(If you see spelling mistakes NO YOU
It all started around the time of Evie and Ace's pretend wedding Fiasco. The entire event had caused major disruptions through the school, but also in Evie and Ace's relationship, so it was really no surprise that the rest of the first year gang noticed the tension and immediately pressed for answers. When Ace and Evie finally caved and told them what they'd been up to, the group immediately responded with varying responses of sarcasm, disbelief and teasing. Ori, on the other hand, was ECSTATIC. She'd immediately began helping with preparations, assisting Evie with twinkling eyes and a scrap book already made to fill with photos and notes from their conversations.
One of the many things Evie and Ori had talked about, was flowers.
"You can't just half-ass this part of the event, Evie!! Flowers are one of the most important highlights of any wedding, and flowers have very specific meanings when paired together!! Not to mention you need to think of the aesthetic and colour scheme you're going for which changes their meanings even more!! This is very serious!" Ori exclaimed loudly, her voice rising to heights the group had never heard before, not even from Sebek.
"I mean, I get where you're coming from Ori but I really never bothered to learn flower languages. I mean, if they look pretty who cares, right? Plus, it's not like it's a real wedding anyway so you don't need to fuss so much..." Evie repeated for the 5th time. Her quick dismissal of the event being genuine seemed to strike a nerve in Ace, his body instantly tensing as if he was upset. Ortho, having easily detected this, decided to keep his mouth shut after a quick glance however. Ori was also rubbed the wrong way by Evie's words.
She sighed heavily, wings puffing as she placed her hands on her hips. "NUH-UH!! No way!!! This is really important for your relationship and for the genuine feel of the event and I'm not going to let you throw it aside!! Plus, learning more about the flowers might help you get more in touch with your femininity!! You and I are going flower shopping. Today. Right now. No ifs, no buts, no coconuts!!"
Ace, who was really not in the mood to be on the receiving end of Ori's raging fire of enthusiasm, began to slowly slink away. He almost made it out unnoticed, having just managed to get himself behind Jack's tall frame when Ori quickly sniped him like a lioness picking up her cub by the scruff. She began dragging Ace and Evie off away with her, the exhausted couples harmonious groans and complaints echoing out into the universe.
Meanwhile, Jack who haf been silently watching the debate alongside Deuce, Grim, Epel, Sebek and Ortho, beg to sink deeper and deeper into his thoughts. Flower languages weren't really his thing... There weren't many flowers that could survive in the harsh cold of his hometown, and he'd never really thought to learn much about the specifics of flower languages. However, he did know that it was quite an important thing to Ori....
"My mother was a flower arranger for important events! Flower languages are a big thing in our culture, and it was really the only thing she'd ever bothered to teach me. She was always holed up in her greenhouse working away, and sometimes I'd sit outside and listen in on her phone calls... Just to feel a bit closer to her." it was one of the small tidbits Ori would give him whenever he asked about her life before twisted wonderland. He was always met with these short anecdotes, and thought it frustrated him he never pushed for answers. He didn't want to ruin her slow progress on a healthier path, having said that her hiding things from him wasn't going to help her healing process. He'd make her talk to him eventually, he just didn't exactly know how...
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A few weeks into spring, Ace, Evie, Ori and Jack were on what Jack could only describe as the most awkward double date ever. It felt more like friends hanging out than it did an actual date, and he couldn't say he had enjoyed standing around while Ace, Evie and Ori had made themselves sick in rollercossters. Seeing Ori's genuine smile made it worth it, and she seemed incredibly giddy the whole way around the park, bjt he still wasn't really satisfied. He preferred it just being him and Ori on their dates, away from the prying eyes of their friends or upperclassmen where they could both simply relax and enjoy each other's company. It felt... Simple. Easy. As easy as breathing.
A warmth grasping his hand quickly stole him away from his thoughts, Ori's bright smile entering his field of view. His body relaxed, a warmth rising in his chest at her giddy grin.
"Come on, I have something cool to show you!! There's a flower shop!!" Ori tugged at his arm, giving him a determined look as they quickly veered off from the path and towards a small store hidden away in the corner of the street. To say he was unimpressed with its exterior would be and understatement.
If looked as though the small shop was reconnecting with nature, most of it's wooden supports and detailing having been invaded by overgrown plant life and rotted with age. It looked more than unstable, and judging by it's size he guessed it was only worse inside. As Ori pulled him closer, his nose instinctively scrunched up with the tingling sensation of thick pollen in the air and the stench of damp wood.
"Ori, are you sure this is safe? The place looks like it's going to collapse in on itself any moment..." Jack murmured, hesitant to follow her into the rickety shop.
"it's not half as bad as ramshackle and you still like coming over, don't you? I'm sure it'll be fine, plus this is a total score! Like my dad said, the sorrier the sight the cheaper the product and the better the quality!" Ori puffed out her chest proudly before dragging him inside without a second thought. Her eagerness for cheap goods reminded her a bit too much of Ruggie...
Inside the shop didn't look much better. Every square inch of the space was filled to the brim with crooked shelves and oversized cases of flora. There wasn't a single safe place to step, and Jack's large frame took up quite a bit of room. He felt like an ox in a China shop, his bushy tail barely sweeping past a potted plant without breaking it.
Ori, on the other hand, seemed to be thriving. She had no problem manoeuvring around the cramped flower shop, being much smaller than her. The store looked like it would be the home of a wise old dwarf, and he couldn't say that the mental image of Ori as a dwarf didn't make him snort a bit.
"be careful Ori, don't hit your head..." Jack placed his hand over her head, barely ducking under a swinging plant pot drilled into the cieling. He could have sworn he heard the roof creaking with the force, which really didn't help his nerves at all.
After receiving no reply, he opened his mouth to speak up again when Ori suddenly paused. She froze dead in her tracks, body completely solid as she stared into a glass container. Jack let out a soft huff as he collided with her, quickly steadying himself before following her gaze towards the glass. It was quite blurry, and even if he squinted he couldn't quite make out what was inside. As Ori pressed her face closer to the glass, Jack leant down to rest his chin atop her head, gazing into the foggy glass case.
"Its a angels trumpet..." Ori murmured quietly, her voice soft in reverence as if she was staring at something precious. "They were mama's favourites, but she never got to use them. Every part of the flower is toxic, from the stem to the tips of the petals. You aren't supposed to touch it, but mama used to keep big bundles of them in her greenhouse anyway."
Whenever Ori got wistful like this, Jack noticed she tended to slip up more. He'd never heard her call her mom anything but 'Mother' whenever she reffered to her, as if creating distance between them. In these moments, however, she used the more affectionate and childish term of 'mama', as if referring to an entirely different person. A woman she actually felt a familial bond with compared to the cold and uninterested way she spoke about her 'mother'. He wondered what had happened to cause such a divide, but for now she seemed too happy and content for him to work up the courage to ask.
"Angels trumpet..? I've heard Professor Crewel mention them before. They grow most commonly in the Kingdom of Roses and the Sunshine Lands. I didn't know they were toxic though..." Jack mused, looking down at her bright eyes. His lips slowly curved into a pleased smile seeing her so filled with joy. Even something as simple as flowers could bring a smile to her face, and something about the way she passionately spoke about them made his chest tight. Seeing her happy did numbers on his dopamine levels.. Not that he'd ever let anybody know that.
"Did you know angels trumpets mean transformation? In lots of cultures they signify spiritual connections, and some people believe the trumpet shape is like a channel for divine messages. They bloom at night unlike most flowers, almost as if they're talking to the moon. They're often connected to peace and purity too. Isn't that sweet for such a deadly plant?" Ori whispered as if taking care not to disturb the flowers peaceful slumber.
"they kind of look like they're dreaming... Don't you think? I wonder what flowers dream about." Ori tilted her head back, expecting a casual or uninterested expression like she usually received when talking about her love of flowers. Instead, she was met with a warm and affectionate gaze that sent a jolt straight through her heart. She blinked in surprise, staring up at him blankly before fixing her gaze back onto the flower. "Why are you looking at me like that... It's way too soft." her voice lowered even more, now barely audible like a soft breeze.
Jack simply chuckled at her embarrassment, the look on her face only serving to further his infatuation. His hands hesitantly reached down to gently pinch her now blushing cheeks, his tail swaying softly behind him. "You seemed so excited when you were taking about what the flower meant... I've never seen you so passionate about something before. It suits you."
Ori faltered, her brows furrowing as her cheeks grew hotter. She grumbled under her breath, something about him being "stupidly attentive", before she began playfully swatting his hands away. "Yeah yeah, shut up! I don't say corny stuff like that when you get all sparkly eyed about your training or your cacti!" she was definitely lying. Seeing him get excited about the things he liked made her heart melt into a puddle in her chest. He knew that, she'd told him, but he decided to let it slide this time.
Now having finished their detour explanation, they spotted Evie and Ace once again bickering like an old married couple about something unintelligible. With a soft sigh and a quick shake of her head, Ori gently nudged Jack with her shoulder before slipping over to go interrupt their conversation.
For the rest of the afternoon, Jack seemed lost in thought again.
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At this point Jack was ready to give up. He was cross legged on his bed, kneeling over piles of yarns and hooks he'd snagged from Sam's Shop when nobody was looking and watching a tutorial video on how to crochet a stupid flower. He'd tried 10 seperate times and each attempt had failed miserably. Originally he'd thought it would be easy, a quick and simple little gift he could make for Ori as a replacement of actual flowers. He always noticed how dissapointed Ori seemed when they died so fast, and giving her potted plants had never ended well with her constant busy schedule.... They'd die within a week, maybe less, and she'd always apologise profusely and bake him something as an apology despite his constant insistance that he really didn't need any compensation... He wasn't complaint though, her baking skills were incredibly good for a girl who'd never been taught how to use a microwave.
He'd gone through multiple tutorials for different flowers, he'd even checked out a book from the library about flower languages to study up on and make the perfect yarn bouquet that might actually get her to open up to him, but the more failed attempts he made the more frustrated he grew. He was halfway between simply freezing the flowers with magic so they'd stay alive or throwing his phone across the room when his door creaked open.
"Oi, Jack! You've been holed up in here for way too long and we need you for practice-" Ruggie, now standing in the open doorway, quickly trailed off at the sight of Jack hunched over piles of yarn scraps, hooks and a thick textbook as the sounds of an elderly woman speaking erupted from his phone. It took a few moments for either of them to register what they were seeing, before Ruggie burst into high-pitched laughter.
"AHAHAHA!! Jack, what in the sevens are you doing!? You look like a total nanny!! Did somebody file your fangs!?" Ruggie continued to cackle, wiping his eyes as Jack grew increasingly embarrassed and frustrated.
"don't you dare tell anybody about this! You didn't see anything! ANYTHING!" Jack retorted, trying to shove away all of the materials and hide them under his blanket as if it would suddenly change Ruggies menories. He could practically feel the heat rising to his cheeks, his tail lashing wildly behind him.
"You look like a plum! Embarrassment isn't a good shade on you Jack!" Ruggie snickered, raising a brow as he browsed the half hidden supplies. His curious eyes eventually landed on the knotted flowers, if those even could be considered flowers, and he barely managed to contain another bout of laughter. With a soft sigh, Ruggie shook his head.
"tut tut tut.... Did you start chewing on whatever you were making halfway through? It looks more like a chew toy than a...." he paused, listening out for the ladies words in the still playing video. "Flower. You're making flowers, really?" Ruggie tipped his head to the side, eyes squinting as he took in Jack's reddened expression. It didn't take him long to connect the dots, and when he did he simple let out a quiet 'ohhhhhhh'.
"So you're trying to make bird girl a stuffed bouquet, huh? How well's that working out for ya?" He smirked.
Jack simply grumbled in his breath, pausing the video and attempting to shoo Ruggie out of the room. "I'll be ready for practice in a few minutes. What do I have to do to make you keep good mouth shut about this? If the others found out I'd never hear the end of it..." he shuddered at the thought. By now he could practically hear the laughter and teasing from his dormmates about how he'd gone soft...
Ruggie, who definetly wasn't budging from his spot anytime soon, put his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Woah woah, slow down!! You've really got a temper on ya, huh? Look, how about this, you promise to cover practice for the next week or so and I'll make sure nobody finds out you like to knit like and old lady in your spare time-"
"it's crochet." Jack corrected, folding his arms.
"right... Crochet." Ruggie repeated with a shit eating grin, "I'll even throw you a bone and help you out.... I'm pretty skilled with my hands and my grandma taught me lots of stuff to do with yarn and stitching. You don't even have to tell your little birdie I helped, just cover for me for practice and all is forgiven~!"
Jack paused, looking down at his upperclassmen carefully. For all his underhandedness, Ruggie was incredibly capable when it came to most mundane tasks. Though he was slightly surprised Ruggie would known anything about crochet, it didn't really shock him all that much...... Still, he was reluctant to ask for Ruggies assistance. This was something he wanted to do completely himself for Ori, and he didn't want to take the easy way out. However, he also knew that if he didn't ask for Ruggies help she'd never get the flowers and would continue to apologise to him.....
".....i would appreciate your help." Jack murmured quietly.
"what was that?" Ruggie smiled.
"I said i would appreciate your help, Ruggie." Jack spoke loudly but begrudgingly.
Now entirely satisfied, Ruggie began looking through the videos Jack had found, humming and nodding along with the instructions before abandoning the video all together and simply trying it himself. It took a few attempts, but eventually Ruggie managed to make something miles better than Jack ever could have on his own. Now with Ruggies help and simple to understand instruction, Jack managed to make a full bouquet that looked presentable enough to give to Ori.
Holding the soft bouquet in his hands, Jacks tail wagged happily behind him, a proud smile crossing his face at the product of his hard work and perseverance. Ruggie wanted to comment, but Jack seemed a little too excited and he didn't want to ruin his confidence or all their hardwork might end up going to waste. With a sigh and a flick of his wrist, Ruggie made a motion of dismissal.
"Go on then, give it to her. You look like a lovestruck puppy and it's really killing my vibe." He joked, grinning as Jack quickly nodded and got ready to hurry out and give Ori the crochet flowers.
"Thank you, Ruggie! I'll be back for practice on time." Jack promised, rushing out of his dorm room and towards the mirror portal.
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It took a LOT of courage for Jack to finally knock on the door of Ramshackle. The lights were on, indicating they were still awake, but he still felt a bit nervous he might be disturbing them. Slowly the door freaked open and Ori poked her head out of the crack, looking up at Jack in surprise. Her face was a mess of flour, cream and cake batter, and it was clear from the smell she gave off she'd been whipping up something sweet. Her eyes lit up upon seeing him and she grinned, quickly stepping out into the cold night air and shutting the door behind her.
"Hey!! I didn't expect you to come over this late, shouldn't you be getting ready for practice or bed??" Ori tipped her head to the side curiously, her wings curling around her cheeks.
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but found he couldn't quite form the words he needed. He swallowed hard, a sudden pang of worry echoing through his chest. What if she didn't like them? Surely she could make something better for herself, she was much craftier than after all. Maybe he would have just left it until tomorrow, it was late and she seemed busy.
"Hey, Jack, are you alright?" the strong smell of sugar punched him in the face as she moved closer to him, her brows furrowed and her lips curved into a frown. Her eyes were filled with warmth and concern, which only spelled more trouble for Jack's nervous heart. Finally, he pulled the crochet bouquet from behind him and pushed into into her chest instinctively.
"I made these for you. With Ruggies help.... You always seem so sad when you run out of flowers so I thought I'd make you ones that won't die. Atleast not easily..." as he trailed off, he stumbled back a step, eyes, widening in surprise as Ori tackle him with a full body hug. She smiled wide and bright, her voice filled with affection and sweetness, enough to give him a heart attack.
"Oh Jack you're so sweet!! Im sure these must have taken forever to make, I'm so proud of you!! And the little message hidden with them.... Did you know what they meant when you made them?" she tipped her head to the side curiously, hope shining through her expression. Seeing how excited she was, he felt pretty proud of himself for looking into it first before deciding what to make.
"I borrowed a book on flowers from the library... It had some in depth descriptions of their history's and meanings. I never knew such simple things had so much to say..." Jack murmured, his arms unconsciously wrapping around her as she leaned into him.
Ori's wings fluttered with giddy affection. She felt like she could jump up and simply float away. He'd actually listened to her!! He'd taken into account what she said and actually did something to contribute to her interest!! She never thought somebody would actually do that for her, let alone put so much effort and thought into it!!
"Oh I wanna squeeze you so bad, you're so cute and so sweet!! Thank you so much!!" standing up on her tiptoes Ori gently pressed a kiss to Jack's cheeks, nuzzling into him like a happy parrot. Jack froze up for a moment, not exactly sure how to respond to the sudden surge of positive affection. It took him by complete surprise, but, if he was honest, Ori always had a way of catching her off guard. This time, he wanted to be the one to have the upper hand.
He scooped her up, carefully of course, and secured her safety and comfort in his arms. He held her close as she giggled, his face buried in the warmth of her stomach and relishing in the sound of every sweet laugh. He supposed that maybe her love for flowers wasn't just about them being pretty, but about them proving that even things that seemed small could mean a lot to somebody in the end. He liked that complex side of her, the one that never stopped thinking and questioning.
And he supposed, yet again, that was why he made her such specific flowers.
Pink roses, lilies, sunflowers and lavender, and of course her favourite Angels trumpet in the mix.
It was his way is saying he wanted her to talk to him, to tell him all about her thoughts and interests, about the unique way she saw the world. He wanted to learn about her, to see what she saw and vice versa. It was a welcome and a question.
"Will you open up to me, and let me be part of your life?"
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Im gonna go crash into bed now and then speed run the rest of my list of artfight attacks huihuihui.... Goodniiiightttttt I hope you guys like my fluffy babies!!!! π
