"Thank you, everyone. Really, I-" Gerrit stopped and took a deep breath, holding in tears of relief and gratitude. It's what the people who came through and helped him expected. Sure, they said that they liked him and that he would do the same if the situation was the other way around, but ultimately it were those raw emotions that really validated their status as a good person. "I could not have done this without you. When I got the call that my mother has died I just-" Another shudder, and finally a single tear fell out of Gerrit's eye. The people standing inside Rosie's Roses didn't see how the tear was bloody and the cheek was scarred and scabbed. Neither did they notice the snap of the Winter's Mantle as he produced those emotions out of thin air. Being too honest, he had learned, was only a self-imposed handicap. Besides, it wasn't like he was hurting anyone with this lie.


"I just had to leave as quickly as possible. If it weren't for Frank - and all of you - I probably would have lost the shop." The Onyx dialed it down a bit again. They weren't used to too much emotion from him and he didn't want to make Frank uncomfortable. Chances were he could just barely deal with the round of applause given by Gerrit and the handful of other helpers.
Once Gerrit had gotten settled he had made a few calls and worked on re-opening Rosie's. The shop had to be cleaned, flowers had to be ordered and set up. There had been a lot of book-keeping and dealing with employees and temps. But the Ogre was used to working hard - and because he delegated a few tasks to his helpers it wasn't even that much. The others even had the satisfaction of helping a fellow business-owner in need, so it was a win-win.


"So thank you. From the bottom of my heart!" And with this toast the work to get Rosie's Roses up and running again concluded, and the small party for Frank and the other helpers started.