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"Uh-oh," Bea gulped as she saw a certain thief down the street though the segmented glass windows of the Biodome. She stared at Belle, fear rising at the possibility of being alone with the Goldarm leader. Maybe she was just passing by the place on her way to somewhere else? Perhaps she was going to meet up with Sam, or Byron, or...
Nope, Belle swung open the door to the entrance of her and Rosa's home/shop/workplace.
"Hey, how's it goin'?" she greeted as she walked up to the counter Bea stood at.
"Mmmh," she said, looking down at her phone on the desk. Rosa was with El Primo at his gym. Maybe she should call her? Could she get here on time?
Belle leaned an elbow on the counter. "Y'all sell houseplants, don't y'all? What about bouquets?"
Despite her anxious consideration, Bea looked up. "Sell?" she choked out.
"Yeaah." Belle grinned, "I know, I know. Unbelievable. But Valentine's Day is comin' up soon, and it'd mean a lot to Nani if I actually went and bought it."
Bea blinked. "But you're still going to buy it with stolen money?"
"Do ya usually hound customers?" Belle said, but there wasn't an ounce of annoyance in it. In fact, Bea would describe it as.. Belle feeling awkward about this?
The Gang leader chuckled. "I actually.. picked up a couple of days of work around the Park. Didn't do so hot. Hated each and ev'ry one of 'em! Eventually, I had a show with Crow and Amber, which was a hit! 'S'where I made the bulk of my budget for this. When it comes down to it, gift givin' is about the person you want to give the gift to, ain't it?"
"...!" It took Bea a second to process that notion, but she clapped her hands together and gave a squeal. "Awww! Aw, really? Belle, that's so, so thoughtful of you! I wouldn't have expected this from you at all! I mean, no offense, but you know... your reputation of a tough criminal and all.. Nani's sweetness has really influenced you~!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Belle muttered, "Don't ya go spreading that around though. This is a special occasion. For her. So don't think I'm sweet for just anybody." she said.
Bea nodded, but her small, giddy smile and blush on her face was evident that this new side to Belle was one she was definitely going to talk about to her wife, Rosa.
Belle groaned. Whatever. "So. Bouquets?"
"Oh, yes!" Bea exclaimed. "We don't sell bouquets here, but we do sell potted plants! Usually, a tour is held for visitors to learn about the plants around the Biodome, then, at the end, there's an option to buy one if they saw something in the tour that caught their interest."
"Yup. I remember. I visited once. Then that whole mutation fiasco happened." Belle said flatly.
Bea fidgeted with her hands for a second, a nervous smile on her face. "We could skip that part, since, uh.. yeah. Did you have a plant in mind that you wanted to give to Nani?"
"Prism Lilies," Belle answered. "...They're her favorite."
Bea giggled. Belle shot her a look. As professionally as she could, Bea answered, "Right! Prism Lilies! They are popular. The reflected colors are an attention grabber. Oh! I wonder if Nani can appreciate the hues even more than people, since she's a camera?" she wondered.
"She likes starin' at it, that's for sure. Twirlin' it around as she stares. She really does like colorful things. The look in her eye when we sky gaze... It's unreal." Belle said. And it's like finishing that thought out loud snapped her back to reality. "..Gods damnit. You stop that." she frowned at Bea.
"...I'll get a plant right away for you." Bea smiled. "You can wait here while I get those Prism Lilies for you!"
"Thanks," Belle grumbled as she tapped on the desk. Her demeanor would change to a more welcoming one as Bea returned with an impressive arrangement. All that law-abiding stuff would be more than worth it, as she imagined just how Nani would look upon getting this Valentine's present.
"After that, I told her the price, and she just gave me a pouch she had and told me to keep the extra. She said this was the last thing and centerpiece she needed for Nani's gift basket she was putting together, so she didn't need 'clean money' anymore." Bea explained as she sat in the cushy chair in the security room of the Biodome.
Rosa squinted at the footage. "I believe you, Hon. I don't trust her." She paid particular attention to when Bea left to dig up and transfer a plant to a pot for Belle. The outlaw stayed put at the desk. No looking around, no poking at the desk, nothing.. suspicious, as far as she could tell. Belle just stood there.
Rosa rubbed the back of her neck, sighing as she gave up looking through the security feed. "I guess she was telling the truth after all. I can't believe she's actually a sap!"
Bea giggled. "She's got a soft spot! That's all."
The owners of the Biodome laughed, and the subject quickly changed to another as they set out about their night. Spending time with Sprout, a few quick chores, and then their nightly routine. The wives settled into bed, and drifted off to sleep.
And then, a few hours into the night. there was the noise of shattering glass and a loud crash.
By the time Rosa and Bea made it to the lab floor, Belle was finishing up cutting a lovely flower, and placed it in a vase she held with an assortment of flowers.
"What are you doing?!" Bea shrieked.
"Y'all don't sell bouquets, so I took the liberty of making my own special order!" Belle mockingly smelled the flowers. "Hey, these do smell wonderful."
Rosa frowned, and she stepped forward, fists balled up. "You bloody little--"
Belle smiled as Rosa stepped into one of her tried-and-true Nest Eggs, and she quickly tucked the hand-made mixed bouquet into a backpack that she zipped from both sides to the center, to keep the top of the flowers out, but secured. Then she placed the backpack on her, and made it to the rope she used to enter. She began to climb.
The boxer glared up at Belle. Bea was pouting. "I thought you said Nani didn't like it when you stole!" She called out when Belle was about halfway up.
"I got another girlfriend, pollen puff!" Belle yelled back in reply. "And Lola loves it when I pull a heist just for her. The more dangerous, the better! I don't have a plan! Wanna call the Superhero Trio right now?" Belle laughed, swinging on the rope she was on and letting loose electric shots at random.
Even with the adrenaline rush, Belle was mostly joking-- she knew five against one was an impossible fight... but hey. Gift giving and all, right? ...It'd sure be a hell of a story.