Second Seed [Astarill/Dust]
No, no, she had to be, surely at this point it was just a matter of last-minute adjustments. Fish and venison waited to be cooked, she had the perfect recipes picked out, everything had been cleaned top-to bottom, at least as far as she could reach...
But what if he didn’t like that flower pot there? He had a sensitive nose, gods knew, and he’d never seemed fond of floral scents. But it did really tie the room together, too. She gnawed on her lip, turning it this way and that, scurrying from counter to table and back. While her shop was perfectly organized and clean, she was the opposite - hair a mess and clinging to her brow, lip red from gnawing, movements jerky with anxiety.
Seven thousand and five hundred gold. Not just that, but the offer, the understanding that this, this was what she needed -
Everything had to be perfect and she wasn’t nearly ready.
Behind her the shop’s bell chimed. Normally she welcomed every customer, but dammit now was not the time, she had to make sure she’d dusted everything in his line of sight, what if he came in and saw filth atop the lamps or rafters, no, no, that wouldn’t do at all -
“I’m sorry! Just a moment, please!” A worried sound in her throat. She shifted the flower pot again, as though that might somehow put all her fears at ease. “I’ll be right with you! Just - some little things...”
