A cursory glance at Selen’s living room would give the uninformed the idea that it was the venue for a child’s birthday party. There were colorful banners hung around the walls, one draped over the handrail of the staircase leading to the second floor of the house, and there were two dozen balloons scattered all around; some had drifted up to the ceiling and nestled themselves against the corners of the room, others were still holding fast to their respective positions around the chairs and the walls, and still some were drooping toward the ground with uncertainty. The ground was littered with confetti and streamers of every color imaginable; they were scattered around the furniture, the living room table, the staircase, the handrails, and every other item in the house with a name. Various colorful lights that blinked through differing shades of pink and purple were strewn around the whole room, almost like the lights that you hang outside of the house for Christmas. The torn gift wrapping was on the floor as well, some shards neatly cut and other scraps ripped apart clumsily. There were even shiny bright-purple letter-shaped balloons that were pinned to the wall, spelling out the words ‘Happy Birthday-’
But to anyone who knew the lunar dragon well enough, the sight of a large banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday, Ember!’ was the crucial clue that they would need to figure out that this was not for a kid’s birthday celebration. The birthday celebrant in question was sleeping on the couch, curled up with his head resting on his tail, and snoring contently. Rosemi had never heard a dragon snore before, at least not one like Ember. Though Ember’s face was not humanoid by any measure, Rosemi could almost see an expression of satisfaction and contentment on his snout. She nudged closer, trying to sit next to him without waking him up, and gingerly placed her hand on his head. The sleeping dragon purred in his sleep and Rosemi, seeing the opportunity, began to gently stroke his head with a smile on her face.
“Thanks again for dropping by, Rosemi.” Selen was suspended in the air, hovering, using her wings to take down the wall decorations. She drifted over to the letter-shaped balloons, removing them one by one without trying to make loud noises since she’d used tape to secure them. She looked back to Rosemi and Ember, smiling at the sight of the flower girl gently patting the sleeping dragon, and carefully flapped her wings to carry her over to the large banner on the wall. “Setting all this up for Ember would have taken twice as long if you hadn’t been here.”
Rosemi shook her head, her eyes still fixed on Ember. Her smile widened as she poked the tip of Ember’s snout with her finger. She failed to stifle a giggle as the dragon forcefully exhaled through his nostrils in response. “It’s no trouble, Selen. It’s so cute that you celebrate Ember’s birthday every year so I don’t mind at all. You should just invite me next time, I’d love to help out!”
“Yeah,” Selen removed the banner from the wall and dropped to the ground, walking over to the couch with the banner draped over her shoulder and dragging on the floor. “I never really invite people for these because I’m sure everyone else is busy, and I’m not sure if they’re willing to spend a day celebrating his birthday with me.”
Rosemi shook her head again. “Don’t worry about that, I’m sure people will be happy to come around if you just try to ask. I know I’d show up, that’s for sure.” Rosemi returned her gaze to Ember, tilting her head and then giggling when the sleeping dragon rolled over in his slumber and exposed his bulging tummy. “Seems like he’s full,” Rosemi said as she extended her hand to poke a finger at Ember’s stomach and laughed softly when the dragon groaned in response.
“He’s a bit of a sloth sometimes, yeah. He gets sleepy if I feed him a lot. But for today, I’ll let him do whatever he wants.” Selen’s voice softened considerably. She crouched so that she was at eye level with Ember’s head and leaned forward, poking the tip of her nose against Ember’s snout lovingly. “I do kinda spoil him a lot, though. I’ll probably have to get him to start exercising again tomorrow.”
Rosemi was not accustomed to seeing a direct and outward display of affection from Selen. She blinked, surprised. “You really do love Ember, huh?”
“He is my partner, after all,” Selen said, standing up and rolling the banner so she could stow it away. “Ember was the first dragon I ever tamed. If I hadn’t met him, I think that my life probably wouldn’t be the way it is now. I owe him a lot.”
Rosemi’s eyebrows raised. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. “I never really asked you about that kind of thing, now that I think about it. Is that why he’s the only dragon that you brought here to Earth?”
Selen nodded, tucking the banner underneath her armpit as she began walking around the living room and picking up some of the balloons that had fallen from the ceiling and were half-deflated. “Yeah. Ember and I have been through a lot, to be honest. He’s my first partner and my best friend. We’ve raced a lot, too. He’s probably won me more trophies than I could count. That and…” Selen glanced at Ember for a second, an apprehensive look on her face. After a few seconds’ worth of contemplation, Selen shrugged and looked at Rosemi. “It’s probably okay if I tell you. Ember’s kind is nearly extinct.”
Rosemi’s eyes widened. She looked down at the small dragon, disbelief running through her mind. “Wait, what?”
Selen nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah. Not a lot of people know that, of course. After Ember and I first met, I spent a long time trying to figure out his species because I’d never seen any other dragon like him. Any specialists I consulted about it were kinda useless because no one could seem to figure out what he was, either. I forgot what the scientific name of his species was. I think it was…” Selen’s wings tightened against her head as she thought harder. “…uh…Vaeranus mira anomalos…? I know it was even longer than that but that’s, like, the first few words of the name I can remember. For now, some scientists or whatever decided to call Ember a Mirage Dragon or something like that. His species name is subject to change. That’s how rare he is. We’ve never seen another one of his kind yet. We don’t know if he’s the last egg of an extinct species or a new species that’s never been seen before.”
Rosemi looked down again at the dragon beside her thighs, a small coo of wonder escaping her lips. “That’s so cool! But don’t rare species like Ember need to, like, go through a whole protection thing like how they do it here on Earth? You’d have to protect someone like him, right?”
Selen groaned. “Yeah, that’s a whole other thing. Ember grew really attached to me, so when they tried to take him away, he wouldn’t leave. I know he’s just a lazy dragon right now when you look at him, but that’s not his real form. Ember’s much bigger in his natural form, and he’s way more dangerous. Every time someone tried to take him away to keep him in a protected reserve, Ember either fought them off or broken out to come back to me. He hurt a lot of people every time they tried, too.” Selen laughed at the memories that came to her when she said that. “We almost got in a lot of trouble too many times because of him. So after a while, they decided that he should just stick with me instead of putting him through the trouble. Didn’t wanna stress him out too much.”
“Wow, that sounds amazing.” Rosemi, continuing to stroke Ember’s head, smiled again as she began to poke at the spot behind Ember’s ears, and he whined in response. Ember adjusted his position in his sleep, and his head rose to push against Rosemi’s fingers as if begging for more. “…if he’s so rare and all, then how did you guys meet? You’re a dragon racer, not an archaeologist.”
Selen laughed sheepishly as she dumped all of the cargo she was carrying into a big canvas bag and set it to the side so that she could throw it out another time. “That’s, um, another long story. The short of it is that basically when I was a really young kid, there was a time when I ran away from home because of a fight I had with my mom. This was back when I was living in the Pendora manor so it was a really large place and the property we owned was really big. We had, like a few golf courts’ worth of space for just the front yard and our backyard was enormous.
“Sounds like you had a princess’ life too, Selen. You don’t get to make fun of me for being like a princess anymore.”
“Nah, you’re more of a princess than I was, honestly. I hated being cooped up in the manor. I’d sneak out a lot and do other stuff.” Selen cackled at Rosemi’s glare. “Anyway, it was one of those days where I had a fight with mom and decided to run off. There’s this whole mountain with a forest just near the back of our property that I liked to climb sometimes when I was bored or upset so I went there. I think it was really late at night, so I was just there, spending time on my own and cooling off. Just by pure coincidence, I saw this faint glowing light from a really small cave in the mountain. When I went to check it, I saw Ember’s egg.”
Again, curiosity could be seen in the glint in Rosemi’s eyes. “Whoa. How big was the dragon egg? Was it the size of an ostrich egg or something?”
“Not too far off, I guess. Back then, it was almost half the size of my torso so…” Selen looked down at her own body and began touching it to make rough measurements and comparisons to her current arms. After a few seconds of mumbling to herself, Selen used her hands to convey a rough measurement that was the length of her forearm plus a few inches. “About this big, I guess. I don’t even remember how I got it out of there…I think I dug it out with my bare hands because I was so curious. Eventually, I managed to get it out of there. When I touched it, the egg hatched literally, like, five minutes after. And then little baby Ember popped out. I was the first thing he saw so I guess he decided I was his mom or parent or something. I took him back home and begged mom to let me keep him. He’s been with me ever since. What happened after that is an even longer story. We can save that for another time, I might talk your ear off all night if I start now.”
“Wow. That does sound like a cool story.” Rosemi gave Selen a knowing look. “But the part where you ran away from home and climbed up a mountain…I don’t know why, but I’m not very surprised, to be honest.”
“Shut up.” The two of them laughed together and Selen sat down on one of the couch chairs at a ninety-degree angle to Rosemi. “Oh, before I forget: I didn’t ask you why you came here today. You kinda showed up at the door and I wasn’t expecting you. You told me that you’d need my help with something but it’s already, like, close to midnight. Ember’s asleep and I can clean the rest of this up later or tomorrow. What’s up?”
Rosemi nodded, looking excited. “Yeah, I actually wanted your help with something.” Rosemi pulled out a piece of paper, an envelope, and a fancy-looking fountain pen that was gilded with gold and silver; Selen saw it and immediately thought that it looked like it would cost her a few internal organs to own. “I was planning on writing a letter to someone. Cuz…y’know. It’s February 14.”
“The 14th.” Selen parroted, tilting her head. “Is there something special happening? Is it someone’s birthday? Other than Ember’s birthday, I mean.”
Rosemi stared at Selen as if the lunar dragon had grown a second head. “…It’s the 14th of February, Selen.”
“You…just reversed the order of words, but yeah, you’re right. The 14th of February, February 14, same banana.”
“Y-you can’t think of any other kind of event that happens today?”
“Um…Leif Erikson Day?”
“Selen, you can’t be serious, right? You’re citing a holiday that most people only know about because of Spongebob?”
“I’m sorry, uh…Victoria Day?”
“That’s in October, Selen!”
“Welp, I got nothing.”
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Selen.”
“Oh! Singles Awareness Day!”
Rosemi groaned and rolled her eyes, fighting down the temptation to grab a stray balloon and smoosh it into Selen’s face. Rosemi almost lost to that temptation. “Anyway, today’s Valentines. I was planning on writing a letter to someone and giving them chocolate today. I actually brought it with me today. It’s here, in my bag,” Rosemi said as she patted the handbag next to her and began fishing through it with her hands.
“Oh, cool. Whoever’s receiving it, they’re pretty lucky.” Selen twirled her hair in her fingers as she stared at the piece of paper that Rosemi had brought out. The envelope next to it was almost as fancy-looking as the fountain pen; the back of the envelope was embossed with an emblem that resembled a flower and the envelope seemed to be made of brownish parchment paper. It seemed so vintage and old-fashioned that it looked like it had been plucked out from a painting from the 1500s. Selen looked back at Rosemi with a troubled expression. “…why come to me about this? I’m pretty sure there are a ton of other people who could give you better writing tips. Ike’s practically perfect for this kind of thing, he’s the novelist-writer-guy. Aside from him, I’m pretty sure Petra or Elira or even Nina would give you better advice for this.”
“Well, I wanted to come to you about it. I wanted your opinion.” Rosemi replied, shrugging.
It was a simple answer, and because it was simple, Selen had no way to refute it. She shrugged and leaned against the backrest, exhaling loudly as she settled in and tried to relax. It seemed like she’d be sitting here for a while. “If I can help, sure. That’s fine. What exactly are you trying to do? You’re writing a letter, right?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda sorta like a love letter or something...” Rosemi said, her cheeks taking on a slight shade of pink. “I was wondering how I should write one that would really, like, get the point across.”
“Get the point across? Like…” Selen paused, feeling a little embarrassed. “…so, like, you’re trying to tell the person that you like them, right?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna tell them I love them.”
Selen scratched her head. “Seems like you don’t exactly have a problem with expressing it. Why don’t you just say it? Why write it down?”
“I’m going to say it, too. I just wanted to give a letter, too. Double whammy, y’know? You can never go wrong with doing both.”
“I guess you’re probably right…what’s the trouble, then? It doesn’t seem like you’re having trouble saying that you love the person.”
“I mean…just saying ‘I love you’ doesn’t really make an impact. I can’t just write three words in the letter and be done with it, right?” Rosemi put the pen to her head, tapping the rear end against her temple. “I don’t need a letter that’s good enough to look like it was written by Violet Evergarden, y’know? I just felt like…I dunno. There are definitely other ways, and other words that you can use, to say that you love someone and really make them feel it. That’s the part I’m I’m struggling with.”
“But you’re good enough with words, Rosemi. A lot of the time, I think you’re better with words than I am.”
Rosemi shook her head, an exhale escaping her mouth. “I don’t think so. And besides, it’s not just about being good with words. I guess…I dunno, I guess the part I’m stuck on is that I want the person reading the letter to really get that my feelings are more than just a superficial kind of love. I’m trying to write the letter in a way that they would really understand, y’know? ‘cuz I could just get any old love letter template off the internet and copy most of it and then stick my name at the end. But I don’t wanna do that. I want it to be more…personalized, I guess.”
“Hmm…” Selen put a finger to her chin. Her tail began to repetitively thump itself against the ground as she put more effort into churning her brain cell. “I guess you’ll have to tell me what the person is like, then. I can’t really help you personalize a letter for someone if I have no idea what they’re like. Maybe you can tell me more about them and we can figure something out from there?”
Rosemi blinked, a look of genuine surprise on her face. “O-oh. Um…I guess that makes sense. S-sure. S-so I’m supposed to tell you…about her? Or what I like about her?”
“So she’s a ‘she’?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Who is she? Do I know her?”
Rosemi’s cheeks darkened. “Um…I don’t think so.”
“Huh, I see.” Selen draped her arm around the backrest behind her, resting her head against the chair. “Then tell me about her. Just…things like this come out better if you don’t second-guess yourself. Your first words and your first feelings are usually more accurate than trying to think twice about it, so just tell me what comes to mind when I ask you the question. Tell me about her.”
Rosemi put a finger to her hair and began to play with it, looking away from Selen and fixing her gaze on the space in front of her. Her eyes slid over the objects in front of her, unfocused. “Hmm…I guess the first thing that comes to mind is how cool she is.”
“Okay? Keep going, then. You think she’s cool?”
“Yeah. I think she’s cool because…” Rosemi paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Focusing on her feelings and on the person in her mind was making her heart run marathons in her chest. “…I think she’s, uh… I think she’s cool because she’s always working hard, and she’s always trying to make sure everyone around her has a good time. I-I always have a good time around her, y’know? That kind of thing. She laughs a lot, and I love her laugh because when I hear it, I end up laughing too. Everyone else ends up laughing, too, so everyone in the room’s always having a great time…and I know she’s always thinking about that and trying to make that happen. I, um…I also think that it’s really cool that even though she’s trying so hard to work for others and please other people, she doesn’t really conform to what others say. She knows that she’s unique, and she does things her way. When she makes people laugh, she doesn’t do it by copying other people. She stands out like that. She’s unique and she’s unapologetic for doing things her way and I think that’s really cool because it’s not easy to do.”
Selen whistled, impressed. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard an opinion like that about someone from you, Rosemi. See? You’re plenty good with words, what do you even need me for?” After laughing for a few seconds, Selen cleared her throat. The atmosphere was somewhat emotional now, and Selen wanted to not be awkward about it or ruin it altogether. “A-anyway, let’s keep going. What else do you like about her?”
Rosemi continued to think, pursing her lips. Her gaze began to wander until it settled on Ember, who was sleeping next to her. Rosemi smiled, despite the weird nervousness she felt from being so open about her feelings, and put a hand on Ember’s head. “…I like that she’s also adorable sometimes. You know how there’s a gap between a person’s usual behavior and their behavior in specific moments super different from how they normally act?”
Selen laughed despite herself. She’d heard this description a million times before. “You mean the whole gap moe thing?”
“Yeah, that. She’s got a lot of that, too.” Ember cooed in his sleep, and Rosemi felt the nervous tangle in her chest unwind a bit. “Like I said, I think she’s really cool a lot of the time. She’s really reliable and I know I can talk to her if I really need to, so she has this kind of ‘cool character’ kind of vibe. But at the same time, she has some moments where she’s really cute. She likes cute things like plushies and pets and stuff, so it really contrasts how she usually is when she’s with me or with other people.”
“Alright, I think you’ve already managed to establish a few good things already. Those things that you like about her? That’s what you’re gonna write in your letter.” Selen pointed at the piece of paper with her finger. “I think that if you want to express that you love her, you have to tell her the things you love about her. Like, what are those little things that you notice that make her special to you.”
Rosemi nodded intently and immediately got to work, putting her fountain pen to paper. The sound of metal leaving ink on parchment was louder than Selen expected. Still, given that neither spoke while Rosemi was writing, Selen was content to leave Rosemi to her thoughts. But within a few minutes of writing, Selen noticed that the sound of the pen was beginning to slow, and Rosemi’s face seemed to scrunch up. It didn’t seem like it was only because she was concentrating, either.
“Having trouble?” Selen asked, leaning forward and resting her body weight against her knees using her elbows. “Wanna bounce some more ideas off me?”
“…hmm…yeah, I think I need to.” Rosemi looked back at Selen, a puzzled expression on her face. “What else can I put? Apart from things I like about them, I mean. I don’t think a love letter’s supposed to be, like, just a laundry list of stuff that I like about her, right? There’s more to it. What do you think I should put?”
Selen shrugged. “Um…maybe what she means to you, I guess. Like, if she’s helped you somehow, I think you something like that earlier; you said she was reliable so maybe you can talk about that a little? Or…I dunno, hmm…Oh,” An idea sprang to mind and the eureka moment made the wings on Selen’s head flare outward. “Literally, like, what she means to you. Like, y’know. What is she to you? I don’t know if you want to use, like, a metaphor or something. But if you’re writing a love letter with a fountain pen and paper, you might as well go all-out and balls-to-the-wall with the way you write it, right? Compare them to something beautiful or profound, maybe. Seems impactful.”
Rosemi nodded, mentally taking notes as she spun the pen in her hand. “Uh-huh. What else?”
“Um…I said earlier something about what they mean to you, so…yeah, building on that idea,” Selen began gesturing with her hands as she spoke, motioning towards herself or Rosemi or the air in between them. “I guess if it’s close to the end of the letter, you can just talk about the effect they have on you. Like, what do they do that affects you and how did they change you. Something like that, I guess.”
Rosemi nodded, her face breaking out into a wide grin. “Thanks, Selen. I think I know what to put now.”
“Glad I can help, I guess.” Selen leaned back into the chair, smiling in return. “You’re gonna head over to her after you’re done here, right? You sure she’s gonna be awake?”
Rosemi giggled. “Yeah, she’s never asleep by this hour.”
“Guess she’s one of us then. She’s just like me for real, for real.” Selen laughed, getting to her feet. “I’m just gonna take Ember to his bed, okay? Just holler for me or something if you wanna think of more stuff together.”
Rosemi shook her head. Her pen moved enthusiastically. “I should be okay. Thanks for offering, Selen! But I think I’m good now!”
Selen nodded in acknowledgment and walked over to Ember, gently tucking her arms underneath and around his body before tenderly lifting him off the couch cushions. Rosemi beckoned for Selen to come closer. When the lunar dragon crouched to do so, Rosemi stroked Ember’s snout one last time before waving her hand in a cute little goodbye to the sleeping dragon. Selen laughed softly before standing again and walking to the staircase, her steps tender. She took her time so as to not wake Ember who was still snoring quite loudly in her arms. Selen tiptoed to her room, opened the door with her tail, and gently lowered Ember into the little bed that was near the foot of her own bed. She bent down to leave a kiss on Ember’s head, whispering to him a good night and then quietly closing the door behind her.
Walking over to the stairs, Selen got to the halfway point of the staircase before she stopped to lean on the hand railing and stare at Rosemi. The pink-haired girl was busily and energetically writing the letter, looking more absorbed in the task than Selen had ever seen Rosemi with other tasks.
…must be nice, having someone you can love like that. Selen thought to herself. She caught herself right as that thought occurred to her. It’s not like I’m envious. But…I guess it must feel nice. To feel that way about someone else. I wonder if it’s like how they show it in the movies. Butterflies in your stomach and all that shit. Probably not. Every time someone talks to me about their crush, all I can see is anxiety and them freaking out. Even Rosemi was freaking out earlier, kinda.
Love sounds like it’s a lot of trouble.
A good kind of trouble, but a lot of trouble.
“Selen? What’s up?” Selen snapped out of her daze to see Rosemi waving her hand. “Something the matter?”
“No, nothing.” Selen shook her head and continued walking down the stairs, making her way over to Rosemi and sitting back on the couch. “So? How’s it? Any luck?”
“I think so. I think I should be good with this.” Rosemi said, putting the cap back on the fountain pen and stowing it away in her handbag. She paused, looking at the letter again. “…I think. God, what do you think I should do if she doesn’t want to read it? I just realized that the plan kinda falls apart if she doesn’t wanna read it.”
Selen laughed and patted Rosemi on the head reassuringly. “Don’t think that way now. I’m pretty sure she’d read it. I mean, you put so much work into it, and you even made her chocolate. Sometimes, words aren’t the most powerful way to get your feelings across. With all the effort you’ve been putting in, and how hard you worked to do all of this, I guarantee you there’s no way she won’t read it. Trust me. If she doesn’t read it, I’ll shave my head bald.”
Rosemi smiled despite her nerves when she heard that. She took a moment to slowly breathe in and out to calm herself before looking back at Selen, most of the concern in her eyes having seemingly vanished. “If someone made you a letter on Valentine’s, would you read it?”
“I dunno, probably? I mean…why wouldn’t I? Someone went out of their way to make it so I’d probably read it.” Selen shrugged. “I don’t really think about that kind of thing, though. It doesn’t happen to me. I’ll probably know for sure if it ever happens. Not like it will, though.”
Rosemi giggled as she folded the letter neatly and put it in the envelope, sealing it and putting it in her handbag. “Anyway, thanks for helping me out with the letter, Selen. I need to give the letter and the chocolate now, so I should probably go,” she said as she stood up while slinging the bag over her shoulder.
“Sure thing. Hope they’re still awake by now, it’s thirty minutes to midnight.” Selen glanced at her wall clock. “You sure you’re gonna get there at this hour?”
“No worries!” Rosemi kept grinning as she walked toward the door. “Pretty sure that it’ll be alright!”
Selen accompanied her to the door, unlocking it and opening it for her. “At least you’re confident. See you!”
“Yeah, see you soon, Selen!” Rosemi said cheerily, waving her hand goodbye.
Selen closed the door and let out a tired sigh. She hung her head, letting out a big weary sigh and turning around to look at the living room. Though it was mostly tidied up, there were still a few stray balloons and other such birthday-related items still sprinkled around the living room that had yet to be cleaned up. She cricked her neck and began walking towards the nearest half-deflated balloon. “Yeah, guess these things aren’t gonna clean themsel-”
Ding-dong!
Her doorbell rang. Selen glanced at the doorway, confused. She knew that she’d heard the sound of her doorbell. She recognized it. But the fact that it had just rung, right after she’d just closed the door on Rosemi, left Selen unsure if she was just hearing things or if she’d heard right. A few seconds of silence would pass before Selen’s doubts were dispelled by another ring of the doorbell. She scratched her head, puzzled, and walked over to the door. “…I’m not expecting a delivery or anything, so…”
Selen opened the door to see Rosemi standing there.
“Uh…did you forget something Rosemi?” Selen turned to look inside and check if any of Rosemi’s belongings had been left on the living room table. Seeing none, Selen turned back to look at Rosemi. “Or is there something else?”
Rosemi reached into her handbag and pulled out the letter. “Here.” Rosemi said in a smaller voice than usual as she held it out to Selen.
“Oh, right. You probably want me to proofread it before you go.” Selen nodded, taking the letter from Rosemi’s hands and casually unsealing it as carefully as she could so that Rosemi could reseal the letter later. Selen unfolded the paper and was greeted with Rosemi’s gorgeous handwriting; it was in a cursive fitting the vintage paper and the fountain pen she’d seen Rosemi writing with. Selen began to read the letter, and as she did, her eyes began to widen.
Dear Selen,
Thank you. For everything that you’ve done for me since the day we met, thank you so much. I really can’t imagine what my time here with Nijisanji would have been like if I hadn’t met you. I’m so proud and glad to be a part of Obsydia, and you’re a big part of the reason why.
I’ve always struggled to be honest with how I feel about people, but spending time around you has helped me learn to be more upfront with others. It’s never been easy for me to do that because I feel like I’m going to be judged by other people for the things I say and do because I’m, like, not normal at all. But I never feel like that with you. When it’s you, I feel safe and secure, and I know that you’ll always try to help me if it seems like I need help. You give me advice, or you allow me take my mind off my problems by playing a game with me, taking some time to plan my ideas with me, or sometimes you’re just there to listen and talk with me, even if it’s way past midnight. I can speak my mind and I can be honest about everything without being afraid of what you’re gonna say. Just having you near me helped me to be more talkative with others and break out of my shell. I’ve learned so much about myself and about others because of you. I can’t thank you enough for that.
I’ve always wanted to tell you that I think that you’re really cool and cute. If I were ever to say that to your face, you probably wouldn’t believe me, even if it’s true. It doesn’t help that you get easily embarrassed when people give you a sincere compliment. I find it really cute because it’s the only time I ever get to see you blush. You’re never embarrassed for any other reason, after all.
I admire how much effort you put into everything you do. You inspire my ideas and act like a role model to help me act when I’m not sure what to do. When I’m struggling to get out of bed because I feel lazy or I don’t want to face the world, there are times when I think about what you would do. I imagine your laugh, your energy, and how you would probably roll out of bed, grumbling to yourself. But you’re almost always on time with your updates, your streams, your meetings with the staff…and that moves me to get out of bed.
Lately, I realized that you are not just a friend to me.
When I remember you, I feel like everything’s alright.
When I’m with you, I feel like I become a better version of myself than I’ve ever been.
When I see you, I wonder if I ever did anything in my past life to deserve someone like you being in my life.
Selen, you are my light.
You are the light that shines brighter than any star.
You are the light that guides me and motivates me to do better than my best.
You are the light that I can’t help but fall for.
Je t'aime de tout mon cœur, Selen
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love, Rosemi
Selen looked up from the paper to see a smiling Rosemi, her cheeks crimson. She laughed meekly, tapping the tip of her boot against the floor. “…I did ask you if you would read one if you got one, so…at least you did.”
“Y-you…” Selen looked down at the letter and then back at Rosemi. “…are you sure?”
Rosemi laughed. “Am I sure? What do you mean by that?”
“I-I mean…y’know…me? You…you’re okay with me? You…I’m the person you were talking about?”
“Do you need me to read the letter out loud to you?” Rosemi took a step forward, peering up at Selen with a slightly mischievous grin.
“No, no. It’s just…” Selen averted her gaze, her hand clasping the back of her neck. “…I’m having a hard time imagining all of those things that you said earlier…all of those qualities and stuff. I’m having a hard time putting it together that you were talking about me.”
Rosemi shrugged and took another step forward. An inch-and-a-half was the only thing separating their bodies. “…you’re special, Selen. You’ve always been special to me. Once-in-a-lifetime kind of special. For the longest time, I thought my feelings would just pass or die down eventually. You never really showed interest in love and romance and all those kinds of things so I thought staying friends with you was what I needed to do. I thought giving up was gonna be easier. But…it turns out that I can’t stop wanting to be special to you.”
Selen was rapidly losing the ability to think in coherent sentences, much less speak one. Unable to say anything, she took a step back, only for Rosemi to take a step forward again.
“I want to be special to you, Selen. In the way that you’re special to me…I want to be that kind of person for you. Someone to rely on. Someone to eat snacks with, hang out on a call and do nothing all day with. That kind of thing. And…I want to be that kind of person for you because I love you.”
The wings on Selen’s head seemed to take on a life of their own, flapping up and down erratically. Similarly, Selen’s tail thumped against the ground repeatedly and out of control.
“U-uh, um…”
Rosemi giggled. “See? Cool and reliable most of the time. Then you have moments like this and you just become so cute. I’m actually surprised you didn’t figure it out while I was talking to you.”
“A-are you saying this entire thing was a part of your whole plan?”
Rosemi winked. “From the moment you dragged me in to help you with Ember’s birthday party.”
“…damn.”
“Oh, and here. For you.” Rosemi fished into her bag and pulled out a small gift box. She opened it to reveal a bunch of chocolate chip cookies, all shaped like Ember’s head. Rosemi plucked one from her hand and offered it to Selen, bringing it to the lunar dragon’s mouth and poking her lips with it. “I wasn’t lying about the chocolate, of course. It turned out really cute! Try one!”
Selen opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the cookie. The familiar taste of milk chocolate and almonds filled her mouth, and she nodded, smiling. “This…this tastes great, Rosemi.”
“Thanks.” Rosemi replied sheepishly. “S-so?”
“So…?” Selen parroted.
“I, uh…I told you my feelings?” Rosemi giggled again. “Maybe you need some time to think about it?”
Selen shook her head vigorously. “N-no! It’s not that, it’s just…you put your feelings into words so well so I was trying to think of a nice way to say it. To…y’know…do it justice?”
“…well…” Rosemi tiptoed and leaned in a little more until millimeters were the only thing left between their faces. Rosemi smiled warmly, invitingly. Her voice softened until it only a little more than a whisper. “…just say what you feel. You told me that the words that come to mind and the first feelings you think of are usually accurate.”
“…um…I feel like my chest hurts. It’s throbbing. Like something’s punching me from inside.”
“Is that a good feeling or a bad feeling, Selen?”
“I think…I think that it’s a good feeling. I don’t hate feeling this way. It’s like my chest is tight, but it doesn’t hurt. And…I feel really happy, I guess.”
“Okay? What else?”
“…my face is really fucking hot right now.”
“Are you embarrassed?”
Selen nodded slightly in response, not saying a word. Rosemi laughed softly, rubbing her forehead against Selen’s. “…it’s okay if you’re embarrassed. I am, too. See?” Rosemi slowly took Selen’s draconic hand in hers and placed it on her own chest. Selen felt Rosemi’s heartbeat pounding against her palm. It felt like their hearts were beating in unison, their nervousness and warmth mingling.
“I…I’m sorry, Rosemi. You said so many nice things, and my brain’s coming up empty. I’m not a ‘words’ kind of person.”
Rosemi closed her eyes. “That’s okay. Words aren’t always the most powerful way to get your feelings across, right?”
Selen nodded and closed the distance, allowing their lips to meet. She felt something jump in her chest when she felt Rosemi’s mouth against hers, her breath against her face, the sensation of Rosemi’s arms wrapping around Selen’s neck to pull her in further. Selen didn’t fight it. She leaned in, took a step forward, and placed a hand against Rosemi’s cheek.
Selen felt lightheaded, like something in her body would burst from the emotions coursing through her veins.
More than that, Selen felt glad to be alive.
As their lips parted, Rosemi smiled at Selen again. “…I guess that’s the answer, right?”
Selen leaned in again, pressing her forehead to Rosemi’s. “…kind of. If I said that I loved you too right now, would that be better?”
“Hmm…probably.”
“Then…I love you too, Rosemi.”
The smile that Rosemi responded with made Selen feel like a sun had been born inside her chest. Selen felt the need to put her arms around Rosemi and hold her. She acted on that impulse and inched her body forward to embrace the flower girl tightly. Rosemi yelped but returned it as best she could when she began to feel snug. The hug only lasted under a minute, but for some reason, it felt like an entire day had passed them by when they separated.
“By the way, Rosemi…there was a little part at the end of the letter in French. I don’t know how to read French.” Selen said, looking down at the letter in her hands again.
Rosemi beamed. “Je t'aime de tout mon cœur? It means ‘I love you with all my heart’”.
“I-I see.” Selen, getting embarrassed again, stowed the letter back in its envelope and put it in her pocket.
“So, Selen. The next time I come over for a Valentine’s date, you don’t just make it all about Ember, okay? Make room for me too.”
“Y-yeah. My bad.”
“Good. I wonder what you’re gonna give me in March~?
“March? What’s in March? International Women’s Day?”
“It’s White Day, Selen. March 14th is White Day. Y’know, White Day? The day you give me something back for my chocolate? You’ve watched anime, there’s no way you don’t know what White Day is!”
“Oh, right. Wait, why is it on the same day as National Pi Day?”
“A-are you for real right now? And why do you know the date of International Pi Day?!”