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“Enola?” Tewksbury walks into her room unannounced, but not unaware of. She could hear from a mile away. He really should work on being quieter.
She doesn't turn, too focussed on her writing. “Hm?”
Enola hears him shuffle behind her, seemingly debating something. Usually she wouldn't have time for this and would be itching to tell him to get on with it, but it's a sunday. A slow, quiet day, and she finds it quite charming that he has something to be worried about on a day like this.
When he does find the words, he speaks rather slowly, “Would it..be weird..if I were to braid your hair?” That perks her up. She finally turns to face him, and is met with a facefull of flowers.
There's a proper lot of them, mostly purple. Some she recognizes (Iries, Heliotropes, Osteospermums), most she doesn't.
She just stares, and at her silence, he looks more anxious. “I know it's really kind of weird, but when my hair was longer I used to braid flowers into it when I was bored or stressed or just,, for fun really. I kind of miss it.” She smiles at that. The image of the boy she first met all those days ago with flowers in his hair enters her mind. It probably looked quite good.
“Okay.” He visibly brightens at that, a weight seeming to lift off his shoulders. “Really?” And god, she can hear the smile in his voice already. “Really. I trust you.” She turns her chair around, back facing him completely.
He places the groups of flowers on her desk, and she notices that it is not quite a bouquet, but rather a collection of mismatched flowers held together purely by his hand.
Grabbing a group of purple ones she's never seen before, he turns over to her. He takes her hair gently and begins to wrap it around the flower in well practiced movements. He’s onto the next one quickly, and it's then she asks the dreaded question.
“So, what do these flowers mean?” The words barely leave her mouth before he starts, somehow managing to focus on both the history of the flower and the braiding of it simultaneously. It's slightly impressive, the speed he talks paired with the speed he braids.
“Well these ones,” he waves a bundle of light purple flowers –that vaguely remind her of forget-me-nots– between his fingers, “are Achillea Millefolium, or yarrows. They're named after Achilles because he used them to treat his soldiers. They can be used as a message of healing, but more commonly they’re used for showing everlasting love. It's a symbol for being brave and courageous, like saying I love you in spite of everything. Some people would give them to their partners after a particularly tough time. Like a fight in the relationship or something bigger, like a death in the family or maybe even coming home from wars.”
As soon as the last word leaves his mouth he's onto the next one, a red set this time.
"These," he waves them around again, "are Dianthus Caryophyllus, or red carnations. They're used as a sense of commitment or devotion. Usually a romantic kind of love, like a very dramatic, but super meaningful, 'I love you.' They're pretty edible and are known to taste sort of spicy."
He barely pauses as he grabs another group, the only yellow ones in the stack.
"These ones here are Ursinias, they are a part of the chamomile tribe within the daisy family. Theyre named in honour of the German scholar Johannes Heinrich Ursinus, who died 1667. He studied oriental roots. They, or at least their petals, usually symbolise innocent love. Although they can be used to show trickery or temptation since they tend to take advantage of physics to attract pollinators."
Enola never manages to not be surprised at how many words he can fit into one breath. The boy is made of words.
He grabs for another stack, another purple one, and continues his presentation.
"These ones are osteospermums," this time he pulls one down to hold in front of her face, alongside a ursinia. "They look similar, don't they?" She nods and he pulls them away to go back to her hair.
"That's because they're related. Sort of like distant cousins. These are part of the Calendulae tribe of the Asteraceae family while the Ursinias are in the Anthemideae tribe. They represent happiness and loyal love. They can also be used as a form of flattery."
Tewksbury reaches for another, and Enolas not quite sure how he's telling the differences so easily. They've formed a messy pile.
"Now these, as i'm sure you know, are irises. When comes to how they got their name, however, its a little tricky. Legends have it that wherever Iris -the goddess of the rainbow- stepped, these flowers followed. Naturally they received her name. It's seen as a debate though as some people just disagree with the mythology."
He shrugs a little and adjusts her hair, tightening the occasional loose braid.
"Their symbolization though, that's easy. They stand for trust, hope, and courage."
There's only two left in the group now, and he reaches for the weirdest one hes brought.
"I'm not really sure," he cuts himself off with a giggle that has her grinning, "if these will fit properly. But they're cool, so maybe we can slip in one or two."
He takes a step back behind her, seemingly searching for a free spot.
"So these are Zantedeschia, or calla lilies. They're surprisingly round. I guarantee you could take a shot with one of these."
He twists one between his fingers before finding a good nesting spot for it.
"They're not actually considered true lilies, believe it or not. Those are a part of the Liliaceae family while these belong to the Araceae family. Apparently a Swedish guy messed it up while naming them. There's a lot of meanings used for them, including death and extreme beauty, but i like the life one the best. Since these ones are purple though they are primarily used for passion and royalty."
By the end of his speech hes managed to fit in two out of the four he brought in. He tucks one behind his ear and lets the other one rest on the other side of the desk.
There's one bundle of flowers left, and he makes a big show of delicately lifting them.
"Another one I'm sure you know, are heliotropes. They're a part of the Boraginaceae family along with forget-me-nots. These ones probably have the most romantic connotation yet, which is devotion and eternal love."
With that, he gives her a once over before gently turning her around.
The second she meets his eye she smiles, cocking her head like a dog. "Well? How do I look, flower-boy?" He giggles slightly at the nickname, and she doesn't miss how his face turns shade pinker than normal.
"Beautiful. C'mon, I'll show you." He reaches for her hand, pulling her up the moment their fingers thread together.
He drags her to her bathroom, bouncing slightly with the amount of energy in his step.
Her smile grows even more when she checks the mirror. Tewksbury wasn't kidding, she looked stunning. Really, where did that kid get his abilities from?
She turns to him, and he's already looking back at her, wringing his hands together as he waits for a reaction.
He barely has time to react as she barrels into him with a hug, which he reciprocates as soon as he recovers.
He's careful not to let his hands touch her hair, but rests his head on the top of hers. He's pretty sure he could stay like this forever.