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It seems that no matter where I find myself, flowers always carry a significant meaning, huh...?

[Ritsu has tried to focus the video on Aldrip's flower field, but since he's using a device that's utterly alien to him, he's decided to err on the side of caution and spend maybe a little too long panning over empty scenery. You know, just in case he's too zoomed in, or the image comes out too blurry, or something else of that nature.

Eventually, though, he does adjust it to focus on himself.]

Where I come from, each day is associated with a flower, and if you happen to be born on that day, then that flower is designated your "birth flower."

If you're interested, why not tell me your birthday? In exchange, I'll tell you your birth flower and its meaning. Given the wide selection of flowers here... maybe I'll even be able to find it.

[He has completely neglected to introduce himself, but clearly flowers are more important.]

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That sounds amazing! I don't think we have anything like that where I'm from.

[Rinoa's video isn't of the established field, instead she's showing off a little patch where she's in the middle of planting some flowers for herself. She's actively working the field as she talks. After all, it's not hard to talk and work, so that's what she's going to do.]

Let's see... my birthday is March third?

[The fact that their calendar systems might be completely different? She hasn't thought about that.]

( this isn't something that he's particularly interested in, but since he has a friend who is so fond of flowers...it seems right to ask. something to talk about, later. )

August 11.

And you tell me about yours.

[Oh! How proactive of Rinoa. Ritsu has to be a little impressed.]

There are two birth flowers for March 3. One is the peach blossom, and the other is the astragalus. I don't know if I'll be able to find any peach blossoms here, but this is an astragalus.

[He focuses his video on a pinkish-purplish flower.]

Since it's used a lot in Chinese medicine, it means, "When I'm with you, my pain is lessened."

[How nice, to have a flower with such a positive meaning... A lot of other birthdays aren't quite so lucky.]

August 11's birth flowers are the geranium and the sanvitalia. The geranium's meaning can vary depending on its color, but since the flowers usually cluster together, they have the general meaning of "true friendship." As for the sanvitalia, it's an eye-catching yellow color. Due to that and the fact that its center was thought to resemble a snake's eye, it means, "Look at me."

[He didn't expect anyone to immediately ask about his own birth flower, so the next part of his reply takes a little longer to get to Cloud.]

My birth flower is the torch ginger.

[It's a vague and not-very-informative answer, but Cloud is probably just asking to be polite, so it should be fine.]

[Look, this garden is Very Important and maybe it'll help her find someone some day. So of course she's going to be proactive. But also meeting new people is fun, so... fun while working! Selphie would be so proud.]

Oh I know what peach blossoms are. They're really pretty!

[The other flower she isn't familiar with, so she pauses to watch and listen. Curious.]

It's not quite as pretty, but the meaning is really nice.

[Would the people in her life agree? Was she someone who lessened pain? Rinoa's not so sure. Depending on his mood, Squall might even say she tends to cause it instead. Oh well.]

What about you? What are your flowers?

[Oh, she does love flowers. Her birthday was whatever, but she did love her some flowers, so she'll bite.]

April 10th. I'm not too interested in my birthday, but I would love to hear your knowledge about these flowers.

Hey, this is cool! Mine's February 4th. Which one is that?

[ Awfully forthcoming, this one. ]

Where're you from that cares about flowers this much, anyway?

( well, he doesn't know much about friendship, and sure, maybe the yellow color of the other one makes sense, but...the last thing he really wants is anyone to look at him.

at least not anymore. this sounds about the same as aerith talking to her flowers and claiming they talk back. but it's harmless, and maybe important to this person, so: )

And? What does the torch ginger mean?

[Oh, are they talking about him now? Already??]

Don't you want to hear what the peach blossom stands for first?

[Rinoa said she thought it was prettier than the astragalus and everything!]

[Ritsu hesitates. There are multiple ways to answer that question, but truthfully, he's not very comfortable with the thought of becoming the focus of the conversation. That's why he decides to answer it in a way that can turn the topic back to Cloud again.]

It's pretty, but it has no real uses, and it can't survive even the slightest cold, so... it means, "a worthless thing."

[Really, how mean was the person who assigned this flower its meaning??]

It's definitely better to be born on August 11.

[Well duh, of course she's asking about him. How else is she supposed to make friends?]

We can always do both. Unless you're busy?

[That's because they are.]

[As what she might deem herself to be queen of flowers, Aerith can't help but be immediately intrigued by this. There are many things to be learned from them, after all. Why not a 'birth flower' of sorts?]

I didn't know you liked flowers so much...
My birthday is February 7th. What do the flowers say about that?

[And of course—]

If you feel like telling me more about how you learned about flowers, I'd love to hear. There aren't very many people where I come from who seem to care about them very much, so I wasn't expecting to find someone else here who would.

I don't understand a great many customs, but I like the sound of this one.

[flowers are important in daeshim's world too - though his "world" is really narrowed down the ruinwood.]

I do not know my birthday. Will you tell me yours instead?

April 10th is an interesting one. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but all of its flowers have to do with memories.

This one here — [he gestures to a small blue flower] is a periwinkle. A famous philosopher once wrote of associating them with a dear friend, so they have the meaning, "fond memories." Then there's the pansy, which means, "think of me," and the aster, which means, "I will think of you."

I think they'd go well with each other in a bouquet.

That's way too many flowers!

[Takemichi may have been listening in on some of Ritsu's flower explanations, to the point that he too has been completely distracted from introductions.]

Did you work in a flower shop or something? How do you remember all this stuff?

[He is a little surprised by that, admittedly. The people here have every reason to be on guard and suspicious of each other, and yet...]

Well, one of them is the red primrose. [It looks like there's one here, so he adjusts the feed so that it's centered on a primrose.] It means, "the joys and sorrows of youth."

The other one is a Japanese quince. It's a very pretty red flower, but I don't think I'll be able to find one here to show you. [Which is too bad...] That one's a pretty big deal, since Nobunaga used it as his crest.

[Wait. Does he have to explain who Nobunaga is? He's used to everyone just knowing the name "Nobunaga," but he should probably explain it here.]

Nobunaga was this ferocious warlord who almost succeeded in unifying Japan. That's why his flower means, "trailblazer."

To be honest, I'm a little jealous of you for having that as your birth flower.

[Imagine being able to brag that you have Nobunaga's flower!! That just isn't even fair.]

I guess... I'm from a place where the people aren't very good at being direct. Flowers can be useful for conveying what words can't.

Oh? Did you find something interesting about flowers here? Would you be willing to share your insights with us as well?

[ Eh, he doesn't have a social security number to steal, so he's chill. Plus, it's Peter. He's a bit of a chump. ]

Oh, awesome! Red's my favorite color, so that's perfect.

[ "The joys and sorrows of youth" is way too on the nose for him to talk about. So it's a good thing Peter gets an explanation on Nobunaga to distract from that. You think they taught him about Nobunaga in the 80s? Nah, even if they did, he wouldn't have paid attention. ]

Sounds like he's a pretty big deal. "Trailblazer"... man, this flower stuff knows what's up. This is actually super cool! Like I was destined for greatness or something?

[ He laughs. Is it actually kind of embarrassing?? He loves to show off, but this is his first time talking to this person and even Peter thinks it's coming on a little strong. ]

I getcha. So instead of using words, you say it with flowers? Sounds like that's a whole language on its own. But doesn't that mean you could say something, and the other person might not get it?

Oh...

[Oh. Oh no, now she can only think of her husband. It makes her feel solemn, but only for a short moment, as she graces him with a friendly smile. Thankful for such information, as she had no idea that flowers were associated with that sort of thing.]

It makes me think of my husband, to be completely honest with you. Thank you... For letting me know. If I can ever go back, I'll consider getting him a bouquet.

[A hint of curiosity takes over and she hums softly.]

What about you? What's your birthday?

[This would be like Ritsu. A charming introduction, and seemingly innocent, way to introduce himself. Eiji has seen Ritsu do it before, of course. Yet he can’t help but he impressed by all the people he draws.

Eiji shouldn’t be surprised. Ritsu naturally draws others to him. His presence, his very voice, is captivating.

And yet again, they’ve found each other someplace new. Have found themselves together. That too shouldn’t be a surprise.

Wherever one of them is, the other is sure to follow.]

What a charming introduction.

March 15th.

[Eiji knows at least some of it, of course. But why not asks.]

[Oh... Ritsu picked this topic thinking it'd be a nice icebreaker, but he didn't expect it to turn out like this. He's a little taken aback, truthfully, by the sheer amount of people who seem to want to know more about him.]

The flowers for February 7th are all a bit melancholy, and there are legends associated with them.

[She mentioned being a flower girl in some of her replies over the network, didn't she? Maybe she'll recognize some of the names he lists. For now, he'll assume she doesn't need him to track down the flowers to show her.]

There's the myosotis, which is associated with a legend about a knight who died trying to retrieve a flower for his beloved. Since his last words were, "forget me not," its meaning is, "an undying love."

Then there's the hyacinth. Legend says that it was named after a boy who was loved by Apollo, the sun god. When the boy died, Apollo's lamentations made the hyacinth sprout from his blood, and that's why it means, "love that transcends sorrow."

Lastly, the flowers of the plum tree... A man who used to take care of a garden was forced to leave the plants he loved behind. Before he left, he told them, "Even if I am gone, please don't forget me." Among those plants, it was believed that the plum tree in particular missed him so dearly that its seeds followed him with the wind and eventually took root in front of his new home. That's why its flowers carry the meaning of "fidelity."

[That was a lot, wasn't it? But she does seem to be particularly interested in flowers, so hopefully it wasn't boring.]

Even if they're all a bit sad, I think they're lovely stories.

[She did also ask him about himself, and he hasn't forgotten that... but he's already said a lot, so he figures that any more than this would be impolite on his part. He should at least give her a chance to react first.]

[He doesn't know his birthday? Stories like that aren't unheard of, but it does nonetheless catch Ritsu by surprise. An orphan, maybe...?]

I don't mind, but... Don't you maybe have a day that's significant to you? Something that would be just as meaningful as a birthday.

I'd have to have a photographic memory to know all of this by heart, right?

[He can see why someone might think he worked in a flower shop.]

It's just a hobby — and keep this a secret between you and me, but... [He's joking, of course. He knows everyone can hear what he's saying to Takemichi right now. Still, he lowers his voice just a little for effect.] I'm actually cheating.

I don't know if I've found anything particularly noteworthy, but I suppose I'm a little surprised to see so many flowers that look familiar.

Maybe these are all flowers who've been accused of a crime, too.

[He merely jests. Probably.]

[Here's a conundrum: should he treat Eiji the way he would any other, or should he react in a way that makes it obvious they know each other? The former is tempting, but he's also not sure he wants to give anyone who might be listening in the wrong impression. It would likely result in a misunderstanding that would be a pain to clear up.]

Something tells me that you're already well-acquainted with the iberis, but shall we discuss why it has such contrary meanings?

The iberis is a small, white flower. Its cute appearance, coupled with the way it always faces the sun, earned it the meanings of "sweet temptation" and "to charm the heart." However, isn't there something that seems a little cruel about a plant that only cares for the sun? Nothing else matters to it — it's a flower that won't look your way unless you can offer it sunlight. Thus, it also has the meaning, "indifference."

[What a perfect flower for Eiji to wear on his vest, really.]

March 15th's other flower is no less vexing.

[He adjusts the video feed so that it's pointing at a white flower.]

Eiji, what flower do you think this is?

[To an untrained eye, it's probably extremely difficult to tell: what makes this flower so dangerous is the fact that it looks so similar to two very deadly plants. Is that a fact that Eiji is already aware of?]

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