Chapter Text
Chapter 1: New Life and New Beginnings
You woke up with the sun peering through your windows and their curtains ready to start a new day in the flower shop you had inherited from your aunt before she had passed. Your weary body still getting used to the new environment of the city. You stretched and went into your kitchen to prepare some coffee for yourself. The apartment you had found was small and surprisingly affordable for it being in the middle of the city. The vinyl tile felt cold as you stepped around the many boxes that littered your new abode.
You were pretty excited to have inherited this flower shop and were confused how your aunt was able to run it for so long without help. From what you could remember she never really took interest in flowers and oftentimes wouldn’t even know about the genus of flowers she was selling. You remember having asked her about her flower shop, often being intrigued as you were an environmental major in your college years. You took to looking at flowers in particular in hopes of one day asking your aunt if she needed any help at the shop. However, soon after graduation your aunt had passed mysteriously.
All of this in mind she gave you the shop after passing as well as a letter with various important documents and a small cryptic message.
Dear niece,
I pass down to you the flower shop you have always asked about. It hopefully is to your liking. Oh, and do mind the mirrors within the shop.
Love Aunt Lucinda
After finishing your coffee and a small breakfast you got dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a sweater. With the colder months dawning on your new home, it became clear to you that within this city the autumns would be colder than you were used to. You slipped on some shoes and walked out of the apartment being sure to lock up as you left.
After leaving your small place you walked a few blocks down to the shop, hoping that the dreary sky wouldn’t be too much of a problem for the live flowers kept at the shop. You passed by a few places and watched as cars passed you. The shop thankfully wasn’t too far from the apartment, but it still was a slightly sketchy walk to the doors. As you had made your final left turn you heard a small shutter of a camera in the alley way next to your aunt's shop. Turning your head towards the noise you only saw what looked to be a man climbing up onto a fire escape. You decided to continue walking making the choice that it was none of your business to know what that man was doing. Yes, it worried you, but you had a business to open up and run.
Hector woke up to the sound of his work phone ringing. He answered and heard a familiar voice on the phone. The voice was regal and calm, almost as if the woman on the other side was holding herself with an air of wistful dignity, “Hector, the shop has been passed down to a niece of Ms. Lavish. I want you to check them out and see if they can carry on her work.”. With a soft groan Hector rubbed the sleep from his downturned eyes then a hand through his unruly curls. His response was calculated, “Of course,” his voice was calm and even. The slight bit of sleep coated his vocal cords causing his words to come out raspier than usual. He knew what his don was talking about. Lucinda had recently passed due to some poor deals with another family within the city. Her death was of course covered up as some strange accident by none other than the crime syndicates best cleaner.
Her death was an unfortunate loss to his family but at the end of the day he still had a job to do. If it meant scoping out the new person within the shop he would do just that. “I’ll need a couple of days to observe them,” he added after taking some time to think. His don responded in kind, “Do take all the time that is necessary. You know the Mansarda family is very keen on their due diligence. It would be nice to have some leverage on the other houses.”. Hector hummed a reply and quickly said his goodbye. He knew he would have to get ready and preferably start his stake out soon. He would have to follow you for a few days so it was best that he was prepared for the colder weather seeing as he would be out in it most of the day.
Hector looked himself in the cracked and broken mirror as he got ready. His face that was too round for his liking and a not, so intimidating form stared back at him. He got ready and threw on his mask. A rather dull piece of metal fashioned to fit him to a tee. His leather gloves hiding his fingerprints from the prying eyes of the world. He then walked out ready to start the task set out for him.