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 Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:31 pm
"I wouldn't mind trying some eventually..." ********* honestly replied as she sniffed towards the flower she had been ogling.
"I don't think that's basis fer it bein' edible..."
"Wasn't asking you!" Eventually the round animal settled back to all four legs. ********* did seem to perk up considerably when Lydia began to speak of the visit to the actual building.
"I am glad that you didn't get hurt! That would have been terrible to come back from... not to mention the problems it could have caused tomorrow when you went home from the 'sleepover'... oh goodness!" Within moments the manx had crawled into Lydia's lap and seemed to snuggle in for attempts at comfort.
Ellie didn't seem nearly as concerned about that part. "...you say 'at first'... which means ya started coughing?" There was genuine confusion in her tone.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:51 pm
********* did have a point, and Lydia bit her lip as she imagined what might have happened if she'd been a little less lucky. "I know I should have been more careful," she admitted, "but I didn't want the whole trip to be for nothing. I just wanted to find something useful." Because she was starting to doubt if she was really up to filling that role herself.
But there was more to consider. If she hurt herself, she certainly wouldn't be able to help anyone. And if her parents had reason to doubt her safety at Ellie's house, that would seriously limit what she was able to do in the future.
"I'll take better precautions next time." She had already started drafting a list of supplies she would need for further exploration, including a good flashlight, flat shoes, and a face mask to keep dust out, flowers or no flowers. And why was Ellie surprised that she'd be affected by the dust up there? Unless it really was holy dust. "The flowers got tangled with a statue in the first room there- I think it was an antechamber of some kind. And when I left them there and started looking around without them, I could feel everything start to tense up."
She put one hand over her chest and took a couple of deep breaths, mostly to assure herself that she could. That she hadn't caused any permanent damage with her desire to find some sort of miracle up there.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:45 pm
Ellie smacked a fist into an open palm after the younger girl explained herself.
"Okay, that makes sense!" At least it made sense to the blonde, but she had more information to work with.
********* couldn't help but even shoot the blonde a puzzled look. "...Okay... YOU are the one that makes no sense, Ellie!" Puffing out her cheeks, she returned her attentions to Lydia.
"If you need any help with your asteroid, please let me know... I wouldn't mind hopping a ride with you to help out if you need another set of paws!" With that she lifted up her forepaws (which promptly settled upon Lydia's upper stomach).
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:17 pm
"I'll be sure to let you know when I need some help," Lydia promised, taking ********* paws in her hands and shaking them gently. "At the very least, you could probably explore places I can't! I haven't even gone in the buildings in the city area, since I have no idea how stable they were." If a wall fell on her in space, nobody would be able to come and help. Her parents would never know what had happened to her. More reasons to be extra-careful the next time she went.
Ellie really wasn't making any sense, and that was getting annoying. Rather than blow her top, she smiled sweetly. "Would you like to finish the story, Ellie? I've pretty much gone through what I know, but you seem to have more to say."
It was not a good smile. Lydia was beginning to feel like her efforts up there had been for nothing, and she did not like that at all.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:06 pm
Even if she wasn't powered up, something seemed to shift in Ellie's eyes. It was hard to tell what had shifted, but the look of the obnoxious and mischievous young adult seemed to vanish, and the look of someone invested in the subject at hand seemed to spread over her features.
Her tone even seemed to lose a bit of edge and gain a bit of warmth.
"Peaceblossoms were native to the Asteroid of Irene. They were an invasive species of flower, though they brought more perks than negatives. They were resilient, helped with poor soil conditions, and cleaned out the air in polluted areas. They required minimal levels of water, so most worlds could grow them."
There was a minor shift in her stance, as if to signal her explanation was done for now.
The cat blinked.
A few times actually. "Oh. Well.... that was......informative..." It wasn't the first time the cat had seen Ellie shift in such a manner, but it was usually in Iris' form.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:37 pm
It almost sounded like Ellie had swallowed an Irenian travel guide. Lydia's eyes widened as she listened, her emotions an uncomfortable mixture of admiration, confusion, and bruised pride. Even this world wasn't hers, why did Ellie know more about it than she did? She wanted to ask, but that would just bring more attention to her relative lack of knowledge. It would be much better to find out more, so that she could hold her own.
"So they clean the air... but these flowers have been picked. They're not growing anymore, so they shouldn't have the same effect. But if the reason I was able to explore the room is because of these, they must still be doing something, right?"
The memory of the warehouse fire was still fresh in her mind, especially after what had happened more recently with the person she understood was behind that whole mess. She'd been almost completely incapacitated by the smoke. But if she had something that could purify the air, then maybe, just maybe...
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:31 pm
A smile touched Ellie's features.
"I imagine so..." It was a simple answer, but it was only because she couldn't tell Lydia in an easy manner that she was excited for her teammate to learn more of the life she had during the Silver Millennium.
********* seemed to attempt crawling up against Lydia's chest.
"You know... these sound really handy! I mean, if they helped you in that dusty room, I am sure they could help you in so many other ways, Lydia!" Her paws padded back and forth as she seemed to try and shove her face into the girl's.
"I... I wonder if there is a way we can put these together on your fuku or something! I mean, they'd be pretty, but how could we get them on there in a functional way... but oh gosh! This sounds fun!!!"
Iris couldn't help but laugh very gently at ********* antics and excitement.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:42 pm
Lydia giggled and pulled ********* into a hug, glad that her allergy medicine was still working. "That tickles," she scolded affectionately. "But I think you're right! Even if they only help a little bit, it just might make the difference between my being able to help the next time a fight ends up someplace dusty, or..." Or ending up in a heap on the floor, trying to avoid another trip to the hospital. But she didn't want to say that out loud. The less time spent thinking about how useless she was in those situations, the better.
Especially if she had a way to avoid them entirely! That was incredibly exciting.
"But even if I put them on, won't they just disappear when I change? That's why my purse is separate, and I make sure to keep it with me all the time." She put ********* down in her lap and picked up a few of the flowers, holding them first against her head, then on her shoulders. "It's true I can't go charging into battle holding a bouquet, but I'm not sure what else would work." With a shrug, she began braiding the stems, more out of habit than anything else.
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:48 am
Though she had been relocated, that didn't take any of the excitement out of the Mauvian. As Lydia began to fuss with the flowers, ********* rambled on a bit.
"I suspect that if something is native to your world, you are more likely to have it become a part of the uniform if incorporated... it's a theory... not a confirmed fact or anything. However, I know that Iris' ewer is something native to her world... and Psyche recently acquired an orb and pearls that were native to her world which seem to be sticking to her uniform as well."
As Lydia's work seemed to form into something functional, the cat cooed "Oh... that will work perfectly I think... maybe you can wear it like a belt or something!"
"It doesn't hurt t' try, y'know... and y'know... pretty sure by Earth standards those flowers are considered magical... if only because it came from an asteroid... or whatever..." Ellie's voice had apparently returned to its usual tone, but at least it was just agreement at this point.
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:52 pm
"I guess I never thought of it like that." It was true that Iris had something extra on her uniform, but Lydia had always assumed that was because she was Iris. Iris was special in ways that Irene was not. Most of the time, she was okay with that. Different people had different skills. There were some things she could do that Iris couldn't. It was just that her skillset seemed far less useful in light of recent developments.
She didn't really realize what she was doing until ********* called her attention back to it. Braiding was just an impulse. It took her a lot of work to keep her hair in the good condition it was in, and a lot of practice to make sure the braids were smooth and tight. As a result, the stems she wove together were staying in position surprisingly well, possibly aided by the remnants of the sticky stuff they'd been soaking in.
It just might work, she thought, rearranging one section so the flowers all faced outwards. "I'm not sure I have enough, but let's give it a try! Could you put your paw here for a moment?" Lydia tapped one part of her braid, where she was trying to put in a new flower where a stem ended. "I'm trying to space everything out evenly."
As she worked, she thought back to the times such a tool would have come in handy. The warehouse fire, of course. And the ambush at the meeting. Both times she had been unable to do anything. But that had happened again, more recently, and she couldn't even blame smoke or dust for it. There was only so much these flowers could do for her, and so much more she needed to do for herself. If only she could figure out where to start.
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:58 pm
"Okay!" Enthusiastic as ever, the manx easily lended her paw where Lydia requested.
As her friend worked to make herself a chain for the flowers, Ellie rolled back onto her bed a bit.
"...so yeah... whenever yer done... we can talk 'bout somethin' else comin' up... I need you and Waylon fer this..."
It was clear that the girls were not going to get much sleeping done at this "sleepover." However, if anything, that was status quo these days.
Perhaps they were doing the sleepover thing right after all.
Perhaps
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