you belong among the wildflowers

[toliveagain]

It's been a little over a week since the grand opening of Thistle Do Nicely, and Riley has been pleasantly surprised by how well the reception to the shop has been. They'd found a prime location, halfway between the boardwalk and a bakery and bookshop, so while they've already gotten customers ordering future arrangements for things like anniversaries and birthdays, they also get people in to pick up the occasional stray flower here and there, just to give to someone special. He's already thinking he and Ryan should eventually consider setting up a small flower kiosk out on the boardwalk itself, though it's still a little too hot for that. Maybe more into autumn, when people are looking for bursts of color to brighten the darker days.

As for today, it's slower than it's been since they opened and while in some ways that's a little disappointing, it also comes as a little bit of a relief because it means he can concentrate on other things. Ordering more inventory, for one, which may or may not include a Keurig machine because having to walk to Quill every time he needs another caffeine fix (which is considerably often) is already starting to get old.

Glancing over his shoulder to see Ryan attending to a customer who seems much more interested in learning about his likes and dislikes than the different kinds of carnations they offer, Riley smirks to himself before turning his attention to his phone. Shooting off a text to the contacts he's made in town so far, he tucks his phone back in his pocket and wanders outside with a watering can to take care of the flowers they've set up for display outside. It's a beautiful day out, Riley observes, and he can only hope that someone else will come along soon to make it even better.



[Feel free to use this post to meet Riley AND Ryan! If you don't specify in your tag or in the subject line, we'll just assume we have permission to tag your character separately :) Everyone come say hi to the qt flower shop boyzzzz~~~!]

Comments

[toliveagain]

Riley grins at her attempt to pronounce the scientific name of the flower, impressed that she'd made the effort to say it at all because earlier, someone had just shoved a photo from on his phone in Riley's face and asked for "that one." This is a refreshing change.

"You're pronouncing it well enough but you might find it easier to just call it a foxglove. And yes, we do have that, if you'll follow me over here. These are for your mom or did she just inspire you to pick some up for yourself?"

[meowhistory]

"Foxglove! That makes an embarrassing amount of sense." She inhales too deeply and immediately feels her throat protest. "You could translate them as fox paws, I guess. Been a while since I - sorry", the tickles in her throat are already building up. "Translated Russian. Which colors do you have? I don't - I don't have to see them."

[toliveagain]

Riley blinks at her, unsure of how he's really supposed to respond because he hasn't had a customer yet who's said that they don't need to see the flowers they're looking to buy. He isn't sure if this is a sign of nerves or trust but either way, he figures he should handle it delicately.

"Well, we've got all the usual suspects: cream, rose, lavender, yellow, white. Are you sure you don't want to take a look at them? I promise they won't bite." He grins then. "They are poisonous if you eat them, though, so no sampling."

[meowhistory]

"Lavender? Oh, she loves those, that's lovely. Do they go per six or how does it us-"

Lena's being weird again, she sees it in his face. Of course, what kind of person buys flowers without seeing or smelling them or whatever you do with flowers before buying them. "Does your store has a webshop as well?" She shifts her collar, blinks to kill the itchy eyes. "For future purchases."

[toliveagain]

"Not online yet, no," Riley answers, deciding it might just be better to casually guide her over to the foxgloves than say anything more about whether or not she should take a look, "but we're definitely working on it. We're still new, only just over a week in, so we figured we should probably see how business goes before getting our heads too far up our asses."

His mom would flick him for that, and Riley gives his customer an apologetic look.

"Before we get too arrogant, rather. Anyway, this is what we've got for selection. If you just want them on their own, it's three for five, but if you're looking to put them together in a bouquet, we can talk."

[meowhistory]

"Those will do very fine", she squeaks, her throat quickly closing up with every step she takes further into the store. "I have ten dollars so can you just bundle them up in some way I can get them home without anything breaking or bending?"

Her eyes are starting to burn now as well, and Lena starts to regret a lot of things. "Allergies", she admits. "You have a lot here. Of things I'm sensitive of. Not allergies."

[toliveagain]

Allergies?

"Oh, my god!" Riley quickly ushers her in the other direction, away from where most of the flowers are gathered, and out the door. He can't quite fathom why someone allergic to flowers--or is sensitive to them, rather--would walk into a flower store but he doesn't really have time to dwell on that when his concern is primarily for her.

"Do you need some water? I can't send you home with an armful of flowers if this is the reaction you'll have, that'd make me a major jerk. I'm also pretty sure it's bad business."

[meowhistory]

This was why Lena hadn't admitted to being allergic. "It's not lethal", she protests while he pulls her along, out of the store. Hopefully he'll still sell the fox gloves to her, because she knows those will really please her mother.

"It's just very uncomfortable", she adds in a hoarse whisper. "Fox gloves are the easiest to be around with and my mother's favorite that's why I asked for them." Both her throat and her eyes seem to open up as soon as she's outside, and she offers the salesman a weak smile. "That's why I didn't have to see them. I'm sorry."

[toliveagain]

Whether it's lethal or not doesn't really matter to Riley, it's more that she'd come in at all that baffles him. A phone call would have done the job, it's not like there'd been any part of the conversation they'd had in the store that they couldn't have done without being face-to-face. Regardless, what's done is done, he just hopes that the woman won't spend the rest of the day close to breaking out into hives.

"Uncomfortable," he repeats, arching a brow at how raspy her voice sounds. "Right. Well, how about this, if you think the foxgloves will do the trick, I'll put together a quick bouquet for you and do the delivery myself. My co-pilot can run the place without me for a little bit, I can just follow you where you want those flowers to go."

[meowhistory]

She just looks at him in sheer disbelief because follow her home? For some flowers? "How much extra will that be? Delivery?"

Her father would love it, a guy following Lena home. He was still learning about the entire homosexuality thing, and this would give him a breather. "Erm. Are you sure? Because you could just hand them over all wrapped in paper. I'm close to home. That's why I visited, you're closer than the Jungs. No offense."

"But yes, I'd like a little foxglove bouquet, please. The lavender ones."

[toliveagain]

"Consider it on the house today, considering you nearly died on the premises," Riley says, already walking backwards so he can head back into the store. Maybe that's a little dramatic but even so, he feels bad that she hadn't felt comfortable saying anything so a walk to deliver some flowers won't do him any harm.

"And if you'd rather me not actually walk with you, that's totally fine. Just leave me your address and I'll bring them later, either way works. I promise I'm not a serial killer, though. Even though that's probably what every serial killer says."

[meowhistory]

"You're exaggerating. Like, over over exaggerating. I wasn't dying on your premises, the most I do is.." Okay, so Lena could imagine that to be awkward. "Faint."

"I don't think serial killers work flower shops. And if they do ..that would kind of make sense in this place." She frowns. "Sorry, I appreciate the gesture. I had just hoped on getting flowers, not a scene. What's your name? Because my dad will probably ask for it, just saying. I'm Lena."

[toliveagain]

"Okay, yes, I am," Riley concedes, "but you were doing that thing with the allergies and it just wouldn't have been good, right? Like, literally nothing good could have come of you staying in the shop."

First week in and someone faints in his store? Not great for business. Or for her head, and Riley knows how bad things can get there.

"I'm Riley," he answers, holding a hand out for her to shake. "And you can tell your dad that this isn't my way of trying to con you into doing anything for me or with me or whatever, I just don't want you to... faint."

[meowhistory]

"The thing with the most silly allergies probably ever. Maybe just one notch over allergies for ..peanut butter." She shakes her head, mostly at herself. "Thanks again, Riley. Very galant of yours. You're not secretly a fairy tale prince on your florist and serial killer down time, are you?"

Was that too weird a question? It probably was. "I babble when I'm a little bit nervous", she apologises, shaking his hand. "I don't like people's first impressions of me to be allergy girl or fainting girl."

[toliveagain]

"You caught me," he answers, hands held up in mock surrender. "Definitely a prince and a serial killer, best of both worlds. What can I say, right? Scattered interests, I like to try anything at least once."

Riley isn't quite sure what he's saying anymore, mostly because Lena is a bit strange but in a sweet kind of way, the kind of way that isn't alienating but is still a little confusing. She admits it, too, that she tends to ramble when she's nervous, though he's not sure what she has to be nervous about.

With a reassuring smile, he gives her hand a last squeeze before letting go and shaking his head. "If that's not what you want people's first impressions to be, I would highly recommend not walking into a shop that sells things you're allergic to next time," he teases. "But hold on, okay? Let me get those foxgloves and I'll be right back out, it'll take five minutes."

[meowhistory]

"But h-" He's already gone. Riley. This town, honestly. Or was it not just this town, and did strangers with flower shops just follow their clients home? Her allergic reaction hadn't even been that strong, but her puffy puss crusted eyes might have had him leave the town permanently. And would had her lock up herself in eternal shame, so it was a win on both sides.

Lena sneezes loud enough to startle a passing mother and son, hiding her face in her large chequered handkerchief until she not feels like her face is a fountain any more.
When she sees Riley walk towards her, she turns away, stuffing the piece of cloth in her bag before turning back with a smile. "Foxgloves! And as pretty in real light as artificial light."
What is she even saying.