While Aris' gets paid at his part-time job each and every Friday, the fact that he's now flush with cash (...comparatively speaking) just in time for the festival still manages to feel serendipitous to him. How lucky! He browses the stalls with visible excitement and indecision, touching everything it's not deeply frowned upon to touch and humming happily to himself. Maybe he'll find something for his friends. Maybe he'll find something for his gram or gramps. Maybe he'll even find something for his mom. They still don't know yet if she'll be coming for the holidays or not, but most of this stuff will keep, right?
Tapping each bottle in a line of amber-colored potions -- one of which is labeled BEE MAGNETIC: bee-attracting cologne which seems like a bad idea even to him -- he pauses as he spots a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He turns quickly enough that he nearly knocks one of the potions off the shelf but doesn't seem to notice and greets her with a smile and a big wave to get her attention. "Vi! Hey Vi...!"
The baklava flakes stuck to her fingers currently have her attention and Vi makes Aris vie for it, only turning to face him when he begins waving his arms over his head. She twiddles her honey caked fingertips at him and smiles as she makes her way over. His excitement sometimes daunts her but in small doses it is infectious. "Want some?" she offers up the last piece of her baklava on a plate, popping her sticky pointer finger between her lips.
Visibly pleased just to have the girl's attention, Aris' features brighten even further at the offer. He points to himself briefly, who him?, before happily reaching for the last bit of the treat and popping it into his mouth. It's as sweet and delicious as he'd assumed it would be. Nice job, bees.
"Thanks!" he chirps, touching his own sticky fingers briefly to his mouth before continuing to chatter on, "I'm glad you made it! When'd you get here? Did you go see the bees yet?"
Viola had arrived before the bees, even. A long, early morning walk from Deeplurk down to the river culminating in a long sit while the festival set itself up. Even she knows that sitting alone in the woods for too long is frowned upon and makes people worry, so she simply shrugs one shoulder and replies, "Oh, a while ago."
She bins the plate and turns her attention to the potions behind Aris. She touches every bottle, too, seemingly without purpose. A distraction, maybe? "I haven't told the bees yet," she confesses, a little apprehensively. "I brought all of my diaries and I think and think and think, but I don't know what to say."
Viola's right. Knowing that the girl had spent so much time just sitting and waiting all alone would've made Aris worry a little. He doesn't question the answer she gave, though, and turns with her to resume looking at the items on the shelves. There's still so much, but he wants to see everything. His fingers trace over a beeswax candle in the shape of an owl -- would gram like this or does she see enough owls already? -- and he considers.
"The things that matter the most to you will probably matter the most to them, right?" he suggests after a moment, "You could look for the pages where you wrote the most or you doodled stars or wrote your crush's initials or whatever? Or just...tell them what you're thinking about the most right now?"
Her back is to Aris as he speaks but she is listening intently. She is unaware of how this might be perceived as rude. It doesn't help that she takes a long time to respond to his suggestions and she continues to examine the various potion bottles as she turns his words over in her head.
Is she just supposed to know what matters most to her right now? And, in this very moment, she is thinking most about what her skin will look like in 80 years. Will she need a stockpile of the Wrinkle Relaxer Potion she is currently holding between her palms? What if she lives for 120 years and all of her skin just melts until she is so wrinkly that fungus begins to grow in her creases? Viola shudders and places the potion back on the shelf before turning to face Aris.
"I don't think the bees want to hear what I'm thinking about right now," she sighs and moves to leave this very fret inducing space. "What did you tell the bees? If you don't mind me asking." It's your turn to fret, Aris.
While Viola is prone to overthinking, Aris tends not think enough and so doesn't give her prolonged silence or the fact that she's turned her back to him too much consideration. She's looking at things and she's thinking and that's just fine with him. He continues to examine the crafts until she's ready, but tilts his head at the answer. He's about to ask what she's thinking about when she turns the question on him and he smiles. The expression is a bit sheepish.
"I...haven't told them anything," he admits, stepping close to Viola and confiding with a half-laugh, "They sorta creep me out, to be honest? Up close." He has never and will never do well with bugs. They're so creepy crawly and they have too many legs and some of them have stingers. No thanks, nature.
As they wander on to the next stall, Viola slows her pace so that Aris bumps up against her as he steps in close to divulge his secret fear of bees. She enjoys the sensation of being loomed over and purposefully meanders from side to side to keep Aris close over her shoulder. Her urge to catastrophize slowly ebbs and she even returns his laugh with a soft simper of commiseration. "They're a little overwhelming when they swarm," she agrees. "I don't enjoy feeling outnumbered."
Offering a quick apology for the bump, Aristotle drops a hand onto Viola's shoulder as they continue along, both so he can stay next to her in the crowd and so he can avoid another collision. It certainly keeps him within looming distance, though. At her point, he gawks comically and shakes his head; he hadn't even though about swarming! That's way too many bees.
"Maybe we can find someone else to tell our secrets to," he suggests, ignoring the fact that this would miss the entire point.
"No, I'll tell the bees once I'm ready," she says with conviction. It's important to her. While she can't really put it to words, deep down she really does think something bad will happen if she doesn't participate in this yearly ritual. She is aware that not everyone feels this way and isn't compelled to change Aris' mind about the creepiness or worthiness of the bees, but the act of expelling secrets is a worthwhile release, she thinks. "But you can tell me your secrets if you'd like," she offers, glancing back over her shoulder at him.
Aris isn't compelled to change Viola's mind either; if she wants to talk to the bees, she should talk to the bees. Especially if it's as important to her as it seems to be. "I'm sure you'll figure out what to tell them!" he says, giving a small nod she won't see and squeezing her shoulder, "When you're ready."
When she looks back at him, he smiles automatically but pauses before answering. It's a kind offer. But there are reasons that he keeps some things to himself and the idea of her seeing him differently afterward is difficult to shake. "...Is that a bee-season offer or an anytime offer?"
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peckenpaugh2019-11-16 11:00 am
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
Tapping each bottle in a line of amber-colored potions -- one of which is labeled BEE MAGNETIC: bee-attracting cologne which seems like a bad idea even to him -- he pauses as he spots a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He turns quickly enough that he nearly knocks one of the potions off the shelf but doesn't seem to notice and greets her with a smile and a big wave to get her attention. "Vi! Hey Vi...!"
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
"Thanks!" he chirps, touching his own sticky fingers briefly to his mouth before continuing to chatter on, "I'm glad you made it! When'd you get here? Did you go see the bees yet?"
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
She bins the plate and turns her attention to the potions behind Aris. She touches every bottle, too, seemingly without purpose. A distraction, maybe? "I haven't told the bees yet," she confesses, a little apprehensively. "I brought all of my diaries and I think and think and think, but I don't know what to say."
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
"The things that matter the most to you will probably matter the most to them, right?" he suggests after a moment, "You could look for the pages where you wrote the most or you doodled stars or wrote your crush's initials or whatever? Or just...tell them what you're thinking about the most right now?"
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
Is she just supposed to know what matters most to her right now? And, in this very moment, she is thinking most about what her skin will look like in 80 years. Will she need a stockpile of the Wrinkle Relaxer Potion she is currently holding between her palms? What if she lives for 120 years and all of her skin just melts until she is so wrinkly that fungus begins to grow in her creases? Viola shudders and places the potion back on the shelf before turning to face Aris.
"I don't think the bees want to hear what I'm thinking about right now," she sighs and moves to leave this very fret inducing space. "What did you tell the bees? If you don't mind me asking." It's your turn to fret, Aris.
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
"I...haven't told them anything," he admits, stepping close to Viola and confiding with a half-laugh, "They sorta creep me out, to be honest? Up close." He has never and will never do well with bugs. They're so creepy crawly and they have too many legs and some of them have stingers. No thanks, nature.
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
"Maybe we can find someone else to tell our secrets to," he suggests, ignoring the fact that this would miss the entire point.
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
Viola & Aris Shop Till They Drop
When she looks back at him, he smiles automatically but pauses before answering. It's a kind offer. But there are reasons that he keeps some things to himself and the idea of her seeing him differently afterward is difficult to shake. "...Is that a bee-season offer or an anytime offer?"