Blue Iris

”The petals of a flower will fall in a cascade throughout the season, but it’s up to your actions whether or not those petals will grow back.”

## Availability

### Gacha

Flowers That Never Fade

**Blue Iris** is a 3-star card from the *Deal of the Devils Cards* event. It is centered around Sadiya Malik from first-generation group Royal Flush.

The card art features Sadiya Malik (Royal Flush).

The card story features Celeste (Royal Flush).

## Card Story

* Blue Iris: START
* Blue iris: hope.

*Bzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzt.* Diya lets out a sigh as she sets her wine glass on her nightstand, and glances over at her phone.

*We miss you at home. {image attached}*

Blearily, Sadiya swipes the notification off of her look screen without hesitation. The bridge with her family has long since been burned. Despite what her siblings may believe, responding now and waltzing back into the Malik family life would cause nothing but struggles for everyone. With the notifications cleared, her Lock screen is in clear view: blue iris flowers. It reminds her of a talk she’d had not too long ago…

“Celeste!” Diya sprinted across the concrete, rain cascading angrily around her. She caught up rather quickly running despite wearing heels. However, something in her knew that the person she was chasing had some hopes of being found. After coming behind Celeste, Sadiya took a moment to catch her breath. Hunched over with hands on her knees, Diya reflected that she may need to start working out a bit more regularly if a small run winded her… After a slight pause, she straightened up, smoothing out her clothes, and feeling the full weight of the rain around her.

“Celeste,” she spoke softly, placing a hesitant hand on the redhead’s shoulder. Diya faced no resistance from her, and gently, eased both of them into positions to face each other. Celeste had fought valiantly to hide it, but Sadiya could make out the slight tears that had run down her face, they were starting to let up unlike the downpour around them.

“Have you come to yell at me, Sadiya?” Celeste scoffed, voice wavering ever so slightly, “Because I don’t need it. I don’t need another goddamn lecture.”

“No,” Diya sighed, giving her a gentle look, “I just want to talk.”

Celeste pushed Diya’s hand off her shoulder, and whipped her head around. “Stop looking at me like that…as if you pity me. I don’t need your talk. Talk is cheap.”

“Maybe so.” Sadiya sat down on the sidewalk, unbothered by the rain, crossing her legs. “How about this…” Celeste, who had let curiosity get the better of her, looked down at Diya at these words, “How about, I talk, and you can decide whether or not you want to listen. If you walk away right now, I won’t be offended. But I might have some things you’d like to hear.”

Celeste stayed in place, as if rooted into the cement below her. She could feel the tears welling up again. But she said nothing to Sadiya’s proposition. And the silence, Diya took as an opportunity: “When I was young I was intrigued by botany. My family had a garden that I liked to care for.”

Celeste turned her nose up at that, likely doubting the connection of the story to their predicament. “Flowers took a lot of care. And as a young child, I would diligently water them and bask in the sun with them, and yet, every winter their petals would wither and all life in the garden would seemingly cease.” Sadiya took a deep breath, “It wasn’t really fair. No matter what I did, every winter, without fail, they would fade away. The fact is, no matter what we do, sometimes the things we love fade. Sometimes it’s due to our own misgivings, and sometimes it’s due to a factor we can’t control, like nature.”

A strike of thunder rang out as if to corroborate Diya’s point. “But… the important thing I learned was that after the winter was over, after the destruction was past, there was a time for our garden to heal. Flowers can bloom again if you continue to care for them. If you don’t give up. People are the same. When they are hurt, sometimes you need to give them that time…but you have to remember that your care for them in those crucial moments after their hurt is what will determine if your relationship with them can bloom once more.”

Diya stood up, taking a deep inhale of the fresh scent of rain, and cocked her head at Celeste. “**The petals of a flower will fall in a cascade throughout the season, but it’s up to your actions whether or not those petals will grow back.** If you want Royal Flush back, the way we all do, then you need to consider your actions to let our little garden flourish again. The right choices will bring it back. And maybe the winter will destroy it again, but some things are worth doing hard things for. Royal Flush is one of those things for me. I have a feeling it is for you too.” Diya cleared her throat and offered Celeste a smile, “Just some food for thought.” Diya turned on her heels and began to depart slowly.

“Wait.” Celeste choked out. Diya turned back. “What happened to *your* garden?”

Diya’s smile saddened, “Unfortunately, my time has passed. I’ve left my garden uncared for for so long that I fear the damage is irreparable.” With that, she began walking away on that puddle-ridden sidewalk once more.

Celeste scoffed in the distance, “That’s bullshit, Diya.” Sadiya furrowed her brows and stopped, but did not turn. Celeste laughed, a tearful grin on her face, “If I can rebuild this metaphorical garden that I all but ran a sledgehammer through, then you can fix your garden too. Replant your shit, and try again. Better this time.”

Diya smirked, “I’ll consider it.” And once she resumed her waking this time, she did not stop, leaving Celeste to walk her own path.

*Bzzt.* The tell-tale notification of her sister abruptly took Sadiya out of her thoughts. She glanced down, nostalgia and memories flashing. ‘Well…’ She unlocked her phone and clicked on her messages, ‘Maybe my own garden isn’t dead yet after all.’

*Blue iris - hope.*