fandomtownies | Covent Garden Flowrs (sic)

"Everything else will be sent on ahead" had been, Eliza found when she'd reached 35 Mallard Way on Thursday, either a bald-faced lie or the saddest definition of the word everything she'd ever heard. Thus, though she'd meant to get out and explore the town, instead she'd spent the weekend sorting out the mess that was her new shop, cataloging what was there, what was missing, and what was... something dried and dead-looking she didn't remotely recognize, smelling vaguely of tea.

By Tuesday she at least had the place sorted out enough to consider opening up to the public, though the list of things she would still need to order was longer than a market-square pickpocket's arm. Including an "E" for the sign over the door.

At least the one she hung in the window was spelt right? Even if it did have that bit at the end that she'd argued against for weeks with Colonel Pickering. She'd no idea how she was ever to make a profit she could pay him back with, if she spent it all on hired help. Though truth to tell it was the thought of being in charge of somebody else, some shopgirl like she once hoped to be herself, that made Eliza uneasy.

Still, there it was, and here she was, behind the counter, watering a rather sickly-looking bundle of lilies, and wondering just what sort of people her sign might bring in.

Covent Garden Flowers

Eliza Doolittle, prop.
Fresh flowers from nosegays to bouquets!
Delivery available upon request.

~~~~Now Hiring~~~~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Or just chat up the proprietress.

Lola had decided it was about damned time she explored the town -- and found a job so she wouldn't have to try and talk her dad into sending her money.

Lo and behold, a hiring sign. Well, it was worth a shot.

"Hallo?"

Something else that had been missing was a bell to hang over the door. As such, the voice took Eliza by surprise for a moment as she looked up from her possibly thankless lily-tending.

"Oh, hello! Welcome to my shop; I'm sorry it's still in such a mess."

[ooc: Ahahaha, I jumped the gun on your OCD. *cringes* Sorry 'bout that!]

Lola looked around. It didn't look too bad to her, but then, she wasn't the neatest person in the world. "It's very nice."

[*banishes you to the plain in Spain!*]

Eliza wasn't sure which to blink at first: the hair, the clothing (or lack thereof) or the accent. Was everyone around here a foreigner? She at least knew, after her experience on arrival, that she probably shouldn't offer the girl some sort of shawl.

She settled for holding back any sort of blink at all, and simply answering, "Thank you. I hope to make it a bit nicer in the future. May I help you with some flowers now, though? My stock's a bit low at the moment, but we've certainly got the basics in."

The lack of blinking meant that Lola was blithely unaware that Eliza had found anything startling in the least.

She smiled.

"Nein, ah, no. Thank you. I saw your sign, you're hiring?"

Well, that was soon. Still, if she needed to hire someone, better that there be a rush than no one calling in at all.

"I am, yes," she answered. "Are you interested in a job? I'll need someone to help in the shop, and also to make ~~mostly handwavy~~ deliveries."

That all sounded easy enough. And it'd totally get her dad off her back.

"I'm interested, ja. I don't have a C.V., but I'm a quick learner, and I think I would be a very good delivery-er."

"Delivery--" Eliza stopped herself first in a flush of annoyance that she'd started to correct someone else just as he would have corrected her, then because... she actually had no idea what a better word would have been. "Er. Quite, yes."

Whatever a seevee was, she hadn't missed having one in her own life so far, so she wasn't about to ask it of anybody else. "Which days might you be available?"

Lola was pretty sure it wasn't quite the right word, but was proud of herself for thinking of it. "I have a class Tuesday and Friday in the mornings. But I'm free all the rest of the time."

"Would Wednesdays do, then, at least to begin?" Eliza offered. "You could start tomorrow, if you like. Or next week, if you'd rather wait."

Lola had been eying a new pair of boots online.

"Tomorrow is good, I think." She grinned. "Thank you, ah," she glanced back towards the sign. "Doolittle?"

She ought to have said 'Miss Doolittle,' but she ought to do a lot of things.

"I'm Eliza," she told the girl. Eliza's good enough for me... Speaking of, Good Lord, she hadn't even... "I'm sorry, I didn't think to ask your name."

She was lucky she hadn't ended up being called "Frau Doolittle".

"I'm Lola Rennt." Lola held out her hand a little awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you, Eliza."

Eliza ought to have said Miss Doolittle. Ah, pronouns, how they fail us in time of need. She shook Lola's hand, rather over-formally for the century she didn't know she was in. "I'm very pleased to meet you as well."

Which she should have said sometime before hiring someone, but since she'd never done that before, it could perhaps be forgiven.

"Would you like a nosegay for yourself?" she asked with a smile. "We've rather a lot of violets going spare."

It took Lola a moment to figure out that Eliza was talking about flowers. She supposed she'd have to learn the English names for all of them, huh. Lola looked around and nodded slowly. "I think we call them Veilchen, where I'm from. They're very pretty."

"Veil...chen. That's rather a pretty name for them, as well." Eliza snatched up a small bunch tied with a blue ribbon, and held it out. "For you, then."

Edited 2008-09-30 19:53 (UTC)

Lola smiled and took the flowers carefully, giving them a sniff. Her Oma had liked flowers. "Danke. I promise to be a very good employee."

"I've never had any before." No, Eliza probably shouldn't be telling people that. "So I hope I turn out to be good at employing people!"

Lola nodded. "I think maybe we can both learn, ja? It's good."

With blackest moss the flowerpots were thickly crusted, one and all.

If all your OOC threads end up being phonetics practice quotes from MFL I'm gonna love you forever.

I should run out awfully quickly, I fear!

And yet it is entirely your fault that I went around all day at work saying that. With the tongue-depressor effect, even. So thank you. ;)

Covent Garden Flowrs (sic) - Tuesday, 9/30

Buy some flowers!

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OOC

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