Forget Me Not || Antonio [Complete]

[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Elizaveta was a completely different person when she was away from work. Elizaveta knew this well. She had long come to ignore it, but she knew very well that she almost completely switched personas around different people. Harsh, cruel Elizaveta became charismatic, charming Elizaveta in the blink of an eye. The uniform was traded for the fancy party gown. The change was hardly noticeable now, just an automatic response to the situation. Sometimes Elizaveta felt completely torn. She wasn't really sure exactly who she was anymore, going back and forth so often. She didn't really fit into either of the versions of Elizaveta and it was tiring to decide exactly who she was. Maybe someday, Elizaveta would consider the deep and meaningful psychology behind the whole thing, but right now, she didn't really care. If though, Elizaveta had to choose exactly who she was, she supposed the flower shop was a good place to start. It was just a small shop, unimportant to most of the world. But Elizaveta had spent many hours in the shop. Here, no one really cared who she was, guard or Governor's daughter. Nadya, the shop owner, had become more of a mother to Elizaveta than her own mother. Hours and hours of Elizaveta talking to the older woman, snipping the stems, matching bouquets. Elizaveta loved Nadya in a way she had never loved her mother. She didn't want Nadya to know who she was, because she feared that Nadya would shut her out and her opinion of Elizaveta would change. In a way, she wanted to fit into the image of the person she was for Nadya. Elizaveta had always had a thing about upholding a certain image for certain people. But the bond that she had shared with the woman had been more genuine, more true than 95% of the other relationships Elizaveta had held in her life. She had simply liked the woman and she was pretty certain that Nadya had liked her too. The flower shop had come to define a large part of Elizaveta's life, with the time she spent talking with Nadya. As she grew older, the flower shop became a form of escape. It became a source of her rebellion against her mother, spending time in a little flower shop. Of course, she never said so, though Nadya may have figured it out anyways. Elizaveta had (guiltily) not been down to the flower shop for almost two months now. With so much work, there was no time to drop by and pick out flowers she'd like to buy. Not that Elizaveta really went for the flowers anymore. She really went more for the company, which Elizaveta needed. On a relatively sunny afternoon, Elizaveta walked down the streets quietly. It was nice, being normal and average. She was dressed warmly and snugly, meant to blend in instead of stand out. Today it didn't even seem that cold. It felt like a good day. Elizaveta walked into the shop happily. She had missed Nadya, particularly in the past few weeks. She wondered how the woman had been doing. Had she found anyone to help her out in her shop yet? That was what she and Elizaveta had talked about last. Not that Elizaveta really knew anyone who would be able to help, but it'd been nice to pretend she did. Elizaveta hummed a little as she held a small package in her hands. A belated Christmas gift. Very late, since Christmas had been over a month ago, but it was the thought that counted, right? Elizaveta didn't really give Christmas gifts. The guards had their own little thing going for Christmases but Elizaveta wasn't part of that. And while Elizaveta did regularly attend her mother's Christmas parties, there wasn't much gift giving. Well, at least real gift-giving. More of showing off who had money. This was something Elizaveta had made. Elizaveta wasn't particularly good at making things (she'd never really been taught), but buying some cheap knockoff from a store seemed all too fake for someone Elizaveta liked as much as Nadya. It'd taken her hours, but she'd finally made something that she'd be happy to present to the old woman. Elizaveta pushed open the door to the flower shop, a familiar bell ringing, announcing her arrival. "Nadya," Elizaveta called, a warm smile on her face, "I came to—" Elizaveta froze as the door shut itself behind her. There was something a little different about the shop today. It was not something Elizaveta would usually notice, but...it certainly wasn't normal. She couldn't even pinpoint exactly why things felt different. "Nadya?" Elizaveta called cautiously. "Are you here?"

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

At the second floor of the building, a man stopped in his actions. Antonio straightened up from his position of bending over the floor, sanding a replaced board. Had he heard something? Maybe he should have just put the sign to closed as opposed to leaving it as open, thinking either no one would come while he did a few small things in the apartment. But… it had been a rather quiet day, pair of days. So…

Just as he was about to return to what he was doing he had the voice again. Yeah, there was definitely someone downstairs. “Coming! Just one minute!” He called, standing now to wipe at his pant legs. Sanding did tend to make dust accumulate on your clothes. Not that he ever tried to look all that professional at this job, but one could be one the positive side of relatively presentable at least.

He was already down the stairs when he realized that the person was calling for Nadya. Ah, one of the older customers that hadn’t come in since Antonio had reopened. He wondered if it would be one of the regulars that the woman had told him about before her leaving, a hand full worth naming and summarizing to them for a variety of reasons. He had had a level of curiosity not only by them being worth naming, but also by the way she described some.

The moment he opened the door into the shop a greeting was on Antonio’s tongue. “Sorry, I was doing some work upstairs.” Once he took in who he was talking to, he paused. A younger woman with longer brown hair, knew Nadya well enough to call her by name… of the given list of regular customers, taking off the ones that had already come- “Miss Elizaveta?” Antonio finally said, smiling in his question. Both at his ability to remember and connecting the name to someone he had been supremely curious about.

“Mrs. Nadya said you would come in some time.” He laughed lightly, explaining the obvious question of just how he would know her. There was very little to allude to him being local that could have simply seen her about. Although from the bit he had been told by Nadya, how close she and Eliza had become, he felt he would have enjoyed getting to know the woman himself had that been the case.

The man nodded to the counter, moving over to shift a stool from behind it to the front, then sitting own behind the register himself. He smiled when he looked at her and leaned back a bit in his seat. “My name’s Antonio Carriedo. Please, sit.” At that he straightens once more and bends a bit to riffle through the shelves set in the back of the front counter. Now where had he put that-he was sure he’d left it somewhere in the counter so he could find it right away when she came in. But there were too many… oh! Right! He’d put it in the little nook in the register, so he’d see it every time someone made a purchase. Smiling, he opened the drawer and slipped out a folded piece of paper. He held it out, “she left this for you.”

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[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Elizaveta heard a commotion upstairs. Was that Nadya? She looked upwards curiously. It didn't really sound like the woman... "Coming! Just one minute!" That...was definitely not Nadya. It was a male voice...did she have someone over? Elizaveta would be very shocked if she did. How could Nadya not have told her? ...Or maybe her son? No, she didn't have a son, just a daughter, then... A man with messy brown hair came down from the stairs. He was way too young to be a son and probably not a visitor... Elizaveta's mind swirled with confusion. He looked like he'd been doing some work upstairs, with dusty pant legs and wearing a casual shirt. Maybe a mechanic then, but then why would he be answering for the flower shop? Other possibilities were starting to take form in Elizaveta's mind, but it was still very hazy and she was still very much confused. The man paused, before he spoke again. "Miss Elizaveta?" Elizaveta blinked. How did he know her name? Where was Nadya? "Mrs. Nadya said you would come in some time." Was Nadya not here anymore? Elizaveta's heart sank a little. She was so late... Maybe Nadya was taking some time off. That was good for the woman, but Elizaveta couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed. The man's light laughter shook Elizaveta out of her stupor. "My name's Antonio Carriedo," the man began to explain. Elizaveta allowed herself another moment to really take in his appearance again. He seemed very much a foreigner, with tanned skin and green eyes that seemed rather out of place. Antonio crossed over to the counter where Nadya usually was and brought out a stool for Elizaveta before sitting down himself. "Please, sit." Elizaveta made her way over silently, still a little suspicious and a little wary. Doubts and questions were beginning to surface to her mind now. What if Nadya had—no, Antonio had said Nadya expected her to drop by. Maybe she had moved? Elizaveta felt her heart sink. She should've come last month to visit...how could she have been so dreadfully neglectful? Or maybe Nadya was just out, maybe... Elizaveta sat down on the stool across from Antonio. Antonio looked for something for a moment before taking out a piece of folded paper. "She left this for you." Elizaveta took it from him and opened it quietly. My dearest, I hope that this letter finds you well. Remember how I talked to you about finding someone to help me in the shop? Well, darling, I really wanted to find someone to take over the entire shop. It has been a little tiring for me over these past few months though I didn't tell you. I'm sorry about that...I didn't want to worry you and I knew how hard you were working these past few months. I decided that I really wanted to retire and move in with my daughter. It's really good fortune that I came across this man. This lovely man just moved into the country a little while ago. His name's Antonio Carriedo and he comes from Spain. He's decently knowledgeable about flowers but you might need to help him out with that. I'm sure you remember everything that I taught you? Please, do be kind to him and help him out in the shop when he needs it. I've written my address here and please do visit when you get the chance. Love, Nadya Below was scribbled Nadya's address. Elizaveta read the letter silently. She couldn't help but feel a little abandoned, but it was mostly her fault. She should've been there to help Nadya with moving out and everything... When she was done, Elizaveta raised her eyes to meet Antonio's. "So..." she said carefully, "you're Antonio, huh..." She surveyed him carefully. So this was the man who was taking over Nadya's shop. He was doing alright, she supposed, but he would really have to study up a little bit to care for the flowers the way Nadya had. Elizaveta straightened, tucking Nadya's letter into her pocket. "I'm Elizaveta," she said, offering her hand. "As you already know." She gave him a small smile. "How'd you and Nadya meet? She doesn't mention it in her letter," Elizaveta said, gesturing at the paper.

words 713 tags #Antonio F. Carriedo notes The font colors look so similar ahhh.

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

The woman was silent, rather unreadable as her eyes moved across the note. From the situation and the little information he had been specifically told Antonio could gather that the two were close, and for reasons that Nadya wasn't at all bitter about Elizaveta had not come in recently for her to tell her of her inevitable move. It wasn't even until now that she had learned of this, having come in expecting to see her friend as she always had. Even with what could have been a package, a gift, an apology, something to eat together, something of the sort planned for Nadya. That kind of shock could leave someone reeling for a bit. Antonio didn't feel much need to question her about it for that reason, and quietly shifted back the things he had moved around beneath the counter in trying to find the given letter.

When he heard the slow voice, Antonio straightened, looked up again. Apparently even he had been mentioned to an extent in the note. Elizaveta looked him over shortly and spoke as if that were the case. There was a bit of curiosity if it were a positive or a negative sort of judging towards him. There was some evidence against the latter, at least, by her proper introduction, smile, and offering of her hand. He gladly shook it with his own happy smile. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Elizaveta."

Ah, he had been mentioned. Good guess there. Antonio nodded, resting his elbow on the counter in a comfortable sort of friendly conversation position. He gestured toward the door, "well, I was exploring the area when I say a sign about a going out of business sale over the door. I've liked flowers all my life and done some work with them, and I was out to try and get a feel for where I was moving anyway. So I came in, just to see what kind of shop it was." He laughed a bit at the memory. "I got to talking with Mrs. Nadya. She asked why I was moving here, I asked why she was closing. Really before I knew it she was suggesting, since I still hadn't found a place to live and my other job isn't especially time consuming all the time, that I buy the shop and rooms above from her." Between him being the talker and friendly person that he was, and what he could gather a similar sort of personality from the elder women, it wasn't too out of the ordinary to think they would hit it off and talk a lot quickly. But even then, after your first meeting offering to sell your home and life's work to a stranger... even the naive optimist in Antonio still couldn't believe that.

"It wasn't right away, of course. I came in and talked for a few more days after that before she really started getting everything set. We had coffee and lunch together. She's even already called a few times to see if I'm taking care of everything right," again he laughed, shook his head at the memory.

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[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Antonio seemed nice enough. Granted, he wasn't really Nadya, but no one really was. There was a cheerful air to him, accompanied by that smile. Immediately, he struck Elizaveta as the sort of person who was always smiling. Elizaveta wasn't sure if she liked that or not. He shook her hand before he started talking about how he and Nadya met. Leaning forwards, Antonio rested his head on his hand, chatting easily. It was surprising, how quickly he seemed to accept Elizaveta's presence and feel comfortable with it. Antonio seemed to be the opposite of most of the politicians that Elizaveta had come across, an honest man. Elizaveta decided she liked that. Apparently, Nadya had liked that as well. Antonio described entering the shop out of curiosity and a love of flowers. They'd quickly come to trust each other, to the point where Nadya was willing to give over her shop (which for Nadya, had been a very dear and important part of her life) to Antonio. Elizaveta was shocked and more than a little surprised. Nadya was much more trusting than Elizaveta, that was for certain, but she'd hardly expected the woman to just sell Antonio her shop and the rooms above. If Nadya could trust Antonio after only a few minutes of meeting him, Elizaveta didn't see why she couldn't. "It wasn't right away, of course." Oh, thank goodness, at least Nadya hadn't just completely given her shop away to a stranger. Not that Elizaveta thought that Antonio would do anything bad with the shop, but Elizaveta simply couldn't imagine just handing off such a great part of her life to someone she'd only met moments before. "We had coffee and lunch together. She's even called a few times to see if I'm taking care of things alright." Antonio laughed at the notion, shaking his head at the memory. Elizaveta caught herself smiling genuinely as well. Antonio's cheerfulness was contagious. What the other guards at the Underground would give to see this. Elizaveta relaxed in Antonio's presence. If nothing, he certainly brought his cheerfulness into the shop. People might even buy his flowers simply because he was so easy to talk to. It looked like the shop was in good hands. Though... "Another job?" Elizaveta asked, both out of curiosity and a little out of worry. "What else do you do, Antonio?" She tucked Nadya's letter away into her pocket for safekeeping. Antonio didn't look like he was from around here. With that tanned skin, he looked rather out of place in Russia. There wasn't always enough sun to go around. "Why did you come to Archadia?" Elizaveta questioned. "I'm assuming—and do correct me if I'm wrong—that you're not from around here."

words 456 tags #Antonio F. Carriedo notes Not the greatest post and really short and late, I'm sorry. orz

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

While Antonio more than understood that there could be lingering confusion and disillusionment in such a situation, coming in expecting someone you hadn’t seen in a while and finding they had moved in your absence to be replaced by a complete stranger, he was glad to see there was some relaxing in the character of Elizaveta as he talked. It made him smile somewhat. From the way Nadya had talked of her he’d hoped he could get to know Elizaveta himself, both personally and for the benefit of the shop, finding how things were done in it and in its relation to the area. It would be a lie to say that Nadya hadn’t subtlety made it known that she hoped they would get along as well.

And Antonio certainly didn’t mind! So far Elizaveta seemed polite, if a bit reserved in that regard. Although that could certainly be attributed to her shock and puzzlement about everything. It could be gathered that she knew at least something about flowers to have befriended Nadya and be around the shop so much. And, naïve and optimistic as he was, Antonio figured there were more positives to Elizaveta to further help a chance of friendship between them!

As she tucked away the letter Elizaveta asked about his other job. Perhaps out of curiosity, perhaps out of worry for if that meant he couldn’t allot time to the shop and keep proper care of it. With the following questions Antonio laughed, nodded. “Well the answers are pretty related, you see, so this works out well.” Casual as ever, he started right back up at talking at length. He didn’t much have an issue with talking a lot or thinking he was leading a conversation, and was more than happy to be open and sharing with most things related to himself. Most things.

“I don’t quite fit into the norm around here, huh? I’ve gotten that a lot already, asking if I really am from here, haha. I’m from Spain, actually. My family has a company based there, produce and wine and things. I work as a sales representative for the company. You know, finding buyers in foreign markets, keeping up good relations with them, that sort of thing. We just started expanding more in this area in wine sales, and I was asked to stick around for a while to make sure those connections stay strong through that new period once I was able to establish them. And thing is, with sales, once you get through having things set up, you mostly just have to have occasional meetings and dinners. So, aside from all that, I have a fair bit of free time. I wasn’t actively looking for another job, but I don’t think it’ll be too much of a stretch. I may have to hire an assistant or something but, other than that,” he shrugged. It didn’t so much occur to him that maybe Elizaveta didn’t need that much of an explanation. Just saying he was a sales rep with a lot of free time would have sufficed, but, Antonio was of the friendly, talkative sort.

Words: 523

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[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Antonio's laugh was a little startling, to be honest. It was very...down-to-earth. Genuine. Real. Once again, Elizaveta wondered if this was what Nadya had seen in him as well. He was very different from the people Elizaveta normally hung around. Elizaveta could hardly imagine Antonio as a manipulative person who either fit into the political scheme or the Underground. He seemed too happy for all of that. The Underground...had he visited it? For some reason his name was familiar. Elizaveta hadn't really thought of it before. She kept a record of the visitors to the Underground. Well, not her, but one of her assistants did, double checking everyone who entered the holding cells. She'd glanced at the list last week. Had he been on it? Or was Elizaveta just overthinking again? It didn't really matter. Though Elizaveta was curious as to why... Antonio talked easily as he began to explain where he was from. Spain, apparently. Elizaveta had never visited the country personally. It seemed to fit what she'd heard about those from there though. If Antonio was anything to go off of, most people seemed pretty cheerful. That would be...so different. Of course, every country and every city had their share of good and bad, manipulative and down to earth, but here the balance seemed to be skewed. Or perhaps it was just the sort of company that Elizaveta tended to surround herself with. Talking of Spain reminded Elizaveta of Hungary. She'd only been there for one summer, yet it was much more like home than Russia had ever been. She'd heard rumors her father had been from Hungary, perhaps that was why she felt a strange attachment to the country. A company? Elizaveta blinked. Even if Antonio was just a sales rep, he must be fairly rich, fairly involved. Elizaveta wondered if he'd ever attended one of the many political parties that Elizaveta had gone to. Perhaps. Another obvious question popped to Elizaveta's mind. Why in the world would he take on a small flower shop? Elizaveta wasn't sure if she was amazed or suspicious. Perhaps both. She was a little overprotective of the shop, yes. It had been her getaway for years after all. Antonio had said that he simply liked flowers. Elizaveta would hope that was true. She didn't trust easily, but Antonio honestly just seemed...good. “Wow.” Elizaveta nodded as Antonio concluded by saying that at most, he'd hire an assistant. “You sound like you've had an exciting life. Spain sounds like a beautiful place to live.” She smiled. “Really can't imagine why you'd agree to come to Russia after that, but I guess this will just be another challenge for you, won't it? “So...” Elizaveta turned and looked around the shop. “Do you have any plans as to what you're gonna do with the shop?” Antonio must not have been here long—the shop looked just about the same as how Nadya had it set up. Elizaveta wondered if he was going to change it much. Elizaveta wasn't wholly against change, but she did hope that Antonio would keep a little of the essence of what Nadya's shop had been. Not that it was her position to say—it was his shop now. “How much work have you done with flowers anyways?” Elizaveta asked, standing up and examining some of the flowers that Antonio had set out. Elizaveta wondered if Nadya had left him some information to get started. How long had it been since the woman moved out?

words 582 tags #Antonio F. Carriedo notes Ugh, forgive me for the quality.

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

The polite sort of way that Elizaveta held herself, nodding to his words without interrupting, and her manner of speaking, gave off a rather polite sort of air. It could very easily be a self-made kind of self respect, or it could be related to work and/or an upbringing with a lot of importance placed on etiquette. Whatever it was, Antonio noted it somewhere in the back of his head. If it weren’t for his laid back personality the rich heir in him might have felt as if he had to answer with his own proper manners. However, between his temperament and the amount of time he had spent outside of such circles besides that of meetings, he didn’t feel much of an expectation or worry to do so.

Any mention of his homeland made Antonio grin. Spain certainly was a beautiful place. He believed in the notion of home being where the heart is, that you can be comfortable wherever you are if you make it so, but he did still feel as if his roots were back in the sun and the warmth of Spain. Which begged the question as to why he would ever leave it. That just made him laugh again. “Absence makes the head grow fonder, right? Or was it the heart?” He shrugged it off with another laugh, appearing quite at ease. “I do enjoy travelling though, plus it’s sort of in my work requirements.”

“Although, I will admit,” he snorted, “I never thought I’d be sent to Russia of all places.” Far be it from him to call himself a world traveler, but Antonio had visited quite a number of assorted places in his lifetime. Whether it be in his time following his schooling or the later years of work he had moved around the globe in search of markets and such things. Most of his time had been spent in varying points of the southern hemisphere during his prior travels, while his work kept him mostly in western and central Europe, if not some bits in the US. He honestly didn’t think he’d been much further north than – perhaps Poland before now. And now here he was, the very picture of a sun bathed Mediterranean man to the bone, living above a little flower shop in Russia.

A flower shop that, quite frankly, Antonio saw no need to change. He looked around the shop himself when he spoke next. “I’m not sure I have the heart to do something to drastically change a place as warm as this, that meant so much to Nadya, especially after she let me have her joy out of the goodness of her heart.” Antonio’s smile then was a bit softer, lessening in the excitable into something a bit more heartfelt. “Even without that, though, I really don’t see anything I would want to change. This shop may be home-y, but it’s also very sensible and efficient. The most someone like me could hope to do is make whatever repairs need to be done as they come up.”

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[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Antonio laughed as he talked about Spain, chattering on easily. He seemed to laugh a lot, something that Elizaveta couldn't help but wonder at. It wasn't that she couldn't laugh, but she found genuine laughter hard to come by. Most of the time, she only laughed as a means of keeping up appearances at parties, pretending to enjoy herself. Even smiles didn't come that easily to Elizaveta, though that seemed different right now. Perhaps it was because she was so used to sitting here in the flower shop and talking or perhaps it was because Antonio just had that sort of air about him. Antonio snorted a little as he started talking about being sent to Russia. Elizaveta listened silently. She would never have pinned that on him either. He seemed too bright and cheerful to be in Russia, or perhaps that was simply her cynical side coming into play. ...She really had been spending too much time in the Underground, hadn't she? Elizaveta briefly thought of leaving. It wouldn't be too difficult to... No, that was a fool's dream. It was when the topic shifted back towards the flower shop that Elizaveta began to concentrate on what Antonio was saying again. “I’m not sure I have the heart to do something to drastically change a place as warm as this, that meant so much to Nadya, especially after she let me have her joy out of the goodness of her heart.” Antonio's voice was softer than before as he spoke, as if he truly meant what he was saying. It was different from how he'd talked about his home, something that Elizaveta appreciated.  “Even without that, though, I really don’t see anything I would want to change. This shop may be home-y, but it’s also very sensible and efficient. The most someone like me could hope to do is make whatever repairs need to be done as they come up.” "That sounds reasonable," Elizaveta said, nodding in agreement. Subconsciously, the smile on her face grew wider. Secretly, she was glad that things weren't about to change too much as Antonio came. Indeed, it seemed rather like things would be the same as they had always been. They were looking a lot brighter than things had seemed when she'd first entered the shop. She'd visit Nadya at the address but the flower shop was still here and had passed into good hands. It seemed like everything was going to be good and perhaps better. Nadya had been tired, after all. Running a shop at her age by herself was difficult. "Anyways, Antonio," Elizaveta said, standing to her feet, "I don't think I want to waste anymore of your time. I'm sure that since you just moved in you've got a lot of work to do and things to clean up. I'll leave in a moment, but before I do, I need a few flowers for myself." She touched the flower in her hair briefly. "I'm not sure if you've started getting new shipments for flowers yet—I can help you with that if you need me to—but I'd like to take a look at what flowers you've got right now."

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

Although her response was further on the side of politely vague than friendly and readable, the faint broadening of her smile put Antonio at ease. It would make sense for her, someone close to the former owner and a long time customer, to be apprehensive of change. Many people were creatures of habit that became comfortable with how things typically were in their places of ease. Changing anything they have become used to over years isn’t often met well. But honestly Antonio saw very little need to change much in terms of the shop. The most he would even do with the apartment may be repairs and a few new decoration or things as they came up.

Decorations… Well, that would be one small addition. He rested his elbow on the counter and his chin in his palm once more. He still had the rose that Gilbert had given him, a beautiful ice creation of a flower suspended in a clear globe of ice. It was currently safely stored along with the cute animals sphere while he tried to figure the best way to go about placing it in the shop. Maybe he could build a little class case with a cooling system underneath and have it on the front counter, or a small little pedestal elsewhere… Yeah, he needed to get on that. Maybe once he was finished with the floors in the apartment…

Hearing his name, Antonio’s head rose up a little in sudden attention. He blinked shortly to register the words of the woman now that he’d been pulled from his short reverie of thought. The flower in her hair had been noted, and with the gesture toward it he remembered. Right, Nadya had said she often came round to purchase flowers that she used for pins in her hair, hadn’t she?

Antonio smiled and stood, waving off the concept of wasting his time. In his mind, getting to know others could never be a waste of time. That was what life was about! “I’ve only had one new shipment since reopening, and I’m still working through getting in contact with other suppliers. It’s still the same people and the same shop, but, it’s always nice to talk with the people yourself.” He said, coming up to a grouping of winter flowers that he tilted his head at before gesturing towards.

“There’s some nice Hellebore here, of if you want something softer there’s Winter Jasmine and Glory of the Snow.” He gently fingered the underside of the delicate blue petals before he brightened, “there’s a few Kaffir Lily’s left too,” he said in catching the splash of red-orange amongst the rest. The brightness of Kaffir’s always made him grin.

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[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Antonio stood to his feet, waving his hand in dismissal when Elizaveta mentioned wasting his time, a cheerful grin on his face. He was so warm, in a way that Elizaveta had never really been, welcoming in a way that Elizaveta could never be. It reminded her a great deal of Nadya, who had often chided her on the very subject. "Don't chase away your friends, my dear," Nadya scolded in Russian as she rearranged the pink gerbera daisies. "You need to open up! You're not a child anymore and friends, my darling, will be what carry you through life." "I don't need friends," Elizaveta said stubbornly as she adjusted the clip on the purple orchids. "They only care about my mother and in the end they always leave...or change." Elizaveta was surprised when Nadya reached over and tucked a white lily behind Elizaveta's ear. "Elizaveta...I am your friend. And I will be here, not because I care about your mother, but because I care about you. And there are other people like me who will too." Elizaveta didn't respond and Nadya drew her into a hug. Elizaveta's arms wrapped around the older woman, her chin resting on Nadya's shoulder. Nadya was more of a mother than the Governor would ever be. "Thank you Nadya," Elizaveta whispered. She wouldn't cry (because Elizaveta simply didn't cry), but she felt like she wanted to. "But there's no one like you." Elizaveta thought of the conversation now, talking to Antonio. He wasn't Nadya...but he reminded her so much of Nadya in a way. And she was glad, suddenly, that Nadya had chosen this complete stranger to take over her shop. Nadya had always joked about having a sixth sense about people. Antonio chatted away about shipments and Elizaveta smiled. "If you need help at all arranging that, I would be glad to help you on the side. I know them well and I've helped Nadya with business before." The offer came out unexpectedly and was rather uncharacteristic of Elizaveta, but there was something about Antonio and the atmosphere of the flower shop that made her want to stay and help. She had missed everything about this shop, missed it with every inch of herself. It was simpler here, better here than in the Underground with the fresh air and the coziness. It wasn't a prestigious job and Elizaveta had once wondered why Nadya chose to stay with something so ordinary, but now she was beginning to understand. It was a better life, in so many ways, than what Elizaveta had chosen. If she had been less proud, less rebellious, she would do the same. Antonio began naming flowers and Elizaveta took in all of them, the familiar names again drawing her back to the afternoons she spent in the flower shop, talking with Nadya. She didn't need Antonio to point them out to her, but she appreciated it anyways as she herself took them all in. "I'll take the lilies," Elizaveta decided with a smile. The red stood out in winter and they had always been among her favorite. "How much are they?" She was quiet for a moment as she began to take out her wallet. "I'm glad you took over Nadya's shop," Elizaveta said finally, smiling. "I can tell it's in good hands."

words 555 tags #Antonio F. Carriedo notes I'm sorry this took forever

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[Antonio F. Carriedo]

Now that was smile. Not so polite, so distant. There was still a veil about it, perhaps. Some people simply were more withholding of themselves than others. Such a tendency could be for any number of reasons, and Antonio had heard a few by this point in his life. Many he could rather understand to be honest. It could be just someone’s nature at heart, or be a result of past experiences. He could hold neither against someone. Despite all of this, though… He was quite happy whenever such people did give him the gift of a slightly more genuine smile. It always made him grin, feel a special sort of giddiness in his chest. Like it was filled with helium. So high and light, fluttering. This feeling only stood to grow at the understanding of her offer.

At that his grin brightened to something almost blinding. “That’s so kind of you to offer, Miss Elizaveta! If I run into anything I’m really unsure about I’ll definitely take you up on that.” Antonio more or less knew the ins and outs of different business models and how to make professional calls and orders, but every situation had its own nuances and rules. A flower shop and its providers was no doubt quite different than the sorts of things he was trained for during his school years. He wasn’t often one to turn down good offered help. It made for an easy way to get to know someone and talk!

“Kaffirs it is.” Taking up the bunch, Antonio moved back to the counter to wrap and back them at the table just behind the cash register. While he had been around flowers a fair portion of his life, selling flowers was a bit different. It had taken him some time to even get the whole wrapping process right. It probably would take him a bit more to get it done skillfully in a matter of seconds like the pros. Hopefully he would be able to get a hang of it before the shop became too busy. It wasn’t good to hold up customers! At least he was a bit better with prices, answering Elizaveta’s question about the price with more ease. Oddly enough to those that may know him, he had an easy enough time with memorizing numbers. He’d had to develop a knack for it with his tutoring for the life of a businessman.

When he turned he caught Eliza’s words. He stopped, blinking a little at them. He was a stranger. There was no getting around that even with his smiles and attempts to assure Eliza of his intentions for the shop. Even with Nadya’s letter, he wouldn’t have blamed Eliza for remaining suspicious. And yet, here she was. Smiling and saying such kind words. The smile Antonio gave in return was a soft, thankful sort. “That… is really wonderful to hear. Thank you,” he said, genuinely grateful. “I will certainly try to live up to your and Nadya’s expectations and kindness.”

Words: 503

Tags: Elizaveta Héderváry

made by MISSO for use only by BECCA

[Elizaveta Héderváry]

INFINITY (n.) the state of being limitless Antonio never seemed to tire of smiling. Never. Elizaveta wondered how that was possible for a person to never be tired of smiling. Not that she grew tired of smiling, per se, but somewhere along the line, it had become so much harder to do so. Supposedly it took more muscles to smile than frown...but it took absolutely no effort to do neither. Still, Antonio's good cheer was infectious to a degree, and his warm atmosphere seemed to bring new life to the flower shop. He was different from Nadya. Nadya was like a warm fire on a winter day, Antonio was more like the sun. But that was alright. Eilzaveta could live with that. Antonio wasn't too prideful either, judging by the gratitude with which he accepted Elizaveta's offer of help. That was good. Elizaveta would have viewed him negatively if he tried to brush it off or say that he would figure it out. Certain guard were prideful and it rarely ever worked out for them in the end. Always, they would screw up, and it had always been Elizaveta's job to reinforce that in their minds. Elizaveta was prideful too, but at least she could generally admit when she needed help. It seemed like Antonio could as well. That would certainly help him in the long run. He wrapped up the kaffirs for her nicely. Not quite as rhythmic and practiced as Nadya, but surprisingly well and fast considering that Antonio had never owned a flower shop before in his life. Elizaveta wondered who else had been in here before her and how the flower shop itself was doing. Nadya had been well known for her warm presence and the easy manner in which she talked to people. She'd been here for so long that few people remembered a shop without her. It seemed though that Antonio was the right person to step in her place. He shouldn't have too much trouble attracting people. He had the sort of personality that made you feel easy and at home immediately, something that he and Nadya shared. Elizaveta took out some money, placing it on the table and sliding it towards him before picking up the small bouquet. She lifted them up to her nose briefly, taking in their scent and smiling. They smelled like home. Exactly what 'home' was, Elizaveta wasn't sure, but she was certain that home felt like this flower shop and Nadya. And maybe Antonio in a way, since he seemed to fit in so easily to this image. "Thanks Antonio," Elizaveta smiled. "Good luck with the shop. I'll talk to Nadya at some point later this week, tell her you're doing pretty well with it." She readjusted her coat to prepare for the cold winds that were sure to be blowing outside, already missing the shop. With what was close to a cheery wave, Elizaveta pushed the door open and walked out. It was not a trip that had gone the way Elizaveta had expected or hoped, but that was okay. She still had Nadya's letter in her coat and the knowledge that Antonio would do fine with the shop made it a little easier. Antonio might be a stranger, but perhaps he was the best stranger that Nadya could have chosen.

words 549 tags #Antonio F. Carriedo notes Not really sure there's much left to reply to for this, so I think I'm just gonna mark it as complete if that's okay with you. uwu

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