GB   Hmm hm hm ~

GB   My little ~ blooming friends ~

You make up the words as you go. After all, you're mainly focused on maintenance. A gardener's work is never done.

GB   Hmmmm hmmm hm hmm ~

GB   A nice spring breeze, some plants in the dirt ~

GB   Mmm hmm hmmmmm ~

GB   We'll all be okay, and none of it will hurt ~

GB   Hmm hmmmm hmm ~

GB   Hmm?

You hold onto your hat, feeling your hair whipping wildly around you.

GB   Goodness, what a breeze!

Strange. It hasn't been especially gusty today. You hope the dirt is patted down enough to prevent anything from flying off.

YN   Gabrielle Eleazar.

GB   Eep!

You nearly fall into the soil. When you turn around, the heiress is standing a few feet away, looking as composed and unflappable as ever.

GB   Y-Yuna! You scared me!

GB   ...

GB   How does your braid stay together like that? With the wind?

YN   I double-condition.

She takes some cursory steps around, taking care not to dirty her shoes. Of course, you've been crouched down at the plots for a few hours now. You're not surprised she's unwilling to approach you as well as the soil itself.

GB   What, um, are you doing here?

YN   I needed some fresh air.

YN   And you?

GB   Oh. Well...

GB   Just doing what I do best, I suppose.

GB   Someone has to take care of them.

YN   I doubt it.

YN   You don't believe there's a groundskeeping department?

YN   There have been people maintaining all the other facilities.

YN   Why would the foliage be any different?

You swallow. You did see some staff giving you strange looks earlier...

GB   Even if, um, that's the case...

GB   It keeps me busy.

GB   If I focus on pruning and watering, checking the soil and petals...

GB   It's like the world makes sense again.

YN   Your world sounds utterly primitive.

YN   And incredibly useless for the competition at hand.

GB   That's...

GB   That's why it's comforting, I guess.

GB   It has nothing to do with The Program.

GB   Just because I'm a part of it doesn't mean it has to take over everything else.

She scoffs.

YN   You're just begging for elimination if you waste time like this.

GB   I think there's plenty of time for small comforts.

GB   ...

GB   How long have I been out here?

YN   It's 4pm.

GB   Goodness gracious, I have been over-spending my time.

GB   Hee hee.

GB   It does feel ridiculous when you put it in perspective.

GB   I'll make sure to focus on the competition once I'm done.

GB   Thank you, Yuna. For checking in.

YN   Hmph.

YN   I hardly did a thing.

As another gale whips your hair around, you see Yuna look out at the broader fields of green dotted with all the colors you could think of. You wouldn't take her for the outdoorsy type, though you of all people have argued on behalf of Mother Nature's intrinisic charisma.

GB   ...

GB   It's incredible.

GB   They have a such a wide variety here.

GB   Some of these flowers are rare. Some, very delicate.

GB   I'd like to think my Value will help them, one way or another.

YN   Hmph.

She tosses her hair, which defies the wind itself and drifts against her body perfectly.

YN   What's the use? They're merely frail decor.

YN   If they wither, let them.

GB   Oh, certainly not!

GB   Plants can actually thrive even in the poorest of environments!

GB   It's usually the flowers that need specialized care.

YN   Specialized.

GB   Dainty little things, I know.

YN   What else could they possibly need? Another performance?

GB   Another what?

GB   You mean...?

Ooh, you should've expected the volume to carry...

GB   S-Singing also passes the time!

GB   That wasn't - it's not necessary for the plants' benefit.

YN   I'm sure.

YN   I don't suppose you have little conversations with them, either.

You nod, pushing down any lingering embarassment.

GB   Oh, yes! I do!

YN   You... do?

GB   I'm around them so often, anyway. I find it soothing.

GB   And it really makes you feel like they're company.

YN   Or a captive audience.

GB   Hee hee, maybe one day they'll talk back.

GB   Well, there is flower language!

GB   Not them speaking, but us speaking through them.

GB   You can communicate a lot through flora. It's its own little hidden verbiage.

YN   Hidden, you say.

You smile up at her, noting that her expression has grown curious.

GB   Are you coming around?

YN   I'm humoring you. And your peasant duties.

YN   No matter what you say, I don't see the reason to tend to the dirt.

YN   It's the lowest form of servitude.

GB   I suppose...

GB   But I'm not in it for any kind of dignity.

GB   Not when I'm needed.

YN   By the dirt.

GB   That's me, the dirt tender.

You lovingly pet the ground. To your surprise, Yuna bends down and points to one of the plots.

YN   Those are lilies, correct?

GB   Oh! Technically, they're daylilies.

GB   Have you heard of them before?

YN   Not this exact kind.

GB   Well, you know lilies are associated with femininity, right?

GB   A traditional kind. Elegant and beautiful.

GB   But daylilies are unique.

GB   They represent the relationship we have with maternal figures.

GB   The sacrifices they make for us,

GB   And the devotion we have to them in turn.

GB   I think that's kind of beautiful. Don't you?

Yuna stands back up. Oh no, is she losing interest?

GB   Th-that's not all!

GB   They also bloom during the day and close at night.

GB   Hemerocallis Asphodelaceae - it's greek for 'day beauty'.

GB   They... um,

Suddenly bashful, you keep your eyes on the flowers.

GB   They remind me of you, a little bit.

Yuna's dress softly rustles with the wind.

YN   Do you often associate people with flowers?

GB   People are a lot like flowers.

GB   Daylilies... they're incredibly resilient.

GB   They can even survive droughts and frosts.

GB   When we think of flowers, we think about how fragile they can be.

GB   And a lot of them are.

GB   To be a flower is to be vulnerable in bloom.

GB   But some flowers are so strong. They persist through strength alone.

GB   I think that's amazing.

GB   And, even if it could probably take care of itself,

GB   I don't think it hurts to treat it with love all the same.

YN   ...

YN   It's getting late.

GB   But the sun isn't setting yet.

GB   Yuna?

You look up only to see her walk away, towards the buildings.