2019-06-26 - Too Many Flowers

It's nearing late afternoon when Isolde arrives back at the house. She may have gotten a little carried away because maybe the local Lowe's type store was having a really good deal on flowers! She opens the front door, carefully balancing a box on her right arm as she enters. "I'm home!" Adding in a little whistle of greeting for Luigi as well as the door gets closed with her foot and she goes back to carrying the box with both hands. "And I have flowers!" There are quite a few little colored flowers. Pinks, purples, yellows, even a couple red ones too. The important thing is that there are no carnations.

Alexander is in his office, as he often is. Luigi is on his shoulder, attempting to nibble his ear off, as HE often is, although the opening of the door causes both of them to look around, and Luigi whistles in return greeting. Alexander is more cautious, still oddly twitchy and wary. He rises from the computer and makes his way into the living room.

And then he stops. And then he stares. Blankly. At all the flowers. "Isolde. That's a lot of flowers." It's not angry, but it is pretty confused.

Isolde looks up at Alexander and Luigi when they arrive with a bright smile. Though it falters just a touch. "Is it?...Maybe" She looked back down to the box and then to him. There are, precisely 30 flowers. 5 of those 6 count planters. The little sorts you get when you're like 'I'm gonna replant these in a garden'. "There is a lot of green on the table." She settles on finally. "The colors will make the green look better. And they were on sale." And there's the real reason why she has 30 flowers. The color thing is merely a secondary icing on the cake. "How are you feeling?" As she started to walk into the kitchen, noting that he was still being twitchy and nervous even.

Luigi launches himself off Alexander's shoulder, lightly bapping him in the side of the head with one wing as he does, and zooms around Isolde. He doesn't land on her, but dips so close it looks like he might for a moment, before he flies instead to his cage and starts making eerily human laughing sounds. Meanwhile, Alexander has approached and is inspecting the planters. "They're very nice plants," he assures her. "Were you planning to plant them in the yard?" He shakes his head at the question. "I exist. What about you? Did you enjoy your day?"

Isolde pauses for just a moment, was this the day? Was a momentous thing about to occur? Alas, no. A wistful sort of look as she watches Luigi fly back to the cage. So close, yet so far. "One day..." Murmured mostly to herself. Then she's in the kitchen and the box is getting set on the counter. Her attention turns back to Alexander as he asks about planting them in the yard. "I could!" Like it hadn't really occurred to her. "Maybe I will learn about planting things at the lavender farm. If they let me help them." Carefully starting to lift the plants out of the box.

"I had waffles, and looked for other jobs, and got flowers. It was a good day." Isolde decided. "Do you still feel the something?"

Alexander follows her, although the kitchen is small enough that he mostly hovers at the threshold of it, head tilted to one side. At her response, his mouth opens, then closes. He rubs a hand on the back of his neck, then smiles. "We'll make sure to keep them alive until you'd like to try that, then." His eyebrows go up. "Lavender farm? The one outside of town? Are they looking for workers?"

At her question, he shivers, lightly. "Yes. It hasn't gotten worse. It hasn't gotten better." He shrugs. "But it hasn't gotten worse. I'm glad you had a good day."

"I will try not to wait too long." The flowers looked fragile and she would hate to kill them. "That one!" She confirmed. "I have to go up there to talk. I saw an ad about it. It sounds like it could be a good things. Because flowers are good things." Isolde started moving the flowers from the counter to the table, carefully placing them around the other plants. "and I am glad it hasn't gotten worse." Isolde said when she turned back to him . "But...you should also tell me if it gets worse." A little bit of concern on her features.

Alexander looks in the planter until he finds one of the care tags stuck in the soil. He offers it to her. "This tells you what you need to do, and what they need to stay alive. If you bought them around here, they're probably good to go in the ground, and this is the best season for it. You'll need to remember to give them the right amount of sun and water." He nods towards his little indoor garden - under the racks that hold the plants are some bags of fertilizer and other things. "You can use anything you need."

He smiles at her concern. "I will. But it hasn't." Even if he is sneaking out at night so that his night terrors don't wake her up too often.

Isolde accepts the care tag, looking it over. "Seems not too complicated." She decided, looking at the contents under the table and then back to him. "Thank you." She peers at him for a moment. Likely she's probably at least heard him a time or two leaving in the middle of the night. But he always came back so she didn't see any reason to talk about it. "Okay." And she'll be very upset with him if he doesn't tell her. Because that's just how she was. "Did the Prom make you not like to dance either?" It's a random question as she straightens the cartons a bit and then takes the box off the counter. "A yes or no question. No explanation needed." Isolde clarified. Because she knew he didn't want to talk about it.

"I've every confidence in you," Alexander assures her, and reaches out to gently touch one of the petals of a brightly colored flower. He strokes it with utmost care, lifting and turning it a bit this way and that to inspect it. "They're pretty. They'll brighten the place. And the yard." He goes still at the question, eyes lifting to study her. Even after the clarification, it takes a bit for him to answer. "No. I just never learned to dance."

Isolde watches him touch the petals. "I hope they do. I'm glad you like them." She peeked back at him. Mental note made - just don't ask about the Prom. Like, ever. Never ever. Which also made her more curious to know what happened. However, it would likely always remain a mystery. "Maybe some time we can dance a little. It's fun." Her voice lowered a touch, a conspiratorial sort of level. "Though, I'm not very good at it." She chuckled then and looked back to the flowers. "I was sad I couldn't find any blue ones...but the ones on the coffee table still are looking nice."

There's almost a snap - Alexander does not WANT to dance, thank you very much. Pretty much ever, and usually he wouldn't hesitate to point that out in no uncertain terms. But he doesn't. He just takes a breath, lets it out slowly, and says, "I'm sure you'd be better than me, Isolde. But we can try it sometime. As long as no one's watching. Once this...whatever it is...has passed or broken or whatever. Okay?" He looks down at the flowers again. "Once you've got these in the yard, perhaps there will be some blue ones that grow well in fall."

There's another smile. "At any rate, I'm glad you're happy. I have a bit more work to do, tracking down a couple of people so we can get some cash. Can you keep Luigi occupied so that I can work without him trying to eat my hair?"

Isolde is studying him, and...she maybe looks a little surprised that he agreed to it. Considering how quick he was to say no to the dance and she just barely thought she saw a hint of something that meant hew as going to say no again. "Well, we will see." She offered up a smile to him. "No one will see. Except Luigi. We can dance right here in the house. When the something is resolved." Nodding again. "I will keep him company. We will watch the Meerkats again while I read one of my books." Finally shedding her flannel and hanging it over her arm. "I hope you can find the people Alexander." Then she'd flash him another little smile before heading into the living room.

"It's TV time Luigi!"