By the time Lyria returned to the flower shop the next day, she had prepared herself mentally, physically, and magically.
Meaning: she braided her hair nicely, practiced smiling in the mirror, and begged Puff not to "accidentally explode" anything.
The shopkeeper greeted her with a stiff smile — the kind humans gave when they weren't sure whether to trust you or throw you out.
> "Lyria… dear. Today, let's stick to simple tasks, alright?"
Lyria puffed herself up proudly.
> "I, Lyria of the Shimmering Court, shall perform them flawlessly!"
The shopkeeper blinked.
> "...Yes. Good. Just… please don't drown anything."
---
Task #1: Arranging Bouquets
This was supposed to be easy.
Take flowers, put them together, tie with ribbon.
Simple.
Except Lyria treated each bouquet like a royal diplomatic mission.
> "Puff! Place the pink lilies beside the roses. They are old rivals but they must learn to cooperate!"
"They're literally flowers. They don't—"
"Puff. Trust the process."
Riku, who stopped by to check on her, watched with helpless amusement as she talked to the flowers.
> "Are you… lecturing the bouquet?"
"Political harmony is essential!" Lyria snapped.
When the customer arrived to pick it up, she stared at the bouquet.
> "It's… dramatic?"
"It is a symbol of unity," Lyria announced.
"Um… thank you?"
Somehow, the customer left smiling.
Lyria beamed.
Riku shook his head.
Puff wrote "Lyria's Success: 1" in the air using sparkles.
---
Task #2: Managing the Counter
This was where everything fell apart. Fast.
The moment Lyria touched the cash register, it beeped.
Lyria jumped back.
> "IT'S ALIVE!"
The shopkeeper groaned.
> "That's just the scanner—"
"I REFUSE TO HANDLE CURSED ARTIFACTS!"
The beep sounded again, harsher this time.
Lyria screeched. Puff screeched even louder.
Riku tried to help but only made the receipt machine spit out a kilometer-long paper snake.
The customer stared at the chaos as Lyria shouted:
> "Puff! Contain the beast!"
"I am TRYING! It keeps spitting parchment!"
"Riku! It's attacking!"
"It's… literally just printing the receipt…"
By the time the shopkeeper came over, the register was smoking slightly, Puff was tangled in receipt paper, Riku had glitter on his face, and Lyria was attempting to cast a calming spell on the entire counter.
> "OUT," the shopkeeper said gently but firmly.
"But—"
"Dear, you have a lovely smile… but absolutely no talent for retail."
---
Later that evening…
Lyria trudged home with a drooping expression and a wilted daisy in her hand.
Puff sat on her head like a sad puffball.
> "At least she didn't throw water at us," Puff whispered.
"Small victories," Riku said, laughing softly.
Lyria sighed dramatically.
> "I was a queen. A ruler. A being of elegance and grace…"
She kicked a pebble.
"Now I'm a disaster in an apron."
Riku placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
> "Hey. Failure is normal here. Everyone messes up."
"Do you?"
"All the time."
Lyria looked up at him, surprised.
Riku grinned.
> "But we get up again, right?"
Lyria stared at the daisy she was holding.
Though wilted, it was still alive.
> "Very well," she declared dramatically. "Tomorrow, we fight again!"
"Fight… what?"
"Unemployment!"
Puff cheered, throwing sparkles everywhere.
Then immediately sneezed.
> "Oops."
Lyria smiled despite everything.
Maybe she was a disaster. Maybe she couldn't understand money or machines or "scanners."
But she wasn't alone.
And for the first time… that felt enough.
---