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 Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:40 pm
 You have stumbled upon a mysterious shop front while walking the cobble stone streets of Durem. Random items clutter the dusty front window, but nowhere can you find a name of the shop. Curious, you decide to check it out. What could the harm be? Stepping in, a tiny bell above the door chimes, and you are met with a blast of warmth.
The shop looks more like a home than anything, and you wonder it maybe you stumbled upon a hotel. Your eyes drift lazily as you take in the sights. The entryway is somewhat tiny, with a wall of shelving for shoes directly in front of you. There is a reception desk directly to your left, but it is facing the same direction you are. No one sits in the roller chair. From there it quickly opens to a large area which looks like a living room, with an attached kitchen. The walls bulge out in giant horizontal pillars of wood, giving the effect of a log cabin. The fire place on the far end of the room is decorated with soft stones that reach to the ceiling, and the floor is decorated with a soft rug, a coffee table and some seating space.
Before you have time to take the rest in, a woman appears from a set of stairs, just around the corner from the shoe rack. Her hair is silvery in colour and pulled back, letting the bangs and some chunks fall to the side. Her bright red eyes met yours as she spoke.
"Welcome! Welcome! Please, take off your shoes and your jacket, and make yourself at home."
She smiles politely at you, offering her hand to take your coat.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:13 pm
Two Weeks Later...
They say time flies when you're having fun, and by all accounts, fun was certainly what Ki would say she had. She'd spent two weeks taking extreme care of the flower, much to Faust's distaste. It had always been in her sights, even gone to work with her, keeping it near and dear. The bright bloom had made her feel so happy everytime she looked at it, a peaceful type of calmness that made her days comfortable. It had even spent some time on one of her extra pillows on her bed, as the young woman thought it would be more cozy than her nightstand.
And so the time came where Ki was returning to the shop she had initially found her sunset colored beauty, holding it gingerly but with more familiarity, humming a soft tune as she often did when it was with her. Arriving at the shop, she gave a courtesy knock before poking her head in, calling out cheerfully, "Miss Rose? It's Ki! I'm back!"
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:43 pm
Rose was washing dishes quietly in the kitchen that day, waiting for the guest she knew would come. She was nearly done when the tiny bell over the door rang and a familiar voice introduced itself. "Ahh Ki! I've been expecting you!" Rose rinsed her hands under the fresh tap water, and dried them off quickly, rubbing a squirt of lotion from a nearby bottle into her waterlogged hands.
She made her way over to the door, to where her guest had come in, and smiled, when she saw the flower in her hands. "I see I made a good choice of home for that little flower! I hope it wasn't too much to take care of." She laughed, happy to see the vibrant colours back in her sights.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:51 pm
Ki squeezed into the store, holding up the flower for Rose's inspection. "Not at all...in fact, it was a real pleasure to have around!" She paused thoughtfully for a moment, adding a little sheepishly, "You know...I wouldn't have thought a flower could have so much influence, but it sure did." The young woman smiled warmly at the flower, as though it could see her, fingertips touching the fleshy body with fond reverance.
"To be honest, I didn't think it'd survive two weeks," she continued pensively, uncertain if she should be saying such things. "I thought it was a flower, and, you know, all flowers fade." Her eyes flitted over the dips and lines of the blossom, having already memorized them in her time with it. "Not this one though. I'm...I'm really happy it didn't. I can't really explain it."
She gave a chuckling shrug of her shoulders, not really sure what her point was. She'd been pleasantly surprised by the hardy nature of the flower, although she had to admit she'd taken immaculate care of it.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 5:09 pm
Rose chuckled. "I'm glad it wasn't too hard to take care of." She moved aside to invite Ki inside, and walked over to the couches, motioning for the woman to join her. "You know, I didn't think it was going to survive more than a few hours when I first got it. I thought the poor thing was going to wilt. Even I was surprised when it managed to live for so long, but it seemed more fond of the light, so I kept it in the window. I guess it still needed the sunlight to make food."
She leaned back into the plush cushion of the couch and sighed a little, glad to be sitting. "That's one special flower alright. So how have your two weeks gone?" She prodded slightly at Ki for some information.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 5:32 pm
When Rose first got it? Ki was a little surprised as she followed the woman, taking a seat next to her and laying the flower in her lap with care. She was beginning to wonder just how old the flower was, the way the other was speaking of it. With a blink, she glanced down to the bright spot on her dark jeans, smiling a bit. "The two weeks were great," she started, settling into the cushions as one would while preparing for a good movie. "They were more than great, really.
I wanted to take good care of the flower, so...so I took it with me to work, too." Her high cheekbones flushed with color, hoping she'd been allowed to do such a thing. "I was a little worried my cat might want to play with it, but he was just as curious as I was. He watched over it too, when I couldn't be around." Hey, she had to shower, and she didn't want to take the flower into the bathroom with her. She was afraid it would have been too much moisture.
"My work - I have two jobs, you see - can sometimes be stressful when there's a lot of customers." She mused over the time passed, thoughtful. "But the flower was there, and really, I was so happy, and grounded. It just made me feel good to have it around! I'm not a fan of bright colors usually, but something about this lively color...no, the life of the flower, it was really nice. I took it ouside when I gardened on the weekends, and...I swore it bloomed even more." Ki chuckled, one thumb gliding over the petals. "That's...that's why I said the weeks were better than great. It was really peaceful. I'd be fooling myself to pretend the flower had nothing to do with it."
The last part of her words were soft and distant, as if she hadn't quite admitted the fact to herself yet. "It really is special. So...thank you, again. It's been really important to me." Ki hadn't thought until that moment that she might not be keeping the flower, or that some terrible secret about it may be revealed then. Of course, she felt maybe her imagination was getting the best of her again, but when one had an ageless bloom, anything was possible.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:15 pm
"I'm glad you brought it around with you. I bet it really liked that." She giggled "And we don't want a curious cat to get it's paws on it. Though I'm happy he started to care for it like you did." She eyed the little flower, and was happy to see no bruises on the petals. It looked like she kept really good care of it, and that made her really happy.
She listened as Ki told her about work and gardening, and how much good it seemed to do her. "Giving that flower to you really was a good idea after all. I think it's done a lot better than it did here. I can sense how close you've become to it." Rose pushed herself up off the couch. "Definitely more than enough." She chuckled, not really expecting Ki to understand the last bit.
"I've got something else to show you. You wouldn't mind coming up stairs with me, would you?"
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:25 pm
To say that Ki was pleased by Rose's reaction was an understatement. The young woman practically preened at the compliments, both proud that she had not let the other woman down, and humbled that it was acknowledged that she had grown attached to the flower. It was odd to think it, but it was the truth, and she was grateful that she was understood. "I'm glad," she said thankfully, glancing shyly up at Rose through locks of ebon and snowy hair.
She tilted her head to the side in curiosity as she was invited up the stairs. Were there more things up there like this? "No, I wouldn't mind at all," Ki replied with good nature, very carefully securing the hibiscus in her hands before standing and awaiting to follow Rose. "I made sure I had enough time, since I didn't know what to expect."
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 5:26 pm
[Your next reply will be the emotion bonding. Since you already know what she looks like, you can choose to also do the part where she appears if you like :3]
Giggling, Rose started towards the stairs. "Good. We may need that extra time." She lead the woman up the wooden stairs, which creaked slightly under step. Once they had reached the top of the staircase, she turned to her right, and into the familiar, empty, room. "This will only take a moment." Rose spoke, not entirely sure, nor caring, if Ki was still caught up to her. Her words weren't that important at the moment anyways.
Pulling from her pocket a small piece of chalk, she bent down, drawing a smooth chalk circle on the hardwood floor. Once she was sure Ki was in the room, she motioned to the circle. "Just place the flower there for me." Rose smiled and stepped away from the circle.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 7:01 pm
Ki followed obediently, not for a moment thinking Rose would be leading her into some type of danger (okay...maybe a moment, she had a very strong imagination!). The giggling made her smile widely in turn, nodding at the woman's words and watching her draw on the floor. Well, that was odd, but the whole situation wasn't exactly par for the course, either. The young woman blinked her oddly colored eyes at Rose, nodding with a little hesitance. She didn't quite understand the purpose, but she wasn't going to question it, not really.
The woman kneeled by the circle, starting to place the flower within the enclosure. "Oka--...a-ay?"
She couldn't tell if Rose had turned off the lights or if something else was happening, but the room felt dark, and dank. The only source of light seemed to be from the hibiscus, a soft glow of ethereal origins that left Ki feeling somewhat afraid. She wanted to turn and look for the store owner, to ask what was happening, but the flower...she felt...no, she knew that if she turned away, the flower would be gone, and she'd never see it again.
Ki could not just abandon the flower, couldn't even take the risk of it; the item had been entrusted to her, and she swore she'd take care of it. More than that, the flower had brought her such peace of mind, such contentment, that she was unwilling to chance losing that ray of light to the encroaching darkness. Her hands never left the red bloom, and as she curled her fingers over the petals in her peaceful and familiar way, she felt at ease. She thought she could hear the flower speaking to her, singing in a language she did not understand, but whose tone was clear as day; sweetness, and joy. Despite the strange lack of focus of the room that seemed to no longer be there, she was calm, serene with flower in her hands. But...
It wasn't enough. The strange darkness was still pressing closer, and Ki could almost feel the flower tremble in her hands. She recalled her previous conversation with Rose - it seemed like another lifetime, as her eyes locked on the quivering stalk - that the flower would not survive in a harsh environment. It needed something to keep it safe, to protect it, to nurture it, and that something was herself. She couldn't put all her faith in the flower, no, not when she had to be strong for it in turn. That's what was missing.
She wasn't frightened, not anymore. Ki held on, grey eyes shimmering with the red glow of the hibiscus. "It's okay," she told the bloom, her own voice sounding disembodied and far away in her ears, "I have you. We'll be okay." She felt a great sense of relief, of perfect trust and sweet serenity wash over her, and the light of the flower blossomed. The whole area seemed to be encased in a glowing light, and Ki could do little more than close her eyes and hold on as tightly as she dared.
Eventually, the bright spots beneath her closed eyelids faded, leaving just the normal light of the room to penetrate that darkness. Her hands twitched with the control of not squeezing, having not wanted to damage the flower, but something was wrong. Ki cracked open her eyes, squinting a little at the sudden change of light from the consuming darkness mere moments before, using her thumbs to brush over what used to be petals...but were certainly not any longer.
Her eyes opened fully, looking at her hands, expecting to see a hibiscus flower, and instead...there was another set of hands. Small, dainty, childlike...no, not a flower at all. Ki followed the slender arms up to the owner of those hands, startled steel greens staring unabashedly into blues bright enough to rival the sky. Her gaze skimmed over hair like stained chestnut, over skin of utmost fairness and back to those smiling eyes. Those relieved eyes, trusting...serene.
And she knew. This was her flower.
"M-miss Rose...?"
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 7:34 pm
Rose stood calmly and quietly, back near the entrance of the room. She waited, perfectly still, until the woman had took in the little girl sitting in front of her. She hadn't wanted to startle either of them, but when Ki spoke, she knew it was alright.
She moved forward, resting a hand down on Ki's shoulder, nodding to her. "A name. She needs a name." Rose smiled down to Ki, sure, by the look in her eyes, that she knew where the flower had gone. What it had become. She assured the woman that what she saw was real. What she felt, and everything that had happened were all real, and that now, that fragile girl sitting before her, was the same soul she had felt all along. Only living, breathing, flesh took place of soft velvety petals.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 8:11 pm
Another vice of fear gripped her as Rose's eyes calmly told Ki that she was not, in fact, mad, and that her situation was very real. "A name?" she repeated weakly at the owner, her attention drawn back to the girl like a moth to flame. The child looked at her with trust and such a sweet smile, Ki almost felt guilty for her surge of fear. It wasn't irrational, at least, as she knew it wasn't everyday that a flower gave birth to a human child.
Only...she wasn't human. It took Ki a moment to distinguish that, but her grey eyes found the soft flutter of pristine wings, finally noted the strange arch of what looked like branches from the girl's hair. "A name?" she repeatedly lamely to the girl, who simply uttered a soft bit of laughter at the woman's perplexed expression.
She heard the song in her head again, the one that had sounded so old and beautiful. It reminded her of something natural and ancient, like old world music, the core of where beauty and creativity itself seemed to come from. Ki's face lit up, testing out the idea. "A core? M-maybe--"
"Kore," the girl agreed in her dulcet fluted voice, smiling enigmatically at the two women. Her dainty hands squeezed the ones that held hers so comfortingly, inching towards the woman with hopeful blue eyes.
Ki stared, completely smitten with that one word. "Okay." Yes, she was being very eloquent, but in the face of something so perfect and sweet, the woman was beside herself with a mishmash of emotions. She released Kore's hands, extending her arms to gather the eager young girl into an adoring embrace.
"Kore," the woman said quietly into those brown locks, turning her eyes back up to Rose as if just remembering she was there. "She's...she's mine...t-to care for, right?" There wasn't hesitation or fear in her voice, but more of a hopeful, if not demanding quality, as if it were more of a statement than a question. Would Ki give the girl up after all this? Not a chance, no matter how freaked out she felt she should be.
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