It went without saying that almost nobody was surprised when Ethan, the new farmer, made the decision to woo Iluka. She was both a priestess and a princess, after all. When the Westown natives found out, it was hardly gossip- just something to murmur about for a day or two; a reason for all to avert their eyes whenever they entered the florist's shop. Everybody had known it was coming.
It started simply. To anybody else, in fact, it wouldn't have been noticeable. To Lisette, however, whose job was to notice detail, and to her best friend Ford, (whose job was quite similar in nature) it was like a sore thumb. Although they originally arrived hand delivered, carefully wrapped in Straw Market's finest "cute" wrapping paper- Lisette's favorite- the carefully foraged mint leaves began to come in a little box with a bow on the side. Having tagged along on house calls with Ford before, Lisette had immediately recognized it as a traditional Lulukoko wrapping. She didn't question it at first. She knew that it was necessary for Ethan to keep on good terms with all 3 towns in order to remain a successful businessman. However, after the mint leaves started to appear rumpled, smelling bitter, Lisette realized they were no longer fresh. The other townspeople had begun notice that they (and she) were seeing less of him as the days grew warmer. The gifts came further and fewer between.
She could picture perfectly in her mind's eye the last time she had seen him. He'd rushed into her shop to pick up a delivery prepared for Ludus. She hadn't said much to him, hoping he would notice, as he used to tease her about how much of a "Chatty Cathy" she was. He'd snatched the bouquet from her, and turned to leave without a goodbye. Her sigh must've been more audible than she'd realized, because he paused and wheeled around. "Now, Lisette-!" he started. She wasn't sure what had caused him to stop himself from saying, well...whatever it was that was on his mind. He'd reached into his rucksack and pulled out a moondrop flower, as if it were an afterthought. He didn't even give it to her. He just placed it on the counter, and left.
Since that day, Lisette refused to leave the shop. She no longer accepted delivery orders, and stopped visiting her good friend Carrie every day. Even Miranda knew better than to bring it up, or to stop by after her first few rejected attempts, which was rare for her. It had been almost a full season, and everybody in town continued to linger at the grill next door, looking at each other solemnly, as if to say without words that the town's flower was beginning to wilt.