"Aww, honey, they're lovely," Erato said, taking the bouquet like it was the most beautiful bunch of flowers she'd ever been given. "What a lovely surprise! Will you take your boots off before you come in?" She'd only just cleaned the floor during her second morning tea break, so she wanted to keep it that way. Her two cats were curled up on the armchair as Asterion came in, but as soon as they saw him, they both hissed loudly, all the hair standing on their backs, and zipped away to hide behind the sofa.
"Oh! Babies, why are you being like that? They're not usually so impolite. Please sit and I'll put these flowers in water."