Difference between revisions of "Log:Reading the Flower Petals"

5 March, 2017

Soleil and Jonah meet and discuss flower guts and omens.

Stoneheart Hollow

=============-< << Stoneheart - Ruined Garden >> >-=============

Walled in, but not roofed over, is an area which likely used to be a sizable garden, dessicated trees and overgrown tangles of faerie growth only barely kept from their efforts at strangling the curving paths which amble down the gently sloping cavern floor. A gazebo which seems more grown than carved looks out over a shallow, leaf-stinking pond below, rotten detritus clogging the burbling of a small spring rising from the cavern floor nearby. Nooks and alcoves, benches and picturesque grottoes just ripe for hidden trysts, this garden had them all. Once. Now it has thorns and twigs, dead grass and vines growing far past their planters' bounds.

It's midday, and Stoneheart is as busy as expected. However, the garden offers a measure of respite and brings with it a quiet peace. While it appears empty, there's a solitary soul sitting atop the edge of the gazebo, legs idly swinging as he counts off the petals of some shorn flower. "Why does it always tear to the left," he grumbles aloud.

Soleil wanders in, humming a tune and carrying a basket full of plant starts and cuttings. When she spots Jonah she smiles and reorients to head his way. "Hey there. You in love or something?" She asks as she eyes the flower petals.

"Huh?" Despite the lack of pupils in those white eyes its clear she's got his attention. "No, I cut these flower, and the leaves came out a certain way. The wrong way." He then leaps from his position above, and lands with little effort and no grace. "Or the right way. I never can or could tell, honestly. That's the problem with omens."

Soleil considers the flowers for a long moment, brow furrowing slightly as she examines them with a professional eye, "They look about right to me. Why do you think the wrong way? I mean, why kill 'em if you're just going to say they're wrong? It's a bit rude," she notes, tone quietly teasing, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. She reaches down to take one of the flowers, taking in a big whiff of the scent, "They seem just perfect to me." A beat and she adds, "Granted, I'm not any good at reading flower guts for any purpose other than seeing whether they're growing well, so perhaps you're right. What sort of omens are you looking for?"

"Kill them? Whatcha mean?" Jonah's head cants as he considers both the question and Soleil before continuing on. "And how's it rude anyway? They're just flowers, and wait- Guts." He stops to lift the petals to his own gaze while they rest in the palm of his hands. A few errant sniffs, and then he's looking back at Soleil. "But there's no blood. Is this some Greenies stuff or what?"

Soleil shrugs and gives a little laugh, "Greenie's stuff? Maybe. I don't speak for all the Greenies. Just me. And when you've had enough chats with flowers and fruits, you know they aren't 'just' anything. They don't care as much about being killed, for sure, but still, it's a little rude to do it wastefully. If nothing else, because that means no one else gets to see their beauty while they're at their finest." She grins and tucks the flower she's picked up behind her ear, "But anyway, that's just me being silly. Tell me about your omen, friend?" She settles down and roots around in her bag, procuring a tuperware container in short order, and offering the contents (a selection of rather juicy, distinctly hedge-y looking berries and nuts) toward Jonah, "Is it a good omen or a bad omen you're hoping for?"

The petals are then crushed in his hand through little effort, and he begins sifting them around in his hand. "Don't know. That's the downside of omens. The future's never perfect or exactly what we think. That's part of the fun." He looks up then, smile wide as he flashes those razor sharp rows. "Like yours, I could even predict your future if you're open to whatever good or ill'll come to you."

Soleil laughs, considering that, then shrugs and holds out a hand, clearly expecting a palm reading, "Sure, if you want to. It might be nice to know, so I can plan my week a little better." She bites her lip as she waits, noting, "It seems like there should be some kind of way to tell about omens. I mean, what's the point of them if there's no real answer?"

"Fun, insanity, and a bunch of other things likely over both our heads that the Wyrd finds funny." A shrug follows, and he looks down to her hand. "I don't do that kind. Probably for the best since I might accidentally crush somebody's hand." He shakesh is head, and offers up another fleeting smile while he looks at her. He stands there, unblinking for a few beats before he shakes his head. "Your answer's simple really. Watch out for cats, bleeding apples, leave the worms to their busines, and DON'T drink the water. Just. Don't."

Soleil laughs at the first response, nodding a little, "Oh, I guess that's fine then. Except the insanity bit, it sounds like a good time." And then he's looking at her weird, and she shuffles from one foot to the other, a bit uncomfortably. "Oh...Hmm...Well, I don't know what people have told you about the cats, but it wasn't me," she says quickly, "Or Striker." The other bits get her interest though, "Wormy bloody apples, hmm? That doesn't sound good." She pulls out a notebook and writes a couple quick notes (If Jonah can see, or is being particularly nosey: Tell Lucia not to spray for worms. Stick to booze.) "I'll be sure to keep that in mind though. It's good enough advise. It's about time to spray all the trees before spring. But maybe your right, and it's better just to let the bugs and worms do what they will. Natural selection and all that."

He shakes his head then, and starts rubbing at the base of his horns. "No, no. Not wormy, bloody apples. The apples were bleeding, but the worms. They look bad, but just leave them alone. You mess with 'em, and well." His voice trails off as he holds up the hand containing the petals, and makes a swift chopping motion at it with his other hand. A cascade of blue and green petals fall to the earth as his hand then goes limp. "But, losing your hand isn't the end of the world. It might be if you make pizzas, but you don't seem like the type to be wokring with an oven."

No.../pizza/?! This, finally, seems to shake Soleil's glib good cheer. "What? I...But, I /am/ the type to work with an oven. I'm a Knight of the Tongue. It's what we do. I certainly couldn't be a hand-less Knight. That'd be...super sucky, and hard. I mean, I suppose I could get prosthetics, and I'd get used to them but..." She abruptly stops, shaking her head a little and giving a laugh, moving away from finding a cheerful resolution to the horrible hypothetical. "Anyway, I appreciate the warning. If I run into any worms or my apples start bleeding, I'll definitely keep my fingers out of reach." She considers, then notes, "It must be weird, seeing things like that." And without missing a beat, "Oh! You should come by my place for some apple pie. I've been wanting to try out this new variation, with some dream-a-drupe syrup and a nice dusting of yeti frost...It'll be so great for the end of winter party. You're coming, right? I mean, who doesn't want to get in one last chance to enjoy winter, right?"

"Not weird at all. I've made people see a lot worse," he points out with a brief smile. "I don't think I could do hook hands. Maybe some kinda Token-thing, but I try to stay away from too much magic. Messes with the juju, and I can't have that." Then, that smile of his grows wide enough to look feral. "Now, about this pie. You had my interest with the pie, but now you've got my whole attention. Never had anyone make actual food with the good stuff. I've usually had to eat the fruit as is, but it's not too bad. Some times."

Soleil grins, "Oh well, yeah, I mean, sometimes a goblin fruit can be pretty good raw. Sometimes better for you really. But it's taking it and making it into something...delectable, that's really fun. You should come by my place some time. I've usually got something cooking, and I'm always happy to have taste testers."

He scratches at his chin, silent in contemplation for a moment. "I don't really know if it matters if fruit's detectable, but I'd be damned happy to taste your pie. Do you do cakes and meats and other things? After some bad days I get really, REALLY hungry. Like, I've been banned from a few all-you-eat places in my life."

Soleil laughs, "Oh, well, I just see that as a challenge, my friend. And there's always plenty of food around my place. Meat, cakes, soups, salads, we like to switch things up." She grins and scribbles something on her notepad, tearing out a scrap and offering it to Jonah, "I'm Soleil, by the way. You can ask around for me up in Tamarack Falls. It's not that hard to find me. Feel free to stop by any time. Someone can point you to the kitchen, even if I'm not around. I'm afraid I've got to get going though."

Jonah smiles wide once more, and looks over the offered paper before stowing it into his pockets. "Thanks, and it's Jonah for me. There's also a really good chance you're gonna regret this offer, or I may have to move into your kitchen." Beat. "Don't even need a vision to figure that much out."