Welcome to Gaia! ::

Was this what was meant to be? The beauty of the garden did not move Justin, still coming to terms with the Knowledge. The vines were not the same as flesh, with all its nerves and its senses, it was singular and unique and now he just knew. "This was hot, this was cold, there's a breeze in the air." but it wasn't the same as feeling it for himself. Themselves? It was difficult to explain. The vines gathered, coiled and wound themselves into curves and muscle like structures, tendonless and flexed awkwardly when concentration waned into a mess of vegetation. There were Thorn antlers and a vines of Blue Clematis weaving through Justins new form, a waterfall of honey colored climbing roses that cascaded down from the crown, the flowering parts gathering.

"It's still not the same." the thought emerged, with no way to actually speak it, from the space he claimed in the garden, away from the undying. The knowledge that such creatures would not bother him now, did nothing to calm his uneasiness around them, so instead he gave them a wide berth, let them focus on their duties. He just wanted to sit here, reminisce and look back with fondness and maybe a little bit of Envy.

The Tendrils of Blue Clematis wiggled and curled, emblazoning him with the Six that had him more at ease. It was familiar, and it made him complacent.

Another was roaming the grounds, another undying he thought. a thorn riddled individual that was mindless, but it was not. He could see with sightless eyes that it was a vined figure. another, like himself.

He was not alone in this. It brought even more peace. The Knowledge of a fellow companion in the same situation.

It took very little to disturbs Justin's concentration, and the form would begin to fall apart, only to stop and reform again, a spattering of leaves that fell to the floor each time. He could tell that the part that was meant to be a face, the thin vines were trying to lift in a way, but became a strange mess. It became an ordeal to try and convey the simplest of movement, as simple as a smile.

"Been awake shortly, but how long i've been here, i have no idea." the thought was colored with sadness, the droop of the antlers like it was wilting from the darkened idea. "Strange, peculiar, disorienting is what i would use here." he added, the collage of roses from the crown sweeping across the bench. "from food to photosynthesis, and you?" the question resounded.

He could find out all on his own, the information was for them all to use.

Justin was aware of the feelings that Cecil had, was this Empathy? "We are living our lives in two different locations and in here we cant feel it the way that we want to." He knew what those feelings meant, for they were the same within himself. "Im sure we on some level, know what will happen to our bodies, we just don't want to comprehend it." he continued, a vine thin and wiry, moved to curve downward.

Justin let the creeping vines in his limb like structure elongate, to move further out, sprouting new leaves as it went, to curl around Cecil's gnarled root of a hand. "you know there should be a sense of touch." he continued, without inflection "if this was different, you would feel a warmth there, and I would feel the same thing. But now we must rely on the logic behind it. tangible, body heat. " he breathed, a mimicked action of the vines moving outward then contracted back. It was a moot action, breathing like that during daytime.

"Maybe this is what our bodies will turn to. Maybe this is our real bodies, who knows, dear Cecil."

"What else can we do but reflect?" Justin countered, unable to laugh like he wanted, loud and freely. It sounded different. "You know, Cecil." he began, beginning to drop vines and pulling them back into shape. "I loved you."

he spoke again after a pregnant pause, thinking it over. "Or is it better to say, I remember loving you." he tilted his rose covered head in thought. "I loved you all, each and every one. Not in the romantic sense." he elaborated, taking the time to explain.

"Its more like, the love one has for a family member, a mother, a father, brothers sisters even cousins. that type of connection." he rambled, soft spoken, but pure. He knew that it was impossible to feel it, but the knowledge of him trying to hold their hands tighter passed between them. "We bonded during the brief time period, and I remember it in fondness." the big white petals opened more, blooming fully along with the bright blue petals on his chest. "I gained a lot during the alleged end of the world, things that I never want to lose." grasping at the front of his chest.

The true knowledge made Justin smile briefly, Eyes of bright blue berries that hung in place, for aesthetics and no purpose. "Technically we are not letting go of what he had, except for a body that could feel the bitter chill to our bones, the pang of an empty belly or gasping for a trickle of clean water." He reminded softly.

"I dont want to remember or witness such moments, dear Cecil." he admitted, curling his makeshift hand in the others. "Of course, yes it does not feel the same, but I wouldn't trade the moments we shared for anything in the world, our experiences are precious to me."

It was a sobering experience, the chance to reflect. "Those people, those creatures that came to save us, there is more going on than meets the eye."

The information trickled in, like a small stream, rivulets on how Cecil felt about this. It made sense, a different point of view on what was laid out before them, he couldn't fault the man on his own personal choice. " I Cannot fathom the choice to go back, even with your thoughts on it, but it does not mean that I cant respect your wishes. I do." the vines began to wrap closer. It was a delicate, tender action, when the vine complied with their will. The absence of touch was disorientating. "You are not foolish, dearest Cecil." he corrected. "It is your choice, as it is mine to watch from afar and try to make a difference." every choice came with a price, that much he was certain of, but the cost would probably be something important, he tried to convey to his family member.

The connection they shared, tangible was slowly separating, he knew that on some level that he should be against it, but the feeling was quickly being muted. He was already paying the price, it seemed. "You will always be family, Cecil, you and the others." he whispered, the vines shifting back in place. "The time we spent was fleeting, but it was irreplaceable and I will treasure it. always." he stopped, the vines shuddered as they struggled to keep him together as they fell apart to drop to the floor, to slowly rise back up to cover his remains like armor. "My love for you all will remain constant, untouched by times passage. never forget that."

Justin already knew. The knowledge of what was happening to his family, Cecil and himself. "Maybe someday, we can meet again." grateful that this time, he could not feel the emotions that came with the moment.

It was just another memory to add to his collection, his legacy, of Cecil going back to his emotions, and his heartfelt thanks. " lets meet again, in the next life." he echoed, glad that Cecil was no longer connected to hear his true thoughts. "Silly, Just because you have a next life..."