August 26, 1894 — Wildflowers
Daffodil Grimstone

Ara had messed up. She hadn't meant to, but she supposed the nature of not being a hermit was that sometimes there was conflict. As it happened, she'd managed to upset her fellow Leaky Cauldron maid, and as there were only two of them--and she liked her co-worker enough to not want the woman to be upset with her--Ara had determined that she ought to make amends sooner rather than later.

Apologies were better with gifts, Ara had always thought so. And since she couldn't afford much, she'd settled on flowers, so when she next had a spare afternoon, Ara made her way to the florist in Diagon Alley, slipping in at a moment when there was not much activity. Good, hopefully it would be a quick errand. "Hello? she called out.

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Daff wasn't going to be able to come into the shop for much longer and she was trying to help get things as organized as she could before she was confined to Hogsmeade. Fortunately for her, the manager of the shop was far more organized than she was and so she wasn't too worried. She could still help handle some of the paperwork and bookkeeping from home by owl and she would make sure she could continue to do some arrangements from her own greenhouse as well. All of this business was good, it kept her mind off the sinkhole at the park and her most recent interaction with Noble.

She was in her office when she heard a voice in the shop proper and waited a beat to see if anybody would beat her to it, but she figured she could use a little break from the books anyway. She pushed back from her desk, still getting used to the visible little bump she now carried everywhere with her. Her hands settled there naturally as she rounded into the front of the shop. "Hi there, how can I help you?"

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Ara smiled--a bit sheepishly, because this was embarrassing--at the woman who came out to help her. "I'm looking for a small bouqet," she said. "Small" was probably cheapest, yes? "Something for an apology?"

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The woman seemed a little unsure, but before Daff could even prop herself on the stool behind the counter, the request for a small apology bouquet was given. "Oh, that's easy enough." She assured the redhead with a smile. "A few hyacinths will do the trick. I happen to have some in the back." Daff motioned to be followed through the short hallway leading into the greenhouse.

"A big apology or a small one?" She asked, only for small talk, but it would help determine anything else that went into the arrangement.

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Ara considered for a moment, before saying, "A small one, I think. Something un-flashy." She thought that anything flashy would be too ostentatious. She thought that would be bad for an apology for hurting someone's feelings. Also, she didn't actually know if this was at all relevant to the question, but she thought it was probably relevant regardless.

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Daff half-waddled her way into the back, holding open the curtain for the woman to follow her into the greenhouse proper. She made her way over to the little bucket of purple hyacinths. "A few of these with a little ribbon?" She asked. It wouldn't be much, but if she was going by what the woman was asking, it would do the trick. She could add some textured leaves to make it a little more like a bouquet. It would be simple and understated and hopefully exactly what was needed.

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"That should do it," Ara said. "Thank you." She watched the woman move. She was obviously pregnant, and Ara didn't envy her that in a job that involved a lot of time on her feet, like working in a shop. "Are you the owner?" she asked. "These flowers are lovely."

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With that decided Daff, took the hyacinths to her workbench and got started on putting them together. She tucked a couple bells of Ireland sprigs between them and reached for a blue ribbon. "I am yes, Daffodil Grimstone." She smiled over at the redhead. "And thank you." Daff was still in awe that she was able to keep this place up and running at all. She'd worried that she'd be under the Potts umbrella and perhaps that it wouldn't work out, but nearly two years after she'd opened, it was still doing well enough.

"Let me just wrap these all up for you with this ribbon and you'll be all set."

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"Thank you," Ara said. "I'm Ara Russell--I'm over at the Leaky Cauldron," she added. She didn't have much opportunity for positive social interaction outside of her workplace--being friendly to the other denizens of Diagon Alley was usually in her best interest. She certainly had no desire to be a hermit.

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"It's nice to meet you," Daff smiled as she worked on perfecting the bow around the little bouquet. "I feel like I haven't been to the Cauldron in a while. I used to venture around the Alley more when I lived upstairs, but now I'm back in Hogsmeade." Daff had enjoyed her short stint living in London, but it was nice to be home, it was nice to have a home that was hers to grow in.

"There we go," Daff chuckled as she cut the edges of the bow to match. "A little offer of apology." It was simple, but straightforward if anyone knew what the hyacinths meant.

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"Great!" Ara said. It looked nice enough to warrant forgiveness, she hoped. "What do I owe you?"

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