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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:11 pm
Who: Lorin, Claire (alpha lyrae), Ian, & Eden (Cynnybun)
Where: Thistle Do Nicely, in Barton
When: Early December 2016, in the late morning
Weather: Chilly and cold, with a few snowflakes in the air
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Claire had not consulted the owner's directory much, and she was somewhat disappointed that she hadn't once she stumbled upon what she found. She did her best to keep the house in order, and while Lorin was playing in the living room, she took to dusting his room. All of the music boxes would be scrubbed up in the kitchen, so as she laid those aside, she pulled the small collection of books off the shelf to dust underneath. The manila envelope containing all of the important Lab documents poked out of the Winnie the Pooh baby book, which she had accommodated for Lorin. She sat on the edge of the bed and opened it up, smiling at the first couple of pages, filled out in her neat handwriting - the date Lorin came home, a copy of the first photo Zeke had snapped of the three when they had picked him up, a few details she had noticed about him in his first few months home. She opened the envelope, leafing through the papers inside, when she spotted the highlight on Zeke's name and phone numbers - the contact sheet. Lorin had been doing so well meeting friends, but she wondered how many, as of March, he had yet to meet?
The minutes whittled away as she went through the list, smiling at familiar names, but one gave her pause as her eyes landed on Ian Flynn. He had a Raevan with a nymph soul - something strikingly similar to Lorin. She also took note of his occupation: florist. Claire hummed thoughtfully; she had promised to show Lorin a florist sometime, but had yet to fulfill that promise. And with winter coming on and his energy significantly diminished compared to the spring and summer months, perhaps it was time.
Maybe he and Eden would feel that connection, as fellow nature spirits.
The phone call went as well as she could have hoped for, and between the two of them, a meeting was arranged following the busy season at the end of November. Claire buckled Lorin into the car on the day of the appointed meeting, which was a task in and of itself because Lorin was wiggling with excitement. Another nature soul like him? He could not wait to meet her! He had told his succulents very enthusiastically about his plan, and on the way out the door, he had stopped in shock. They needed a gift for his new friend! He had been remiss with Aina, but he would not be caught unaware again. He paced his room, trying to think of what he could give a new friend, and his succulents sent out their curiosity about his new friend.
That was when Lorin had gotten his grand idea.
It took some bargaining on his part, as the plants were reluctant to be separated from each other (and him, by extension), but he promised that their new friend would help take care of them. Her papa works as a florist, after all! They would have many new friends.
Lorin settled into the car for the couple hours it took to get to Barton, glancing out the window as they moved away from the shore and headed inland, and he gasped as he saw a swirl of snowflakes falling from the grey skies. He had only ever seen them on TV - he wondered if they were as cold as TV said they were.
The two of them parked in a side lot adjacent to Thistle Do Nicely (which Claire had to circle the block to make sure she had the right spot), and headed for the front door. Lorin paused, gloved fingers flexing on the small desert rose in his hands, as he fought with his nerves.
"I hope she likes it," he whispered, as much to himself as to the succulent he held. Claire placed a warm hand on his back, between his wings, and rubbed.
"I'm sure she will," she said, and she opened the front door with a jolly jingle to usher him inside. The fresh scent of flowers and soil hit them instantly, and the temperature hiked significantly from outside.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 7:01 pm
When Ian had told her that another Raevan was coming to visit them, another one, Eden couldn't help being excited. Apparently their souls were fairly similar, nature spirits from different backgrounds. This Raevan had the soul of a leshy, but all Ian knew was that it was a forest spirit. That didn't even come close to satisfying Eden's curiosity, and so she found herself pouring over her laptop between steps in her makeup routine.
She scrolled through an article as she blended her foundation in her skin, blotting endlessly with her special sponge without even having to look. Beat your foundation into submission, one beauty blogger had joked; Eden's lips curled into an amused smirk at the memory. The only things she could really find about leshies were fairly vague. They were more like guardians than spirits, watching over and protecting the forest and the creatures that lived in it. They could communicate with plants and animals, and sometimes even mimic voices and sounds. They were a Slavic myth, like Vesna's rusalka soul. Eden paused to touch the screen where an image showed the leshy with his long scraggly beard and she giggled. What if this Raevan had a big beard like that? Would he look like an old man?
After donning a velvety oversized hooded sweatshirt and piled all her hair atop her head in a messy bun, Eden drifted down the inside stairs to the shop. She'd placed a sprinkling of cherry blossoms along the crown of her head, as well as a chain of them around her neck like a choker. Apparently Ian and the leshy Raevan's guardian had decided to meet in the shop instead of the apartment, since he wanted to see all the plants. It sort of made sense; Eden liked to be in the shop as well. It was a little closed-in for her taste, but at least there were plenty of plants to make her feel at home. She had even started slowly moving leftovers up into her room and the apartment with Ian's permission. They added not only color but also more convenient -- and less problematic -- food sources.
She had been letting her fingers follow a long tendril of ivy when she heard the door chime, and Ian was the first to speak. "Hello! You must be Claire. And Lorin!" It wasn't a workday, but Ian had sort of opened up the shop anyway, to give them a less public opportunity to meet. Eden drifted out toward the front entrance with a small but eager smile, looking for the familiar ribbon and glow of a rune that indicated a Raevan. She didn't have to search for long.
"Lorin?" Her smile widened when she saw him, hovering low- no! He was small! He looked so young, so much more so than she and Vesna did. He looked just like one of the many kids that played in the park across the street, little and energetic and all smiles. "I'm Eden, it's nice to meet you!" She hovered lower to the ground to match him, her ribbon pooling just slightly on the warm wooden floor.
Ian chuckled as Eden easily swooped in and drew attention to herself. He directed his own to Claire, offering his hand for her to shake. "It is nice to meet you both. My name is Ian," he said mostly to Lorin before looking back at his guardian. The pair of them looked more like mother and son than any other pair he'd met through Lab, warm blond hair atop both their heads. "Did you find the place okay?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 8:48 pm
The warmth of the shop made Lorin's cheeks tingle and he slid the knit beanie off his head, showcasing the hat hair beneath, as Claire shut the door behind them. Ian had graciously decided to open the shop for them on a day they were closed, and with a nudge on the shoulder from his mama, he floated further inside. Much like his trip to the botanical gardens, there were so many colors to look at that his eyes were constantly wandering and a small gasp fell from his lips. He hovered close to a hanging planter, soaking in the comfortable feeling that many of the plants gave off as he hugged the desert rose to him. Claire watched him go, poised to tell him not to wander too far before they met Ian and Eden, when the guardian himself approached and started introductions.
"Yes, that's right!" Claire replied cheerfully. Now that she got a good look at him, she remembered Ian from the few gatherings she had been to - she had seen his face at the party in the spring. Lorin, upon hearing the strange new voice, turned around with a shy smile and slid close to his mother's legs, nodding. Everyone they had met up until now had looked so friendly, and this man was no different. Lorin wondered idly what his Raevan would be like, but it was a question that did not wait long for an answer as Eden appeared, beautiful and smiling. His own shy smile remained and he shuffled the pot in his arms around to hide a little behind it - Eden was so pretty.. and pink! His eyes took in the pinkness of her hair (which reminded him fondly of Cesc), the spray of blossoms at her crown and throat, and the fluttering wings at her back. Some of his shyness stole away as she lowered to his height and addressed him and his eyes brightened.
"Hi Eden," he said, hugging the planter close. He fumbled with his hands timidly for a moment, and then he held out his gift to her. He could feel the plant's curiosity as he did so. "Oh, I brought a present for you! I hope you like her." His smile, shyly hidden moments before, bloomed fully at last. "Your flowers are real pretty." Claire hid her own smile behind splayed fingers as she watched the two. She had most definitely seen Eden before as well - most Raevans were very distinctive, and she was no exception. As the two Raevans got acquainted, she returned Ian's chuckle and took his hand.
"It's a pleasure," Claire said warmly. "I've seen you both at the Lab - it's good to have names to faces. And it was no trouble at all; it took me a time or two around the block to find it, but I haven't been to Barton in some time so I think that one is more on me." Claire laughed at herself, before she glanced down at the Frei at her side. "Lorin honey, say hello to Ian." She placed her spare hand on Lorin's shoulder, which momentarily startled him (preoccupied as he was with Eden), and he turned around, smile still bright as he nodded his head.
"Hi, Ian," he said, swaying. "Thanks for letting me come play today!" He glanced around the shop - so many flowers in such a small place, and so many colors "Are all these your flowers?" he asked Eden curiously.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 10:22 pm
"Good! Luckily we're on a pretty busy street, not tucked away somewhere." Ian chuckled softly. Barton was thankfully laid out fairly well, a simple grid with only the occasional deviant street around a landmark or two.
Eden, on the other hand, was entirely preoccupied with Lorin and everything about him. His wings caught her attention first, clearly a pair of large leaves in a vibrant autumn shade. But they did not appear wilted at all like the ones on the trees outside had earlier this year. The antennae atop his little head earned a soft coo of interest and she longed to touch them--they must be soft!--but held herself back. Ian had told her to be wary of other peoples' personal spaces.
His small voice caught her attention and she looked down at the offered plant. Her lips split into a wide smile as she gently accepted the pot, catching on to the way he'd called the plant 'her.' "Aww, thanks! And I like your antennae, they're very cute!" She held the plant up to inspect it, noting the bright pink blossoms that weren't quite the same as other flowers. It looked considerably different from all the plants she'd seen so far, and there was a strange sense of recognition in her rune though she could not think of the name. "'She...' Does she have a name? Everyone has to have a name," she insisted. As she spoke the flowers in her hair closed into buds and shifted, reopening as the same bright pink blossoms to match.
When Lorin was momentarily distracted by Claire and Ian she took advantage of more time to look him over. Now that she thought about it, Lorin looked extraordinarily like Claire. Eden watched carefully as they interacted, sporting almost the same blonde hair, the same light but warm skin... She looked nothing like Ian, save for maybe a similarity in eye color. Vesna certainly did not look even remotely similar to Lorenzo, and neither did Cesc to Vivi. She had to wonder what about Lorin made him special in this way; or was it simply a coincidence?
"Yeah! Well--I mean, sort of. They belong to the shop, and we sell them to people who want to take them home! But we have lots upstairs in our house, too." She looked around at the shop, then to Ian. "Can we give them one? We should repay gifts, right?"
Ian blinked in mild surprise when Eden requested giving Lorin and Claire a plant. He laughed, nodding as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Of course! You guys can look around if you want, and you can take home your favorite." He smiled warmly at Lorin, then at Claire. He would cross the bridge of any pets they needed to be careful of when Lorin had picked out a plant.
Meanwhile Eden clapped her hands as best she could while holding her pot. "Yay! Come on, we've got loads of cool ones!" She held out her free hand for Lorin to take if he wanted.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:55 pm
His hands free of the pot, Lorin knit them together in front of his chest expectantly as he waited, eyes trained on her face. Luckily he did not have to wait long, and the anticipation melted from his features in favor of relief at her reaction. A blush grew in his cheeks as she complimented his antennae and he reached up to touch them shyly. He rubbed the fronds thoughtfully when she addressed him again and the antenna snapped from his fingers with a thrum before it settled back into position. "I just call her Miss Desert Rose 'cause that's what she is, but Mama says you can name plants anything. We got a rose bush named Louise." Claire's cheeks also flushed a light pink and she lifted her hand to mask her laugh. Lorin's eyes trailed up to the crown of flowers on the nymph Frei's head as they sleepily closed and reopened with thicker petals, the same shade of dusty pink as the succulent in her arms.
"My mother's joke," Claire explained to Ian as an aside behind her unfolded hand, with only the slightest hint of embarrassment. "She gave me a trimming and said that was the perfect name, since she named hers Thelma." The context of the joke was lost to Lorin, but an idea occured to him then, and it dawned in his eyes brightly as he turned to Eden with an excited flourish.
"Maybe you can give her a name!" Turning his attention to the pot in Eden's hands, he rephrased excitedly, "Can Eden give you a real name? Would you like that?" He could feel the desert rose perk at the edge of his consciousness and shyly consider his offer, before a blanket of approval settled over him. "She'll let you!" He nodded in affirmation. Claire's fingertips rested around her mouth at the casual display of his ability; he was becoming much more certain of it in recent months, barely batting an eyelash as he called the desert rose to question.
Both Lorin and Claire looked a mixture of pleased and modest while Ian and Eden discussed a gift in return, and the woman turned more fully towards Ian when he flashed her a smile, gratitude written clearly on her face. "That's so generous of you both - thank you!" She did not even need to turn towards the honey Frei to prompt him to say thank you, as his voice carried from behind her with all the gratitude he could muster.
"Really?" The bright, blooming smile returned as he glanced between Ian and Eden. "Thank you! I'll pick out something real nice, Mama, you'll see!" His small face was determined, and he took Eden's extended hand with a careful squeeze of her fingers as the two drew away from the counter as his enthusiasm carried him forward. He could hear his mother laugh once more, the notes light and cheerful, and it only made his smile widen. There was so much to take in at Thistle Do Nicely; Lorin had not quite seen anything like it. This was nowhere near similar to the large store that he had rescued his succulents from, nor was it quite similar to Ethiriel's greenhouse. This seemed a happier medium of the two, with the warmth and care of the greenhouse paired with the variety of the store. The arrangements were various and so eye-catching that he was not sure where to start. "D'you got a favorite flower, Eden?" Golden eyes sought her face, eager to learn more about her. He swung their linked hands casually between them. "'Cause I like lotsa flowers so it's hard for me to pick one I like best." He wanted to see and learn so much while he was here with this new companion, linked to nature as much as he was. He thought of Dair and wondered if she, too, could understand the plants around her. The thought that the three of them might be able to someday converse with flowers and trees as one would with a person was so exciting to the young boy, and his antennae vibrated in response.
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:47 pm
The joke was completely lost on Eden as well, but Ian let out a low chuckle at the names. "That's clever," he hummed. "I can't say I've taken to naming our plants, but Eden seems to like doing it." It was clear the Freis were in their own world now, so he focused his attention on Claire instead. As Eden and Lorin ventured further into the shop, Ian seemed startled. "Oh- Since you're waiting, can I get you anything? We have a keurig in the back, coffee and tea pods, water..?"
Meanwhile, Eden was completely wrapped up in Lorin. He was so small and adorable, but still lively in a way that was wholly different from Vesna's unbridled energy. He was more like Cesc in his vibrant warmth, but with unmistakable childlike wonder in his bright gold eyes. The nymph cradled her new plant friend against her chest with her free arm while Lorin's fingers remained wrapped around her hand. "That's a lot of responsibility... Picking a name! You'll have to help me if that's okay?" She laughed softly. "I'll keep thinking while we're looking."
They floated past a large display of precut bouquets and single flowers on one side, cards and ribbons and balloons on the other. Down the middle of the shop was a series was long tables holding little cubbies of different seed packets for starting from scratch. The more difficult plants had already been started in small pots near the back of the store, next to the large windows and wrapping all around the back end. All the sections and different plants were marked with little chalkboard signs.
"A favorite? Oh, that's hard... I guess if I had to pick, I'd say peonies. They just look so fluffy and they're kinda like roses, but- softer?" She laughed. "But yeah, I'm the same way. It's really hard to choose!" As they browsed a little nagging thought kept poking at her.
"Hey Lorin," she chimed, sinking down a bit closer to his height. "Can you... understand the plants? You talked about this one like she could talk to you." Eden smiled, tilting her head to the side a little. "I mean, I can sort of talk to them? It's not really talking... I just get feelings sometimes I guess?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:08 pm
"I rarely did myself, at least before Lorin." Claire's smile softened and she nodded her head towards the two retreating Freis. Naming the plants was something Lorin enjoyed quite much, although his bank of names was lacking. Oftentimes he went off of names he had heard in his stories, or on movies or television shows he liked, or even names of people he knew. Many of the plants, as well, were merely given a formal honorific attached to their names, and the young Frei was satisfied enough with it. The mention of tea prompted Claire to ask Lorin if he wanted anything, but he and Eden were already further back in the shop, absorbed in conversation. She settled her chin in her palm with a chuckle before she dropped it atop her other hand on the counter. "That sounds wonderful, thank you. Green tea, if you have any?"
Lorin's face was tinged pink in pleasure from Eden's compliment and he swung their joined hands lightly. "Don't worry, I can help you if you don't got any ideas." Immediately, several of the names from his and Mama's recent bedtime stories flew to mind, and he kept them just within reach as they traversed further back. Miss Desert Rose would have the final say in her name, certainly, so it was good to have several options available, but he had confidence that between him and Eden, they would find the perfect fit. His eye wandered over the pruned bouquets, done up in their varied arrangements with curls of ribbon, and his stray hand toyed with the ends as they continued further back. There was so much to feast his eyes on here that it was hard to decide where to start, and when both Eden and Ian said that he could select something from the store, that made it all the more exciting to the leshy Frei. He wanted to see and explore everything and give their generous offer the consideration it deserved.
As Eden took time to ponder and respond to his question, Lorin's eyes widened in recognition "Ohhh, we got peonies at home! Peonies 're nice." He beamed brightly as he nodded in agreement. Eden's fond words of the flowers told him that she loved them just as much as he and his mother did. "They're all kindsa colors, Mama says, but they're sleeping right now." What little greenery he had seen in the late spring and summer now waited quietly underneath a blanket of snow, strange enough for Gambino. "I like lilies 'n sunflowers 'n apple blossoms 'n big old oak trees, but that's not a flower." He frowned momentarily before he shrugged it off a beat later. "But it's real hard to choose 'cause there's so many plants and I don't know 'em all yet."
His fingers loosened from hers as they approached the seed packet cubbies, and he picked one up with both hands. Seeds were always a great idea, then he and his mama could be there from the very beginning, but there were already so many choices, even with just that. He had turned over a packet of foxglove seeds to look at the back when Eden called his attention, and he watched her with a curious gaze as she met his height, tilted her head and indicated the desert rose in her arm. As she lay her question bare, his smile grew wider, and he clutched the packet to himself excitedly. "You can feel their feelings too?" He bounced slightly in place. "That's what I can do! I dunno if I can really talk to 'em someday but I feel their feelings. I just talk to 'em and they respond with their feelings so I don't really hear words or nothing." He scratched his cheek as he thought, setting the packet back in its respective cubby. But he brightened anew and took hold of her hand with both of his. "That's so cool, though! Dair can feel their feelings too! D'you know Dair?" The fact that he now knew two Raevans who could feel a plant's feelings like he could was astounding to Lorin, and if Eden did not know the oak Frei, he was more than determined to facilitate that meeting.
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 6:30 pm
"Sure thing! I'll be right back," Ian replied with a smile. He moved toward the back of the shop to make the tea, returning shortly with two mugs and rejoining Claire at the front. He leaned against the counter as well, watching the two Freis talk. They looked so nice together, two nature souls reuniting.
"So, I've been wondering- How is it that Lorin looks so young? From my experience most Freis look about Eden's age or a bit older, but now Lorin and Aina have broken that trend..." He chuckled. "That probably presents totally unique challenges to the whole thing." He sighed and raised one brow in mild exasperation. "I know raising a sudden teenager is hard enough."
Across the large room Eden smiled down at Lorin, still hovering lower than normal to be closer to his height. When he responded so enthusiastically to her description of her powers, she giggled and clapped her hands together excitedly. "That's awesome! We should start, like, a plant club or something!"
But when Lorin mentioned another person with similar powers, she tilted her head to the side a little and shook it. "But I don't think I know Dair... Are they small like you, or bigger like me? What do they look like?" She desperately wanted to meet more people like her, especially Raevans with powers, essences, and souls much like her own.
"Are there any other cool things you can do? I bet you have lots, huh?"
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