practice after he goes to bed. as though there are enough hours in the day for her to do that. roman, at this point, usually has more energy at the end of the night than she does. after getting him to bed, she's usually conked out less than five minutes later. or she doesn't even make it far enough to check that he's sleeping and falls asleep herself on the couch, thinking of the hundred and one things she has to do before the sun comes up. 

"good," she says, relieved when he accepts. she's hoping her too-short nights will get just a little longer with the help she's hired at the shop. and it'll leave her more free to do things for herself. 

"ha. well, i doubt that very much, but i'll attribute my success to you if it happens." she shakes her head and then scrunches her shoulders, nuzzling a bit more into her scarf. her nose is getting a little red from the chill. 

she spies an eclectic little shop down the way and points. "let's start there. might be able to knock a few off the list here."

boruta maher

☉

she makes a face, nose scrunching, and shakes her head. "absolutely not. he'll kick my butt one time and i'll never hear the end of it." no, she'll watch from the sidelines when it happens, grin stretched so wide across her face it'll hurt. and she'll watch their laughter and their closeness and she'll feel that all is right in the world. 

"there is something i wanted to ask you though." she hesitates. "i know you've become quite the trainer. and after the soiree and with everything that's going on in the world, i...well, i want to at least feel competent at being able to protect us."

she shifts a little awkwardly, shoulders drawn. after all this time, it's hard for her to admit she needs help. 

"can you...teach me? how to do that?"

boruta maher

☉

she listens intently. the girl's young and her inexperience shows, but there's a certain level of care that she'd put into her arrangements, a desire and a passion to make perfection. it's something not everyone has. and willow will take inexperience and a willing to learn over experienced and callous any day. 

you have to have a gentle heart to work with flowers. 

"so you've had to work with hardier plants. most of sinnoh's, if i can recall correctly, are resilient creatures. fortunately, the same can be said for the local flora around here, what with all the ash we get. the soil needs a lot of work, but it's amazing if you know what you're doing."

she takes another sip of water. "we're a long way from sinnoh. and i know you're commuting to get here so you just let me know if i can make anything easier for you.

"i was fortunate enough to have the foundation given to me, but yes, i've done a lot of the work here myself. my dad taught me all i knew, but he passed a few years ago and my mother's not doing so well. so i need help."

Ophelia Reyes

☉

oh. her cheeks redden and she thinks, silly me, and feels embarrassed she'd misunderstood his question. but before she has time to backtrack, to say the evergreens, arborvitae's soft needles fanning in her mind, he mentions something that takes her aback. 

"does she still like flowers? you ought to bring her around sometime." roman suffers greatly from only child syndrome. perhaps someone else his age around him would be helpful to him. 

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

he and roman have spent more of their days together. she knows a little bit of their excursions, with bo teaching him how to properly partake in pokemon battles. po's been more of a nuisance to gretchen than usual, but he's still been left with his fair share of scratches as a warning. and a glare or two from willow as well. 

"well, i like the sound of that." and she does, really. flowers and gardening and sometimes meditation helps her deal with her problems, but her methods have certainly never worked for roman. it's good, him having this to bond over with bo. 

"great," she says, a little relieved, because, "honestly, i don't know the first thing about it. or what games he'd like. he'll be able to play with you, right? if we get another controller?"

boruta maher

☉

part of her wants to walk away from all of this. part of her wants to shut her bedroom door and crawl under her covers, drag a pillow over her ears, and not listen to the two of them. not make what roman has done a reality. not see the glimpses of bo's past, the road he'd walked before coming back to them. 

her hands shake. they don't have a microwave so she's using a skillet, covering it with foil so it'll heat all the way around. but the low sizzles and pops can't drown out the words. she can't walk away, but she can't turn around either.

all she can do is listen. and think. and let her imagination get the better of her. 

her shoulders tense. some very dangerous people there. "and you brought him?! how do you even know they're dangerous?" she bites her tongue. swallows.

boruta maher  & Roman Maher

☉

unfortunately for roman, his grandmother eleanor is having one of her good days. she's up and around on her own and just so happens to be walking out of the bathroom by the time roman comes sprinting towards her. noticing his odd waddle, hands pressed against something in his belt, she leans against the doorframe and smirks down at him. 

"what ya got there, little ro? something for grams?"

in the kitchen, willow reaches up on her toes to snick on her father's old radio. nothing like a little bit of music to relax an atmosphere. and it reminds her of candlenights past, celebrating as a family. 

with cian's help, there really isn't much left to do. the meats adelaide had prepared were pretty much cooked. all that remained was tossing the salad, preparing some dressings and dips, and popping the biscuits in the oven. 

she takes them out now, and with them come the mouthwatering smell of freshly baked bread. 

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

☉

the look on his face has her own beaming. a leafeon that'd been curled up by a space heater stretches her legs and trots over to the pair. she mroos softly and gets onto her hind legs, front pawing at willow's knees. willow crouches and gathers the girl up in her arms. 

"would you believe me if i said i don't? how could i? they're all so important to their ecosystems. the roselia give me beautiful roses in june. the gossifleur pollinate my flowers and keep them strong and healthy. each of them perform their own little miracles."

she hefts the leafeon. "foxglove here purifies the air and has helped cure a fair share of ailments."

there are a couple of wooden chairs in the center of the room, swathed in blankets, surrounded by books. hanging plants sway under the string lights, moved by the warm air flowing about the room. 

she takes a seat and foxglove settles neatly in her lap. "what about you? favorite? no judgments, i promise."

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

a sigh of relief escapes her. she'd phrased it in such a way hoping he'd pick the less 'work-like' task. as good of a lesson it might be to throw him to the wolves (figuratively speaking, because these are bulls), she'd rather not watch her son get maimed by a rowdy tauros. 

"if you paid attention to me when i talked to you about the language of flowers, you'd think their names are much cooler," she says blithely. besides, she happens to like their names.

she hefts the pitchfork and grunts as she shoves it as deep into the haystack as it'll go. 

"alright. go on the other side of the pen and try to get their attention. try to piss them off, but if they charge, you better be as far away from that fence as possible." at least he'll be out there and not inside like she. odds are roman'll do just fine pissing them off and they'll be plenty distracted for her to shovel what she needs to in there. 

Roman Maher

☉

"no, gloves and a bag? that's where i have to draw the line." she snorts and simpers up at him to show she's joking. she tilts her head up at him while he reads the list and then asks, "what for though? he ask you for those?" he's definitely not very fond of the mittens his grandmother had done for him, that's for sure. 

she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and looks down, feeling a bit of red go to her cheeks. she knows it's a big expenditure. and maybe she shouldn't dote on him, especially after the stunt he pulled, but he's a kid. and she's able. 

"you don't have to," she says, looking back up. "the business has been doing well, actually, and i've been putting a little aside ever since he mentioned it...but, it would definitely mean more coming from the both of us.

"so, yeah, if you want. that'd be nice."

boruta maher

☉

"mm, you're right about that," she says. they've made due, all these years. the business has, quite frankly, done better since she'd taken it over from hre father. he was a good man, but his priorities hadn't always favored the money-making aspect of the shop. he'd taken in many more clients than he could handle, most free of charge. 

she'd felt awful for months after his passing, after asking people for coin in return for services they'd come to expect. but all of her friends, all of those close people she considered family - well, all they had to say was, finally! 'bout time you valued yourselves!

"we'll have to hammer out the details when this actually gets up and running. and it will." a sixty-forty split, then, in greyson's favor, she decides. they're his bees, after all. 

Greyson Connors

☉

her heart swells, pride and validation at the forefront. there are many who marvel at the work she's done, at the life she's built, but it feels different looking at it through lance's eyes. watching his light up, smile crack. her hand flexes in his and she steps just a bit closer, blaming the cold. 

"just wait 'til you see inside," she says with a laugh.




she flicks the interior lights on as they enter. the greenhouse's inhabitants stir awake. a patch of roselia shuffle their roses at her as she enters, releasing a sweet scent in greeting.

"some of them are my own. they prefer being plotted in the colder months. and back there are my clients' partners. i tend to them, mend them until they're ready to go home." she shakes her head. "a lot of people don't realize the maintenance that comes with grass-types."

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

and just like that, he makes time for her. she clasps her hands behind her back, watching him as he steps away to make a quick call. nacho twines around her legs while the pair of them wait. around them, holiday shoppers pass, slipping between them and around them. half of them look stressed, the other filled with the season's joy. 

some walk by with clasped hands, bags swinging at their sides. 

"yeah," she says when he lopes back over to her. she withdraws her list from her pocket and holds it out to bo as they walk. 

addie, gogoat soaps & parfums
mom, wooloo yarns (yellow & purple)
grace, ?? artisan materials
roman, ps5
stocking stuffers
candlenights candles

"i had some idea of where to start. now that you have time, did you need to get anything?" she asks.

boruta maher

☉