“Sorry, I think he’s completely booked today. It’s no problem, though. I’m sure you’ve got all the relevant details in here, and I’ll let him know that he should catch up with you.”

A smile was given for his concern, though, and Xu appended the last flourish to her signature, her new name filling up more of the line than it had before.

Xu Chang-Rogers. It still gave her a good deal of pleasure to think about that.

“Here. Thanks for doing all this work, Nida. I really do appreciate it.”

He smiled, as though grateful, but he knew that mentioning him would go unnoticed by the aloof Commander. He cursed his lack of preparation, but it was hard to be on top of everything, especially when planning such a large project in the duration of time in which one of Garden’s hardest workers was absent for some time. Glancing at the signed slip of paper, he noticed the addition to the signature and continued with his cheery expression, even though part of him wanted to crumple it up. How pretentious, a hyphenated name. It wasn’t as if he disliked the two of them. By all means, he appreciated their work ethic, and he had no issue with them finding happiness in each other. At first, he had been bitter, as anyone would be after having been dumped for someone else. But it had been enough time since then to get over that. Perhaps he was just upset that not only was she happier than he, but she got more recognition by others and was a likely candidate for the position of Commander. It wasn’t fair that everything was just handed over to her when he was just as capable. He nodded, though, and accepted her thanks. “I really should properly thank Miss Trepe for her assistance. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. If you see her later, do send her my regards.”

A lift of her brow– the smirk caught, noted, filed away. She and Quistis would have to have a little chat about those meetings. It had been quite some time between really good gossip sessions with her best friend. 

Xu pulled the blueprints closer, reaching into the desk drawer and removing her reading glasses as she skimmed the pages. 

“That should work out well, then. I’ve got a meeting with the commander today, so I’ll fill him in on this, and send the proposal down to Finance.” Anything to get Garden in the air again. It was hurting business to not be able to move the school at will.

She looked back up at Nida, and reached for a pen to sign off on the proposal. He’d done just as thorough a job as she had come to expect from him– even if they’d never really meshed in their personal lives, his reports were always impeccable. 

 “Put in an order for what you need immediately. I’ll speak to Quistis about the museums.” 

He noted the fact that she had a meeting with the Commander. He shifted slightly, uncomfortable with that knowledge. Perhaps he should have scheduled a meeting himself to discuss his plans. They were, after all, his. It would have been far more appropriate for him to do so. Maybe there was still time. “Ah, that’s fine. I’ll speak with him this afternoon. He might want details, so it’s best that I mention it to him in case he has questions about the technology or the representative’s opinions. It would make it easier on you as well. Since you just got back, you shouldn’t take all of this work alone.” His tone was friendly, almost concerned, but he would do anything to make sure he was credited in person by the Commander himself.

“Oh, good. I was concerned.” 

Not really. She’d sent off a couple of emails, urgent things that had to be replied to, but most of the past three weeks had been spent tangled up in Penny’s arms, in lazy kisses and wandering journeys along a beach, in parties and long swims and hikes through the island’s little swath of jungle. 

She had had fun. 

“Thank you for keeping an eye on the place. I’m sure what you and Quistis have discussed will work well.” And if it were strange that he’d been talking to Quistis, someone he’d expressed no great like for in the past–

Nida was a good SeeD. He would do what needed to be done. 

He leaned forward, flipped open the top of the folder and began taking out the documents, carefully spreading them out before her. “She and I spent quite some time on this together. She makes a wonderful partner. I enjoyed working with her.” His eyes flicked upwards as he looked from the papers in question, to Xu. The corner of his lips twitched into a subtle smirk, which was quickly lost once he began speaking again. “After having a meeting with a representative from Esthar, we’ve found that we should be able to integrate Estharian technology with the Centranian, as it has become vastly outdated. Replacing the mechanics entirely would be far too expensive and time-consuming, so for the time being, we’ve decided to combine the technologies, and throughout time, we can continue to replace parts as needed to make it run more efficiently.” He slipped a paper stack with blueprints towards her. “That being said, there will be a need for budget cuts in some areas in order to get this project started. But, the good news is, we should be able to profit off of the pre-existing Centranian mechanisms, as they are desired by museums. Quistis knows a few people who would be interested in taking the parts.”

She is comfortable, settled back with her legs crossed at the knee and one more sip in her cup as he enters the office, salutes, takes a chair of his own. 

He almost looks in pain from faking a smile that hard, and Xu sets her newly-emptied mug down. 

“It was wonderful.” She won’t admit to wanting to disable the plane back in order to stay for another few days. “We had a great time. How was it here?” 

He sits up straight, a force of habit. It’s professional, spine straight, feet evenly placed flat on the floor. His composure changes for no one, it seems. His throat is cleared before he begins to speak once more, and he does so with the continued formality. It is awkward, given their history, so he feels being professional is the best option.  “Things ran smoothly enough,” he admits, leaving out the bits wherein he was practically screaming at SeeDs to keep things in order. Someone had miscalculated the budget for the cafeteria, and the ever popular hot dogs were out of stock within two days. The cadets had not been pleased by that. “You should find it easy to transition back into the swing of things.” His hands sit neatly in his lap, fingers intertwined, left thumb brushing against the other in some sort of rhythm. “I’ve gotten help from Quis—ah, Miss Trepe in deciding what to do about the maintenance needed for the flight mechanisms. Since the two of you are close, I felt it would be best to contact her in your absence.”

She feels great, tanned and relaxed and still smelling a little like coconut oil as she strides back through the halls of Garden. It’s nice not to be enormously stressed out– she’s going to have to spirit Penny away to private island resorts more often, if this is how good it feels afterward. 

Even disentangling herself from her wife’s arms that morning wasn’t as hard as Xu had expected it to be, navigating the moving boxes scattered around the dorm room in search of coffee. 

She jabs her thumb against the elevator call button, takes the lift two floors up, and her hellos may be just a little too cheery, leaving a slightly baffled receptionist in her wake as Xu walks into her office. 

Her first meeting is with Nida, scheduled weeks ago to go over his plans for upgrading Garden’s flight mechanisms, and she’s gotten in early enough to pour herself another cup of coffee before settling down in her chair to wait for his arrival. 

It’s a good start to a Monday, really. 

She feels like a perfectly ripe tropical fruit, and he feels like hell. He refuses to admit that they particularly needed her in her absence, because by all means they got things done, it just took some time adjusting. More than he had been expecting. But he strides into the office past the receptionist, face bright from the use of many skin products. His glow is manufactured, but hers is natural. He smiles through clenched teeth. “Good morning,” he announces, accompanied by the SeeD salute. He takes in the aroma—she definitely has a noticeable scent—and it’s so sickeningly sweet that it makes his stomach churn. He walks over to the desk and takes a seat before it, setting a file full of papers neatly on the top of the surface.  “How was your vacation?” he asks, specifically refusing to call it a honeymoon. His expression is innocent, however, as if he simply forgot the correct term for it.

Nida doodles!

"It was just a kiss on the cheek, Nida— he’s Galbadian, it’s a cultural thing, you know that. I’ve known him since I was fourteen.” 

The urge to bury her face in her hands and scream was profound, but she beat it back, and met his eyes. 

"I am with you. Not him.” 

"Oh, please, Xu! I've been to Deling and they never actually full-on kiss on the cheek. They just press their faces together and make a kissing sound for half a second." And here he goes with the most cliche thing to say in such a situation. "It's not that I don't trust you with him, it's that I don't trust him with you."

She scowls, and her phone beeps with its voicemail notification. 

Overlong, no doubt, and full of even more criticisms of her life. 

"You didn’t have to be so possessive at dinner. Grant is a friend. Just a friend.” A slightly more touchy-feely friend than Xu generally tolerated, but he was from Deling. It happened. 

"Aren't we in a relationship, Xu? Because the way you were interacting with him, it might not have been clear enough." Normally, Nida had no issue with her male comrades, but this particular man rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was because he was from Deling, and had a certain sense of pride, or maybe it was because he was too physically close with his girl. "He had no respect for me as your boyfriend, so why should I respect him in return?"

"What can I say? I’m quite fond of flowers." 

She doesn’t look at the number and passes her credit card across the counter. “That’s everything, yes. Thank you.” 

The bouquet is pretty. Perhaps she’ll keep it for herself, provided the death flower isn’t in there. She waits for him to finish fidgeting with it. 

"The second," she adds, to his query. "Right above this place, it smells like. Seems like.” 

Please, whatever gods are listening, let a sinkhole open up and swallow this entire place. 

He rings her up, taking note with slight amusement of her refusal to acknowledge the price, and hands her card back to her. "Hmm, it seems we already have two things in common. We both enjoy flowers, and we live on the same floor. That is a lovely coincidence. Much better than four consecutive birthdays, I think." He holds the flowers out to her and looks between them for a moment. "These purple coneflowers would look wonderful on you by the way, if you don't mind me saying." It's not untrue, he thinks to himself. Though he doesn't particularly care, to be honest. If it makes her consider buying more, he's happy.

ESTJ: the Overseer

ESTJs are responsible, logical, norm-following hard workers. Their efforts are carried out in a practical, structured manner. ESTJs trust facts and experiences more than theories. They are decisive, loyal, tradition observing individuals. They enjoy being the person in charge and often make good supervisors.

STRENGTHS

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Twenty-five. 

She is going to die. If she doesn’t move first. 

And, god, breaking her lease might be worth it. 

Xu forces her expression into something flirtatious, rather than laughing outright, as she wanders through the aisles. She isn’t going to lie, she was about ninety-eight percent sure he was gay.

"You caught me," she lies easily. "I live in one of the apartments upstairs. Although the birthdays are a coincidence.” Think, girl. Think. "I suppose I just wanted an excuse to say hello." 

Which she could have done without bankrupting herself on ridiculous floral arrangements. 

But she’s committed to this story now, and all she can do is smile sweetly and hope that he abruptly decides to move his store to the other end of the country. 

He feels a little bad, knowing how much she's spent so far. He feels a little bad, for not feeling bad enough to offer her a discount. Business is business after all. And as pretty as she is, he's seen prettier and gives those girls no special treatment either. "This is a pretty pricey hello. There are other ways," he mentions, snipping the ribbon at an angle and setting a tag with a pouch of plant food and instructions inside the plastic wrap with the logo of the shop. He sets it carefully on the counter next to the register. "I'm not complaining, of course." He presses a couple buttons on the keyboard and a number appears on the digital screen. "Will this be all, ma'am?" he asks, then begins another inspection of the bouquet, shifting some leaves around. "I also live in this building, by the way. I think it certainly smells a lot better than it did some time ago. What floor, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, um— fairly large, I suppose." 

She doesn’t pay much attention as he races off to fill her request, more intent on sussing out the flower that is trying, and likely going to succeed if she has to endure it any longer, to kill her. 

"It feels like the entire staff, honestly." 

Her secretary has already gotten three bouquets this week; her firm only has seven employees right now, and there are only so many flowers you can give. This particular mix may end up getting couriered across town to one of her friends. 

"Have you gotten in anything new lately? Any varieties you haven’t carried before?” 

He makes a mental list of a few flowers, and grabs them as well as different colors of each species on his list. His fingers work quickly in bundling them together, florist tape winding around the carefully trimmed stems with ease. "New species? Yes, I've picked out nearly twenty-five plants to add to the shop. I've added two of them to your bouquet, actually!" He hopes whomever the recipient of the flowers is enjoys his selection. "It seems like a lot of work for your staff, but a coincidence is a coincidence, I suppose. Either way, it's good to see someone in here so often. Though, I do admit that I was suspicious when I saw you today," he mentions, all charm and smiles as he picks out ribbons to tie around the bundle, "I'm starting to wonder if you're here for the flowers or...perhaps something else." His gaze falls on her for a moment. "I mean, either option is perfectly fine and I wouldn't be offended if it were the former. I don't mean to assume anything." Four birthdays in a row? Wouldn't you have known in advance? You could have gotten four bouquets in one day in that case. It is presumptuous for him to mention, but not unheard of. A relatively attractive man running a flower shop--determined and passionate about the colorful blooms--is usually pleasing to young women. Some of his customers are known to flirt with him, and he complies if it keeps them coming back.

“Ah. I see.” 

Definitely not something she has the patience for. Anything described as “picky” that’s intended for a house ornamentation is not anywhere close to up her alley. 

Deliberately, she lingers at the display for a second, breathing deeply. Nope. They’re not the guilty parties. 

Alas. 

Xu steps away from the display and offers him a smile, adding onto her cover story from the past few days. “I think I’d like another one of those variety bouquets. They’ve been going over very well with the recipients.” 

He's a little disappointed in her dismissal of the flowers, but understands they're not quite an easy gift, as they require a lot of maintenance. At least she is going to buy something at all, he reminds himself as he slips a pair of shears from the pockets of his apron and begins zipping around the shop, snipping at some flowers. "What size would you like?" he calls to her as he tries to pick out new flowers, ones he hasn't used with her yet. If she's sending these to people around her office, getting the most variety might bring in more customers. "How many more birthdays do you have this month?"

She straightens, and glances over at him. “Several office birthdays,” she lies glibly, because yes, it must look absurd to come in here daily and buy a random bouquet until she can figure out what’s making her sniffle and sneeze. 

The downside of saving on rent in this district. Her apartment is beautiful, but the scents all seep straight up through her floorboards. At least she never has to worry about air freshener. 

"These are beautiful. What type are they?" 

"Theeeese," he draws out, placing a knowing finger in the air, "are called impatiens. They're a very beautiful flower, in shades of pinks, reds, purples, and white. They're quite delicate sometimes, and picky about their light and supply of water. Thirsty little buggers, they are. They're a great choice for a flower at home. They don't need much sunlight and as long as you keep them trimmed and watered, they should be nice and comfortable in a pot."

It’s been four days, and she still hasn’t been able to figure it out, stifling a sneeze as she comes down the stairs, the scent of the flowers overwhelming. 

Xu pauses at the first display in the carefully arranged flower shop, bending slightly to inhale the scent of the blossoms, and to figure out if any of them are the culprit.  

He watches her carefully, as he does with all who come into his shop. He takes his displays seriously and doesn't want anyone to bother them. Especially not that particular display. The flowers are delicate and the petals can fall easily if mishandled. He steps forward, a hand in the air as if to tell her to give it some space. He recognizes her from the past few days. "Again? Who are you buying flowers for now?" he asks, not unkindly, just curious. He inspects the petals, making sure no damage is done. "I hope it's for positive reasons."

She’s just… going to sit here with her cup of delicious chocolate-chip marshmallow ice cream and ignore about ninety percent of this speech. 

And pretend like she’s listening. 

"—You're not listening to me, are you?" He crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently. "You know, I thought you would be different. I thought you would listen." He huffs and looks away from her dramatically. "But you don't! You're JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!" He begins to walk away, but pauses to look over his shoulder at her. "So enjoy your ice cream, because I can't. No amount of delicious dairy treats will fill this HOLE in my HEART!"