thelastmidnight

[thelastmidnight]

meangreenacantha‌:

Acantha looked up at the older woman and smiled. She knew that she made Willow uncomfortable, and that the woman didn’t approve of her practices. She and her circle had made that abundantly clear when Acantha had first arrived in London. But they had an understanding, and Willow had the best supply of any green things that she may need for a casting. The apple blossoms she was using were from Willows shop. “Of course, one moment” Acantha told her, before disappearing into the back for a moment, before returning with a simple brown paper wrapped package. “The second half of your order should be ready tomorrow afternoon. Would you like me to drop it off at your shop?” Acantha paused, gauging Willows reaction “I can of course send someone else, if that would be preferable. Maybe a bike messenger? Someone a little less threatening for your tender clientele?”

This is one of the reasons Willow avoided this shop when possible. Everyone practiced differently, that was part of the joy of the craft. But Willow believed that everything had to be freely given, and blood was tricky. Willow wasn’t quite sure she could trust Acantha with the willingly part of the requirements. But business was business and that was one of the most important things at this point. 

Willow took the package, turning it over lightly in her hands. She trusted Acantha enough to know when she promised something, she would get it. Theres was an ally-ship tentatively built on the idea they both could provide something “I can come retrieve it, I have your next shipment of Lavender, knock them both out at once” WIllow mused, choosing not to rise to the bait. It was true, she didn’t quite want her accoiate around her shop. Firstly her energy affected the plants, and secondly Willow prioritized making money, and Acantha she was a loose canon.

[thelastmidnight]

wxrkerbees‌:

It simultaneously felt like the weight on her shoulders had been lifted and all the air had been sucked out of the room once she said those words. In all the ways she’d thought and dreamt about sharing that information, she never quite imagined it this way. Rayelle’s gaze flew down to the other’s hand as she gripped on to a flower rack, tensing slightly before she looked back up, letting her stutter through her words. “It’s true,” she said, keeping her voice soft as she glanced at Pola. The young girl was smelling every flower within reach and the site caused her to relax before looking at Willow again. “Are you sure you want to know?” Rayelle wanted to get to know her mother, to have that connection she’d been craving since a young age, but she knew that it wasn’t going to be all good news and she wasn’t sure if the other truly wanted to hear all of that yet. “I mean…I’ll tell you, but only if you’re sure.”

Willow took a deep shuddering breath, reaching up to swipe at the tears as they ran down her face.  It felt like she had swallowed a time bomb and it was only a matter of time before it all blew up in her face. Willow turned slightly looking at the small child with a new light.  Breath catching in her throat “is she my....” Even now years later the words were hard, choked on after years of disbelief. Willow straightened her back, taking a deep breath. “I’m sure... but maybe it should wait” Willow would glance back at Rayelle, that was her name now. “I don’t know if Pola knows.” Willow turned, staring at the flowers before her, taking strength in their beauty to stop the shaking that racked her body. “Maybe you could come over for tea sometime?” Willow didn’t mean to shove her away, even if that what it was seeming as. But she was shaking and only really moments away from fully breaking down. She needed time to procress what this meant, and how much Rayelle would want from her. Make sure this wasn’t a trick of some sort.

[thelastmidnight]

Willow wasn’t exactly fond of this shop, she found it a bit off putting. Yet when she needed rare and sometimes questionable plants this was the best place to come to. They had an understanding and neither looked to hard into one another business. Willow smiled at the shopowner, with just the slightest bit of edge. “Acantha, lovely to see you back. I was hoping we could discuss my orders” Willow approached the counter, arms cross, half trying to protect herself from the young owners piercing eyes.

Acantha finished inventorying the new wares from her recent trip to Peru and put her ledger back on the shelf. She had four trunks full of goods and wares she needed to unpack, but that would wait for another day. She needed to focus on reopening the shop and getting customers back in. She had been away for just over three weeks, and didn’t have an assistant to work in the shop while she was gone. 

Dusting off her antique till she pulled cash from her safe, restocked it and flipped the sign in the window to open. Settling back behind the counter she pulled out a few baskets of herbs and began bundling and wrapping the herbs. She found the repetitive actions calming, soothing even. She was on her fifth bundle when the iron warding bells on her door rang. 

“Ah, welcome. Can I help you find anything particular?” she asked, finishing wrapping the bundle of apple blossoms, lavender and hyssop and placed it aside.

( @musicalstarters​ )

[thelastmidnight]

wxrkerbees‌:

Pola giggled as the woman waved, causing her to relax a bit as she brushed her daughter’s hair back. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said, though the words sounded distant to her own ears, distracted as her mind tried to work through what this all meant. “Um…” Rayelle inhaled sharply before kneeling down and talking to her daughter. “How ‘bout you go find the most beautiful yellow flowers for my room, Rollie Pollie? Mommy’s gonna talk to this nice lady for a bit.” She kept a smile on her face until Pola skipped away and it fell. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she stood up and looked at Willow–her birth mother–again. “There really isn’t a gentle way to say this, is there? Um…a few years ago I–” Rayelle cut herself off, knowing she didn’t need to share all the dirty details up front, and pulled a piece of paper from her bag. “I was in the hospital and had the doctors do a DNA test to look for my parents. I’ve carried these results with me for the last few years.” She held the paper out. “It says that you’re my mother…”

Willow smiled at the child, and pointed out a section with more yellow flowers. Willow had kept yellow flowers in stock, always wanting a bright spot in the shop.  Looking back at Rayelle she frowned slightly, confused by the womens attitude. And then Willow felt like she had been punched in the gut, she took a step back, holding onto the edge of a flower rack. She looked in the womens face, searching for anything she knew of her child, stolen years ago.  WIllow snatched the piece of paper, staring at it. The words swirled in front of her eyes. It was the truth, but it bucked against everything Willow had thought for to many years now. “My. your. That cant” The words choked in Willows throat as tears sprung to her eyes. The paper wrinkling in her hand. “what... where have you been?” Maybe it wasn’t her, maybe it was all a lie.

[thelastmidnight]

pcper-fcntcsy‌:

True’s reaction was extremely delayed, more like he was trying to do an impression of a statue than anything else. The pillow actually ended up in his hands and he was left with his head twitching around the room to find who had thrown it, “Ah!” At the woman’s explanation, he reeled back from the plant in question. IT had such pretty leaves, though perhaps they were more of a death omen than decoration, “I-I’m sorry, I hadn’t- Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” He took a deep breath, nervously trying to reason everything in his mind, “Oh no need, it’s alright. After all, you saved me, apparently.”

Willow found herself chuckling softly at the mans reaction. Relieved that he was firstly safe, secondly not angry. Willow moved closer to gently take the pillow from his hand. Tilting her head. “Are you okay? You seem a little.... Overwhelmed?”  Willow asked softly, gingerly touching his elbow.  Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched the man, a little worried she had been to late and he had indeed touched the plant or something else equally bad. “Maybe you should sit down? We have a really big backroom.” 

[thelastmidnight]

wxrkerbees‌:

Rayelle watched the young girl fondly, keeping note of which color of flowers she wandered to first. Even when the employee walked up to her, her gaze kept darting to Pola, that small fear of her being taken prevalent in every part of her life. The other woman said her name and her head turned back to her, her smile faltering slightly. “You own the shop?” Willow. The woman standing in front of her was her birth mother and all she could think about was the cruel woman that had taken her away. As if sensing her unease, Pola ran back to her, hiding behind her legs, her tiny hands curling into Rayelle’s long skirt. She knew she was staring, too quiet for too long, but her mind was making the connections, her gaze ghosting over Willow’s features and the similarities between them. “S-Sorry,” she said as she extended her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met before—I’m Rayelle. I just moved to London recently.” Finding herself staring again, it took her daughter tugging at her hand to ground her. “And this munchkin is Pola,” she said, her features softening as her hand rested on her head, but her smile soon faltered again as she looked back up. “Did you say your name was Willow? As in Willow Circe?”

Willow felt the temperature dip in the room, something tingling down her spine as she felt something change. Willow gently took the other women's hand, trying to be gentle as she could while shaking it, tell something was amiss. “I do own the shop, ” Repeating the phrase that she could only guess shook the women. “it’s very nice to meet you Rayelle, and you too Pola” Willow said, her voice going up in pitch as she waved at the little girl. Trying to at the very least, make the young girl once more comfortable. Yet at the sound her last name, Willows head snapped up as she took a step back, eyes narrowing slightly, distrust instantly building in her gut. As much as she loved her employees, the tended to attract trouble, and she wondered if this women was the latest version of that “That would be me. How do you know my last name? I don’t believe I introduce myself with it often”

[thelastmidnight]

Willow felt the headache building behind her eyes, her jaw hurting from clenching her teeth. It had been a long day, and it hadn’t even truly started yet. The morning flower delivery had been off, and Willow had spent most of the morning sorting through that. Mourning the end of her morning coffee, Willow took a deep breath to steady herself as the soft chime of bells from the door opened. Willow turned towards the sound. Her forced customer smile turning into a genuine soft smile as she spotted the small child. The sight bring up painful memories of a lost life but Willow tried to focus on the happiness the sight brought. Young children were the picture of pure motive. Kids that young didn’t lie. She always had a soft spot for kids. “I mean it depends on your definition of withstand” Willow said with a chuckle, focusing on the women who Willow had assumed was the kids mother. Her head tilted slightly as the women's features struck her as oddly familiar, the next sentence dying on her tongue as she shook her head. “I’m Willow, the owner of this little shop. I’m very sorry to ask but do I know you from somewhere?” Willow tried to give a soft smile, her eyes darting between the women and the child, suddenly glad she had moved the more expensive flowers higher off the ground.

{ @thelastmidnight​ }

Rayelle had only been in London a short while, the last couple of weeks being spent getting settled in to the new apartment and getting Pola used to the new city. It wasn’t too hard of an adjustment—in fact, they both loved the new apartment and everything the city had to offer—but there were other factors at play too. Not long after the two arrived, Rayelle got a lead on her birth mother: the “Little Shop of Hope” that was registered under her name. She’d been avoiding looking it up, afraid that Willow wouldn’t live up to her preconceived ideas of what her birth mother would be like, but she should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy. During one of their walks to explore the city, Pola tugged her in the direction of a flower shop, Rayelle’s gaze falling on the very name of the shop she’d been avoiding. The young girl let go of her hand to feel any flowers she was able to reach, her attention pulling her in every which direction. Just the sight of her excitement was enough to distract from the problem at hand. “Don’t wander too far,” Rayelle said with a laugh, turning to look around for an employee, knowing Pola would want an entire bouquet to decorate the apartment with. “Excuse me? Do you have any flowers that can withstand life with a five year old?”

[thelastmidnight]

“You did not just throw that pillow at me!” (willow and true!)

Answered here!

[thelastmidnight]

   “You did not just throw that pillow at me!” (willow and true!)  @pcper-fcntcsy​

Willow is not used to used to feeling guilty about things but she couldn’t help but name the uncomfortable feeling in her gut guilt. The mans words ringing through out her shop. “I did just throw a pillow, and I’m very sorry about it” Willow shuffled her feet, taking a deep breath. “It’s just that plant is prone to biting, and also secrets a slight poison and its really not fit for touching. The pillow was the first thing I could grab. I’m very sorry. Are you alright?” Willow rambled, moving closer as she inspected both the man and the plants around him. “A pillow seemed better then a pot, but you are welcome to pick anything out, on the house”  Willow concluded, straightening her back as she tried to replace her mask of assured shop owner

[thelastmidnight]

bubble bath: do you have any routines before bedtime? like skin care, etc. what are they?

“I water some of my plants that tend to better with a latter watering schedule, shower, and scrub my face. I like to make sure things are clean and tidy before bed.”

[thelastmidnight]

Reminder + 11-11!

reminder:who is someone you will never forget? 

“My mother, she taught me everything I know” 

11-11:what's something you want, but feel like you will never have?

“There’s this really rare plant, that I would like but alas will likely never have the resources to get”

[thelastmidnight]

sweet dreams and nightmare !

sweet dreams:are you happy? 

“As much as I can be. Happiness changes”

nightmare:what are you most afraid of?   

“Growing old. Not being able to take care of myself”

[thelastmidnight]

[asks] LUXURY : champagne, faux fur & lace // LATE NIGHT : cosmos, full moon, earth

Answers Under the cut for length 

champagne: what topic could you talk about for hours? “My garden, my grandmother started it, and then my mother, and now its mine to take care of. I take great pride in it.  I could speak about for hours, the history, how we keep the soil good. Family land is important“

faux fur: describe your wardrobe.

“Primarily business causal, a fair amount of dresses. I like blouses. Fashion isn’t particularly my strong suit though.” 

lace: what is something in your life completely different from last year?

“I have a dog that I did not have last year. She has been... problematic but surprisingly lovable. ”

cosmos:what's one thing you wish you could say to someone you are no longer friends with? 

“I’m sorry”

full moon:what type of person do you hope to be?   

“A good mother.”

earth:where do you feel most at home? “Surrounded by nature. The city is so harsh. Metal sucks something out of me that nature recharges me. Unfortunately that is mostly just my garden these days”

[thelastmidnight]

lipstick: do you enjoy talking to strangers?

“Not particularly. I’m good at it because of my job. “

[thelastmidnight]

slumber: what's one thing that helps you fall asleep when it feels impossible?

“Vanilla Candle, and an old box set of M*A*S*H in the background, and a glass of wine. Tends to put me out in about 30 minutes”

[thelastmidnight]

Willow is taking memes

Askbox

Willow is taking memes from sources

Nonverbal

Emergency fluff

Late Night self Reflect

Luxury

and Moodboard

[thelastmidnight]

crxtchiemorris‌:

“I honestly know nothing about flowers.” He chuckled slightly as he watched her work, grabbing the different flowers, and putting them together. Too embarrassed to admit that he didn’t even know flowers had different meanings. Never before had he given much thought to them until now. Crutchie paused for a second, the flowers were supposed to make him feel something? The succulents Les had given him had made him feel happy but that was it. Who knew flowers could be so complicated. “They look really great!” He answered instead, which was the truth. They looked really nice together, simple but clearly a lot of thought had gone into them. And the vase, which he hadn’t even thought about it, pulled it all together. “I think he’ll really like them!”

Willow let out a soft laugh, it was nice to have a person who just simply enjoyed her work. People were prone to looking over the hard work of others. Buy the flowers and get out, not paying any mind to the person who grew them. “Flowers are complicated like people. I spent a good portion of my life learning about them to be able to do this.“  Willow commented, moving to ring up the flowers as the young man expressed how much he liked them. While she would love to give him the flowers, it was a business after all. “I’m sure he’ll love them even more coming from you”