The final half of summer is something of a long tunnel for students returning to, or in Ripley's case, going to a boarding school for the first time. One knows that the end is creeping closer, and yet there's still a hefty worm of a time left. Summer Camp is coming up, sure, and that's something to look forward to as a capstone until the the close of the warm season pushes the boy aboard a train onto a magical journey and away from his family. In the meantime, however, the Cunnings have taken a little detour from their summer ramblings to do some shopping in Daigon Alley. While Ripley's parents have taken his younger sister, Darren (age eight), to Madam Malkin's for some play robes, the boy was left to his own devices.

There were many options for an adventurous boy to explore and yet he did not have to go far to find a place that drew his glance. "Dogweed & Deathcap" combined a whimsical quality with a minor aura of danger. "Exotic Plants and Flowers", Ripley said to himself, "I wonder what they have in there." A moment later, he had pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"G'morning there, don't knock over the mandrakes," the young lady shopkeeper called in a tone that was more routine than unfriendly, "...call out if you have any questions!" Who was this dashing lad and what was he doing in the magical nursery where she worked? She mused, before going to back to arranging an incredible bouquet.

Ripley surveyed the slightly cool and utterly fresh environment. Looking up, he noticed that the entire structure was built around a tree. Fantastic, he thought, and so appropriate for a plant shop. All around, tastefully arranged for both display and storage were plants of all sorts -- flora that resembled typical muggle fare -- mostly ferns and herbs -- as well as their magical counterparts, a few that looked like they may have been mysteriously related to deep sea angler fish. Ripley began making the rounds, recognizing many common herbs. Rubbing some lavender, he brought his hand to his nose and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. A warm memory of his grandmother's house and a heated pillow full of rice and lavender blossoms being placed gently on his shoulders. Nearby, was some rosemary -- a staple of his father's cooking on the occasions that they were back home in Kilkenny. And jasmine blossoms made their appearance, somehow maintained indoors -- magic substituting for photosynthesis, undoubtedly. The unmistakable scent of summer, Ripley thought.

The outside world was falling away. Lost among the herbs, Ripley floated in the interstices between fragrance and reverie. Scent - memory, stimulus-response, a feedback loop of sensory pleasure.

Stephanie wandered down the path in Diagon Alley with her parents and younger siblings. Her father, Henry, took her younger brother, the littlest of the three siblings, to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She assumed this was in the hope that the young boy, who was turning 9 soon, would find some magical toy or clever trick to amuse him for a little while longer.

They had lightheartedly joked about the young ones distaste for long walks and days out, however, he seemed quite fascinated by the Wizarding World they were now a part of...thanks to her. She breathed a calming breath, realising that was a lot of weight on her shoulders.

She had proceeded walking down the path with her mother, Jane, and younger sister, who had recently celebrated her 10th birthday. They walked past stores featuring window displays of their fares. It was all a lot to take in, none of them had ever experienced anything like this before.

She heard the quiet voice of her sister, speaking to their mother who also then had her sleeved tugged slightly. Her sister needed the toilet. She was not surprised in the slightest by this. It had been a long journey. "I'm just going to take Avery to the toilet, I think that store might have one." She had pointed at a store nearby which seemed aimed towards food and drink. Definitely a likely space for a bathroom break.

Stephanie knew the follow up question would be if she wants to wait outside or needs it too. "I'm okay" she smiles and looks at the store they had happened to stop outside of "I'll have a look in here." Her words were met with a nod and a promise of not being too long before the pair took off to seek the bathroom.

She entered the store after reading the sign "Dogweed & Deathcap". An...interesting name, thats for sure. Entering the store she noticed the wide array of plants and scents that came from all directions. "G'morning there, don't knock over the mandrakes, call out if you have any questions" She saw the woman who did not appear unfriendly, but perhaps was wanting to make her welcome into some sort of magical doorbell. Was that possible? At this point, it would not surprise her. She smiled and looked around the plants closest to her.

Growing up her mother had some succulents that would be on mantel pieces or windowsills. It was something her siblings and herself got. Cacti, mainly, but her teacher had recently given her a baby spider plant, which she was rather excited about. She had brought it with her, and hoped her future dorm mates would not mind. She saw a few familiar plants, and the smells that wafted around created a unique combination. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another customer, about her age.

will be a bit afk this week but will try reply when i can, thank you and looking forward to this! @ripley cunning

Ripley was enamored by this shop. Being here among the varied vivid sensations was better than a stroll through art museums, which though visually remarkable, rarely provided the perceptive fugue that this combination of seemingly accidental natural wonder invoked. Like a pollinating insect drawn in by the mysteries of various blossoms, Ripley moved from plant to plant smelling, touching, and even occasionally listening (though not to the mandrakes, thankfully). He had the temptation to ask the shopkeeper about her favorite item in the store if not to expand his knowledge, than to connect with someone else's authentic appreciation of plant life.

A realization that he would be taking Herbology during his very first year at Hogwarts grew inside opening up a dim glimmer of excitement about the coming months. Certainly, he'd been thinking about the changes ahead, but not really the actual endeavor of learning. He'd been through many exciting and unusual experiences and he was uncertain about how much shine to put on Hogwarts. This shop, however, touched in him an atom of promise that then touched another atom that slowly expanded into an optimistic glow. Enmeshed in that feeling, his eyes caught sight of the star-shaped Asphodel with it's vague scent of honey, reminding him of passing a stroopwafel shop in...

...The memory of the dessert and the Asphodel in his eyes jumbled in him as Ripley felt himself lightly collide with someone beside him. Instinctively reaching out his arm, the boy caught both his balance and the victim of his inward wandering.

"I'm so sorry! I got so caught up with everything here that I totally spaced out." He said, giving her arm an absent-minded pat as if to assure his subconscious that she was still whole. In front of him was a skinny, blonde-haired girl about his age. His first impression? She resembled a lot of the girls he'd met at a nature-guided summer camp he'd attended for a few weeks in Sweden. He'd gotten on well there.

"Are you okay?" Ripley asked conscientiously.

Stephanie was prone to not looking where she was going, often choosing the path which took her into her own world. So upon entering a store filled to the brim with plants of all shapes, sizes, colours and scents, she took that path again.

In her mind she wondered which plants would look good in her mothers garden, or her own future house, where she could have many plants, some floral, and some edible. The pink flowering plant a few paces into the store had caught her eye. Its petals held each other and the overall plant, in her opinion, looked like teacups that had been stacked upon each other, minus the handle.

She took the few steps closer and let the scent of warm spices and herbal notes wash over her. It strangely reminded her of Christmas. Looking at the little wooden peg Stephanie discovered that the plant which had caught her interest was called Dittany. There were little cards next to the plant pots, with some information about the species, and the origin, and other facts about the flower. The words that caught her eye, were the ones which informed the usage of the plant. Not the flower, but the leaves. They were used in a Wiggenweld Potion. She didn't dare try to pronounce the name. But the Wiggenweld was apparently a healing potion.

She found this rather cool, and reminded her that the world she was now a part of, was a lot more interesting than she had perhaps thought origninally. She made a mental note of the flower name, before another scent caught her attention and she had barely taken a step in the direction before she had collided with someone, letting out a startled "Oh-" in the process.

Taking a step back she felt a hand steady her before a voice asked if she was okay. She looked at the boy in front of her with a slightly embarrassed pinkness to her cheeks. "I'm sorry that was completely my fault-yes, I'm, I'm okay. Are you?".

@ripley cunning

"Totally fine," Ripley replied, finding his equilibrium quickly. Upon hearing the minor commotion, the shopkeeper had looked up but when she saw that nothing was damaged and everyone was peachy keen, she went back to her floral stewardship. Ripley and Stephanie were surrounded by a panoply of plants of all shapes, sizes, colors, and danger. What a strange place to meet someone, Ripley thought, and yet he was curious about this girl and didn't want to let her get away without making a connection. Curiosity was often a point of departure for the boy, frequently leading to exploration, and sometimes commitment. He trusted his taste, allowing himself to be guided by what felt right. The feeling of wonder he experienced around all this fantastic foliage was real, and the bonhomie bouncing behind his smile was a sign of sorts, he concluded.

"I'm Ripley," he said, reaching his hand out, "do you, uh," he looked around in mock astonishment, but with a twinkle in his eye, "...come here often?"

He had heard his parents use the cheesy conversation starter as a joke between themselves, and he felt like he had played it right -- with humor, but also with an inquisitive openness; he was curious about whether this girl wandered into odd plant shops often. What kind of, 11, or maybe 12 year-old does that? Hopefully, he was about to find out.

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She sends a smile to the shopkeeper, hoping to reassure the worry about the stocks integrity. She certainly hadn't expected her first interaction with a wizard her age, to be in a plant store. She smiles at the cheesy opening, it was one she had seen in movies and shows growing up. "No, no it's my first time in here. And you?".

The scents from the flowers calm her and she feels at ease, despite new company. "My mum took my little sister to the bathroom and my dad is with my brother at one of the other stores." She holds a hand out to shake " I'm Stephanie".

She couldn't remember the name of the store her male family members had gone too but she knew they might be a while, and her sister would definitely end up getting her mother to take her into a store as well.

She took in the appearance of the boy in front of her, who she now knew to be called Ripley. He looked her age, and she hoped he was in her year at school, so she had at least one familiar face around Hogwarts. And they already had something in common, the plants that surround them.
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@Ripley Cunning

"Hello, Stephanie. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow first-timer here at Dogwood and Deathcap," he said as he shook her hand.

"My family is off buying some robes for my sister and I was tempted by the curious window displays and, maybe, just a little bit, the danger of deathcaps. Actually, I don't really know much about mushrooms, I just love weird flowers and, more than many things, smells."

Ripley put his hand down and wondered how deep of a conversation this Stephanie would want to have. He didn't typically delve much with strangers right off since many were put off by an expansion beyond the typical small talk repertoire. Weather, weather, friends, school, blah, blah blah. The adults he met most often weren't so keen on talking to a kid, even though Ripley sounded well beyond his age. And sure, he was more than competent at keeping up a charming little conversation, but what he really wanted to talk about was how the smells of this assorted multitudinous greenery thrust into his mind a double track of memories and geometrical shapes -- each scent was a kaleidoscope spinning in his head.

Still, here he was with this girl among the plants, it sounded almost like a poem or song. Stephanie with flowers, a girl among the plants...so on and so forth. Tugging himself back to the present, Ripley asked:

"What's your favorite scent?

"It's very nice to meet you, and a relief you're as new to this as I am." She smiles a bit, he seemed like a nice boy, and chatty too, which she appreciated. Nothing was worse, in her opinion, than that awkward silence lingering around you.

"I was not aware they were mushrooms, that's a rather...unusual name for them, why are they called that, do you know?" She loved learning new things and reigned herself in before she went on rambling about her ideas and even more questions. Don't frighten him off, she reminded herself.

The whirlwind of flowers, plants, colours, smells, and leaf shapes even, creates a new sight to see at every angle from the room. She tried to see if there was any pattern to the layout, or if it was just random. Perhaps there was an order, that she did not know about, due to lack of knowledge of the plants from this world.

"I think my favourite might have to be lavender. It is so calming and especially if you have trouble sleeping, it's quite soothing and relaxing. Plus they're a really pretty flower too! What's yours?" She looks at the lavender with a fond smile then back at the boy infront of her.



@Ripley Cunning

The boy frowned slightly, not at the curiosity of his new friend, but at the mood of his answer.

"Death caps," he started, "are, as their name suggests, poisonous mushrooms that could kill you if you eat them!" He looked around, "probably they sell them here for potion makers..." He pauses, endeavoring to lighten the mood, "I do like the idea of calling mushrooms caps, don't you? If there are some out there that taste like candy they can be called 'sweet caps'!

He stopped for a moment, giving Stephanie a chance to recompose herself after the mortal deathcap fact -- some people are sensitive about while others don't think twice. He suspected that she was of the former camp. Moving on to her favorite scent, then, was a wise move. And she chose lavender, a popular choice and safe bet. No one would be shocked by the enjoyment of the violet herb.

"Lavender is great!" Ripley answered, "it makes me think of my grandmother in the United States! She had lavender in her garden and used to distill her own essential oil from it. She'd do it outside but the smell drifted into the house and, for a while, the entire place smelled of nothing else!"

"As for my favorite scent, it's so hard to choose! I feel like it's a tie between Bergamot's deep and comforting fragrance -- my father's favorite tea is Earl Grey, the vibrant and energizing flair of lemon verbena, or your traditional red rose, so tender and sweet. I never walk by a rose without smelling it, do you?"

The notion of each of these scents brought a peaceful, far-off, smile to Ripley's face. He reveled in recalling the mental images that each of these scents brought on for him -- both memory and synesthesiac colors and shapes. Bergamot was a slowly spinning sandalwood sphere, lemon verbena brought up bright yellow bolts, and sniffing roses mostly elicited a faint purple cone gently sloped at the bottom.

"That makes so much sense!" She is amazed about how it was named. "And that sounds dangerous! How come they are used for potions if theyre poisonous?" She couldn't help but ask, was it something about the way the potion was made that rendered the deathcap mushroom as powerless?

"I love roses! It's really cheesy but red roses are my favourite." She grins at the thought of her favourite flower "Roses, Lavender and Baby's breath are my absolute top 3" She smiles at the idea. "My family likes calendulas, dahlia, violets, bluebells and daisies" She looks at the flowers around her trying to spot familiar shapes and scents. Most of the names had a Latin one underneath so she tried to read those too, hoping it may come in handy in the lessons to come.

"What class are you most excited for?" She silently curses herself for asking as she did not know most of the lessons that would be appearing in her curriculum, she tried to rattle off the subjects in her head. Uhm...Potions? Transifuration? She couldn't remember the rest off the top of her head, as her brain was drawing blanks at being put on the spot.