Covent Garden Flowers, Wednesday

[2_old_for_this]

The flowers had apparently decided today was their day to entertain the kittenwillow. They had gotten a small piece of green foam and were batting it around from one side of the shop to the other while the little thing chased it.

It was only a problem when Peter had to wrangle a few daisies into an arrangement. They kept squirming around to watch. Eventually, he had to move the vase to the back room just to finish it. He was fairly sure they started sulking after that, but they stood up straight at least.

Covent Garden was open!


[Open post, no OCD!]

Comments

[mages_suck]

Fenris found his way to Peter's flower shop. He paused in the doorway to watch a small grey..kitten?..it couldn't be a kitten, that was too small to be a kitten .. chasing a green piece of foam across the floor.

"You have a pet?" he inquired curiously, watching it.

He wouldn't admit it, but it was stinkin' adorable.

[2_old_for_this]

"I suppose so?" Peter shrugged. "Hernando bought some pussywillows a few weeks ago, and instead of sprouting, they did...this. The ones he kept eventually rooted and went back to being plants, but this little one hasn't."

He gave Fenris a wry smile. "Welcome to Fandom."

[mages_suck]

Fenris blinked. "Is that a common thing plants do on this island?" He looked around the shop. "I have come in today to speak with you about a job. You mentioned that you had openings? I don't know much about plants," he admitted.

The kittenwillow zoomed over his foot. His ..bare..foot. It tickled a little.

[2_old_for_this]

"I've never had it happen before, but they often behave more like animals than plants. I'm not sure if it's the fault of the island or wherever they come from."

Peter gave Fenris a lopsided smile. "For all I know, there are flowers like this in my world, too. I never exactly paid a lot of attention to them. Which is my way of saying, don't worry if you don't know much, you can learn, too."

[mages_suck]

"That was my thought," Fenris inclined his head a little, "Maybe I could shadow you today and see how much care they need?"

[2_old_for_this]

"Sure," Peter agreed. "Right now I'm mostly making a few bouquets as requested, and then I'll water and feed the live ones. Should be easy to catch on."

[mages_suck]

Fenris gave a slightly perturbed look at the live plants in the store. "You don't cut these for the bouquets?" Surely not.

[2_old_for_this]

"No, thankfully," Peter said. Yeah, that'd be weird. "Not to say the cut flowers aren't also strange, but we get them separately." He led the way back to the wall full of vases of cut flowers, most of them Earth standard, plus a few from that rainbow dimension, and a row of ones he had no idea the origin of.

[mages_suck]

Fenris strolled after him, looking around at the flowers - which were looking back at him in an unsettling fashion. He examined the wall full of vases. "So people come in and ask for a bouquet of these and you make something for them?"

[2_old_for_this]

"They come in or they call," Peter said, nodding. "Have you had a chance to use a phone yet?"

[mages_suck]

"No. My roommate has one. He uses it to look things up," Fenris explained, "The answers often disturb him. I'm not certain I'd like to use a phone."

[2_old_for_this]

"I can understand that, but phones are used for a lot of things," Peter said. "The phone here isn't a fancy portable one, though, just this."

He stepped over to the desk and picked up the cordless handset. "It rings when someone calls, and then you talk to them over it, and they'll place an order. Here." He handed the phone to Fenris and took out his own cell phone.

[mages_suck]

Fenris took the phone and examined it for a moment, casting his eyes up at Peter. "This seems portable enough?"

[2_old_for_this]

"It works within a certain range of its base," Peter explained. "This kind," he held up his cell phone, "works pretty much anywhere. Anyway, if I call the store," he tapped the option for that, and the phone in Fenris' hand rang. "That's what you'll hear."

[mages_suck]

To his credit, Fenris did not throw the phone. He did hold it a little tighter, staring at it. Then, in its direction, he said a dubious, "Hello?"

[2_old_for_this]

Peter smiled. "You've got the idea. There's a button you have to press to stop the ringing and answer the call. There." He pointed it out. "Then hold this part up to your ear and this end to your mouth."

[mages_suck]

Fenris did as directed, holding the handset up to his ear - the correct way around even - and repeated, "Hello?"

[2_old_for_this]

"Hello," Peter said into his phone. "This is what phones were originally used for - to speak across long distances."

[mages_suck]

"You're standing right there," Fenris stated, "I could talk to you without this."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter laughed. "Well, yes, but I could be standing several buildings or cities or countries away, and I could still call the shop and talk to you over the phone."

He hung up, then showed Fenris the button on the phone. "Press that to end the call. People will call from all over, sometimes to order flowers to be delivered to someone on the island, or to be ready for them when they come here."

[mages_suck]

Fenris pushed the correct button and hung the phone up. He glanced back where it had been docked and managed to get that part correct without coaching.

"I might have to learn the names of the flowers," he admitted, "I'm not sure they're the same where I'm from. Not that I really learned them there, either."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter started to say it wouldn't be a problem, but - hm. "I've got books showing what they are, but they won't be much help until you can read. How good is your memory?"

[mages_suck]

"Very good and very long," Fenris said mildly, "I have difficulty forgetting things."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter smiled. "In that case, how about I just run you through them?"

[mages_suck]

Fenris nodded, "Lead on. I must admit to no small amusement, an elf as flower arranger."

He looked back at the living plants and almost smiled at them. "It does seem..peaceful, though."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter nodded. "That's how I ended up in this place. Before here, I was in...does your world have a concept of Hell?"

[mages_suck]

"It does," Fenris admitted, "The Old Gods - Dragons - guarded the gates to the dark realm and held its power back. Mages entered the Golden City and opened the gate. Thus began the corruption. The Golden City blackened, the Darkspawn were born, and the first Blight began."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter grimaced. "Not quite the same as my world's. A realm of demons and fire where human souls are tortured. I spent a thousand years there. When I got out...it was soothing, just being around anything green and friendly."

[mages_suck]

"That sounds like what the Chantry threatens humans with. Demons, fire, eternal torment. Of course, they're also fond of getting the fire and torment part out ahead of death." His voice was wry.

He looked at the plants again, "I can see why this would be preferable."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter smiled wryly. "Very preferable. I came in, started just cleaning up, pulling off dead leaves, things like that. Eventually I called the bank to find out who owned it, and somehow that meant I did. I'm still not clear on how it happened, but it's not a bad thing."

[mages_suck]

"The plants had been left here by themselves?" He looked back at the plants that were more alive and active than most plants he'd ever seen. "Seems cruel, considering."

[2_old_for_this]

"Yeah. The cut ones had dried out, but the potted ones were doing really well," Peter said. "I don't know how long they'd been on their own. Or why."