“Okay, so what sort of flowers do you like, Merri?” Avuri asked, as she slowly sidestepped down the aisle. The florist’s shop wasn’t very wide, but it was quite deep, consisting of three aisles of long, plant-filled tables that stretched back into the store at least thirty meters. Avuri’s eyes were scanning the plants on display, as though she was looking for something specific.
I wasn’t too well versed in flower knowledge, and certainly not when it came to the meanings behind certain flowers. “I think orchids and peonies are pretty?” I said tentatively. “I don’t know a lot about flowers though.”
Avuri shot me a confused look over her shoulder. “You’re kidding me.” She said, sounding genuinely shocked. “You’re so good at tending to the plants in the garden, I assumed you would know your flowers.”
I chuckled. “Ah, yes. I know my way around an herb garden, and have decent knowledge of survivalist plants. But flowers…” I shrugged. “I’ve never had much reason to learn about them.” I perused the section before us while Avuri stared in disbelief. “I do appreciate their beauty though. Even if they’re not the most eye-catching thing in the room.” I added with a sidelong glance at Avuri.
I saw a bit of red creep into her cheeks and I smiled. “Quiet, you.” She said, and playfully kicked my leg. “Well, okay then. You said you like orchids and peonies? We can use that.” Avuri mumbled as she took another step down the row.
“If you know your flowers, don’t get hung up on me. I’m not too picky; and if I don’t like something, I’ll tell you before you settle on it.” I said, throwing an arm around her and giving her a squeeze.
“No, it’s okay.” She said, leaning into the side-hug. “Orchids and peonies are both good decorative flowers. I’d add in some lotus flowers because they’re a favorite of mine.” She turned toward me with a sly smile. “And all three come in a lovely shade of purple.” She paused for a moment, then added, “Maybe we can get some lavender for the centerpieces too…”
“We’re just going all in on the purple color scheme, hm?” I said, thinking about the tablecloths and napkins she had picked out at Lyn’s.
Avuri gave me a look that was clearly asking if I had a head injury. “Of course? Emery, if we have any sort of family color, it’s purple. Between all the wisteria at home, my eyes, the color of your hair when the light hits it just right; we have a lot of purple in our family.”
“Huh,” I said, “you know, I didn’t think about it too much before, but you’re absolutely right.” I stared right into Avuri’s eyes, taking in their color. “May as well embrace it,” I said finally. “It’s a lovely color, and the lighter shades are really calming.”
I had spoken without breaking eye contact, and Avuri’s cheeks gained a bit of pink in response. She smiled warmly at me though. “I like it too.” She said happily, then suddenly stood straight up energetically. “Now then! Let’s find a worker and see if they have orchids, lotus flowers, peonies, and lavender!”
She put a hand in the air, as if commanding a forward march. “For the purple!” She declared, and marched off toward the front of the store. I chuckled and followed close behind, slipping an arm through hers so we could walk together.
----------------------------------------
“I kinda like the wooden placards; what do you think?” I said, looking over the various stationary in the store.
Avuri came over to stand beside me, peering at the wooden place cards. They looked well made to me, and I liked the wooden, bamboo aesthetic. “Hmm. I do like them. They’re a bit more expensive than the regular ones though.”
I shrugged. “It’s our big day, right? It’s not so expensive that it’d be a problem, and they look nice. And Lyn did say that one of their dishware options was bamboo, so it’ll all match.”
Avuri eyed me curiously, then smiled. “You really like these, don’t you?”
I blinked. “I do. Why?”
“You’ve deferred to me on pretty much everything so far. I think this is the first thing you’ve really put your opinion up there before I suggested anything.”
I shrugged again. “I told you that I’d tell you when I do or don’t like something. The fact of the matter is, for me, most of the decorations are superfluous to the actual marriage to you.”
Avuri’s eyes narrowed. “Again with the compliments. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were buttering me up for something.”
“That is not my intention.” I said, and it wasn’t. “I’m just enjoying my day out with you. And, in this case, just being plainly honest.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Avuri shook her head. “Well. You like the bamboo place cards?” I nodded. “Then we’ll get them. And have Lyn use the bamboo tableware.” She thought for a moment, then after deciding something internally for herself, nodded. “We’re having the wedding in a garden. We haven’t made too many decoration choices yet. I think we could go for a full natural look. All wood and the like.”
I just watched silently as Avuri seemed to double and triple check the decision. The far away, concentrating look vanished after a bit and she seemed sure of the choice. “All natural decorations should work.”
“Okay. So what does that mean for us other than the bamboo tableware and the place cards?” I asked.
“Well, the flowers are all fine as is, obviously. We’ll use woven baskets for the centerpieces. I think Vyne’s garden already had all wooden furniture, so we’re all set there. We can use a lighter cloth for the tables and napkins. Silk is a little too expensive to be used that way, but there’s bound to be something similar. As long as it all matches, that’s really it.” She said, but looked like she was still trying to come up with more.
“That doesn’t sound too bad. We’ve gotten most of that taken care of already, don’t we?”
“We do, but we need decorations and some other things.” Avuri said, and held up her hand to count off her fingers. Instead, I put a hand over hers before she could start counting.
“Avuri, listen. We’re getting married in a garden. If we’re going with a natural theming, then let’s go all the way with it. I bet if we offered some kind of compensation, Vyne would be willing to work some of his wood Qi magic and help us decorate everything with vines and flowers.” I said.
“That’s a good idea.” She responded happily. “I’ll talk to Lyn the next time I’m in town and see if we can get in touch with him.”
“Good.” I said, trying to add a bit of finality to my tone. “Now, other than more shopping, was there anything else we had to do in the city today?”
“Other than shopping, hm?” She said with a bit of a laugh. “Well, I did have some plans for dinner -”
I felt my stomach lurch, and I suddenly felt a quick burst of queasiness. Apparently my stomach still wasn’t settled after our huge lunch. Avuri must have seen the look on my face because she smiled at me sweetly. “We don’t have to do that yet. How about we go back to that little tea shop and relax for a while first?”
I nodded. “That sounds nice. I could go for a nice warm cup of tea and a book for a bit.”
“Let’s go then.” Avuri smiled and hooked an arm around mine, and lightly tugged me off down the street.
----------------------------------------
By the time we were both confident in our ability to eat dinner, it was after sundown. When we left the cozy little tea shop, lights - both Qi and regular fire - dotted the city. While Flowing Dragon CIty wasn’t necessarily known for its nightlife, it certainly didn’t go to sleep early. Being something more akin to a merchant and Cultivator city, there was usually something happening.
I wasn’t sure what that meant for us as Avuri pulled me along without telling me where we were going. My suspicion, of course, was some high end place that was expensive. I was familiar with Avuri’s tastes by now, and she liked going out for expensive dinners. I thought it was particularly ironic, given how much she seemed to dislike her wealthy family.
All of that left me shocked when she turned the corner onto the main thoroughfare of the city. Which, at night, was lined with all sorts of food carts. She pulled me out of the alleyway we used to get there with a huge smile. I was completely unprepared for the sight of her backlit by the various Qi and fire lights and went slack-jawed.
Avuri saw my stunned state and laughed heartily. “Well, come on then! We’ve got stalls to see!” She shouted over the din of the evening crowd and pulled me further out into the street.
We walked around aimlessly for a while, just checking out what kinds of food was available; and the options were extensive. All of the expected easy street food was present from meat buns to skewers of all kinds of meat. But with Cultivators being common in this city, there were also all kinds of spirit beast dishes too. Often with some kind of Qi suffused seasoning or sauce.
Scattered among the food stalls were all kinds of other vendors, selling everything from jewelry to hand-crafted scrolls and clothing. It was an incredible atmosphere as we both walked along making mental notes of which foods we wanted. And once we walked a decent portion of the street we turned around to pick up things we wanted.
With both of our arms loaded with food, Avuri once again led the way somewhere. I followed with a smile - if she had planned to come to the food stalls for dinner, I had a good feeling that she would follow it up with something good too.
I was not disappointed when she led me through a few side streets and to a lovely little park. It was lit up with Qi lamps hung around the trees basking the whole place in a warm glow. There were several tables with benches set up throughout the park. One of which was already set up with candles and a tablecloth laid over it.
When I turned to look at Avuri, she had a huge grin on her face and motioned to the table in question. “That’s ours.” She said happily and walked off toward it. I followed, and as we put the food on the table, Avuri pulled a bottle of something seemingly from nowhere. Probably her storage ring.
“So. How long have you been planning this, hm?” I asked, leaning over the table with a sly smile.
“Not important.” Avuri declared, as she produced two glasses and poured what looked like some kind of good liquor. After she placed a glass in front of each of us, she pulled simple tableware from her ring and set the table.
I watched her do so, trying to keep my smile from sliding into stupid grin territory. “I love you.” I said, trying to keep my face under control.
Avuri stopped what she was doing and stepped around the table to give me a pleasant kiss. “I love you too.”
She leaned her forehead against mine for a moment, then stood up straight again. “Now then. Let’s eat.” She declared.
And produced a second bottle of liquor from nowhere.