A decorative perfume bottle had been given to Stana earlier on in the month as a hint at what Gina had in mind for her birthday, with no other hints given. When the destination had been settled on and the hotel had been booked, she'd immediately started looking around online for a place in the area that would let them go in and make their own scents, together. She'd found two nearby and, just a few days prior, had decided to go with the one that was just the slightest bit further away, figuring it would provide them with more options should they want to go out and do something else afterward. After breakfast, she'd presented Stana with a couple more boxes to open, each containing another decorative bottle inside. One black with silver floral detail, the other a pretty red color with a black and red butterfly topper. She had to admit, she liked the look of the black and silver one more, but the red butterfly had seemed like a good pick, too, given their connection to the fluttery little creatures. She didn't expect that either of them would actually be put to use as they were really more decorative than anything, but if Stana wanted to put something in either of them, she was more than welcome to, of course. Along with the gifts, Gina had told her what they would be going out to do later on that day, happy to find that Stana was as into the idea as she had been, herself. She could have easily gone out and bought her a bottle of perfume, but the idea of making something like that together, as they had done the year before with the wine in Italy, seemed a lot better, and like a lot more fun. It was a way for the two of them to create more memories together, as well as to create something that was truly theirs. They'd built quite a collection of things, both material and not, that were unique to them, but was there really such a thing as too many? Gina certainly didn't think so, and it seemed that was something she and the younger woman both agreed on. When the time came to head out, she gathered her things and slipped into a jacket. It had been a rather drizzly few days, but that hadn't stopped them from going out and seeing the sights. She'd quite enjoyed being shown around by Stana and learning more about where the woman she was so madly in love with came from - even if she had technically come from somewhere much closer and more familiar. And alright, getting to listen to the woman put on the accent and speak the language more frequently was pretty great, too, she had to admit. She'd even picked up on a number of words and phrases here and there, both from listening and from requesting that Stana teach her some. She was far from mastering the language, but she'd picked up on enough to be able to get by at restaurants, when using public transportation and a few other places. They still had plenty of time there though and she was sure she'd be returning home with plenty more knowledge than what she'd already gained in their short time there. About thirty or forty minutes later, a cab dropped them off outside a small shop. The fare was paid and she followed the other out and onto the sidewalk, hooking an arm around the other's and quickly walking toward the door, so they wouldn't get too wet outside. Once inside, fingers combed through slightly dampened strands in an attempt to smooth her hair out. A temporary fix, as her hair was likely to frizz out a little as it dried, but she wasn't too concerned. "Should've worn a hat," she said, a hand falling back to a side while the other found its way to the other's to take hold. No appointment had been set, so she figured they could take some time to walk around and look at everything that was set out. There were shelves of gorgeous glass work, which was the first thing that caught the older woman's attention and she suggested that they go have a look. The shop was pretty vacant at the moment, so she wasn't too concerned with stopping and looking around and getting in anyone else's way. "These are all really pretty," she observed, making it a point to look with her eyes and not her hands, not wanting to risk accidentally breaking anything as some of the pieces appeared to be very delicate. "Maybe before we leave, we can pick out another couple bottles." Just a suggestion, of course. After looking around for a little while, she walked with her over to another wall of shelves where a variety of oils were placed, along with various tools and kits that could be taken home and used there. The aroma inside the shop was very strong, but more on the pleasant side than not, and even more so where they were standing. Each scent had a small vial set out so the customers could smell them before making a purchase, but Gina didn't rush in to opening and smelling each and every one. Instead, she read the labels, taking note of both the Croatian and English translations and asking Stana how a few of them were pronounced, and was selective with which scents she picked up to test. After a few minutes of browsing, an older man - one of the shop's employees - made his way over to the two of them, a jar held in his hand. When he started talking, she offered up a smile before turning her attention to Stana, depending on her to translate as she was only able to make out a few words. 'Coffee' being one of them, as that had been one she'd learned before they'd even left home. It didn't take her too long to realize what the man was saying, even without Stana's help, as she was familiar with the act of using the scent of coffee as a sort of palate cleanser, if you will. "Oh, you smell the coffee in between, so you get the full scent of the oils." Or candles, which she was more used to back home. "Very good! I give you a jar," the man replied, in English this time, though his accent was still very apparent. But, before she took the jar from him, Gina turned to Stana once more, just briefly, and then back to the man. "We're actually here to... make some for ourselves?" she said, unsure of just how much English the man spoke, but she hoped he was able to understand that much, at least. "I saw online that this was one of the places we could do that at." "Yes," the man replied with a warm smile and a nod. "We have room in the back, everything you need is there. If you want to look around, you come find me when you are done and I will help! You bring this jar back then." Gina returned a smile of her own, very appreciative of the help, and took the jar from him. "Okay, we shouldn't be too long. Thank you for this," she said, holding the jar up and gesturing to it with a nod. The man then turned and left them on their own once more, free to get a better feel for the scents that were offered there. Gina had settled on a few she thought she might like to use, but nothing was set in stone as she was sure her mind would change once they sat down and started the process. Once they'd both decided they were ready, she looked around for the man, spotting him not long after. "Oh, over there," she said, lifting a hand to point him out to Stana, before starting on her way over to him, jar of coffee in one hand and the other's hand held in her other. "I think we're ready to start," she said with a smile as she approached the man. "Okay, right this way," he replied, a hand gesturing for them to follow him back across the shop and through a door at the back, which opened into another room where another couple was already in the middle of the process. There were two other empty sections though, so there wouldn't be any wait, which was nice because she wouldn't have wanted to make anyone else feel rushed, or have the two of them be rushed through anything themselves. "If you will have a seat over there," he started, pointing out the free section closest to the wall, "I will be right with you." Following direction, she walked with Stana over to an empty couch, her purse tucked off to the side. In front of them was a table and across from that was another chair, which the man soon came and took a seat in, setting a box down on the table in front of them shortly after. The box was opened to reveal a number of small vials of oils, the instruments that would be used in another section, as well as a pair of small, plain-looking, empty bottles which would later contain their finished perfumes. They were both given another opportunity to go through each of the scents and pick a handful that they liked, before they were each handed a dropper, so they could get a feel for what each would smell like on the skin. "Do not be afraid to get close and give her a sniff, too," the man said with a bit of a laugh, apparently having picked up on the two of them being a couple. The way he'd worded it had earned a somewhat shy laugh from Gina, but really, she was glad to know that it wasn't going to be a problem if they wanted to get a little closer and help each other out. Stana would be the one smelling the perfume on her, after all, so it made sense to pick something that they would both like. The next hour or so was spent settling on the final scents and learning a few things about the blending process, the man going back and forth between English and his native Croatian, after finding that Stana was fluent. Gina didn't mind one bit - it would have been rather selfish and rude of her if she had, seeing as how she was the visitor - and had picked up on enough to know what was going on, through what little she knew of the language as well as the actions that were being taken. It was both an interesting and somewhat educational process, one that she was more than happy to take the time for. It wasn't quite as lengthy as the process of making wine had been, but almost as hands on, the two of them getting to mix their own bottles after the lesson. Definitely much more fun than simply going into a store and picking something from a shelf. Once they were finished, she brought her bottle up to her nose for a quick smell, lips curling into a smile as she glanced over at Stana. "Here, smell," she said, carefully handing her bottle over to her. It was warm with notes of pomegranate, vanilla and a hint of rum. Nothing too overpowering or sickeningly sweet. Just right, as far as she was concerned, and she was quite happy with how it had turned out. Stana's, too, as she she'd taken a breath of hers. "This is really great," she told her, though she didn't quite feel comfortable enough expressing her full opinion with the man still sitting across from them. With their respective bottles back in the proper hands and capped off tightly, they were then given a small fabric pouch to place each of the bottles in for safe keeping. "If you are all done, you can follow me back to the front, or if you want to look around more, you can find me there when you are done. Please, take all the time you need!" the man said, standing to feet. Gina followed, extending a hand out to Stana once more, and then followed the man back out into the main area of the shop. Once there was a bit of space between the two of them and the man, she pulled Stana closer and leaned in to speak near an ear, a mischievous grin upon a face. "I didn't dare say this back there but... if you wear that tonight, there's a good chance that you'll have me all over you, too," she said quietly, unable to keep from giggling just the slightest bit as she drew back to gaze into the other's eyes. In other words, Stana had made some very good choices with her scent. Not that she needed an excuse to love all over the other woman, but there was nothing wrong with having a little extra fun with it. Perfume or no perfume, she had every intention of celebrating the woman's birthday with her in the way that they seemed to know best.