Just a Walk (Inv only)

[Arthur Darkson]

Arthur had to clear his head after that conversation he had with his mother, little sister and that group of island misfits. He was agitated to say the very least. The young man cared deeply about his family and regardless of Fayt and Destinie's ability to handle their own, the last thing he wanted them to do was going off fighting interdimensional beings. Heartless were one thing but whatever the hell Meara and his idiots wanted to do were a whole different ball-game. Despite all that, his mother, Tsumiko shut down all of his points and dismissed just like that, as if none of his concerns mattered. That's why he stormed out the way he did. The last thing he wanted was to argue with his mother over how wrong she was.

The man sighed out in displeasure as he walked the small streets of the mainland. Since the whole freak storm, everyone was trying to get back to their normal lives. Luckily Veara had helped with the restoration of the place. Maybe a patrol around the place could be a way to clear his head. The sea breeze along with the light hustle and bustle of those out and about. Everything was remotely peaceful for the time being, but he still felt on-edge about Destiny Islands. Things were going to hell on the other worlds and in almost the same vein, an accident occurs with rumors of a murder as well. Arthur had to defend his home and protect his family, so a patrol was essential to that end.

Donning his more inconspicuous gear, the silver-blue haired male made his rounds. Those who eyed him closely would be able to notice him by name and appearance, but that was the point. Weeding out the actual members of the community from whatever strangers that he may need to keep an eye on.

[Guinevere]

It was a pleasant day out. Once again, the islands were blessed with fair, sunny weather, and fluffy clouds to keep the heat at bay. A gentle wind blew through the peaceful streets, bringing with it the familiar scent of the ocean. It was a calming smell, especially when accompanied by the right flowers.


Within a small corner of a street that many happened to frequent, a strong floral scent permeated the air. Standing at a wooden cart that held on and around it, many various types of flowers and potted plants to accompany them. Some even hung in pots from the awning that shielded the plants from adverse weather. Running this little flower shop was a woman of twenty-three, her long pink hair tousled by the soft breeze and bright blue eyes fixed lovingly on the flowers of her stand. They only turned away when she heard a nearby customer whisper something to their friend.


One of the Darkson children were out and about, and that they looked ‘intimidating’. The other argued that he looked ‘irritated’. In the end, they chose to agree that it was both. Guinevere looked to see the eldest of the resident Darkson children with such a stern expression on his face, and a weapon at his side. Arthur, was it? It would do him no good to bare such a face in the presence of his neighbors.


Finishing her interactions with her current customers and sending them on their way, the florist had began to walk in his direction, a flower in hand. “Greetings, Sir Knight.” Guinevere began, performing a curtsey for him. “Might I ease your worries with a simple gift?” She asked to him with a soft smile. Raising her hand, she offered to him the flower she held, a variegated tulip. It wasn’t much, but if it could help in even the slightest way, then she had done her job.

[Arthur Darkson]

Arthur pretended that he hadn't noticed the looks some of the islanders gave him and the way they stayed out of his way, as he walked down the road. Didn't help that he carried his trusty weapon, while wearing that scowl either. The prince sighed to himself and found the patience to let the expressions go, because it's not as though they knew why he was so frustrated to begin with. The whole patrol was supposed to help him take his mind off of the argument, not make up excuses as to why he appeared so "intimidating."

The man nearly felt the want to lower his head in shame a bit, but doing so would have been him secretly admitting that he was wrong. Arthur's own stubborn mindset had him huff, disallowing him from being able to enjoy the day for what it was. This may have continued for the entire day if it wasn't for the stranger who approached him.

This stranger, who was a woman, smelled heavily of flowers. There wasn't a specific scent in general but a myriad of them. Being precise, he described her scent as a "garden." Her dress style had been another aspect which caught his attention, considering how it accentuated the more seductively and womanly sides of her body. Arthur with his narrow vocabulary described her appearance as "attractive." Though, one thing that he might have not notice beyond her physical features, was how he stood there and gawked. His face softened to a degree but he looked stern, as if he didn't want to be bothered by her.

However, he reached out to accept the flower. Taking the stem between his fingers, the knight examined the petals, its colors and quickly came to realize the meaning behind the flower. Blinking several times, Arthur exchanged glances between the flower and the florist. It took him a moment to clear his throat and say something for the first time since storming out of the house.

"I see you enjoy my eyes." The prince stated, a faint tinge of pink then dusted his cheeks. "Thank you for the gift but I don't feel right accepting just the one. Let me..." His voice trailed off as he turned his attention past her and over to the cart that housed all of the flowers she had for sale. "Let me purchase a bouquet or two. They'll be for my mother and sister." Arthur explained and managed to crack a smile, unable to find any more reasons to make himself upset.

[Guinevere]

When Arthur’s eyes landed on her and remained there, the woman couldn’t help but giggle, hiding her smile behind her fingers. It was ever so slight, but it seemed as though he wasn’t as bothered now as he was before. Perhaps all he needed was for someone to show him a little kindness.


The flower that was being offered was taken, and closely examined. Lacing her fingers behind her and twisting at the waist, Guinevere awaited a simple thanks, but instead received something far more interested. Her twisting stopped, and the young woman stood in amazement. There were very few who understood the language of flowers, and fewer still on the islands. Of all those people, she didn’t know one man who could comprehend meanings beyond the red rose. Clearing her throat, Guinevere’s momentary stunning was ended, and she followed the Knight’s gaze back towards his cart as she heard him ask for bouquets. In a teasing manner, she swiveled around to face him with a raised brow, only to find that they were for the woman of his family.


Giggling once more, Guinevere nodded. “But of course.” She stated with a smile, gesturing for him to follow her over to the cart. Standing before it, she gazed over her selection to see if she had anything appropriate for the Queen Tsumiko that was his mother, and Lady Destinie, who was his sister. It wasn’t hard to pin him as a Darkson, or to figure that he was Arthur, the eldest of the three siblings. They and another family on the island made the whole place so very lively. Once in awhile, Guinevere would station her cart near the Darkson home in hopes of hearing that wondrous voice reach her ears.


“Anything catch your eye, or that you wish to see specifically, Sir Knight?” She asked, turning blue eyes towards Arthur. “If not, then I can specially craft bouquets for the two ladies with flowers of your choosing. It would be a simple matter, but you would have to wait a night or two to receive them.” With an apologetic smile, Guinevere turned to fully face him, her arms tucked neatly under her bust - something she had a habit of doing when the feeling of inconveniencing someone took over.

[Arthur Darkson]

"Is something the matter, my lady?" Arthur inquired out of worry seeing as the pink-haired woman gawked at him, much in a similar as he did earlier. Did he say something wrong? Was there a stain on his outfit? The prince wanted to remedy the situation as possible and opened his mouth to speak, but noticed a giggle from her. He tilted his head in confusion but focused on the task at hand.

Following behind the florist, whom he hadn't really noticed until this encounter, Arthur began to kick himself a little. Despite how many times he may have traveled the streets and made sure no form of shady figures wandered about, he just now realized someone like the florist set up a shop there. Was it recent when this happened? Maybe he knew of her but didn't really pay any mind to it. Better yet it'd be safe to say he overlooked her completely. Should anyone try to call him out on it, he'd vehemently deny that he wasn't completely thorough in the work he did. His pride would have been on the line at that point.

Regardless, his rampant thoughts were once again put on track by the florist's inquiry. "Hm..." The silver-blue orbs which he inherited from his mother carefully perused the selection of flowers. All of them were healthy and cultivated with care and even perhaps on a level higher than Tsumiko's. "They're all worthy choices so it presents great difficulty in picking them out. I know the two of them would enjoy any arrangement but that's not good enough for me, so maybe I shall take you up on your offer." Arthur said and gave the gorgeous vendor his confirmation.

From there, he began to describe to the woman how many of each flower he wanted, how they liked them wrapped, the colors and so forth. The knight showed he had a very thorough understanding of a great majority of flowers, plus the personalities and favorites of the women in his family.

[Guinevere]

He really seemed to be putting thought into the bouquets he’d be presenting to the women in his life. It was something that Guinevere respected. Any man who thought beyond the basic cliches were definitely worth the time and effort. Smiling softly at the young prince, she nodded her head. “As you wish!~” She proclaimed in a cheery voice. Before he began to list off the various flowers and colors he desired, and how he wanted them arranged and wrapped, even. The more and more he went on, the more the florist began to not only ogle him, but to understand his deep love and devotion to his mother and sister. It was a sentimental touch that warmed her heart.


Normally, she would have to suggest different flowers based on the meaning that her customer was trying to convey. More times than none, sadly, they would purchase something completely irrelevant to the occasion simply because they enjoyed the way they looked. Which wasn’t a terrible reason, mind, but it was one of the things that made Guinevere’s extensive knowledge of the language of flowers feel underused and unwanted. But this young man didn’t need any such advice, and for a very good reason. He knew exactly what kind of message he wanted to convey. The only thing the florist needed to do was to suggest flowers with similar meanings to appear more visually appealing in the bouquet.


Reviewing his order with him, the florist stood up and smiled brightly at Arthur. “I’m feeling particularly enthusiastic about  this order. You can expect to see me sometime tomorrow afternoon!” Her excitement was hardly contained as she bounced on her feet. A light giggle even escaped her, where she hid her smiling lips behind the paper the order was taken on. It had been quite some time since Guinevere was this excited to grow flowers for someone and it easily showed.

[Arthur Darkson]

Arthur remained ever oblivious to the woman's ogling of him as he searched through her array of flowers. There was that bit of stern resolve on his face but that wasn't because he thought of the argument any longer, but the careful process of bringing home a beautiful apology gift. The little time with the florist and her selection had made the knight thing that he was likely in the wrong, something that had been dismissed by his cousin, Morgan. He trusted her, because of her duty as queen and felt as though she wouldn't steer him wrong. Especially when it came to the judgement of people. One person in particular she seemed insistent on warning him about them. Alas, he shook the thoughts away metaphorically and focused on his task.

It was therapeutic how he went about it and took into consideration the professional's opinions when it came to the more aesthetic choices of the bouquets. Nevertheless, he went with what she suggested seeing as he figured that she had way more knowledge about it than he did. What he learned came from his mother, whom was a retired idol and likely hadn't done much flower cataloging in a while. Hopefully this would get her back in that groove and away from those accursed block towers. When everything was said and done, he hummed in confidence. Even the florist shared his enthusiasm concerning the arrangement.

"Ah, that's much sooner than previously stated. I can't argue with the speed of your craft, though, since it'd be a giant favor if it was ready at your earliest convenience." The man said and reached into his pocket, pulling out the specially crafted wallet (a project he did for himself some time ago) and pulled out the money for it. Taking a look at her prices, he nodded at the sum total and doubled it. "Here, this should be acceptable payment for the flowers and decorations, plus the labor you'll put into it." Arthur said easily and handed the currency over to her.

[Guinevere]

Working together with Arthur was effortless. Something that the florist couldn’t say about many of her customers. It eased any tension or apprehension she had about working with the infamously stern knight that constantly patrolled the streets of a largely peaceful world. Though, in recent days, that didn’t seem to reign as true as it previously had.

Turning a pleasant smile to Arthur, Guinevere nodded her head and giggled. She looked into those silver-blue orbs, almost getting lost in them until he pulled a wallet out of his pocket. “Oh, no! Please! I’ve been so inspired that this one is on the house.” In an effort to further drive the point home, Guinevere placed her hands on the wallet and the hand that held it and gently pushed them down. “Really, good Sir Knight. I thank you for your charitable payment, but there is no need. So long as you promise to become a returning customer, I think that would be payment enough. This time, at least.” With a coy smile, the florist winked at Arthur and turned to the cart. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Gathering some of her things to close up for the day, she seemed in very high spirits. Her hands were itching to get to work, and she wanted to get home as soon as possible as to get the beauty in her head out lest she forget it.

[Arthur Darkson]

Arthur was stopped successfully but there had been a bit of a grimace to his face. It didn't sit right with him to just get a freebie. The chivalrous nature he embedded into himself had started to surface, but recalling how stern his mother became when he was too much of a gentleman, he conceded defeat. "Fine, but I will repay you for this somehow, Ms...?" And just like that, his face reddened. Not from the gentle touch and smoothness of the woman's skin, it wasn't any of that. It was because Arthur didn't even bother to know her name.

Immediately, he stiffened up, wallet still in hand and gave a deep bow of respect, out of forgiveness. "Forgive me, my lady! I haven't even given my name! I am Arthur Darkson, of the Darkson family. May I know your name?" Arthur inquired before he rose from his bow.

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