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When you get scritches from a stranger while your owner helps a pretty lady pick some flowers.
Aniq quest piece, featuring Eiko who belongs to darkfyyre on Twitter
I also wrote a little something

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(German version: here)

Mauve liked the markets of Klangleid. She liked the hustle and bustle, the different smells - pleasant and unpleasant - and the noise and colours. Klangleid was big and had, in addition to the two main markets in the old part of town and in Daiten Town, dozens of smaller markets specializing in certain goods. There was a fabric market in the town centre and even a small fish market selling imported fish and seafood from Bonnehafe. But that day Mauve went to the fruit and vegetable market. They wanted to buy fresh fruit for the homeless who lived in the Fallen Temple and for whom the priests cooked warm meals every day. It wasn't her job, but she was happy to do it and she was looking forward to sitting with the people at lunch and answering all their questions about her last journey across the land. They had two bags with them, though one of them belonged to Little Paw. In Klangleid the cat was in her carry bag most of the time, so she wouldn't get trampled or lost in the crowds. Only her brown-white head peered out and watched what was happening on the streets with big eyes and a twitching nose. Sometimes Mauve stopped at a group of children who had spotted the cat and wanted to pet her, and Little Paw was more than happy to let them. Mauve was glad that she had adapted excellently to their nomadic and varied lifestyle. She was not afraid of others, always remained close to Mauve and had no problem changing her surroundings regularly. Taking her to the fish market would be dangerous to her self-control, but at the fruit and vegetable market, there was hardly anything that would catch Little Paw's attention.

It was a sunny morning when the two arrived at their destination. The surrounding stone and wooden buildings cast cool shadows on the square the market was on and birds were chirping somewhere. It was surprising that there wasn't more more going on at this time, but the few people that were here moved slowly and without a hurry from stand to stand. Mauve thought it was safe enough for Little Paw to stretch her feet so they freed her from her bag. The cat jumped to the ground, shook, looked around briefly and then began to trot along next to Mauve. In the morning they always had the freshest produce and from here and there Mauve was approached by merchants who wanted to sell her something. They saw thick zucchinis, a variety of nuts and berries, big crystal apples and long fruit. Unfortunately, not the kind Arlen liked. In addition to food, there were also a few other stands. For example, there was a daiten with red-yellow skin and a garland of leaves around her neck, who sold flowers and plants in pots.

At this stand, Mauve suddenly stopped. But it wasn't the sunflowers, the orange cloth roof or the sign that said "Eiko's friends" that had attracted her attention.
It was the tall, violet daiten, who stood in front of it and thoughtfully looked at the selection.

She had elegant pink feather tails, blue winged ears and an aura that attracted Mauve immediately. Through her life as a healer, she had learned to trust her gut feeling when she sensed strong energetic vibrations. This inner compass had often led her to the most wonderful places or had made her find divine fragments in the middle of nowhere. And just like she did in these situations, Mauve promptly walked over to that person. They stood next to her in front of the small flower stand, absently greeted the shopkeeper Eiko and didn't really know what to do next. Their feet had moved all by themselves, and now they were stroking white violets with their fingers and watching the daiten next to them from the corner of their eye.

“I’m looking for flowers, for someone very special,” she said suddenly in a soft voice. Mauve wasn't sure if she was just mumbling to herself, but it felt as if she was addressing them directly. And then the purple daiten turned her head away from the flowers and looked Mauve in the face. She was taken aback at first. Because of how pretty she was and how intense but lovely her aura and her gaze were, and for a moment, Mauve was speechless. Then she finally began to stutter: “Uhm, wh- who is it for?”

The daiten looked at the wooden counter again and said, “For someone who doesn’t always know how important they are to me.”

Mauve felt a certain melancholy in the air at that. And all of a sudden, fruit and homeless people were forgotten, and all she knew was that she had to help this stranger pick out some flowers. It was not so much her will but an obligation she hadn't known about until just now. She didn't even notice that Little Paw had jumped on the counter and shamelessly enjoyed some pets from Eiko, who was cooing over her.

Instead, she asked, “Maybe I can help?”

The daiten woman smiled. “That would be very nice of you.”

“What does this person like?” Mauve asked.

But to that she only replied mysteriously: “What is your gut telling you?”

Again there was this gentle but penetrating look, and Mauve got the feeling that she was talking about something completely else. They didn't know what to make of it, but they did exactly as they were told. She glanced over the selection and waited for a feeling of intuition. Aside from various seed packages, there were white violets, which huddled together in small pots. Behind it stood a dark green fern and a small bush blossoming with orange and yellow flowers. To the left, there was a kind of palm tree and a bonsai on the ground. In the wooden frame of the stand were a few hooks from which baskets with plants and flowers were hanging. The plants were all very pretty and healthy, but none of them pulled on Mauve's inner compass needle.

Then she saw what was standing on the ground next to her and a sense of certainty came over her. What she had discovered was a simple bouquet of pink tulips in the middle of a pot full of bouquets. But Mauve didn't question the feeling and immediately bent down to pull out that bouquet.

“This one,” she said, handing it to the daiten. She took the bouquet, smiled warmly, and her contentment wiped the melancholy out of the air surrounding her.

"Perfect."

And without a second thought, she turned to Eiko, who had just been stroking Little Paw's belly, and immediately paid for the flowers.

The whole thing had happened so quickly that Mauve couldn't quite process what was happening when the lady took one of the tulips out of the bouquet and put it in her hand.
“It feels good to give someone you care about small gifts. I’m sure you have someone who will appreciate that,” she said promisingly. Like she knew something. Then she turned around and walked away.

Mauve looked after her speechless and it took a moment for them to realize that the stand owner had said something to them.

“Uh, sorry what?” she asked, tearing herself away from her thoughts.

“That was Aniq. She comes here every week,” Eiko said, shaking her head with a smile.

“Every week she says she doesn’t know what to buy. And every week she finds someone to help her out.”

She winked at Mauve, who laughed because she didn't know what else to do. Did she really help Aniq? Or was it the other way around? She looked at the tulip in her hand, but could not find an answer.

Only an hour later, when Mauve was back in the temple, putting the fruit she had bought in a bowl in the dining room, did she suddenly understand who the flower was meant for.
She found Arlen in the monastic garden in the centre of the temple. He had just been watering the herbs, but when he noticed them, he immediately stopped working and waved at them. Mauve smiled back and as she stepped into the garden, she felt the same warmth that Aniq's smile had radiated.

Arlen walked up to her and she met him halfway. In one hand her fluttering heart and in the other a tulip.

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