Time Under Chaos | TimeUnderChaos / The Language of Love browse

Index | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | The Language of Love

Sanson's was a small but dazzling shop, whitewashed with dark green trimmings and a gilded sign above the door, the large letters of the proprietor's name sweeping effortlessly over leafed and stemmed crimson roses. The large immaculate windows and open green door revealed a room filled to bursting with roses, lilies, orchids, daffodils, daisies - in fact, any flower you might have heard of and a few exotics from the Golden Circle which were currently in the fashion.

Rich, spicy and sweet scents wafted through the open door, for Sanson Rubio sprayed his room liberally with perfume to augment the natural odors of the flowers.

The owner himself was in the shop today, cutting and arranging flowers behind his dark wood desk. He was a handsome man with teeth that were startlingly, reality-bending white in his dark tanned face, so that when he smiled he could often get the women and girls who came in the shop just looking at the pretty flowers to actually buy something. He flashed a different smile to the men who had come to buy for sweethearts, one that was more neutral and a bit less confident.

This was the smile he offered the man in his doorway.

Chadwick nervously returned the smile. He'd never been to a shop for flowers, but he'd been assured that this would be the only way to get them <i>just</i> right.

"Hello," Chadwick started, not sure how to go about making a transaction of this kind. He'd dressed nicely, hoping that Lily would be favorable to him. Perhaps he could talk to Petra about the painting, which was his excuse, but he'd lept on it as an opportunity for the visit.

"I... I need some flowers?"

Sanson Rubio took in the expensive clothing and diffident attitude and straightened up a bit, his smile never wavering. His tone when he spoke was only a tiny bit oily. "Of course, of course, do come in. We have lots of flowers here! Do you know what you are looking for? Something to impress a young lady perhaps?"

"Why yes! She is a woman of surpassing beauty and taste." Chadwick gained that dreamy look that overtakes those in the grip of twue love and sighed deeply.

"I am not worthy of such a gem, a star. I must overcome my faults with your aid. You will be my confidante and conspirator in the wooing of the damsel, yes?"

Rubio's smile turned confidential and he came around the desk to speak more softly, as if they were plotting something. "I would be honored, sir, to aid you in your noble quest for this fairest of roses. But we should make sure this arrangement is as rare and intoxicating as your lady love, shouldn't we? I know just the thing!..." He paused, shot Chadwick a sidelong look. "Unless of course you already know what you would like to start with, and then perhaps we could make a custom bouquet - something truly remarkable."

Chadwick smiled. "We should start with the idea of the Lily. Not have any of those flowers themselves, but things that go with." He looked around the shop. "We could start with those," he said as he gestured to a small display of silver roses. "I think she'd like those."

Rubio eyed the display, removed six silver roses, snatched a stand to arrange them in. "Of course, of course. Those have a particularly sweet but subtle scent. Perhaps this Kashfan orchid next," he gestured to an exotic flower of a brilliant blue-violet, with large tapered petals. "It is somewhat reminiscent of a lily, and combined with the roses would approximate the perfume of a lily quite nicely."

"Yes," Chadwick exclaimed. "Perhaps, perhaps these little decorative flowers. They don't seem to have a scent, but I believe they'll go."

"You have an eye for this," said Sanson approvingly, picking up some sprigs of the tiny flowers in white, pale blue, and pale violet and arranging them with artful (seeming) indifference. "And for the piece de resistance... Would you rather have a Chanson de Roland camellia from Avalon or a Trentminder Lily? You said no lilies per se, but this..."

He moved around quickly and picked up two flowers. Both were large and gorgeous, one round and pale, with a literal sparkle as if it were made of diamonds, the other was a lily, but larger than any that Chadwick had seen, with the firey coloration of an opal, shimmering and picking up hints of every other nearby color. "This is a lily like to your Lily I think."

He had feared that a decision like this might occur. Chadwick was now faced with the possibility that someone had done something exactly like this before. His lessons at heroics had not really prepared him for more than swooping in through a window and carrying the maiden to her father, as far as wooing went.

He looked intently at both flowers in their turn. What did this one say of him? How would she receive it? Would it remind her of some unpleasantness?

Finally, he made up his mind.

"Both."

"Excellent choice!"

Sanson Rubio did not quite jump for joy at the wellspring of fortune which had stumbled into his shop. Both? He knew the bouquet would now be a challenge, but the price...

Skillfully he arranged the large flowers in the vase, adding two Lilies and three of the camellias, so that when he added some greenery for shape and interest, cut the stems, and wrapped the bouquet in silver and purple paper tied with a large white bow, it was roughly the size of a potted plant.

"Here you are, my lord," he said, handing it to Chadwick. "That will be one hundred and fifty crowns."

Chadwick gave no thought to the cost itself, but he certainly didn't want to have it charged to his mother's account, and she would know about his.

"I have 50 crowns to dedicate to this right now," he said weakly, "but I could get the balance to you before day ends."

Sanson gave Chadwick a suspicious look. "We don't precisely go on credit at this establishment," he said slowly. "Unless of course, you'd like to leave a name and address for our... collection service? A cheque perhaps?"

Chadwick balked. There was a chance that his mother would find out, and it was a concern. Still, the bouqet was absolutely Magnificent. "I'll do it," he said finally.

"Excellent!" Rubio clapped his hands together and pulled out a large book, which he opened, presenting it to Chadwick at a blank page, along with a pen. "Your name and the address of your bank or moneylender, then, Sir."

"I'm sorry, ummm... does the castle count as a 'bank'?" Chadwick was genuinely stumped on this point. His homeshadow had no use for banks (that he was aware of). He filled out the rest while he waited for an answer.

For a moment, even Sanson was at a loss for words. "Oh... uh... yes! Of course," he said, staring at the motherlode. "That will do just fine, my lord."

Chadwick completed the paperwork and handed it over to his new friend, with a mental note to bring more money the next time. A cart of it, perhaps. He lifted up the flowers and made for the door. "Thank you," he called out before struggling to open it.

Rubio was only a few steps behind, and held the door after Chadwick had managed to prop it open. "Do come back and tell me how your lady received your gift!" he called. "Best of evenings to you, my lord!"

Once Chadwick was far away down the street, the florist returned to his table and examined the signature and address more closely, brow furrowing. Well. This *was* a stroke of fortune indeed.