Navid was impressed with the shop from the moment he walked in. There was nothing tawdry about the place, as flower shops so often tended to be. It was not garish or gaudy, nor overly cluttered; even the scent on the air was clean, the varied smells of the buds and bouquets working in perfect harmony, a welcome change from the cacophonous stench so often a hallmark of these stores. He drew a deep breath, releasing it on a contented sigh. For once he was pleased with the fact he'd strayed from his planned routine. He had left work early, a rarity in itself, and though there was no pending anniversary or otherwise special day to mark, no particular holiday coming up they held dear, he had felt inclined to surprise Zara with something out of the ordinary. Though any overt display of sentiment might have met with her approval, flowers had come to mind as he had recalled their new neighbor's recent arrival.
Such thoughts crossed his mind as he waited for the teenager ahead of him to leave, surrounded in his cloud of blushing, groundless shame. In his coat pocket he felt his mobile buzz, and ignored it. When at last his turn came he stepped up to the counter, putting work from his mind for one brief, unfettered moment. "Miss Clark, I believe?" It was a long shot, perhaps, assuming the attendant to be the owner herself; but he had read enough into the woman's forum post to believe her to be the sort of businesswoman often found in her own shop, tending to matters on the front lines more often than delegating. Hoping his assumption was correct, he carried on. "My name is Navid Arzani. I saw your post in our Pax forum. I don't buy flowers often, so I was hoping you might help me out."