2019-10-31 - Detective By Day, Gardener By Weekend

"Look, the thing is, I need to get the trees trimmed before the Winter, and then it's all just making sure the shrubs don't die," Gabriel is telling the bartender who doesn't seem to be giving a shit about any of this as he washes some glasses. The detective has an amber beer in front of him, in a blue blazer and gray slacks like he just came from work.

Moseying on up to the bar, her posture slightly stiff in the manner of someone who has had a hard day's work, is Juniper. "This is Two If By Sea, honey. Not Two If By Tree. He ain't gonna be able to help you," she comments as she hears the tail end of Gabriel's woes, lifting a hand to get the barman's attention. "Jack and coke please. Light on the coke."

"Yeah, but he's got to listen to me until he gets sick of me and then wanders off and does something else." Like, for instance, getting Juniper's whiskey and coke. That is when he looks back at Juniper, unleashing his problems on her. "I've got ivy on this one tree. Deciding whether I'm brave enough to go up it myself with the machete or whether I hire a pro. But pros cost an arm and a leg."

There's a sunny smile from the woman who has just ordered. She pauses to pass some cash along to the barman in exchange for her alcohol, then Juniper offers, "Not always an arm and a leg. Also, it's probably cheaper than actually losing your arm and/or leg because you got chop-happy, or fell off your ladder. Though it does depend on the extent of the ivy and the age of the tree."

"Well, maybe," says Gabriel, thinking about it. "But I do all of this myself. I don't even have a guy, which, you know, being a Latino guy, I ought to have a guy, but." Gabe gestures with his beer. "I just don't want it choking off the tree and then I've got rot problems come Spring."

"Aw, it's okay. It's 2019, you can be your own guy," Juniper faux-consoles, her smile lingering as she takes a sip of her drink. "But you should definitely do something about it, yes. The question is, what." She levels Gabriel with a thoughtful look, as if unsure of his capability in making that decision.

"Anyway. Sorry. I'm really into my garden and yard. As you can see." Gabriel gestures with his beer and realizes he might be That Guy at the bar. He offers a hand. "Gabe Quintanilla."

"Juniper Wilson. Landscape Gardener," the woman with the whiskey and coke introduces herself in turn, grasping his hand with a firm, friendly and calloused grip for a quick shake before letting it go again. "So you carry on, honey. I'm the person in the room most likely to care." She smiles again, and nods to an empty table just over the way. "Shall we?"

"No, shit. Really?" Gabriel, perhaps, cannot imagine his luck at the fact he met a landscaper while, in fact, ranting about his landscaping! What a coincidence! He nods over at the table and then goes to make his way over, dropping down into it. "I'm a detective by day, but gardener by weekend. Winter coming up makes things sort of dormant, though."

Meandering on over to claim the seat opposite Gabriel's, Juniper settles, resting her drink on the tabletop in front of her. "Detective, mmn? I can see why you'd want to get away from it all in the garden," she muses, nodding slowly. "Doesn't have to be quiet in winter, though. House plants can be good company too."

"Yeah. It's nice. When you get focused in on things, it's just you and the dirt and the detail work, and you don't have time to think about anything else." Gabriel smiles a little bit, perhaps fondly, as he thinks about it. "But yeah. Maybe. I usually use it for tree work. But maybe. Would need to think about what would be nice."

There's a nod of understanding to that focused comment, Juniper murmuring, "It's one of the things I love about my job, yeah. Plants don't demand conversation, either." That's said with a smile, and she continues, "So, the tree. What kind of tree, and how extensive is the ivy?" Sounds like she's going to give him some professional advice, maybe, between sips from her drink.

Oh! Juniper wants details! Gabe has details! He digs out his phone from his breast pocket and unlocks it, pulling up a picture. "So here's what I've got. It's an Oak. I live on oak. I know. Anyway. See. I've got the ivy about half way up from the rains here." He gestures. "But it's a good old tree. I mean, the house is pre-War. Reno'd a bunch of times, but still. I don't want to lose it."

Considering the picture, Juniper 'mm's quietly. "I think the oak is probably tough enough to handle it. It's only a serious problem if the ivy ends up covering a structural defect, so you'll want to check it every month or so. Of course removing it won't hurt if you decide to go that way, but I don't think it needs to be a priority."

"Oh! You think so? Just keep an eye on it?" Gabriel turns the screen back on himself, nodding his head thoughtfully at that. "That's awesome. Okay. Well. You're doing a bad job drumming up business for yourself, Juniper," laughs the detective. "But I appreciate it. Really."

There's a lazy smile from Juniper. "I'd rather give good advice than suggest work that doesn't need doing. If my customers can't trust me to be honest, I'm not going to stay in business long," she points out, lifting her glass to take another sip.

"Yeah. Well. If only more people thought the way you do. I've been taken for a ride by some people before, and I even knew what I was doing," sighs Gabriel as he tucks his phone back in his pocket. "Anyway. I guess winter you do snow removal and that sort of thing? Starting the change-over season."

Shaking her head, Juniper admits, "I haven't really figured winter out yet. I've only been living here a couple weeks, and winters back home are pretty mild." Her accent is American but definitely not from this far north - New Mexico, if he'd recognise that. "So probably?"

Gabriel laughs at that, nodding his head. "Well, fair enough. It's just what most of the landscapers do all around here. Where are you from before? I've been here about six years now, but it was San Francisco before that." He finishes his beer, tipping the glass back.

"New Mexico," comes the mild reply, though she doesn't get more specific than that. Juniper takes another sip from her glass, her drink almost gone, and adds, "Travelled about for like six months before ending up here. It's got a good feel, so I'm sticking for a bit."

"Yeah? Well, that's a Hell of a way to do it. Traveling for six months, that is. Just, like, around the U.S., or?" Gabriel seems a little puzzled how one takes six months to go from New Mexico up to Washington State.

"Yeah, just wandering a bit, me and my truck. Couple'a weeks here, couple'a weeks there, zigzagging back and forth." Juniper sounds like she enjoyed it, or at least her tone is wistful, and she finishes her drink with a last sip and stands. "I'm gonna grab another one. Refill?" She nods to his beer.

Gabriel tilts his wrist, glancing at his watch. "I had best be getting going," he says after a moment's deliberation. "Need to get back to start handing out candy before the kids come around. Anyway. You got a card or something? I'll tuck it away and make sure that if I need someone, you get a call."

"I do in fact have a card," Juniper confirms, digging a hand into one of her pockets and drawing out a slightly dog-eared card; thin stock rather than anything lavish, but it's got her name, job title and a cell number on it. This gets offered over, her smile sheepish. "Have a good halloween, Gabe."

Gabriel takes the card and slots it into his pocket, extracting a Gray Harbor Police Department business card and sliding it across the table. "In case you need anything," he tells her simply. "Thanks for the advice on the oak. Really appreciate it."