Tuesday: Plant Parenthood

[mylandmyrules]

Nell spent most of the day working on transplanting seedlings she'd started in her greenhouse into pots in the store. She was up to her elbows in dirt and happy as a clam to do so. Luckily there was a sink close by so that she could quickly rinse off when customers came in. The kittens were upstairs so that she'd only have herself to wash off and not two dirt covered kittens.

As usual she took a little time in the afternoon to take a tea break and read a little before finishing up her day and she was always happy to pour another cup for a visitor.

Plant Parenthood is open!

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

It was around late morning when Steven came by the shop. "Nell! Hello, how are you?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Steven! Give me one second and I'll be right over!" She quickly rinsed the dirt off and hurried over, drying her hands off with a small towel. "How are you? It's good to see you."

[hasaknightjob]

"Doing well, thank you," Steven said. "Though in need of restocking on your lovely teas, so hopefully the tragedy of possibly running out of them shall be averted. How are you? Did the weekend treat you all right?"

[mylandmyrules]

"We can't have that now, can we?" Nell said with a smile. "I had a good weekend. No visitors, though I did get to meet Noctis when he visited Gladio and Ignis and Prompto. How about you?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Llewellyn had a visitor," Steven said. "Someone he used to work with. Bittersweet, that, as you can imagine."

[mylandmyrules]

"I'm sure it must have been hard for him," Nell said. "Bittersweet as you said. It was someone he was glad to see?"

[hasaknightjob]

"It was," Steven said. "I enjoyed meeting him as well. He's a good man. I imagine there's a fair few around town feeling mixed emotions though."

[mylandmyrules]

"I'm sure," Nell said. "Whether they got visitors or not. I know Gladio feels it was a bit of a gift, so that's good, though I know he has lots of mixed feelings."

She was still wondering why she hadn't had a visitor and wasn't sure how she felt about that.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had a brief look like he had his own weighty thoughts on the matter. He quickly moved past it and grasped for a subject change. "You must be busy now, all your plants loving this warm weather."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell noticed and let it go. "They are," she said. "And with their own pollinators right handy they're even happier."

[hasaknightjob]

"Imagine you'll be busier and busier as the days go on," Steven said. "Though on the plus side you've an employee to help. How's that been?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Eleanor is wonderful," Nell said. "And it's nice to have a whole day where I don't even have to think about the store if I don't want to. Not that I mind the work. Everything here is so much easier and takes so much less time that I can't complain."

[hasaknightjob]

"That's the thing about owning your own business, isn't it?" Steven said with sympathy. "Hard to give yourself a break. I mean - that I've heard. No experience with it myself. It's good you've found someone you can trust with it though. Especially this busy time of year."

[mylandmyrules]

She nodded. "I'm used to working all day every day, though. Even when I was working every day it was less work than back home."

Nell smiled at him. "And it's work I love, so it's not bad at all."

[hasaknightjob]

"And work people love for you to have done," Steven said. "I've never heard a bad word about anything you've made, I tell you that."

[mylandmyrules]

"Aww, that's nice of you to say," Nell said. "And I'm glad people like my plants and things. I put a lot of heart into them. What about you? Any new displays at the museum this week?""

[hasaknightjob]

"Nothing yet," Steven said. "Been pondering doing something summer themed. Small tour of all the displays that focus on the summer months somehow, you know? Might not be as interesting as Pride but it can help show off exhibits in a new light when you group them that way."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell grinned at him. "I think you should document all the Wednesday activities with Professor Skywalker. I mean, what could be more 'Summer in Fandom' than that?"

[hasaknightjob]

"That's an idea, yeah," Steven said. "Maybe take some photos of the participants? Or see if there's a spare shirt about for the displays!"

[mylandmyrules]

"You'll probably find people willing to share some of their shirts with you if there aren't any left over," Nell said.

And then she grinned. "Or you could always volunteer to take part. Get first hand knowledge, so to speak."

[hasaknightjob]

"Maybe both," Steven said, thinking about it. "Observe from in and out. Or I could ask Llewellyn. He's participated a few times now."

Had the shirts and everything. Though Steven had firm opinions about those specific shirts being donated to the Museum. His opinion was they bloody would not be, thank you.

[mylandmyrules]

"See, there you go," Nell said. "Be sure to credit me when people are breaking down the doors to get in and see it."

[hasaknightjob]

"'Noted Expert Nell Ingram'," Steven said, holding up his hands to mime reading the words off a display. "How's that?"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell covered her mouth as she giggled. "No, no, I was just teasing. Nothing like that!"

[hasaknightjob]

"Save that for a special plant display then? If we ever do one?" Steven asked.

[mylandmyrules]

"Yes, and that would just be a small 'Plants by Nell' sign," Nell said with a smile.

[hasaknightjob]

"'Plants by Nell, the plant expert'," Steven said, doing the same mime as before. But he grinned to show he was teasing.

[mylandmyrules]

She shook her head and a finger at him teasingly. "None of that now or you'll go tealess!"

[hasaknightjob]

Steven laughed. He held up his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. No need for dire measures."

[mylandmyrules]

She grinned. "I would never really deny you tes," she said cheerfully. "That could be considered cruel and unusual punishment."

[hasaknightjob]

"Particularly your teas," Steven said. "I could use mint and whatever ones you have that taste of chocolate."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell nodded and went to where she had her teas. "I have peppermint and a spearmint," she said, "and even a mint and chocolate one as well as a couple of teas which have a chocolately flavor to them." She brought them over for him to look at.

[hasaknightjob]

"I'll definitely take the mint and mint and chocolate off your hands," Steven said. "And how about a sampler of the rest of them so I can see what they're like?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Of course," Nell said and quickly put together a selection of different teas for him to try. "You'll have to let me know what you think abou these. I can alwau=ys adjust the amounts if you want more or less of a particular taste."

[hasaknightjob]

"Will do," Steven said. "I can tell you the mint and chocolate has been a great hit. So looking forward to trying the others as well."

[mylandmyrules]

"It's one of my favorites," Nell admitted.