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 Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:50 pm
Emma I love...
Xara Cerise Moi
I like...
No one
I know...
No one
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:53 pm
withXara Cerise Moiplayed byxx Aps statusOpen
Emma sat on a bench in the middle of public garden, enjoying the warm day with the cool breeze that meant autumn was approaching. She hummed a cheerful tune under her breath as she stretched her feet out in front of her, admiring a bed of star-shaped clustered flowers. There were multiple colors of the same flower, each so lovely and vivid. It made her a little envious that she couldn't keep anything more than a couple pots of plants if she wanted them to live.
Xara drew in a breath of crisp air. A small smile lifted her lips as she considered what this meant. She usually preferred summer time to the cooler weather, but she couldn't help but enjoy Autumn either, at least right before it turned bitter. Plus, who didn't love Halloween?
She took this time to herself to admire the local garden. It wouldn't be long until the flowers were all gone and hybernating, so she wanted to enjoy them again before they disappeared for the white winter she was dreading.
A particular patch of colorful flowers caught her eye. She drifted toward them when she spotted the pink Kirin. Moving closer, she gave the girl a quick smile and nod of her head, "Its wonderful cool weather after the heat of the summer, isn't it?" She shut her eyes for a moment as a slow breeze shifted across her fur.
Emma blinked lazily and had to take a moment to collect herself when she realized someone was talking to her. She'd been lost in thoughts of the garden she'd like to have if she had the skill or land for it. There was a pause while she caught up with what the lady had said to her, then she gave a smile and nod of her own.
"It's nice. You almost don't miss the flowers at first with all the colors and the cooler weather, but once winter hits and you don't see much aside from brown and gray you miss all the color. There's always a couple winter flowers, but it's still so drab compared to the other three seasons."
She couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Winter... it definitely has to be my least favorite season. But sometimes the snow is pretty, in its own way." She gave a light smile, "Though, I do love to grow poinsettias in the winter. They always bring pretty vibrancy. Plus, a few other flowers can be grown if you make sure you don't keep them too cold, or allow snow to accumulate." She nodded, almost seemingly to herself, but shot the girl a smile. "I keep a greenhouse and grow flowers all year round." Looking at her, she offered a paw. "My name is Xara Cerise Moi, its a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Xara or Cerise, if you'd like."
Emma accepted the paw with a charming smile. "Emma. People who know me usually shorten it to Em." She laughed, then tucked a paw under her chin in curiousity. "You have a greenhouse? That must be nice. I keep a few potted plants, but unless it's hardy on its own I seem to kill them all in the end. Rosemary's the only thing that hasn't made me bleed for the privelge of growing it."
"Emma, its a pleasure!" Xara smiled in response. "Aye, that I do! Its sort of a job. I grow flowers and sell them year round. It more or less started out as a hobby until some friends of mine kept asking if I'd grow them some.. and well, things kind of went from there." Chuckles softy, and bounces on a hoof. "Well, if you'd like I could give you some pointers!"
Emma grinned. "Careful. You start giving me tips that work, next thing you know I'll have hunted down your shop and will be in every five minutes with a pot containing a half-dead plant. When I think I've got the trick to something I tend to bite off more than I can chew." She sighed with a hint of a fake pout. "I've got a home full of half-finished craft projects as proof."
Giggling, she half shrugged a shoulder. "And you act as if that'd be a bad thing!" She gave a flirty wink along with a smile. "I'd be more than willing to help. I get people in all the time asking for advice on how to grow something. The world could use a little more green, and any chance I have to teach someone how to do that makes me happier. So seriously, any time you'd want to come in and bug me about it would be great."
"I'll be sure to drop by sometime then. My lavender's a little iffy, but I'm not sure if it's a sunlight or water problem. Your shop's in town, right?" Usually she just went into a general store and brought whatever packet of seeds caught her eye. Half the time she counted herself lucky to get sproutlings out of them, and even luckier still if they continued to grow after that!
"Yep!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Its called The Secret Garden." Thinking about the question for a moment, she chewed her lip. "Well, it could be both, honestly. Lavender needs full sunlight. And you have to be really careful with how much you water lavender. Its pretty picky about how much water it has.. So you want to make sure you have porous soil.. you can even mix in some sand, or raise the flower bed a little to make sure that the excess water will drain off. If it doesn't get good air circulation or if you water it too much it won't do as well."
"I keep all my plants in pots and move them about however they need it. Lavender's just hard, cause I don't really have a spot that gets full sunlight more than a couple hours at a time and I don't always remember to move it. I mean it's still alive and all, but it just doesn't seem like it's thriving."
Emma sighed and leaned back, staring at the star clusters and wiggling her feet. "It's like plants everywhere else do fine on their own, but mine just wilt to an early grave no matter what my approach. I do better with crafts, when I can finish them." She tapped the hair ornament pinning back her bangs. "I made this myself. I'm not good enough to sell them and make a profit, but it's fun to make stuff."
Xara listened to her and gave a soft smile, "To be honest, lavender may not be the best fit for you then. They can be really picky and hard to grow if you don't give them a lot of attention. But, if you're really set on growing lavender, you could maybe set an alarm every day that reminds you to move it into sunlight when it shifts." Considers for a moment, "You could always go with Geraniums, African Violets or Cape Primroses. They're all pretty flowers that are relatively easy to grow. But if you're looking for something with more of a challenge I could always try to help you out with advice or anything else you need." Looking over the ornament, she smiled brightly. "Its very pretty! And if you ever change your mind about selling them, I could always try to sell a few in my shop, because honestly, I think they are pretty enough to sell." Smooths back some of the hair out of her eyes.
Emma grinned. "I can always make you some, for yourself or to sell, if you really think people would want them, in exchange for plant advice. I just could never really do stuff to order, since I get frustrated that I'm not doing something right or good enough. Crafting seems to be one of those things where I have to be in a mood to make something combined with not actually trying to make something specific." A thought occured to her and she laughed a little. "Maybe that's secretly my problem in gardening as well, somehow."
She reached up and fingered her bangs, letting the bright pink bits of hair run through her fingers. "Lavender is just cause I like the smell, though to be honest I like rosemary just as much so maybe I should be happy with what I have that's thriving and stop trying so hard for both. I have some irises that don't seem to die no matter how much I ignore then, and a bit of clover as well that blooms all pretty and pink in the spring. Probably the only things that will survive around me are things that do well when left alone."
Watching her, she realized, sheepishly to herself, that the girl had taken up all of her attention. Not that that was at all surprising, she did have a terrible habit of losing herself when she thought someone was attractive. "I would love to have some in my shop if you ever feel like making more! I really do think they'd sell well. And, of course, I'd definitely love one for myself." She added the last part with a little blush to her own cheeks. Shifting her eyes away, she let herself drift in thought. "Well, maybe I could bundle up some dried lavender for you. That way your house would always smell of lavender. And if it ever lost its smell you could always come back to me for more. That is, of course, if you feel you can't keep up with growing it on your own. If you want to, I'd say to keep going for it! You could eventually surprise yourself someday." She moved her eyes back toward the flowers as the wind kicked some of the fragrance toward her nose. "Flower always do smell so lovely.."
Emma frowned softly in thought. "Maybe if I tried planting it in my yard somewhere. There's got to be a spot that gets good sunlight more than any other spot in the yard. I can always put rocks or sand in the ground if drainage might become a problem." She sighed, then suddenly seemed to come to herself again. "And here I am, taking up all your morning with my black thumb. I hope I'm not keeping you from anything! Sometimes I just chatter on and on and have to be reminded that people have lives."
To that response, Xara almost bounced. "Oh yes, if you have a yard where you can plant it that would be much better! And rocks and sand would definitely help!" She nodded vicariously while giving Emma her full attention again. Looking from Emma and then back at the flowers, she gave a shake of her head. "Oh, you're not really keeping me from anything. I just came out here to enjoy the garden before it got too cold." She motioned forward, "If you'd like... you could join me and we could walk through the garden together while we talk?" She gave her a warm smile.
Emma turned the offer over in her mind. It was quite nice on this bench and she would probably have been content for many hours more just soaking in the sun. But she could always come back and sit another day while taking a walk with someone new and talking wasn't nearly so reliable and experience.
And so it was with a cheerful smile that Emma favored Xara and a bounce in her step as she pushed off from the bench. "I'd like that. I should have brought a book or something to work on if I wanted to sit for a long time, but when I first set out I had no idea how nice a day it would be so I didn't bring anything with me."
Giving a smile, Xara was thankful the girl decided to come. It wasn't often that she got to interact with others outside of her work. She waited patiently until Emma joined her and then started walking along the path. "So then, what kind of books do you like?" It would end up a very boring conversation if all she talked about was plants, so she hoped changing the subject would help her learn more about her.
"Craft books," was the immediate response. Emma smiled with just a touch of sheepishness and chuckled shortly. "I know, they don't really count as "real" books. I just like making things, or trying to make things, and you can find some really cool ideas in books." She fidgeted a little. There was another genre of book she enjoyed reading, but it was always a little embarassing for her to admit to others; romance novels were something of a guilty pleasure of hers. They turned her into a squealing pile of mush. Not wanting to look silly in front of Xara, she finished up with, "That's mostly it. What about you? Read very often?"
Xara listened intently. "Ahh, I see. There can be some rather neat things in some of those. I'm not very good at crafts, but I do like to do them sometimes. Especially around Halloween." Shaking her head from side to side, "No.. not as much as I should, admittedly. I mostly just keep up on Gardening books and magazines.. Once in a while I'll read some fiction, but not very often." She stopped near a flowering bush and drew in a breath. "They always smell so beautiful.."
Emma joined Xara and drew in a deep, appreciative breath. "They do," she agreed, voice taking on a dreamy cast as she contemplated what she had just smelled, gently rubbing a leaf between her fingers then moving them to lightly brush over a blossom. "Do you know what kind of bush this is? All I could say is it's a pretty one." Emma flashed a grin at Xara. "I love flowers, but I don't know a ton about all the varieties."
Nodding at the bush, she took in the smell again and lifted her paws, severing one of the blooms. She held it out for Emma. "Rose of Sharon. They're a beautiful little flower. I keep some of them in front of my house."
Emma accepted the flower with a smile and breathed in the smell again, savoring the sweetness of it. She wouldn't have guessed rose at all! It looked more like a hibiscus. She wondered how it had gotten its name. An idea occured to her. Reaching out, she brushed Xara's bangs back and tucked the flower in place, securing it with one of the extra hair clips she always carried around just in case. "There," she said brightly, pulling back to admire her handiwork. "Now we both have flowers in our hair. Though I bet mine doesn't smell nearly as pretty," she added with a laugh.
Xara blushed as she accepted the flower. "Now that's not fair.. it was suppose to be for you." Still, she smiled gratefully. "Might be true! But yours will last far longer. I do love it though." She tilted her gaze away, her cheeks still warm. She wasn't use to having someone else make her blush!
Emma grinned cheekily. "How's it not fair? It was my flower, and I decided that it would look best as an accessory. The color works nicely with your own colors. Especially that pink in your cheeks," she couldn't help but tease. Her own cheeks were a little flushed, but it was from all the energy and laughing she was doing. It was nice to discover someone you could laugh with! "But you know," Emma said, calming down a bit, "I could probably preserve the flower so it would last longer. I've never tried the process for myself, but I've heard of people preserving flowers from like weddings or something so that they last forever. I always wanted to try it for myself some day."
Xara opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. Her cheeks grew warmer and she pursed her lips, wishing she could think of a comeback. "So not fair..." Frustrated when nothing came to mind, she mumbled to herself. Letting out a huff, she stuck out her tongue in response. "If you could figure out a way to preserve it, I'd definitely keep it!"
Emma eyed the flower consideringly. "Hmmmm. If you're willing to get dragged around with me, we can stop at a craft store to see if they sell glycerine. If they don't have any I'll have to order it, and that might take too long to save that particular flower." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I hope they have a book or pamphlet on how to use it with flowers, or see if I can look the information up. I've never done it before, so I'm not sure how it'll turn out." She cast Xara a curious look. "I know it's a pretty popular method. Have you ever had people ask you about it, since you run a flower store?"
She shook her head softly, thinking. "Not particularly. Most of my customers are older women who are into gardening. I can't say I haven't thought about it, but I haven't ever looked it up. I've always been too distracted." Moving through the garden again, she touched the flower softly. "If you'd like, I'd come along! It could be a learning experience in case anyone does ever ask." Her lips lifted in a smile. "Maybe I could even pick up some Halloween decorations or things." Pulls at some hair that had fallen in her eyes.
Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, there's still lots of Halloween stuff in craft stores. And it's all on sale at this point, since they're trying to clear it out to make room for more Christmas stuff." She shook her head. "It's sad, but I've been able to get Christmas decorations before Halloween ones were even out!" Her eyes were lit up with enthusiasm. "Do you ever make boquets to sell in your store? I think that would be so much fun, to do themed ones based on holidays!"
With a nod, Xara followed her lead. "Oh, I do. They sell more during Christmas though. Sometimes I try to make little beads or cute little things for them. Like putting little prints on the vases, or tissue paper." Thinking, she chewed on her lip, her eyes drifting. "Ah yes. But as a business owner I understand. Some people prefer to get their Christmas shopping done before the rush starts. Not that I think all the Christmas stuff should be around before Halloween... but to each their own." She let out a soft little sigh. "But good! I can pick up some of it for next year then. It'll save me some money." Adds with a grin.
"Christmas stuff is already on sale as well," Emma added, looking up to admire a tree whose leaves were turning autumn colors in clusters. It was a lovely effect against the green of the grass and the blue of the sky! "There's more variety for when shop when it's first out, of course, but I love going for the after holiday sales when things are super cheap. Sometimes there's still some good stuff to be had!" She reached up and twisted a strand of her hair thoughtfully. She had a rather broad interest in crafting, but it sounded like a lot of things she made could be applied to Xara's store, since the other woman made floral arrangements. "I sell most of the stuff I make. I've got a stall at the flea market I rent a couple times a month. Usually the profits go into more supplies. But that's fine, it's nice to be able to do something I enjoy."
Agreeing, her steps continued to follow Emma's own, though she paused as the other female admired the leaves. "Of course. But you can always find some neat things when they're on sale. I found some cute little metal beads last year that I made this little necklace with. It was really cute!" She couldn't help but smile as the wind rustled through the tree, causing a red tinted leaf to come twirling down right in front of them. "Ah, that's always neat! But I stand by what I said earlier, if you ever want to sell some things in my shop, you're more than welcome."
Emma laughed and blushed with pleasure. "You're really nice! Tell you what, I can come over to your store and bring a box with some of my work, and you can see if there's anything in there of interest or if you want me to make something more specific. I do a lot of charms, but I could probably make other things if I had a better idea of what it is you most use. For example if the experiment with the glycerin goes well I can probably make accents with other flowers and leaves. It would be so nice to preserve autumn colors!"
Xara chuckled softly, "Ah, thanks. You're pretty nice yourself.. and cute." Adds with a smirk. "Sure! I can give you the address." Ruffling around in a small purse, she pulls out a piece of paper and scribbles down the address before handing it to her. "Really, anything. Charms are really good to accompany some bouquets to give them an extra pop. And I think people would love the barrettes. It could give me some new customers." Hums happily as she continues on, following her toward the store.
Emma practically radiated happiness as she and Xara strolled through the aisles of the craft store. She inhaled deeply, bringing in the scents of burlap, candles, wood, and the fine assortment of spices and other things that belonged in the store. It was almost as intoxicating to her as the smell of flowers! The store she frequented actually wasn't too far from the park they'd been walking in, and the walk to get here had been nice and full of chatting. They made their way towards the floral section, since that was the first place Emma figured they'd have glycerin. If it wasn't here, she'd try the soap/candle-making sections next. "I love crafts stores," Emma said happily, breathing in another lungful of smell. "Just so much raw potential all over the place! After we see if they have glycerin we can look at their seasonal stuff and see if there's anything useful that catches your eye."
Moving through the store, she followed closely behind Emma. She didn't frequent craft stores all that often, but when she did she did enjoy being there. There were so many useful little things! It was obvious that Emma knew the store much better than she did, so she found herself having to force herself to keep up. Her head was moving all around to catch in all the little knicknacks as they passed down the aisles. "They certainly have lots of interesting things to look at!" She agreed as they rounded the corner to the floral section. She looked at all the neat items, glancing over the flowers and arrangements. "Hrmm... is this it?" She picked up a box, showing it to Emma.
Emma accepted the box and flipped it over, reading the info on the back. "I think this might be it! If not I'm sure I can find a use for it in something else." She tucked the box under her arm, feeling a thrill of excitement at the thought of trying a new project. "I'll look up how to use this stuff, just in case there's a specific technique to it." She brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled at Xara. "So what next? Seasonal shopping?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:54 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:56 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:58 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:06 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:10 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:16 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:21 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:25 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:39 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:46 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:51 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:53 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:55 pm
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