Chapter Text
Chrysanthemums symbolize happiness, well-being, and joy.
***
“What are these flowers called?” Young Ajax asked his mom, who was holding a large bouquet of flowers of many colors. Red, whites, and pinks. She had just come home from her lunch with her husband, and Ajax jumped on her as soon as she had arrived back. The older woman giggled as she saw her enthusiastic son move around.
“Oh the large ones right here?” She pointed to the colorful flowers in the center of the bouquet. “These are chrysanthemums.”
“Cri-santa-mums?”
Smiling at her son’s efforts to pronounce the word, she repeated the word slower. “ Chrysanthemums . Your father got them to me as a gift. Before he had to leave for his job. They look beautiful, don’t they, Ajax?”
The ginger child jumped in joy, “Yeah! Real pretty! I’ve never seen them before!”
“Right? I heard these are native to Inazuma, which is probably why we’ve never seen them. Sad, how I would love to grow these in the yard. But Mondstadt’s climate is not very suitable for these pretty flowers.”
“Oh,” young Ajax visibly deflated, eyes saddening. “I really like them, mum.”
“Me too, Ajax. Well,” walking to the kitchen, she opens a cabinet, “we can always try to keep these alive for as long as possible.” Finding a long vase, she put it on the counter. “It is a gift from your father, so I want to keep these too.”
“Yeah!”
Ajax watched as his mother cut the stems on the plants, rearranging them carefully in the clear vase. For the next couple of days, the child watched as his mother replaced the water in the vase, slowly watching the flowers wither and fall.
The flowers did not last very long.
***
In the midst of cleaning out your childhood room and packing things for college with Ajax, your eyes caught on a familiar line of books along the shelf.
“Oh, these books are nostalgic. I used to have my mom read these before bedtime. Even though half of these are encyclopedias.”
Skimming through the covers, your hand stopped on a single book.
“‘The Ultimate Guide to Flowers?’”
You laughed a bit at your friend’s confused face. “This one was my favorite. Maybe this was the book that got me interested in plants.”
Before the two of you realized what you were doing, you were flipping through the pages, recalling each plant and reading the facts written inside.
“And these flowers are—”
“Chrysanthemums! These are my favorites. I remember my mom had them once.”
Well, that’s surprising. You don’t think you’ve ever seen a chrysanthemum in his house before. It was also more surprising to see him name off a flower. Usually, it was you naming the plants to him, not the other way around.
“Oh. I didn’t know you liked chrysanthemums.”
“Hm? Oh, my dad gifted her a bouquet once when I was little. Maybe when I was like, three or four? They didn’t last long, but I remember I took care of them with my mom. I don’t know, it might be because it’s a rare flower here in Mond, but it’s the one type of flower I’ve always been able to remember.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person. Oh, wait, that's a lie. Benny’s dad had it once. But they died very quickly, and it’s probably because of the climate, as you said.”
“Hey, (Y/n),” Ajax suddenly faced you from the book. “We should travel around Teyvat sometime. And when we go to Inazuma, we can take a look at the chrysanthemums! So much so that we’ll get bored of it.”
“Haha, maybe Ajax. But I’d love to go sometime. With you.”
“Great! So when are you free?”
“Ajax!” you nudged his shoulder playfully. “Not now! In a couple years when we’re old enough.”
***
“Do you have any ideas for the name of your flower shop?”
A sigh left your mouth. “It’s hard thinking of one.” You continued sipping on your cold drink. “It has to be something that’s unique, but also enough for a person to go, ‘Oh, that’s a flower shop!’ I have a couple names on my list, but none of them have caught my eye yet.”
“Do you have a list of them right now? Maybe I can pitch in my opinion for some assistance?”
“Sure. Gimme a sec, I have a list on my phone.”
Finding the list on your phone with a couple shop name ideas jotted down, you list them off one by one to Ajax. With each name that you say out loud, he gives his own personal opinion on what he thinks, what he’s reminded of.
“That one sounds similar to a movie that came out recently” or “I think that’s a bit too wordy?”
At the end of your session, you’re at your wit’s end. Most names on the list are rejected or have a weird association to it.
You sigh, dramatically laying your face flat on the table in front of you. “I give up. This is what happens when I don’t know popular culture.”
The two of you were at a stalemate. You couldn’t think of a good name for your flower shop, which was probably the most important part of owning a store. A couple minutes of silent thinking on both ends had gone by when you heard Ajax gasp.
“Then what about ‘Chrysanthemum’?” He slowly said, “It’s simple, and you know immediately that it’s a flower’s name, therefore a flower shop! Plus, they’re my favorite.”
Chrysanthemum . You tested the name out on your tongue a couple times, getting a feel on the word itself. It’s not a bad name. It’s a name of a flower—that may be unique to Inazuma—but a flower nonetheless. And if Ajax proposed that name, then there are probably no weird associations to the name itself.
A smile spread onto your face.
“Chrysanthemum. That works.”
“Really?” Ajax’s eyes widened, surprised that his option had a chance. “You’re not saying that to make me feel better, right?”
“No, I’m serious, Ajax. Now that we’ve chosen the name, I have to get in contact with—” you grabbed your phone to contact the next person to get your store ready.
“Wait! You’re rushing a bit too much, I think! You have to be joking that you’re choosing that as the name of your store.”
You sent him a ‘why not?’ face, to which he deeply sighed.
“Fine. But you’ll take a look at other options, okay?”
The two of you did, in fact, not look at the other options and proceeded to name the shop “Chrysanthemum.”
***
Reminiscing your past with Ajax, as well as the various events that had led to the chaotic things that had transpired the past year, you relaxed. In the flower shop that you called your home, so many things had happened. You made new friends. You reunited with friends. You made a boyfriend. You experienced things you would have never done had you lived a peaceful life under a rock.
The store is your happiness and you. And you hope to create more special memories.
“Thanks,” you mumble out to nothing in particular as your fingers get a feel of the smooth wood of the counter.
Just as your eyes started blurring—
Cling, clang…
A new customer.
“Welcome to ‘Chrysanthemum’! You’re welcome to take a look around.”