How Green Becomes Wood

There was something Dark needed to bring up to them, but it could wait until after this was over, or tomorrow, if it went poorly. This particular time, Daizi wore Ivy strapped to her and held Dark's arm as they walked inside, following his softly spoken instructions and listening as he described how the building looked on the exterior. They led the twins inside, and he stood just left of the doorway so they could enter fully and get a good look at the shop before seeking out Tristan.

"It smells wonderful in here," Daizi murmured.

"Almost as nice as your garden."
 
The building went quite a ways back, but only the first third of it was the actual store front. Flowers filled every shelf and availible display, but the height of the ceiling helped to make it feel less cramped. The treated concrete floors were smooth and slightly textured for grip, and the back wall behind the counter looked almost like a solid bamboo fence with a reeded wood panel, and the other walls (what could be seen behind the brass shelves and plants) were a sort of rich, warm, reddish taupe color. Three large, round center islands had the same reeding around the sides, and there was plenty of room to walk or roll around them. They held vases and pots of all sizes, shapes, and colors, arranged to ook like a work of art. At the front of the store, potted, living plants took up most of the window shelves, perky and reaching for the sun. The center of the shop held cut flowers, most of them in season, and all of them vibrant and varied. In the back left-hand side of the room, drying flowers hung in clusters, somehow managing to look whimsical. On the right side, a rounded, black topped counter held what looked like an old-fashioned cash register.

"Wow," Alec whispered. "This place is beautiful."

Xander sneezed.

SOmething rustled behind the counter, and a head popped up. "Welcome to Peaceful Petals! How can I assist you today?" chirped the young woman. She adjusted her glasses and pushed her long, dark hair back over her shoulder.
 
"Hello," Daizi said cheerfully, more capable of matching her energy than Dark was, "We were hoping to speak to Tristan Walsh? He's expecting us."

Dark cast his gaze around the shop. It was lovely, he thought. A bit cheerier than he would like, but he doubted the number of people who would want to shop in a grim flower shop. In his estimation, it looked sort of like what he presumed would happen if one were to combine the aesthetics of Daizi and Sally, because it was maximalist like his wife was, but much brighter.
 
"Oh. Oh!" she gasped. She smiled a little awkwardly. "He's in the back. I can get him."

Xander pointed to the floor. "Your sword is on the floor," he stated.

She looked down. "Oh, right, sorry. I was trying to get the sound system back in working order, and... Never mind." She dove down and rescued a small replica of a sword in a stone, setting it neatly on the counter near the cash register next to a few other small semi-precious gems. "I'll go get Mr. Walsh." She hurried into the back.

Right as the young woman disappeared, stacic came across the hidden speakers, and the soft, soothing sounds of instrumentals drifted into the room, barely audible but lending a bit of atmosphere.

"Huh. I guess it's working now," Alec remarked.
 
"She seems very likable," Daizi commented idly, and then shook her head, confused, "What did you mean her sword was on the floor? I don't understand how that relates to the music."

"She had a small one on the desk, which had fallen down onto the floor. I suspect it had been in her way and she accidentally knocked it to the ground." Dark explained, wondering if they should browse until Tristan came to greet them or if they should just stand and wait. There wasn't a clear protocol for this, but... At least Tristan was visibly stable, unlike his brother. A place so carefully cared for as this wasn't likely to be abandoned on a whim.
 
They didn't have long to wait until Tristan came rolling through the back room doorway, pushing aside the gauzy curtain that divided the rooms. "Mr. Dark! Dr. Wahid! Welcome!" he greeted warmly as he rolled across the floor with ease. There was plenty of room for him to navigate despite the branches, leaves, and flowers reaching out from their vases. "Alec, Xander, and, of course, little Ivy. Welcome to Peaceful Petals!"

"It's very nice," Alec smiled as he watched the employee slip back behind the counter and fiddle with the small, decorative fountain. She got it to work, adding the sound of running water to the room.

"There's a lot of stuff here," Xander remarked. "How do you keep it all watered?"

"Dedicated watering schedules," Tristan chuckled.
 
"It is seems like a pleasant establishment you have here," Dark told him, feeling like he was looking down a very long way, but there was nowhere to sit, because it was a store, and crouching down would have been beyond disrespectful, so he had no choice but to simply manage it, and hope the seated man wouldn't feel intimidated by being quite literally loomed over.

"I'm more curious how you cope with saying goodbye to them, so much work goes into keeping plants thriving." Daizi mused, knowing how almost bonded she felt to her plants.
 
"Thank you," Tristan told Dark. To Daizi, he said, "Some of the potted ones are hard to let go, but, thankfully, most of my stock is cut flowers. Cut flowers are easier to let go, especially because of their short lifespan, I like to send them on to their new homes quickly." He paused and snapped his fingers. "That's right! I have something I think you might like. It will either be highly presumptuous, or right on the money. My guesses are almost never anywhere in between," he chuckled. He executed a tight turn and rolled back toward the counter. "Come with me, please? Katherine, would you please fetch Item Twelve?"

"Yes, sir!" she said and instantly disappeared into the back. A few seconds later, she returned carefully bearing a box, which she set down on the lowered portion of the counter.

"By the way, this is Katherine Foreman, my current right-hand person," Tristan added, nodding to the young woman as he opened the box. "She'll be leaving me despite my begging. Apparently, Ireland is just that much cooler than hanging around a flower shop."

"Pleased to meet you," Alec said, offering a hand to the now blushing woman.

Tristan carefully removed the item from the box and set it on the counter. It was a glass terrarium in the shape of a Gothic-style mausoleum. Inside were the usual moss and tiny living flowers and plants, but the decorations were not the usual cutesy fairy or gnomes most people seemed to decorate their terrariums with. This one had what looked like most of a mouse skeleton, possibly real, and a couple of artfully posed crows or ravens looking down over it. It was tastefully done with the moss nearly obscuring the white bones, but it still had that hint of ominous among the happy greenery.
 
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Dark greeted Katherine with a handshake, greeting her in his low, steady voice, and then followed after Tristan. Daizi said hello to her, introducing herself and Ivy, who was a little bit squirmy and trying to turn away, but the sling made it more difficult for her to do so.

When Tristan removed the terrarium from the box, Dark's eyes widened imperceptibly to the other man, but the twins certainly would have been able to recognize his delight in the object. This was a perfect item.

"What is it?" Daizi asked, not wanting to reach out and grab at something without knowing what it was or if she could, "Am I able to touch it?"

"It is a glass terrarium, shaped like a mausoleum, with a murder of crows and the remains of a mouse." Dark explained to her, but waited until Tristan gave confirmation before helping her to touch it.

Even before she could, if she could, a grin spread over her face. "Oh, that is stupendous," she breathed, "Did you make it?"
 
Tristan indicated Dark was free to touch it. "Yes, although the mouse bones came courtesy of Katherine. She is quite good at finding things like bones and interesting bits of twigs and rocks."

"I like nature walks," she said with a tiny shrug.

"Aren't animal bones all... gross and stuff?" Xander asked, peering closer but not interfering with Daizi's exploration.

She shook her head. "That's mostly a misconception. I mean, fresh stuff can be gross, but the stuff I usually find is old."

"What if you got a disease?" Alec asked worriedly.

"There's nothing to worry about like that. Unless you try to eat it, there's nothing on old bones that could make a human sick," she told him with a little smile. "Plus, these ones get cleaned up before getting put in a terrarium."

"I have been considering some sort of isotope terrarium where the bugs could naturally clean the remains, but there is not much market for those," Tristan said with a twinkle in his eye.
 
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"Oh, no," Daizi said, carefully feeling the shape of it, gently enough to not come anywhere near to damaging it, "Surely by now you've noticed all of the bones we have at home? Dead bodies aren't typically dangerous, not unless they died of certain infectious diseases like Ebola, but even then, just the bones... No harm in them... I adore old bones," Daizi ran her thumb along one of the hanging plants, "You can tell so much about the world in them. Things that were, things that are, things that will be... all of those sorts of things..." She exhaled, and then pulled her hands away, holding onto Ivy's so she didn't try to reach out and damage it. "Isn't it pretty, Ivy-Qadira?"

Dark looked at it for a moment longer, and then curiously at Tristan, "Did you just happen to have this already?"
 
"Sure, I've noticed them, hard not to, but I guess I hadn't really thought about them," Alec admitted. At least, he hadn't thought about them after the first couple of weeks when he started to get used to them. Then he noticed Katherine's long, painted nails and turned his attention to gushing over them. Katherine was only too happy to tell him about her nails and the name of the color, and they had a moment of nail fan-girling that had Xander edging away.

"I had the pieces, but I put this together after our second meeting," Tristan told him with a smile. "I was not certain if I'd ever get the chance to give it to you, but I thought this might be something you would appreciate. I take it I guessed correctly."
 
"It is wonderful," Dark had no choice but to admit, "but, I hope this does not come across as particularly ungrateful or suspicious, but... Why? There are few people I have met who will have spoken with someone twice but then gone through this trouble for them." It was a level of kindness and generosity that still tripped some alarms, although nothing else about Tristan had done so yet.

"We take fae rules very seriously," Daizi said sweetly.
 
Tristan chuckled lightly, taking no offense. "Then am I to believe the names you gave are not your true names?" he teased very lightly. "In truth, I like doing things like this, particularly when I meet striking personalities. I like to then try to envision what sort of bouquet would best represent them, what plant in which pot, or maybe a terrarium. True, I do not make terrariums for many people, but I thought this was a two-for-one deal. It's an exercise for me, and, sadly, many times the people I make them for never receive what I make. I thought a bouquet, at first, something dark but elegant. Black lilies would be the focus, and perhaps white roses? Dr. Wahid, especially, strikes me as a rose lover, but then I thought that cut flowers did not seem like something you would buy. Dr. Wahid or Mr. Dark, you are both more of the living plant type. Am I right?"
 
"I do love roses," Daizi said, turning her head slightly to the side and trying to get a feel for this man in a different way. He must be in tune with the world like she was, and she wondered if he knew. "And our home is equally as full of living plants as it is with bones. I don't believe in having one without the other."
 
"That is an understandable belief," Tristan agreed. "I started doing this because you would not believe how man people - sadly men most often looking for wives or girlfriends - come in and ask for a bouquet, and all they can tell me is, 'I think she likes red? But not that one flower with the oddly shaped petals.' It was aggravating until I realized I could turn it into a game." He turned slightly toward Alec and Katherine as they seemed to have finished their conversation. "Would you like to see more of the place?"

"Yes, please!" Alec asked. "And what are those plants hanging with the long tendrils?"

"Oh, the spider plants? Or the string of pearls?" Tristan politely excused himself from Dark and Daizi and went to show Alec the plants. Alec followed eagerly, his eyes bright as Tristan gave him a personal tour of the plants out on the floor and available.

Xander stood back watching, staying near Dark and Daizi, but sometimes his eyes drifted over to the flowers, too. He wanted to observe Tristan, not flower shop, but there were some really pretty specimens!
 
"I can believe it." Dark said simply, leaving the box on the counter for now because he did not know how long they would be there, and carrying it around seemed unnecessary. He remembered being a poor partner and he remembered dating men who refused to learn a thing about him.

As they walked through the shop, Daizi would ask questions, revealing herself as rather knowledgeable, and she bounced and rocked her baby as they went, because Ivy seemed a bit overwhelmed. Dark stood in the back, keeping an eye over all of them all at once. The plants were interesting, and he did enjoy them, but somebody needed to keep a close watch on all of them.
 
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Tristan was suitably impressed by Daizi's knowledge and answered the questions he could while willingly admitting when he didn't know. He even asked her a couple of questions, but he quickly realized she was overwhelmed and toned it down. He focused mostly on Alec as Alec was bubbly, excited, and had questions galore. It did not take them long to make a circuit of the place, and they ended at the display of vases. Tristan picked out a couple sturdy ones with interesting abstract shapes and offered them to Daizi to feel. Even if she dropped them, they were unlikely to break, and they were among the most textually interesting to feel. There were a couple of blown glass that were even more intricate and interesting, but Tristan didn't touch them unless absolutely necessary for fear he'd break one.

When they finished with the front, Tristan turned toward the back. "Would you like to see behind the curtain?" he offered. "Back there is where we keep all the stock, put together the majority of the bouquets, and keep a few of the rarer flowers."

"Do you ever do local or native flowers?" Alec asked curiously, following him.

"It depends on the season, but I do try," Tristan admitted. "I believe that right now, around 60-70 percent of our stock is from local farms and growers, but there are a few flowers that are not or will not grow around here even in greenhouses. Plus, during the winter, it is a lot more difficult to get native flowers. Then almost the entirety of the flower stock is shipped in, but I do my best to only do the fillers and accessories from local finds."

"That's cool!" Alec stopped a few steps from the curtain as Tristan pushed through. Concern broke through the joy of the flowers. When Tristan turned back curiously, Alec asked, "Can Xander come?"

"Into the back?" Tristan glanced passed Alec to where Xander stood near Dark. "Of course! You are all welcome."

"Nah, I'm cool. I'll wait out here," Xander shrugged.

"Then I would rather not," Alec said quickly, retreating to Xander's side. "Thank you, anyway! This place is amazing."

"Oh. Alright," Tristan agreed, puzzled but accepting.
 
Daizi was glad to hold and experience the unique vases, taking care to hold them securely when Ivy touched them, but she didn't linger with them too long, just in case. Although, she couldn't help but perk up at the thought of getting to visit with the rare flowers, but she didn't look disappointed when Alec rejected the offer.

Dark, though, looked down at Xander. His reaction was interesting to him---Xander was willing to let Alec go into a different room, with Tristan, without demanding to go with. That showed impressive personal growth. Yet, he didn't understand why now. Even if Xander trusted Tristan, certainly he knew Alec still needed his brother's support? "Have you seen too many flowers today?" He asked mildly.
 
"It is a lot to take in," Xander agreed, "but if you want me to go with you, sure. I could do another room."

"We don't have to," Alec said quickly. "If you're done..."

Xander sighed and stepped forward, catching Alec gently around the shoulders. "Come on. Mama wants to see them."

"Oh! If Mama wants to, definitely!" Alec agreed quickly.

Tristan looked a little confused but led the way inside. The back room was far more utilitarian, but even here there were elements of comfort. The two side walls that shared with the other businesses on either side were exposed brick, and the ceiling a light peach color with exposed beams. There were two working tables, one high and one low, both painted a dark blue under the stainless steel counter top. Several large fridges stood on one side, and the back was a jungle of vases, tissue paper, ribbons, and other accessories. It did look easy enough to navigate, but there were a lot. One brick wall was taken up entirely by flowers kept in black pots, some in some sort of potting soil but most in water, while more flowers waited in the fridges.

"If you wait here," Tristan said, indicating the two side by side counters, "I will fetch a couple of rarer flowers for you to see and smell. Things tend to end up on the floor in here, and I would not want you tripping on anything."

"Okay," Alec agreed willingly, standing between the counters. "It's a lot cooler in here."
 
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