Chapter 10: Fall Time for Flowers

Have you heard about this nice little flower shop on the outskirts of Seattle?

It's a one-of-a-kind place, with a one-of-a-kind selection of flowers. Also, it's run by a one-of-a-kind girl.

It started off as pretty middling with the highest compliments going to the relatively fair prices and the fantastic upkeep of the plants that came in.

But over time word of mouth started spreading about unique plants coming into the store that can't be found anywhere else in the world.

Plants that would only release pollen in dark environments that could cure insomnia, herbs with remedial properties that when rubbed into the gums could stop bleeding and soreness immediately, and even leaves that taste like meat!

Now some of these plants are simply rumors growing as wild as unkempt ivy, but nevertheless the curiosity dragged more customers to her doorstep.

Nobody knows where this girl came from, or how she does this. A friendly face with homely vibes, she's easy to talk to but difficult to peel apart.

And despite steady business and a few offers, she's chosen to stick to her single shop, which also doubles as her home.

But she's not a stranger. She does have a name. You might be surprised to hear it.

Not yet though. Let's see if you can figure it out.

Today, on this crispy fall weekend, she gets up bright and early to water the plants. Then she goes for a light jog.

By the time she returns, a glass of orange juice and a piece of egg and spinach quiche felt really good.

The second floor of this building has everything she could need, in a contained space. Not much room for hobbies, but she does have a small stack of puzzles she picked up from the thrift store and a few cowboy figures beside her bed.

After splashing water on her freckled face she carefully tied her long silky red hair into two braided ponytails and finished her ensemble with a brown sleeveless leather vest.

But then she noticed that there was a hole in her shirt and swapped out for a white one with a thick flower pattern over it, and a rose brooch on her chest. Her brown pants and cowhide shoes were fine where they were, a bit of a beer stain on the pants aside.

She then opened up shop, but had a lax attitude throughout since the season tended to slow things down.

She had a few special flowers in the back stock for other customers, but needed to go through some of the traditional stuff first.

Her first customer came an hour in and she lightened up on approach, "Welcome! Anything I can help you find?"

Her tone was sweet and had a fine air of maturity.

The customer looked around and she could tell they were really interested in the crisp red flowers.

With an easy to handle demeanor she glided her arm out towards her selection, "Word around town is that Petunias are very popular."

"Hmmm, I tried growing some last year but it didn't work out."

"Let me guess, you live in higher elevations?" The shopkeeper remarked.

"I do."

The shopkeeper clapped her hands out of pride towards herself.

"Petunias have a hard time in the cold. If you want a sturdier flower," The shopkeeper gestured to the red and yellow flowers, "Chrysanthemums will work."

"If you buy two, I'll even throw in a discount." The generosity came from wanting to clear stock, but it proved to be an easy sell.

The customer's eyes lit up and a few minutes later, they were happily leaving with their new product.

The shopkeeper then looked at her profits on her phone and murmured, "Maybe I'll treat myself to a steak tonight."

She was then caught off-guard by a phone call and answered, "Floral Frontiers, what can I do for you?"

"Hey cowboy! It's your business partner here with a report! We just found a new plant out here on Phonos Qi! It's a bit of a spitter, but it seems to be really effective at clearing out pests! Want me to call in Cat to check it out or nah?"

The shopkeeper leaned on the counter and giggled, "Noel, aren't you and Seth supposed to be on your honeymoon? No business ventures, alright? Just enjoy your time off."

"You SURE? Cause I don't know when we'll be in this system again."

The shopkeeper closed her eyes, hummed with the allure of temptation, then came to a compromise, "I'll tell Catherine to mark the coordinates for you two to return there at a later date. Now go on, I'm serious."

"Sounds like you're in a rush there. Busy day?"

"Nope. Unbusy weekend."

"Ah, well. You keep bucking at it, cowboy! We'll see you again real soon!" Before she hung up, there was a very visceral shriek on the other end, causing the shopkeeper to hang her head with a sigh, then flirt with a daydream of fighting such a monster alongside the love birds.

As she lifted herself she looked at the plants she just sold and took a deep breath.

"..." From there she looked at her phone and wandered through her messages until landing on one.

It showed two old friends taking a selfie on their honeymoon at a tropical resort, wishing that she was doing well and they would see each other again soon.

"Posted a year ago."

After staring for a while she clicked the phone off and laid it on the counter under her arms.

She spent some time moving between taking care of the plants and helping customers out. It was a slow burn, but eventually she forgot what she was thinking about again through enjoying conversation with others.

Most people just come and go on business matters, but she'll get the rare few who want to stick around a little longer and chat.

She's found a few who interest her but has never pursued them. It's always felt like a daunting task to fall in and out of love.

She closed up shop for lunch time and enjoyed a pre-made sandwich she bought from the store. A little bit of chipotle mayo gave it the boost it needed.

But then she received a rowdy knock on the door, which could only mean one thing…

She put the sandwich aside and the knocking kept on going until she opened the door, where she found Serra and Leo were visiting.

The shopkeeper smiled as Serra stumbled into the shop by the force of her knocking. She noticed she had finally gotten a little bit taller than her, but was still wearing the same type of clothes she'd had on since she was in first grade.

Leo looked good too, he was taking after their parents in a lot of ways. He had brought a bag with him, filled with groceries.

After he walked in, the shopkeeper shut the door and remarked, "I wish I knew you were dropping by, I would've cleaned up a little."

Leo apologized, of course, "Sorry, this was a spur of the moment visit."

He then presented the bag to her and smiled, "I noticed they had alfalfa sprouts on sale and figured since you wouldn't have time to pick some up-"

The shopkeeper snatched the bag up with a smile, "Whew. Right on time!"

She then reached up and playfully ruffled his hair, "Thanks a lot, little brother."

"When you need to find deals, I'm the brother for the job." Leo said, keeping humble to a fault.

The shopkeep headed towards the stairs and glanced over her shoulder, "Are you two in a rush? I got some soda upstairs."

Serra perked up and shouted, "I'll take a Pepsi, Frecks!"

"Diet soda for me." Leo added.

Naturally.

After getting them their drinks she brought her sandwich down to the counter and Leo remained on the other side, while Serra was off doing some exercises upstairs.

"Sooooo...how are you guys enjoying high school?" The shopkeeper asked.

"It's been going smoothly. I'm sure dad's called and told you about all the surprises."

"Ha ha ha! It reminds me of when me and…mom…went to the same school together." The shopkeeper slowly lowered her sandwich with a frown.

She then shook her head and leaned in on one elbow, making her fingers dance along her cheek, "Let your big sister do her duty for once and let you in on a little secret, Leo. High school's the last thing standing between you and adulthood. Cherish this time while you can, and try to make some friends that'll last you a lifetime."

"Actually, I met a new friend named Lyra."

The shopkeeper raised a brow and put on a catty grin, "Oh? Sounds like a girl's name~"

Leo shook his head to quickly dispel any fun ideas she had started planting, causing her to tease him with a giggle.

He then explained, "She's been full of surprises, but I have enjoyed her company."

"Good. I hope it goes well for you." She said softly. Upon hearing Serra huffing upstairs, the shopkeeper then shouted, "Hey little sis! How quickly did you beat all the sports teams this year?"

"Two weeks!" Serra declared.

"Nice! Keep it up, and maybe someday you'll beat dad!" But then the shopkeeper turned to Leo and whispered with a faint shake of her head, "She's never going to do it."

"Still, it keeps her motivated." Leo remarked.

"I bet dad agrees." The shopkeeper pointed out.

A truncated symphony played as Leo's ringtone and after checking his messages he remarked, "Oh, it seems mom's flight's landing early. We should probably get going."

Leo tossed his can in the trash bin and then hollered, "Serra! Time to head home!"

"Got it!" And then she performed a spectacular three-point shot with her can from the rafters before sliding down the stair railing to meet up with Leo at the door.

"Bye Frecks!" She waved her hand.

"See you later, Maria." Leo added.

The shopkeeper brushed her hand up for a fond farewell and then, after curling her fingers she trembled and then made one passing remark, "...Say hi to mom for me."

Whether they heard her or not was not her concern.

She cared that her siblings still come to visit.

See, before these twins were born, there was a girl.

A girl who suffered as a phantom, then returned to life. But with nowhere to go, a very kind man took her into his life and raised her as his daughter.

That impish little girl grew up, and now owns this humble flower shop.

Big dreams turned into big compromises, but no matter how much she's changed with age, the shopkeeper wears her name with pride.

She is Maria Whiter. 30 years old, but still a dreamer.

"Haaaa…" After wrapping up her sandwich it was just around time for the shop to reopen for the rest of the day.

The number of customers went up, but it was hardly worth mentioning compared to the dizzying spring and summertime rushes.

As much as she loves her nice abode, maybe it was about time to consider upsizing to account for those.

She was raking in some impressive profits for the season after all. She had a few contractors on a list, but hadn't gotten the courage to call them up yet.

Normal was comfortable. Normal was peaceful.

Ultimately it was another day of putting something important off. That was her big highlight in her daily blog. Well, that and seeing her siblings.

After the shop closed up for the day, she made a quick trip to the store to pick up some steak, but unfortunately they were out of tri-tip so she had to settle for rib-eye.

Toss it with some garlic butter and interplanetary herbs she kept for herself and it would make for a fantastic dinner. But what would she have with it?

While she was figuring that out she got another call on the phone with that all too striking caller ID: "Dad"

She let it ring a few times then flopped onto her bed, crossed one leg over the other, and answered in a soft, more vulnerable voice, "Hey, dad."

"How's my favorite cowboy doing?" Came his all-too friendly tone.

"Oh you know, slow weekend as usual. How about you?"

"Well, it's a fast lane weekend for me! Crew's making some final rounds on the car before the Grand Prix starts, sooooo I thought I'd check up on the family."

"Funny you mention that, Serra and Leo checked up on me earlier today too." Maria turned around onto her stomach and kicked her shoes off.

"Well that was nice of them. Heh heh, they're growing up so fast, aren't they?"

Maria smiled fondly and humored his remark, "I can't believe Serra's taller than me now. I still remember a time where she was riding on my shoulders."

"I still remember doing the same for you, Maria."

Maria blushed, "Daaad…"

"Ha ha! Well hey, it's the weekend, so try and get out a little bit and have some fun, ok?"

"Tonight I'm going to enjoy a steak, lay back, and watch some movies I recorded. Maybe I'll spend my time off tomorrow in town. Say hi to Samantha."

"She'd appreciate that. Ooooh hey hey! Don't forget, the sequel to 'Dustorm Elysium' comes out on Blu-Ray in a week!"

"Pffft, who do you think you're talking to, dad? The fate of the No-Brand Sheriff has been keeping me up for the past year!"

"Well don't get so eager that you spoil the ending for me! I'll be sure to keep my schedule open so we can do a group watch over Discord that night. Promise?"

"...Promise." Maria smiled softly.

She paused when she thought she heard the door ringing, but it must've been her imagination.

She then turned back onto her back and gazed longingly at the ceiling, paddling her feet in the air, "...Hey dad, you know what today is?"

There was a momentary gasp on the other line, followed by Mew whispering, "Six years clean, huh?"

Maria's eyes quivered and she slowly nodded.

"Maria…I'm really, really proud of you. And your mom is too."

"...Yeah?" Maria said with a twinge of doubt.

"You're always welcome back home. I'll even cook you up a pie, fresh from the Mew Market!"

"Heh heh heh! I'd love that. Maybe…I'll come over for Thanksgiving, sounds good?" She stood up and made her way over to the rafters to lean in and enjoy how colorful her shop looked from up high.

"Sounds good."

Maria didn't realize that someone was sneaking up right behind her.

"Well, I have to get to dinner, dad. You-"

She was suddenly grabbed around the stomach and swept off her feet.

"AAAAH!" She said with excitement and a hint of fear.

"Maria?! Hey! You alright?!"

Maria looked back and saw that her assailant was Alura, grinning like an idiot.

"Suuuurprise!" She said.

Maria started laughing to tears as she raised her phone, "I-Its just Alura."

"Got it! I'll be right over to rescue you!"

Alura dropped her and immediately swiped the phone into her grasp, pacing around the room, "Hiiii, Mew, glad to hear you too!"

With a playful smirk and her finger dancing in the air she said, "So, did you enjoy the concert?"

"Yeah yeah, it was good as usual," He said with a bite, "Don't think I didn't catch your scheme though."

"Mew, I'm insulted!" Alura fanned her fingers over her chest, "I'm just a humble songstress, I wouldn't have the pull to hijack the time slot from your favorite sitcom!"

"I missed the part where I said that."

"Oh, your tone says enough, silly." Alura giggled.

Maria reached out and went, "Ummm…"

Alura waved her hand out then put a finger over her smile. Maria smiled back and let her be.

She was wearing her off-shoulder ash black shirt with the green snake head outline and slightly torn blue jeans. A classic, which continues to look fantastic on her.

Mew raised his voice with scheming intent on the other line, "I'll get you back for this soon enough, Alura."

Alura then propped a hand on her hip and sighed, "Oh no. I'm so scared of you, Mr. Silver 2."

"H-Hey! Silver medals are very impressive in racing!"

"Sure. It makes you the first loser," Alura said and then gasped at herself, "Whoops, that just slipped out!"

"...You and your illusionary F-cups better listen to me, I-!"

"Ahck!" Alura immediately hung up in a none too offended manner and turned around, marching towards Maria with a shrug, "Rude much? I'm at least a G-Cup."

Alura's pupils shrank as she handed the phone back to Maria, "Oh poo, you were still talking to him weren't you?"

Maria took her property back and waved it off, "It's fine, we were done anyways."

After a pause to let the mood pass, Alura threw her arms out and forced Maria into another hug, "Ooooh, I missed you! How's my favorite flower girl doing?"

"F-Fine…!" Maria could tell her hugs were getting stronger over time, "B-But how did you…?"

Alura peeled back just enough to jingle some keys in her pocket. And Maria was left embarrassed, "O-Oh…of course you'd still have those."

Alura backed off and smiled, "I wanted to call ahead, but I thought this would be a teensy bit more thrilling!"

"You look like you're doing well for yourself." Maria complimented.

"Oh well, I did find a great hot spring while I was on tour-"

"I meant you look happy."

Alura flinched and then smiled, "Well you know. The kids are fine, my husband's living his dream. I legit have no complaints…"

She then hastily added a "towards me" and then guided Maria toward the rafters, "But you? Do me a favor and rearrange those plants, stat! Swap the yellow and orange rows and it'll look nicer."

"Oh! I see what you mean!" And from there she started getting more ideas.

Alura brushed a hand down her back and then snuck away to the kitchen.

"Uh uh!" Her worrying mark made Maria scurry over to see her dangling the unopened steak and shaking her head.

"You…!" Alura poked her in the nose and smiled, "Are going to live a little tonight."

She then withdrew her hand to pull out her phone and made a call, "I'm going to fill you with greasy nachos until you burst!"

"I-" Maria dropped her guard with a sigh, "...Ah hell, and order an extra serving of sour cream."

"Yaaaay!" Alura put the steak in the fridge and then made the order for delivery. After she paid the fee in full, they took their heaping bag of chips and beef upstairs and spilled it onto a big tray.

Some time later they were sitting on the bed, scooping chips and enjoying an action flick.

Alura's appetite was astounding. It's a good thing she made an XL order.

Alura recoiled from some of the explosions thanks to the sound system. Maria held her ground, holding her eyes wide with awe.

"Holy…SHIT! They took out the whole ruins!" Alura remarked.

Maria muffled a response and nodded.

"Alright. I'll bite my tongue this time. There's some action movies that are fun." Alura smiled and then scooped a bunch of chips into her mouth.

Maria turned onto her side and wagged her finger in circles, "Want something to drink? I got a new blend."

"MMMFFFF HMMFFF!" Alura replied enthusiastically.

Maria pulled out plain seltzer water from the fridge and poured it into the glass. Then she reached into her cabinet and pulled out some ground leaves with a mischievous smile crossing her face as she saw her friend distracted by the movie.

After slipping the leaves into both of their drinks she handed one to Alura and then sat on the other side.

Alura enjoyed half of the drink before commenting on it, "Doesn't feel any different. Eh?"

Maria snickered as her friend's voice became high pitched and squeaky like a balloon.

"Oh my god?" Alura commented with a smile as she rubbed her neck.

Maria took a drink and turned her upper body around, trying not to laugh as her own voice matched Alura's, "I-I used leaves that produce helium instead of oxygen!"

"Ha ha ha!" Alura laughed until she had to zip her lips shut, blushing as red as roses.

"That's hilarious! I think I'm going to have another drink!" Alura then gulped the rest down to extend the effects.

"Heh heh! Hey look at me!" Alura puffed her cheeks, "I'm a chipmunk!"

Maria lost it. "HA HA HA!"

And when Alura did the same the recoil knocked her off the bed squealing, "O-Oh shiiiit…!"

Maria gasped and then ran around, her voice returning to normal, "You ok?!"

Alura grabbed her by the collar, "Caught you~"

And then used her greater stature to restrain her and "force" her to drink the rest of her silly brew.

"Y-You fox…!" Maria said.

"See this is why you're more fun to play with! YOU can actually be subtle. But you still have a long way to go to beat the master!" Alura boasted playfully.

"Oh yeah?" Maria buckled down and sized her friend up, "Remind me, where are you standing?"

She may be bigger, but that doesn't make a lick of difference when she's loosened up from all the laughter.

One push and Maria toppled Alura right on top of the remaining nachos.

There was a pause with Alura lying there stunned, and then the two snickered in their normal pitches.

Maria scratched her face and murmured, "Ok, went a little too far there."

Maria let her use the shower while she washed her clothes and also her own sheet.

Alura ordered another delivery of nachos before showering, but Maria stealthily paid for it herself as an apology.

By the time she got back up Alura walked out in a black robe barely containing her chest and her hair looking luscious. None of that smile had faded from her face.

"That felt great! Are you sure it's OK for me to wear this?" She said, shamelessly lifting one of her breasts.

Maria blushed, "Yeah, it's the least I can do."

Alura stared at her gesture and murmured, "Black though…?"

The two returned to where they left off on the bed, though Alura had to be a little more careful not to spill out.

"Aaaah, this really is the life you got here, Maria. Work and home…all in one place!"

"Yeah, it's pretty nice." Maria said half-heartedly.

Alura turned on her side and pouted, "Ok, you're giving me the 'But somethings missing' tone."

Maria leaned back into the bed and remarked, "You know..."

Alura closed her eyes and huffed, "Ok…"

She then sat up and declared cheerfully, "I'm gonna be around more often, so it's about time I hooked you up!"

"A-Alura that's not…"

"Ah!" Alura flung her hand back, "No excuses. This is my sworn duty as your bestest best friend!"

Maria hung her head in defeat, "Ok ok, but I don't want you to take time away from the kids."

"They're doing fine. Chill." And there was no reason to doubt her.

Maria sighed, "Ok. But not tonight."

Alura expertly spun around and flopped back onto the bed, "Well DOI! We got a movie to finish!"

Maria smiled with a hint of blush on her cheeks, then relaxed back on the bed with her thoughts elsewhere.

"It's not that I'm totally unhappy. But sometimes I feel like I don't deserve what I've got."

"Growing up sucks…"

"I want to be young again."

"But…" Maria turned and saw her friend getting excited over the movie, "If I remained that immature, I never would've become your friend, Alura."

She closed her eyes and breathed in relaxation, "These feelings will come and go like the wind."

"But I'll never regress. Because…I got people who believe in me."

Next Time: A Child's Eyes