Alice was pleased with her given task. She often lost herself looking at the trees and the flowers as she passed them, and in that time she liked to think that she'd gotten to know them reasonably well. She'd of course need to spend time with the gardens here to know what they liked, but that would come quickly to her, she was sure.
The kiss was another pleasant surprise, and Alice found herself responding to it tentatively at first but not without want. She smiled at Laura when she spoke again, spontaneously wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her. "I'd like to be able to come here still, but I like being around you," she decided before pulling back and looking a little sheepish. "Um, I'm sorry. I should ask before I hug, right?"