As the bell on her front door jingled, Elisabeth glanced up from the bouquet in her hands, the last of a series of peach and yellow roses being arranged for an upcoming mother's day arrangement. "Ah," she said as Callan Young approached, her surprise visible as she registered the new arrival. "Welcome, Mr. Young. You're early."

A pink ribbon tied about the stems before Elisabeth neatly placed the bouquet in a fluted vase, leaving it in the care of her Bellossom as the florist arose from her seat at the front counter. She brushed a stray strand of her blonde hair out of her face and smiled, the very picture of professionalism as she faced him with her hands pressed before herself.

Callan was a former client of her flower shop, but that was admittedly true of many people in Hoenn. Elisabeth didn't recall much about him, honestly, and truthfully no news was good news in that way, wasn't it? Infamy was something to be avoided in the region, more often than not.

"I hope the journey from Slateport wasn't too difficult?" Elisabeth said politely, moving to turn her sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'. "I understand we have precious cargo today."

Mission ✿ Eggs in One Basket ✿ Callan Young

Elisabeth managed a nod, saying simply, "Callan, then, if you'd prefer." Formalities felt more familiar to her, somehow, than informalities. There was a pleasant, polite distance to them, although that was likely why most people preferred to forego them, she supposed.

At the mention of the floral order, however, Elisabeth's eyes lit up with memory. "Apricot blossoms. Yes, I remember now." Approaching the flowers herself, the florist gestured over the blushing petals and recited, "Flowers of luck, joy, and loyal love. A fortuitous flower to send someone indeed, and one with a pleasant scent besides." She glanced up at Callan Young and said, not unkindly, "I hope they were appreciated by the recipient."

Although that was the past, and there was the matter of their travel route to focus on in the present. "Let's see. I have a map around here somewhere," the blonde murmured to herself, lifting a finger to ask him to stay put as she retreated upstairs to her bedroom. Minutes later she returned with the layout of Petalburg City in hand, which she placed on the shopfront counter with a pen at the ready.

"Considering the size of the vehicle, I think we should stick to the larger roads..." Elisabeth said, sketching out a series of paths before handing it to him. "Does that work, do you think? Or did you have something else in mind?"

Mission ✿ Eggs in One Basket ✿ Callan Young

It wasn't that Elisabeth was cold, precisely. Only that expressions of sentiment weren't her forte, despite how essential they were to her chosen profession. She had a trained composure for outpourings of emotion, whether it be bridal joy or a deluge of funereal grief. So when Callan shared his past, the florist merely listened, offering in mild agreement, "Life rarely goes as any of us plan."

What little Elisabeth had to arrange in the shop was wrapped up in minutes, though idle thoughts of her own marriage came to mind and went. Speaking on it felt uncomfortable even now. Perhaps it always would be. Strange how others felt so free discussing their past, she mused, when she preferred keeping such a firm distance from her own.

The scent of cigarette smoke and honeysuckle greeted her as she departed the cottage, locking the door. She raised an eyebrow faintly as she detected the source of the former, but said nothing. Instead she let Callan Young speak first, his question one that had both a simple and a complicated answer.

Elisabeth opted for the former.

"My mother always loved to garden. It's a way of being close to her, I suppose, now that she's gone."

The florist stepped into the truck, seating herself comfortably, before she swiftly changed the topic to her companion. "And you? I don't know what you do for a living, other than... this." She gestured at the truck, shrugging lightly as she amended, "Unless you are, in fact, an egg deliveryman year-round."

Mission ✿ Eggs in One Basket ✿ Callan Young

"I was. Close to my mother, that is." A faint note of nostalgia echoed in the admission, before a welcome silence followed in its wake. Amidst this reprieve, Callan spoke of his work as a Ranger and as a musician, while Elisabeth listened attentively.

"A Ranger's job description sounds varied and thankless indeed," Elisabeth said, an amused thought coming to mind -- was this, then, what Pace Mahmoud did in his everyday life? The chaos of such a career suited such a carefree person.

For Callan, however, it sounded as if the work was more in purpose towards financing his true passion. "All art is difficult to maintain a living in, especially music," she agreed. "Floristry is fortunate, in that way. The artistry is inherently profitable, and by its very nature, ephemeral. One must order new bouquets to replace the old."

When the truck came to a stop, Elisabeth admitted, "To be honest, I do not know much about the music industry. But I hope it is not as ruthless as rumors suggest. I doubt the best art is created under duress, no matter what poets say."

The Pokemon that the blonde had brought with her to assist in carrying the eggs were her Roselia, as well as her Butterfree and Vivillon. The latter two were given baskets to carry as they fluttered door to door, delivering each egg with a beat of their wings. Several baskets were looped about her Roselia's flowery arms as Primrose escorted the florist in her task.

Elisabeth's time in Petalburg had not been particularly long. Three or four months now in total, give or take a week or so. Most of the faces that greeted her were vaguely familiar, but without names to put to them. She was friendly with them, but not overly so, completing her duty with enough small talk to appear personable while truly saying nothing of import.

By the time they had finished their side of the eggs, she felt mild fatigue from all the socializing, though she smiled at Callan nonetheless as they reunited. "How did your half go?" she asked, the empty baskets proof of her success. "Ours was uneventful enough."

Mission ✿ Eggs in One Basket ✿ Callan Young

Ah. Elisabeth's eyes briefly lowered, her gaze clouded with contemplation. She was familiar enough with the Rocket activity that caused Rangers like Callan Young so much grief.

Who she was at night and who she was during the day were very different people, after all.

It was interesting, she thought to herself as she completed her deliveries, how so many things stayed the same no matter one's chosen profession or life. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, as some philosophers said. Whether the holder of such power was a CEO who came home to a wife he despised, or if they were a greedy producer set on building wealth on the back of young, bright-eyed celebrities.

Life, like nature, continued in predictable cycles and seasons in that way.

"Thank you," Elisabeth echoed as she was returned to her cottage on the outskirts of town. "It feels necessary to give back to the city, if that makes sense. Although I am not a Ranger, I feel an obligation to do my part."

At the invitation to visit in Slateport, however, she paused. "I don't know what sort of music I prefer, to be honest," Elisabeth replied frankly. "However, I doubt someone like me is your ideal audience member."

A wry smile graced her lips as she considered the music that had played in the club she had visited with Summer Atreides -- it seemed a closer approximation to Callan's taste than the Kalosian music of her youth, and the classical training she had in childhood.

Some worlds were just different, though not quite right or wrong for it.

"I will keep the offer in mind, though. And should you need more flowers, apricot blossoms or otherwise, you know how to reach me."

Mission ✿ Eggs in One Basket ✿ Callan Young