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[h3][color=#6DB224]Gabriel Aeckard[/color][/h3]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/uJc1t1Ym.jpg[/IMG]
[b][u]Location:[/u][/b] Roy & Sons Nursery and Garden Center
[b][u]Interacting With:[/u][/b] Anomala, the Dwarf Ash Dryad
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He might not’ve been one to openly admit it, but Gabe felt a sort of peace being within the vicinity of the nursery. It wasn't the raw, gritty feel he felt when tromping through the forest, but it was a comforting feeling, nonetheless. He would compare the sensation to being at a botanical garden, an area full of colorful, abundant, thriving plant life. Must've been the maternal traces left in him, the ones that made him such a flower child. 

Though, the difference between this place and your typical tourist garden attraction, would most likely be the massive mounds of mulch and manure and tools all out in the open. It was a store after all, and there were goods here that needed to be sold. “Imma go clock in and find the manager. Don't wander off too far, yeah?” Mala informed her friend, giving him a small smile before proceeding off. He nodded to her back before giving a brief look about the place. It was still pretty early in the day, so naturally there were no customers. Even then, the place usually wasn't the most active storefront in town, given the area and population demographics. You'd most likely see a landscaper or maintenance worker surveying wares before you'd see any school kids. 

...The place sounded far too good to be true, the more Gabriel thought about it. Minimal human interaction? Easy, yet rewarding labor? And in a favorable environment, no less? The Harvestchild wondered if there was a catch. [color=#6DB224][i]”Either I'll end up not liking somebody, or I won't even get the job. That's usually how these things go.”[/i][/color] He thought, his feet wandering as his mind followed suit. The area was dense with flora, all sorts of plants and shrubbery trying their best to overlap the small gravel paths. Even during the crisp climates of the Utah autumn, there were still many plants eager to grow while the soil was still warm.   

As Gabe meandered down an aisle of perennials and annuals, he couldn't help but stop and take notice of a row of chrysanthemums growing in. It was a peculiar sight to the boy. They may’ve been in season, but they definitely weren't native to the Beehive State. [color=#6DB224]“How well would these survive in this sort of climate?”[/color] He muttered, kneeling into the soil. Curiosity overcoming him, Gabe reached out to the plants, to see how they would react to his touch. Naturally, spry, lively plants would perform noticeably better than struggling ones. The ambiance of the area began to fade away from the boy’s ears as he reached ever so closer, his focus drowning out his surroundings. 

“Find what you're looking for, man?” A deep voice called from behind the boy, noticeably spooking him out of his induced trance. Gabe sized the man up as he sprung to his feet. Gabriel usually considered himself to be somewhat tall, but this guy still had a few inches over him. His dark brown hair was wrapped in numerous, peculiar buns. His arms adorned in black, blocky, pattern-like tattoos. Between himself, Gabe, and Mala, none of them really looked like they worked there. Speaking of the wood nymph, Mala managed to catch sight of the two just before Gabe could get another word out.

“Rj! There you are.” She called out, trotting up to the two. She had replaced her jacket with a short green apron, seemingly the only element to the nursery’s work attire. “And, I see you've already met Gabe, perfect!” She added. The taller guy perked up a bit at the realization. “Ah, so [i]that’s[/i] your name, huh? I've seen you lurk around my store a few times before.” It didn't take much for Gabriel to put one and one together from there. [color=#6DB224]“You must be the manager, then.”[/color] He revealed. Rj smirked.

“Manager, owner, what's the diff?” He smirked and held out a hand. “Regis Fauntleroy Jr. I'm taking up the storefront where my father left off.” The two exchanged a hearty handshake. “They call me Rj, for short.” He added. “Heard from Mala here that you know your way around the flora world. What, you majoring in botany at that school or something?” It was obvious he was talking about the Academy. Gabriel had to assume the guy was human, but didn't know for sure. [color=#6DB224]“Somthin’ like that. Most’a my knowledge just comes…”[/color] Gabe paused, exchanging cautious glances with Mala. [color=#6DB224]“...Naturally.”[/color]