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[ Ooh, a surprise visit. Elizabeth has her hair clipped back today with some sunflower clips she bought recently, aren't they tiny and cute?? ]

Of course. Please wait a moment.

[ She has to tell her caretaker a friend of hers is here and asking for some of her time! ...The shop isn't terribly busy and it would be good to have an extra hand for a recent birthday arrangement, so she returns with a bright smile. ]

We've been given permission. Follow me. [ To the back; there's a nice enough table, some chairs, a fridge and etc etc... She'll be fishing an order slip off one of the shelves here, ooh that'll look lovely... ] What's the occasion?

[So cute!! He'll follow, looking around curiously at the side of a store he doesn't usually get to see.]

Oh... nothing in particular, it's simply something I find myself interested in, that's all. Japan has something similar to it, but it's done quite differently. My mom and aunt did it at my age.

[So it's kind of a family tradition, or something he wants to make in one?]

How cute. My apologies that I won't be able to teach you the Japanese way, but... Well, I suppose the way our little shop does it might be good enough. My caretaker insists on respecting both the wishes of those who order arrangements, as well as the meanings behind the flowers...

Of course, this never stops people from ordering odious flowers such as orange lilies, but I often attempt to make sure they're something more on the oriental side of things, such as tiger lilies, rather than regular ones. [ That's a lot, can he keep up— ] The arrangement we'll be working on jointly today is rather simple in structure, but... Well, they'd like quite a few of the same arrangement. Twenty-two of them, to be exact. Evidently it's one for every year, instead of pinches or something similar.

[ that's a lot of money spent, fam. ]

[............. Okay!]

Um. I'd like to warn you, before we begin, that I'm somewhat allergic to pollen. I'll be fine though.

[Just kind of sniffle and mildly miserable.]

[ ............. Okay! ]

I have some allergy medicine, if you'd like to take some. I've taken to keeping some around, given the company we keep.

[ all these damn CAT OWNERS... ]

Edited 2017-09-26 05:07 (UTC)

Thank you, I'll take you up on that.

[... Though he feels bad for her cat allergy now. He'll have to do his best to find a cat that doesn't bother her too much.]

So... where do we begin with the arrangements?

[ She'll snag him the recommend dosage of pills from her bag and some water, here you go buddy. ]

First, we look at the order. It'll typically have such things as the type of arrangement they'd like, their preferred colors, and any other specifications—we've had, for example, people ask for absolutely no lilies due to a fatal allergy some have to them. [ She'll push the slip towards him too! ] These are set to be small centerpieces, though if you ask me, I think two larger centerpieces of eleven flowers each would have gotten the point across and would make far more sense...

But perhaps they have enough guests and tables to accommodate twenty-two of them, or perhaps they don't care. [ She's going to fetch some flowers— ] The star of the arrangements should be their niece's favored daisies, so we don't want to overwhelm them too much. Does it have a particular color theme they'd like to adhere to, Akechi?

[Bless You. He'll take it while he looks at the slip.]

Just something that brings out the color of the daisies, it seems. Though there's a strict "no reds" policy going on here,

We'll go with yellow then. Some goldenrod would look lovely, and it has the added bonus of bringing good fortune and encouragement... [ Hmmm. ] Perhaps some white dwarf roses to fill the space as well and double down on luck...? Birthdays are such auspicious occasions after all...

[ ...sorry, she's a bit lost in thought over here. ]

... Do the arrangements all need to be the same, or can there be different sentiments for each bouquet?

[He's curious.]

They should all be the same, unless they've ordered more than one kind. Roses might have too soft of a shape, so I think asters might be better, given their daisy-like appearance... Hope and patience, then.

[ She'll wander away for a moment, give her a bit—she'll eventually return with a few bushels of flowers. There's some extra ones, like yellow chrysanthemum and the dwarf roses she'd been murmuring about. Another few minutes, and some clear vases have joined the fray!! As well as scissors and some sort of dried grass for ties, apparently. ]

There we go. The goal is to make them as aesthetically pleasing as possible, while only using an odd number of flowers—three daises, five asters, things like that. The total can be even, but individual flowers must be in odds. It's good luck like that and achieves better symmetry, both visually and weight-wise. [ ......... ] Am I moving too fast?

No, no, it's fine. Odds are best, strive for aesthetics, and keep in mind the feelings you're putting into the arrangements. The... meanings themselves are something I'll study on my own time, but I can get the basics for now.

[She's going a Little fast, but Goro's quick to pick up on things when he's attentive. And she has his undivided attention.]

I'll follow your lead, Miss Velveteen, and perhaps I'll try my hand at making one myself a little later -- I'll pay for it, of course.

Naturally. Do you have a person or occasion in mind for your own arrangement?

[ Elizabeth's done these before, so she lets her hands do the teaching while she shuffles the conversation along—these are on the small side, so five daisies, three yellow chrysanthemum, a sprig of goldenrod... She trades the chrysanthemum for dwarf rose, considers it, then tries it with aster, and sets the aster aside, favoring a mix of rose-chrysanthemum for the filler. Cleans up the extra leaves at the bottom, ties them together loosely with the dried grass-like plant, puts a bit of a mix of sugar and water in a vase and gently puts that in the fridge.

Rinse and repeat. That's what they're doing. ]

I do, for both, but it's more... I want to put my feelings into a visual medium?

[If that makes sense. Goro will watch her do a few of them before slowly doing one himself, keeping an eye on her to ensure there's no mistakes.]

And I'd like to have something to do with my hands. [A nice distraction.] I'm not sure I'd even give them the flowers, after all. Though I think I'd like something for my mother as well since I'll be leaving her shortly.

[ ...Mm, mothers. ]

If you give me a list of feelings you'd like to convey, I'll help you pick an array of flowers. You'll be on your own for arranging them, however.

[... Mmm. Therapeutic.]

Fear, rejection, misery... Apology? A bundle like that.

What a terribly sad bouquet. [ Let her think about this... Wait. ] Is this the one for your mother, or for the other person you'd like to make one for? There's quite a few ways this could go depending on your answer.

[ ... ]

I'd like to know a bit about the both of them regardless as well. [ She's a very thorough florist. ]

The other person. For my mother, I'd like something to show my appreciation and love for all she's done for me.

[... Hm.]

And the same to my aunt and uncle, so two bouquets with good feelings and one with bad. What sort of things do you need to know?

The type of people they are, how good your relationship is with them... So on and so forth. Whatever you feel comfortable enough to tell me.

My mother is the kindest woman in the whole world. She's a hard worker, but she's always made time for me no matter how tired she is at the end of the day. She's the one who taught me to cook, to manage the household, and told me to look down on those that would look down on me. That is, to rise above them and put them in their place using my strengths.

[A good woman.]

She's the most important person in my life. I can't imagine what I would do if something happened to her, which is why I'm going to do all I can to ensure she can live comfortably, without worry, and protect her with the power I was given. Also, my mother wants to meet you, along with the other friends I've made. Would you like to visit for tea at some point?

I see, and yes, I'd love to sometime.

[ She'll let Goro finish up the rest of the arrangements, she's going to dig through a drawer nearby and grab a pen and pad. She's writing down notable things under "Mother," underlined once, and then on the next page there's "Aunt" and "Uncle", also underlined. ]

What of your aunt and uncle?

My aunt and uncle are both teachers at one of the other high schools in the city, though my aunt could certainly teach in university if she liked. They instilled in me a love and the importance of knowledge... an appreciation of education and the widening of one's mind. Particularly, my aunt is the one who allowed me to amass such a collection of books.

[Hmm. How to describe them...]

My uncle... is a very jolly man. I... never had a father in my life, so he's the closest thing to one for me. I admire him a lot; he's always told me stories about his childhood, how different things are now versus how they were then, what Japan was like when he was a boy and how he met my aunt. It's rather romantic! He used to be a translator too, he'd take books in different languages and rewrite them into Japanese, I find his multilingualism fascinating. He's a very charming person to speak to, or so I've heard from others.

Meanwhile, my aunt has only ever bothered to learn French for fun. English was somewhat of a necessity when coming to America... she has a great love and appreciation for western literature. She's a strict teacher who takes her passions seriously and lived in Paris for a time, so there's actually quite a few things that remain habit for her, like air kisses. Despite her age, she's actually quite like an older sister, always fussing and ensuring that I'm on the right track for life.

[He obviously adores them.]

We stayed with them while I was going to junior high and their doors remain open should we ever need to return. They're very much family people, which is a striking difference to the relatives I knew in Japan.

I see. [ Fun, bright bouquets for these three, she thinks. She carefully notes things down in small, neat cursive, humming softly as she does so.

Third page, and she pauses at the top of it, not sure what to title it, before she settles for "Discouragement." ] And for your sad bouquet, Akechi?

[The mood shifts, his arranging slowing to a stop as he bites the inside of his cheek.

... A bouquet he wouldn't send, just something to qualify the things he feels now, towards that person...]

A kind, caring person who I'm terrified of hurting. There's things I need to tell them... but I'm afraid it may change their perception of me, even if they don't care about our memories. [So a Retrospec user.] No matter how I try to assure myself, I can't help but think the worst. Of myself... and also of that person, who I care deeply for. It isn't fair to either of us.

[There's an ache in his chest and he idly plays with the tie of the bouquet, setting it aside to start anew.]

I'm sorry it isn't very much to go off of.

[ ...Someone Goro cares about immensely, someone he shares memories with... someone he's not willing to disclose a lot of information on.

So, essentially, someone she already knows, and he doesn't want her to know that she does. There aren't a lot that fit all those requirements, and Elizabeth watches him for a moment before she turns back to her pad, tapping her pen against it. ]

It's quite alright. I've gone off less. [ A gentle wave of her fingers at the arrangements she's left him to make, as an example. ] I like personalizing them as best I can though, when they're only a few in number and when they involve people I'm rather fond of... That's why I asked.

[ Fear, rejection, misery, apology... Fear of rejection, likely. Misery at their memories, apology for... Thinking the worst, she supposes. ]

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