Nogin Tales

The Florist

Year xxxx

It was known to everyone that flowers are delicate, that they resemble ones feelings. Show ones gratitude, truly one to express many feelings. That is why everyone buys flowers, no matter the age or gender. In town A there is a small shop located at a corner of a four red light stop. It gave off a tranquil feeling to any person that passed by it as they smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers.

The small building was filled with Windows, displaying the multitude of flower options as the outside held small planted flower bushes expressing the beauty and antiquity of the place. From a distance one could see the elegant wooden piece of board hanging at the top making the name of this certain flower shop: Dreamless Affection.

On the glass door spelled the same elegant hand writing as the civilians passed by, through the glass door there's a single person to be seen everyday tending to the arrangements of a flower bouquet. His hair slightly long and as dark as the darkest night, to where if shined a bright light on, it would turn it into a mesmerising dark navy blue. His pale slender fingers caressing the flower's petals as he moves their stems along the way. His delicate features were very captivating since he looked like someone not from this world, like a being that was to beautiful to be true to come to exist in a world tainted with blood and misery while the ones who don't suffer turn a blind eye. He looked to be in his early twenties and stood tall, about six feet exactly and wore a plain white button shirt and black pants, over his left breast pocket a small plaque was clipped with a name written in cursive: Guoliang.

Every morning Guoliang would wake from his slumber on the second floor of his shop and do his usual routine of showering and getting ready for the day. His black hair would be clipped back and would let his bangs frame his face from either side as he descended from the second floor to the first floor. He would check the flowers and check if they had been in anyway disturbed then begin to clean up the already clean store and flip the wooden sign from closed to open. With a tune to his humming he gave a usual emotionless look to the small Bluebonnet in his hand as he clipped off any excess rotten leaves or petals.

The chime sounded throughout the shop as he was notified that his door was opened and a customer had come him. Looking up he saw a man with a complicated look, giving an indifference look he return back to another Bluebonnet to check over it, waiting for the man to speak what he needed.

This man was is his late thirties, he wore a blue buisness suit with a lighter blue tie and a suitcase tightly encased in his hand as he gave a look of distress when scanning the flowers, this went on for about ten minutes as he roamed around the shop and began to outwardly panic. With an inaudible sigh Guoliang cleared his throat as he caught the attention of the dark brown haired man.

"Do you need assistance?" A monotone voice spoke from the young owner.

"A-ah yes." The middle aged man said with a paniced look, his cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment.

"What are you looking for?" Guoliang walked slow and elegantly towards the man, not noticing how the man gave him a shocked look from his beautiful appearance.

"U-umm, some simple flowers for my wife." He snapped out of his daze as he switched his light brown gaze to the many colorful flowers.

"What's the occasion?" The dark haired beauty questioned.

"Does it matter?" The man looked questioningly to the young man as he looked impatient now and tapped his foot.

"It does, if you were to return to your home and deliver any kind of flowers to your wife, she would notice right away and will be in a bad mood." Guoliang explained.

"Then it wouldn't change, she's been in a bad mood for a while and won't tell me anything." He sighed.

"Has she been trying to grab your attention?" Guoliang asked.

"No, not recently..." The man narrowed his eyes as he gave a small pout while he looked at small tulips. "She's been moody and snaps at me for no apparent reason."

"Is she pregnant?"

"No, she's unable to give birth, which sometimes causes most of the fights." The man now looked solum.

"Do you think that's probably the reason why she's mad?"

"No, she would say it out loud if she did."

"When's your anniversary?"

"May fifth." The man said easily, they were barely in March so he had a while before he bought her something. "And her birthday isn't until August."

"Does she talk to you about her day?"

"Recently she's been closed off-"

"She's depressed." Guoliang announced as he was in deep thought.

"W-what?" The man looked startled. "H-how would you know?"

"I have taken psychology in college and know many things from a person's mind." Guoliang spoke indifferently.

"What do I do?!" The man panicked.

"Tell me about her, I need as much information about her for me to pick out the perfect flowers for that wife of yours." Guoliang rolled up the white sleeves on his arms and began to search while the man began to explain.

"She's small, four feet and eleven inches. She has brown light hair and brown eyes, he skin is a little tanned, she's very open minded to many things." The man spoke, as he did his panicked look seemed to relaxed as his worried look turned into a soft smile, describing the person he loved the most in the world. "She grew up with two older sister and a single mother, graduated in an average school with average grades and didn't go to college, she currently works in a fashion clothes store. She smiles a lot when she ain't talking about having children, she would always blame herself when it came to not being able to give birth. She's feisty when she sees something she likes, she also doesn't eat much but isn't under weight. She loves going outside and going to the park to walk our small dog-"

The man went on and on about his wife and chuckled and laughed about many beautiful moments they had together when they met by chance in a small cafe where they both sat in a booth alone. As the man talked Guoliang searched the entire store, he would reach out to grab a flower but then turn to a different one when given more information, and when the man finally finished describing his wife Guoliang had an arrangement of flowers in his hands.

Three Calla Lilies were at the very center of the beautiful bundle, surrounding them were Gladiolus they gave a strong touch to them, between the Gladioulus to divide them properly were Lilacs, coming together with a bold choice of Hydrangea from the soft light baby blue color he wrapped them up a beautiful red ribbon which showed his customer's love for his wife.

"Here you go." Guoliang stated with a stright face.

"What do they mean?" The man grabbed the bouquet of flowers and saw the beautiful arrangement.

"Calla lilies represent purity and passion, the same passion you have for that dear wife of yours when you speak of her. Gladioulus show a bold soft color that resembles your wife, it means strength and integrity, the way you depicted her made me realize that she is a strong woman to pull through such a depression so far considering she could have started this depression long ago when finding out she wasn't able to bare children. And seeing as she just realized her situation would show her great strength in surpressing negative emotions. Lilacs are for tranquility, whenever you speak of her you would begin to relax at the mere thought of her. Hydrangea is emotion and understanding, your strong emotions when it comes to one another and understanding that having a child will not be possible but also wont be impossible through other ways."

Explained each and every one, Guoliang didn't miss the look of shock and admiration the man showed for his amazing explination.

"If you wish to remember that there's a tag I would always place with a bouquet of flowers to explain the flowers meaning." After getting paid and waving goodbye to the man the store was once more silent.