The quiet café near campus has filled with paintings, folding tables, and jars waiting for stems. Mina leads Maris to a flower table beneath warm hanging lights, where buckets of greenery flank bright celosia and roses.
A young adult woman with a sturdy build, brown skin, and a long braid leans over the table in a green garden-club shirt, her broad freckled face turned toward the flowers. Beside her, a slim young adult woman with copper-brown curls and a notebook, a softly angular face, wearing a rust cardigan over a cream blouse and a charcoal skirt studies the blooms, while a lean young adult man in a paint-marked denim jacket, his warm brown skin, square jaw, and close-cropped black hair visible above the collar watches with an artist’s careful attention.
Mina
This is Maris. She knows exactly which flowers will make the whole table feel intentional.
The Garden-Club Woman
The blue delphiniums with those apricot blooms are gorgeous. Did you choose them for contrast, or is there a meaning behind it too?
The Notebook-Carrying Woman
And the rosemary tucked underneath the roses. Victorian symbolism would make that a fascinating choice. Is it remembrance, loyalty, or both?
The Landscape Painter
I’m Jonah, by the way. The colors look like one of my landscapes after rain. Could you show me how you got that balance?
Their questions overlap without turning sharp, three open invitations gathered around Maris’s hands. Mina quietly shifts an empty jar toward her, leaving the next choice entirely hers.
Maris's turn“I explain my floral choices to everyone”
SUCCESS (Good Conversation, rolled -1)
Maris gathers the stems close, thumb brushing the bundle of lavender. Her painful shyness makes the first words catch, but the familiar scent steadies her enough to begin.
Maris
The delphiniums cool the apricot blooms without making them feel distant. The rosemary under the roses adds remembrance and loyalty, while the lavender softens everything with a calmer welcome.
She pauses after each answer and listens closely, catching their attention rather than rushing to fill the silences. The group settles into her rhythm around the table.
The Notebook-Carrying Woman
That gives the arrangement a clear emotional shape. I can explain it that way when people ask, if you want me to.
The Landscape Painter
It works visually too. The lavender keeps the brighter colors from shouting over one another.
The Garden-Club Woman
Then I’ll tell the event coordinator you’re the one shaping the flower table. They’ll expect your guidance now, but this is too good not to share.
Approval warms the table, though the garden-club woman’s announcement quietly raises Maris’s public responsibility before she has agreed to take the job. Mina gives her an apologetic glance, leaving the decision hers.
Maris's turn“I clarify that I have not accepted the flower job, and ask what would be involved if I did take the job.”
SUCCESS (Good Conversation, rolled +0)
Maris
I haven’t accepted the flower job yet. If I did take it, what would I actually be responsible for?
The qualification comes out softly, with a nervous catch that makes Maris’s fingers tighten around the lavender. She listens instead of retreating, holding the garden-club woman’s gaze for the answer.
The Garden-Club Woman
Fair correction. You’d choose the flowers, arrange the table, and explain the choices to visitors. You could also advise us if something needs adjusting.
The Notebook-Carrying Woman
And I can write down the symbolism for the display card, if you approve the wording first.
The Landscape Painter
You wouldn’t have to manage the whole event. The coordinator handles the schedule and supplies. Your part would be the flowers and the welcome around them.
The garden-club woman nods, then turns toward the nearby coordinator before looking back. Her earlier announcement has already raised expectations, so correcting it now costs Maris some public certainty.
The Garden-Club Woman
I’ll tell them you’re considering it, not committed. But they may ask you directly before the night is over.
The responsibilities are clear, and the choice remains hers. Around the table, the others wait without pressing, leaving Maris room to decide after seeing the work firsthand.
Maris's turn“I'll have to thank about it, and see if the coordinator and I are on the same wavelength. I'm worried about over committing to something and doing a poor job in the end.”
FAILURE (Good Conversation, rolled -2)
Maris
I’ll need to think about it. Before I commit, I’d like to make sure the coordinator and I understand the responsibilities the same way. I’m worried about overcommitting and doing a poor job.
The longer explanation catches in Maris’s throat. Her painfully shy pauses blur the distinction between caution and refusal, but she listens carefully as the garden-club woman watches for what she is trying to say.
The Garden-Club Woman
I hear that you want to check the fit before saying yes. Let me bring the coordinator over, and you can ask directly.
The garden-club woman gestures toward a young adult woman with deep brown skin, a compact build, and short twists beneath a mustard headband. Her navy blouse and canvas trousers are softened by a bright yellow lanyard.
The Coordinator
I’m Priya. You’re welcome to ask what the role includes. If a full commitment feels too soon, we can start with a short planning conversation instead.
Maris
I still have a smaller way to learn whether this will work.
The Landscape Painter
That sounds manageable. You could show her the arrangement choices first, and decide afterward.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach a mutual understanding with Priya about the flower role
Maris's turn“I’ll show Priya the arrangement choices and ask what she expects from me.”
SUCCESS (Good Conversation, rolled -1)
Maris gathers the delphiniums, apricot blooms, roses, rosemary, and lavender into three small arrangements. Her shy pauses make the demonstration halting, but listening closely lets her notice Priya’s questions before answering.
Maris
I’d like to understand what you expect from me. Would I choose the flowers, arrange the table, explain the choices, and advise on adjustments?
She lifts the lavender bundle beneath the roses, using its calming scent to steady her voice. She points out how each arrangement balances color, symbolism, and the space visitors will approach.
The Coordinator
Yes. You would select the flowers within the budget, arrange the display, and explain your choices if visitors ask. You could suggest adjustments, but you would not run the event.
The Coordinator
I would also need you available for a brief setup check before opening. During the event, I’d like you to be the person visitors approach about the flower table.
The expectations are clear, including the public-facing responsibility. Priya accepts Maris’s careful process, but the role now carries a visible favor: staying available throughout the opening.
Quest Complete
MarisReach a mutual understanding with Priya about the flower role