14540/A petal for your thoughts

A petal for your thoughts
Date of Scene:	17 September 2022
Location:	Sherwood Florist, Pennytown
Synopsis:	Luke makes a trip across the country and drops in to see his friend Dinah at her flower shop. She disapproves of his accomodations for his time in the city. Greatly.
Cast of Characters:	Luke Cage, Black Canary

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Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage rarely has reasons to get out of Harlem let alone Manhattan proper. Everything he needs is local. Usually. Today he has found himself well away from his usual haunts because of a supplier issue. Making the trip so far West and not far from where a friend lives, he decided to make a side trip.

Pushing open the doors to the flower shop, the large dark man looks around curiously. It's a nice shop from the look of it. Not that he expected less.

Black Canary has posed:
You wouldn't normally think of a flower shop as a high risk locale. And you'd be right. But sometimes...

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Five minutes ago...

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"Get up there you bastard!" Dinah grunts as she pushes the jute bag of soil into its spot on the top of the storage shelf over the nursery work bench. One last frustrated punching later, trying to get the balking bag in place,and a weak seam breaks, dumping the contents of the bag all over herself.

Then, covered with dirt, she falls back as the chair under her wobbles. It goes without saying she hits the floor without injury.

Physical injury.

Because mentally she's injured in her pride as a full watering can falls over from the workbench she struck with a foot and dumps water on top of the soil that covers her.

"DAMMIT!"

Standing up she looks down at herself, covered in mud. Still, it's early in the morning. She hadn't opened the door to the place yet, right? (Her supposition is incorrect. She'd opened it.)

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Back to now.

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Dinah stands in the back, out of sight of the window, but, critically, not out of sight of someone stepping in from outside (because that door is locked, or so she incorrectly believed), stripped to her underthings and wiping herself down with a wet cloth.

And then Luke steps in.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage looks around, eventually finding.. a show. "Well damn. I would have realized this was -that_ sort of a flower shop, I'd have brought along a lot more Singles..." His tone is amused and teasing. After only a moment, however, he turns to look at the flowers. And every one he he can look at in his immediate area of the shop offers a bloom that is enirely too suggestive for its own good. Or his. Damn.

Black Canary has posed:
And that's a squawk of surprise.

"Dammit, I thought that was locked! Sorry sir I..."

She pauses.

"Luke? Luke Cage?"

She steps behind a tall floor vase filled with enough greenery to hide ... well, not her. She's sticking out a bit here and there, looking for all the world like a dryad now.

"Uh ... listen, I'm gonna go fetch some clean clothes quickly and I'll be right back down."

Which she does. With alacrity. And a blush that extends well past her shoulders.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage isn't watching but cannot help but sound amused, "Yes ma'am. Lucas Cage. In the flesh. Do I tip now? Or later?" His chuckle fills the room. "Do what you need to Miss Lance. I assure you I will stand guard at the door till you return.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah runs upstairs and sounds of cupboards being opened and slammed shut can be heard. Eventually she comes back down.

"Laundry day," she mutters, standing in the shop wearing artfully torn jeans a size too small and a crop top babydoll that's two sizes too small. She does pick up a white shop coat, however, though doesn't put it on just yet. "Not a lot to wear."

Then she's next to Luke and briefly hugging him.

"What brings you to town?"

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage turns around and this time unapologetically eyes the blonde. "Is that so? It should be laundry day every day, then." He wraps her smaller frame in what amounts to a bear hug for brief moment. "Nice to see you, Dinah." He offers a shrug, "Just in the area, thought I'd stop in to see how another small business owner is making do."

Black Canary has posed:
"Well, as you can see, I'm doing just fine," Dinah says with a laugh. "They're doing mud wrestling at the park so I thought I'd get some practice in. Come on in!"

She says to the man. Who's in.

"So you're not here to buy a bouquet of pansies for someone you pounded into the hospital? Pity."

She puts on her shop coat and heads over to the place she had her little accident, breaking out a mop.

"How's life in the 'hood? Did your little problem come back or did they finally get the message?"

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage finds it interesting and amusing that the deadliest blonde he knows is so easily rattled when she isn't "working". It gives the bad ass woman a more human element.

He nods as he watches her busy with cleaning up. "I can think of better methods and places for mud wrestling. Still. Let me know when you're going to compete and I'll cheer you on." He pauses, "And take pictures." He had to.

Moving over, he looks for another mop or something so he can help her clean up. He's not inclined to stand there and watch even if it wasn't his own accident.

"Sure, I'll buy some flowers before I go. The bar could use a little coor and brightening." Then he glances to her, "Harlem is Harlem. Good and bad mixed in. But more good these days. That problem worked itself out after you helped me talk some reason into them. I'm not even sure they're still together. Hard to be a gang without a competant leader. But they're gone either way, yeah."

Black Canary has posed:
"Good to hear. How long are you in town? I could show you around the night life. Head into Chinatown and give you the best Chinese food on the continent. Motorcycle ride through some of the greatest scenery on the planet. You name it."

She pauses a second.

"If you're staying overnight, which hotel?"

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage says, "Just got in earlier this morning, actually. Not too bad a flight. Called in a favor from a friend. I'm planning to head back home on Tuesday afternoon." He hadn't exactly expected Dinah to shift into tour guide, but of course if anyone would it'd be her. She's good people after all. "That's very kind of you Dinah. I wouldn't want to take you away from your shop though. Dinner one night while I'm here would be nice though. I don't want to impose."

Pausing, he thinks of the name of the place he's staying at, "Three Totems Inn?" A run down place that was probably old even in the height of the 1950s craze of road trips and small boutique motels. Now it's in a part of the city that many would avoid. But for Luke, it feels not that different than home."

Black Canary has posed:
"OK, nononononono. You're not staying at the 'Totems. You get your bags and you'll park your backside upstairs tonight. I'm not having anybody judging the city by that hole!"

She laughs and picks up the phone at the counter, hitting a speed dial and listening.

"You think my life doesn't take me away from the shop regu..." She stops and starts talking into the phone. "Hey, Joey. I've got out-of-towner event again. Can you co... Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes then."

She looks up at Luke with a grin.

"...larly?" she continues. "I have a bunch of people on call to help out for when the Flight gets me or the League or the Birds or ... You get the idea. So tell me what it is you want to see here and I'll show you around."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage's eyes glaze over and the world turns upside down in an instant - she's turning into a mother hen and he's.. staying with her?

"I know it..." He can't even get a protest in because she's talking to someone and arranging for the shop to be handled. He has to admire it for what it is. Small business owner ingenuity. He did the same thing with the bar before he considered making this trip.

".. I liked the motel. The cockroaches have names and little bowls to eat out of" he protests with sarcasm. He looks at her, "You're not going to change your mind. Are you?"

He shrugs, "I haven't been outside of New York. I have no idea what I want to see around here. I just came to talk to a vendor that has the import license for a couple Japanese beers I want to start stocking. I wasn't here to play tourist.." more weak protesting. "I had time so I thought I'd find your shop and see if you were around.."

Black Canary has posed:
"Well, you did, I was, and now you're a tourist," Dinah decides. "And a guest. We'll fetch your stuff from the Totems and burn it just in case as soon as Joe..."

And with that a tall, gangly teen girl comes into the shop, looking flustered and out of breath.

"OMG, Ms. Drake, I came here as fast as I could. How soon do you have to go?"

The girl's frankly curious eyes look over Luke as she waits for Dinah's response.

"Oh, it wasn't that much of a rush, Joey!" Dinah laughs. "Not going off and saving the world or anything like that. Just saving a guest from the 'Totems."

The girl flinches at the name.

"Joey, this is Luke Cage. He runs a bar in Harlem. Luke, this is Joey. She's why my shop exists still."

The girl practically bursts in pride at that introduction. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cage. And welcome to Canada!"

Dinah chuckles, removing the shop coat and hanging it up. "Keys are in the usual place," she says over her shoulder as she starts heading out the door. "Usual rules for lunch and dinner: on the shop."

She exits, then, after nudging Luke to follow.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage shrugs helplessly. "I really wasn't trying to impose on you Dinah." He appreciates it. But still.

He looks to the teen as she races in and is introduced, "Hello Joey. It's nice to meet you." He offers a smile and nod. "Thank you. It's been nice so far, the ten hours of it I've gotten to see so far.."

He looks to Dinah and is following her out the door.