Flowers? Really? [Darryl]

[Midori Hawkins]

Mii wasn’t terribly sure what she’d gotten herself into. It seemed surreal enough to her that she was meeting up with one Mr. Darryl Bond today, for gardening, of all things. As such, she’d dressed down. The pretty business skirt and blouse she’d worn at work yesterday had been traded out for a pair of flattering jeans, and a black t-shirt with a silver butterfly depicted on it. Her long dark hair was swept back into a ponytail, to keep it out of her face as they worked.

She stood outside the gardening store, glancing out into the streets not in an anxious way, but in a curious, relaxed sort of way. It would actually be a nice way to spend the day. She liked being outdoors, and she liked working with the earth. She liked the colors of the flowers, and being able to help Darryl with this seemed a good thing to do. Men were hopeless when it came to knowing which colors would go best, and which flowers were best in the shade, or the sun, or the climate. Then again, maybe Darryl had some idea. He’d mentioned a little bit of knowledge. Which gave her hope that it really was simply her helping him, and not some strange attempt to weasel his way into her pants.

Darryl seemed like a nice enough guy, really. Friendly. And being new to living in Pilot Ridge, she was woefully lacking in friends. If she found someone to spend some time outside of school, without the pressure of dating, it would be nice. Like hanging with Eli, simply watching movies, eating pizza, and cuddling with his beautiful old dog. No romance, no pressure. If things could be like that with Darryl, too, she’d be happy. Dating could wait.

[Darryl Bond]

He was feeling bright and productive, even after he had woken up. It had been completely spontaneous of him to ask for Midori's help with his garden, but his reasoning behind that was he did a lot of spontaneous things with little to no reason behind them, and the more he tried to think about his reason for asking her, he'd probably just confuse himself. He was on his way over to the flower place now. He knew the direct way from his house because it was a path he had made several times already. He already had ample supplies of the dirt they'd need, of the under ground tarp they'd need to lay out to prevent from weeds, and the mulch to put over the dirt--soil--whatever--the only thing he needed was the flowers.

His dress today was as casual as he was everyday, really. He wore a brown t-shirt with dark wash jeans and his ever present boots, because they were comfortable (and the only shoes he had brought with him). He made it to the street the store they had chosen to meet at fairly quickly. He lifted his fedora from his head and smoothed out his hair before he placed it back on his head. He slowed his pace coming towards the store as he spotted Midori. She looked just as nice and pretty in her school clothes as she did in this casual attire.

He smiled and made his way over to her. "Sorry I'm late." He said immediately, because the man was always late. It was a curse. "And thanks in advance." He said with a happy little smile. There was always some muted part of him that always thought the woman he had previously asked out (or whatever you'd call this) would not show up for whatever reason. It was like a nagging quite voice in his head, but he had become very good at ignoring it. And what woman would pass up her chance to be with Darryl? Not I. "How are you?" He asked, curious because he was a curious guy.

"I had been thinking of getting a mix of wildflowers, just for the unorganized look of it all. Then again the point of a garden is for symmetrical flora. Maybe Aster? I think that's good this far north, but I can't be sure." He drummed his fingers on his lips as he looked inside the store, already eager to start. "What do you think?"

[Midori Hawkins]

Mii’s mind was wandering when Darryl approached. She had started thinking about her own yard, and the things she’d planted in the boxes. Which had lead her to think about her home with her parents and brother. She’d then traced back to thinking about her brothers, remembering her brothers wrestling in the grass while she and her mother worked on the flowers. She remembered Zach calling flowers “gay” and stomping off to tackle Corbin. But those thoughts all vanished when she heard Darryl’s voice.

She glanced up, smiling at him. “Oh, it’s all right. You’re not that late.” She didn’t mind. After all, she was used to Zach’s version of time. His clock always seemed to run at least half an hour slow, if not more. She’d once chalked it up to simply being a male thing. Their clocks just ran slow. But at least Darryl apologized for it. “You’re welcome in advance,” she managed to get out with a little laugh. Outside of school, Darryl didn’t seem so intimidating. “I’m good, I think. Glad to see some sunshine for the weekend. How are you?” It was only polite to ask in return, after all.

His explanation went a little over her head. Apparently, she was in the presence of a master. But she managed to smile and give a little nod. “Wildflowers are always pretty, and they don’t need to be grouped together. Unorganized works well. Symmetry is overrated, anyway.” She waved her hand and turned to head into the store. “I’m sure we can find something that works for you, right?” Hopefully, they could find something, then get to the fun part. Working in the dirt and making the garden something pretty.

[Darryl Bond]

"Gay" wasn't a word Darryl liked to have spoken around him, or in his hearing. His choice in clothing, lifestyle, even his hair cut had people giving him such a label. Not only was it highly offensive, it was also false. Some sad part of him thought that's why his parents wanted nothing to do with him. It wasn't true! Darryl just happened to enjoy being on stage or on the recording end of a camera, like fedoras, prefer his hair long, and instead of playing hours of video games or watching men chase a ball around, he liked getting his knees and hands dirty in a patch of grass!

And there was nothing wrong with that.

Darryl checked the time on his watch and was a little surprised to see that he was actually remotely on time. He smiled. "How 'bout that?" He asked himself before he smiled up at her, his arm went back to hanging at his side. He had seen the weather, it was just sort of a miracle that their little outside project could commence as scheduled. "I am equally glad for some sun." He agreed as he thought about his answer, "I am quite ready to get started." He said rubbing his hands together with a small chuckle.

He listened to her opinion and smiled a little, "you think?" She seemed like the type of person to keep her flowers neat, organized, and grouped by color. He wasn't sure which one he liked more, because Asters were rather pretty. "I am sure we can find something, yes." He said leading the way towards the store, his hands in his pockets. The polite woman behind the counter asked him if he needed help finding anything, and as always, he respectfully declined. Even though he didn't know what he wanted, he didn't really want a saleswoman hovering over his shoulder trying to get a deal out of him.

He led the way towards the racks and racks of flowers, some already grown and ready for planting, others still in their seeds. He tapped his chin a few times as he looked at the potted flowers. "Oooh. Snap dragons, now there is an idea."

[Midori Hawkins]

While Mii might have been able to attest that Darryl was a little bit flamboyant, she couldn’t accuse him of being gay. She didn’t like affixing people with labels, no matter how deserving they might be of them. The only one she could make an exception for was her brother. Through and through, Zachary was an idiot. Even Corbin and their parents agreed with that one. Regardless of that, just because Darryl liked theatrics and flowers didn’t mean a thing. She could think of worse things a man his age could get up to than getting dirty in the grass and acting.

“Is that unusual,” Mii managed to say with a smile. “That you’re nearly on time?” She knew that some people had a reputation for being late. Again, Zach was one of them. She didn’t know a lot about Darryl, though. Maybe that would change this afternoon. All she knew was that he hadn’t spoken to his parents for a while, he had an older brother and sister, and he taught drama at Hammel. Was that it? She couldn’t remember now. “I think I’m ready too. This’ll be fun.” She was an upbeat person, most of the time, and the idea of having company while messing with the pretty flowers was rather appealing to her.

“Yeah, I do.” Much as she was organized at work, her yard was organized chaos. Different colors and types of flowers everywhere, but she liked it that way. She tagged along at Darryl’s side as he headed into the store. She always liked it in the garden centers. The smells of different flowers, and the dirt, she found relaxing. In her own yard, she loved to put purple, yellow, and white together, in different forms. “It depends how much time you want to spend out there, I suppose, looking after them.” Really, she was happy to put the work into having a pretty yard, but once the flowers were there, she was happier to just water them now and again.

When he paused by the snap dragons, Mii smiled and peeked around at them. “I have some of those. Purple ones. They’re beautiful when they really bloom.” They weren’t her favourite flowers, but they were up there. She was partial to carnations, herself.

[Darryl Bond]

While Darryl himself could admit that his behavior wasn't text book masculine or even really manly at all, he didn't see the big deal in that sort of 'man' anyway. He left all the grunting, sweating, muscle straining things to his grunt older brother. Darryl liked being inside his comfort zone, and if that made him flamboyant, well he'd just have to live with it, because he wasn't about to pull a muscle because of pride. And because he's not as young as he used to be. (He's about to touch thirty, for crying out loud)

"Oh it's very unusual," Darryl confided, "it's almost a curse. No matter what time I leave, get ready, or set the alarm, I'm always running a bit late." He shrugged at the matter because there really wasn't a thing he could do about it. He tried setting his clock to the wrong time, as a friend had suggested to him once, but even then, he was still late. He smiled a little at her as her upbeat attitude shown out. He had figured she was an active person, but it was hard to tell what sort of person they were when they blushed and smiled all the time. He was glad to see he'd get more of a conversation out of her...though he wouldn't mind terribly if she did blush a bit more.

"Hmm." He let out thoughtfully at her advice. If he got wildflowers, then he'd rarely need go outside to tend them at all, seeing as if they were just scattered around, they'd get plenty of water when it rained--in Vermont, it rained plenty--, and weeds wouldn't really do little damage at all. No, he wanted a garden were he needed to tend to it regularly. What was the point of having a garden that didn't need tending anyway? That's what potted plants were for, and Darryl already had a few Spider Plants and other ferns littered about his living room and bedroom that just needed water about two times a week. "Oh I'd rather get something that requires the upkeep." He finally voiced as his thoughts concluded. "To take my mind off of work, and the like." Not that he had a rather stressful job, but he could imagine that there will be days when his students would just behave in the one way that rubbed him wrong.

He looked sideways at her as she peeked over her shoulder, "yeah?" He asked, seeing as they only had yellow Snap Dragons on the shelf, he could see them being rather pretty in purple as well, though in their yellow form before him, he could easily imagine them being small dragons. He nodded his head, yes, he'd make a spot for them. He slid his hand inside his pocket and took out the small notebook he had taken with him for this occasion and wrote them down. He tapped the pen as he walked down the row some more. He liked carnations, up to a point, but he didn't see them as having a place in his garden.

He paused again when his eyes fell on a flat of Pansies. The colors ranged from white and red to black and yellow. He reached out and rubbed one of the petals lightly between his fingers. "Pansies live through the winter." He muttered randomly, knowing the name 'pansy' was a bit of a misnomer. Not many garden flowers could live through the winter. He wrote it down, though he would decide for the color on the second time coming down the isle. That's how he worked. The first time around the store, he'd lower his selection down, then the second time he'd probably cross a few things off, and pick colors (like with the pansies), and finally buy them and carry them, or have the nice farmers in the back of the store deliver them the few blocks away to his house.

[Midori Hawkins]

Growing up with two brothers, Mii was fairly comfortable that she knew what was considered ‘manly’ and what wasn’t. Zachary was an expert at the manlier things in life. Grunting, sweating, swearing, toilet humor. Corbin, thank God, was more mature. While she couldn’t say he was effeminate, he certainly didn’t pull off the Neanderthalic tendencies their middle sibling did. Corbin was a good man, protective of the women in his life, and all around a nice person. Respectable. As for Darryl, well, she wasn’t about to judge so soon.

She had to smile at his explanation. “It’s a male thing, I think. At least, most males seem to adhere to those rules. I don’t know many that run on time.” Corbin was one. Eli was another. But most of the other men she’d met throughout her life seemed to have a general bad sense of time. “Nevermind that, though. You’re here now. You didn’t stand me up.” She would be the first to admit she could be insecure, and though those thoughts hadn’t turned up quite yet, they’d been close when he’d shown up. “I’m guessing you’ve tried all of the early alarm tricks?”

At least she knew where he stood now. He wanted plants that required a little bit of maintenance. That wouldn’t be too difficult to find. Maybe he’d like a challenge, something that might be a little more difficult to grow in their little corner of the world. “Of course. We all need those little distractions.” She glanced his way, getting somewhat bolder. “Are the students that badly behaved, you need your mind taken off of work?” The question was asked innocently enough, though there was a hint of mischief clear in her eyes. She heard stories about key students, ones that often caused gossip in the staff lounge. Hopefully Darryl wasn’t referring to any of them.

Mii wasn’t an expert on flowers, not by any means, but she loved the colors, and the different shapes. Snap Dragons, she’d always seen as unique. Her mother had planted them, for a little while. Up until a young Zachary had torn the plants apart looking for the dragons. That had ended that endeavour. Mii still teased her brother about it. Though she didn’t remember the incident personally, she’d heard the stories enough to give him grief over it. “Yeah. They’re really pretty.”

She followed him down the aisle, casting glances left and right at the little plastic trays of flowers, stopping just beside Darryl when he paused to look at the pansies. Hardy little things. “Yes, they do. Which makes the insult ‘pansy’ a little... pointless, don’t you think?” Funny, what people would call each other without thinking things through. “They’re lovely, though. And they smell amazing.” One thing she wanted to add to her garden was a type of flower that would attract butterflies. She didn’t do well with most bugs, but butterflies were so harmless and pretty. It didn’t have to be today, but if the store had them, she’d be thrilled. “Where to next?”

[Darryl Bond]

"It truly is a curse." Darryl agreed with her, though most men he knew (from L.A and Hollywood) were the sort to arrive first at a party. Sometimes Darryl could chalk it up to being fashionably late, but arriving an hour and a half late to your own birthday party was just rude to everyone. He was rather sure Emanuel still hadn't forgiven him for that. But traffic was something Darryl couldn't control, and he didn't even know it was a birthday party he was going to. Emanuel had told him he needed Darryl to look over his script and help in through the lines--Emanuel was Puerto Rican and needed help landing a completely American accent for the part, and Darryl was an expert in that sort of thing. I digress, Darryl was late, and maybe a lot of other people were too, but he was bad at it.

He smiled a little and met eyes with her. "I'd never stand you up, Midori." He meant it, and then added the mental not on purpose. It was the thought that counts, right? He chuckled as she asked him if he tried the tricks. "Oh yes, but even then something goes to pot. Either my shoe is missing or I get stuck at the longest red light on the Northern hemisphere. There is just someone up there that enjoys having people mad at me." Darryl flipped what hair he had over his shoulder and drew in a calming breath, no need to get all worked up about it. She was right. He was here now, and that was all that mattered.

Growing up, Darryl never really had a garden. His mother wasn't really that sort of person, and his father sure-in-hell wasn't either. The most gardening anyone did was mow the yard with the push mower and then weed-whack the areas that couldn't be reached by the mower. Darryl's neighbor, however, had an elaborate garden complete with stone walk-ways, trellieses, a fountain, and a love-seat swing. It amazed him and Darryl snuck over to look at it whenever his neighbors were at work. He got caught on a couple of occasions, but since he never really touched anything, they didn't seem to mind. His dad was the one that got angry at him the most, for tresspassing and being weird.

He looked at the flowers again, smiling a little. He would be extremely happy with himself if he ever made a garden that fantastic....maybe one day. He wasn't ready to handle all of that though. Not yet. He chuckled at what Midori had to say about Pansies and he agreed. People did often call others names without thinking. In the sense of the word, it was actually a compliment. "Right you are," he verbally agreed with a smile in her direction.

He picked up a packet of flower seeds that caught his eyes and turned it over to read the information on the back. "Asters are a good flower to have." He said to himself but also for Midori's benefit. He placed the packet back down and wrote it down on the list. Again, he'd have to decide on what sort of Aster the second time around. "They attract butterflies, yasee," he continued to explain as he wrote it down. He looked at his list and imagined them planted around his house and he smiled a little. It'd look wonderful with just what he got. He looked up and smiled, "I think this is a good start."

[Midori Hawkins]

The fact that Darryl called it a curse made Midori giggle softly. She’d have to pass that on to Zachary next time they spoke. Corbin wouldn’t find it funny, not unless she dropped Zach’s name to him. At least Darryl had been relatively on time. If he’d been an hour and a half late, she would have figured she’d been stood up, and simply headed back home. She had come to expect it out of one of her brothers. But she didn’t know Darryl very well. At least she knew now, if they ever did this again, to expect it out of him, too. Mental note – Darryl is almost always late. There. Now she was forewarned.

She blushed and met his gaze when he announced he’d never stand her up. What did that mean, exactly? Was he flirting? (She was terrible at recognizing it.) “Um, thank you?” Please change subject, please change subject, please – perfect. She left her debate about flirting behind in favour of discussing the tricks. His explanation got her giggling again. “Sounds like you need a system. Or a little faith. Maybe if you just ask to be on time for once, it would happen.” Not that she really put a lot of her own faith in that kind of stuff. Karma, maybe. But the rest? Not so much.

When she was older, and more settled, Midori wanted something a little more elaborate than what she had now. Maybe not fountains or swings, but something a bit more upscale than what she had now. Either that, or she wanted her yard a bit like the one she’d had as a child. A beat up playset in one corner, flowerbeds that had been dug in for ‘treasure’, and a dog or two roaming the grass. Total chaos, yet so perfect. It all depended on what path her life took her on.

Asters. Midori stepped closer to look at the package, absolutely lighting up at the idea of attracting butterflies. “Really? I’ve been looking for something that attracts them!” She actually sounded excited now. And seeds would last until she got home, and had time to plant them. “I think I need some of these.” She poked through the packages, picking a few out that she liked. “So which ones are we putting in today?” Now she had what she wanted, she was eager to start.

//ooc: I’m sorry it sucks so bad. -_-\\

[Darryl Bond]

Being late aside, when Darryl actually did show up for things, and things with women around, he flirted. Most of the time it was on purpose and just as grand as the rest of him, however there were times when the Darryl that wasn't all about hand flourishes and cheeky smiles got out and just acted sweet, which while some called that flirting, he didn't think that qualified. So we'll just call it 'accidental flirting.' Thinking over what he said, about never standing her up was in fact flirting in some dictionaries. He just hadn't meant it as flirting, ergo 'accidental flirting'. He narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips to the side as the thought struck him, and he was about to clarify himself on not trying to be that way with her. Not because he didn't like her, because he did, and not because he wasn't attracted to her in that he is a man and she is a woman sort of thing (she was rather adorable, yasee), but because he was pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate it, and he was more than certain that she didn't think about him that way. (Though he didn't know why she didn't).

She kept the subject rolling so he let the entire dilemma roll off his back and under a shelf somewhere. "I never thought about asking." He muttered as the epiphany hit him. He always worried about it, cursing himself about not being late. But wasn't that how thinking went; you focus on the negative, and the negative happens? So what if he tried just being like, 'I'm so gonna make it on time. I am gonna be on time.' It just might work...and if he didn't, at least he tried, right? There is optimism for you, ladies and gentlemen. "S'a brilliant plan, I'll have to try it." He grinned in her direction, and placed his hands in his pockets.

He enjoyed seeing her so animated about the Asters, and he was proud of himself for unknowingly helping her with it. "Another good one is those uh.. Chresint...Chresante...Chrys....Chrysanthemum! That one." He snapped his finger when the name of the flower popped back into his head. Fickle thing that noggin of his was, let me tell you. "Those and Cosmos both. I think Cosmos are prettier, and a lot easier to remember." He grinned with a small wink in her direction. Smooth, Darryl, real smooth. He grinned as he looked back over his list.

"The weather is looking good, so I think we'll get some of the flats, carry 'em on to the house and stick 'em in the ground. We can save the seeds for later when the threat of rain isn't right 'round the corner. Sound good?" She was a participant in this escapade after all, and he wanted her opinion which she'd rather do.

((I want no apologies from you~ (especially when my replies are so late and URG)))

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori… really didn’t flirt. Not often. Sure, at the club with her friends back home, she’d get a little flirty with the men around them. But there was safety in numbers, and nothing ever came from a bout of friendly flirting, now did it? Granted, if a guy came on too strong, she was much like a deer. She was shy, yes, and coming on too strong would send her scampering for the hills. So far, Darryl wasn’t fitting that bill. Then again, Mii was simply helping him with his yard. There was no call for flirting, as far as she could see. (No, now she’d thought about it, she didn’t really qualify the ‘never standing her up’ line as flirting.) It was because she was shy that she didn’t take well to strong come ons. If you wanted to try to win her, you had to be slow about it. Gentle. Or else she’d take off running. (Or at the very least, politely excuse herself and escape.) She hadn’t really dated anyone for a while. Especially in Pilot Ridge, being so new to the area and so busy with her new job. Recruiting didn’t really allow much for anything long term. She was always off and running to convince the next young meta’s family to allow them to come to Hammel. (Or maybe it had to do with the fact she was with Eli so much. She’d never thought of it that way before.)

The fact Darryl had never thought about asking didn’t surprise her. Most men probably wouldn’t. It was an oddball thing to do, but Mii found that positive thinking worked sometimes. Maybe not every time. Begging to win the lottery, maybe not. But asking to find that one silly shoe that’s vanished? Sometimes, that worked. (Maybe it had to do with taking a moment away from the search, and going back with fresh eyes.) “I wouldn’t call it brilliant, but yeah, try it. It might work.”

Attracting butterflies to the yard was obviously thrilling to her. Mii looked over the package of seeds she already had, and glanced up when Darryl began to butcher the word. She couldn’t help the little giggles that escaped. “Yeah, Cosmos are easier to say. Of course, Chrysanthemum isn’t that difficult.” She grinned and wandered over to examine the Cosmos seeds, taking a few of those as well.

“Sounds perfect. Which flats did you want to pick up? The snap dragons?” She was eager to start. The sooner they were out of the store, the sooner they could be planting.

[Darryl Bond]

Too Darryl there wasn't a 'too strong,' there was only 'too drunk.' He'd never attempt to flirt with a belly full of alcohol, and he never (well he wanted to never) accepted the midnight love a lady who was too inebriated to tie a proper pair of shoes. He figured the emotions during the experience weren't...well real, and he liked to savor the moment. Even if he did move on the next day, he liked to remember it. All that past aside, though, Darryl hadn't hit up the clubs since he arrived at the school as a teacher, since he was pretty sure his superiors would frown upon such things, and he was supposed to set an example. Or something like that.

"I will try it." Darryl agreed with her, though he didn't agree with it not being 'brilliant.' OK, so maybe it wasn't Nobel prize worthy, but it was 'OH. Why didn't I think of that?' which was pretty 'brilliant' in Darryl's book. Don't worry about trying to understand it, it's written in illegible writing in a foriegn language you can't learn off of Rosetta Stone. It was those little sorts of insight that Darryl didn't have. He could only imagine a morning where he didn't have to search for his keys for ten minutes because of someone else in the house knowing and remembering where he put them, even if they are on the key ring right next to the door, where he always put them. That memory just seemed to delete itself every morning.

Darryl watched as she happily looked at the seeds and looked at the ones he had also named off. He felt pretty good about himself for making her smile like that. It was rather pretty. He rolled his eyes as she teased him a little about the word. "I've only ever read the word. I should get points for getting the pronunciation right...eventually." He chuckled a little. But he had just unknowingly admitted he had a subscription to Home Goods and Better Homes and Garden. Though of course she couldn't really get that from what he said, but that was what he was referring to, anyhow.

"Ooh, definitely the snap dragons and the..." he inspected his list he had written down, running a finger down the small page. "Pansies. Those too. Maybe two flats each, to start off the front yard." He said as he nodded his head, seeing the snap dragons next to his front stoop, and the pansies down the walk way. "Ok. maybe four flats of Pansies." He nodded his head and lead the way back to where the Snap dragons and Pansies were located.

[Midori Hawkins]

Mii couldn’t say she’d never fallen into bed after a few rounds. That was what college was for. Mistakes. Thankfully, the one time she’d done it, it had been with her boyfriend at the time. She’d been giggly, tipsy, and all for a little bit of “midnight love.” It wasn’t so terrible when it was with your own boyfriend. She knew that. And she didn’t want to see what happened when it was more or less a stranger. It was why she didn’t tend to drink a lot. It was better to have a good time with a slight buzz, rather than get completely piss drunk, and not remember a thing.

“Good. Let me know if it works.” She really had to wonder what it was in the male brain that prevented them from running on time, or putting things in the same place every time they were finished with them. It was an phenomenon. Only a few she knew could run on time. Not that she was never late. She was capable of it. It just didn’t happen often enough for her to warn people about it. “I think it will.”

Midori was thrilled with the idea of attracting butterflies to her yard. They were so pretty. Even if they were hard to say. “All right, fine. You get points for getting it right. And for knowing it attracts butterflies.” Two good, solid points. “I just don’t know what you plan to do with said points.” Was that flirting, or genuine curiosity? “Come on. Let’s go get the flats.” She gently tugged his arm back up the aisle. Was she eager to start? Just a little.

Once they were back in front of the flats, she took a better look at the different colored pansies. They really were pretty flowers. And now she knew what they were getting, she was ready to go. There was nothing better than spending a warm afternoon in the yard, doing some planting. And if she had company to do it, that was fine with her. This was going to be fun.

[Darryl Bond]

Darryl probably couldn't count how many times he'd woken up next to a stranger since college. He didn't even have a clue as to how many of his college classmates he 'got to know' without ever hearing a name. He also tried not to think back on it. It only would remind him of how destroyed his liver probably was. But he was fond of the drink and the bubbly feelings it entailed and he wasn't about to say no to a good time, now was he? He should know better, but if he wasn't so worried about upsetting his teacher reputation, he'd probably be making those mistakes all over again in Pilot Ridge.

"You will be the first to know." He promised with a smile. It was only fair that the person that gave him the idea was the first to know if it was successful or not. Well, second to Darrly himself. Darryl had also wondered about why men and women's brains worked so differently like that. Those simple ideas that were essentially simple and terribly helpful....just never occurred to him. But women had them all the time! It was frightfully unfair to how cunning women were and how...basic and simple men were. Darryl himself could admit that while he was a bit different than the average guy, it also didn't take a lot for him to be comfortable and he thought on pretty much the same level as everyone else. He just supposed it was a human thing, though it would be nice to know exactly what it was that caused them to think differently like that. So maybe Darryl could learn to overcome it.

He grinned when she awarded him two points and then grinned a bit wider when she asked him what he planned to do with them. "Well, I shall keep collecting them until I have enough points to redeem a prize." He chuckled a bit at himself and then the thought clicked that maybe she had just flirted with him. Because that was a pretty flirty thing, as was the conversation. He scratched his chin in thought as they made it back to the flowers of his choosing. He looked at the different colored pansies.

"To go with the yellow snap dragons, I think we should get the purple and yellow ones. So we don't contrast the colors." He said, musing. He reached up to the shelf and slid the flats into his hands and after they were all balanced precariously on his arms he nodded then both over to the snap dragons. They all looked in perfect healthy condition and he didn't spot anything wrong with any of the flowers so he turned to Midori. "Ya can pick any two that you like." He smiled and waited for her to do so.

[Midori Hawkins]

That kind of behaviour was exactly what Midori tried to avoid. She’d been lucky that the one time she’d managed fall into bed and not remember it, it was with her own boyfriend. It could have been so much worse. And once was enough, regardless of who she’d ended up with. There was to be no repeating of that particular experience. She didn’t even particularly like drinking. Especially the harder stuff. (And beer was just... gross.) There were better ways to spend time and money.

“Good.” Was it just her, or did Darryl actually have a nice smile when he wasn’t being a flirting machine? “If I was into betting, I’d bet you it’ll work.” As it was, she didn’t like bets beyond the playful ones she made with her brothers. Whatever happened to be missing on the Y chromosome (or most of them, anyway), Mii was sure it wasn’t just her that hoped science could isolate and remedy it. Then maybe men like Darryl and Zachary could do things like run on time. Or, in Zach’s case, grow up. Immaturity was only so endearing when you were nearing your thirties.

Darryl’s response, if it had been made earlier, might have spooked Midori. But she was relaxing, and feeling the smallest bit playful. It was okay. She smirked at him and patted his arm. “Keep saving.” She wasn’t creative enough to think of something to “exchange” the points for just yet. Maybe something would hit her while they were working. Or, if nothing else, she’d buy coffee at some point during the day.

She listened to what he had to say about the pansies. (The thought suddenly struck her that they might look like a couple, shopping for their garden. Now that was strange.) “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She watched him pull the flats down, hoping he didn’t drop any. Once they were chosen, she followed him over to the snap dragons. His invitation was surprising, but she did as she was told. Looking over them all, she chose two that seemed the nicest of them all. “Does this mean we’re ready to go?”