It was a beautiful cold fall day in the city of Atlas. The concrete jungle bounced the sounds of the city off themselves like an echoing canyon. An alarm blared next to Kore's head to remind her that it was time to get up and start her day. It was 6:40 am. Kore rolled out of bed and planted her feet firmly on the floor. She put her head between her hands and rubbed her temples. She threw her head back and let out a long sigh. She reached over to her nightstand, pressing the blaring alarm clock's button to snooze. She knows if she silences it, she will lose track of time.
As she made her way groggily to the bathroom, she flipped on the light switch. Her hair was a massive, tangled mess. Kore rolled her eyes while putting toothpaste on her toothbrush. She knew all too well how this would go. It'll be a fight to get the brush through her hair, there will be curse words flying around like she was a sailor and then she'll finally conquer her pink hair and tame it. 'You do this to yourself Kore, you could do a night routine but noooo!' she sarcastically thought to herself.
Kore Catarino is a 5'4, 135-pound, 26 year-old, pink haired, semi-shy woman with a feisty temper that could get anyone in trouble and usually gets her into all sorts of predicaments. She learned she had to be this way due to her appearance and the way her life was as a child. Her hair isn't just pink, it's the color of freshly cut up raspberries, her skin pale and her eyes as blue as the clearest ocean. Kids tormented her every day. Her strange appearance made them make up rumors, that Kore somehow had magical powers to curse anyone she wanted to. No one wanted to be friends with a "witch".
Kore shook her head to get those nasty memories out of her head. She spat the contents of her mouth into the sink and rinsed her mouth. She wiped off her face with a towel and turned to head out to get breakfast. As she lazily walked into her small kitchen, eyes half closed, something ran in front of her causing her to trip into the counter.
"Jesus Sam!" Kore exclaimed. "I know you're hungry but if you kill me, you won't have anyone to feed your grumpy as-butt". Kore caught herself before she cussed at her all-black dog named Sam. She was trying to make a mental note to not cuss as much, she literally was fired from her last job due to her not being able to control it. "Prim and proper a lady must be, no man will want you Kore if you're not a proper lady", she mockingly said while holing a finger up.
She pulled out a bowl for Sam who kept jumping up and wagging his tail excitedly. "You're lucky you're cute", she said as she placed the bowl of food down for him. He stuffed his face into the bowl as he gobbled up his food, Kore bent down and gave him scratches on his head. "One day we'll get out of this apartment and away from the city Sam" Kore said as she stood up. Her alarm started going off again. She made her way over to her balcony to let Sam out to do his business.
Kore quickly threw on her pink sweater jacket over a plain white t-shirt and khaki pants to complete her look, grabbed her keys and exited her small apartment. "Bye Sam!" she shouted as she rushed out the door. It was 8:00am, she was running a few minutes late. She stuffed her toast in mouth while she locked up her apartment. She heard a creak of a door behind her, she glanced over her left shoulder to see her neighbor Collin peeking out from room 66, the apartment next to hers. She sheepishly waved at the creepy man, and he slowly closed the door back. Every day was the same with him and everyday he gave her the creeps. As Kore walked down the first set of stairs in her complex, she quickly checked her phone to see the time. 8:02 am her watch read.
As she finished off her toast and hit the bottom of the last flight of stairs her phone sent off a notification from a news cast. The heading read: "Dollhouse killer has struck again!" Kore saw a crime scene photo pop up; she clicked her phone off before really looking at it.
She tapped her shoe into place while exiting the building. 'Oh well, can't worry about that now' she thought to herself. She had a big day today and didn't need to worry about anything else other than the task at work she had. Today she had to make flower arrangements to fill a giant Banquet Hall for a ball tonight. She was excited, after being let go at her last job for flipping a customer off who threw hot coffee on her, Kore finally found a job she wanted, working at a flower shop. It wasn't ideal now, especially since it didn't pay much and she had to scrape by most of the time, but it was something that finally made her happy. Anything involving nature made Kore happy and she seemed to excel at growing things.
Kore walked down the busy street, multiple people turned and looked at her. She shrugged it off, she was used to it. No matter how long she lives here, no matter how well any of these people would get to know her, they would always turn and look. Most were not looks of approval. Most were judgmental and she could hear the whispers coming from them as they passed by her. 'Just a 20-minute walk Kore, you got this' she thought to herself. She couldn't understand why no one could mind their own business and just ignore her. As she waited for the crosswalk to turn green at the corner of Grand Terrance Ave and Stetson, someone ran into her sending her phone flying from her hand.
"Oh, for fuc-fudge sakes!" she gritted her teeth and bent over to pick it up. Her fingertips met a stranger's fingertips as she reached down to help her. "I'm sorry miss..." a smooth cold voice said.
"Excuse me sir, you wouldn't need to apologize if you just paid attention", she stated, rolling her eyes while standing up. She saw the man who knocked into her and was attempting to help her up, he was a tall man wearing a plaid shirt.
"Oh, for fricks sake! My screens cracked!" Her cheeks became red with anger as she clutched her phone.
"My, you have a temper on you, don't you?" the man said.
"You..." she said and pointed at the man. She just realized how tall he is and well-built. 'Don't push it Kore, remember last time' she thought as she balled up her fist. She did not wish to get thrown around by a stranger. She scoffed, turning her nose up at him and quickly hurried across the street with the other passer byers. She peeked over her shoulder and noticed the man's left brow twitching as he saw her rush off.
"I'm here Mrs. Roe! Sorry I'm late! Some as- "she clamped her mouth, "Sorry, I'm working on its Mrs. Roe" she said shrugging her shoulders as Mrs. Roe stared at her. Katrina Roe was a middle-aged woman, she was petite with black hair that had tiny, whisky grey hairs growing through it.
"Kore!" she exclaimed "You're only a few minutes late, no need for an explanation, just throw on your apron on and help me! We have the ball to prepare for and we also have to fill walk in orders! I'm so stressed right now I could shit bricks!" Mrs. Roe frustratingly slammed her hands on the counter.
Kore cocked an eyebrow and smugly looked at her boss. Kore tsked and shook her finger, "And I thought I had a problem."
"KOOORREEE!" Mrs. Roe roared. Kore giggled as she tied her apron around her waist.
"I'm teasing Mrs. Roe, what do you want me to do today, would you like me to fill the fridges with rose bouquets and fill the walk in orders?" Mrs. Roe put the back of her hand on her forehead and let out a long sigh "I'm too old for this.... Why don't we switch it off? I'll start the arrangements for the ball while you help customers and then halfway through the shift we'll switch. We need to have these done and on to the ball by 4:00 pm" she stated while bracing herself on the counter.
"That sounds like a solid plan, if I need anything I'll holler at you Mrs. Roe" Kore said as she picked up a vase of roses.
Kore looked up at the sky while she was sweeping the outside of the shop. Her shift started at 8:30 this morning and it was only 9:00 now. 'Today is going by so slow' she thought as she dazed off into the smog filled sky.
"Hello..." a smooth cold voice came from behind her. Kore jumped, startled by the sudden sound and dropped her broom.
"Jesus Christ!" she yelled staring at the man she had bumped into at the light. He looked at her with that same look he had at the crosswalk.
"Ok I get I was on your nerves dude, but you broke my phone! You didn't need to follow me to work and be a stalker! Jesus!" She said in a low tone as she bent over to pick up the broom, the man folded his arms unamused.
"Miss, I assure you I did not stalk you. I'm here on business" he stated as he turned to enter the flower shop. 'Business?' she thought. 'The way he speaks does not match the way he looks' she sighed and followed behind him. The man appeared to be 6'6, wearing a flannel button up shirt, hair so blonde it shinned white in the sun, she was actually impressed with his stature, he looked like a normal person but held himself with like a cooperate jockey. 'He seems familiar' she pondered.
"How may I assist you today" Kore said with a sarcastic bite to it as she took her place behind the counter. The man still standing with his arms folded looked at her like he was studying her, one eyebrow raised while looking her up and down. This made her unconformable. 'At least when people stare at me it's to pass judgement, why do I feel like I'm being studied in a lab' she thought as she crossed her arms over her chest, she looked uncomfortably to the left to avoid eye contact. The silence was intense.
He's a good-looking man and to have someone like that stare at her the way he was made Kore turn red. A small smile turned on the corner of his mouth as he put his hand up to his chin. "Well, 'omorfi'*, I'm here to check on the status of the bouquets for the ball I'm throwing this evening".
* omorfi': beautiful*
She jolted and put her hands down to her sides. "Oh! Mr. Doukas! The shop owner is filling those right now, I'll take a step in the back and see how we're doing" she nervously chuckled. 'Doukas! I didn't recognize him, stupid!' she smacked her forehead with her palm while walking into the back room. Everyone knows the Doukas's family, especially Aidoneus Doukas. They run a majority of the upper and lower districts of Atlas and own the major company Technologia. The younger brother aged 30, stood at a towering height of 6'7, had blonde hair and light blue eyes that shined turquoise in the sun.
"Kore! What are you doing back here?" Mrs. Roe said as she was arranging an arrangement of lilies into a spectacular vase. Kore put her hands in front of her timidly and moved her foot back and forth like a scolded school child. "Well, Mrs. Roe, Mr. Doukas is here to check up on the status of the order" she sheepishly said.
"KORE!" Mrs. Roe put the arrangement down and hurriedly headed over "For the sake of your employment I hope you watched your mouth!" she said as she walked past Kore. Kore knew it was an empty threat, Mrs. Roe loved her and her green thumb.
"Mr. Doukas!" Mrs. Roe said as she walked out of the back-room arms stretched out in a welcoming stance.
"Yah sas, fee-le mou*" he said with a head nod and slight smile. He quickly glanced at Kore who trailed right behind her. A cold shiver went down her spine. She didn't know much about the Doukas family, but she knew who this man was. He was Aidoneus Doukas, the third brother of the Doukas family who was well known to end anyone he disliked. Aidoneus was escorted to the back to view the arrangements Mrs. Roe had made, to make sure they were following the white theme of the ball. He walked past Kore and looked quickly at her. She tensed up 'Why do I feel like I'm a mouse and he's a cat?' she nervously thought as she turned to follow him and Mrs. Roe. As they entered the room Kore was surprised to see so many vases were already made up and neatly packed up to deliver.
* Yah sas, fee-le mou: My friend*
"We have an assortment of white lilies and roses as you requested. Our hanging arrangements will consist of Japanese Anemone and moon flowers.
"Pfft, all white no color is going to make everything boring" Kore whispered as she rolled her eyes. Mrs. Roe stepped on Kores toes "Ouch!" Kore exclaimed.
Aidonous looked at the two and cocked an eyebrow. "Well miss...." he said, expecting her to say her name. Kore blankly stared at him and then felt an elbow jab into her side.
"State your name young lady!" Mrs. Roe hissed under her breath. "Oh... Um I'm Kore Catarino, but you can call me Kore?" she said with a puzzled look on her face. Mrs. Roe placed her head in hand and shook it. Kore's awkwardness was showing.
"...Kore? Should I include the question at the end of your name as well?" Aidoneous teased.
Kore turned red "Excuse me, no, it's just Kore, Jesus understand sarcasm much?" She said rolling her eyes. "KORE!" Mrs. Roe said nudging her elbow harder into Kores ribs.
"HEY!" she exclaimed rubbing her side. Aidoneus let out a slight chuckle.
"Ok, Kore with no question mark. What would you add to these arrangements if you were allowed to?" Rubbing her side she turned her attention to Aidoneus.
"I'd add a pale blue flower, like periwinkle or hydrangea to add a pop of color here and there that would complement the white attire of your party. But only if "I'm allowed to"' she put air quotations to emphasize that part.
Aidoneus found this girl amusing. He has not felt this amused in a while by anyone. Usually anyone he meets grovels at his feet. He's learned in his world that everyone wants something from you. It's one of the reasons why he insisted on walking the streets today in normal attire. His current plaid shirt with jeans pant look was something he had to buy from a casual shop, and he eventually had to sneak out the back just to get away from everyone. When he first met Kore, he was taken aback that someone would speak so brazenly towards him.
"Alright Mrs. Roe, why don't you do what Kore suggested. And if this party fails, I will be coming back for a full refund and a bad review to shut this place down. I'd also like, Kore to deliver the arrangements herself tonight and attend the ball", he said maintaining eye contact with Kore.
Kore let out an auditable sigh and rolled her eyes. In the end, he wasn't a dangerous man like she thought him to be, he was just an annoying rich man toying with people's lives.
"Kore!" Mrs. Roe said while nudging her. Mrs. Roe had one-hundred percent confidence in Kore's ability to arrange and maintain flowers, and didn't want her to miss an opportunity to be out on the town with a Doukas brother. Kore shrugged and nodded in agreement.
"Great", Aidoneus smirked "It's formal and I expect all parties, including the vendors to adhere to the dress code" he said while turning on his heels to leave.
"Excuse me, but what? "Kore said, nervous because the most formal thing she owned was her old prom dress that was maroon. "Not all of us are made of money and can just get a dress with a snap of our fingers" she said mockingly with her hand on hip and using her other one to snap. With that the front doorbell rang to indicate a customer had walked in.
"Excuse me", Kore said with a huff and shoved her way pass Aidoneus. He watched her walk away with a sly smile on his face.
"Hi welcome to Roe's flower shop! How may I..." She didn't finish her sentence as there was a massive man in an all-black suit standing there. Outside of the shop was an all-matte black Cadillac SUV parked. A considerably large crowd started to form.
"Peter! Filos*! How did you find me?" Aidoneous said while walking towards the man. Peter, Aidoneous's bodyguard, stood a good 6'5 inches and looked built like a wall. His face was emotionless as he looked at Aidoneous and pointed to his phone that had a notification of the order status from the flower shop.
* Filos: friend*
"You're late Aidon, you had a meeting this morning at 9:00 and it's 9:20" Peter said with a low husky voice.
Aidonous waved him off. "Sorry, I didn't expect my fiasco to last this long. I just wanted to make sure everything was set for the ball tonight" he shrugged while walking past the man. Kore caught a hint of a cynical undertone. He stopped and turned back to face Kore. "If you're in need of a dress, just head to Hera's Bridal and tell them I sent you there. It'll be my treat, but I do expect to be paid in full if this party fails".
Kore's mouth fell opened "Excuse me! I don't need your charity! I am perfectly capable of getting my own dress!" she said while her face turned red. Mrs. Roe stomped on her toe again.
Aidoneus let out a chuckle. "Omorfi, remember I said if it fails, you'll be paying me back, in full" he said waving her off as he walked out. He could feel her intense anger burning a hole in his back. Peter held open the door for him, he took a glance back to see the pink-haired girl throwing cuss words at him.
"Afentikó*, you want me to contact your clientele for you and rearrange everything for your calendar today since you're running late?" Peter asked while opening the car door for Aidoneus. As he climbed in and got comfortable, Aidoneus stared out the window at the flower shop.
"No, they can wait. It's just my annoying older brother we have to meet with" Aidoneus said coldly. The fun he had this morning with this woman would be the highlight of his day. He absolutely despises speaking with his older brother and he absolutely despises parties.
*Afentiko: Boss, Filos: Friend*