~Tahlia.

One outing with my father, and I found myself empowered, encouraged, and embraced. Some knots remained to be untangled or cut out in regards to my relationship with Keene, but with Father's love and support behind me, I often felt as if I could accomplish anything. It had been foolish to doubt him.

After I returned from my outing that day, it wasn't long before I crossed paths with Declan, and of course, he capitalized on the opportunity to make arrangements for a second date. Though he never properly enlightened me on where we'd go or what we'd do there, he did establish a time. At noon the very next day, he would be by to pick me up.

So when noon arrived the next day, I stood and waited out on the front porch. I leaned against the decorated railing and reveled in the soft breeze sweeping through my hair. Thankfully, the weather was fair, so no matter whether Declan had some outdoor or indoor adventure in mind, my light and cheery attire would suffice.

While most ladies could anticipate their prince charming rolling up in a chariot, or more contemporarily, one of those luxury cars with dazzling paint jobs and red-rimmed wheels, mine pulled up in a dented taxi cab. Five minutes late, to boot. If Declan didn't count himself blessed I possessed none of the vanity of my peers, then he deserved a good rap on the skull.

He hopped out of the back seat with some words directed at the taxi driver, then jogged up to the fence. When he stepped through and we locked eyes, I gave him a big, welcoming grin, which he returned. I met him halfway down the porch steps, shortly afterward giving him my hand when prompted. Declan kissed my hand softly while maintaining eye contact. My heart flushed with giddiness, and my cheeks must have reddened. Technically speaking, such a gesture would be questionable by Lymar propriety, but far be it from me to complain.

"Good ... afternoon?" Declan greeted with a chuckle.

"You could have said good morning if you showed up early." I chided in good humor, moving to descend the steps alongside him.

"Sorry about that. This old lady dropped her keys off her balcony by accident, so I took a bit of a detour to help her retrieve them."

"I would hope it was by accident, or she's rather foolish."

Declan hung his head for a second in embarrassment. "You're not wrong. But next time, I'll show up on time."

"How presumptuous."

"What do you mean?"

"You say 'next time' as if that's a guarantee."

"Oh, well..."

With a giggle, I patted Declan on the back. "I'm only kidding with you."

"I should've seen that coming." Declan remarked, reaching up to open the gate again before me.

As he did so, we both looked up, only to see the taxi Declan had arrived was gone. We exchanged a puzzled glance. Declan took a few hurried steps toward the curb and craned his neck to look down the street. Then he turned back to me with a defeated shrug.

"He took off already! I told him to wait for just a couple minutes, and that was too much to ask for?"

"We certainly didn't take more than a minute to get over here. That man is impatient."

Declan let out a deep sigh. "That guy seemed to have it out for me right off the bat."

"Some people..." I stood in silence for a moment before perking up. "Well, what do we do now? I assume you don't want me turning back around to get my father to drive us."

"No, of course not." Declan scoffed, quickly glancing up afterward as if to see if the remark had offended me. Then he glanced down at the suede shoes on my feet. "You mind walking until we find another cab?"

"Sure! I suppose that mean driver did us one favor."

"What's that?"

"Now, we'll spend even more time together."

A shy smile spread across Declan's face. "That's one way to look at it. Guess the world's full of blessings in disguise."

"It sure seems that way." I said, falling into step alongside Declan. We headed the same way my father and I had the day prior, only on foot.

"It's nice around here." Declan commented, "You've always lived in this area?"

"Not always, but long enough I hardly remember another place. I was in high school when we stopped renting one house on the outskirts of this neighborhood and bought the one we live in now. But from what I understand, before that, we were in a cheaper area."

"Makes sense. It's crazy to me how many people actually own their homes around here. It's not like that where I'm from."

"Most people rent?"

"Yeah, the vast majority. Last I heard, only the top 5% of earners actually own the land they're living on."

"Why are things that way?"

Declan shrugged. "Not really sure. Just the way things are, I guess."

"Well, in Lymaria your hard work and diligence tends to pay off. I can promise you that much."

"I've noticed. People thrive here, and even if they're not quite ... there yet, they're still happy."

I giggled. "Except for that cab driver."

Declan snorted. "Yeah, except for him."

We continued walking for several blocks in pleasant conversation before reaching the more widely traveled streets of Silverport, where Declan shortly waved a taxi over. After jostling into the back seats, Declan gave the driver our destination. So we were off to what he called the "Pearl Gardens".

I briefly considered asking Declan what the Pearl Gardens were as we drove to them, but because of the mystery he'd been clearly trying to maintain, I opted otherwise. I'd let the man have his secrets; they'd be uncovered soon enough anyway.

The drive there didn't take long. In a few short minutes, the taxi pulled into a peculiar parking lot hemmed in on three sides by tree-lined hills. Gravelly paths snaked between the sturdy oaks and maples and led up to the crests of the mounds. What lay over the top was anyone's guess, but I hoped I'd soon find out.

Declan paid the driver and then we exited the cab. With an air of excitement, he led me up one of the gravel paths. We passed underneath a canopy of broad leaves on our way up, and soon, we reached the top. When I crested the hill, I got my first glimpse at the Pearl Gardens below, and it took my breath away.

Like something out of a painting of paradise, a vast swath of flowers spread out before us. From our vantage point, they resembled fluffy rugs in red, white, and yellow, all encircling shimmering pools of clear water and separated by grass-covered paths. The spectacle begged me to come back with a canvas and paint to capture the beauty I beheld.

"This ... this is what you were hiding from me?" I asked, finally peeling my eyes from the gardens to peer up at Declan.

Declan smiled. "Guilty as charged. Figured you'd like to get a taste of Candor."

"This is lovely!"

"Looks even better close up, believe it or not. Let's get down there."

As we made our way down the hill, I continued to appreciate the heavenly sight ahead, as well as the softly sweet smell as we drew closer. "My father always described Candor as a drab and dull place ... not this."

"Well, what a soldier sees isn't exactly the best gauge to judge a place by. Almost all the big cities have a place like this."

"Why's there one here, though?"

"This gentleman set it up to make us Candorians feel at home. Maybe knock out some of the homesickness in the best way he could."

"That's kind of him. I'm sure you appreciate that."

Declan nodded, pleasure written all over his face. "Yeah ... it brings back memories for sure. You know what's interesting about these gardens too?"

"What's that?"

"Lovely as they are, their original purpose back in the day was really just a practical arrangement."

"How so?"

"A bunch of beekeepers would put their money together, plant a bunch of flowers in one place, and have their bee colonies thrive beyond belief because of it. There's a reason we Candorians use honey over sugar almost exclusively."

As my feet finally tread on level ground, I glanced up with a nod. "That's quite interesting. So I'm assuming it became an attraction later?"

"Well yeah, people like the flowers too, so they started cutting paths through the flowers for everyone to enjoy the beauty. Back in Candor, a lot of these gardens are popular spots for picnics."

"Oh, that must be lovely."

"It is. You'll see."

I laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Declan pointed at a small building on the far side of the field I hadn't taken much notice of before. "That's a small shop; we can pick up some food and have a picnic. How's that sound?"

"I'd love that."

So we casually made our way through the garden, and Declan had been right. The sights were even more splendid to behold close up than they had been from afar. As the floral scents floated up to my nose, I found myself more and more glad to have had a taste of Candor. 

* * * * * 

A/N: Sweet little chapter there, I think, and a title drop too! Hope you enjoyed, and if so, please do vote and comment. ❤️

Work's got my mind tired and body wiped out, so I'm gonna keep this short. Random question in 3...

2...

1.

How do you typically spend your free time? Completely kick back and give your brain a vacation, or still get things done, just casually? 

(I think I fall into the latter category. I have so many skills I'm pursuing, that I just use my free time to knock out personal projects and what not. I definitely do indulge in some pure relaxation here and there, but my brain's mean to me. It doesn't let me rest until I accomplish something. 😂) 

Anyway, have an awesome day or night, and I'll see you in next week's update!