Private Finished All the Power of a Pansy Plant

The shop was slow.

Gabe let out a small sigh as he wiped the same spot on the counter for the tenth time. Or was it the eleventh? He had lost track. He knew there were slow days, sure, but this was the worse kind of slow. He had even completed his homework, which was uncommon as he always had something that took too much time to do at the shop or a customer would come in and he'd have to stop what he was doing.

But what to do now? There wasn't much he could do. Maybe... see if anyone was free? Friends are good. Who would be available, though? He frowned, looking at the short list of people in his contact list. When Carmin's name popped up, Gabe stared at the name for what felt like an eternity. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Carmin since the last time he came to the shop and dealt with Gabe's stupid drunk self. Something that he immediately regretted when he woke up with a hangover the next day. But he missed his friend. They were friends, right? Kind of? I mean, you gotta consider someone your friend after they deal with you while you're intoxicated.

He quickly typed out a quick text, hoping to see if Carmin would respond.

[Hey carmin its gabe. You want to come hang out at the flower shop? We can work on homework or whatever if you need to get stuff done.]

Gabe blinked at his phone. He was surprised to hear the text tone chime so quickly. Maybe he had gotten lucky and Carmin was looking at his phone when he texted? That's quite fortunate. He quickly typed a quick response before setting down his phone and deciding to clean up the shop a bit more. It was plenty clean already, but he wanted to make sure it looked extremely nice for Carmin to show up in.

[Now? Shops empty so come on by!]

He quickly grabbed the broom and dust pan from the nearby supply closet and began to sweep away any dust or dirt he thought might be in the area. It felt a bit silly that he was trying to do so much for a casual hang out, but at the same time, he kind of owed it to Carmin. The guy definitely earned a little extra respect for just being a good friend to him and Yuki. So, for now, he sweeps. Then... hangout!

Gabe heard the ever familiar voice of the plant boy and quickly threw the broom and dust pan into the closet with a loud clatter. "Coming, coming!" He called, shutting the door and coming out from the back with a little too much speed. His sneakers skid against the tile floor and he almost fell outright but was able to catch himself on the counter with a small laugh.

"Carmin! Hello. How's it going? I feel like our meetings are always so serious so I'm glad you wanted to come hang out." Gabe adjusted himself upright and looked at his shorter friend with a small grin. He didn't know why he was so excited, but maybe just having a casual hangout with friends was something... different. He hung out with Yuki plenty, sure, but that was different. There were quite a few differences between being with Yuki versus anyone else, but that was no one's business but theirs.

But hanging out with friends? That was always wonderful.

"I'm good. It's been... a bit hectic, but I've been good. Been getting better. But it's one of those times where you kinda just... go through it, y'know?" Gabe gives a small laugh, scratching the back of his head. He wasn't allowed to wear his beanie while working the shop, so his hair hung loose and looked unkempt.

Then Carmin mentioned how he didn't know much about Gabe. And he was right. Gabe and Carmin hadn't really shared any details about their own lives. It was almost weird how their friendship seemed to be when it didn't seem like they were friends at all. Frowning at this new realization, Gabe pulled the stool from behind the counter and slid it toward Carmin.

"That's a good point. Take a seat, if you want! But we don't seem to know a lot about one another and that's kind of a thing you need to help build a friendship. So, wanna swap questions? Like, I ask a question, you ask, so on, so forth? I'll even answer your first one. I... like reading. I play video games and watch movies and... I-... Hrm." Gabe paused, almost blurting out his hobby of dancing. It had always been a little embarrassing to mention since he got made fun of back in Halcyon for it, but Manta Carlos was a bit nicer. Plus, Carmin didn't seem to be the kind of guy to make fun of him for it.

"I also dance. Specifically waltz and tango. Now, Carmin, what about you? What do you like to do?"

"Read and watch tv. It's the life, right?" Gabe let out a small hum in agreement, shifting to lean more heavily against the counter. He was a little tired from standing on his feet all day, but it wasn't often he got to hang out with Carmin so he could suck it up and deal for a bit.

"Right. You can ask me a question about whatever. I mean, let's not start digging into weird or overly personal things but like, general tthings. Make sense?" He grinned, still leaning as he adjusted his position slightly yet again. Comfort was hard to come by, it seemed.