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 Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:55 am
Halia was fairly well versed at keeping living things alive. Having grown up on a farm, she had helped all sorts of animals and tended to various sorts of newborn creatures. Houseplants on the other hand? She was at a complete and total loss. The plants the twins had gifted her as a house warming present baffled her, and no amount of googling seemed to help. The last thing she wanted was for them to die after Madeline had gone through the trouble of having picked them out for her, after all.
Having snapped photos of the three plants, Halia made her way to a flower shop near by. She was still getting used to the area, still learning what was around her, but she had spotted the little shop on her way to work at the bookstore and had made a note to check it out.
Pushing the door open, she entered the shop and looked around in awe at the clearly well taken care of plants. Leaning down, she breathed in the sweet scent of some roses and smiled to herself. If they had sunflowers next month, maybe she would get some for the twins’ birthday.
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2025 3:59 pm
Florian was finishing up in the back with an order for a local bar that wanted to have fresh mint available for their drinks when he heard the little bell above the door jingle. Which was perfect timing as he stepped back out behind the counter and saw a young woman admiring some of the roses he'd had left over from the previous summer splurge that people had for them. Part of him had wondered if it had been Angel coming to visit, given the fact they hadn't stopped by today, but it was still early enough that they might still be in class. That was one of the big differences, all of his courses were online or done in the field instead of at the university proper like Angel's courses were. "Oh, hello, do you have any questions today? The roses are on sale right now. I want them to find a good home before it starts getting too cold out for them to be planted outdoors." He offered up a smile from behind the counter as he looked over the shelves and plants, making a mental note of which ones he would move to get better lighting soon.
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2025 5:57 pm
Standing back up straight, Halia gave a small smile to the boy behind the counter. He was incredibly pretty, she thought. Soft, delicate features and pretty green eyes that caught her attention. Making her way over to the counter, she pulled her phone out to pull the photos up. "I was hoping actually that you might be able to point me in the right direction. Some friends gave me a few plants as a housewarming gift, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or how to care for them." She gave an apologetic smile as she pulled the photos up on her screen to show him. One of the plants was large and leafy, sitting on the floor by her door. The other two were both on a counter, one seeming to be a succulent while the other had sharper looking leaves.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2025 6:01 pm
Ahhhh, even with them mentioning not knowing how to care for plants, the photos showed they were faring much better than the ones that Angel had taken home or the ones that were left to their... unfortunate end by their sister. But this was a much better start, and even if she seemed a little shy about the issue, he offered a smile and looked over the plants a bit more before looking up at the ones he had in stock. "They look healthy so far, but I can definitely help you with some tips on how to keep them growing and staying healthy." Pulling up some things on the computer at the counter, he hummed lightly for a moment. "So with succulents, overwatering tends to be an issue more than underwatering. As long as you keep that in mind and keep them out of harsh or direct sunlight, it'll be perfectly happy. Overall, you want to keep them from getting too much harsh light, which might burn the leaves or dry them out. But none of them really need any special food, really." They were just standard little houseplants, ones he saw often in offices or places with more LED lighting than natural light, so the fact that they were in a home meant they were already doing much better than half the plants in the city. "Oh, you said housewarming, didn't you? Are you new to the city?"
They looked a little younger than he was, so maybe a student moving into the city for classes. But since all his work for his master's program was in the field or online he didn't really know many other students besides Angel.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2025 9:23 pm
Halia's eyes lit up when advice was offered. "Thank you, I really really don't want these to die." Mostly because they were gifts from the twins, but also because she would feel immensely guilty if her house warming gift bit the dust so soon. Listening attentively, Halia nodded as Florian spoke. "So maybe in the kitchen or on my bookshelf away from the window, got it. I heard that with orchids you can just put one or two ice cubes in their soil and it'll keep them perfectly watered. Is that a thing I can do with succulents too?"Shaking her head, Halia smiled. "No, not new. I just moved apartments from across town. My old building was going up for sale so my lease wasn't renewed. I was really lucky and got a place not too far from here though. Lets me walk to my new job too, at the bookstore nearby, which is a plus." Talking to him was easy, she felt. He seemed like the sort of person who would listen attentively, similar to herself. "Oh uhm. I'm Halia, by the way. You'll probably see more of me in the future." Because she undoubtedly would run into issues with the plants, no matter how easy it was to care for them. That was just simply her luck.
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2025 12:50 pm
Hiding the small bit of sourness at the mention of the ice cube method, he gently shook his head. "It's a little less than that. The roots can rot if you give them too much water, even if it seems like it's infrequent. If the soil itself feels very dry, then add a bit of water, just make sure it's not sopping wet."
So new to this area, but not the craziness of the city, well that was a plus in one way since it meant someone new would venture into his shop. It also meant that he could follow along and see how the plants were doing, which meant he might see one survive, unlike all the ones that went off to angel and never returned. "I look forward to it, Halia. I'm Florian, the owner of this shop, so I'll be here if you ever need to ask more questions. I don't mind it as I'd rather the plants be happy and healthy. You wouldn't believe how many students come in when the semester starts..."
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