<div align="center"><strong>-=Simeon Gaorong - fulfilling an obligation - Ferret's hothouse, Persephone=-</strong></div><br/>“You didn’t look like my kind of company anyway," the girl had said, and doubtless it was true that day. Some other time perhaps he could have provided Charlotte with some slight entertainment, or at least a more gentlemanly period of conversation, but just now he simply could not manage that much of a facade. He had too much on his mind. There were things to do that he could not do until they were confirmed either employment or, in the case of that employment being canceled, hostility, for it was unlikely there could be any other change in relationship between The Gamble's crew and Ferret's organization. It was not at all a fight they wanted, but he saw no way to avoid it if things should go that way. There was much waiting to be done.<br/><br/>The lilacs were what reminded him. Yes, there was much to do that could not be done, but there was at least one thing he could do while he waited. Simeon took a moment to look through the display again, this time looking at the flowers for themselves rather than studying only the glass. Yes. Yes, that would do. He slid the case door open and began sorting through a few of the options. He was not sifting blindly, nor did he look solely for the colors that went well together. Carefully he took a few from this section, a few from that, constructing a deliberate combination of flowers.<br/><br/>“Seems like the three of us manly types congregating in here like it’s some kind of barroom might give one of them flighty female customers the willies if any of 'em happened to stop by. Wouldn’t want to go and ruin any chance for selling them pretty flowers, now would we...gentlemen? After you...now let’s go.”<br/><br/>Simeon did not respond to the man's supposition, nor his command. Instead he closed the display case door and moved to a nearby shelf, fingering his way down the labels until he found what he was looking for and lifted a small handful of stems. That would be the core. Doubtless the thug was unsure how to proceed: the older man was hardly doing anything threatening, or even disruptive, and if he approached Simeon he'd have to turn his back on McPherson to do it. He was not in a strong position. On the other hand, if he let Si just ignore him that would set a bad precedent. Wouldn't it? Problematic.<br/><br/>When he sensed he was pushing his luck Si finally spoke up: "I would never dream of harming a local business, sir. If your concern is how I might appear to your customers, fear not: I am one of them. Now, if you will excuse me?" He spared Damek a look that held no interest in discussion, then turned toward Charlotte, offering the girl a smile as he did so. "Miss, I fear that while I may be educated on the nature of a fine bouquet, I have little skill in building one myself. Would you be so kind as to put these together for me, with a frame of ivy to hold them together?" The mixture he set out on the counter included a core of white lilacs set off by flashes of bright yellow mullein and darker orange marigold. It would suit her well, he thought, even if she may not know why herself.