Audrey was unluckily lucky that she'd stepped into the shop at the moment she did. At the moment a choked scream bounced off the walls, coming from the basement. It made her jump, and she could tell by the shattering of pots that accompanied it whose scream it was.
She hung up her coat and bag, listening to the few pained sobs and stepping to the stairs, inching down them carefully.
The first thing she saw was Seymour. Sitting on the floor on his knees, hunched over a bit and clutching onto his arm as his shoulders shook. That odd plant he'd been working on sat happily on the table in front of him, practically glowing in it's health.
Seymour heard her footsteps, choking out a quiet, "Shop's closed," as he glanced back to look at her. His glasses were gone, he clearly couldn't tell who she was. So, she stepped closer, and he recognized the clacking of her heels on the concrete. "Oh, A-Audrey!" He scooted away, making a point out of hiding his arm from her. "Y-you didn't have to come in today, I had everything under control, really-" He was cut off by a gasp, then a few more quiet sobs.
Her brow furrowed and she dropped down to her knees next to him, picking up his glasses from their spot a few feet away. He whimpered as she placed them on his face, and blinked, eyes widening a bit as the sight of her brought a small smile to his face. "You look gorgeous as ever, Audrey..." He tried changing the subject.
She wasn't having that. "Le' me see." She held out her hand, motioning for him to give her his arm. The boy shook his head, scooting away again.
"N-n-no, I'm fine, I can take care of it..." She rolled her eyes and reached for his hand, making him flinch. "No, Audrey, please-" His voice was cracking, eyes watering again.
She was eventually able to pull his arm away, showing off a deep, round gash in his arm. Whatever did this seemed to have ripped into the skin, and she knew it wasn't any old flower pot. She didn't like what she saw, and apparently, neither did Seymour. He made a quiet choking sound, looking away from the wound immediately after it was revealed and squeezing his eyes shut.
"H-how'd ya' do this...?" She took his free hand, pressing it to the cut as he shuddered terribly. He wouldn't answer. Just stared at the floor with tears streaming down his face, starting to fog up his glasses. "Seymour, talk to me..." He shook his head.
"It was... It was nothin'..." He swallowed, mentally punching himself for being such a good liar, until it came to Audrey. He just couldn't lie to Audrey...
She shook her head, lifting his hand a bit to inspect the cut for a moment. "Looks like a bite." That made him tense up. Ah... "Something... Bit you? Seymour-"
"It was the plant." He practically spit it out, glancing up at the pod on the table in front of them. "I was... Tryin' ta' look at its insides an' it kinda just..." He swallowed, looking down at the floor again. "Chomped down..." There you go. That's probably along the lines of what she wanted to hear. Nailed it.
She sighed and shook her head again, kissing his forehead. All the blood he had left rushed to his face, it made him a little dizzy. "You gottah be careful with that little plant, Seymour... She's not so little anymore." She smiled a bit, and so did he, he could see the redness of his own cheeks reflected on hers.
With one last nod, she helped him to his feet and up the stairs, propping him up on the counter as she dug through the shop's first aid kit.
Of course, leaving the plant alone to think was never a good idea. Now she knew. She saw everything. The tears, the blush, the smiles... That girl. Audrey II had a plan, and it was sure to succeed.