To your surprise, it's Felix, not Gabrielle, who perks up with excitement.
FL We are arranging bouquets of courtship?
FL Excellent! I am most curious of your selection of roses.
FL I have heard many a good thing.
Gabrielle smiles at him and nods.
GB They're right on display. I can get some, real quick!
She dashes to the front of the store, gathering up buckets of neatly cut roses, tulips, and other traditional flowers you'd expect in bouquets. It's impressive how many she can carry at once. Her job must require a lot more physical labor than you thought.
FL Would you like some assistance?
LD She doesn't need saving, Mr. Schirmer.
FL Ah. That was not the intention.
GB I'm fine, Felix. Thank you.
GB If you could just make some room, please.
Now, there are bushes of flowers lined up in front of the counter. They're all organized by type, with there being enough color variety in the roses to make up a good handful of buckets alone. You can't help but notice Felix marveling at them, open-mouthed.
Y/N They're beautiful.
FL Breathtaking.
FL You have taken great care of them. I see your care.
GB That's incredibly sweet of you to say.
GB I've learned to be extra careful with these because of their popularity.
GB So, they'll all be nice and healthy all year round.
FL You are an incredible gardener.
GB Oh, stop.
FL Is it your Value? Your innate connection with plantlife?
FL Please. Tell me your secret.
LD I have one. He's killed plants before.
Lydia, meanwhile, seems rather disinterested in where this process is going. Now, Felix is staring at her, open-mouthed, for a completely different reason.
LD Left them in the sun for too long. Or watered with too much passion.
LD The works.
FL L-Lydia!
LD I got quite the earful in our academy days. A guilty conscience tells all.
LD It would've been adorable if it wasn't so sad.
FL Gabrielle does not need to know that!
FL Please, forgive me. I was young. I did not know.
Felix has a pleading look in his eyes as he grasps his hands together. Gabrielle seems taken aback.
GB Oh, umm...
GB It's okay!
GB We all have to start somewhere, right?
GB Who hasn't messed up with a plant and went to confessional right afterwards?
LD I'm not a priest, Gabrielle.
GB I didn't say you were!!
Gabrielle huffs, then tries to give Felix her best reassuring smile.
GB And I'm sure you've grown a lot from then. Right?
GB You clearly care about them, too.
FL ...
FL I am trying.
FL Her behavior is not helping.
LD Accountability's a heavy burden, I know.
GB That would explain why you're avoiding it.
Lydia's eyes widen.
LD Backtalk? From the wallflower?
LD You surprise me in the most delightful ways, Miss Eleazar.
GB Oh, hush.
GB What was I talking about, again?
GB Goodness. I'm not used to having so many friends over at once.
GB You're twisting me all around. I need to get my head on straight.
She shakes her head and directs her focus back on you.
GB Because we're going about things the traditional way,
GB Any flower you pick from here will be fine.
GB Red, pink, and white are a safe combination.
GB Well, as long as it has some red, the receiver should understand.
GB Go on! Mix and match, if you like!
GB Lydia, can you help me with the restock?
LD Am I in trouble?
GB No. This is a privilege.
LD Well, how can I refuse, when you put it like that?
Gabrielle directs her towards the back exit. The door shuts, and you realize how quiet the store is with just you and Felix. He seems to notice this as well, as he shifts uncomfortably.
FL My thumb is not a natural green.
FL It took long before I learned the delicate balance.
Y/N You don't have to justify it.
Y/N It really doesn't matter by this point. Focus on the flowers in front of us.
FL Right.
FL They are stunning. They deserve our attention.
The two of you begin rifling through the selection. A few petals fall here and there, making you feel a pang of guilt. However, Gabrielle had made it clear previously that it only mattered that nothing was badly damaged. Her Value could amend some fallen petals.
FL They throw flowers like these at the finale.
FL Not always. Many, though.
FL We are not meant to keep them. For so many performances...
FL It would be impossible.
Y/N I can imagine.
Y/N Especially with the kinds of shows you put on now.
You can admit that, although opera is unbelievably stuffy and old-fashioned, it is very popular and Felix is a very talented dancer. He deserves all the flowers thrown at him.
FL The first time I tried, I was young.
FL A concert for children. My first solo.
FL I wanted to remember the night.
FL This gift... it was their love. Their adoration.
FL It was the right thing to do, to take it with me.
FL But I did not know how to care for them.
FL A simple jar filled with water. That was all I knew to do.
FL My parents had trusted me with it.
FL I suppose you learn best when you begin with too much trust.
He holds up a rose and rotates it thoughtfully.
FL To give a flower is to give love, yes?
FL Therefore, to accept a flower, to take care of that love,
FL You must love it in return. Nourish it.
FL When it dies, you mourn it just as you would any other.
FL ...
FL This person, who is receiving your flowers...
FL Will they care for them? Do you know?
Y/N ...
He shakes his head, putting the rose away.
FL I suppose I am overstepping.
FL Flowers are not meant to last forever. It is foolish to think so.
FL Yet, it does not stop me from trying to preserve them.
FL Something so beautiful, so delicate... deserves this love.
FL Even if you do not understand how they live.
FL Even if you try to give them the right water, or the right soil,
FL They will insist on wilting, as if to spite you.
FL It is enough to wonder if I am not the right one to care for them.
FL I am not a gardener.
He brushes some hair out of his eyes and smiles at you.
FL But I am a lover.
FL That is not so different, is it?
You tilt your head. He chuckles.
FL I have not tried my hand at a relationship.
FL It is something I am saving.
FL I am, ah, waiting for the right cue.
FL So, I wish you the best of luck in your special day.
FL When it is my time, you will know.
FL It will be a most brilliant spotlight on a most beautiful duet.
THE END
(Ending 18/20: Hopeful Romantic)
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