He only noticed the flower shop's presence when he and Felipe actually needed to duck into the shop, realising on their way back from buying supplies (and few knick-knacks both knew would be useful for inventive shoe ideas) that they had forgotten flowers for Rosita's birthday which was coming up the following day. Oscar would say he was the one who remembered first, while Felipe would argue the opposite, but both paused mid-conversation, suddenly coming to a halt beside each other, shoulders tensing when the realisation that they had both forgotten until now, both gripping a full bag each.

"How could we forget?" Felipe groaned as they both began to scour the area for a shop.

"We planned the gift a week ago!" Oscar added, lifting his head as though it would help him to search better.
The various bustle of skeletal figures going about their evening was somewhat distracting. They had been walking along an area only just above where the proud Rivera shoe shop stood along with their living spaces built into the back of the shop. The building's were a newer build to the shop, but not on par with the modern buildings in constant construction further up. They walked further down the cobbled road, continuing their search until they neared the corner.

Oscar felt Felipe elbow his arm, veering his attention to a small yellow bricked building, nestled on the corner of the street. Various plants, fake and real, seemed to burst from the front in flurries of green and coloured specks.
A quick, relieved look between the two before they approached the shop. They slowed and briefly paused to glance the place over.
'VERA FLORES' Was printed clearly to the window, which paved view to a shop full of even more plants along the window pane.
A small sign hung in the top window of the rogue door, reading OPEN in careful, large letters.
Oscar rubbed his fingers over his moustache, leaning closer to Felipe who hand his hands clasped together in front of his chest.

"¿Hermano?"
"Hm?"
"Do you suppose they're open?" He glanced toward Felipe with a knowing smirk, nodding toward the clear lettering on the door. Felipe glanced toward the sign before turning to Oscar with a mirrored smirk.

"I'm not sure. If only they had a clearer indication."
"A sign, perhaps?" Oscar shrugged.
"Would make things-"
"-Far easier, agreed."
They chuckled at the small exchange, before Oscar approached the door, entering the shop. A small bell chimed as the door was opened and Felipe glanced up toward it as he ducked into the shop after his twin, shoes clicking against the polished wooden flooring.

Oscar glanced around at the small building. It wasn't uncomfortably small, but the plant life filling the room was pleasantly overwhelming, from the plants in ceramic potting beneath the window at the far left to the weaving hanging plants along the wall. Oscar could just about pick where the shelves were on the right wall where they stood closest to, but the bursts of red, yellows, pinks and blues filtered a lot of the actual shelf from view, surrounding it in colour.
It felt as though the place should have appeared a mess, but the clear trim to the plants and the bright colours seemed to emit care and passion. It was quiet. Serene almost. Oscar and Felipe shared a glance before glancing back around the room. Oscar could already spot a few flower arrangements he was certain Rosita would like. Then again, he was sure Felipe had done the same, just maybe not with the same flowers he had spotted.

Oscar briefly wondered who worked here. Such a large portion of plants definitely needed tending to. He knew for a fact it was something he could never get a handle for.
Neither could Felipe.
It was still embarrassing when the family brought up the disastrous vine wall they had both decided to grow for mamá when they were younger. In hindsight it was an absolute eyesore, but for two young boys, it was just plants and more plants. He supposed it was just something some people had an eye for, like arts and craft.

Oscar's thoughts were halted by a figure hurrying through the doorway in the corner of the room behind the counter.
"¡Lo siento! I hope I didn't keep you waiting." The woman smiled apologetically, the yellow petal patterns under her cheekbones scrunching slightly on her thin skull.
Felipe, who had wandered to the opposite side of the room to inspect the flowers closer, jumped a touch and straightened himself next to Oscar as both watched the woman enter.
Oscar took note of her cleaning her fingers on the green apron draped over her front, before she reached up and pushed her square glasses up, thumb pressing against the bridge before placing her hands down on the desk in front of her, smiling at them.
"Welcome to Vera Flores. Is there anything I can help you with today?"
Felipe looked at Oscar, Oscar looked at Felipe, silently waiting for a cue for the other to speak as they shuffled closer to the counter.
"Well-" Felipe began slowly, not looking away from his twin.
"-We have a birthday coming up." Oscar continued, turning his head to glance at the nodding woman. "We were hoping to get flowers, since-"
"-She's very fond of them!"
"¡Sí! We were thinking primarily red? Or-"
"-Or pink? Perhaps-"
"-Even yellow? I'm certain she would like yellow as well.." Oscar glanced back to Felipe for confirmation as his brother nodded. Both turned their attention back to the florist as she let out a bubbled laugh, desperately hidden behind the edge of her fingers. She pushed her glasses back up, glancing between them as she stood taller.
"¡Ay! Flowers for a birthday, ¡Qué maravilloso!" Her hands clapped as she pressed them together in front of her chest, smiling broadly and voice brimming with delight.

Felipe instinctively pressed closer to Oscar, shoulder pressing against his, as the florist stepped around the counter.

"Do you know if she has a favourite type of flower? Dahlias? Begonias? Roses?"
The twins glanced between one another, Oscar reached up to twirl his moustache as he thought.

"She's fond of them all." Felipe offered. Oscar nodded.
"But she's very fond of roses." He concluded with a nod.

They watched as the florist nodded, and Oscar watched the flowers holding up her hair shift with the movement. Pinks, yellows and white petals seemed to extend from the back of her hair, emphasising the dark bangs above her sockets and the hair hanging just in front of her cheek bones, stopping half-way down her neck.

Whoever needs that many flowers in their hair? Oscar wondered as he watched her approach the plants sat up on the pedestal against the wall.

"Well, I have roses in plenty of colours, red, yellow and pink included!" She titters gently, lifting up a selection of pink roses.
She pulls the flowers close to her chest, fingers pressing into the stems and avoiding the leaves and petals.

"When's the birthday date?" She asks casually, as she brushes her fingers against petals and picks out various red, yellow and pink roses.
Oscar grimaced a little, watching as Felipe mirrored his expression when they caught each others eyes.

"Tomorrow." Oscar mumbled, looking back toward the florist who blinked at him, appearing taken back.
"Oh!" She smiled, turning her attention back to the roses, her arms full of a bouquet with a decent amount of roses. She paused and turned to the two.
"Is this amount alright? Or would you prefer more or less?"
"That's-" Oscar smiled at the crisp colours
"-Perfect! I'm sure!" Felipe confirmed.
"-Sí, certainly!"

She was back behind the counter in a moment, gingerly placing the roses onto the white counter. Oscar and Felipe stood closer to the front of the counter, Felipe glancing just below it at the small empty ceramic pots and glass vases lined along behind the glass of the counter, eyes skimming the prices as Oscar watches the woman quietly. There's a clatter as she opens a draw behind the desk.
"Are these handmade?"
Felipe breaks the quiet, and the woman blinks up in the middle of her search.
"The vases are brought in." She explains, "But everything ceramic is handmade."
"Just by you?" Oscar adds.
A smirk fights it's way across her face.
"I have family and friends who sometimes help, but most are made by me." She smiles and glances up at Oscar, and he can feel a sense of pride beaming from her.

"So, is there any specific colour you'd like the ribbon?" Oscar blinked and Felipe straightened himself out next to the other, clearing his throat.
"I guess… Ah.." Both looked toward each other, equally stumped and uncertain.
"Um… What would-?"
"-You recommend?"
She was pulling the flowers into a goldish wrapping, shifting roses gently as she hummed with thought.

"White." She considered the roses carefully. "There's plenty of colour already, I think it would make a lovely contrast."

"White is fine, then." Felipe said, with Oscar nodding in agreement.
As she gathered the flowers into the wrapping, securing the whole thing with a bow, Oscar glanced down at the pots and vases, and nudged his brother to get his attention.
He directed a hand vaguely in the direction of white coloured pot, with subtle swirls of gold painted onto it, possibly big enough to hold the roses. Felipe spotted what his brother was directing to and raised a brow at Oscar, who smiled a little in return.
Felipe nodded knowingly as the woman muttered "There." proudly securing the bow.

"Also-" Oscar interjected as she lifted the bouquet.
"Could we-"
"-also buy a pot? For-"
"-The flowers?" She glanced between them as they spoke, and Oscar was somewhat surprised at how she seemed unfazed by how perfectly they could continue and finish the others sentences.
Most people outside of the family found it odd and distracting.

"Sí, of course. Is there anything there you'd like, specifically?"
"The white one-"
"-With the golden swirls-"
"-Near the front left, Por favor." She ducked down and delicately pulled the pot out, setting it down on the counter.

"Is that one you made?" Oscar suddenly found himself asking.

She smiled fondly as she placed the flowers into the vase, adjusting the ribbon and flowers with gentle touches.
"Mi primo made it, actually. He's a creative boy, loves anything that makes a mess."
Oscar smiled, feeling warmth spread in his rib cage as the woman spoke fondly.

The necessary money was exchanged and Oscar's fingers curled around the base and side of the pot, accidentally brushing past the woman's fingers as she focused on making sure the pot and flowers wouldn't fall.

Oscar is closer to her, and he can't help but notice all the blooms of golden-yellow and and dark fuchsia around her sockets.

"Gracias, la señorita-"
She waved her hand dismissively before pushing up her glasses again, smiling nervously.
"Oh, just Leonor is fine."
"Ah.. Leonor, then. Gracias, Leonor." Oscar nodded, stepping back and holding the flowers carefully close as Felipe adjusted the handle of the bag of supplies in his left grasp, heading toward the door.
"De nada. I hope it's a lovely birthday, ¡adiós!"

They mutter their goodbyes as Felipe opens the door for Oscar and they both step out one after the other, leaving the bell to jingle as the door opens and closes.
Leonor sighs and carefully brushes her hand against the clear counter. She quietly cracks her knuckles and watches the evening sunlight filtering through the window, casting soft shadows around the shop.
She sways there for a moment, lost in thought. She blinks and startles. Then hurries back through the door behind the counter, rouge skirt swaying with each step.

Closer to home, Oscar feels more at ease.
Not that the encounter in the shop had been unpleasant, but it left him with an odd, lingering feeling. He and Felipe talked back and forth over everything and nothing at once as they continue down the streets, stepping in sync to one another, knowing they would have to face Imelda's wrath if they stayed out longer and worried her.
As they marked out various plans on how to sneak the flowers past Rosita, Oscar quietly noted the surroundings, a small thought in the back of his mind wondering if he'd need to remember his way to the flower shop in the future.
He had doubts.
There were probably flower shops much closer to where they lived. They just so happened to be closest to the one they went into today.
But still…
Keeping the shop in consideration wouldn't be a bad thing, he supposed, as his thumb brushed past a stray leaf while he adjusted it more securely in his arms.