Celeste Academy - The Day of Celestaria (Finale) (Patreon)

Carida joined the throng of people filing into the bustling park grounds, the day of Celestaria proving as popular an outing as ever.

Strolling along the path, she glanced upwards from the stream of gossiping people around her, the sky above cloaked in a vivid pink hue as far as the eye could see.

Magic had always been considered not only the domain of humans, but of the very Earth itself. 'Celestaria' was the term given to the annual display of magical energy releasing from nature and returning to equilibrium, and considered as good an excuse for a holiday as any. Carida always looked forward to the event, and had made a tradition of visiting this particular spot to celebrate it.

"If you'd get a driving license this'd be easier," Sohee remarked while the plastic bags in her hands rattled, her words pressing into a sore spot of the woman next to her.

"Same goes for you," came the soft but firm rebuke from Yvonne. With both her bags carried in one hand, she ran the other through her long orange hair as she so often did when annoyed.

'Yes, a very romantic time,' Carida thought to herself.

Carida's roommates hadn't come along to spy on her date. 'Not at all', they assured her. She knew them far too well to believe it. Regardless, she saw no harm in indulging the two troublemakers; they'd lived together for some time now, and had a good handle on the space each other needed. Besides, Carida mused, it had been on their recommendation that she try dating in the first place. They'd also proved themselves helpful today, with Carida having tasked them with carrying in the large bags of food, drinks, and general supplies for their picnic.

Planning for the day had begun long before the invitation had been sent to a delighted Agatha. Celestaria had been so far away when Carida began the journey of dating, yet now it had finally come, and her decision on who to bring along with it. Picnics were a common way for families and couples to spend the occasion before the final tradition of the day.

A tradition which Carida had planned for.

Reaching the empty spot of grass they'd scouted out a few days before, Yvonne and Sohee set down their bags and began to busy themselves unfurling the blanket and setting up. Carida bent down to help, but paused for a moment upon glancing ahead. 

In the middle of Winchester Park was a large paved plaza, and in its center, a great fountain stood proudly. 

The ostentatious stone ornament was as old as the city itself, its clear waters now flowing a vibrant pink for the infusion of so much magic. However, the pretty sight itself wasn't the reason Carida's heart skipped a beat. Rather, that fountain would be the objective for almost every young couple in the city; a chance to confess their love to those they hold dearest, beside the beautiful pink sparkling waters. Carida had resolved that this year, she and Agatha would be one of those couples.

"Hey, Carida!" Sohee barked, not noticing Carida's blushing. "Going to help set all this out?" Yvonne hadn't missed Carida's moment of reflection, always having been a more sensitive type, and silently grimaced at Sohee's blundering.

With a sigh to steady herself, Carida bent down to help the others pluck their haul from the supermarket out of their bags. Disposable plates and cutlery were set about the large blanket first, before several soda bottles and bags of snacks followed. Carida kept the centerpiece of the evening safely in its box for later; two black velvet cakes she'd baked that morning, to take advantage of the day's heightened magic. While she enjoyed cooking in its many forms, baking cakes had always been Carida's personal favorites, and Celestaria had meant her attunement had worked better than ever. Her feelings while making them had also, perhaps, helped a little as well. She'd baked two to ensure there'd easily be enough for Agatha while letting her roommates enjoy themselves as well.

Their task complete, the three take a seat on the ground to relax, a veritable feast now laid out on the blanket before them. While a good few food stalls were set up for the event as always, lest a chance to part one's money from them go missed, homemade food - let alone that from Carida - always tasted better. While the others looked upward and basked in the unusual sky, Carida plucked her phone from her pocket to check the time. Fifteen minutes until noon. Far from settling her, the countdown to when she'd invited Agatha to the park only made Carida's tension increase.

A countdown which struck zero as Carida looked back up.

Agatha's lanky figure towered over most in the crowd as Carida saw her walking towards them, stopping occasionally to let a someone else pass in front of her.

She did this so often that the mere few steps over to them took quite some time as Agatha studiously avoided possibly inconveniencing anyone else. Finally leaving the paths and stepping up, the shy woman awkwardly stands in place before them, stammering a weak greeting while not exactly what to make of the unexpected company.

Sohee and Yvonne weren't the only surprise visitors to be had, with Carida's head tilting as she notices someone standing behind Agatha. A girl suddenly leans out from Agatha's side in response, beaming a toothy grin before before shuffling out beside her. The three are taken aback at the newcomer, a girl in her young teens by the looks of her, and far shorter than the woman she stands next to. She was unmistakably related to the far more somber-looking Agatha when looking at her face, but otherwise couldn't be more different. Her skin was a healthier shade for one, and her black hair done up in a short ponytail. Even their fashion contrasted, Agatha's turtleneck and ankle-length skirt set against the tank top, messenger bag, and jeans of her companion.

"Hi there," came Carida's inquiring voice. "Might you be Agatha's sister?"

"Yup, that's right!" came the cheerful response. "Name's Christie."

"Right, so you're Agatha and... Christie..."

"Her name is Alice!" Agatha blurts out, cradling her face in her palm. Alice playfully pouts at her sister's hasty clarification, to which Carida simply smiles. She'd never known Agatha to have a sister, and she seemed a fun sort at first appearances.

The two newcomers take a seat at the blanket's side, Agatha choosing to sit next to the one who invited her. Carida silently noted how early she'd shown up, admiring her punctuality a little. She pondered if Agatha had been too quick to meet them out of eagerness to join her on the occasion, a pondering which was indeed a correct assumption.

Someone else was also eager, though food was more on Sohee's mind. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Sohee, and this is Yvonne," she soon said. "We're Carida's roommates." Sohee was glad that her sometimes intimidating appearance - between her studded leather jacket and  numerous ear piercings - hadn't put the two off. In truth, her attention towards Alice had simply caused her to miss Agatha's brief moment of anxiety before she'd pushed through it. Yvonne simply nodded plainly, her heavily freckled face smiling. Carida noticed her roommates lingering glances at Agatha's arm, her prosthetic becoming so normalized to Carida by now that it took her a moment to register what they were looking at. Both soon averted their gaze, however, to Carida's silent relief.

While Alice had meant to reply, Agatha spoke first. She was excited to learn more about the woman she'd been dating, and wanted to put her best foot forward in front of Carida's friends. "I'm... Agatha. I, uhm, I'm from the engineering department, and..." Agatha soon found herself stuttering in front of the strange faces, though was thankful at their patience as she continued. "I've been dating Carida."

The final words caused the corner of her mouth to tug upwards a little. She liked saying them, as they made their relationship feel a little more real when she did so. What Carida hasn't banked on, however, was Agatha's ignorance around the day of Celestaria. At least, insofar as its romantic nature. The phenomenon of Celestaria and its causes were covered in school and known to everyone from childhood, but the time's traditions around romance and confessions were a more fickle social matter. For an innocent Agatha, this was simply another chance for a fun date with a woman she'd come to think of in many passing moments.

At Yvonne's beckoning, the group begin their eating with the popping of opened bags of chips and hissing of opened soda bottles. Carida also took out her black velvet cakes for the group to enjoy, much to their delight. By now the park had begun to fill with people from all walks of life, drawn outside to enjoy the day in all its vivid color. While having quite so much company hadn't been part of her plans, Carida was glad to see Agatha enjoying herself in her own quiet way, and smiled as the quiet woman enjoyed the cake she'd labored so long to make. 'The day's plenty long enough for everyone to have their fun,' Carida reasoned. 'As long I get some time alone with her for the big moment.'

"Do you have the same attunement as Agatha?" Yvonne inquired of Alice, disliking the dead air as most began eating. It was common for relatives to have similar attunements, but she shook her head in negation.

"Nah, I wasn't lucky enough to have an attunement," replied Alice. "That's partly why I like Celestaria, though."

In response to our curious looks, a smiling Alice holds her open hand out towards her sister, palm held vertically. Moments pass as she concentrates, the silence of the group only broken by the odd chatting passersby on the nearby footpath. Then, finally, it happens.

Agatha's glasses, once securely perched before her eyes, begin to rattle. Slowly but surely, as if an unstable hand were guiding them, they gradually work their way off her face and begin to float. It takes every ounce of Alice's effort to maintain the magic, but her efforts are rewarded as they shakily drift the four or so feet and slide onto her own nose. Practically laughing from the excitement, she turns towards the others with a grin from ear to ear, earning a polite clap. It was true that the abundance of magic permeating the air did mean those who were unattuned could occasionally see some mild abilities show, and Alice had perfectly demonstrated as such.

"This is the one day of the year I get to do this sorta thing," she says, glowing with pleasure. "So I kinda have to show up."

"Is it really okay to tease your sister like that, though?" pipes Sohee's definitely not concerned voice.

"It's okay," replied Agatha simply. "I'm used to it."

With that, she went back to nibbling at her food. She'd gone unusually quiet to Carida's mind due to the number of people about her, but in truth, she was quite enjoying herself. The people about her were enjoying themselves, which rubbed off on her.

"So what are you into, Alice?" asked Carida, eager to learn more about Agatha's previously unknown sister.

Agatha stops sipping her cup of soda, putting it down gently due to being unable to make out one hazy blob from another on the picnic blanket. "Do you have your book with you?" she asked.

"That's why I have this bag to begin with, you know."

Alice reaches into the messenger bag sitting beside her, taking out a sketchbook and pencil before putting her knees up and using them as an easel for her sketchbook. Yvonne's position on her other side offered a glance of the sketchbook's pages as Alice flipped them over to a free page, and she thought them to show some promise in the young self-professed artist.

"This is the other reason I come here every time," Alice noted. "Drawing people I see is fun."

With that, she looks down to the blank page with pencil in hand, only to squint hard at the sketchbook before her.

"I can't see anything with these things on," Alice says to her sister, plucking off the glasses with her free hand and offering them back. Alice begins sketching someone or another as an appreciative Agatha replaces them on her face, thankful for the people around her now being recognizable.

While Alice busied herself sketching and the others with devouring the picnic's bounty, Carida idly gazed at the two relations. She more she did, the more oddly uncanny they appeared to her; at first glance they looked strikingly similar, yet they couldn't be more different when talking. Alice was open and talkative, even when surrounded by elders. She gestured widely, even wildly, while talking. She grinned more than she didn't, enjoying the company in itself. If Agatha had a moonlit disposition, Carida mused, her sister left little doubt at having a sunny one.

As Agatha talked to her sister, Sohee leaned over to Carida and whispered. "Agatha seems nice."

Yvonne flicks the back of her head for commenting on Carida's date in front of her, earning a poked-out tongue from Sohee. Carida was just glad things seemed to go smoothly; she still remembered Agatha's timid nature when they first met, so to see to deal with a situation like this made Carida wonder if she'd helped her a little, just as Agatha had made her a little more introspective about how she thought of others.

"Yo."

Everyone looks up to the source of the masculine voice, his scruffy orange hair cutting a distinct figure among the others as he idles up. Vincent soon steps up alongside Will, his expression being his usual dour default.

"I told you not to bother 'em, man."

"Just dropping by to say hi, it's no big deal."

"Ah," came a surprised Agatha as she twisted to see them behind her. "Hi. Um, these are Carida's roommates."

"Nice to meet you, we're Agatha's friends from uni. I'm Will, and this is Vincent."

"Hey, Alice," he continued, waving to Agatha's sister. "Long time no see. You should drop by the engineering building more often, you know."

"You know her?" inquired Carida.

"'Course we do! She's the engineering department mascot!"

"Why did it have to be the engineering department..."

Agatha noted how Alice took umbrage not with being a mascot, but the engineering part. She'd halfheartedly tried to get Alice interested in her chosen profession, but it was clear from the beginning that this divide in their personalities and interests would never be bridged. Despite this, Alice did enjoy the rare visits she made to the department to visit her sister, the engineering students happily taking her under their wing.

"She... doesn't take after me." Agatha dryly noted.

"Hmm," came a scheming Sohee, looking to the two. "Want to join us? We can make room."

Will opens his mouth, but it's Vincent who answers in his stead. "Thanks for the offer, but we're with some other guys. Will just insisted on interrupting you. Catch you around."

With that, Vincent turns on his heel and soon disappears into the growing crowds.

"Well, see you," came a dispirited Will. "Have a good Celestaria."

With their farewells said, he slips his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket and waltzes off. As he does, Agatha memory is spurred, her hands diving into the bag next to her. In a few moments, she places two loaves of what looks like banana bread on the blanket's center.

"Here," came Agatha's timid voice. "I made these. You can have as much as you like."

"I didn't know you could cook," piped Alice. "Beyond instant noodles and stuff, anyway."

"I wanted to try cooking, so Vincent suggested an easy recipe he uses sometimes. Seeing them made me remember to get it out."

Carida quickly gave her thanks before cutting off a slice and placing it on her plate. She couldn't help but appraise it as a chef, noting to herself that while the butter was a little burned from the darkened outside, but it was fine work for a first timer. Moreover, a first timer who didn't have the help of being attuned to cooking magic. While everyone in the group gossiped and talked with their new friends, Carida took a bite of Agatha's bread. Her judgement had been correct, the bread proving fluffy and tasty, just a little more firm than it needed be. As she ate though, Carida paused.

Agatha's reason to suddenly pick up baking finally struck Carida. 

She was a woman who was deeply inward in her way of thinking, for better or worse. Rather than outright talking to Carida about her primary hobby, or asking for tips, she instead tried to understand Carida's world in her own way, just as she'd shared her love of engineering with Carida through their club outing. This was Agatha's attempt to share in Carida's world, just as she'd shared her own.

She could so easily have made a show of it, Carida thought. Said something about wanting to get closer by joining in her hobby. Instead, she shared her work without mentioning it, simply hoping that Carida might like her food. She tries so hard in everything, Carida reflected, even if she struggles to get her head around it, or feels embarrassed about letting her effort show. The bread she ate now, simple yet stirring so much emotion, reminded Carida of why she began cooking; the joy felt in a good meal, shared with those she liked. Carida had always deeply believed that food could mean something in itself, and Agatha had shown it.

As she finished eating the slice, Carida noticed Agatha's poorly hidden glances as she tried to gauge her efforts. "This is amazing, Agatha,” Carida assured her. "It's been ages since I had banana bread this good!"

Agatha's sigh of relief didn't escape her, nor did the faint smile on Agatha's lips. Yet, just as she'd done at their first meeting, Agatha hid her expression.

"Hey, Carida?" Alice's question took the attention of Carida, who only now noticed her own smile. The girl offered a small crumpled ball of cash in her hand, outstretched towards her. "Could you grab something from the vending machine? Looks like the soda ran out."

"I can pay for you, it's no problem."

"Our parents gave me cash for food," Alice explained. "But you've fed me too well to need anything from the stalls. Besides, I'm old enough to know how it is for university students."

Her innocent remark hit hard, every last person around the picnic blanket wincing a little.

"I'll come, too." said Agatha hastily as Carida rose to her feet, the group resuming their chatter between themselves as the two leave.

Stepping onto the path, Carida noted how many people had turned out this year, the park's center jammed with people young and old. 

She dearly wanted to bring Agatha to the fountain, now more than ever, but she grew a little concerned at how busy the area was. As she began to talk towards them for the vending machines at the center of the park, she noticed Agatha remaining still.

"The vending machines on the outskirts of the park would probably won't have a line," she advised. Carida agreed with her logic, the two heading off in the other direction side by side.

"I'm too old to sit like that these days," Carida groaned, stretching her arms as she went to try and limber up her body.

"We're the same age," Agatha blurted out. "Don't say that." Carida shrugged, just thankful for the chance to get up and walk about.

As they walked, Agatha quietly turned to Carida. "Your roommates are nice."

"Yeah, they're a good bunch. Yvonne's the captain; she makes sure all the housework's done properly, and everyone keeps their appointments. Sohee comes off as crude, but... well, she kinda is. If something's wrong though, you know she'll move heaven and earth to help, even if she blunders through a bit."

"It's good you can depend on them so much. What about you?"

"I cook and clean for them. I guess that sounds like I do all the chores, but I enjoy doing them, so I don't mind."

"Sounds like you're almost their mother."

"When you put it like that, I guess I do..."

Agatha just smiles at Carida's grimaced expression.

After some time's walking, the two arrive before the colorful, if ageing, vending machines standing beside the path, set within long-discolored low brick walls for protection from the elements. Agatha crouches down, going straight for some water rather than even considering the various sodas.

Carida pondered which to buy Alice, having not been told before being sent on her way, before noticing an odd mark on the crumpled cash from Alice. Unfurling it, she realized the green paper note had been written on with pencil, the cute handwriting in graphite smeared, but just readable.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister."

As Agatha righted herself, bottle in hand, a wildly blushing Carida quickly stuffed the note into her pocket and fished out another of her own. Carida knew that Agatha noticed something off about her, but flustered woman couldn't make herself say a thing.

With the day wearing on, Alice finally said her goodbyes to her newfound friends, her parents have arrived to pick her up.

Carida and her roommates were left impressed by her outgoing nature, having already wrangled an invitation to their apartment to hang out with them some time.

So too was the day wrapping up for the rest of them, with Agatha pitching in to help clean up the remaining cutlery and left overs. As Agatha set aside the now-filled bags and Yvonne rolled up the dirtied blanket, Sohee stepped back with hands on her hips, nodding in satisfaction at their work.

"Whelp, that's a day for us," piped Sohee. "Thanks for helping clean up, Agatha!"

"No problem at all," she quietly replied. "I'm really glad to meet you."

"Pleasure's ours. Our door's always open if you want to hang out as well, you know."

Agatha quickly nodded at the kind words, pleased to have made new friends. As Yvonne patted the grass off the blanket rolled under her arm, she idly looked upwards at the pink sky above.

"Celestaria, huh?" came Yvonne's wistful voice.

"C'mon, let's get going. Catch you later, Carida, Agatha."

With that, Agatha and Carida were left side by side, waving the two as they left. As Sohee grabbed her bags and jogged to catch up with Yvonne, she chanced a cheeky wink to Carida, knowing her plans full well. All Carida could do was give a stilted smile back as she said goodbye.

"What would you like to do now?" asked Agatha, left adrift in an event she paid little heed to in the past.

In response, Carida takes Agatha's hand in her own and gives a cheerful grin. "Just follow me. Now we have some time alone, let's see out the day together." Agatha's ashen cheeks blushed at holding hands with Carida, even if it was the cold, stiff hand of her prosthetic. It made little difference to her partner, having become used to the artificial limb in their time together.

Carida's heart raced as she led Agatha onto the paved paths and toward the center of the park. Having planned her confession so thoroughly had done little to calm her nerves, nor had the lengthy time she'd had to imagine the occasion before Celestaria arrived. She was almost sure that Agatha would appreciate the gesture, returning her feelings which had only strengthened through the day, but that 'almost' still played at the back of her mind. Agatha's newfound silence, a signal of her anxieties, made Carida think that she'd picked up on what was to come. However, this assumption was wildly mistaken.

As the crowds get thicker towards the center of the park, Carida and Agatha find themselves slowing to a standstill. In a scant few minutes, not only were they unable to progress forwards, but the line also extended well behind the two. Carida stood on tiptoes to try and see over the heads of those in front, only to see a thick block of people in the same situation before setting herself back down. The whole situation felt a little less romantic than she'd hoped, the odd couple around them whispering sweet nothings to each other only making the wait feel more awkward.

"Guess everyone's in a rush," Carida mused to fill the air, "before they go home for the day."

As Carida sighed, she acutely noticed her hand beginning to hurt from Agatha's uncomfortably tight grip. The arm did rely on Agatha's magic, after all; perhaps her mind had drifted from it due to the confession and all. Unable to bear the discomfort any longer, she looks up to Agatha with the intention of asking to relax her grip, only to have her words stolen.

The woman beside her clutched her chest with her other hand, her breathing shallow and uneven. Even in this light, Carida could make out the slightest sweat on her face as Agatha's eyes opened wide. Carida soon became frightened by her partner's state, her symptoms looking almost malarial.

"Agatha," came a timid voice, "are you... okay?"

No response came forth, Agatha entirely missing the words as her breathing only began to accelerate. Realizing the deteriorating state her partner is in, Carida did her best to pull herself together and take action, pulling her hand from Agatha's accidental clasp with some difficulty, before grabbing her forearm and pulling her out of the line. With a dazed Agatha stumbling after her, she began to half-run towards as secluded a spot of the park as she could find.

As dusk fell over Winchester Park, the festivities of the day began to wind up. 

The clatter of closed stalls packing parts into trucks rang out in the air, as did fragments of chatter from tired visitors as they left through the grand entrances to the park grounds. There was an odd tranquility to it all, with the bustling hum and energy of the excited crowds having given way to a tired, weary ending.

Carida was content to lie on her back, gazing idly at the pink sky above as the cool grass nestled against her. Her eyes lazily rolled to the side toward her companion, Agatha sitting beside her with arms wrapped around her knees. Her head was tilted downwards, eyes sullenly locked ahead at the distant people walking out of the park. Her gaze was unfocused, neither watching nor thinking about anything in particular as the time rolled by.

Letting her head roll over, Carida watched her partner more pointedly. She'd heard of anxiety attacks before, but never seen one herself. She was thankful she'd managed to catch Agatha's before it had become too bad, though in truth, neither had exchanged a word since it happened. If nothing else, Carida appreciated how peaceful Agatha looked at that moment despite her somber mood, surrounded by nothing more than nature.

"Sorry. I'm not... good with crowds," came the weary voice of Agatha.

"You don't need to apologize. It's nice and quiet here, anyway."

Carida meant the words. She also appreciated how natural the silence between them felt afterwards; Agatha wasn't someone who felt a need to fill the air with small talk, nor did Carida feel obliged to speak further.

Sometimes, silence was enough.

It would've been so easy for Carida to write her off as someone too timid to get along with, she thought to herself. During their first date, she hardly knew if they were getting along or not, so difficult to read was Agatha. She would open up in her own time, and in doing so, Carida had discovered a side of the world she'd never known, and someone who pushed themselves so hard for those around them.

"I really enjoyed today, Agatha. Somehow, every day with you turns out so different than I expected, but more fun as well."

"I was really worried we were just too different," Agatha timidly replied. Carida paused for a moment, amused that Agatha had come to so similar a conclusion as she.

"So was I," Carida smiled. "In the end, that couldn't have been a better thing."

As Agatha was about to reply, her words stuck in her mouth as she caught sight of something fantastical. Carida raised an eyebrow at Agatha's curious expression, before noticing the strange pink specks rising in the air before her face. Just a couple at first, barely noticeable for their size, but then came a few more, and more again.

Carida quickly sat up in surprise, the two looking on with mouths agape at the pink motes now rising in greater and greater numbers from the once-green grass below. What started as a trickle became a stream as they took to their feet, stepping back and forwards as if to try and move around the pink-hued mass now pouring from the earth below and rising toward the sky. Shocked and bewilded voices carry on the air as those few left in the park found themselves bathed in the magicked dust, children dancing about excitedly as parents scratched their heads in disbelief. All Carida and Agatha could do was look to each other, caught entirely off guard as the very air between them began to glisten. What was one dust turned to a scene as bright as day, as Agatha's black turtleneck to Carida's dark hair became bright for the light given off.

"What... What's happening!? What is this!?" a confused but beaming Carida spluttered.

Agatha's eyes opened wide as she recalled the memory lurking at the back of her mind. "I heard about this happening a long time ago! Celestaria's caused by magic overflowing until the Earth reaches equilibrium again, but sometimes there's so much that it visibly seeps into the air. This must have been what the book was talking about!"

Comforted by the explanation, Carida realized how lucky they'd been to leave for the grassy spot far from the plaza, the brilliant sight smothered up by the concrete paths while rising freely from the uncovered grounds. Her energy returned, Carida began to happily dance about without a care in the world, waving her hand through the air and making the motes of pink-hued dust play in the air, while her skirt flitted about as she excitedly spins and prances.

"This is amazing!" Carida said, grinning from ear to ear with joy as she looks up to her partner.

Then, Agatha said four words she hadn't meant to say quite then. Words which flowed not from any thought, but from the sight of Carida possessing such joy. A sight which confirmed her own undeniable feelings, stirring Agatha to speak from her very heart.

"I love you, Carida."

Carida abruptly stopped, dumbstruck by what she'd just heard. Agatha had said them plainly and simply, truthfully and honestly. Her face smiled just as simply, looking on at the woman she'd fallen for.

All thoughts of how Carida had planned to spend the day disappeared. The voices of those in the distance dropped away. All she could see, all she could think of, was the woman smiling so freely at her. Someone so happy for Carida's own happiness that could have such heartfelt feelings."

Yet the moment still passed, as all moments do. Agatha's self-consciousness rushed back into the vacuum where it had disappeared, her heart suddenly beating wildly at the realization of what she'd just unthinkingly blurted out.

"I, uh..." she stammered, her mind now a hopeless muddle of every emotion at once. "I didn't... I don't know if I'm meant to say that yet... I mean..."

Her vision began to blur, the tears welling in her eyes only further ruining her frantic attempts to compose herself. "I just wanted..."

With her jaw shuddering and cheeks now stained by tears, Agatha held onto her composure by only the barest of threads. "I know it's selfish, but I just don't want this to end! I've met so many wonderful people, and I've been having more fun than I've ever had before! My life is so wonderful right now, Carida! I'm... I'm just so happy... right now, and I... want to keep spending it with you!"

Carida could do little but smile, not finding any words that quite fit her feelings right now. She reached into her pocket, digging out a handkerchief and giving it to Agatha as she clumsily wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. As she did, Carida tried her best to hide her own damp eyes. She'd never had someone talk about her that way before, nor had that kind of effect on another's life. All worried she'd had about confessing faded away as a silly case of cold feet, realizing that the two had well and truly fallen for each other, in their own odd little ways.

"There, there," came Carida's soothing voice. "Take your time. Fix yourself up." Agatha clumsily dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief, blowing her nose afterwards. She looked a mess, Carida patiently waiting until she was calm enough to dust herself off.

"Whelp," Carida continued to a confused Agatha. "I lost."

"I was about to make some big confession, maybe say some cool line about not needing a dating app any more. You had to go and show me up, huh?"

"So that means... you...?"

As Agatha put away the handkerchief, a calm Carida offered a hand to her partner. With a fragile smile, Agatha gently took it in her own.

They walked slowly, the tiled paths now emptied as the day drew to a close. A few people here and there played among the vivid display about the park grounds, Agatha and Carida continuing along side by side as they stepped forward into the central plaza.

And so, the moment arrived. The two came to a stop before the great fountain, the stone ornament standing proudly in the park's center as the pink waters of Celestaria shimmered inside. Despite all her preparation, Carida suddenly found herself bashful. Agatha's gentle smile looked down on her as the two joined hands, before looking into each other's eyes.

Carida spoke slowly, her own feelings threatening to overwhelm her. "You throw yourself so hard into everything you do, Agatha. Not only for yourself, but for everyone around you. Every time we met, I found myself seeing a side of the wold I never even knew. The days I've spent with you are some of the best I've ever had."

With this, Carida took a great breath to steady herself. "I don't want this to ever end either, because I love you, Agatha!"

"Happy Celestaria, and let's see the next year's in together!"

Tears now streamed down Agatha's ashen cheeks, so unused was she to strong emotion. At first she could only summon a nod, before the words she so dearly wished to speak came to her.

"Thank you so much, Carida. Happy Celestaria!"

There it is, Carida thought to herself. That joyful smile she so hastily hid when we met. A smile which hurt to wear, and went from ear to ear."

A smile which both of them thoughtlessly wore, on that day of Celestaria.

~ Fin ~

Previous Chapter | Index