Stepping into the flower shop as the bell rings signaling my arrival as I hear shuffling up stairs. Walking closer to the counter as I look over the plants seeing a good half of them have been changed with yet more either being rare or endangered with a rainbow of colors being both exotic and beautiful.

“Pam?” I say out loud as I suppress a smile hearing the feet stomping around upstairs increase in pace. 

“Just a moment Daniel!” I hear her voice despite it being distorted both from the distance and the floor and walls in between us as easily as I would have if she was right next to me.

Rapid steps are coming down from above showing how nervous she is as I see her form rushing down the steps. She is in jeans that do marvelous things to her curves and an orange and yellow shirt with her hair done up but still poofy a nice balance of the two. 

Softer steps come down behind her as an older woman looking to be in her late sixties with her Snow White hair and wrinkles across her face. She leans over slightly with a hunch and has some weight to her but not enough to be unhealthy as she has her hand on a rail guide as she slowly comes down the stairs.

She looks at Pamela with a happy smile that goes down a little when she looks at me. Her eyes appear warm and welcoming behind her glasses despite not being as happy looking at me. She must be the boss and owner Pamela told me about when I first met her, May Fleur.

“Glad you could make it Daniel!” Pam said quickly walking up to me, not as fidgety as she normally is. 

“Glad to come and hang out with you.” I say back with an easy-going smile.

Her own smile becomes a bit strained as she quickly glances back at the older woman who is coming down from the stairs as she smiles gently at our interaction. 

“Apologies to the both of you, I know Pam wanted to go out somewhere and hang out as you kids like to call it these days but I needed a little help in this shop since I don’t get around like I used to. My name is May Fleur, you must be her friend and coworker Daniel she has talked so much about.” 

Pam winces at the reveal but she seems surprised seeing me being unbothered by the revelation. “I am. It’s nice to meet you ma’am.” I say coming up and holding my hand out she doesn’t hesitate to grab and shake it gently. “I don’t mind helping at all, what do you need help with?”

“Oh my such a sweet young man, some of the plants upstairs need to be rotated with the ones down here. You don’t need to help…”

Waving her off as I step up and start picking up one of the plants she had indicated needed to be rotated as Pamela is getting ready to take one of the plants before May places a hand on her shoulder as she tenses up and gives a look to May who merely gently smiles back.

“I need to discuss some details about the plants with Pamela for upcoming sales. You don't mind, do you, Daniel?” She says as Pamela is now staring holes into the side of the older woman’s head who is sweetly smiling at me.

If it wasn’t for me trying to not laugh I would be interested in what’s going on but I have a small suspicion so I leave it be. 

Shrugging to the ladies, “Sure.” After that I walk up the stairs and Pamela with May walk to a far corner of the store past numerous plants with May showing that her coming down the stairs was just an act with how agile she is moving through the horde of leaves with ease and far faster than most at her age would be capable of.

Pamela on the other hand wasn’t as good, but she managed to get past them without much issue simply because of her experience at having to navigate the store. 

Both of them reach the corner with Pamela pointing an accusatory finger at May, “You promised you wouldn’t try and do something like this.”

May raised her hands in surrender as she smiled gently at Pamela, “Pam, what are you talking about?”

Sighing, Pamela felt so exasperated at her bosses antics, “You know da-” She catches herself from cursing as May giver her a knowing look but lets it slide, “-darn well what I am talking about. You said you wouldn’t do what you are doing right now.”

“Pamela the last couple of times anyone showed any interest in you they were up to no good. Trying to use you. Just look at how your professor is treating you.” May said back using air quotes at the mention of Jason.

Pamela would normally appreciate her doing this as she has always looked out for her after she had been working for her and they had grown close. It helped that she had shown she wasn’t like most of Gotham where she tried to take advantage of others and had a genuine love for plants like May did.

A love that she had inherited from her mother that brings both pleasant and warm memories but also pain and loss. 

Letting go of that line of thought Pamela continued, “Daniel is not like them. He is helping Kirk Langstrom and has helped him greatly by teaching his classes for him.”

“May I appreciate everything you have done. You are like the grandmother I never had and I will always be thankful for you trying to look out for me,” Mays's smile lost a bit of its edge, the one she normally has when she knows she is right, as the woman had acted like a surrogate grandmother giving her guidance and advice not just with plants but with life, “But Daniel is fine and you derailing my plans to go out to the park with him is not fine.”

“Pamela, just as you view me as family I view you as the granddaughter I never got the chance to know. I have gone through much, survived the worst the rainforests of South America could throw at me along with a not-so-insubstantial amount of men who thought I was beneath them besides the few genuine good ones.” She said the last part with a far-off look in her eyes before it was wiped away.

Pamela always loved hearing the stories of her time spent down in the rainforests, the awe in her eyes at witnessing the various species of plants whether they were common or incredibly rare. She was especially in awe when the few stories she talked about dealing with dangerous Cartels or wildlife within the jungle. 

Despite how nervous and afraid Pamela could be, May knew that deep down she was eerily similar to her with that sense of adventure and passion for life that she had in her younger years. But unlike her, Pamela never fully let those desires or urges out and let them lead her to do what she did in her younger years. 

She was both grateful and sad she didn’t fully get to enjoy herself like she did, but there was still time. She just hoped she didn’t make the mistakes she had made.

“I am only doing this to see if he is on the up and up. If he passes then you can go and enjoy yourselves.”

“You don’t just get to do that May. I had plans and Daniel is genuine, he isn’t fake. For fucks-”

“Language.” She admonished her.

“-sake he helped me hide in the classroom closet from Jason on my day off. You are making me look bad now because he is probably thinking I asked him to hang out to help with my job. I am not like those snooty girls who use their looks to get what they want.”

May merely smirked as she tilted her head, “I seem to remember helping you look nicer when you went to go see him on your day off… Pamela I know it seems I am getting in the middle of your life especially with someone you are interested in, but if you are not liking me testing him then think of it as your way of paying me back.”

Pamela’s mouth fell open not believing what she just heard from her. “You cannot be serious.” She says more quietly hearing Daniel coming closer and around the corner.

“Plants are taken upstairs Ms. Fleur, what’s next?” He says with a small smile as some dirt is smudged onto his arms and shirt. Pamela had to keep herself from ogling him as she enjoyed the sight of a working men.

May gave her a knowing look as Pam glared at her. The look said enough, not one word.

“Oh thank you Daniel, and sorry for me and Pamela not helping just yet I was discussing all that needed to be done on our end with her. The more colorful plants are in the far left corner near the front of the store. They have-”

“You mean the Black Bat and Chocolate Cosmos amongst the group?” He says innocently as May opens and closes her mouth, registering what he just said and catching her off guard that he knew what those plants were when most people don’t even know what a Tulip is or that it is different from something like a Daisy.

“Yes those ones. Please be gentle with them since you know the names of them then you know how precious they are.” She says smiling at him as Pam gives her a smug smile with a knowing look that Daniel doesn’t notice.

 He takes the plants and with a surprising level of gentleness and maneuvering moves around the various plants taking them upstairs as well. 

“Alright he knows about some botany, but that is not what I am testing him on.” She says with a far too serious look.

Pamela has a lone brow raised as she crosses her arms, “I am well aware and want to simply prove why I like him and don’t want you ruining this.”

“Well Pamela, my sweet little daisy,” As much as it annoys Pamela that nickname she has for her she doesn’t have the heart to be mean when the woman means nothing bad by it and is the closest thing she has to family now, “You can enjoy yourself with your friend just for now. He passes, you can go after all this.”

“We can always go now.” She said looking like she had a point.

“And break my old heart while you're at it, and then when he does something you will come to me.” She says but the unspoken parts are loud and clear to Pamela.

“… fine. I will let you test him and when -- not if -- he passes you will not do something like this again.” 

May stared at her long and hard before nodding and acquiescing to her demands. “Well best get to it. Wonder if he took the bait for any of the money left out?” She muttered to herself but it was loud enough for Pamela to hear as she did a double take.

“You did what?!” She says looking scandalized at May willing to do something like that.

“Oh calm down it’s nothing the shop won’t hurt over if he takes it.” May says it like she isn’t setting someone up with an expression of can you believe this girl?

Pamela could only shake her head as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. At this rate, she will die single and alone. A noise draws her out of her thoughts making her realize that Daniel is currently doing everything on his own… and she is ever so slightly curious if he did take the money. 

Quickly hurrying seeing that Daniel had been busy taking a vast majority of the plants May needed taken up with her grabbing the few smaller ones he had left since he had prioritized the bigger ones she and May would have struggled with.

A warmth in her chest takes form at how courteous and sweet he was to do that. She gave May a look who shrugged, noticing the same thing she had. May walked over to the register as Pamela moved past her seeing that most of the money was still in the till.

Or at least it looked like it, May didn’t look like she was proven right about Daniel. Reaching the top of the stairs Daniel stepped over to her reaching for the plants.

“Thank you Daniel but I got these. I don’t expect you to do all the work.” She said feeling guilty for going along with what May wished to do. 

“All good don’t mind giving a helping hand. Plus it’s nice to do something physical instead of standing behind a desk all day.” He said going back down the stairs with her following behind him.

She didn’t fail to notice the dollar bills left on some tables upstairs by May and from what she had seen none of them had been touched if the lack of dirt on the oddly clean tables was anything to go by. 

Internally smirking, May is proven wrong about Daniel as she follows him down the stairs trying to grab some of the bigger plants that May directed them towards.

Just as she is about to grab the bigger blood orange tree Daniel is already lifting it and holding it as she goes to help him but he stops her with a shake of his head. 

“Appreciate you trying to help but I got the bigger ones. Don’t want you or May hurting yourselves.” He says going to the stairs before she firmly grabs the other side of the potted plant stopping him despite Pamela knowing full well if he wanted to he could move her aside. 

Another reason why she likes him is because of things like this, he could throw his weight around like so many of the jocks and muscle heads she has seen in Gotham abusing their strength but he doesn’t.

“I get what you are saying but I do this a lot more than you would think, I am helping you Daniel.” She says in a rare moment of her being firm that she has no idea where it came from.

Maybe at the idea of sitting back and letting Daniel do all the heavy lifting. It also could be that despite her enjoying him treating her not just as a person but as a woman she still had some pride in what she does in her life. 

Daniel gives her a small smile pulling his arms back as she grabs the other side of the massive pot with Daniel going up the stairs first.

She follows behind keeping the pot level but she doesn’t fail to notice that Daniel despite letting her help is still keeping most of the weight of the pot held up by himself which Pam could only be surprised by not realizing Daniel was that strong. 

But then again he did usually wear clothes that covered up his body besides the rare occasion which those days she didn’t have the chance to see him. She had heard the girls outside of class gossiping about it… 

A look of concentration comes over her face as it scrunches up and she puts more muscle into it as she lifts her end of the pot more so than before to get a brow in response from Daniel who simply smiles at her and her cheeks start to burn in embarrassment.

Feeling the familiar burn in her arms but enjoying the feeling of pride of bringing one of the bigger plants up the stairs as they both set it down as a grunt leaves her and looking over seeing May checking over the plants that Daniel had brought up getting them set up in different positions as she side eyes the money. 

Pamela could only shake her head following Daniel downstairs as he made small talk with her.

“So you think your classes are ready for the upcoming tests?” He says juggling two medium pots with plants in them swaying.

Crouching down as she used her legs to lift a heavier plant but nothing that she needed help with. “Doubt it. Maybe a handful but I don’t think most of them are going to pass…” She says silent for a beat before opening up to him and being honest with herself, “But it’s not their fault. I am just strapped for time and before you helped me I struggled to organize a lecture of the class let alone setting up a proper rubric.” 

She shakes her head at that while walking up the stairs with me. As we reach the top, May adds her two cents, “I keep telling you to tell that man you work for that he needs to start teaching his class. Daniel, I hear you work as one of his colleagues' assistants similar to Pamela?”

“Yeah, for Kirk Langstrom. Mostly because he is trying to keep whatever funding he has left since Woodrat had gotten it in his head that he deserves that money more than Kirk.” May fails to hide a snort at Daniel making fun of the man May had grown to strongly dislike, “So he is practically a walking talking zombie who has the weight of the world on his shoulders. In his case, I get why he needed me to teach the class.”

May gives me a sympathetic nod, “I take it you are being honest about this Langstrom?”

Pamela gives her a stink eye when Daniel's back is facing her but he goes on unaware, “Yeah, if it wasn’t for him being as stressed as he is and being one of the rare few decent people in this city I would have told him to kick rocks. Woodrat on the other hand is just ridiculous, I keep telling you Pam you need to set him straight on the fact that unlike Kirk he has time to teach his class.” He says turning around as she quickly wipes the look away on her face and smiles lightly at him.

May gives him an approving smile before turning to Pamela, “See Pamela I am not the only one. That man needs to learn to carry his own weight.” She says wagging a finger at her as Pam looks like she bit into a lemon.

“It’s not that easy. As things stand I can’t just walk away since I doubt Jason or the Director would let me and I need that degree since that was the deal.”

Daniel looks like he wants to chuckle but he hides it and lets it go to both Pam's relief and chagrin before setting down the plant where May gestures she wants it at brushing the dirt off my hands. “Sunken ship fallacy Pam.”

Pamela groans, “Not you too…”

May just chuckles, shaking her head as she seems to warm up to Daniel to Pamela’s relief after seemingly pleased the money she had left around is accounted for. 

It helps that Daniel is saying the same things that May had when she finally got Pamela to tell her what has been stressing her out for so long.

May could only huff at how stubborn she was in keeping things to herself regardless of how much it bothered her. Reminded of her past, simply trying to carry the weight of all the trouble life can give a person on her own and refusing to budge on any form of help or even talking to someone.

Pamela may as well have been her granddaughter in all but blood with how she acts so much like herself.

“So how are things with Dr. Langstrom's project?” Pam says changing the subject but she sounds concerned about this other professor thought May. 

“It’s going well at least for science standards. The school and Director however wanted results yesterday and every day going forwards.” He says not happy when mentioning the leeches that May had grown to strongly dislike throughout her life. 

“Right… sorry to bring it up.” Pamela hiding a wince at touching a landmine like that. May hid it well but even she would have winced at that topic that Pamela just brought up, but she was proud to see her opening up more. 

She was worried that Pamela was possibly going to fall for that rat that thought he was gods gift to everyone. She had seen his kind before, no talent or very little if any and always stealing from others that he could never hope to accomplish on his own. 

He would try to cajole and manipulate Pamela while taking advantage of her as he uses her feelings to his advantage. May let out a huff at how the players may change but the game remains the same as it always has. The only thing changing besides the players is the prize on occasion.

It’s something that May and Pamela were both thankful for after that one gentleman who showed up one evening and bought many plants and showed a knowledge your average Gothamite would never have on plants. 

Then Pamela had decided she wanted to try and be more sociable and learn to at least not stand out in a crowd, something that May was both happy for her and felt embarrassed by. 

Pamela had struggled but at least had managed to not be as socially awkward as she once was even if she still didn’t have any friends but she was far better now than she was when she had first started.

Daniel waved it off heading back down the stairs with her following behind him, “No need to be. Kirk is a genius and quite frankly what he has managed to accomplish is already a massive thing for the science community. The problem is people being greedy and trying to rush things.”

A snort could be heard up the stairs and they both knew it was May. Pamela knew some of her history as she told her plenty of stories since she warmed up to her after a couple of months working at her flower shop. 

Her stories of going to the Amazon rainforest and exploring so much of South America were still Pam’s favorites.

Her days at university when she was much younger and the good and bad that came from it. She never talked much of the university besides her days with the friends she had made there and mentioned briefly her butting heads with several of her professors. 

But mostly just the good times that she would have a fond look while looking off into the distance.

Pamela got rather curious since Daniel never brought up the topic of what he and Kirk were doing, “Is it that big?”

Daniele glanced at her as he lifted a rather large pot with a quiet grunt as Pamela tried to not ogle the muscles in his arms or his lower back with the shirt lifting up.

“Yeah, it is. It could change a lot of things in the world for the better.”

Pamela mind raced at the implications as she knew that Kirk talked a lot about his interest in genetics especially involving animals. 

“Can I ask what it is exactly?” She says lifting several smaller pots as he glances back at her before looking down at the floor mulling it over.

Looking at her fully for what felt like a small eternity before glancing at May as he came to a decision, “Alright I will tell you,” She smiled lightly at that as he continued, “But you can’t tell anyone! Especially not Woodrat since who knows what he would do knowing that Kirk is making progress.”

Her smile dims as she nods to him thankful he was willing to confide in her despite knowing she is Jason’s assistant. It was a big thing to ask. 

It showed that the time they spent together was enough for them to form a bond of some kind. Pamela would like to think they were even friends even if she wished for more but as socially awkward as she was even she knew not to push for something like that as things stand.

“I promise not to tell anyone, especially Jason.” She said with a rather surprising amount of resolve. 

She may try to defend Jason’s actions despite how he can be she still in her own way cared for the man who did teach her some things and had taken her under his wing just as May had. 

But she had grown to care more for Daniel with how much he has helped her and unlike others didn’t push her away because of her appearance or how odd she is compared to others.

“And you have nothing to worry about from little old me Daniel.” May says looking interested in what Kirk has been working on in his lab as she leans against a wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

Glancing between the two as he appears to think before nodding his head and as he grabs a few more plants begins to explain, “Kirk is in the process of creating interspecies hybrids with species that otherwise would be incompatable through a compound that can change a subject within a few seconds.” 

Both of the women stopped what they were doing. Pamela was bent over grabbing a few flowers before she jerkily came to a stop mouth gaping while May froze on the spot before her head slowly craned to look at me blinking a few times as she seemed to be trying to figure out if she heard me correctly. 

“I’m sorry Daniel, I think I misheard you. I thought you just said he has managed to create hybridized animals with species that they could not mix with.” She said with a small smile and chuckle like she is thinking she is going crazy.

“You did not.” He says back not insulted in the slightest at the looks of disbelief they give him.

As he goes for the stairs the two women share a glance with one another before both move to follow him asking all kinds of questions.

“How did this compound do this?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“And the college wants more from the man?” May asks in utter exasperation.

Setting the plant down upstairs as he turned to the two of them and was going to go back before May waved him off as she leans against the table. 

Daniel pinches the bridge of his nose letting out a sigh before May cuts him off, “Daniel I promise you that neither I nor Pamela will breathe a word of this to another soul.” At May's serious tone and look of surprising resolve he seems taken aback and even Pam is not having seen her this serious before.

He slowly nodded accepting her promise and Pam knew that if she did break this promise May would let her have it. “The Director with help and the poisonous words of Peckerhead,” A snort and laugh escapes May, and even Pam had to fight not to laugh, “Wants results more than what he has already given. Like how to make money off of it despite it being a huge step in genetics and science in general.”

May could only shake her as she clenched her hands as they balled into fists so much so that her knuckles popped and her nails dug into her hands almost drawing blood as memories she had long since left in the past came to the surface. “Of course, those no good greedy bottom feeders would see it like that. What issues have you run into in your experiments?” 

“The subjects don’t survive all too long after conversion of the new genetic material and they show physical changes to the species integrated into them for more than a couple of seconds, if we are lucky at least thirty seconds before they expire.” 

May shakes her head smiling with a manic sort of grin yet there is an edge to it that Pamela can see having learned to pick up on the rare times she ever showed it with her present usually associated with bitterness. “Daniel, I hope and pray that your mentor manages to get beyond the college and all the vultures. What he and you have accomplished could help so many.”

Daniel looked taken aback as Pamela watched all of this silently, her questions falling to the wayside. May seems to be changing her tune on him.

May speaks before anyone else as she stands taller, a look of respect in her eyes towards Daniel even if she still does not fully trust him.

“Thank you both for your help. Especially you Daniel, you saved me a lot of time and pain to move these plants. If you don’t mind, can you wait a little longer as I help you and Pamela clean up before you go out?”

“All good May, and sure I don’t mind waiting a little longer. Definitely wouldn’t mind hearing about some of your stories Pam said were amazing while we wait.” 

May simply smiled as she began to recount one of her many stories as she helped get Pamela cleaned up and neither of them noticed Daniel grimacing when they both had their backs turned to him like he had just gotten a punch to the head.

 There's robust engineering, and then there's modularity. Pick one. Except for you - you seem to have the gift of designing methods that allow for seamless mixing and matching of modular technology that lack none of the parts incompatibility and fragility you'd except from such a design paradigm. While this seems focused on Kerbin technology in specific, a little work should have you applying such a paradigm to all sorts of technologies...

 Your capability of mentally designing items is vastly boosted. It's almost as if you have a mental idea space in the fashion of a construction bay with a lists of parts you have on hand that gives you an idea of what you can build at that moment... actually, that's pretty much what you have. As a bonus, you can mix and match parts in a manner roughly akin to legos, and giving you an idea of what would work and what wouldn't (and how much resources it would take to build). Mind, this doesn't mean that your mental creation will perform successfully, but it will function. As a final bonus, you can mentally hand-off the resultant creation to your Kerbals to build, and they'll do so without a mistake or screwup - meaning any snafu that results will be on your own head.