Why be a Wallflower?

Since the day they had been taken in to see Aunt Ikigai, she had made several visits to the medical den. More often than not, she was able to explore alone- except for that one time she was met by Irilyth. But even that had turned out to be a useful exchange. That lesson was something that she replayed over and over in her mind. That, and the identifying features of a lot of the herbs that had been stored. Even though she didn't know all the stock by their names or uses, she could certainly pick them out of a lineup. Mariah had convinced herself that the identification part could come later. For now, she wanted to test her recognition outside.

The crimson-shadowed girl had worked her way down from the dens to the ground level. At first, she drifted in and out of the trees surrounding the lake looking for anything that caught her attention. But before long, she was taken aback by something that really interested her. In a clearing, there was a variety of plants and shrubs growing clustered together. Some of them she even recognized from the infirmary. It puzzled her, as they didn't match anything in the surrounding area.

Mariah made a casual approach to the garden, the gears of her mind turning rampantly as she puzzled out an explanation. Then it struck her. Could these plants have been intentionally put here? That had to be the answer.