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 Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:25 pm
It was a typical late morning for The Gilded Lily. Women came to admire the flowers and giggle their hopes of a fine lad to receive them from; men came in and chose what they hoped would be sufficient, although a select few had the presence of mind to ask the experts for their opinions.
The experts in question were none other than the owner, Rose, and her daughter, Crystal. Rose handled most of the customers while Crystal took the plants and flowers to be trimmed and displayed for perfection. They made a good duo, this mother and daughter pair. Although they were efficient, the two didn't seem to be speaking too much to each other, save for civil requests and comments pertaining to their business. Rose seemed to have a mischevious gleam in her eye, while Crystal was more withdrawn and contemplative.
Business had started to slow down as the lunch hour drew near, giving the two a slight break in the hectic bustle. Rose tended to a minature rose while Crystal was in the back of the store, freshening up some of the new arrivals.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:34 pm
There was a slight knock on the door, then silence. After a few seconds there was a knock again, and this time the knocker didn't wait for a response before entering the little flower shop. The young man had a bright and charming smile on his face, but his eyes glanced over at the flowers as if they were nothing out of ordinary. For an instant his eyes focused on the shop owner, and he frowned a little, but immediately switched back to his charming smile. Adjusting his coat, which looked most expensive and well prepared for special occastions, the young man stepped forward to the counter and bowed slightly to Rose. The smile remained on his face.
"Good day, ma'am. perhaps I have intruded at the wrong moment?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:44 pm
Rose glanced up at the knock, and didn't think much of it; they were a store, after all, not a personal residence. When the door opened to reveal their guest, the woman's round face lit up with recognition and a touch of curiosity. Would the young Lord be here for business, or to visit a certain young flower girl...?
"Lord Jewell," Rose cried out joyously, spreading her arms as though she would hug him from behind the counter. Her smile was large and earnest, although the reason for her pleasure may not have been as readily obvious. She moved the rose she had been working on, her floral dress swishing in time with her plain white apron, her red hair pulled up in her every day bun. In her best distressed voice, she replied to the man, "Of course it's not wrong, my Lord! We are ever busy, but never too busy to take care of you! If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to get my daughter for you. This plant requires strict concentration!" She nodded once, firmly, as if there was no doubt that a minature rose was like a wired bomb.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:51 pm
Irene tried his best to keep his smile on his face, but he was a little surprised at the overly enthusiastic gesture and comment of the shop owner.
"I see." He said merely. And looked around the shop quickly again as if he actually paid attention to different flowers this time. Hands held behind his back, he took a slow stroll around the little room, looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes he'd bend down as if to take a sniff at a certain pot of flowers, and other times he glanced up at the ceiling. He did so for a while, then abruptly turned back to Rose, with a grin on his face.
"That rose is a beauty, ma'am. How much does it worth?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:57 pm
Rose lifted a curious brow, although her own smile stayed intact. It was like a dance, the words between these two, and she wasn't going to blunder it. She'd had years of experience, even if his smile was rather handsome. "Why, this?" she quipped, motioning to the rose she'd been pruning. "Five pieces." Truly, the roses were worth more, but the Jewell family was a special customer.
Unseen behind the curve of the wall, a river of black curls edged around from the back, a pair of wide grey eyes watching in silence.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:05 pm
Irene laughed and bent down, taking a closer look at the miniture rose. "Hmmm....5 pieces for such a lovely lady like you...your beauty is worse so much more than that." His fingers curled around the red petals of the small flower, then sliding down to its leaves. His fingertip intentionally forced itself across the sharp leaf edges, pressing so that he felt the leaf dug into his skin, making him feel the tinckling pain. His finger bounced back, and Irene stood up, smiling at Rose.
"Such a poor little thing. May I take her...and make her mine?" A playful expression flashed across his face. Not changing his focus, Irene reached into his pocket and took out a handful of coins and put them gently on the counter, not bothering to count how many he had laid down.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:11 pm
The grey eyes got just a touch wider.
Rose laughed in a sly type of way, watching his antics with open curiosity. "What you do with her when she's beyond these doors is up to you and you alone, my Lord," she said in a sweet voice. "Of course, there are precautions to take when dealing with such a delicate and dangerous flower." She didn't reach for the coins or otherwise indicate that there was a transaction going on; quite the opposite, her smile may have suggested otherwise. "There are thorns, but they are dealt with if you treat it properly." The woman's pudgy hands brushed against the leaves. "The blooms are small but fragrant, ever faithful year round. You don't need a lot of water for these, as they can take what they are given and flourish beyond expectations."
A quiet groan could be heard from behind the wall.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:17 pm
The young man kept his eyes focused on the flower while Rose spoke, and when the woman was done he smiled faintly.
"As much as I'd love to keep this beauty myself, ma'am, I am afraid that I cannot. You see, this flower is a gift for a certain someone...someone special. she wished for a delicate flower that would match her immense beauty...and this little thing---" Irene brushed his fingertips across the leaves again, only more carelessly and quickly this time, "---has my attention at first glance. I do believe the crimison color matches well with her black long hair." He grinned at the last words, but kept his eyes focused on the flower.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:23 pm
Rose managed to keep from laughing, offering a sympathetic nod. "True, while they are hearty, they can be difficult at times. They require care that most people cannot offer." Seeming to forget about the flower completely, the woman touched her cheek, wondering out loud, "What a beautiful maiden she must be, my Lord, to have your attention so fully! And she has black hair? Surely it could only compliment your own." She seemed to be whimsical, caught up in the idea of the handsome young man and a faceless beauty.
The cream skin that the grey eyes were set into was turning a red to put the rose in question to shame, prompting the face to disappear momentarily.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:30 pm
Irene laughed. "Indeed, ma'am. But I am afraid that my humble look is no match for her beauty."
The young man took a step backward and glanced around again. When his eyes re-focused on Rose he gave a most charming smile, and nodded. "But whoever have tended this flower must have had a matching beauty as well, or else this rose wouldn't have been so comeptetitive in making itself so pretty." A pause. "How should I carry this beauty, ma'am? Should I hold her up as if it was the apple of my eyes...or should I enclose her in my breast as if she was the love of my life?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:39 pm
"Oh, Lord Jewell," Rose fanned herself, "certainly you know you must--"
"For goodness sake mother!" a clear and melodious voice cried out. Crystal glided into the front room, her slender brows drawn down critically over her dark grey eyes. Her hair was down and allowed to move about freely, the ringlets around her lightly blushing cream skin making her look almost doll-like. She wore a rich purple dress with a thick ribbon-like belt around her waist, although the cinched black piece was hidden behind her black apron. Nearly spinning on her heel, she turned to Irene.
Her face changed, best described as turning from dusk to dawn, her features softening and lighting up at the sight of him. "My Lord Jewell," she said with thinly veiled fondness, "it's a pleasure to see you again! Now," she allowed her soft pink lips to curl into a kind smile, "perhaps I can help you? Please forgive my mother, she has a minature rose to tend to." She shot a brief but playful glance at her mother before turning her full attention to the noble before her.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:47 pm
Irene's smile disappeared, and an excited light flashed in his eyes for a very brief moment before he regained his composure and brought the smile back onto his face. This time, however, he grinned, showing his white-as-pearl teeth.
"My! What a pleasant surprise to see you again, my lady. I hope my little visit have not disturbed your...daily activities." He gave a quick glance at Rose and turned back to Crystal. "Your mother was kindly teaching me how to tend this treasure, and she was doing so very proficiently. But now that you are here..." He moved a little closer to Crystal, one hand pushed on the counter for supoort, "perhaps you could answer my question before. How should I hold---" Irene gestured as if he was actually hugging a human being, "---this beauty so that the fragile little thing won't break by my careless handling of it?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:57 pm
"Firstly," she replied smoothly, "I think you may be underestimating the strength of the 'fragile little thing.'" Crystal tilted her head, sending a cascade of curls over her shoulder. Her eyes seemed to glitter with blue highlights, the look meant only for the man before her. "Second, I'd suggest you hold it close and dear. Nothing good can come from being careless or neglectful...my Lord." She lifted one of her hands to press against her lips, supressing a growing grin. She sounded just as bad as her mother!
Rose turned to take the flower and move to the back of the store, taking a moment to glance over Irene's shoulder, mouthing to her daughter, Took you long enough! She then disappeared into the back, a gleam in her eye.
Dropping her hands to clasp in front of her apron, Crystal allowed the grin to bloom across her face. "What could this flower have possibly done to gain your unabashed adoration, my Lord? Many people would overlook it. You have a rare eye." The woman giggled a little, a soft hiccup cutting the bubbling laughter short. She had the grace to continue blushing; being so forward wasn't unusual, but with Irene...she couldn't help it. There was a certain fondness in how she looked at him, although she made little effort to keep it concealed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:10 pm
Irene smiled, and leaned closer to Crystal. His smile took on a lazy attitude, and his body slanted, leaning itself fully on the counter. "How close?" He asked gently, but the word came out sounding like an innocent little boy. "I do not mind if it stings...but I am afraid that I don't know the limits to my strenth. I might...love it so much that I would hold it with such a loving force...strong enough to crush it." Irene let out an intentional sigh. "I am afraid that my hands and arms are not as delicate as yours, my lady. As as for why I chose it...I suppose my eyes are sensitive enough to see through any humble layers that hides its true beauty. I fell in love with its innocence...it's seeming fragileness...the kind that makes me want to caress it, want to...protect it, and its potential to become the brightest star of all."
Irene moved closer and closer to Crystal as he spoke, but when he was finished he pulled back, and adjusted his clothing that was being wrinkled by the way he leaned before. He lowered his head, allowing a few strands of hair that slipped out of the graceful strings that tied the rest of it back. Whe he looked at Crystal again he bowed slightly, and gave the girl a friendly but playful smile.
"Was that a satisfying answer, my lady?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:29 pm
She knew he was toying with her, but in that moment, she loved it. How she had hated it when they first met and interacted, but now...she felt close to him, as if she were the object of his game rather than a mere part of it. Crystal's eyes never left his as he spoke his soft and sultry words, making her breath catch. When he leaned back and smoothed out his clothes, she blinked rapidly as if coming out of a trance. Swallowing hard, she gave him as neutral of a smile as she could, which really wasn't as bland as she was hoping for. He had a way of seeing through her pretense and masks, leaving her true self exposed and vulnerable. It was the game the nobles played to get to one another; even so, her expression and voice still spoke highly of intrigue.
"Extremely so, my Lord," Crystal chuckled. Feeling a little brave - or perhaps she was merely giddy from seeing him again - she ventured to add, "I'm quite jealous of such a flower. I'm sure no matter what you choose, it couldn't help but shine under your gentle care and love." She moved so that she could stand next to him, spreading her hands, her delicate fingers splaying as though she were asking for his hand. "Your strength would aid it in the struggle to grow," she said quietly, her smile soft, "for surely, one can only be delicate and fragile if the one taking care of them is strong enough to allow them to be unfettered by that which would strip them of their qualities." Crystal bit her lip, her grin taking on a slightly more sheepish quality at her sudden mouthful of words.
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