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A roleplay between Roots of the Cosmos [Elst and Aoi] and XxLoveLikeWinter13xX [Verdant Lindtstrom].

Location: Elysian Gardens [A Nursery run by Elst]
Time: Early morning.
Weather: Very light rain, a storm having recently retreated. The sun is barely shining through the clouds.

The morning sun was perhaps the best thing about waking up at the crack of dawn every morning. As soon as the light began filtering through the white lace curtains of his aprtment, he would wake up and stretch, his long black hair a veil over his pale face. He'd pour some honey into a mug, drink it, and breakfast would be done and over with. This was what had occurred this morning, only he woke up to a bit of a startling scene. Okay, startling was perhaps the wrong word. It was horribly, terrifyingly atrocious: the amaranth he'd been born from was being ravaged by a massive hoard of caterpillars. How many and what species they were was of no interest to him. He screamed like a woman, ran into his closet, and emerged clothed in his best steampunk outfit. He was still screaming and crying the whole time he ran down the flight of stairs that led out to the street.

He was done crying and screaming, though. At the moment, he was heading towards a nursery he'd found in the phonebook. He had fallen in love with the name: Elysian Gardens. There were few things that made Verdant as happy as references to mythology and fairy tales. This was a reference to Greek mythology, so he was quite certain whoever ran the nursery was intelligent and well-versed in the classic myths.

He opened the door of the lovely shop and smiled at the green-tinged man behind the counter. He was especially plant-like, but his scent was so strange. What was he? He wasn't a nereid like himself; he meant no offense, but nereids were stunningly beautiful. He then blushed and mentally scolded himself for such vanity. He must have been some sort of nymph, though. The best he could think of was that he might be a rose nymph or dryad, but even that seemed wrong.

"Hello, good sir! I was hoping you could help me with a bit of a-" Verdant nearly gagged at the thought of the caterpillars "pest problem." Then Verdant remembered something quite crucial- amaranths were supposed to be legendary and did not exist. When he'd been found, the authorities thought he was a rafflesia nymph and they still did. It was he who had to do the research to find out what an amaranth was.

"Oh, I love bugs, butterflies and ladybugs in particular. I'm just not very friendly towards their larvae..." Verdant could't help squirm uncomfortably. There weren't just five or six monsters on his amaranth, there had been enough to cover nearly all of the plant- and that plant was bigger than four men. Hell, it took up most of his living room. Verdant stopped when he heard Elst's (that was his name, wasn't it?) questions.

"Ah, um... caterpillars. I can't be specific about what kinds of caterpillars, but there's a lot of them. A LOT. And, uh, they're infesting... they're infesting... my rafflesia." Meh. He knew this guy wasn't an idiot when it came to plants, but maybe he would buy his bogus explanation? It was pretty early and most people in the city hadn't even had their cup of coffe yet. It would certainly work if he believed it; rafflesias were the largest blooms in the word, second only to the titan arum. It would explain the size and he was sure that not all rafflesias smelled like rotten, decaying flesh. "Yes, my rafflesia is infested with horrible caterpillars. It's a very important flower to me, so taking care of it is a necess-"

Something caught his attention. An enrapturing scent of sweet sugary candy and... another strange scent. It was far from unpleasant, but it was like Elst's in that it wasn't any ordinary flower. It was sentient, that much he knew. First the shop owner and now this? The scent was overwhelmingly pleasant and coming from... right behind him? He swiveled around and found himself face to face with a strange creature that looked like a living violet. His eyes grew wide with surprise and he cried out accordingly.

"Oh, you are simply the most adorable little creature I have ever had the pleasure of meeting!" Verdant exclaimed, pulling the cute little flower into his embrace.

"Oh... well, um..." Yeah, lies were never Verdant's strong suit. Never. Ever. Seriously, NEVER. Not once had he told a lie and gotten away with it. Matron Sandy always left his ears red as hell whenever he tried to lie about finishing his chores or playing knife games at the large dinner table. He always stuttered or stumbled or fainted when he lied. Okay, he fainted once, but that was when Matron Sandy found out about him sneaking out with the really hot guitar player from across the street from the youth center and that was a long time ago!

Aoi, the flower and Elst's apparent assistant, slipped out of his arms and watched him from behind Elst's coat. He looked a bit startled at having been hugged, but his eyes remained on Verdant's hat.

"Sorry about that; I couldn't quite help myself," he said as he smiled apologetically. He took off his hat and knelt down until he was face level with Aoi. "You can have it if you like it. There're plenty more where this one came from."

Verdant stood up and faced the plant man. The only option Verdant really had was telling the truth and this guy certainly seemed trustworthy. Plus, he didn't know how much longer the amaranth had before it was completely devoured.

"... Okay. It's not a rafflesia. But I can't exactly say what it is here. The language of the flowers isn't completely dead and there's no telling who might be listening. You'll have to see it for yourself." Elst must think him insane- and a little high- to be freaking out about something like a flower. Oh, God. What if he thought he was growing marijuana or something?! "It's nothing illegal, I swear!"

Smooth.

Verdant gave Aoi a smile as warm as the first day of spring as he bloomed, two gorgeous flowers appearing out of his hair like magic. A lovely aroma wafted from the petals, each a soft pink color. Verdant fought the urge to cover them up with his hands as he place his ribbonless top hat back on his head.

"I'm very glad you like it, Aoi. You certainly have good taste!" Verdant chuckled, still trying to will the blooms to retreat back into his hair. He listened to Elst's explanation about the opium poppies and was relieved to hear that he believed him. He wasn't quite sure what he would've done if he'd not been believed.

"Oh, yes!" Verdant cleared his throat and allowed the elegance he saved for the stage to emerge, just a little. "I am Verdant Lindtstrom, known to my fans as The Prince of the Flowers. Of course, you can just call me Verdant."

Verdant gave up trying to make the flowers go away; he was in too good a mood to stop blooming. Tey would retreat on their own when his happiness subsided to normal levels. He chuckled when he saw that Aoi and Elst seemed quite taken back by the blooms, though Aoi's curiosity seemed to be the strongest. He seemed like a young child, his need to learn fueled by instinct. He had been the same way when they found him that day four years ago...

"Yes, I am a flower like you." He answered Aoi's adorable question, but his brow had grown quizzical. How can the sweet little guy talk without a mouth? Is this telepathy?

Elst addressed Verdant from behind the counter as he searched for something, most likely the sign he'd mentioned earlier. To Verdant, Elst seemed to be the kind of man that kept to himself and, most likely, his plants. Not that this was bad; it meant that he was passionate about what he did. It was admirable, really. He'd also not heard of him before; that was certainly expected. Despite the flyers he'd post up for his performances, few people ever recognized his stage name unless they were fans. "Oh, it's perfectly fine; I'm just used to using that as my greeting onstage. See, I'm a musician. I'm by no means a celebrity; performing in obscure Goth venues doesn't really get me much recognition from mainstream listeners."

Verdant nodded to Elst as they left the shop. He led the way to his apartment complex, a small building that only housed the landlady, two families, a couple of college kids, an old man who believed Verdant to be a tall, sexy woman with a lust for older gentlemen, and Verdant himself. It was painted a concrete gray and was bland as far as apartments go, but the view from the rooftop was great and the sunrise could be seen perfectly from up there. He'd spent many a night up on the roof, staring up at the twinkling stars and making wishes on the falling stars he'd get the chance to see. It was soothing to be up there, but his neighbors, the college kids, seemed to enjoy dancing around in their skivvies after some heavy partying and always ruined the mood for him.

As the two men ascended the stairs to the second floor, they heard laughter and giggles coming from the hallway. When the yturned the corner, the saw the children of both families playing some sort of board game. They waved to Verdant and Elst and asked who "that cool-looking green guy" was before turning back to their toys and games. They were sweet little kids, even if they did make him think they were the Anti-Christs sometimes.

Up the stairs they went once more and they passed by the college kids who smelled heavily of cheap liquor. They all waved to Verdant and asked who "that crazy dude in the trench coat and green skin" was before returning to their game of beer pong in their living room. They were nice guys and all, but "sober" just wasn't one of the words they ever grasped a hold on in their English classes.

They finally arrived at Verdant's apartment after trying to convince the old codger that Verdant wasn't cheating on him with Elst ("I can't cheat on you when I'm not even in a relationship with you, Mr. Anderson!"). He turned the key and opened the door wide. "Come on in, you guys. I'll put some water to boil for tea."

"Yes, Lindtstrom is my last name." Or at least, the last name I chose for myself. "I'm really not that good, Elst, but it's very nice of you to say so. I like to think that if my fans are happy, then I must not be doing so bad a job." He laughed as he tried to remember having seen Elst in one of the venues, but nothing registered. It must've been quite a while ago.

Verdant eyed the tea bags greedily- he was a big fan of anything organic. "I'd love to try the tea. Besides, I lost my gag reflex after eating three whole bittermelon cucumbers; those things are what evil must taste like!" He shuddered when he thought of that stupid dare he ended up winning. He'd taken huge bites of the cucumbers, chewed them all up, and swallowed. He couldn't taste anything for seven months.

"Here you go, boys." Verdant placed three mugs of boiling hot water onto the counter in his kitchen. He took out a jar of the sweetest honey he had; he couldn't get enough of the stuff. He also placed a dainty sugar bowl next to the honey. "I'm not sure whether you take your tea with sugar or honey..." Verdant's eyes widened when Elst asked about the amaranth. "Ah, yes... um, it's in the living room, but I need to... do.. stuff." He excused himself and ran into the living room.

"Damn it! I have to make it child-friendly for Aoi!" He ran to the wall that was shared by the kitchen and took down several posters of scantily-clad incubi and leather-sporting elves. He rolled them up and stuck them under his arm. The next wall was decorated with crazy pictures of him and his friends from the troubled youth center and drawings he'd made of the characters from his favorite fairy tales. Those were safe, so he left them there. He headed for the next wall, which had two framed paintings of topless mermaids. Sure, they were quite tasteful and their hair covered their breasts, but he wasn't taking any chances. He took them down as well and put them under his arm with the posters. Finally, the trouble wall: it had the worst poster, an angel and a daemon in sheer clothing making out. Not exactly "child-friendly". He'd take it down, except for one teeny, tiny, little problem- the amaranth was in his way. The caterpillar-infested amaranth, to be exact. "Aw, crap."

He tried his best to get ot it, but he kept feeling sick whenever he looked at his plant. Those squirming, pulsating larvae, chewing, gnawing away at his beloved bloom... "Guh! I think that one can stay... I guess..." He tossed the posters and pictures into his room and closed the door. He took one final look at the poster and blushed. "That one's going to be hard to explain."

He ducked into the kitchen, where Elst and Aoi were enjoying the tea. Verdant smiled and directed Elst towards the living room, where his amaranth was in desperate need of salvation. He took one of Elst's tea bags and dipped it into the boiling water. It turned the water dark green, almost like the color of mulch. He shrugged, having eaten things that looked a lot worse than the tea. He sipped it and coughed quite hard. When Elst said it was bitter, he'd not been clear just how bitter it was. Still, it was far better than the bittermelons, so he continued to drink it. It was too silent as they drank the tea, so Verdant switched on his record player and moved the needle to where "Seduction" began. It was his favorite song by Alesana, who was one of his favorite bands.

"I hope you don't mind the music. I don't really like silence, is all."

"Ugh, I can't even stand the smell of bittermelon cucumbers anymore. That's probably why I don't eat anything the landlady cooks for me. 'Eat dis bittahmelon stir-fry, boy, to put some hair on yah chest!'" He continued drinking the tea, though he had yet to get to the part where it was supposed to have a peppermint taste. "Oh, no, I should get used to trying new things." 'No matter how bitter it may be,' he thought to himself. He downed the last of it, cringing as the taste assaulted his poor tastebuds. Verdant changed the song playing to "A Siren's Soliloquy" and followed Elst and Aoi into his living room, noting how adorable Aoi looked while drinking his tea.

He saw that Elst had (expectedly) noticed the painting, but seemed unperturbed. 'He must have an eye for art,' Verdant supposed. He then flinched a bit when he saw Elst's eyes widen in suprise when he finally gazed upon the gargantuan flower, its glory ruined by the larval armada ravaging its beauty. Elst had a weathered tome in his hand, though when he'd pulled it out Verdant couldn't remember.

“V-Verdant… This couldn’t… be an Amaranth, could it?”

That question echoed in the nereid's mind over and over again. He felt a bit faint- no, very faint and weak- and leaned against the wall. He had never really thought about what he would do when someone, anyone, found out the truth. He had come across the truth in an old book in the public library, but had stolen the book so that no one else would be able to get it. He'd heard the stories that Matron Sandy had told him many a time: people were greedy monsters who longed for eternal beauty, eternal youth, and eternal life. They would do anything in their power to get even one of those gifts. They'd also do anythign they could for money. Money made the world go round, didn't it? If some greedy man or woman had realized what Verdant was, would they attack him and steal the amaranth to sell it? Would they kidnap him and the amaranth to sell off as a set? Or would they kill him and devour the flower for its gifts? These thoughts repulsed him and he knew that either one of them was a possibility.

But when Elst asked the question, there was no ill-will behind it. There was no greed in his voice, only wonder and awe. As hard as it was for Verdant to accept it, someone knew about the amaranth. His sole reprieve was that it was a kind-hearted man with a love of plant-life.

He looekd up at Elst and practically whispered, "Yes... it's the never-fading amaranth... the one and the only amaranth of myth."