Situated on busy 12th Street, Katte Florist is a small but respectable shop with a large display window, one kept impeccably clean so that passersby, even those in a hurry, can't help but glimpse the colorful arrangements just inside. The glass door to the shop remains propped open whenever the weather will allow it, and on some days, those passersby can even catch a whiff of the already-assembled bouquets waiting by the door for next delivery. The interior of the shop is painted a deep green, and the floor is smooth cement, with drainage grates situated around the perimeter to allow for interior misting.

Along the front of the shop, and just under the large window, Tony sets out half a dozen 5-gallon buckets of various blooms every morning, for sale by the single, or the bunch.

Tony, the shop's proprietor, doesn't look like your average florist. A hulking ex-con and street boxer, his meaty paws are careful, gentle even. Where he got his talent for arranging, no one knows, and Tony ain't telling.

"Hello there, friend! What are you looking for today? Birthday bouquet? Anniversary? Maybe a funeral or sympathy wreath? Done my share of those, lately. Sad business, but it's still business. Oh, and delivery ain't no problem, I can get your arrangement delivered just about anywhere in the country, for a fee. Can even delivery anonymously." Tony tucks his large hands into his apron's pockets and gives you a knowing wink. 

"Tony!" Elle threw her arms around the large man, knocking him back a few steps despite his outweighing her by at least a hundred pounds.

"How are you?! Are you living in Detroit now? When did you scoop this place up, I would have helped... Wow! Did you do all these... yourself?" 

Tony blushed a little, an odd sight, to say the least.

"Well, yeah. My sister got the better culinary skills, I got the greener thumb. Not something you spread around while you're in the clink, mind you." He picked up the arrangement he'd been working on, added some stuff that could have been mint or parsley for all Elle knew, then began to wrap it all in some colored cellophane. 

"Is that bouquet there for somebody? You have plans for it? It's beautiful, and I really do need flowers for someone. There's a girl in my crew, well you met Vivien , she's got a special day coming and I'd like to make it even more special, if you catch my drift. Those colors in that one..." Elle gazed at the bursts of various oranges and reds in the bunch, flowers she couldn't possibly begin to try and  name, but that somehow fit Vivien so perfectly. They were fox colors, after all.

"Yes, those are the ones. They're perfect."

Several days later, Elle was in the shop again. This time, she wasn't there to buy flowers. With her fanny resting against Tony's arranging table, she stared outward at the street, arms crossed and face stoic. 

"You gave him the correct address?"

"Yes, I could even hear the scratch of pencil as he wrote it down." 

Elle looked over her shoulder at the burly man with the florist's flair. He was gently tying a bow around a bridal bouquet, and the whole scene was quite surreal. 

"Maybe you just had a bad phone connection? It seems like he would have been here by n-" The sound of hard-soled shoes on concrete made Elle turn to look toward the shop's entrance. That weird, fluttery feeling she got every time HooLZ was around made her shift on her feet. It was almost like she'd known him in another lifetime, and quite intimately. 

Shaking the feeling off, she dropped her arms and greeted him.

"I didn't think you'd come. I know you're not a fan of the business districts." Elle smiled, the humor evident in her eyes. She reached for one of HooLZ's hands then, holding it up to the light while she inspected his fingernails, nodding to herself when they proved to be perfectly clean.

"I've tried to do this three or four times now, with the exception of two rushed jobs. And every time I try to do it, the person in question is still playin' around in grave dirt." Elle reached behind her and produced a fine Japanese blade, but as she moved to cut her own palm, she changed her mind. She wasn't Italian, bloodshed wasn't necessary, and the old wound on her hand was really beginning to bother her from being re-opened so many times. Changing direction, Elle turned and used the blade to snip free a white carnation from Tony's bouquet. He opened his mouth to protest, but Elle just shook her head sternly and turned back to HooLZ. 

"You're already an invaluable part of the upper structure, HooLZ, but will you officially accept the role of Made Man, with all its rights and responsibilities?" Elle carefully tucked the carnation into the buttonhole of his suit coat and smiled up at him, knowing full well she was putting him in an uncomfortable position, but curious as to how he was going to maneuver his way through it.

On his way to the shop HooLZ was getting more angry with the minute.
The Boss lady knew which positins he liked and this wasnt one of them. He felt he was forced into something that he didnt wanted to do.
On the other hand, he was now in a responsible position within this family so he has to step up!
As soon as he enters the shop and sees the beautiful Elle he forgets about everything.

"Hello ma'am" he says when when he stands in front of the Godmother.
"Wonderful day isnt it?!"

He listens very closely to what Elle has to say. And when she starts tucking the carnation into the buttonhole he's getting a warm feeling.
Weird, seems to happen every time when she is close to him.

After Elle is done talking HooLZ clears his throat,
"Thank you for your kind words. I will be more then happy to accept the role of MadeMan with all the rights and responsibilities"

He was hoping this was the anwser the Godmother wanted to hear....

Shoresy was in trouble.  His side piece had discovered that he had another side piece and shit was getting complicated.  Everyone seemed to be mad at him.  He remembered what his father told him when he was just a little shithead...

"Now son, if they're mad - just buy 'em flowers.  It'll make everything better."

With that in mind, Shoresy walks into the flower shop and looks around confused.  So many flowers - the decisions were giving him a headache.  he gnaws on his chewing tobacco and needs to spit some out.  He looks around and thinks that no one is watching before he picks up a flower vase to use as a spitter.  All of a sudden Tony comes storming out of the office with an angry look on his face.   Shoresy quickly gets money out of his boardshorts.  

"I'll, uh, pay for that. While we're at 'er here, I need some flowers for 2 lucky ladies, and Wayne 's mom.  I fucked her so hard I left stains on her carpet.  Felt kinda bad about that one. Are you able to help?"

Tony did the slow blink, then snorted out a quiet laugh. His time in the joint meant hearing many, many stories beginning much like Shoresy's had, but most of those hadn't been expressed nearly as colorfully. 

Which gave him a pretty damn good idea. In a moment's time, three vases were set up along the counter, and Tony's hands made quick.work of assembling three separate, yet individually random, bouquets. Every once in a while, he'd head to the storeroom to fetch flowers of specific color from batches he'd not yet had a chance to put out on display. When he finally finished them off with three vibrant ribbons tied into bows, the end results were quite remarkable. Each bouquet was an explosion of color, with orange ronunculus, pink roses, red snapdragons, purple statice, and Sweet William in every variation imaginable. Tony stood back from his work, fisted hands on his hips as he thought of names for his creations. 

"Fiesta. Jubilee. Carnivale." His meaty finger pointed at each, then he grinned up at Shoresy . "These will do the trick, or your money back. Guaranteed." 

When you think of flowers, you instantly think of Katte’s place over on 12th street, well Art3mis certainly did. And in these troubled, uncertain times, with shots being fired on a regular basis, and people being slain, she knew a fair few funerals were going to be attended.
As she entered the shop, the aroma hit her before the colour did. It almost knocked her off her feet. The daisies, the roses, the tulips, all the colours of the rainbow, made her forget why she was actually there in the first place. 
 

“Hi Tony” she said “a dozen black roses please, and a dozen blank condolence cards also.”

With his steely, battle hardened gaze, Tony obliged to Art3mis’s request and wrapped the roses and placed the cards into a envelope for her. As she handed over the money to him, Tony gave her hand a little squeeze, a show of support as to why she bought the flowers. Fighting back a tear or two, Art3mis smiled, whispered “thank you”, and exited the florists. 
 

“This is not going to be a easy day, and I don’t think this will be my only time buying roses today”. 

It had been a rough day and a half, the streets had been painted red with blood, yesterday's friend had become today's enemy and chaos had ensued.    It happened every now and again but it cleared the bad blood generally he thought to himself as he opened the door.   With so many funerals in so many locations, he knew he couldn't get to them all but had to send something, and a member to each funeral to represent the family.

Cricking his neck as he walked in through the door, he looked around almost lost, it was not the sort of place he really visited, he had errand boys and girls for such tasks but some of the people lost had worked with his family, and he felt it was right to do this in person.   The bright various colours of the florists, against the various smells of everything from orchids, lilies, roses, and carnations around him.

Pulling a list out of his pocket of names, funerals, and preferred flower arrangements, he walked up to the counter mournfully, as the black shadows under his eyes showed his exhaustion as his tired bloodshot eyes looked over the counter.


"I have some special arrangements I need, all the instructions are here"

It had been a while since the last time Elle had visited Katte Florist. There'd been enough wipes and removals to warrant several dozen funeral wreaths, but Elle could never quite bring herself to go to the shop for such mournful occasions. 

The shop had developed a different meaning for her altogether. A symbol of life, of promise, of new beginnings. Elle had managed to drag HooLZ down here to officially bring him into the family fold, maybe she could get @Cyprus down here, too. She was admiring a bouquet of lilies that Tony had put together when she heard someone come in through the open door. 

"Cyprus." What an asset he'd become, in such a brief period of time. Not many people in The Life worked as hard as he did. Elle stepped over to him and gave him a quick hug.

"I'm glad you came. I've got plans for you, but first and foremost, there's the small matter of making you official." He was wearing a shirt currently, so this made everything easier. Elle plucked a carnation, placed it carefully through a buttonhole high up by his collar, and smiled.

"Giving you your Made button was never a question. You're a good man, a huge asset to our organization, and no one has a work ethic like you do. Will you commit to Solutions, 12th Street, and Detroit as our newest Made Man?"

Cyprus walks into the florist, actually wearing a shirt for a change, he notices Elle_E_Ott standing admiring some pretty lillies, he walked over and gave her a hug. Then listened to her speak, thinking it was wise of him to wear a shirt today.

"I thank you for your confidence in me and I am honored to receive this button and I hope I can make you proud and live up to your expectations."

He gave her another hug, lifting her up and spinning her around, hoping that wouldn't get him shot. He put her down safely and smiled at her.

PeterMcNeil walks into the florist eager to make a purchase.  Something that his GFC will appreciate, but something that also reminds Peter of home.

"Hello Elle_E_Ott do you have any lilies? I'd like a bunch of orange ones, no other colour but that please, I know they can be hard to come by."

Peter then slipped a card onto the desk with some cash.

"Please send them to GFC Smash with my compliments."

With that Peter tilts his had and walks out of the establishment, saluting his fellow Detroit brothers and sisters as he goes.

With Mother's Day around the corner Ryant decided to do a little flower shopping. She was hoping they had day lilies they were her mothers favorite.  She strolled into the shop a bounce in her step as her bangles jingled along her wrists and braids swung joyously.  She approached the counter and asked for the pricing. She also inquired on varieties of day lilies and if they were cut or if she could purchase bulbs . She hated cut flowers, she never could understand why people killed them to enjoy them . 

 She was given a list of varieties with pricings clearly marked for each. After a couple minutes she decided on Orange day lilies and Asiatic day lilies. The color scheme of each complimented the other. She paid for the bulbs and went back her hotel.

Grisella had heard of this florist in conversation, an ideal place to send 'offers that cant be refused'.

Smiling secretly to her self, she had just an offer to make to a bum Goomba that had recently crossed her in Las Vegas.

Walking up to the counter she made eye contact with the proprietor:

"Good evening, I would like to send a bunch of Cala Lily's to an acquaintance of mine in LAs Vegas.  I am assuming you are able to provide message cars also?"

The squirrel god noticed a stylish young lady go into a building filled with flora and fawna.  could this be the road back to the biofrost?

'you, woman! take me to your leader!'