Roses are red, violets are blue

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It was the flowers that caught Arlin’s attention. Plants weren’t unusual to see in the marketplaces, especially in villages where people had to make due without a healer. But flowers were far less common. Maybe it was the culture of war that kept Arlin’s people from noticing such beauty. The young scout, however, had no such blindness. Especially not today. Not only was the weather lovely, but she wasn’t in any rush to get back to Polis. She was waiting on the results of a meeting amongst the leaders from several villages, an event that would probably take the rest of the day if not tomorrow as well. So until then, Arlin was free to fill her time however she pleased.

The marketplace made a good spot to wander around. There was activity everywhere. People selling various wares and children running amongst it all playing games. Arlin already had a smile on her face when she saw the flowers. Gorgeous ones in a vivid color she rarely saw. Ando probably would have missed them completely, but Arlin was captivated.

She headed over to the booth, dodging some children pretending to be warriors. There was a girl a few years younger manning the stall. Arlin smiled out her before reaching out to brush her fingers over the soft petals of the flowers. “These are beautiful.” A word that probably sounded strange from the mouth of someone in armor. Too many warriors failed to appreciate beauty. They seemed to think it served no purpose. Arlin, however, was of the opinion beauty was its own purpose. In a world where war and bloodshed were all too common, shouldn’t people enjoy every drop of color? “Do they have a name?” she asked, looking up at the girl. Becoming a scout hadn’t exactly left her much time to learn about plants.

@tulip
(Just a random idea I had. This is sometime before season one.)

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It was a typical day for Tulip. The markets around her were alive, people everywhere and many people with stalls selling everything one would expect. Food, clothing, armour, weapons and plants, of course. Tulip stood behind her parent's stall, as she had for the past few days as they sold in these markets. Fresh plants had been collected that morning, including flowers that Tulip herself had found. Bright, fresh and very unlikely to be sold but Tulip always held hope. By her age she knew that not everyone enjoyed the flowers as much as she did, and she knew that people were so much more likely to buy plants for food or especially medicine but there were always moments that surprised her and she smiled brightly at every person who passed in hope that one of those moments would happen.

So her heart soared when she saw another girl smiling, eyes on the flowers that Tulip was standing behind. The girl was older than Tulip and was obviously a warrior. The armor on her was enough that it probably should have been intimidating but Tulip's focus was completely on the smile on her face and the way her fingers brushed flower petals. This was a moment, Tulip was sure of it. "They are," Tulip agreed. The flowers were beautiful and she had one of the daisies in her hair today, having admired just how yellow they were. "And they were picked just this morning." The warrior girl wasn't looking at the daisies but at flowers that were just as bright and had a hue that Tulip had never seen in anything else other than a summer sunset or the autumn leaves. "Lilies. They're rare to find in an orange, let alone one this bright." 

It was impossible for Tulip to hide the pride she felt at having found the flowers on her own, so bright, so right for the beautiful summer weather they had been having. While her parents had collected the plants that sold quick and often, she had collected rare beauties that she was determined would sell just as well. To sell something, you had to believe it was worth buying. Tulip felt ready. She stepped out from the booth, coming around to stand near the warrior girl. Being careful not to stand too close, not wanting to find herself hurt, she picked up the brightest lily she could see. "I'm sure it could brighten up your day and look beautiful behind your ear." As much as she wanted to, Tulip held herself back from just putting the flower behind the warrior girl's ear. She was being a salesman and she was going to be patient.

Tag: @arlin

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Arlin hadn’t really decided if she wanted to buy a flower or not. Ando would roll his eyes if he was here. Make some comment about useless trinkets. Then he probably would have slipped her the coin himself afterwards just to see her smile. That was just how he was. Besides, the girl behind the flowers was eager. And there was a spark in her eyes, the sort Arlin rarely saw these days. It reminded her of a much younger Arlin back before Rion was taken away when her father was still alive and she had spent her days roaming the woods with her brothers. That little girl would have picked flowers like this if she had found them. “They’re like a sunset.” The sort Arlin always made Ando stop to look at.

Beautiful or not though, they were an interesting choice for a merchant. Flowers likely didn’t sell well. Whoever picked them had probably done it because they appreciated the colors. Probably the girl, judging from the warmth in her voice as she spoke about them. Like she took pride in it. “Did you pick them yourself?” Arlin asked, looking up at the girl. Someone who went out of their way to pick flowers, and wear said flowers in their hair, might be worth a longer conversation. A kindred spirit perhaps.

Arlin had to admit, the girl was good. She came close enough to show attention but not so close as to be rude, and her words were smooth but not pushy. There was definitely a shrewd merchant brewing under there. It was the brightness in her face though that was truly winning Arlin over. Maybe she would buy a lily, just for the girl’s sake. “Should we find out?” She smiled warmly as she pushed her hair behind one ear, turning her head a bit in a silent invitation for the younger girl to place the flower.


@tulip
(All of three posts in, and I already want them to have lots of friendship threads.)

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The warrior girl seemed to love the flowers as much as Tulip did, and that was saying something. Maybe it was that Tulip really wanted the girl to love the flowers, maybe she was viewing the warrior how she was because of that. Her parents had mentioned something like that before, using a saying like "projecting yourself onto others" and had told Tulip that it would never help her sell anything. Although, if she were to be honest, she wasn't sure if she understood it all that well. And it made her head hurt a bit to think too much about. It was much safer to just focus on the girl and watch her actions and words to see if she did love the flowers as well. She had been grabbed by their beauty, now would she buy one?

Tulip's smile grew wider as she heard the lily compared to a sunset. It was one of the only comparisons she herself could find for the colour of the flower as well. "They do," Tulip agreed, "Or autumn leaves." It was definitely a good sign that the girl had said that, Tulip's excitement growing by the second. Whenever she picked flowers, she felt like she needed to prove to her parents that they could sell just as well as roots and herbs. If a girl in warrior armor could buy one, anyone could. "I did pick them myself." Tulip's head lifted, her eyes glittering as she took the moment to be glad about the fact she had just confirmed. She wasn't one to be shy about showing off something she had done well.

When the warrior girl didn't react badly to Tulip moving around to the front of the booth, there was a moment where she paused to realise a breath, She had seen angry people at the booth before, seen them shout and try to hit. Had even seen her mother or father with a bruise once of twice. She knew people weren't bad but even she got angry sometimes. But the girl was calm and happy, and she took Tulip's suggestion with a openness that had Tulip raising her eyebrows slightly. "We should." She lifted the flower to the warrior girl's ear, tucking the stem behind it into her hair so the flower and it's colour contrasted against the paleness of her skin and darkness of her hair. "It looks perfect!" 

Now with the flower in the warrior girl's hair, Tulip hoped she would get some money for it. That was the point of having the flowers out, the point in putting her all into getting people to love them. Although when someone loved the flowers as much as her, it really felt like a bonus to get money for it. "I'm Tulip," she said, quickly, unsure if the warrior girl would care. But Tulip was never one to shy away from a possible friend so she had to put her name out there, start something that pulled away from just being for a sale. 

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Autumn leaves. Another apt description of the color. Arlin was liking this girl more by the moment. Her smile widened, her mouth tugging upward on one side. “It’s a beautiful season, isn’t it? All the orange and red.” The best season, in Arlin’s opinion. Spring might have a wider range of brighter hues, but there was just something about autumn leaves that captured the imagination. Well, it captured Arlin’s, at least.

The girl tucked the flower behind Arlin’s ear, and Arlin watched her face to see how it looked. Not that it really mattered. She had all but decided to buy one. Still, the girl’s enthusiasm made her chuckle. She really was sweet. “Well, in that case, I supposed I’ll have to buy it.” She had a few coins in a small pouch, and she dug out a small one which she held up in front of the girl. “Do you think that would cover it?” In truth, the coin was probably worth a touch more than could be got for a flower on the best of days. But such cheer deserved a little encouragement to keep it alive. And Arlin was well taken care of thanks to her faithful service. Besides, she really didn’t buy much for herself, so a single flower couldn’t hurt.

It seemed Arlin wasn’t the only one who sensed a potential here for more than just a passing meeting. The girl spoke her name, and it was oddly fitting. “A flower girl named for a flower. I like that.” It was like a name from an innocent child’s tale. “I’m Arlin.” Her stance relaxed, leaning a little to one side as if settling in for a longer stay. Technically she should probably be waiting outside the meeting so she could leave for Polis the moment it was over. But Arlin had been doing this long enough to know it would be some time before the squabbling subsided enough that they could settle anything. More than long enough for a conversation. “Are you from here?” Some merchants traveled, so it was possible the girl was from another village.

@tulip
(I can't handle the cute flower friends!)

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It really was a beautiful season and Tulip's eyes were glittering a she listened to those words coming from the mouth of a warrior. The day seemed to bring more and more surprises her way, all packaged in a beautiful warrior girl who was going to buy a flower. "Only second to spring, of course." Because what could beat the colours of blooming flowers? The smells and sights. Tulip always found herself disappointed when summer came around, although it itself brought its own flowers for her to enjoy. And it had brought this warrior girl to the booth. That was good, too.

Tulip watched as the girl pulled out a coin, one that was worth more than the flower Tulip had placed behind her ear. A grin lit up her face, no second thought to taking the money. If she could make this much for one flower, it would only prove that they were worth picking and worth taking up space. "Yes, it'll cover it." Tulip took the coin and placed it in a pocket, to place in the money box once the warrior girl had left and Tulip had to go back into the booth. Thinking that, Tulip didn't want for either of those things to happen quite yet. She was comfortable standing where she was and was happy talking with the girl. 

Although she suddenly felt herself ready to cringe back as the comment on her name began, she didn't end up needing to. She had gotten teasing on her name before and it was sort of a joke by that point, especially with how much she had taken a liking to flowers. That didn't mean she enjoyed the teasing. "Yeah, my parents named us all after flowers." Tulip. Hawthorn. Roisin. "It's nice to meet you, Arlin," Tulip said, with a smile, holding her hand out to Arlin like she had been taught to do. She still didn't quite understand why she had to do it, and not everyone really seemed to understand it either. Her parents just said it was old and polite.

At Arlin's question, Tulip shook her head. "No. My village, it's too small to have any sort of markets." It may as well have been a few houses surrounding a fire. That's all Tulip ever remembered it as, although it had been months since they had last been there. With Roisin now old enough to help in collecting plants to sell, they travelled for longer and longer periods of time. Tulip didn't mind it, really, she thought of it as an adventure. And she knew no matter where they were, the Earth would be healthy with plants to sell. "Are you?" 

Tag: @arlin || I know! They're the cutest thing ever!!

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“Spring is beautiful too,” Arlin agreed. It definitely brought more colors. “But there’s something about autumn.” Maybe it was the cooling weather. Like a deep breath before hitting the water. And there were harvests to be had for those that grew food. Harvest time had always been wonderful back in their old village. Everyone had come together to help pick the crops, and then there had been a party afterwards to celebrate. Maybe that was why Arlin loved the season so much. There was just something nostalgic about it.

The girl didn’t hesitate taking the coin from Arlin’s hand. Definitely a merchant in the making. Most people probably would have considered the interaction concluded at that point, but Arlin had a feeling this would be the best company she was going to find in this village. So when the flower girl offered a chance to keep talking, Arlin took it. “That seems fitting. My older brother and I were named after old places near our home.” Arlin wasn’t really sure what the full names had been though. She wasn’t even sure if her parents knew. Only what remained on the signs. “My younger brother was named for a set of stars.” It seemed fitting now given how special Rion had turned out to be. If only Arlin could see him more.

Tulip held out her hand, and Arlin took it. She had seen the greeting a few times among people of her parents’ age, although she didn’t quite understand it herself. But right now she didn’t particularly care. “It’s nice to meet you too, Tulip,” she said, matching the girl’s smile. She meant it too. It was rare to find someone so optimistic. Or so appreciative of little things like flowers. This trip hadn't been boring exactly, but it was definitely looking up now.

It turned out the girl was indeed from a traveling family. Interesting. Maybe there was a chance of them running into each other somewhere else then. Arlin found she quite liked that idea. She shook her head as well. “No, I’m from Polis, actually. I’m a scout. But I lived in a small village when I was young.” Before her father died and her brother was taken away. Arlin didn’t miss the place so much, but she did miss the simplicity of those early years. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the building where the meeting was taking place just to be sure the guards were still standing outside. As long as they didn’t move, she was still free to talk. “Right now I’m here waiting on the results of a meeting.” She turned her attention back to Tulip with a sparkle in her eye as her voice dropped to a more conspiratorial tone. “Knowing that bunch, I may be here a while.” Not that she minded. More time to talk to the flower girl.

@tulip