Caspian felt his face aching, specifically his nose. And, as he slowly sat up, he felt like it was beginning to run. Until he touched it. Crimson stained his fingers, the telltale sign of his nose bleeding.

"Dammit..."

He looked up when he heard a feminine voice call out to him, the appearance of a woman coming into his vision. He opened his mouth to speak, but he paused as her hand touched his forehead.

Huh?

"Please don't call the cops on me, Miss. I promise I wasn't trying to cause trouble, I swear," Caspian begged, not bothering to answer any of her questions as he reached out and held onto her arm.

But, he looked at the hand she extended to him and took it, standing up while covering his nose with his other hand. Not a pretty sight for a pretty face like his, that was for sure.

"I'm sorry. I just got excited..."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Caspian blinked, clearly as confused as she was. He had just assumed she saw a guy like him walk in and would be suspicious. So...

"I get the cops called on me a lot. Hell, one of them has a thing for me, I swear. I think it's because I'm all big and stuff. I promise, I'm just here to buy some flowers."

His mind drifted off to the grocery store incident, running into Soleil Frye and how she quite literally jumped over all the displays to chase him out of the store. A shudder ran through him as he remembered the snapping of her LYCANROC at his heels.

A handkerchief was handed to him, dainty in his large hand. A small pang of guilt coursed through him as he brought it to his nose, shoving it up one nostril ungracefully to try and stop the bleeding. He did as he was told and sat down, looking at the kind flower lady.

"I've had a concussion before. I know I'm not dazed or nothing. But, name's Caspian. Go by Cas," he answered, his voice sounding a bit nasally and strange from his stuffed nose.

"Miss Elisabeth. I'm sorry for falling in your store. I didn't break anything, did I? You see, we got these two girls that help out in our group a lot. I wanted to get them some flowers, and your shop popped up. But I caused some trouble instead..."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Caspian seemed to physically relax when she convinced him that she wasn't going to call anyone. Aside from the doctor, perhaps, but even then, he wouldn't let her do that. He caused enough of a stir.

"No ma'am, I can handle something like this without a doctor. Thank you though. I'll be fine once I take this out of my nose."

He was stubborn. Some would call him a bull at times, for his strength and his inability to be moved. Unless... it was food.

Which was exactly what Elisabeth provided.

"Food? I mean, um... if you don't mind. I like both of those things," he said, trying to dampen his excitement of the prospect of filling his stomach.

His mission was definitely off course now.

"Oh, please. I wouldn't want you to offer me a discount. If anything, I'd ask you to charge me more!" Caspian insisted, which probably made him sound like a complete psychopath.

But, thankfully, Elisabeth directed their conversation to the ladies of the Verdanturf gang. That was easy.

"Miss Jessie is the boss's lady. They're raising an abandoned baby together. She's one of the kindest, sweetest souls I've met. Hell, if he didn't ask her out, I would have. She's very pink. Like, pink hair and all. Girly too. Likes cute things."

He tapped his chin.

"I don't know Miss Nina as well. She's a bit newer to the group. I feel like she's a bit awkward with us and doesn't know quite where she fits in yet. But, I see her with Miss Jessie a lot. She seems a little bit shy, but she's also a badass. Got the scars and stuff to prove it too."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Caspian nodded obediently, like a child, as she told him for perhaps the millionth time not to worry about his nose bleed, fall, and breaking anything. His apologies ceased for the time being as red and black spotted tea cups were set on the table.

The smell of the tea wafted to his nose, a pleasant floral smell that brought him back to his childhood in Kalos. Only briefly did he settle there before he took the cup, which seemed all too small and delicate in his hands.

"You sure know a lot about flowers and stuff, Miss Elisabeth," he said as he blew the top of the tea to cool it.

Caspian took a sip, tsking as the hot liquid burnt his tongue. Too hot. He set the cup down as she presented the cookies, insisting that he take as many as he wanted with no remorse. He'd, in fact, take the whole tin if she didn't watch out.

Popping one of the cookies in his mouth, he hummed as he snacked, his head moving back and forth in a pleased motion.

"A language? Flowers? Really... I just thought people were really into roses. So, you think maybe I should make some kind of message with the flowers I give them?" he asked, cookies bunched in the side of his cheek as he spoke.

Taking the handkerchief out of his nose, Cas set it aside now that his nose stopped bleeding.

"I think I have a couple of ideas..."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Caspian was in the midst of polishing off the tin when she started laughing. A few crumbs stuck to his face as he looked up at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Whaf?" he asked, a couple of cookie crumbs coming out of his mouth.

He was an absolute disaster. Nevertheless, he took the tea, now not as hot as it had been, and sipped from the cup. He sighed, as though it was a refreshing drink.

"I guess so. If you enjoy it enough and don't get bored of it from work, why not?"

His hobbies? He wasn't sure what he'd classify as his hobbies. Arm wrestling? Working out? Going out to bars and clubs and getting absolutely crunk?

Probably not a great way to turn those into work...

"Okay, so... I was thinking since Miss Jessie's been with us and keeping us in line, her flowers could mean thank you. She does a lot, and she deserves it.

"Miss Nina's could be a welcome. Or a friendly gesture. Something nice, you know?"

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉

Elisabeth's sudden barrage of suggestions overwhelms poor Caspian's mind. She was thorough in picking out certain flowers and their meanings, even down to the color, but she also went so fast that he almost forgot what she said as soon as she went to the next one.

"Woah... s-slow down!"

His head was spinning. How could flowers, stuff that grew from the ground and smelled good, mean so much? It made no sense to him. Was he barbaric?

"You said something about pink. I think that would be fitting for Miss Jessie. She's very pink, and I think that she'd like those a lot."

Okay. One person down. One more to go.

The last flower... wistsomethings.

"The last one. That started with a "w." Wistsomething? I think those could be good too. I think."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

☉