(@Eluuna) It was midday. The city was bustling as usual, people going about their business. A young woman was holding her bag in her arms, using a hand to pull down her pencil skirt self consciously as she made her way to hee job in the library. A man with dark sat in his office, typing out his paperwork with a frown, his posture set perfectly. Another woman was on top of a tall buildings, a can of spray paint in her hand as she painted the wall. Adonis was in the florists shop where he worked, perking up and watering the flowers brightly.
He was tall enough to move through the crowds without much effort, his head down as he walked through the streets. His golden hair glinted in the sun, causing passerby to watch him thoughtfully. It was his lunch break, but despite this, he was still speaking into the Bluetooth earpiece, his sharp eyes focused on the path in front of him. "Change my flight to next week," he said quietly. "We'll have to delay it." * * * There came a knock on his door, and the door swung open. A man by the name of Ed Harris, one of his employees, cleared his throat. "Mr. Audra," he began, glancing over his shoulder. "The interviewing process has ended. I have hired someone to be your personal assistant. I think they will meet your expectations." * * * The door to the roof swung open, and a boy stepped out, his ruffled brown hair falling over his eyes. A duffle bag was slung over his shoulders, and a fold-up easel was under his left arm. The duffle bag was splitting and as she watched, the tear ripped, and bottles of paint and brushes poured out. He groaned, kneeling down to pick them up. * * * She came in through the door, the bell ringing as she entered. She glanced around, her lips slightly parted. She had a soft face that contrasted the sharpness of her blazer, and her brow furrowed as she approached a tin of foliage, her fingertips brushing the surface.
Veronica fumbled with the keys in her back, looking down with furrowed brows as she searched about for them, eventually bringing them out and taking the right one. She brushed her hair back with a frown. A text notified her. It was someone by the name of Darren with a heart emoji next to it. She relaxed and went to send a reply. *** Levanin looked up, his eyes sharp and calculating. "Glad to here. Please, send them in so I can meet them." *** Mari froze, quickly hiding behind the entrance and peering around to watch curiously. A small frown crossed her face as she nervously moved, going to leave while he was distracted. *** Adonis looked up, tilting his head. "Hello, miss. Can I help you?"
Gideon swirled his coffee in the cup, frowning as he spoke. "I don't want to leave tomorrow afternoon, damnit," he growled. "I hired you to do this job. Do it." * * * He hesitated before looking over his shoulder and speaking to someone standing outside. "He'll see you now, Miss." The door opened wider and a young woman stepped in, her heels clicking against the floor. Her skirt matched her lipstick, the cut of the outfit tastefully hugging her stature. Her blouse was a clean white, matching the symmetric cut of her white hair. A pencil was tucked behind her ear and she peered at him with sharp grey eyes over her cateye glasses, one eyebrow already raised critically. "Hello," she said, her voice low and smooth like red wine. She folded her hands primly in front of her, considering him for a moment. * * * He didn't seem to notice, but he was standing in the doorway to the roof, muttering to himself. "God, I need a new one," he said with a small sigh. He unfolded his easel, considering the cityscape in front of him with a frown. * * * She turned her head to look at him, her brows furrowing in surprise as she watched him. "Oh. Yes, please. I'm sending flowers to an employee of mine who... well... they've had a rough go of it lately..."
After sending her message, she put her phone back into back, looking down momentarily. She didn't quite see the tall man in front of her in time. *** He tapped his pen on his desk in thought as he observed her for a moment. He clicked his tongue, looking back down at his paper for a moment before standing up and holding out his hand for handshake. "Levanin Audra. And you are?" *** She frowned, waiting quietly and a bit nervously. She said nothing. *** He brightened, looking around the shop. "Oh, you've come to the right place. I think something warm would be quite cheerful. Yellow and orange and red, maybe, with a touch of green." As he spoke, he picked out the flowers, putting them together.
They ran into each other, splashing coffee all across Gideon's shirt. He paused, looking down at himself. * * * She glanced down at his hand for a moment before reaching out, shaking it. She had a ring on her finger, although it was thin and small, not nearly luxurious enough to be a wedding ring. "Rebecca James," she replied, studying him thoughtfully. "But I just go by Beck." * * * He began to paint, first laying down layers that illustrated the perfect blue sky that held itself above the skyline. * * * She hesitated, pursing her lips. "Warm... might not be the best. When I say they've had a bad time lately, I mean a really bad time."
Veronica's eyes widened and she went into a quick panic, waving her hands instinctively. "Ah! I'm so sorry, sir!" She looked around in her bag, pulling out tissues as she did anything but make eye contact. "Maybe these will help clean it up? I should have been watching where I was going.." *** He gave a nod, returning to his desk. "Beck," he replied, his voice casual. "Glad to have you." *** She paused, watching him paint thoughtfully. She moved out a bit more to gather a better view, knocking over a spray can with her foot accidentally. *** He frowned, looking over with a flower in hand. "How do you mean?"
"Yes, you should have," he replied stiffly, looking down at himself with an irritated sigh. "Now, not only have you ruined my shirt, but you have spilled my coffee." * * * "Mr. Audra," she replied with a small nod, her scarlet lips pursing lightly as she said his name. Ed spoke up, standing in the doorway nervously. "I'll, uh... get started on her training and her paperwork, Mr. Audra." * * * He snapped out of his trance, turning to look at her curiously and tucking his paintbrush behind his ear. "Hello?" * * * She hemmed and hawed for a second before sighing. "He's had a bad week. I fired his last Friday, and... I mean, his wife died on Monday, and he got evicted from his house yesterday... it's just been a lot."
She took a slow breath, obviously terribly embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you? I.. I can give you some money for coffee?" *** Levy gave a nod, waving his hand slightly as he turned back to his computer. "Yes, that works. Thank you, Ed." *** Mari stared at the can in betrayal before looking up at Ben and stepping out. "Hi.." *** He faltered for a moment, looking back at the flowers. "Maybe yellow and blue, then.."
His gaze shifted to her, his eyes smoldering as he considered her. "No," he replied icily. "No, I think that will be quite unnecessary." * * * He cleared his throat, gesturing to Beck. Beck paused, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she considered Ed. The little man began to sweat slightly, watching Beck as if trying to decide what her intention was. After a moment, she walked across the room, through the open door and towards her desk. Ed watched her go before shaking his head. "Jesus." * * * He tilted his head curiously, his face calm, if not a little confused. "Hello," he said, glancing down at the can of spray paint that was rolling towards him. He leaned down, picking it up and offering it to her. "I think this is yours?" * * * She laughed. Her laughter was a surprise; she was dressed in quite an official attire, but her laugh was sweet and youthful. "A mere color change can be that indicative of a change of emotion, huh?"
She waved her hands slightly, not looking into his eyes. "I'm so sorry." *** Levy looked up, raising an eyebrow at Ed. "What? Are you afraid?" *** She hesitated, stepping toward him and taking it, stuffing it into her bag with a frown. "Yes. Thank you.." *** He looked at her with a bit of surprise, a small smile crossing his face. "It might.. Do those colors sound good to you?"
He squinted before moving past her, continuing on his way. "Yeah, I'm still here," she would hear him mutter. "I just literally was knocking into by some kid who doesn't know what she's doing." * * * Ed laughed out loud, mopping his head with a handkerchief. "Of her? Please... she better be scared of me before the night is over." * * * He tilted his head curiously, wiping the paint on his pants. "Do you create art?" * * * She shrugged helplessly. "Honestly, I barely know the guy's name, let alone whether or not he likes those colors."
She said nothing, watching him go before continuing on with a frown, maybe a little less excited as before. *** Levy frowned, squinting at Ed. "Just do your job. Nothing more." *** She seemed embarrassed, looking down. "I do. You do too, I can see." *** He nodded slowly, taking a few more flowers. "Blue and yellow it is."
(Zoop?) * * * His face fell and he cleared his throat before nodding. "Yes, sir." * * * He glanced over his shoulder at his painting before looking over at her sheepishly. "Yeah, a little. I feel like you don't come to this city unless you have dreams." * * * She nodded, pursing her lips. "I had never been here, before," she said, looking around. "How long have you been here?"
(Yoop!) *** He watched him carefully before turning back to his work without another word. *** She nodded slowly, tilting her head. "That's a good way to put it." *** "A few years," he replied easily, putting the flowers together. "It's nice."
Gideon was at his desk, standing over it with both hands placed flat on the surface, squinting down at a document. * * * Ed left the room, returning to the assistant's desk. The wall of Levanin's office was made of glass and he could see Beck looking up when Ed approached, one brow raising thoughtfully, looking at him over her glasses. * * * He looked down at her spray cans before looking back up at her. "Can I see your work?" * * * "It is," she agreed, looking around. "There's nice lighting in here."
Veronica was walking to an office building, a small frown on her face as she went. *** Levanin watched through the window. He was mostly looking at Ed, his gaze sharp. *** She hesitated before nodding. "Sure. Come over here." She walked around to the backside of the building, looking at the wall. Upon it was a bright and vivid mural of a scarlet macaw, its wings spread wide as it soared. A few colorful feathers dropped from its wings, leaving a warm trail. *** He wrapped up the flowers and tied them together with a string. "I suppose that's important for a flower shop."
Gideon was holding a file in his hand, squinting at it with his coffee in his other hand. He had a clean white shirt on, although his tie was slightly loosened, suggesting that he had changed hurriedly. *** He gestured to the computer, speaking quickly, and laughed loudly. Beck didn’t laugh, her gaze flickering over to the computer before she reached out, tapping a few buttons on the side of the screen. As Levanin watched, the screen lost the fuzziness it had held for months and brightened. She reached out and straightened the screen primly before looking back up at Ed. *** He looked delighted, his entire face brightening. “You have a gift,” he marveled appreciatively, his eyes tracing over the wings. *** “It certainly doesn’t hurt,” she agreed with a small nod. “How much do I owe you?”
She eventually made it to the building, navigating her way around until hesitantly knocking on the door. *** He pursed his lips before looking back down at his work and continuing. *** She gave him a small smile. "Thank you. That's very kind." *** He gave her the flowers, looking down at them. "Just $6 for one of this size."
He studied the files, leaning against his desk, but glanced up slightly. “Come in.” *** (Zoop?) *** He looked over at her, smiling widely. “You made it so intricate. Do you own birds?” *** “Seriously?” she asked, offering him her debit card. “You could be charging so much more.”
