_capable_ (_capable_) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-09-10 21:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, asato tsuzuki, capable |
Who: Capable and Tsuzuki
What: Plant shopping
When: Early September
Where: Plant nursery
Warnings/Ratings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Capable had been working at and enjoying the bookstore for a while now and she had learnt so much. Not just through reading but also through the interaction with customers and co-workers. She was also slowly getting to know the area she lived and worked in, it was so different to the relatively small compound she had been living in. And of course she was experiencing so much more than she ever had there.
Today she had been reading about plants and decided that Furiosa’s place needed some pretty greenery to brighten up the place. Which was how she ended up at the nursery looking around for plants which were easy to look after.
Tsuzuki had been checking the pH balance of some of the soil when he heard someone in the greenhouse, and he quickly got up, brushed the dirt off his knees, and headed toward the customer. He hadn’t heard the front door chime, but that wasn’t unusual and it did usually give people time to look around on their own for a while. Tsuzuki was always happy when new customers came in, because it meant that he could stop doing actual work and chat with new people.
“Hello!” Tsuzuki chirped when he saw the woman looking at some of the plants. “Can I help you with anything today?”
“Oh hello” Capable replied turning with a smile, “I hope you can. I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with plants” she admitted to him, “I’m looking for something to brighten up my home and maybe work too. But I’m not sure where to start, is there anything pretty and easy to start with?”
“Well, I’d be happy to help!” Tsuzuki said, smiling widely. “It’s always nice when people decide they’d like to look into having some plants in their life. Do you have any pets or children at home? Or a certain look? Cactuses are usually good beginner plants, though if you’d like something a little leafier I’m sure I can find something for you!”
“Thank you so much” she said happy and grateful, “Not pets or children” Capable told him, “But something pretty, a flower maybe. Leafy would be nice” Capable was sure cactuses had their place and they were nice but not quite what she had in mind.
“Well that makes things easier!” Tsuzuki said. “Peace lilies are very popular,” he said, motioning her to follow him as he made his way toward the curving, white flowers. “They don’t need too much light, but they do need a lot of water.”
Capable followed, she liked the sound of a lily especially one with such a name. “Oh they’re beautiful. I’d remember to water it, does it need it everyday?” she asked him as she looked at the beautiful flower.
“Not every day, no!” Tsuzuki said. “When you water it, you want to give it a lot of water. Enough to make the soil damp all the way through, but then it needs a couple of days to dry out. I try to aim for about once a week. It’s leaves will start to droop if you forget to water it, so at least it gives you some warning!”
“Oh okay” Capable nodded, she must sound so silly not knowing how to look after a plant. But she’d never been responsible for anything before and she wanted to make sure she got it right. “Well that’s good, though I hope I won’t let it droop too often”
Tsuzuki never thought people were silly not knowing how to take care of plants. Since so many of them had so many different needs, Tsuzuki still found himself looking up care sheets for the plants he was less familiar with. Really, he was glad she was asking instead of just taking off without having a clue what to do. “I’m sure you’ll do fine once you get into the habit of things.”
Capable wasn’t the sort to risk winging it, not when the plant only had her to rely on. It was her responsibility to make sure she knew how to care for it properly. “That is my hope, I figure getting a routine of watering would be best so it becomes natural”
“I personally prefer to do everything by hand - it’s a little more reliable for getting the correct soil moisture - but we also sell self-watering probes here if that would interest you. Some of them are even pretty cute, with butterflies and duckies on them.” He glanced around around for his boss, and whispered conspiratorially, holding his hand to the side of his mouth, “but between you and me you can make one pretty easily with a pop bottle that won’t cost you $15.”
Capable giggled softly, “Thank you for letting me in on the secret” she told him, her smile soft but happy, “I think I’ll try it by hand too. I rather like the idea and...well, I’ll probably end up talking to them too” she blushed a little.
Tsuzuki’s face broke into a wide grin at that. “They’re excellent listeners,” he said, giving Capable a wink. “I talk to mine all the time. They actually did an episode on Mythbusters where they tested to see if talking to plants helped them grow, and it seems as though it’s true, too!”
That made Capable feel better, she’d much rather speak to them and unload than burden her friends. “Oh really? Then I will definitely talk to them and help them to grow more” she smiled brightly too.
Capable was doing a fine job of making Tsuzuki like her. It wasn’t that he saw a lot of people at work who he disliked, but people who seemed to have a genuine interest in caring for the plants they picked up, instead of just getting something that might make a pretty decoration were always his favourites. “Did you just want the lilies today, or would you be interested in seeing some other flowers?”
Capable had a natural instinct to care, possibly because she’d received little of it as she grew up. “Oh I’d like to see more. Even if I just get the lilies it would be nice to see what else there is, perhaps a flower may call to me that I wouldn’t have considered before”
“Well then, come this way, and I’ll show you the african violets,” Tsuzuki said, walking down the path between the flowers. “I’ll point out the plants that I’d normally recommend to a beginner, but if anything catches your eye, please mention it to me and we can see if it would be a good fit.”
Smiling Capable followed him, “Thank you so much. This is very kind of you” she said, looking around at all of the flowers. “I can’t believe there’s so many, it’s almost overwhelming”
"Try working here," Tsuzuki said, winking at her. "When I first started I wasn't entirely sure what to do." He'd been thrown in head first, as the grower before him had neglected the plants. Tsuzuki had managed to save most of them, but he had to do far more research than he had wanted when he first joined on. "But it certainly makes the place more vibrant to look at." He came upon the lovely purple flowers he had been looking for and stopped. "These are the african violets. Caring for them is fairly similar to the peace lilies."
“I could well imagine, I’d be overwhelmed” Capable said, but it would be wonderful to nurture them all to flower. “It’s beautiful, you should be very proud. Oh, they’re lovely. So vibrant yet delicate”
"Thank you!" Tsuzuki said. "I am a little proud. The most rewarding jobs are the ones where you can see your hard work blossom before you." Tsuzuki was not a fan of hard work, but seeing results like he did with gardening made it almost worth it. "They really brighten up a room," he said. "I generally recommend putting them near an eastern facing window so that they can get that morning light, but they're just lovely as a centerpiece for a table. You do want to avoid getting water on the leaves though."
“I imagine so, and here you really can” Capable said smiling, it must be extremely satisfying. “Eastern facing windows” she repeated with a nod, “Okay, no water on the leaves. Will it hurt the plant?”
“It won’t do too much damage, but it will cause some spotting damage. The best way to water them is from the bottom though, so it’s not too hard to avoid getting water on the leaves. Just put the planter into a dish of water and allow it to absorb the water for roughly half an hour,” Tsuzuki said.
Capable nodded as she listened, “Does the planter have holes in the bottom?” she asked, not seeing any other way it would be able to get the water. She’d make sure nothing got onto the leaves, she didn’t want to damage it at all.
“Most do so that any excess water can drain out of the bottom instead of drowning your plants,” Tsuzuki said. “If you choose to replant it,” most people did; the little plastic planters they came in weren’t exactly attractive, “just make sure that there’s a hole in the bottom of the one you replace it with.”
“I will. Maybe I can find a pretty one that could work well with the flowers” she said, almost thinking out loud. She was very much liking the idea more and more, she wanted to help them grow and bring happiness to their home.
“Oh, we sell pots here too,” Tsuzuki said. “I can show you those, too.” He may have been trying to kill as much time with her as possible so that he didn’t have to do any real work, but he was also eager to help anyone who came into the greenhouse to the best of his ability. “Follow me and I’ll show them to you!”
Capable brightened at the thought of choosing some nice pots to go with the plants and nodded, “Thank you that would be great” she said as she followed him. She didn’t mind being a reason for not working she was just grateful he was being so patient with her.