"So, big night. Do you feel ready?"
Audrey reached out to make a few last-minute readjustments on the leaves decorating his shoulder, and Seymour did his best to hold still and not fidget. He thought about trying to put on a brave face and pretend he was being perfectly fearless about all of this. He was meant to be a hero now, and heroes were supposed to be confident. But if they were going to be working together like this, then trust was the most important thing, and he figured that started with honesty. And honestly, he still didn't feel like someone who had much hope of being anything impressive.
"I'm not sure I'll ever be completely ready." He admitted.
"I know what you mean." Deciding she was satisfied with the state of their costumes, Audrey let go of the leaves and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But it'll be alright. We'll be out there togetha', and we can watch out for each otha'."
He nodded, managing an only slightly shaky breath. At least they hadn't been assigned to any sort of real case yet. For their first night, and probably awhile after, it was more of a 'keep an eye out in case there's anything you can help with' kind of situation. But knowing what things were like on Skid Row, they'd most likely be coming across some problems sooner rather than later.
It helped to remind himself that they'd prepared for this, as much as they reasonably could have. They knew how to work together, how each other's powers worked. How his leaves and vines didn't do much on their own, but he could provide them with plenty of greenery at a moment's notice. How Audrey's skills gave them a lot more options for how to handle different situations, but she needed some plant life to work with.
Audrey had gotten better at growing flowers faster, and being able to bloom more and more at once without getting too drained to continue. Seymour had always had the opposite problem. For him, it was more of a feat to stop anything from springing up around him every time he got nervous. But he'd been getting better too. It had been a good while now since he'd left the back alley behind the shop looking like a greenhouse the gardener had lost all control of. Even now, he'd managed to keep the fire escape from turning into a makeshift trellis, even when it would have been an easy night to let nerves completely get the best of him.
Still, everything hardly felt real yet, when he'd never expected to get this far. And there were definitely plenty of things that could go wrong.
Apparently sensing that he was still worried, Audrey continued, "We're gonna be great at this, I know it. And just think, if we do well enough, someday they might send up somewhere betta'!"
"Yeah, that would be nice." He knew that their classmates, or at least the more ambitious ones, mostly had their eyes on some big metropolis. He and Audrey had been hoping for a smaller town somewhere. Less glory, but lower stakes, and easier to get to know the people you were protecting. But really, just about anything that got them out of Skid Row would be worth it. Though, there was one thing that had always bothered him about the idea. Perhaps he should bring that up now as well, in the interest of being honest on the job. "I, um… I guess you wouldn't need me as much if we were somewhere green."
"Don't say that, I'm always gonna need you." Audrey replied immediately. "Regular plants are great, but they don't know how to work on a team. I can't count on them like you."
He still looked doubtful, and Audrey decided to demonstrate. Moving too quickly to give him time to think, Audrey's arm flicked out to the side to grow a few flowers over the metal railing of the fire escape. With a muscle memory built up over countless hours practicing together and watching to see what she needed, Seymour already had a vine waiting by the time her hand was in position.
"Anywhere we go, we go as a team. I promise." She said, glad to see him looking reassured as the railing bloomed with yellow lights.
She was right. He knew she was right. They were in this together, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Maybe he could have some hope that this was going to go well after all.