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My compliment coaxed the barest hint of a smile as she studied me. Finally, she sighed, posture sagging. “Well, since you’re so perceptive...I did find something disturbing today.”
She retrieved a bizarre plant from concealment—eruption of vivid citrus buds amid lush violet and gleaming white petals. An entrancing fragrance wafted forth, stirring some primal hunger deep within me. This was no ordinary flower.
Reluctantly dragging my eyes away, I met her troubled gaze questioningly. “A surprise for the gala decor? Trying to keep it a secret, were you?” I teased lightly, hoping to lift her spirits.
Elara shook her head, anxiety pouring off her in waves. “No, this wasn’t ordered. It came in the shipment, but even the supplier couldn’t identify its species. Please don’t think me crazy, but this flower...it frightens me for reasons I can’t explain.”
I studied her closely as she spoke, reading the genuine fear in her furrowed brow and hunched shoulders. What sinister secrets lurked within this hypnotic bloom to instill such foreboding?
“Perhaps just an odd mistake?” I suggested half-heartedly, knowing already she sensed something more sinister at play.
“Maybe...but I’ve arranged flowers for years without anything triggering such ominous intuition before now.” She absently chewed a nail staring at the anomalous plant.
I had no explanations to offer, only questions. But seeing Elara’s distress, my protective instincts awoke. She needed assurance, not more mysteries.
Gently clasping her delicate hand in my own, I met her anxious eyes. “I believe you, Elara. Something isn’t right here. But you needn’t face it alone. I swear I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“You would help me?” Hope and confusion vied for dominance in her searching gaze. “But why?”
The full truth trembled on my tongue before I bit it back. Admitting my underworld ties could send her fears soaring higher. For now, keeping things simple felt wisest.
“You said it yourself—this situation feels off. I trust your judgment.” I spoke earnestly, giving her hand a bolstering squeeze. “Let me look into the flower’s origins and purpose. Discreetly, of course.”
Elara’s slim shoulders sagged in relief. “Having someone believe me takes a huge weight off. I don’t know what secrets this bloom hides, but giving it away feels unwise until we understand more.”
I nodded. “Keep it hidden for now, somewhere only you know. I promise we’ll unravel this mystery.”
Watching the tension ease from Elara’s features, I was seized by an unfamiliar urge to pull her into my arms and shelter her from all unseen threats. An innocent like her deserved protection. She had enough to fear from the merciless station without adding supernatural floral mysteries.
Yet uneasy thoughts plagued me as I studied the cryptic bloom’s hypnotic colors. As an influential Vinduthi figure, countless underworld eyes were upon me at all times, including rivals seeking any vulnerability to exploit.
Might someone already know of Elara’s involvement with the gala? Could this “accidental” delivery be a veiled warning that she was being watched already? If so, this innocent florist might find herself tangled in a web meant for me.
ELARA
Aday passed since Draven offered to help unravel the mystery of the anomalous flower. While I appreciated his belief in my fears, it did little to resolve the issue itself or calm my spiraling anxiety. I had to keep reminding myself Draven would surely uncover answers soon.
To anyone else, my fixation on a mere flower likely seemed absurd. What possible threat could an innocent plant pose? And why me—a law-abiding, insignificant human, barely scraping by in the shadows of Thodos III?
Like some twisted karma I couldn’t avoid, misery found me anyway just for being here. All of us suffered, each in our own way. Mine came with poetic irony, trouble sprouting from a damned flower of all things.
As much as I tried convincing myself it was nonsense, deep down I sensed greater forces at play, some unseen hand manipulating events behind the scenes.
These restless thoughts plagued me all through the sleepless night, oblivious to the usual raucous sounds of the crowded corridor where I resided. Uncertainty gnawed ceaselessly at my mind until I rose bleary-eyed with the trishem barely reviving me.
Three cups later, bone-deep exhaustion from fretting still dragged at my limbs. Oddly, far more visitors browsed the shop today than normal, including many unfamiliar faces among the regulars.
In a realm where blossoms held little appeal, my limited clientele was mostly regulars, peppered occasionally by random passersby making one-time purchases. Now my modest shop practically overflowed with unfamiliar patrons milling about.
Years conducting business honed my instincts, and all my senses screamed that something was very wrong here. Lingering paranoia from the mysterious plant blurred with suspicion over this inexplicable customer surge. I knew my trade too well for this to be mere coincidence.
Needing time away from prying eyes, I closed up briefly, hoping solitude might settle my fraying nerves. Slumping wearily behind the counter, I inspected the confounding plant yet again, its intricate details imprinted upon my memory now.
In some strange way, I wished I never questioned its origins. Ignorance was bliss those first awestruck moments admiring its alien allure. Now, a heavy shroud of foreboding hung over its hypnotic colors.
You naive fool, Elara,the cruel voice in my head scolded.
A gentle rap at the door jolted me from my gloomy reverie. I looked up to see a human woman peering in hopefully. Sighing, I stood and crossed over.
