Chance Meeting of Two Unknown People

He pulled a pad of paper and a epn out of his coat pocket and began scribbling.

"Excellent choice, Signore. I'll have you sign this one here first, and then we'll have a more official typed one later with a witness. How does that sound?"

Draza couldn't believe what he was doing, but he nodded.

"...Okay." He said quietly.

He signed the paper once Cesario was done, and then tried to smile. "S-so I guess you'll be leaving now?"

Cesario laughed a booming laugh, folding up the paper and placing it in his pocket.

"You are desperate to get rid of your little secret, Signore? Perhaps your lover or wife will be home soon? You make me laugh, Signore Dragovic--you make me laugh." He paced around the room, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. "Come, Dragovic--we smoke together, si? Just like real business partners." He pulled out a lighter, glancing around the room again.

"This really is a nice place, Signore..."

"A-actually, I live alone..." He mumbled, knowing that wasn't the real point of Cesario's remark.

He stood up, watching him examine his sub-par living space. "It's really not a nice place..." He said simply, fidgeting with his long, curly hair. "And I don't smoke, sorry."

"Oh, come on," he said, holding out a the box to Draza as he lit his own cigarette. "Men are supposed to smoke. Real men, businessmen--it is part of business, si? You smoke." He chuckled softly. "Besides, it is fashionable. A great way to look good and get girls."

He leaned against the wall, glancing at the couch; he still stood, as though too disgusted by his surroundings to contemplate sitting down.

"I-I don't want to get girls." He said, before realizing what that insinuated. It was entirely true, the insinuation was, too, but he didn't think telling Cesario that was exactly great. "I-i, uh, mean, well, I don't like smoking is all..."

He chuckled.

"What do you want to get, then? It's good for respect, too--come on, are you a man or aren't you?"

"I don't want to get anything!" He lied quickly. "I don't want to get lung cancer, either, so I don't smoke!"

"Lung cancer?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "It takes a fool man to die of lung cancer. That is why most fool men do not smoke."

"P-please, I really don't smoke...it's bad for my body and I'm not very healthy as it is." He said weakly.

He laughed.

"Oh, do stop. At least take a few puffs, like a proper man--if it really irritates you that much, use my cigarette. No use wasting one, these are high-quality." He offered his cigarette to Draza with a condescending smile. "Don't disappoint me so soon, Signore--here I was thinking you so interesting."

Reluctantly, Draza took the cigarette and put it to his lips, inhaling softly. He'd had breathing problems, and when he had taken up smoking as a teen it had made them worse. He hoped this wouldn't cause a relapse; quitting had been so very hard for him.

As per his old habit, he performed a French inhale before thinking about it. He let the smoke escape from his nose before inhaling it again, and then exhaling it from his nose for good this time.

Upon realizing his momentary relapse into his old habits, he handed the cigarette back to Cesario with a rather unimpressed look on his face.

Cesario smiled knowingly at him, taking a long drag from the cigarette himself. His lips closed over the same spot where Draza's had been moments earlier.

"You said you did not smoke, Signore. What a pleasant surprise." He tapped the cigarette, sprinkling ash on the floor. "But then again, you seem full of pleasant surprises. I like you, Dragovic."

Draza wasn't sure if that was a particularly good or bad thing, but he forced a smile onto his face and muttered a "thank you" anyway.

He fidgeted, before he moved into the main part of the store so he could water his plants. Even the main part of the store smelled faintly of smoke; he would have to do something about that. He hoped this would tip Cesario off that it was time for him to leave, as Draza shifted his focus to his plants. He had some pruning to do and some watering, but nothing major. It was, however, enough to keep his attention for a while.

Cesario stayed in the back room and smoked by himself, watching the patterns the smoke made in the air. He stayed there for a rude amount of time before finally extinguishing his cigarette on the table and crushing the butt into the floor with his expensive Italian shoe.

He walked into the front room of the shop, glancing around with a bored expression.

"You raise plants, eh, Signore? This is how you get your kicks...?"

Draza jumped. He had actually forgotten Cesario hadn't left he had taken so long.

"Oh, yes. I like plants. Unfortunately, I get most of my businesses from funerals." He smiled somewhat sadly. "But I suppose it can't be helped. Oh, if you ever need something catered you should come here. Please. I need all the business I can get."

He smiled broadly.

"I'll be sure to come here the next time I need funeral flowers--expect my visits to be both soon and frequent." He laughed, though it really didn't seem like he was joking.

"Ah, I like you," he sighed, "But I'm afraid I should get going soon--you don't have anything else to distract me with, do you?"

He shook his head, the relief flooding over his face. He looked away sheepishly, knowing he was bad at hiding his emotions.

"G-goodbye. I'll be sure to make you a beautiful bouquet next time you come." He smiled weakly.

Cesario laughed again.

"Your smoking tricks may work on girls, Signore Dragovic, but don't expect to win me with the same techniques. It will take more than attitude and flowers."

With that ambiguously gay or threatening comment--it was hard to tell which--he simply walked out the door of the flower shop, his hands in his fur-lined pockets.

-x-

Cesario knocked on the door with a smile. It was payday yet again; Draza had missed the last two, and it was time to start getting persuasive. A part of him disliked the idea of mucking up that pretty face, but it had to be done.

Draza was nowhere to be found. Actually, he was just hiding in his closet, in a box with a few air holes. He had grown accustomed to the schedule of pay, and he knew that he didn't have the money again. He had contemplated leaving town, but he had a feeling it would not change much. He thought about just selling his shop and paying his overdue payments. But he wasn't sure he would even get enough money.

So, there he was. Hiding in a box in his own closet from a man he was very, very terrified of. Along with being very terrified of him, he was also rather attracted to him. But, oh, that was another thing entirely.

He hoped Cesario would just leave. He hoped and he prayed. Maybe he would fake his own death, next time...

Cesario waited for a few more minutes. When there was no sign of Draza, he shrugged and nonchalantly kicked down the front door. He replaced it neatly before heading to the back of the shop, knowing Draza would be there. Despite his vision deficiencies, Cesario had an excellent memory for floor plans.

He strode nonchalantly into the back room and sat down on the couch. He pulled out a cigarette and began to smoke, leaning back comfortably. After a few minutes, he also pulled out a gun; he toyed with it, polishing it with a handkerchief.

"Dragovic," he said after a long, awkward pause, "Signore. I know you are here so you might as well come out. Come on, you know I like you...I'd hate to have to wreck your face. Don't tell me you don't have this month's payment?" He tut-tutted softly. "Signore, you know what my job is..."

Actually, Draza had no idea what Cesario's job really entailed. Only what he had managed to assume or guess. In fact, he really didn't want to know what Cesario's job entailed, because he knew that no matter what it was it was not good for Draza. At all.

He tried to keep his breathing level, but some of the smoke was seeping into his box and he felt the horrifying need to cough. Being discovered hiding in his box was actually worse than just admitting he didn't have his month's payments. He willed himself not to cough, but it was too hard.

Draza coughed into his sleeve, trying desperately to be quiet about it. But he knew Cesario had heard.

Cesario extinguished his cigarette the the table and continued to sit on the couch for several more minutes. He polished and re-polished his gun in the most ominous way, but he never moved to stand up or even looked away from what he was doing. He seemed to be lost in the repetitive motions of his hands.

Or perhaps Cesario hadn't heard. With the cigarette gone, he continued to listen. He wished he had poked eye holes, too. Not that that would do him any good, considering the door was closed, but it would have made him feel better.

Draza waited, but everything was quiet. He knew Cesario hadn't left, but he wondered if Cesario would ever leave at this rate. The few minutes seemed like hours.

Out of nowhere, he stood up, walked to the closet, and kicked Draza's box into the center of the room.

"As much as I love when you play with me, Dragovic, now is not the time--you must be more of a man, si?" He fired a single shot dangerously close to the box. "Go on, crawl out like a dog."