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Every day at five, the owner of the flower shop arrives to begin opening Wanderer’s Minuet for the day. He putters around his shop, adjusting flowers in vases, pruning dying leaves, creating new arrangements to replace his displays, until 7 A.M. rolls around. Then, he props open the door to his shop with a chair (the automatic catch long since broken), places a pot of Halone Gerberas on it, and starts business for the day.
And every day, Thancred, from the window of his tattoo parlor, watches him.
Ever since he’d taken ownership of Scions Tattoo after Minfilia’s death, Thancred’s been intrigued by the enigmatic man. He’s beautiful, of course; that’s what caught Thancred’s eye in the first place. If Minfilia were around to hear that, he’s sure she would have rolled her eyes and made a joke about old dogs and new tricks. But there’s more to the man than physical beauty; there’s a way he carries himself, like he’s got the world on his shoulders and can run at full speed anyway.
It’s not for lack of trying that Thancred’s never learned the man’s name. Between the parlor and raising Ryne, he barely has time to himself, and the man only works in the mornings, when Thancred needs to be in his own shop and opening up for the day. But today, Thancred has to take Ryne to a doctor’s appointment, and has left the running of the shop to Tataru, the parlor’s most experienced artist.
Leaving Thancred’s morning free.
At precisely nine o’clock, Thancred enters the flower shop, trying to exude a casual air. He’s been in before, of course, several times, which had led the woman who ran the shop in the evenings (Valliant, she’d said her name was) to make a few off-hand jokes about a jilted lover. Thancred had laughed with her and said they were for his daughter, which was the truth after a fashion. Ryne did, after all, like having flowers around the house.
But despite his passing familiarity with the shop, Thancred still finds himself nervous. He only wants to get to know the man running the shop, not ask him out or anything. It’d be improper to ask a man out while he’s working, even if he does own the business (which was one of the things he’d slyly asked Valliant during his scouting sessions), and Thancred’s not even sure he has the time or inclination for a relationship right now. He’s just drawn to the man, in some way, and wants to find out why.
Thancred passes a display of roses, and pauses to investigate. There’s a lot of artistry in the arrangement; the designer (whom Thancred somehow knows to be the owner, without any evidence) has placed them in the vase with an eye to the gradient of the reds, and the sprays of small white flowers serve to break up and enhance the color of it. It’s absolutely stunning.
“Looking for roses?” A smooth baritone voice asks, and Thancred turns, coming eye to eye with the man he’s been watching for the last month. “I’m afraid those are all spoken for, but I have a few packs left in the cooler if you’re interested.”
“Ah, no,” Thancred says. “I was just admiring the artistry. There’s a lot of care put into your arrangements.”
The man smiles. “Thank you. Those are for a wedding tonight; I just hope the bride is as happy with them as you are.”
“I’m sure she will be.” Thancred grins. The man looks at him expectantly, and Thancred startles. “Right, flowers. Sorry. I’m looking for some for my daughter. I’ve started bringing them home weekly, and I think she expects them from me now.”
The man smiles. “That’s really sweet, though. How old is she?”
“Ten, now. She’s partial to the brighter colors. Especially purple. She’s from Norvrandt, and she likes the—”
“The elf trees?” The man nods. “I’ve been there. They’re gorgeous. You might be extremely lucky, actually; the nursery I get my cherry blossoms from imported a few elf trees last year, and they said they might be able to get a few branches for me. My delivery should be here in a few minutes, if you don’t mind waiting?”
Thancred blinks, then smiles. “That would be perfect . She’s been a bit homesick lately; she only moved in with me a few months ago, and I had to uproot her just after she’d gotten settled in Limsa. I’m Thancred, by the way. I own Scions Tattoo now.”
“I know,” the owner says, then colors. “Sorry. That sounds a bit creepy. I was friends with Minfilia before her passing, and I asked Tataru about you when you first took over. I’m sorry for your loss, by the way. Minfilia was a wonderful woman.”
“I’m glad you were looking out for her parlor,” Thancred says. “It means a lot. She was a dear friend. I didn’t catch your name, by the way…”
“Oh! I’m so sorry, I’m so rude. I’m Pike,” Pike says, sticking out his hand for Thancred to shake. His hands are small and calloused, with small scars dotting the skin of them, and the one Thancred takes into his own is warm. “I own the shop. Have you been in before?”
“A few times, though only in the evenings,” Thancred says casually. “I’m off to take Ryne, my daughter, to the doctor, and I figured I’d pick up flowers before picking her up from school.”
“That’s very sweet,” Pike replies with a smile. “Do you have anything else you’d like to include in the arrangement, or do you want to leave it up to me?”
“Artist’s choice, I should think.”
“Perfect.” Pike tilts his head, and nods. “I believe I hear my delivery. Give me one moment to check for the elf tree branches, and I can put together a simple arrangement for you. You’re welcome to stay and wait, or go get coffee or something. Should take me about half an hour, for reference.”
Thancred thinks for a moment. “Tell you what. Why don’t I get a coffee for the both of us? I really appreciate that you’d use the branches for me, I’m sure you had plans for them. What’s your poison?”
Pike smiles. “It’s fine, I didn’t have anything specific planned.”
“I insist.”
Pike sighs, but the smile stays, and his cheeks color just a bit. “Fine! I can’t turn down coffee more than once, it goes against my code. But just a simple latte! I know how expensive they can get.”
Thancred smiles. “I shall return with your drink in a moment, then.”
“Valliant, I’m going to die,” Pike whines, face down on the counter of his shop.
Valliant laughs and pats him on the shoulder, turning back to constructing her arrangement. “I’m sure you’ll live, you gay mess.”
“Weh,” Pike whines again, muffled against the glass.
Valliant rolls her eyes and places her last tulip. “He’s just a hot guy, Pike.”
“A hot guy who was nice to me .”
“Your standards are depressingly low.”
Pike laughs and raises his head to prop it up on one hand. “It’s not as if Mor Dhona is ripe with promising catches. At some point, you take what you can get.”
“Mmhmm. So what’s so special about this guy?” Valliant considers the arrangement. “This is missing something.”
Pike tilts his head. “Needs more viburnum here.” He points to an empty spot, and Valliant nods. “I don’t know, Valliant. He’s hot and nice and brought me coffee, and I haven’t noticed anyone since Haurchefant. And he was so excited about the elf tree branches! For his daughter. It was so sweet.”
“I’m aware. You’ve said so three times.” She shakes her head. “Stop undercharging for specialty pieces, by the way. You’ll bankrupt us.”
“Myself, thank you, you still haven’t bought a partnership. And it was a discount for the coffee. And the eye candy.”
Valliant wrinkles her nose and nudges him. She picks up the vase with one arm, and sets it in the delivery queue. “Print the card for this, if you’re going to hog the counter with your gay moping. Just go to the parlor and ask the man out, Pike.”
“At work ? No thank you.” Pike punches a button on the computer, takes the printed slip, and sticks the delivery address to the flowers. “Besides, he didn’t exactly flirt with me.”
“Right, because I buy coffee for every man that does his job,” Valliant says. “What’s the worst that happens? He rejects you, and you can’t stare at his ass when he walks by the parlor window anymore? Actually, you could still do that, since he can’t see you. If he’s as nice as you say, he’d at least let you down gently.”
Pike sighs. “He’s not in today. He’s taking his daughter to the doctor.”
“So ask him tomorrow.”
“But what if—”
Valliant places a hand over his mouth. “Quiet. Stop making excuses. Take the fact that you actually are interested in a man for the first time after your husband’s death, ask him out, and get over yourself.” She looks at her watch, and sighs. “Alright, I need to leave to deliver the flowers for that wedding. I swear, the one weekend Hoary is on vacation, we get a huge wedding request…”
She marches off, and Pike waves to her as she goes. He sighs to himself, and adjusts one of the lilies in Valliant’s arrangement, turning it more fully out. Then he pulls a stack of paperwork to himself and begins to fill it out.
The bells on the door, closed to keep out the cool evening air, ring as it opens and closes. Pike waves his free hand, and calls out, “I’ll be with you in a moment!” He finishes the last few lines on the form, then stands and steps away from the counter.
And, oh. It’s Thancred. With a young girl who must be his daughter, Ryne. Thancred gives him a small smile, and Ryne waves shyly. “Hello.”
“Welcome back,” Pike says to Thancred. “And welcome in. You must be Ryne?”
“Yes, sir,” Ryne says politely. Pike laughs a little.
“No need to call me sir, honey. I’m not nearly respectable enough for that. What brings you two in?”
“I wanted to thank you for the flowers,” Ryne says. “They were really beautiful. And to get another vase, because someone ,” and here she levels a glare at Thancred, “dropped them coming into the house.”
Thancred colors and looks away, and Pike laughs again. “You didn’t need to come all the way here for a vase, but since it was an accident, I think I can get you one for free. Coffee discount.”
The corner of Thancred’s mouth quirks up, and Pike grins. He leads Ryne to the wall of vases, and pulls down one nearly identical to the one Thancred apparently broke. “Where are the flowers now?”
“In a pitcher,” Ryne says. “It was the only thing tall enough.”
“How will my vases ever compete?” Pike winks at her, and she giggles. Pike wraps the vase in a few sheets of paper. “Here you are, my dear. Anything else I can get for you?”
Ryne bites her lip, then leans into whisper into Pike’s ear. “I think my dad likes you, so you could get him a date.”
Pike has to bite hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Ryne nods, and conveniently disappears to look at flowers on the other side of the store, clutching the vase tightly as Thancred moves to take it from her. He rolls his eyes, and turns back to Pike. “Thank you for this.”
“Ah, no problem. I usually replace the vases after an accident, anyway. They don’t cost that much.” Pike grins. “Your daughter is sweet.”
“She is. What did she say to you?”
Pike giggles a little before he can clamp his mouth shut. When he thinks he won’t burst into laughter, he says, “Well, she said that she thought you liked me, and that I could get a date for you.”
Thancred goes bright red. “I am so sorry. She’s very...precocious.”
“Mm.” Pike clasps his hands behind his back. “Well, if you’d like one, I’m free this Friday.”
Thancred chokes, and turns. “I, um...I don’t want you to feel obligated—”
“Yeah, no, don’t worry about that,” Pike says. “I was actually planning on asking you out. But if you’d rather not, I’m happy to just be the guy who makes pretty flowers for your daughter every once in a while.”
Thancred sighs. “I would really like to. I would really, really like to.”
“I sense a but coming.”
“ But , I am incredibly busy. I can’t say that I’d have a lot of time to dedicate to a relationship right now.”
Pike shrugs. “My husband died a year ago.” Thancred blinks, and looks ready to say something, so Pike holds up a hand to stop him. “I’m not ready to jump into a relationship right away, either. But I would like to get to know you better, Thancred. You seem like a nice guy. We can just go out a few times for drinks, or coffee, or whatever, and see where that takes us. I don’t need commitment from a guy I just met.”
“Then...I’d really like to take you out on Friday. For lunch? Around noon?”
Pike smiles, bright and shiny. “Sounds perfect.”