Flowers of Florence

...for life and living

A bouquet of Heliotrope, Iris, Forget-me-not, Peony, Tarragon, Blue Salvia, and Zinnia for life and living

...

Elizabeth got off of the train with a huff. She noticed the air was warmer, but decided she wasn't bothered by it. It had been a while since she felt so lost in a new place. Usually she could just ask for directions, however the language barrier was prominent.

She looked around as she pulled out a piece of parchment she had tucked away in her handbag. It read an address she had retrieved by bribing a family that had taken up her brother's now former place of residence.

Elizabeth had received a letter from her father saying that William had moved away and paid back the rent he owed. Still, it seemed odd how he didn't say anything to her, his only sister. She didn't receive any goodbye though to be fair neither had Henry.

Once she was finally out of the station, she took out a small map she had acquired from a man on the train. As she looked around, she noticed she didn't have a compass, which later seemed unnecessary. However at that moment it seemed like a precaution to not get lost later on.

"Scusa me, do you have un compasso?" She asked a random man in a suit. The man laughed at her italian. "Compasso? It's bussola." He answered. She sighed with relief when she heard the man answer in english. (Excuse me, tu hai a bussola?)

"Yes, sorry. Do you have one I could quickly borrow?" She asked again. The man shrugged and gave her his compass. Once she had eyed the compass and the map for long enough she gave the compass back and the man made his way into the station.

Elizabeth began to walk down the streets of Florence, very unsure of what exactly she was doing there. At first she told herself it was the answer but now she wasn't quite sure. She had been walking for a while and the food in window displays almost managed to distract her from her goal.

It was a mistake to wear high heels but she didn't want to walk barefoot and hadn't packed any comfortable shoes since she didn't plan on staying for more than a day. Still, her feet were starting to hurt and carrying only the necessary amount of money wasn't going to be enough for a carriage of any kind.

It had been about an hour and she finally found a park with a bench and sat down. She discreetly bent down to rub her feet quickly, but then composed herself as people would pass by. She didn't want to come off the wrong way and she didn't know what Italian society was like.

She stared at the faces that passed by, looked at their clothes and the rhythm at which they walked. The type of clothes people wore were particularly fascinating to her, though their attitudes in stride were also very interesting as well. She analyzed every small detail mainly for her own enjoyment.

Elizabeth was always a bit weird and liked to find behavioral patterns, which is why she thoroughly enjoyed tutoring sessions for becoming a proper lady. She learned a lot during those sessions, like never telling your tutors secrets because when her friends arrive, she starts gossiping about you and how unrefined you are.

She struggled slightly with faces at times, but she could always make someone out by redirecting her focus to clothes and types of stride. She mainly enjoyed looking at dresses though. She didn't like wearing them though. Some dresses could be itchy.

"Non lo so." A familiar voice sounded from behind her. She could have sworn the voice was his even though the accent had changed a bit. (I don't know.)

She looked over, and a smile creeped onto her face as she saw her brother walking down the street. His hair looked messier and the usual white hairs from stress that would usually be noticable from a mile away were now almost completely invisible. She was so happy to see him that she didn't notice the woman walking next to him.