"Corner Stone Flower Market. Alisa speaking." Pause. "Hello?"

Aurum glanced down at the post-it note again. Wait... he was sure he'd written that down right. He hadn't even tried to dial an 'S'... could she have...? He cleared his throat, and adopted a questing tone. "Is Andrea there? This is Aurum, from the Full Circle."

God, he hoped she hadn't given him a wrong number. That was so 'kid stuff'. It'd suck to have to use google to learn how to make Moussaka.

Alisa blinked into the phone, now held a few inches away from her face, before sending a squinted glance in the direction of the back room. "Hold on one moment sir, Andrea will be right with you." She set the phone down by the register and treaded lightly on her feet into the back room..

"Oh, Andrea dear, you have a man on the phone calling for you. His name is Aurum, I believe?"

The green skinned girl in question lifted her eyes from her current arrangement in surprise and blew a wisp of hair from her face. "Aurum..?" It took her a moment, about as long as it took her to plant the last rose she held in with its fellow, to remember who exactly that was. "Oh! Aurum..."

Alisa shot her a smirk and a lifted eyebrow as the gorgon dusted off her hands and hurried into the front room to snatch up the phone.

"Hello?" She caught sight of her boss entering the room out of the corner of her eyes and frown as the woman sauntered past towards her office, "You really must tell me all about your boy-friend when you are off the phone..." The older, gray haired woman winked at her and hurried into her office before Andrea could shush her.

>>"Hello?"

Oh, good. "Hey." He shifted the phone against his ear, and brushed a piece of newspaper off the coffee table so he could do what he never let Ami. Rest legs on table. One white-socked foot rose to hover, then paused, and swung over to the arm of the couch. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it. "I was just calling to see if you still wanted to, or had the time, to share that recipe for Moussaka with me? I've got today off, and I thought maybe we could exchange recipes." Maybe he could show her how to make one of his favorite dishes?

Aurum leaned back on the couch, and waited.

Oh... he wanted to meet up?

She paused before answering, sending a glance towards the office where her elderly boss was surely plotting. She was technically working.. but she had yet to take her lunch, so there was time for well, lunch. "I would love to. I just need to check one thing out first," Andrea set the phone down carefully, letting her feet take her swiftly into Alisa's office. The sound of a phone being slapped down loudly onto the desk greeted her as she rounded the door. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the woman, who was hurriedly shifting though some papers like she had been busy the whole time.

Nosey.... "Hey Alisa? Would it be alright if i went on lunch now?" The woman glanced up from her paperwork, eyes peeking over the rims of her glasses, and smiled. "Why of course my dear, Have a good lunch, take as much time as you need!'

Andrea shot her a suspicious look, before smiling in return. She moved back to the phone and resumed talking. "Alright, I'm cleared for a lunch, what did you have in mind?'

It was pretty obvious she was working, given the woman who'd answered before her, the 'flower shop' comment, and the wait. That was the way calls at work usually worked, wasn't it? ... She'd given him her work number, but she hadn't done it to ditch. She was just busy. Probably getting glares from the 'boss lady', or a customer. So, they'd have to come to the point.

>>"I would love to." She replied.

And there was the point.

>>"I just need to check one thing out first."

"Certainly," Aurum replied understandingly. It was probably the classic 'getting permission from the boss for a break' thing. He remembered when he used to be able to do that, before the iron rule of the Rosali slimed its way into existence. Back, with Ghost.

Aurum fiddled with the toe of his sock as he waited. Big toe goes up, big toe goes down. Big toe goes up. Big toe becomes obstinate, and just stands there, looming. Little toe wiggles hysterically, in absence of big toe activity.

Andrea picked up again.

>>"Alright, I'm cleared for a lunch, what did you have in mind?'

All toe-wiggling ceased. "I was thinking I could pick you up, and take you to a kitchen somewhere, and you could show me how to make it. And then, maybe I could show you how to make something in return. Maybe coffee?" He paused. "Though, it strikes me I might lack the ingredients for Moussaka. What's in Moussaka? Also, for starters. What is Moussaka?" He'd never gotten the answer to that question. He'd never researched further to find out. Where would the fun in that be?

She said she was 'cleared for lunch', though. Maybe they didn't have the time for what he'd planned...? He had the family van today. He could always pick her up after work. "If now isn't a good time for cooking, maybe I could just pick you up later?"

>>"Though, it strikes me I might lack the ingredients for Moussaka. What's in Moussaka? Also, for starters. What is Moussaka?"

She laughed into the phone softly. "Moussaka is the national dish in my country." She paused also, "As for ingredients, we would need onions, ground beef, eggplant and..." She paused yet again. What were those last few items? She couldn't remember for the life of her... and then, "... and , tomatoes, butter, eggs, milk, and cheese. I do have a few other recipes though if you are out of those items."

>>""If now isn't a good time for cooking, maybe I could just pick you up later?"

Andrea paused, intent on turning around to what time it was exactly. What greeted her, however, was Alisa standing a few feet away with all of Andrea's things in her arms and a warm smile on her face. the woman was intent on forcing her to leave.... The gorgon took that as a sign that she would have enough time and resumed talking.

"I don't think I need to worry about time...."

Andrea laughed as she told him the ingredients. Aurum smiled, and took it in. Onions, ground beef, eggplant... Dramatic pause. He sat up, and leaned into the phone, on the edge of his seat.

>>"... and , tomatoes, butter, eggs, milk, and cheese. I do have a few other recipes though if you are out of those items."

Aurum sat back, relaxing. He cast a glance towards the kitchen. "Yeah. I've got those. It should be no trouble. And it sounds good."

As for the matter of work...

>>"I don't think I need to worry about time...."

"Great." Aurum replied. "... So. Where can I pick you up?"

>>"... So. Where can I pick you up?

"I work off of the corner of Fifth street and Avenue B, right down from the park." She paused, her coat slung over one arm as she maneuvered a stool closer with her foot and glanced up at the clock. "Is that too far away? I could always walk closer and meet you somewhere..." She would feel terribly guilty if she used up all of his gas on one trip....

The bell above the front door chimed and with a panicked look towards Alisa, she snatched the phone base and dragged it back into the backroom with her. "When do you think you will be on your way?..."

Otherwise, she might get sucked into arranging something else... which meant she would have to dive back into her apron and name badge.

Near Tompkins Square park, on the corner of Fifth Street and Avenue B... That wasn't too bad. It was actually in the same part of the city as his apartment on 71 Broadway was... and right near The Golden Bee!

Aurum made a quick mental map.

"No, that's fine. Just a little out of my way."

>>"When do you think you will be on your way?..."

Aurum glanced at the clock, and pondered. "Hmm, I think I can be on the road in ten minutes. It won't take me too long to get to the shop."

He just had to get dressed, grab his keys, and drive. Though, hopefully New York Traffic wasn't too bad today. Ah, if only he could teleport. "So, I'll see you in half an hour or so?" Aurum queried.

>>"So, I'll see you in half an hour or so?"

"Right, half an hour!" With a quick goodbye, she hung up the phone and grabbed her apron- Just as Alisa poked her head into the room. "Got an order for you, Dear. Do you have the time?"

Andrea nodded, slipping her apron on and tying it in back as she was passed an order form. A dozen red roses, purple carnations, stargazers lilies and eucalyptus leaves... all in a vase with a shiny red bow. Gotcha.

"Consider it done, Ma'am."

With a nod from her boss, and a bit of smile, the green twenty two year old headed off into the rose cooler to pick out her flowers.

After Andrea hung up, socked toes jumped from couch arm to wooden floor with a 'clack'. Aurum slipped off to his bedroom to get changed. A minute later, he stepped back out wearing a pair of tan pants, a black t-shirt, and black shoes. He rode the elevator down to street level, and went for the van.

25 minutes later, a golden van with a bee on its side pulled up near the Corner Stone Flower Market. Aurum parked it, locked it, and entered the shop.

He glanced around for any cute flower girls waiting for a ride.

Sigh...

After stretching her sore shoulders, Andrea scooped what was left of the rose petals and fern pieces into the trash. There was nothing quite like spending a half an hour trying to get a single rose to fit in place at a certain angle with no success. She sighed again and straightened her apron, then packed away her shears and snippers into their assigned spots. Her ears perked up at the sound of the door chiming. She glanced quickly at the wall clock, before snatching up her bag and heading out into the lobby.

She smiled at Aurum and waved when she caught sight of him, before ducking quickly into her bosses office to let her know she was leaving. The Greek pointedly ignored the cheeky look she received from the older woman, and returned to the lobby.

"Sorry, had to let her know I was leaving." She shifted her bag up onto her shoulder a little higher, "So, where to now?"

As Aurum waited, his eyes trailed over the various flower arrangements. There were roses, and tulips, and all sorts of other beautiful things. Some of the arrangements were really quite good. They reminded him of some of the decorations and garnishes people often put of fancy foods and cakes.

Side note: Little frosted roses were a lot harder to make pretty than they were to make splotchy. Mass respect went out for anyone who could arrange pretty things.

Speaking of pretty things.

Aurum's eyes hopped over from the rose arrangements, to Andrea. She smiled at him. He smiled back. Then, she vanished into a side room.

Aurum smirked. Probably letting her boss know she's ready to go.

Andrea popped back, and summed up what he'd assumed. Aurum nodded.

"My van's parked outside. I was thinking 'my kitchen' was as good a place as any to cook. I've got all the ingredients for Moussaka. That okay with you? If it isn't, my mom's restaurant is pretty close by. She'd probably let me raid our kitchen."

Was that okay with her?... She couldn't think of anything more 'okay'. When she thought back to the last time she had a kitchen to herself (so to speak) she had to blow the dust off of the memory first. Showed her what exactly her parents had thought of her cooking, that little memory. So what if her Dolmades hadn't been as good as her grandmothers? She had never even met the woman!

With a nod, and a widening of her smile, she replied back, "I'm fine with either.. though, i haven't made this dish in a while, so i can't really promise anything spectacular."

She followed him out the the van he had mentioned, and spent only moment or two to stare and giggle at the Adorable Bee on the side of the vehicle. It was cute... more than cute, actually. Andrea made sure not to waste to much time giggling however, and scooted into the passengers seat as Aurum slipped into the drivers. She gave brief consideration as she buckled herself in, to asking him how hard it was to drive, before she dumped the idea. It was bad enough she didn't know what typed of coffee the man made, she wouldn't bother him with questions about driving as well.

"So, you mentioned being a part time chef before? Do you enjoy cooking a lot?"

>>"I'm fine with either.. though, i haven't made this dish in a while, so i can't really promise anything spectacular."

"I'm sure we'll manage," Aurum replied, and led the way. He paused as they reached the van, and glanced towards the sound of 'giggling'.

Wait, wait, wait. Was she laughing... at his cute bee? He let out a jokingly offended gasp, then swung around to the driver's side and got in. He turned to look at her as she asked her question, popping the belt into the seat belt lock.

>>"So, you mentioned being a part time chef before? Do you enjoy cooking a lot?"

He looked her in the shades, and said "Yep."

"It's one of my favorite things in the world. I, uh, think you noticed the bee on the van's side?" He turned to put his hands on the steering wheel, and started the van up. He kept talking as he pulled away from the curb. "That's the mascot for my family's restaurant, The Golden Bee. It's on the corner of E 7th Street and Avenue C. I used to work there. Still do, now and then. My mom used to be a caterer, see? She taught me all about cooking."

He paused at the stoplight until it turned, then continued on, towards 'home'.