It had not been an easy task.

The ancient demon deer had been tending to the landscape of the ruins for ages, though not always while under any other's watchful eye. So often, he would be seen ripping weeds out of the ground and flattening the uprooted soil with a blood-free hind hoof, or clipping dead and old poppies and ivy from the ground and ruins their selves with his draconic teeth. What he did unseen, included taking the time to collect the seeds from the old poppies to plant and grow fresh plants, and even making the effort to transfer pollen to the stigma of fresh poppies. Indeed, a strange task for a creature with a rightful reputation as a murderer.

Months ago, the old demon had made indiscreet measures to acquire a sort of gift from a foreign region. The process really included needing to actually make a temporary leave from the forest to find what he needed for the ruins. What he returned with, appeared to be nothing more interesting than medium sized and average looking seeds, which were promptly buried in less accessible sections of the ruins, as well as among the poppies.
He knew most deer would be tempted to eat anything, including these... so they had to be grown as far from sight as possible. Unfortunately, most had indeed been found and eaten before they could bloom, or picked by suitors to impress and bewilder possible lovers.



Returning to the ruins from a brief trip to the pond, Darkweaver had to fight the urge to kick himself. It was already the second week of February and on this particular evening the gift he had been trying to grow needed to be given. Even being away from the ruins no more than an hour tonight meant for the last one to risk being lost. If it had not been for a particularly hyperactive couple trapped in an endless nuzzle war while surrounded by the dragonflies, he might have forgotten entirely that it was Valentines.

"Hnn... this be..tter.. not be.. alz...him..er...s... de...velo..ping." he hisses under his rasping breath, walking at a brisk pace.

Upon reaching the ruins, he steps threw a ghost or two, and threw the fly infested residing place of Osias on his way into the inner court. Not far away from the ruin entry, he couldn't help noticing a specific over-ripe blueberry and her fire eyed demon on the 'throne' of the ruins, cuddling and quite possibly asleep. Rolling a set of eyes, he snorts softly and begins walking along the remaining derelict walls of the ruins, stopping short only once reaching a section well hidden from most eyes. The light beating down onto the cold ground barely touches the spot, but provides just enough for a single bloom to grow.

A relieved sigh escapes the demon's decayed throat. It hadn't been eaten by one of the more feral members of the forest - or by the Grand Talux as a garnish for a seven bean soup -, or plucked by a last second romantic. With a genuine caution, he slinks out his long tongue and wraps it around the thorn-guarded stem, and pulls it from the ground.

Pulling his skull into a smile, the demon leaves the ruin's inner court to return to the west side graves. Resting on her grave, Laghodessa's bright aqua blue eyes gaze out toward the tail end of the sunset. The orange light gives the ruins the illusion of being ignited, and gives an almost haunting glow to the few remaining shards of stained glass in the ruin windows behind them.
Hearing her living mate's heavy hoof steps, the fallen angel's slim, ghostly ears turn and her gaze shifts to the approaching demon with curiosity.

Sitting down beside her grave, Darkweaver places the single rose on the grave before her. To this, she blinks her glowing eyes. She had been so used to the endless poppy bouquets being laid upon her grave, that a new kind of flower seemed almost alien. She lowers her head, sniffing the vibrant red bloom. A smile could be seen under her skull mask, as she could perceive the scent even in her afterlife.

Taking the rose back up in his tongue, Darkweaver lifts the rose to place it in his beloved's gray feathers, so the bloom pokes out over her ear.
"Happy... Valen..tines... Day... my sweet."