaki and I were just talking."
"Just call me Toge," he assured. "I'm sure it's easier to spell."
"Okay."
The three of you talked, with Maki and Toge telling you stories about their old school, and you telling them about your town.
"So you work at a flower shop?"
"Yeah. I make tons of bouquets, but they're not only for love, you know?"
"Really?" Maki laughed. "What negative thing could a pretty bouquet possibly say?"
"Well, the meaning of flowers is super important in Chisai, it's like a law. You could basically say, 'screw you' in flower and everyone would be whispering about it."
"I aspire to be that level of petty. Right Toge?"
Toge nodded, smiling. He had a very bright smile, like a sunflower. You'd say the sun, but the sun burned, Toge just glowed.
You placed your chin on your hand, admiring the folds that formed on their faces as they smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes that were just as perfect as sunsets, not quite placed in the same ways but never, ever ugly.
You could tell and listen to stories a thousand times, but you'll always notice the parts when they smile, when they laugh, when they frown, when their eyes well up in tears - that's what makes it a story and not an article.
"So your town's big on flowers?" Maki chuckled, and you read her lips to say, "Lucky you."
While Maki talked a lot about her friends, telling you about someone named Panda Yaga (an interesting name, if you may add), and telling the stories about Toge that had him waving his hands in front of him in embarrassment, she didn't talk a lot about herself.
Not a word about her family, what town she was from, if it weren't for the prior comment about her family, you'd only know that her first name was Maki.
You hummed. "You're like a sword lily, Maki."
She blinked. "What?"
You reached into your backpack and pulled out a book you carried around. It was the Iliad to your Alexander the Great - if it were still socially acceptable, you'd have it under your pillow when you slept with a dagger in case someone tried to steal it.
The pages were tabbed like every other page was meaningful, and you flipped through until you found a page that was tabbed with blue.
Maki and Toge gathered around you as your finger placed itself beneath the words that told the story of the sword lily, also known at the gladiolus.
The meaning behind the gladiolus flower is actually rooted in ancient history, stemming from ancient Roman times.
The name 'gladiolus' stems from the Latin word 'gladius', which means 'little sword'. Gladioli have also been referred to as xiphium, which comes from the Greek word, xiphios — also meaning 'sword'. Given the gladiolus's sword-like shape, it's easy to see why it was given this name.
Gladiolus flowers were also associated with Roman gladiators, who are said to have worn the flowers around their necks for protection while in battle.
All flowers carry a special symbolic meaning, and gladiolus flowers are no exception. These blooms are very rich in symbolism.
Generally, gladioli represent strength of character, faithfulness, moral integrity, and remembrance.
Your finger moved to the colour chart.
Red gladioli symbolise passion, romance, and love, and are traditionally gifted for Valentine's Day, wedding anniversaries, and birthdays.
White gladiolus flowers are representative of purity and spirituality. They are the perfect gift for weddings, funerals, and religious ceremonies.
Yellow and orange glads are often gifted to communicate well wishes and congratulations, as they symbolise positivity, happiness and friendship.
Perhaps the most striking of the bunch, purple gladiolus flowers are symbolic of grace, nobility, and beauty, and are usually gifted in celebration of a new job or a new home.
The classic pink gladiolus flower is representative of femininity, gentleness, and love—particularly a mother's love. They are frequently offered as a gift on Mother's day, date nights, or birthdays.
When you turned to Maki, her eyes were softer than usual, lacking that sharp glare she seemed to aim at everything and everyone. The gold of her eyes fixated on the photos of the sword like flower, which could never hurt a soul, but acted as protection to the gladiators.
After a while, she turned her head away, her arms crossed. You didn't know if she actually said anything, but Toge tapped your shoulder and said, "She really appreciates it."
You grinned. The concept of complimenting someone with flowers was taught to you by your parents. If there was one thing out loud that you could say clearly, it was the names of flowers. Your mom was your dad's rose, lily, daisy, and your dad was your mom's amaryllis, dahlia, snapdragon (it was easy to tell who was the florist and who was the cook).
Maki was kind of scary looking at first, but it was pretty easy to figure out that, while she was like a gladiolus, she was still as gentle as a lily.
However, you doubted that she was to hang around a gladiator's neck for protection, but the one holding the sword.