Hermès, or Harrison as he now preferred to be called, had really tried to make it to work today.  Kore had known the moment he stepped into the shop that he was not fit to drive the large white van parked behind the flower shop.<br/><br/>“Kore, I’m<i><b>sneeze</b></i>fine.  It’s just<b><i>sneeze</i></b>allergies.”  He attempted to convince her but Kore simply shook her head.  Harrison was a blond man of average height.  Kore might have said he was good looking, but she usually didn’t really notice.  When she left Olympus to join the human world, he had come with her, and they had effectively lived like brother and sister ever since.  Kore Xanthos and her “brother” Harrison Xanthos. He was her best friend and sometimes, her worst struggle.<br/><br/>“You are not fine.  You need to go home and rest, the flu has been going around.  Go home.  I’ll bring over some soup after work.”  She emphasized her words by gently pushing him toward the door.  They were roommates, sharing a small home just outside the bulk of the city.  He lived in the upper part of the building, while she inhabited the basement.  Kore had always liked living in the ground and some days she wondered if that stemmed from her affinity for plants.  Perhaps she wanted to plant herself like a seed and grow into something wonderful.<br/><br/>Without further protest, he shuffled out of the shop.  She picked up the phone to call the college kid who usually was willing to help the shop out, only to realize as soon as his answering machine came on that he was out of town for the week.  A hiking trip, if she remembered right.<br/><br/>“Shit.”  She had less than an hour to get the first delivery of the day together and load it up.  Aurelia, her counter girl extraordinaire, wouldn’t arrive for another 30 minutes.  She didn’t have much choice, she began to gather the floral arrangements for the Five Rivers Funeral Home and set them carefully into the back of the van when the shop phone rang.  She rushed back into the shop as fast as her feet could carry her and scrambled for the phone.<br/><br/>“I am so sorry.  Harrison came down with a cold and I’m short staffed.  I will be there shortly and I’m happy to provide you with a discount this time. I will be over shortly, I’m loading up my delivery an as we speak.  Again, i apologize for the delay.”  She explained, and as if on cue, Aurelia walked through the front door and relief flooded through Kore.  She was a tall girl, with dark skin and a wide smile.  The perfect sort of woman to work in a flower shop, kind and consoling when she needed to be.  She dwarfed Kore when they stood next to each other and the taller woman had picked out an all black outfit, which perfectly contrasted the pink and rose-colored floral dress Kore wore today.<br/><br/>“In fact, my other employee just arrived to help me load up.  I’ll see you very soon.”  Kore hung up the phone.<br/><br/>“I don’t have time to talk, Harrison is sick and his backup is on vacation and that jerk from the Funeral Home is ready to have my head.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She said, handing off the phone to Aurelia, she gathered up the last basket of flowers and headed out back to the van.<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr"/><br/>Several minutes later, Kore all but burst through the main entrance to the funeral home, baskets in hand.  Her long red hair looked rather disheveled at this point, and Kore had to whip it out of her face a couple times as she made her way to the Funeral Director’s office.<br/><br/>At first, as she entered his office, the baskets in her arms obscured her view.  Then she caught sight of him, as she shifted what she carried so she could get a clearer view.  She wanted to think this was not the man she had spoken on the phone with so many times, this had to be some other employee or perhaps a grieving family member.  Despite her wishes, she somehow knew this was him.  The handsome man before her was one who had berated and chided her over late deliveries and less than perfect arrangements, and yet, he had still been one of her most loyal and generous customers.<br/><br/>“I—uh...I’m sorry, I’m Kore Xanthos.  I own the Wallflower Florist.”  She set one of the baskets down on his desk and cupped the one she still held with both arms.  “I really am sorry about the delay, I just wondered you might be able to help me unload the van.  I’ll even knock another 50 bucks off your total and I’ll happily give you discount on your next order.”  She lifted one of her hands up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  Her emerald green eyes peered curiously at him.  For a moment, he simply seemed very familiar.  Kore was almost certain they had never met up to this point, but still, she felt as if she should be able to conjure some memory of him, even though none came.<br/><br/>“Again, I am so, so sorry.  Harrison was all but dead on his feet and I truly got here as fast as I could.  If there’s anyway I can make all this up to you, just ask and it’s yours.”  She pressed a smile to her lips, though she felt almost certain he would not be patronizing her shop again.