gelsemium

dionisia arina belby. herbologist.

[gelsemivm]

impuriities​:

𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃  :   i just need ten minutes of silence. 𝚁𝙴𝚀𝚄𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚈  :  @gelsemivm​  !

“well, i didn’t set the bouncing bulbs loose.” there’s a lot to contend with, here. the fact that hande is practically pouting, a childish expression that very rarely makes its way onto her features ; the grumble of her words at the perceived injustice of being punished for the new temporary hires mistake ; the truth being that, underneath all her bluster and the arms folded protectively over her chest, hande’s just feeling a little bit pushed aside. on a very logical level, she knows that dionisia would never replace her. their dynamic - though they’d never put voice to it - transcends mentor and mentee, and it isn’t just the fact that hande would never do anything as foolish as the new girl had done that makes her indispensable to the arboretum. someone was always going to need to pick up the slack when she took maternity leave, and it was better to train them in now than later, but she hadn’t realised how much it would get to her, watching someone step into her shoes. even imperfectly. equally as childish, coming quite entirely from a place of newfound uncertainty, hande asks, “you’re not…- really mad at me, are you?”

dionisia never cared much for bringing new people into the arboretum, everything so carefully controlled and planned out. she mapped out every variable from the moisture content in the air to the planting schedule. the temporary hire was a variable she couldn’t predict let alone control. mistake after mistake piled up, the only one momentous enough to bring up being the bouncing bulb incident. but it was enough for a headache to settle in behind dionisia’s eyes.  “you’re supposed to be training them, keeping an eye on them.” keeping them from fucking up like this. it was a little unfair, to place this mostly on hande when dionisia was just as capable of training them. after hande went through her options and settled on going through with the pregnancy, dionisia knew the day would come where she would have to hire someone else to help out no matter how much dionisia wanted to pretend she could still do it all on her own. the stress built and built, dionisia unable to imagine the arboretum would run as smoothly without hande and now convinced it might burn down the day she left for arboretum. “no, of course not. just frustrated about the damage down.”

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — belby arboretum and orangery  ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) —  closed ( 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 ) —    "is that what you wanted to hear ?"   ( 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ) — ezekiel burke ( @hoggleswart​ )

dionisia was on edge, focused on entrances and the people who frequented the store. there was a sort of paranoia that had set in recently. maybe it was hande’s upcoming absence or maybe it was the aftermath of the attack, always ready for something else to happen. “you want flowers?” she didn’t exactly believe him, truly wouldn’t believe ezekiel until he walked out of the arboretum. “just a standard bouquet?”

[gelsemivm]

💚 & 💧 ! 🚲 !

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

dionisia is comforted most by people just being there. she doesn't need someone to give her affection or gifts, but she cares more about someone still being in her life and staying. she's the sort of person who's comforted most by someone sitting next to her and just existing for a while.

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

there's a random day towards the end of january every year where dionisia closes the arboretum. post-holiday clear out restock is the official reason, but not even hande is allowed to come in then. dionisia's long since grown out visiting her biological parents graves on the day they died but she still needs some quiet moment to mourn then when the day rolls arounf every year.

🚲 BICYCLE - can they ride a bike? what do they remember from learning to ride a bicycle?

yes. dionisia doesn't clearly remember but she remembers her biological parents teaching her how to in the abstract, remembers that brief childhood joy.

[gelsemivm]

🎭 + 🌈 + 👑

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what’s different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

acting differently around other people is the crux of dionisia's character. she presents to the world as professional, a little cold, but still someone that cares about the world, the community, and the legacy she's going to leave behind. but in private, around family and her friends, she's both sharper—less polished and more biting—and softer, more likely to let something true shine through.

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

she doesn't have any. dionisia is happy with her life, even the parts that sucked made her into who she is and led her to where she is. any advice she'd give herself would involve making it easier, making it smoother, and she's not even certain that she'd end up who is today if that happened.

👑 CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

dionisia wants to be remembered by the arboretum. she envisions that is outlasts her by generations, hande running it until she passes it on to someone of her choice. she can't guarantee it but she's going to do everything she can to make it happen.

[gelsemivm]

dolors​:

“         does   it   matter      ?      they’re   dead.         ”         practicality   delivered   in   measured   monotone,   indifference   personified   when   he   tosses   a   SECOND   GLANCE   to   bouquets   that   seem   to   brown   by   the   second.         (      &      it   would   be   𝚝𝚘𝚘   𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢   to   mistake   him   for   a   hardhearted   cynic,   callous   as   he   is   when   it   comes   to   cut   flowers,   but   he’d   rather   gift   something   bursting   with   viridescent   life.   eulalia’s   garden   stands   living   testament   to   that      !      )         attention   turned   back   to   the   𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗆𝗌   she   gathers,   anton’s   impasse   doesn’t   budge   an   inch.   what   does   it   speak   of   𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄,   to   speak   of   undying   love   with   something   wilted      &      doomed   to   die      ?

“they aren’t dead. dying but not dead.” there was a lesson in plant biology on the tip of her tongue. “a plant can always regrow it’s roots. these can still be saved.” for once there was no attempt to hide the annoyance she felt. this was, after all, a matter of her career. she bit her tongue still, swallowing something a bit too barbed for the public to overhear, especially when oriana trelawney seemed to be around every corner nowadays. “it won’t be easy but with time and care these will be back to their former glory." her voice was tender in the way it only was when she talked about three things—plants, her family, and hande. "my apprentice should find it an adequate challenge for now."

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 )   —   a grocery store, muggle london ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 )   —   open

“what a shame.” most of the flowers were already beyond saving, valentine’s day creeping closer and closer and the bouquets hawked at the checkout area of every grocery store grew more and more bountiful.  dionisia’s own bouquets were made on request rather than pre-made and left to wilt and rot under the fluorescent lights of a storefront. it was after all an art as much as it was science. she grabbed a few of the bouquets, three of the most salvageable among them. “they could at least try and keep these healthy before they are sold. 

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — belby arboretum and orangery  ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) — closed ( 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 ) — ❛   is that what you wanted to hear ?   ❜   ( 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ) — ezekiel burke ( @hoggleswart​ ) 

dionisia had admittedly been a bit on edge since the attack on the apothecary—the orangery one of the handful of suppliers that slug and jiggers used. it left her antsy, the potential of any auror attention that might turn to the orangery too present for her to care for. the why are you here, brisk and rude, directed at ezekiel was an offshoot of that. “you are here for a bouquet?” the customer service voice was back, a few eyes from other customers locking on them at the outburst. she lowered her voice then, kept her face neutral as she asked, “am i supposed to believe that?”

[gelsemivm]

stcysmom​:

as henri would say, rip. eliza winces in sympathy for the customer ahead of her, less for the tone of dionisia’s voice but for that look upon her face, but she doesn’t blame her ; she knows from experience that there is an entitlement that a certain brand of customer are imbued with in the run up to the holidays, and they always deserve to be put in their box. shooting them a look as they head off in a sulk ( muttering under their breath all the while ), she puts aside her hopes of securing a custom wreath of her own ( listen, she never said she wasn’t one of those same customers, but at least she knew when to admit defeat ) and takes her place in front of dionisia, finally. “some people,” she scoffs as if she can hardly fathom it, leaning on the front of the others stall and taking in what she does have to offer while she’s the only person vying for her attention, “would you be able to replace any of the flowers in these ones? i love the white & silver, but my son is allergic to lilies.” 

the flowers for the bouquets and wreathes were nearly always bred to be pollen free—a compromise on dionisia’s desire to cultivate her own stock of plants and the need for the flowers to be hypoallergenic to clear most of the stock. the explanation would be wasted, only furthering the time she’d be out in the cold dealing with customers only to likely end up switching out the flowers anyway. “of course, it will increase the cost a little, added labor and all.” dionisia kept a small variety of flowers to make alterations and changes as needed, and she pulled out two some white varieties of zinnias and hydrangeas. “both are going to change the look of the wreath but they are great alternatives if you want to preserve the color combination of the white and silver.” she said. “is the issue fragrance or pollen? if it’s the fragrance i would recommend the zinnias but both flowers have a low pollen count. 

[gelsemivm]

🚆

🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem?

there are a few people that work for the one person on the tracks for dionisia—hande ( @impuriities ), theora, adrian, or ziva. but the specifics of it is matters less for dionisia. she doesn’t care about many people but she cares fiercely for. if it was any of those people that was on the tracks, dionisia wouldn’t pull the lever. letting five people to save someone she cares about isn’t something she would particularly struggle with.

another interpretation is that if everyone was a stranger, if it was simply killing one person to save five people. she’d pull the lever to kill the one person. it’s not for any particularly noble reasons, she’s not some rule utilitarian but because it would be a better situation in regards to PR and it’s not like she would have any particular moral quandary about being directly involved in someone’s death. 

[gelsemivm]

dolors​:

&      it’s   a   double   -   edged   sword   of   a   season,      always   has   been      /      knuts,   sickles   stretched   as   far   as   they   could   go,   a   few   five   -   finger   discounts      …      𝖻𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒   𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌   𝖾𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁   𝗇𝗈𝗐,   but   come   the   first   cool   breeze   of   the   year   he   tucks   a   galleon   away   here      &      there.      (      gifts   for   luca      &      adora,   as   small   as   they’ve   been   in   the   past,   are   always   heartfelt   even   if   he   takes   a   turn   for   the   bashful   when   they’re   disseminated.   adopting   gruff   tone   to   smother   the   first   hint   of   a   flush   that   dusts   the   tip   of   his   nose,   they’re   the   only   people   he      𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒      for.      )         ❛         i   was   after   something   potted.   something   that      …      flowers      ?         ❜         pets   are   doomed   to   be   ill   -   fated      (      like   the   fish   adora   had   so   briefly   adopted   at   the   derby      )      but   a   plant      …      tight   shoulders   knit   further   together   when   he   shrugs.         ❛         maybe   somethin’   in   a   nice   pot.         ❜

christmas was a time to make money and work more, customers rushed and harried in the search for a perfect gift and brought under the spell of the very minor markdowns dionisia gave her prices. the holiday spirit people  “something potted?” her voice went a little high, pitch raising in an attempt to hide the wave of annoyance. “it’s too cold for selling anything potted to be viable.” forget the limited selection of winter plants that dionisia cultivated over the season, largely for the wreaths she was selling now, even the fanciest pot would fail to sign in the bustle of the market and under the quickly disappearing sunlight of the evening. “i can give you an order form for the orangery, arrange a delivery for sometime this week—” a delivery of course, would come at a premium in the lead up to the holidays. “or a pick up if you would rather. but i am only selling wreaths here.”

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) —   diagon alley ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) —   open 

dionisia belby was not made for customer service. she much preferred the sticky heat of her greenhouses, hidden away from customers and dealing only with the finnicky nature of some of her most expensive plants. instead, she was bundled up (a long, dark green outercoat with floral motifs, her hat, scarf, and gloves matching. dionisia was nothing if not dedicated to the aesthetic.) but the chill still bone deep, listening to the endless chatter of customers. “it’s too late for a custom wreath, unfortunately.” the slots for the custom wreath orders had sold out before november, let alone a few weeks before christmas. the smile on her face was forced, stiff a little. “you can always grab one of the premade ones.”

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — belby arboretum & orangery ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) —  closed ( 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ) — ezekiel burke ( @hoggleswart​ !! )

“mr. burke.” dionisia had no real thoughts about ezekiel burke. for all her disdain for anton and all the awkwardness with liana that sprung out of their failed relationship, ezekiel had never made a true impression. among the neat rows of plants and gardening, he stood out though. “are you finding everything you need? or could you use a hand?” in the humid warmth that was the green house, dionisia traded her carefully styled bob for a half ponytail with any hair that escaped pinned up with her some kitschy plant-themed clips that theora bought her a few years back, and the pantsuits she wore were swapped out for jeans, a t-shirt, and a simple gardening apron—all smeared with dirt and the apron with a bright green stain from the plant food she used.

[gelsemivm]

chacswins​:

The healer and nursing staff has hardly allowed Molly to leave her bed since she woke up, she was beginning to lose her sanity being cooped up. It went against all she was, even in all the pain she was in ( though she’d never let her family know about how bad the pain got ). It was to her surprise when she finally strong-armed the staff enough that they finally allowed her to sit in a wheelchair and sit by a window in the hallway. Not exactly going home just yet, but it was a start. 

“A beautiful day,” She looks out, a wistful gaze in her eyes. “And I can’t even enjoy it.”

—

dionisia visited st. mungo’s once a week—a few hours dedicated to swapping out the flowers she donated. the bouquets were already arranged, bundled as safely as she could in a handful of bags but she always cared a few loose flowers of whatever varieties she’d chosen for that week. she grabbed a few out now—one a deep pink, another a shade of orange a bit darker than pastel, and the final a true white. “it’s not much but i can offer you a little bit of nature inside.” 

[gelsemivm]

웃

character development symbols / 웃:  three people that are important to my muse

dionisia doesn’t care about many people. there’s a certain level of energy and dedication that everyone dionisia cares about gets and it’s just, a lot of work you know? she also struggles a lot with letting people in when it comes to her work with the death eaters. she never told liana burke ( @valiantiisms ) about it, and it was ultimately the downfall of their relationship. she was always holding a part of herself back and she dulled her edges in a way that was just not sustainable long term. caring about someone isn’t enough when she couldn’t ever bring herself to truly trust liana. 

hande abaci ( @impuriities ) is someone is undoubtedly important to dionisia. hande’s the closest thing dionisia is ever having to a child. everything is willed to her, beyond some stipend she has set aside for her uncle adrian's family, and she’s trying to give hande all the knowledge and expertise she has. hande’s a bit softer than she would like, she’s not entirely convince that hande will every entirely be what she was looking for when she was reaching out for a mentee. but hande endeared herself to dionisia in record time, and dionisia cannot imagine not having hande at her side.

more broadly, the belby family is what most things come back to for dionisia. she was taken in by them and entirely engulfed in the family. and they are such a beautiful family and they care so stupidly deeply. theora in specific is probably the most important person in her life. theora tried her best with dionisia, she really did. she was so close to ending up having raised the person everyone thinks dionisia is, and she’s the only reason she tried to be that person so so long and the main reason she tries so hard to still look like that person—she doesn’t want to disappointment her mom.

[gelsemivm]

♫ for hande and dionisia . rn .

send me “ ♫ “ for mw to list 3 to 5 songs that i associate with our muses — accepting but only from rachel <3

Are You My Mother? by retirement party ( listen )

And I found familiarity / In the words and phrases that had once been spoken to me /  “Go get 'em kid, you’ve got all you need / Go take the world by storm and leave your mark on everything” / But I sat / And went back to sleep / And couldn’t get up in the morning / This is not news to me

Cicada Days by Will Wood ( listen )

Dandelion seeds yet to ride on the breeze / You make a wish upon the dead but turn and call it a weed / Only plastic flowers never die / Well, I cry on / Skies of blue linoleum / Clouds o’ spilt milk, but am I the cup? / Here comes the sun, am I falling up? / Falling up. Here comes the sun, am I falling up?

Secrets by Destroy Boys ( listen )

Swear you won't tell a soul / Everything stays inside / Cellar deep down, cellar deep down / Rash itch / Emerge / Truth, bitch / Keys to nowhere, nothing / Everyone's in on it but we don't speak / We don't speak / Eating me up, self destruct / Remember not / Fight the open mouth / Fight the open heart

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) —  belby arboretum & orangery ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) —  closed ( 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 ) —  "  i  thought  it  was  prudent  to  let  you  know .  " ( 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ) — narcissa malfoy ( @toujovrspurs​ )

dionisia pinched the bridge of her nose. she could see it now—an expensive pot, some small handmade think with striations of blue and green that she’d bought from a local pottery maker, and an even more expensive plant, an orchid she’d been cultivating for the better part of three years and was the parent of most of the orchids she sold, shattered across the floor, dirt scattered every where, and the roots exposed. “i’m going to commit a murder.” she muttered under her breath. she looked back up at naricissa cleared her throat, spoke louder this time, “where did you say it was again?” maybe she misheard the location, maybe her prized plant wasn’t destroyed. “and could you please describe who you saw knock it over?” to send them a hefty invoice and ban them. certainly not to poison them just a little. “was it that moody girl? she’s caused some issues with my staff before.” 

[gelsemivm]

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — belby arboretum & orangery ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) —  closed ( 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ) — hande abaci ( @impuriities​ )

“there should be a shipment of some halloween-themed terracotta pots coming in today. a bit early i know, but i’ve already gotten a thousand requests.” the majority of them were the sort of garish, tacky thing that dionisia wouldn’t bother to sell if they were not so heavily requested every year. “horrible orange and purple things. ghosts and skeletons and blood splatters. that sort of thing.” it was almost enough to give her a headache when she thought about them, hoped they sold out much faster than they had the year prior. “i should be around to sign off on the shipment but if i’m not, please make sure the pumpkin shaped orange ones are set aside. i’ve got a display in mind.” and not at all because she actually liked those ones.