Little Shop of Horrors (Evie)

Cute little place? Ferris had to keep himself from looking around. It was nicer than his place, but that wasn't saying anything especially complimentary. It was... nice. Cute? He didn't know, but he wasn't a good judge of cute. That, and it had an awfully touchy door. He hadn't applied any unusual force to it, simply walked through it like any other door. But the thing had bounced off the wall, made a terrific racket, and almost come undone, as if he'd terrified it with a touch.

"Sorry," he said, meaning the door. He still wasn't sure what had happened there. He'd be extra careful exiting.

'' Let me take you to the men section ''

That got a small chuckle. "You mean you've never met a woman who has problems with plants?" he half-teased. "My grandfather won't let my grandmother near his garden. He says she can kill with her presence."

Grandma had even requested he never send her flowers, even though she appreciated the gesture. For some reason even they tended to die rather quickly. Ferris had jokingly asked her if she'd ever been tested for meta, and she'd been so puzzled about why she was so bad with greenery she'd actually gone. But it had come up negative, so they all just assumed she just didn't have the touch. Grandfather had it in spades, though, so it balanced out.

Looking over the selection of plants, Ferris was happy to see they weren't all cacti, which was the only plant he knew of that didn't need too much care, or so he thought. There was a nice assortment of leafiness and color, and a surprising number of flowers. He did like the Peace Lily, but he also liked the jade plant and the snake plant. Taking out his phone, he did a quick search and nixed the Lily. While he didn't have (and didn't want) pets or children, he also didn't want anything poisonous in his house.

'' l dont think l have seen you around before l take it you have just moved to the area Evie Miller ...nice to meet you ''

Shaking the hand, he smiled back. "Ferris Macklin," he replied, "Nice to meet you too." Looking back at the plants, he said, "I think I like the jade and the snake plant. I like that fiddleleaf fig too. My front windows don't face directly east, but they get some good direct sunlight." Tapping his chin, he said, almost to himself, "The fig might be good downstairs. Or the snake. The jades would look good in the library." More directly to Evie, he asked, "Do you sell watering cans too? I should get a couple. And... will these need to be repotted when they grow, or will the pots they're in be good enough?" Ferris smiled apologetically. "I don't know anything about plants."

'' My mother .. is not a fan of plants never could understand why till l brought her some for mothers day they praticaly wilted in her hands''

"She must find what you do... intriguing," he said, smiling a little. With careful fingers he touched the leaves of the jade plant. They felt a little peach-fuzz-y, a little waxy. Sturdy. The fig reminded him of swiss chard, and the snake plant, despite its name, just looked... cheerful, to him.

'' Well how about l replant them for you in slightly bigger pots so that you wont have to worry about replanting them yourself and making a mess and worrying about them dying on you ''

"Well..." But she was already starting. "Okay, but I don't want them to get too big." There were houseplants, and there were small trees, which, his phone was telling him, the jade plant could become quite easily. And the fig. "I'd like them to stay plant-sized. I suppose I'll have to learn how to prune."

'' And yes l have watering cans too.. how about l even text or phone you when the plants need to be watered ''

"I'm not that bad," he exclaimed, laughing. Looking around, he spotted the plant care section and looked over the watering cans. They were all sort of... obvious. Maybe just keeping a plastic gallon jug in his library? Or would a watering can remind him better? Something with a spout would probably control the water output better. But with four plants, he was already going to to be trying the limits of his bike trailer. Maybe he could come back another time for the watering can.

To her last question he looked up from where he was inspecting the other plants and said, "Work. Have you lived here your whole life? I've never lived on the east coast like this."