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 Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:58 pm
Nasir had a basket on his arm and it was already piled up with fresh fruit and some vegetables. There were also some seedlings for some herbs so that he could grow them at home (something that had been inspired by the detective). There was a light mist going on but thankfully with most of the market covered, the only thing he had to worry about was damp hair. The young man unclipped one of the hair clips in his hair and reclipped it to get a wet lock of hair out of his face. With most of his produce shopping done, he was gravitating towards the flowers and other unique things that you could find at the Ashdown farmer's market.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 8:36 pm
It wasn't often that Nathaniel allowed himself the small expense of farmer's market food. Fresh produce tended to be pricier than grocery store brands, and everything about Nathaniel's finances was meticulously budgeted down to the last penny. Being strict did not allow for things like home grown apples lacking in chemicals, unfortunately.
But he'd been given an extra bonus from his janitor's job for working a month solid of weekends, and he'd decided that the apples were now within his limits, Nathaniel wandering from stand to stand with said apples in a bag on his arm. He was, of course, naturally drawn to the flower stand - flowers and plants, of everything, were always within Nathaniel's meager budget, even if this stand was run by the very same gardening company that Nathaniel worked for.
It wasn't a particularly large stand, but the abundance of multicolored blossoms was beautiful, Nathaniel's expression softening as he reached out a hand, absently touching the petal of a bouquet of daisies, feeling the velvety softness against the pads of his fingers.
There was someone else there, dark haired and curious, multiple clips keeping his hair back away from his face. Nathaniel glanced at him, then down at the flowers again, then back up.
"Are you...interested in anything?" he asked tentatively, wondering if he was intruding by asking.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 3:23 pm
Nasir was not often asked questions first. It was an odd occurrence because he was usually the one that made the first step. Forever friendly, forever with warm smiles and brown eyes behind the lenses of his glasses. He looked honestly startled a moment before he was responding (though he made note of the way the other young man touched the daisies, the gesture familiar somehow). "The daisies, actually," he said with a laugh. "I've been learning how to make flower wreaths for hair and there's always a good selection here to pick from if I want more than that."
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:57 pm
Nathaniel's smile widened, stretching across his face, more genuine in nature than it had been in a little while.
"Daisies are a great place to start for flower wreaths," he said, reaching to pick up a small bouquet, shifting the bag of apples on his arm to do so. He held them both in his hands, the fresh scent of them wafting up to meet his nose.
"Daisies go well with lilies, I think," said Nathaniel brightly. "If you get white or yellow ones, those tend to go with a lot of other lighter colors."
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 8:47 pm
"Lighter colors are good for Wil," he replied. "He's got blonde hair. I just like the way they smell ..." There was a sheepish shake of his head, scratching at the back of it briefly before he was delicately touching the tip of a finger to one of the daisies. "I don't think I've used lilies before. Daisies, some baby's breath, carnations ..." Nasir raised his hand up to tug on a lock of thick, wavy hair on his own head. "Mostly because that's what I got from the florist and what was recommended for my hair."
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:04 pm
Nathaniel couldn't help but smile. "If he's got blond hair, then maybe some white or pink or lighter orange could be good, less yellow if you don't want it to get lost in his hair. Red is also good, it adds a little bit of color!"
As always, when he spoke of plants, the southern drawl became more pronounced, Nathaniel flushing a little. He cleared his throat and spoke again, this time keeping it a little more controlled and a little less obvious that his hometown had been elsewhere.
"Carnations are a favorite," Nathaniel admitted. "And you do have good hair for it. Baby's breath is nice, but it does tend to have less of a pleasant odor than the others. Carnations go really well with a lot of things, and so do daisies, as they're very simple flowers."
There was a pause, and then Nathaniel said, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your browsing, I'm a gardener as a side job, so I tend to...know a lot about flowers in general."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 4:46 pm
"It's alright!" Nasir said brightly, smiling warmly. "I appreciate the information. I only know about herbs and things for cooking, so ..." A free hand waved towards the flowers. "I could use the information. I know someone who has an amazing garden but he's, uh, not the most easily approachable for me." Not entirely true. Nasir could approach Detective Lieutenant Mercer just fine, he just- The idea of talking to him about flowers was strange. Cooking he understood but flowers? Whoo. "So you would recommend the daisies and the carnations and what else?" Nasir looked into his basket a moment, eyeing the fact the had picked up some basil and some other herbs to grow at the house. "I've still got room and or I could just buy some and weave them here ..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 7:19 pm
"I'm not really all that experienced in cooking," Nathaniel admitted, shifting his bag again, the apples swinging merrily. "I kind of just...improvise the best I can."
Mostly because I had nothing to work with growing up, he thought, but to say that out loud, especially to a complete stranger, was something he could not comprehend. Instead, he merely offered the guy a little smile, just a small upturning of his lips at the corners.
"I work a few jobs here and there, but gardening is my favorite," said Nathaniel, then flushed slightly, because now, of course, it made him seem like he couldn't hold a job. Or maybe he was simply some hillbilly that lived in a trailer somewhere and didn't belong anywhere respectable in society.
Stop overthinking.
"Uh, anyway," said Nathaniel hastily, "Yes, the daisies and carnations are great - you could get white daisies, pink carnations, and red roses, just a few, and that would be a very nice combination. Or white daisies, red carnations, and white lilies...the green leaves will add a nice spray of color as well..."
He likely could have gone on forever, Nathaniel smoothing fingers across the soft petals of a carnation.
"Roses are expensive, though, so I think daisies and carnations are your best choice."
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 5:00 pm
"Improvising isn't a bad thing. It leads to some great things!" Nasir meant it too. Some of his best meals had happened because he was improvising and not actually following anything in particular. It had, during the times they had been in the dorms, lead to some particularly great meals. Ones he had trouble repeating once he had a kitchen. "I could probably get one or two roses, just as a focal point ..." he mused, looking to Nathaniel as he continued to touch the blooms. "In fact," he said slowly as an idea came to him, "could you pick out enough for three flower crowns?" Totally up to something but this was Nasir. It was always a good something.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:42 pm
Unfortunately for Nathaniel, improvising often meant having a peanut butter and cracker sandwich because that was all that there was in the house. But at the very least, it made him resourceful, he supposed, if nothing else. And when it came to flowers, he was a great deal better at improvising at gardening than cooking.
"True," said Nathaniel with a smile; the man's enthusiasm was infectious. "There's something to be said about spontaneity, after all, right?"
He glanced sideways at him, brows rising in curiosity; but Nathaniel gave a little nod before turning back to the flowers, tapping his chin in thought.
"If you're looking for three crowns that look different from one another..."
Nathaniel carefully selected one red rose, several white daisies, and a handful of pink carnations and set them aside. Then he took a white rose, several yellow daisies, and a few white lilies. For the last, he selected a red rose, a few white lilies, and several pink carnations.
"Now, if you wanted them all the same," said Nathaniel, completely in his element now. "Then I would go with...red roses, pink carnations, and white daisies."
He selected enough for three crowns and set them aside, turning to smile at the man.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 8:48 pm
"There really is," he agreed. Improvising and being spontaneous were both good things, though Nasir was certainly lacking on the spontaneous. That was usually Wil (and he went along for the ride) because he often planned out things in advance. "Let each one be different, I think. That way each one has it's own chance to stand out around the others." Not that Wil needed any assistance to stand out really. It was more about making him blend in when he was not sleeping somewhere easily found. Nasir made a hum of approval at the flower selection and was reaching for his wallet to pay the person watching the stall for them. "Need to pay for them before I start trying to turn them into flower crowns," he said with a chuckle and then glanced back over to Nathaniel. "Do you think you could help me carry them? I don't want to ruin the petals and there was an empty bench not that far away." Then Nasir was ducking his head down a moment, grinning a little sheepishly and his face darkening a touch. "I should probably introduce myself instead of just asking you to help anymore," he said with a small chuckle. "Hi, my name is Nasir. It's good to meet you." There was a wide, warm grin there, a hand held out in greeting.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:07 am
"Different is nice," said Nathaniel agreeably. "There's more of a variety with them if they're not all the same."
He reached out and carefully put the extras back where they had come from, each movement precise and deliberate with the amount of care that stemmed (pun not intended) from a long born respect for plant life. Nathaniel let his fingers slide along the velvety petal of a rose before he dropped them again, turning to face the other.
"Oh," he said, a little surprised, but gratified all the same. "Of course, I don't mind."
The man - Nasir - was a friendly sort, easy to feel comfortable around. Nathaniel stuck out his hand as well and gave it a small shake, his own fingers work worn and a little rough from years of hard labor; a fact he was all too aware of.
"Nathaniel," he said, "It's nice to meet you too. Here, I'll take these two bundles," he added, plucking them up and holding them in his free arm.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:43 pm
"That's what I was thinking," Nasir admitted about the variety. It would make more of a statement as well. He looked happy and pleased that Nathaniel was willing to help him carry them, as well as having picked them out. Sometimes the young man was a little uneasy when it came to new people and it was not an old problem but a new one. Ever since he had run across someone who had made him feel wrong for being friendly as he was. After paying for the flowers, Nasir was reaching out to grasp Nathaniel's hand in his own. His own hands were calloused, rough, and a touch dry because of what he had worked with in the kitchen. Which meant, of course, he did not notice anything out of the ordinary about the other's hands. "Thanks so much for putting up with helping me," he said with a chuckle, picking up the last bundle. "Have you eaten yet? I've got some sandwiches I made earlier just in case I lingered here too long that I can share when we sit ..." kuropeco nasir gonna feed u nathaniel
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 11:04 am
Nasir was perfectly friendly, which made it easier. Nathaniel gave a little laugh, though it hinged on slightly self-conscious; he did not want the experience marred by a sense of pity directed towards him, and sincerely hoped that it wasn't the case this time.
Stop overthinking.
"I...haven't eaten," said Nathaniel lightly. "What kind of sandwiches are they?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:50 am
It definitely was not pity. If anything, Nasir was doing this because he was clearly taking up Nathaniel's time and you never did that without giving something in return. Right? "Roast beef, fresh lettuce, sliced tomatoes ..." Nasir started to ramble off what was on the sandwiches. "Oh and some slice avocado on the side if you like that." The spot he was looking for was not that far and they could have a seat.
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