Not As Tough • •

[delphi sorana goode]

Delphi adored the winter, though she usually went away after the New Year for a few weeks. There was a log cabin in Switzerland that called her name each year, and normally it was a sisterly retreat for her and Savannah. Things were different now that Francesca was around though, and Delphi had only seen her sister and niece for a few hours on Christmas day back in the family home. She would have felt strange taking off to Europe by herself, so she sacrificed her annual vacation and stayed in the city. It just meant that she was at the studio at a time of year when she normally wouldn’t be, doing the job she loved to do. Being a stylist was almost therapeutic to her, even when she felt like a conveyor belt, pushing dressed up actor or celebrity out of her room one after another. Today though, she was away from the lot, and her rollers, and Delphi didn’t really know what to do with herself. Her errands were complete by lunch time, and her chores had been done on the Sunday like always.

In the end she found herself in Central Park, grabbing a bit of lunch at the Boathouse, and then finding a seat in one of the quieter corners. It was a tourist hotspot, like so many other of the big places in the city, but thankfully they stuck to the main attractions and the emptier parts of the park could still be enjoyed by those who called the city home. On the chilled bench, Delphi pulled out a new book she had been desperate to find time for and started to read. Her life was always busy and she barely had the time to enjoy a new TV show that everyone was raving about, or check out the latest bestseller. She had to take the moments when she got them, but more often than not Delphi never really knew what to do with her down time, especially now that Savannah was pulling away from her.

She tried to keep the thought out of her mind as she finished one chapter and started the next. The young Portuguese woman despised confrontation and would do everything in her power to avoid it. The last thing she wanted was to have a fight with her sister, even if this was killing her; whatever this was. She sighed, knowing that other people probably found it easier to forget about things than she did. Delphi was a worrier, and emotional. No matter what she tried she had never been able to change that about herself. Her heart was on her sleeve for the world to see and she had never been the best at hiding it. She realised that she was reading this book but nothing was actually going in. Sighing, she closed her eyes and looked up at the blue sky. It was a lovely winter’s day – the kind she loved so much – and she was ruining it with thoughts and worries. She was starting to wish they needed her at work.

• • •

TAGGED! Nixon Darius Giroux
WORDS! 515
OUTFIT! Pretty Portuguese!
LYRICS! Hate It When You See Me Cry - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Nixon Darius Giroux]

Winter wasn’t supposed to be as busy a season as it was for the florist. But they were constantly busy with orders both in store and now online as well. Plus there were the winter weddings and funeral arrangements that were requested. When he’d taken the job of assistant as a student, he’d thought the winter months would be more of a cleaning house sort of thing but he was quite mistaken. The weddings let up a bit but not enough to give him a real break. January was a fairly quiet month though, which was nice and a shame it was already over. He could have done with a week longer than he got but it was like the month changed and people realised they only had thirteen days to order a sweet bouquet for their special someone. Not that Nixon minded really, he had assistants that helped him put together incredible arrangements and it meant quite a significant increase in income. And it meant he could spoil the canine always by his side with new toys and treats.

Delphi was a spoiled rotten Golden Retriever and she knew it. All she had to do was look up at Nix and he was a goner, digging around the closest drawer for a pack of treats to give her. And his assistants were the exact same way, which was bothersome but at least Nixon knew he wasn’t the only one. And it meant that no one said they needed his help when he chose to take Delphi for a walk in the middle of the day. February was a busy month for them so he would have to go back to the shop a little quicker than he normally would but he could still keep Delphi out for some exercise. “Delphi, park?” He called, watching his golden retriever’s tail wag furiously as she tugged her leash from the hook it called a home in The Flower Pot. “I’ll be back in a bit. You can hold down the fort til I’m back, right?” He called, not expecting an answer because he already knew the answer. His employees were good, they knew what they were doing and Nix trusted them not to burn the place down.

Nix held onto Delphi’s leash only until they reached the entrance of the park and then he dropped it to let it drag behind her. She was a good dog, he’d trained her well. She didn’t leave the Flower Pot unless someone was with her, usually him and she didn’t leave without her leash. She stuck by his side while they walked through the park to an open field. “Catch?” He asked, pulling the tennis ball from his pocket and showing it to Delphi before tossing it away. He watched as she chased after the little yellow ball, catching it out of mid-air. “Come on, Delphi!” He called, clapping his hands, crouching to meet the dog when she returned. “Good job, girl. Again?” He asked, when she dropped the ball at his feet. Chuckling, he stood and chucked the ball away from him again.

Tag || delphi sorana goode
Words || 551
Clothes || Gentlemanly Gardener
Music || Make You Miss Me --Sam Hunt
Notes || <3

[delphi sorana goode]

Delphi hadn’t really known a quiet time since she had found a job with the movie studio. Even when other cast and crew members found themselves with the odd days off because they weren’t needed, they always needed a stylist on set. She worked with a few others, but if the director wanted to keep to the arranged schedule it wasn’t common for them to give the girls with the brushes and make up powders the impromptu day off. They just stuck with their agreed shifts when they signed on to each movie and it usually meant very early starts and some late nights depending on what the call list was for that day. Delphi could recall a few times when she arrived at a little after four in the morning and didn’t finish until near midnight because she had to stay to touch up and help with the re-takes of one of the biggest scenes in the movie. She didn’t mind it though. Delphi loved being a small part of that world, even if her name came so far down in the credits that most people had left the cinema or turned the DVD off by then.

She wasn’t a woman full of confidence for much more. She could never be in front of the camera and she often ducked away when they were goofing around getting the behind the scenes candid material to throw on the DVD for those who were interested in seeing how the movies came to be. She was a shy young woman who had been through everything she had mostly because she couldn’t say no to people. Delphi had no massive regrets so far, but there were plenty of moments she wished she could have changed in little ways, or things she wished she might have said. Right now she was having that same feeling about her sister and there was little Delphi could actually do about it, and knowing that was starting to upset her. She wanted to forget about the trouble with Savannah right now and just enjoy her afternoon off with her novel, but it didn’t seem to be happening. The less success she seemed to have at it, the angrier at herself she became.

Delphi sighed and gave up, shoving the book back into her bag and tucking her thick mahogany hair back behind her ear. It was a waste of time trying to relax here when it clearly wasn’t going to happen for her. She was thinking about where she could go and what she could do, zipping her bag back up and pushing herself to her feet when she noticed the dog across the way. Delphi paid no attention to it at first, swinging her bag up on her shoulder and dusting the back of her jeans to make sure there was no dirt from the bench clinging to the denim. She was walking away, about to make her way out of the park when she heard her name. Her head snapped up to the man and before she could realise that she didn’t know him at all, the words were rolling from her lips. “Yeah, what?” She hadn’t heard anything else beyond her name, and in her twenty-four years of life, Delphi hadn’t found anyone else who shared her name. It was both a nice thing to be different and a slight curse as well. It meant she stood out and most of time Delphi just wanted to fade into the crowd.

• • •

TAGGED! Nixon Darius Giroux
WORDS! 587!
OUTFIT! Pretty Portuguese!
LYRICS! Hate It When You See Me Cry - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Nixon Darius Giroux]

Nixon hated that he didn’t get to spend as much time out in the park with Delphi. The golden retriever suffered for his workaholic nature and it was a pity. But she was able to stay at the shop while he was there and his employees did get to take her out frequently enough so she did get her exercise, it just wasn’t always with him. It upset him more than he let on but he didn’t want to let it show. There was always work to be done at the Flower Pot and he couldn’t be expected to take Delphi out for all her walks when she needed them, and to spend time throwing around her favourite toys. Lucky for him, Delphi wiggled her way into everyone’s hearts and his employees tended to fight over who was taking her on her midday walks when the time came round. Nix had been lucky finding these kids, too. It wasn’t everyone who could put up with him and deal with the hyperactive dog.

At least for him, Delphi was a hyperactive dog. She was always happy to run around, chasing the animals of the park and whatever toy he’d brought along for their usually quick walks. Today though he’d taken the time to take Delphi out himself and brought along a couple toys to throw around for her because he was forcing himself to take the time. He was always at the Flower Pot, constantly overlooking everything, even if he wasn’t really running the shop, he was still there, doing something. He trusted his employees not to burn down the building and to be polite to his clientele. And they were good for that and taking care of the little things that Nix himself often forgot to mention or do. He cared deeply for the bouquets that left his shop. He wanted them all to be special; but especially the ones that were destined for weddings. Those were his favourite kinds of jobs to take because not only did they mean big money coming in, they generally let him do as he pleased as long as he had the required blooms. He could take creative license and did so happily, turning what could be a simple elegance into complete glory.

He hadn’t known when he’d gone to New York for school that he’d fall head over heels for being a florist. He’d thought it was a good way to pass the time and the previous owners let him take a bouquet at the end of his shift for his dates if he had one that night. His apartment had always been filled with vases of flowers because they were constantly telling him to take some home with him to brighten up the place as well. And now that he was the owner, he did the same for his employees. Flowers brighten a room up, made a house a home. At least, it did i his opinion. His head turned toward the young girl who’d answered when he’d called for Delphi and he smirked, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I was talking to her.” He said, gesturing at the golden retriever who’d already caught the ball he’d tossed and was running back to him happily.

Tag || delphi sorana goode
Words || 581
Clothes || Gentlemanly Gardener
Music || Make You Miss Me --Sam Hunt
Notes || <3

[delphi sorana goode]

Delphi needed to keep busy. She was the kind who if she didn’t would end up reliving every horrible moment in her life or wondering about all the what ifs and complications that the world had thrown at her over the years. She wasn’t a fan of those things and she often ended up spiralling into a hysterical mess at three in the morning when she let that happen. No one wanted to be in the chair of a stylist who looked like she’d had little to no sleep and had spent half of the night bawling her eyes out over things that had happened six years ago and had ultimately had no impact on her life whatsoever beyond one week in her senior year of high school. Yet, Delphi could feel like something cruelly spoken back then was the end of the world for her now. It made no sense, she knew that, but in the still of the night when she was all alone it was the equivalent of a nightmare coming true. It made her feel so small, so worthless and so she kept herself busy during the days so that at bedtime she would hit the pillow and be out in moments, off to a dreamland where – hopefully – the monsters couldn’t find her.

She was insecure about things that happened almost a decade ago and that as ridiculous, she knew that. However, knowing something was crazy didn’t stop Delphi from feeling that way. People wondered why she didn’t talk about what was on her mind and that was the reason for it. They only told her what she already knew but couldn’t change. She was a shy girl, and she couldn’t explain to others why she was that way. She worked with celebrities, some of the biggest names in the world and could be comfortable around them by the end of a shoot, but then put her in a room with an unknown stranger and Delphi retreated right back into her shell like a terrified tortoise. It was just the way that she had always been. She eventually became a relative level of comfortable around someone, but it took a long time and even then she wasn’t sharing her life story or opening up the way some friends did.

Delphi blinked a few times at the strange man’s words and then felt the heat rushing to her face. The crimson hue flooded her cheeks and she floundered for a second in total embarrassment at the situation, which might not have been anything more than a simple mistake, but Delphi honestly wanted the ground to swallow her whole right then. “Oh, I’m sorry! I’ve just…I’ve never…no one ever has that name. I’ve never met anyone else, I mean.” She looked everywhere but back at him and eventually caught herself just staring at her lap, wondering if it was acceptable just to get up and run away now. Nothing could make this situation more embarrassing, right? She had already answered the call for a dog and then made out like it was the worst thing she could ever do. Running away wouldn’t be terrible after that. If only her legs didn’t seem to be riveted to the bench she was sat on.

• • •

TAGGED! Nixon Darius Giroux
WORDS! 546
OUTFIT! Pretty Portuguese!
LYRICS! Hate It When You See Me Cry - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Nixon Darius Giroux]

Nixon was constantly on the go though it was usually from his greenhouse to the shop he ran and owned and back around again. He liked growing the flowers he used for his flower shop. There was a different feeling to those flowers than the ones they had to pick up from the flower market. He liked knowing that what he planted, cultivated and helped to blossom would be cut and mixed in with a lovely bouquet and handed to someone's girlfriend, wife or mother. He liked to think about the reasons behind those purchases, whether it was just because some man saw them in the flower shop's window and thought of their girlfriend or wife or if they were in the doghouse and the best way back out of it as long as it was added to something sparkly. He might not have had a serious woman in his life but he was well aware of what the proper etiquette was when you fucked up.

He was always so busy and on the go that he rarely got the chance to take Delphi out for her walks and had someone around the shop take her out for a little bit when they weren't too busy but he had an order that he wanted to fill himself. Hettie never seemed to mind taking out the happy pup whenever she was asked to do so and she almost always came back after an hour with food or at least a coffee which was nice since he never asked for it. But whenever he had the chance, he left her and everyone else to take care of the shop and took Delphi out himself. A few minutes around the park never seemed like it was good enough, especially with how energetic the golden retriever pup was. She could run the whole of Central Park and still not be tired enough to collapse once they finally returned to the Flower Pot. Luckily there was a mutual understanding between beast and owner. The Pot was a no attitude zone. Delphi got no treats when she had a foul mood and Nixon wasn't allowed to be closed off with the music blasting when he was in one. Not that the doors inside the shop had locks. Hell, the only room that actually even had a proper door were the fridges in the back and the ones in the front filled with pre-arranged bouquets.

The open space did everyone some good, both in the shop and outside. Nixon loved to be out in the garden when he was at home. He loved the outdoors so much, he'd even had his house renovated to have floor to ceiling windows out to the back garden to make it feel like he was outside even when he was sitting on the couch catching a game. This was the first time Nixon had ever heard anyone with the same name as his golden retriever. He'd thought he'd been being clever, naming her after an unusual flower. Nixon smiled, understanding there must be some shock and realising the young woman was embarrassed at the misstep. "I bet it's a strange feeling." He offered, crouching down when his Delphi trotted up like the pleased pup that she was. "If you'd like to be formally introduced. Delphinium this is Delphi. Shake hands." He said, gesturing to the young brunette. As she was taught, Delphi moved closer before sitting and extending her front paw, waiting. Nixon had known he'd have to give her some treats when they got back to the shop but now she would deserve an extra special treat for being so polite.

Tag || delphi sorana goode
Words || 611
Clothes || Gentlemanly Gardener
Music || Make You Miss Me --Sam Hunt
Notes || <3

[delphi sorana goode]

Delphi liked her job; it was one of the few things she hadn’t been talked into by someone else. Given her inability to say no to other people there was little in her life that she had chosen for herself. It was a little sad, but it was the unfortunate truth of Delphi’s life. She had never had anyone in her corner to help her fight that battle either. She was just so meek and people didn’t care that she was too shy to stand up for herself when she was uncomfortable. It was often only when she reached the point of tears that people realised it wasn’t cute or funny, but actually something Delphi really struggled with. She might be friendly, and able to whisper a quiet hello or offer an adorably nervous smile, but when she was being pushed into something she didn’t like the fun ended. Not every modern woman was fierce and empowered by the world around her. Some of them were still that typical damsel in distress who actually appreciated a man ordering for them just so they didn’t have to seem like a moron when they butchered the menu options or muddled their words because their nerves were stronger than their appetite.

It wasn’t like Delphi could explain that though. She didn’t have the confidence to. All she ever did was slink away at the first opportunity and go back to work, go home, or find something to occupy her hands and mind again. New York was probably not the best place for such a quiet young woman, but her family was nearby in the city and she didn’t want to move away from them. She already missed them something dreadful whenever she signed to work away for six weeks or more on a movie set. Often she got television shows or New York locations just because she was already there, but whenever she needed an escape she took the opportunities in Australia, or LA, or wherever else crossed her desk. They were short enough to bring her home before she could regret it, but long enough to clear her head of whatever problems she had been running from. Plus, it was a way to travel, even if she was working at the same time. Not exactly the adventurous type it was really the only way Delphi was likely to ever see parts of the world anyway.

Delphi wasn’t typically the type to make silly mistakes. She thought – over thought – things, and rarely spoke until she knew precisely what she ought to say. It meant she likely had missed out on endless chances, but that was her curse. Still, today was still baffling her. No one in her twenty-four years of breathing had been called Delphi but herself! And now she couldn’t fight the blush that was burning in her face. She watched the large dog, wary at first since she was so used to her two teeny tiny dogs, and then laughed at how adorable the introduction turned out to be. She covered her mouth with one hand, embarrassed by her raucous outburst, and then extended the other with a slight hesitation to shake the dog’s paw. “Pleasure.” She said politely and quietly, pulling her hand back and resting both of them in her lap again. “I’m sorry for interrupting your walk.” She didn’t want to keep him if he had places to be; she was already red in the face for everything anyway.

• • •

TAGGED! Nixon Darius Giroux
WORDS! 585
OUTFIT! Pretty Portuguese!
LYRICS! Hate It When You See Me Cry - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Nixon Darius Giroux]

Nixon knew his parents were confused about his change of career choices. He'd gone from being a doctor with all the fixings to a florist. To say it was a shock would probably be an understatement since they were such vastly different careers but he loved what he did now and he would never regret his choices. He made so many people happy with a simple blooms wrapped together. He might have continued to keep odd hours but they were on his terms now and not based on whoever planned the surgeries and wrote his name in. He kept the hours to get his bigger jobs done and he woke up every morning in a great mood. To be honest, he thrived on the weddings and the birthdays and the big events in people's lives. Nixon loved sitting down with the bride-to-be and oftentimes the groom as well to talk about all the details.

The point was that each and every day was different for Nixon now and he couldn't get enough of that. If he'd been still working at a hospital, he would have been in surgical theatres for hours on end, watching a patient's stats and doing something dull like crosswords or worse, Sudoku. The thought alone made him cringe. No, he much preferred his life now. Now he could take Delphi to work with him, take a long lunch like he was now so he could take her to the park and toss a ball around a bit with her. He liked the group he hired as well. They were a trustworthy bunch even if one of them couldn't remember what time his shift started or another wanted to take pictures so she could recreate the flowers as a makeup later. Or if one kept getting daydream eyes at her station because something inspired her or if the last of his misfits felt the need to take a little longer with a particular bouquet so he could get it just right. They were a motley group but Nixon picked them all and they were a family of their own choosing. They weren't the first group he'd hired on and they wouldn't be the last but they were his current and that was the important part for him.

Nix had picked out Delphi's name after debating more than a dozen of them. Nothing had seemed to fit the happy dog and nothing before Delphi had been liked by either of them. Eventually he'd tried out her name and she'd rushed right over to him, seemingly adoring her new moniker and it stuck. The only time he'd heard the name before or after it had been in reference to his dog or the flower she'd been named after. So this surprise was not only a shock to the young girl whose name he'd just hollered but to him as well. "It's no interruption at all. Care to give her a treat?" He asked, a couple of her favourites already in his hands for her cute little tricks she pulls.

Tag || delphi sorana goode
Words || 510
Clothes || Gentlemanly Gardener
Music || Make You Miss Me --Sam Hunt
Notes || <3

[delphi sorana goode]

She didn’t need to be a doctor or a lawyer to feel successful and happy. Delphi kept her skills up with training whenever the opportunity came up, and even though she was always a bundle of nerves before each course, she passed them with ease. Her panics melted away when she was working, twirling her fingers through someone’s hair to make it absolutely perfect for that award winning scene. It was just every other living moment that riddled her with anxious thoughts and doubts. It was strange being around Hollywood’s biggest names on a regular basis, even having a few as friends, and yet stumbling through the normal day to day. She could hang out with the stars like it was ordering a coffee at Starbucks, but actually ordering herself a coffee at Starbucks made Delphi feel as though she was intruding on the Oscars when she was just the cleaner picking up the empty, discarded glasses before the night was over.

Sometimes she felt like everything was backwards. She said yes when many other people would say no. Delphi struggled with the things people breezed their way through, and yet didn’t blink at her idea of normal which others found out of this world. She was too embarrassed to talk about it though, to ask for the help she desperately hoped for one day. Therapy wasn’t something she required or dreamt of. Delphi just longed for someone to understand her, to tell her that there wasn’t anything wrong with her. At the same time, she wanted to be able to know that the person wouldn’t take advantage of her. Basically, she wanted and needed trust. Losing the bond she had always shared with Savannah had been a might blow for Delphi, and it had left her feeling like she was stranded in the middle of the ocean without a lifeboat or an SOS.

Delphi tried daydreaming about the conversation she would have with Savannah, but it was a daydream that always quickly crumbled. Her sister would beat her down in mere seconds, and Delphi would have no fight back when it happened. She wasn’t a confrontational soul, and while she wanted answers and to fix whatever had been broken between them, she lacked all ability to start the fire that might meld them back together. Even now, even as she uncharacteristically held a conversation with a stranger without feeling the biting urge to run away, it was itching at the back of her mind, the constant that was always there, reminding her that her life was not at peace anymore. Smiling, Delphi tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear and nodded softly. “So long as she doesn’t think I’m the treat. I’m used to tiny dogs; I have two Yorkies.” They were sisters. The last two in a litter and Delphi hadn’t been able to separate the pair, so she took them both. Right now she knew they’d probably be resting together, waiting for her to come home and entertain them. A night in on the sofa with cuddles was what they seemed to love best, which was perfectly fine with the young brunette.

• • •

TAGGED! Nixon Darius Giroux
WORDS! 529
OUTFIT! Pretty Portuguese!
LYRICS! Hate It When You See Me Cry - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3