When the willowy man recoiled, Mehmet did his best not to sneeze lest it blow him over. (But mostly because ugh, his sinuses were raw.)

He did not consider himself an especially menacing man. Did any gardener really consider himself a menacing man? But he was used to dealing with clientele of more delicate sensibilities, and so he raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

“Steal shit at night,” he said in a surprisingly easygoing tone. “No one wants to go looking for a masked burglar, even if he’s tall enough to draw lightning.”

Especially if he’s tall enough to draw lightning.