Covent Garden Flowers, Saturday

[crimson_sister]

The snow was gone. That was to be expected. Now the shop was back to normal, with a new delivery of lilies and small bonsai, perfect for a new window display. Lucille put on a record and began arranging it, expecting a quiet day as usual.

Recently she had come to realise that she felt lonely, and that she missed Tisarwat very much. Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise, and it wasn't quite, just an... observation.

The flowers offered very little company, and she found herself occasionally tearing the petals off one of them, excusing it by adding the petals to the window display.

[Open!]

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[sake_shinigami]

Was it the particular combination of bonsai and flower petals that drew Shunsui in that day? Was he just bored? Did he had too much sake on hand and a need to find someone to share it with?

Hard to tell, really. Well, except that last one. There was no such thing as too much sake.

But for whatever the reason, there was a Shinigami fluttering into the flower shop, with a sing-song greeting to match. "Lucille~chaaaan~ ♡♡♡~! Good mo~orning, my lovely swan~ ♡~!"

It should be noted that it was actually nowhere near morning by the time he showed up.

[crimson_sister]

Lucille would have been quite surprised, almost worried, if Shunsui had showed up early.

"Shunsui! Please come in. Would you like some tea?"

Along with the sake, of course. Not being offered a cup of sake would be cause to worry indeed.

"What a coincidence. I had a delivery of bonsai this morning."

[sake_shinigami]

Yes, if Shunsui found himself arriving anywhere before noon, there was clearly something terribly, tragically wrong.

"How about," he proposed, with an overly thoughtful tone and a tilt of both his head and his smile, "an exchange ♡? I'll have a cup of tea if you'll have a cup of sake ♡?"

Of course, he would certainly have more sake after the tea, but the tea could be a nice....break...

"And I saw your charming display in my way in, Lucille-chan ♡," he told her dotingly. "But I'm afraid I haven't come in for another bonsai; I would hate to make poor Nanao-chan VII jealous by bringing another plant into the mix ♡."

It was bad enough, really, dealing with two swords in that capacity already!

[crimson_sister]

"If course I would never turn down a cup of sake from you."

Lucille smiled.

"So Nanao-chan VII is prone to jealousy?"

[sake_shinigami]

"Oh, not that I've notice thus far," Shunsui admitted, having procured a cup and poured from the ever-present jug beside his ever-present swords, "but why tempt fate ♡?"

He offered out the cup to Lucille with a flourish, a slight bow, and a wink.

"She has been, after all," he continued lightly, "my most stalwart Nanao-chan yet ♡! Excepting the original, of course."

Who was still very much alive (well, she was technically dead, but...semantics) and kicking and not a plant, nor was she particularly amused about the long line of Nanao-bonsai following her.

[crimson_sister]

Lucille accepted the cup and took a tiny sip. "Tell me about the original?"

[sake_shinigami]

And Shunsui had to smile fondly, more than happy to accept such an invitation. "She's my lieutenant ♡," he offered brightly. "Has been for the past...Ohhh, I'd say hundred years or so ♡? One of the youngest...and dare I say brightest...to join my Division when she did. I think you'd rather like her, Lucille-chan. She's a tiny little thihng, but proof that fierce things can come in small packages ♡." Here, he chuckled adoringly for a moment, shaking his head, and sending another wink Lucille's way. "She'd have to be, really, to put up with me for as long as she has ♡. I don't believe there's a harder-working Lieutenant in all of the Gotei 13 ♡!"

Which worked out rather well, as there wasn't likely to be a lazier Captain than him, either!

"The next time she comes stomping in with work for me to do during the next Parents Weekend," which she was doubtless sure to do, "I'll have to make sure to introduce you two ♡."

[crimson_sister]

"I would love to meet her," Lucille said, sincerely, because she was curious about the woman Shunsui described in such a way.

"She brings you work?"