Y/N I am curious about this flower language.
GB Ask me anything about it. Please.
Gabrielle's more excited than you've ever seen her.
Y/N Umm...
Y/N Do the... number of petals make a difference?
GB ...
GB I have no idea.
GB I don't think that's ever been significant for anything other than a few.
Y/N Oh.
Lydia leans on the side of the counter, her typical enigmatic smile lighting up her face.
LD Are you swayed by her rhetoric yet?
GB Oh no. Was the petal thing a dealbreaker?
Y/N No. I was just curious.
LD I would love to hear your other questions, before she begins.
Y/N ...
Y/N The... length of the stem? Does that matter?
GB Y/N, you are expecting too much mathematics from botanists.
GB It's a sentimental, cultural language. It doesn't get that complicated.
LD Ooh. What about the number of leaves?
GB Don't start.
LD I thought you loved going on about this subject.
GB When I'm asked questions with good intentions, yes.
LD You wound me.
GB You are well-versed in this already, Lydia! You can't play dumb with me.
GB And I would bet that Felix is, too. Aren't you?
Felix, who's been quietly listening to the conversation, startles as he becomes the center of attention. His cheeks warm.
FL I... I admit that I...
FL Know very little on the subject, I am afraid.
GB Oh. Really...?
FL You are more disappointed by that than I thought.
FL That is concerning.
LD You failed her, Felix.
FL You choose this time to address me by my first name?
GB It's okay. It's okay!
GB You can't expect everyone with flower Color Codes to be on the same wavelength.
GB Forgive them, Gabby.
GB Forgive...
After a heartbroken sigh, Gabrielle meets your gaze with her usual smile.
GB Let's get back on track.
GB Flower symbolism. Specifically, flowers as gifts!
GB What is the sender trying to convey? How does the receiver feel upon delivery?
GB These are important things to keep in mind.
GB After all - how they interpret it also makes a difference.
GB That reminds me. Does your special someone know flower language?
Y/N Umm...
LD Oh, just move onto the examples, Gabrielle.
LD I know you're itching to put pots in front of us.
GB ...
GB The best way to learn is through example.
She reaches to one of the shelves and brings out two flower pots. One holds a bristly brush with tall, purple flowers at the top. The other, an elegant assortment of leaves with pink flowers drooping downwards.
GB Do you recognize these flora, Y/N?
Y/N Considering the colors, as well as the company present...
Y/N I can only assume they are fuchsia and lavender.
GB Yes! Good job.
LD Note that the lavender is taller.
FL What do you mean by this?
LD You sound defensive.
FL You have been shorter than me for some time, Lydia.
LD You've been keeping track, I see. Let's unpack this.
GB Oh my goodness, please just ignore them, Y/N.
GB What's important are their meanings. Not their height.
She points to the fuchsia plant.
GB If this was a gift,
GB It would express your admiration for their demeanor. Their poise.
GB Perfect for someone sophisticated. With a good shape!
GB Umm, I mean like a nice softness. I don't mean it in a weird way.
Y/N Is there a flower for meaning it in the other way?
GB I'm not telling you.
She points to the lavender plant.
GB If this was a gift,
GB It would express how relaxed this person makes you feel. How safe.
GB Lavenders pop up in a lot of cosmetics and aromatherapy, too.
LD You should stock more of them. It would improve the smell.
GB Lydia. Enough with the smell.
LD Note that the existing smell was not insulted. Merely given room for improvement.
GB I think your nose is just too sensitive.
LD Gabrielle has shunned me for both voice and body. Is there no limit to her cruelty?
This ends up going on for a while until Gabrielle has to take a break and exits through the back door. Felix gives Lydia a disapproving look.
FL We are her guests. You should reign yourself in.
He chases after her, shutting the door behind the both of them. Lydia, nonplussed, turns to you and smiles.
LD Rather quiet now, wouldn't you say?
LD Be honest with me.
LD You don't have a particular person in mind, do you?
You blink.
LD You just decided to drop by and consider your options.
LD Then, once you had the appropriate gift, you would pursue the most fitting individual.
LD Can you confirm this?
Lydia's analyses are never 100% spot-on, but they get to the core of the truth more often than not. You offer a half-hearted shrug.
Y/N Gabrielle seemed to be having fun.
Y/N I didn't want to ruin it.
LD What benevolence. Though I would argue that transparency is true mercy.
LD The same applies to romantic gestures, I suppose.
Her eyes drag over the potted plants, and you think you see some somberness flicker within them.
LD I don't understand much of this.
LD This... performance of sentimentality.
LD The flora speaks on your behalf. A manifestation of you.
LD But the more disconnected it is, the more disingenuous it seems.
Y/N I'm not sure what you mean.
Y/N You see gift-giving as... superficial?
LD Hmm. It sounds rather juvenile, put like that.
LD Perhaps I, too, have room for growth.
LD After all, I only learned the language because of its assailability.
LD Color, shape, function... there is no one interpretation.
LD Yet, there are rules.
LD Just like how humans are expected to understand things intrinsically.
LD Just as I was told I would understand it, eventually.
Her finger lightly touches the tip of a lavender flower. It pokes the fuchsia flower more playfully, making it sway back and forth.
LD I hope to discover what love is, someday.
LD Don't you?
Y/N Love is more than romantic, Lydia.
LD I don't see you spending the day with family in mind, Y/N.
Y/N ...
LD That's alright. I see what you're insinuating.
LD So, let me clarify - I refer to the kind of love you fall into.
LD That is one I have yet to truly understand.
LD People make it sound like the easiest, most natural act in the world.
LD They think that makes it sound better.
LD Pitiful.
Y/N ...
Y/N You don't have to fall in love, Lydia.
Y/N No one is obligated to.
She hums, her head lowered enough that you can barely see the whites of her eyes. She just repeats the same thing she had said, only quieter.
LD Pitiful.
THE END
(Ending 17/20: Deepest Desire)
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡