Neo nodded to the flower shop owner, who simply smiled in greetings. She seemed to recognise him - kinda - so she said nothing. Neo crouched down next to a bed of roses, examining them each in turn and reaching out with a gloved hand to pick the most fresh and beautiful three. He stood back up and walked to the counter, to the blonde haired woman who grinned.
ㅤㅤ"Hey, Neo!" She said chipperly. "Haven't seen you in forever. Good thing you were a regular, or else I wouldn't remember you. These for Fleur?"
ㅤㅤ"Uh," He hummed. "Yeah, in a sense."
ㅤㅤ"In a sense?" She asked, frowning as it dawned on her. "Oh... Oh... Well, um..." She shook her head. "Just take them, Neo..."
ㅤㅤHe raised an eyebrow as he was about to pull out his cash, then nodded carefully. "Thanks, Rachel."
ㅤㅤWith that, he turned and left the shop, Raemith following closely behind. It was a moment of silence before the guard spoke up. "This is for that graveyard we're going to, ain't it? For the late... miss."
ㅤㅤNeo didn't say anything for a moment before sighing lightly. "Yeah," He mumbled. "I haven't seen her in at least three years."
ㅤㅤThey continued on, and Neo refused to say much else on the way. Raemith seemed content to leave him to his thoughts, too. Finally, they reached the gate of a graveyard - a different one from where his mother's side of the family was. He pushed it open, leaving it ajar for Raemith to walk through. Onwards down the path, and he seemed to be headed for a tall oak tree off in the distance.
ㅤㅤ"Oi remember her," Raemith said as they walked. "Oi also remember how long Oi'd be in service of her father. Lass was so similar, yet so vastly different from her majesty..." Raemith trailed off before continuing. "Oi never did tell ye the story of my summoning, did Oi?"
ㅤㅤ"Something about being born of a demon already in service and a human, then automatically becoming the servant of the human the demon was aligned to?" Neo asked.
ㅤㅤ"Aye, ye could say that," Raemith's smile flickered. "My parents had a little ol' hut beside where Fleur and her old man lived. They wanted to keep me hidden 'til Oi was ready to work under him. But one day... Oi snuck in an' stole from the fridge. When ye are a young half-demon, ye get more hungry than a full fledged one, and more often. Contracted demons don't get hungry 'cause ye feed off the source of power of your master, but Oi wasn't contracted.
ㅤㅤ"Anyways, I was rummaging through their stuff when the moon was high, and I got caught." Raemith stopped, and Neo did as well.
ㅤㅤ"So you got a lashing?" Neo raised an eyebrow.
ㅤㅤRaemith grinned and nodded. "Aye. As ye know, the old man has a fetish for it or somethin'. Don't know if ye could tell, but her dad didn't respect demons. Saw us as nothing more than sentry duty. That was when he swore off some of our names - let us go. Some of the guards moved on, either hid themselves among the common world or returned to the hells to await being summoned again.
ㅤㅤ"But aye, that night, she found me." His face grew wistful. "After he had done his work, she saw me in the garden. She was so little at the time she thought a stork was on a late schedule and dropped me off. Ye can only guess how mad her father was when she started helpin' me with me wounds."
ㅤㅤThe bodyguard chuckled a bit. "Yeah, she always loved stories like that, and definitely cared too much," Neo mumbled, turning and finally climbing the hill.
ㅤㅤ"Rich bastard had to get her the best view in the whole world," He said, changing the subject. "She kept telling me she wanted to be ashes, scattered across different continents. He got his way instead and buried her. Bloody twat..." He hissed the last part. "Says he cares for her, but doubtful in the end."
ㅤㅤRaemith caught up to be beside him. "She was a free spirit, that one. Didn't quite like being caged up in that bloody house with her old man. All that money, and all she wanted to do with it was go somewhere. Lass talked about it all the time, but she said it was a secret where."
ㅤㅤ"Egypt," Neo said, smiling for the first time since being in Raemith's presence that day. "She wanted to go to Egypt, and climb a pyramid."
ㅤㅤWhen they finally reached the gravestone, the only one on the entire hill, it was very fanciful. Normal stone, yes, but there was a marble carving on the top that looked like a pile of roses. Except, unlike expected, it was covered in dirt and grime, a few fallen leaves from the tree resting on the hill. Neo circled around it, wiping off the mess and sighing.
ㅤㅤ"He hasn't been around lately, has he?" He said, but he wasn't talking to Raemith. Coming back to the front, he sat down and laid the flowers neatly before her.
ㅤㅤRaemith stood off to the side, apparently allowing Neo the space to pay his respects in peace. "Can't say she didn't go through this plane smilin'. Sometimes it wasn't a happy one but it was still a smile."
ㅤㅤNeo nodded, but he said nothing. He wanted to talk, but he didn't speak. No, he had another way. Reaching forward, he took his white glove and wiped away the grime of her nameplate - Fleur Anya Greevson, it read. Continuing to stare at the name, he sighed quietly, and began to think to himself. Or, well, maybe it was more to her than himself.
ㅤㅤIt's been a while, He began in his mind. I know I should have come sooner, but... there was a lot going on. Kinda got arrested... not because of you. I should have been, but they didn't know. It was for all that money I stole, and that I did nothing with. I... should have. I should have taken you to all the places you wanted to go, to Egypt to climb that... stupid pyramid.
ㅤㅤHe took a deep breath, finding it hard to keep himself from crying. I wish you could be here. I met this girl and, well, she's sort of the queen. The last king and queen died, and now, as the heir, she's the new ruler. And... well, she's a lot like you, to be honest.
ㅤㅤNeo pursed his lips. I understand if you don't want me to move on. If you don't, and gods know I don't believe in ghosts, but show me a sign if you're here. If you hear me, tell me if I can't. Tell me, and I won't. I promise, whatever you say, whatever you show me, whatever happens... I will do it. I swear.
ㅤㅤHe waited. For a while, he was fairly certain nothing would happen. Even if she was a ghost, he was sure ghosts couldn't read minds. However, he had his hopes - but as the seconds turned into a full minute, he sighed. No answer was actually an answer. He would take it as a no, she didn't want him to move on, and he was completely fine with it.
ㅤㅤ"I understand," He said quietly. "I-"
ㅤㅤThere was a glimmer in the corner of his eye, and he turned quickly. For a moment, he thought maybe it was just the sun, but then Raemith gasped. He stepped back, eyes wide, and Neo thought maybe danger was nearby - but then he saw it. Pixies. Dozens of them, fluttering towards them, and they were all carrying something. Something red.
ㅤㅤHe didn't realise what it was until they all started spinning in a whirlwind of light and quiet jingling of pixie laughter. Then, they all dropped what they were holding, and a soft tornado of petals floated around him. His eyes glimmered with the light that the fae showcased him with, but he was only staring up at the floating rose petals.
ㅤㅤNeo held his hands out, catching a few in his palms, while the rest came to stop on his head, lap, and on the grass around him. A smile flickered on his face, and a tear ran down his cheek. The pixies floated up and away, the laughter fading, and he was left alone with Raemith once more. The guard stepped forward, frowning.
ㅤㅤ"Was that...?" He started, but cut himself off.
ㅤㅤ"Her," Neo finished, looking back down at the grave. "Fleur..."
ㅤㅤHe gripped the petals in his hands. Raemith let out a laugh, bellowing with cheerful glee, picking up some of the petals and tossing them in the air. He was talking, but Neo was completely distracted. He watched the grave, as if she would appear behind it, standing up and smiling at him, nodding once in affirmation.
ㅤㅤBut he didn't need that. He had his answer. His answer... He could hear her loud and clear, as if she was whispering in his ear, urging him on as she always did.
ㅤㅤGo get 'em, tiger.