The imposing man seemed to be quite inviting. Then he didn’t look like that anymore. Chéri took a step back, feeling maybe a little worried. Then the man sneezed and Chéri made a gesture.

No problem.

But a word was not enough to let them know that the man did speak french.

Now, the following question was a better hint, so they asked properly “I want flowers that can go on a dress or a hat. I can get a small green space for them and I can get help to take care of them, but I want them to live and stay pretty once I put them on a dress.” To someone who was a native french speaker, Chéri sounded like a curious mix of low Parisian french, the sort spoken by shoemakers and carpenters, and something else, something southern, almost foreign but not entirely. And they were a little harsher than necessary.