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 Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:23 pm
Quote: Curious Findings (17) : Maybe it’s got something to do with the weather, or the construction, or all the other general oddities that seem to occur in Destiny City, but for the first time in nearly fifty years, the historic tree in one of Downtown Destiny City’s parks has woken up. While the tree was known for being alive and growing despite a lengthy hibernation, this is the first year that it’s sprouted leaves–but that’s not all! The unique tree has now also started growing strange pods. Because of the trees legacy–and not at all because of the oddity–the area has been taped off, but that really hasn’t been enough to stop anyone curious enough to investigate. The tree itself is several feet wide and stands roughly fifty feet tall; it’s branches spread significantly and seem like they can hold a lot of weight–which is good, because the pods growing on it have a hard brown shell and can grow up to the size of a soccer ball. Sometimes, the larger ones seem to tremble and shake in place. Maybe it's an animal trying to nibble? Maybe it’s just the wind? Maybe it’s something else. The pods can be pulled from the tree or collected from the ground; the shells are incredibly difficult to crack open, and some of them leak a strange, acidic sap that is strong enough to cause skin agitation–and in some cases there are even reports that it’s burned through wood or fabric. Sometimes, the healthier looking pods that aren’t leaking anything even seem to shake on their own, which is a mystery in itself. Another mystery is why Almadel seems so keen to trade for them…
A giant, science fiction style bubble shield. A handwritten sign asking for a strange, specific kind of fruit. No dragon salesman yet, but Meninx had the distinct impression that he was hardly out of reach.
He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to trade for anything, but Connie had piqued his interest and he trusted her–and enjoyed her company enough–that their newly uncovered quest of finding and locating ‘large, hard-shelled, brown fruit’ with very specific parameters.
He’d read about the tree with the strange pods growing, though the papers hadn’t reported that this was fruit, and Meninx couldn’t see the appeal or purpose of them. This was an old Earth tree, anyway, so he didn’t know what there was to get out of this.
When he and Connie approached, thankfully there was no one else around. He hadn’t climbed a tree in a while and he had the distinct impression that Connie wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but if someone else were to see him…
Well, he didn’t want to explain what they were doing, either.
There were a few pods already on the ground, some of which had leaked sap onto the ground. The grass had wilted and some spots were turning brown. Meninx frowned as they approached but he didn’t slow down.
He could make out several spherical shapes dangling from the tree already, and even if there were some on the ground within easy reach, the sign had said he was looking for ones fresh from the tree.
However, Meninx was totally unfamiliar with this ‘fruit’ and he couldn’t really tell what was ‘fresh’.
“...What do you think is so special about these things that he wants to trade for them? You could probably get better fruit at the grocery store…”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:43 pm
Connie was pleased that Meninx kept the little charm. It was so shiny and cute, and it would look perfect with whatever keychain he put it on. Somehow she didn’t think he would cave to her suggestion of him putting it in his hair.
“Are these kiwis?” Connie tilted her head curiously as she leaned down to inspect one of the fruit that fell to the ground. They looked pretty gross when they were on the ground like that, and she certainly didn’t want to pick them up, so why would the dragon salesman want to trade for them?
“I don’t think kiwis get that big,” she frowned, answering her own question. She had obviously seen kiwis before, but she knew there were different types of fruits, right?
“Maybe they’re like… some kind of coconut. Or a cross between a coconut and a… papaya? I don’t know, I’ve never had either of them as whole fruit. Have you had a coconut before? I don’t mind it on dessert, but the texture is a little weird. I’ve never had a papaya though, I don’t think. But maybe he wants them because they’re alien fruit? Is that possible? Like, some kind of alien parasite that will live inside something and then burst out with big scary teeth and claws?” she wondered, demonstrating by holding up her hands to her mouth so her fingers looked like they were gnarly teeth. The way she furrowed her eyebrows in an angry expression definitely made it more obvious to what she was trying to explain.
“I’ve never seen those movies either. I mean, I have, but I cover my eyes when it gets to scary stuff like that.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:54 pm
“I don’t think kiwis have shells. Or papayas. I’ve had all of them before, but I still think you can find better variety at the store. I guess this seems closer to a coconut than anything else, but.”
He crouched down to look at one of the pods on the ground.
He wanted to move it but he didn’t want to touch it.
Thankfully, as the ‘fruits’ had fallen, they’d taken some branches with them. A twig, half a foot long after being snapped off the tree, was within reach. He picked it up and prodded the hard shell, but aside from rolling slightly at his provocation, nothing happened.
“I don’t know how this could be alien fruit, the tree’s been here for decades and seemed totally normal before this year. I don’t–”
He squinted at her for a few seconds as he tried to process just where she was getting her ideas from. She had a very active imagination and sometimes he felt like he had to struggle to keep up. Slowly, he continued. “I don’t think there could be alien parasites like that living inside here. Someone would ahve noticed that by now.”
…
“Right?”
He poked the pod again, but this time with significantly more reluctance.
“...It feels like a rock. It doesn’t seem like fruit at all. Maybe it’s…just not ripe. I’m sure we’re overthinking this–what would he even be doing with parasite fruit anyway? I thought you said you heard a bit about this guy, did he seem evil in any of those stories?”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:05 pm
“Kiwis don’t have shells?” she frowned curiously and then tilted her head from one side to the other. “What am I thinking of then,” she hummed to herself, clearly not knowing what she was talking about if these didn’t look like kiwis at all.
But she could tell that Meninx was really smart and she was grateful for his company.
“Evil?” she repeated as she moved beside him to look down at the weird fruit as well. “I mean, he did try collecting a bunch of little cotton ghosts that apparently turned into a big monster. But I don’t think I’ve heard of him being evil. That’s kind of subjective though, isn’t it? The whole conversation of good and evil? You could be considered good by some but evil by those who don’t agree or understand. I mean, there’s people who do things to purposefully harm others, and I think that’s pretty evil, but I don’t know. I’ve never met him, but people weren’t saying to stay away from him. Maybe he hypnotized them, or brainwashed them.”
Oh, that was another thing to worry about.
She seemed to realize she was rambling and paused to offer Meninx an apologetic smile.
“Thank you for coming out here with me to look. I usually do these things on my own, which is probably why I don’t know anything about what’s going on,” she laughed awkwardly as she anxiously tugged at the ends of her hair. But Meninx was nice and he was patient with her. She would definitely treasure the memory of being out there with him. Even if they didn’t know each other very well.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:17 pm
Mennix almost started to doubt himself; he nearly asked if kiwis weren’t just the ones with fur but he held his tongue. He’d search it online when he got home. Answers like that were readily available on the internet.
Answers about a mysterious space dragon merchant, probably not so much. He’d seen some of Destiny City’s conspiracy theorists, he was not interested in what they had to say.
‘Cotton ghosts’ sounded like someone had hot glued cotton balls together to try and make child-friendly halloween decorations so he already knew he wasn’t on the same page as Connie going into this.
It kept him on his toes, though–and he knew she wasn’t just simple minded. She gave a very thoughtful answer about the nature of good and evil, and he found himself nodding along as she spoke. He saw enough of it at work that he understood that everything was situational, nothing was really so black and white.
“I feel the same way, though.” Well, maybe not about everything she said, he was still trying to figure out some of what she meant. “About doing things on my own and not knowing what’s going on. I only learned about that dragon guy you’re talking about because you heard of him first. You’re good company.” He shrugged, like maybe it was embarrassing to say, but he meant it.
A loneliness clung to him and she chased it away. For a little while, he was able to forget that most of the people in his life had already gone off in different directions, almost all away from him. Not that he was about to burden her with any of that; he was very happy to keep his civilian life separate from this one.
“Maybe we should do this more often. I mean, it’s probably safer anyway, right? Maybe we can figure out the mystery of that dragon guy. Unless he brainwashes or hypnotizes us, too.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:25 pm
“You really mean that?” she gasped and stared at Meninx for a few moments, as though waiting for him to tell her he was joking. She knew others didn’t think she was the smartest, but she did her best.
“I would like that,” she agreed, trying hard not to smile too brightly and scare him away. It made her miss those who had gone out of contact, but she was doing her best to be someone they could be proud of.
“Oh, but we should definitely grab a couple of these coconuts so we can bring it to him. Maybe he’s making pina coladas? Do dragon people drink? Oh, do you think it’s offensive to call him a dragon person? Would alien be better?”
She looked around as she spoke, spotting a large coconut nearby, just up the tree. She just had to get some proper footing and climb up. Which she did. Or tried to. She at least hiked up her dress and reached up to try and grab a branch, but she was so short that it wasn’t very easy.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:44 pm
Meninx might have been a bit snarky sometimes, but he was not known for being a jokester. He blinked, at first, like he was surprised that she wouldn’t just believe him when he said that. Then, he worried that he’d said something awkward and wrong.
“Hey–are you okay up there? I’ll catch you if you fall,” he said. It didn’t really make a lot of sense to him, but he was reminded of his reckless brother scrambling up trees. He might have been able to get up just fine, himself, but she was so enthusiastic and was halfway up the tree before he could say anything.
“If you find a good one, grab it for me, too, would you? I mean, please. If it’s not too much trouble. Otherwise, I’ll go up after you. You won’t go see him without me, will you? I mean, just in case. That way if it is a trick, we’ll both have backup.”
If that wasn’t too forward or presumptuous. He was an adult, seriously. Why did this feel like trying to make friends in elementary school.
Connie was great! He just had to remember he was allowed to relax, he didn’t have to be so uptight like this.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:04 pm
“Oh, thank you!” she called back down to Meninx when he said he would catch her. “That’s really sweet. You remind me of one of my friends I used to have. Well, I mean I think he’s still my friend but it’s been a while since I heard from him. I hope he’s okay,” she said quietly, and mostly to herself as she reached for one of the larger pods.
They felt weird, and it took a bit of effort to wiggle one free, but once she did, while holding onto the branch she was practically hanging off of, she held it out for Meninx to catch.
“Ready?” she asked, and then dropped the weird coconut fruit down to him. After that, she pulled herself along the branch to another and wiggled it free as well.
“You’d like to go with me?” she tilted her head at him curiously. This was weird. It wasn’t often that people wanted to spend a lot of time with her. There were some, but not many. Even her sisters she was pretty sure got too exhausted to be around her a lot.
“I would like that, if you’re okay with it. Probably smart, in case he turns into an actual dragon and wants to eat us or something like that.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:13 pm
Meninx was good at climbing trees, but watching Connie maneuver on a branch like that made him worry that he might actually have to catch her. Thankfully, it was just the fruit, for now. He caught it easily and quickly deposited it into his subspace pocket so he had both hands free again, just in case.
“Well, I always wanted to fight a dragon, so I guess that would be okay.”
He hadn’t completely let down his guard, but what little boy didn’t dream of slaying dragons or being the hero in some fairy tale? Although, his dreams were short lived, given how quickly he’d been pushed to grow up and leave such things behind.
“What happened with your friend? If you don’t mind me asking.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 5:37 pm
Oh, that was pretty cute. Connie couldn’t help but smile when Meninx admitted to having always wanted to fight a dragon.
“That means you being a knight is perfect,” she said with a smile as she made herself momentarily as comfortable as she could in the tree. She’d managed to climb up onto one of the branches, but made sure to hold on so she didn’t have to worry Meninx about her falling.
As for her friend… Connie drew in a deep breath to make sure her mind and heart was as settled as possible.
“I don’t know,” she said after a moment, but knew it was pretty anticlimactic to just say that, so she continued with a sad smile. “I’m hoping he left the city and found somewhere safe to live. He was in the Negaverse once. But he was so kind to me, even though we’re supposed to be sworn enemies or something. I think he might have felt sorry for me,” she laughed softly at the memories.
They seemed so long ago now.
“He was purified, though. Goes by Midgard now. Or did. I’ve tried sending him notes but,” she paused again as she twisted the signet ring on her finger. “A Knight of Chronos, like me.” And her only friend. She still didn’t see why he tolerated her, but she missed him and just hoped and prayed that he was okay.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 5:51 pm
Meninx had to pause for a moment, because it seemed for the first time in all of this he had to stop and realize that he was a Knight. Maybe not the same as the fairy tale books, but he was a Knight.
Briefly, he averted his eyes while she was moving. Her dress was long enough that he probably didn’t need to worry about accidentally seeing anything inappropriate, but he couldn't help himself, anyway.
“I’m sorry to hear about your friend.”
He waited for a moment, to give her time to get settled, and then looked back up at her. “I haven’t heard of anyone by that name. But I haven’t met many Chronos Knights, either. I’ll keep my eye out for him and let you know if I hear anything, though.” He wasn’t optimistic, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.
“I’m missing a few people, too. I mean, I guess I can reach them, so it’s not the same. It’s just. It’s been hard without them. It feels like everyone I care about sort of went on with their lives and moved in different directions. I don’t know.”
He hesitated for a moment and then cleared his throat before he directed his gaze to one of the fallen fruits, rotting on the ground. “It’s not the same at all, sorry. I hope you find out where he is. And I hope he’s doing well.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:23 pm
“It doesn’t mean it’s any less lonely,” Connie was quick to try and reassure Meninx that his experiences and loss in his life weren’t outweighed by anything she had experienced. “I don’t think it’s fair to compare our experiences and think one of us has had a worse experience than the other. It’s still really sad and lonely to be left behind, no matter how it happens. Maybe he got tired of me and just isn’t responding to my messages,” she added with a quiet laugh.
She paused for a few moments as she tugged at a piece of string on her dress that had pulled loose in her climb up the tree.
“I’d prefer that, I think.”
But she quickly shook her head to dismiss the thought and smiled down at Meninx again, a little brighter this time. No one needed to listen to her wallow, but she hoped the lack of contact was by choice and not because he couldn’t respond.
“I really like being around you, for what it’s worth. You’re so serious, but it makes me feel safe. Thank you.” And he was also thoughtful and considerate, but she felt her cheeks darken just thinking about it, much less saying it.
Or maybe he would just think she was lonely and desperate. She wouldn’t blame him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:30 pm
Meninx offered a half smile, because it seemed like the socially appropriate thing to do, but it didn’t really feel right.
It wasn’t even that it was a comparison of who had it worse, and that wasn’t what he was trying to push anyway. He just had the comfort of knowing that his people were alive and okay. Just busy. And far away.
He didn’t have to wonder if they were alive, or tired of him.
He just knew that they were living their own life.
While he was still stuck in his mother’s shadow, but.
He was here, now, of his own volition. Doing his own thing. Lonely, but a little less lonely while Connie was around.
“Maybe he broke his phone and lost your number,” he suggested instead. “Or got really bad at checking his messages. Or got a jealous girlfriend.”
He wasn’t used to people liking to be around him. He wasn’t as fun or charismatic as his brother, and even if he lied to himself, he knew Xander was everyone’s favorite. Except for his mother, but he wasn’t even sure he was her favorite. He missed his brother too much to resent him right now, but his heart still hurt, anyway.
“It’s nice to be around you, too. It makes me think of my friends, too. They make fun of me for being too serious, but none of them have a responsible bone in their body, so someone has to reel them in. Not that you’re like that, but.” He looked a bit sheepish, because he was at least good enough friends with them that he could harass them and they understood what he was trying to say. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings when she’d been so kind to him. “I just mean, you’re easy to be around. It’s nice not to have to play pretend and be who I think you want me to be.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 6:59 pm
Something wasn’t quite right with Meninx’s smile, but Connie wasn’t sure why she felt that way. Or maybe there was a tenseness about it that she couldn’t quite figure out.
Either way, she couldn’t help but smile a bit brighter when he suggested things like a broken phone or jealous girlfriend. Yes, that was much better to think about than what could have happened.
“Oh no, I like that you’re serious!” she laughed and adjusted herself on the branch, leaning forward a bit more.
“It means that I know you’ll catch me like you said you would,” she insisted, maybe as a small warning, because after making sure the fabrics of her dress and hair weren't going to be stuck, she carefully lowered herself as much as she could before dropping the rest of the way.
She was responsible! She just also thought Meninx was sweet and made it easy for her to be herself, too.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 7:21 pm
She gave him more warning than he needed, and if he were being honest, he was used to his brother’s recklessness, and even Holden’s flair for the dramatic.
His arms were out before she’d even left the branch, and he caught her in both arms without much difficulty. He was modest, and didn’t take the opportunity to do anything ungentlemanly; he caught her safely in his arms and set her down on the ground.
“You trust so easily,” he huffed, but there wasn’t any annoyance. He was proud, and pleased, even if he wouldn’t admit it. He liked showing off, even if only just a bit.
More than that, he liked someone trusting him.
Being a lawyer meant no one really trusted you, but–oh, back to forcibly separating Jace from Meninx to justify why he should be allowed to be different while he was powered up.
“Thank you for helping me tonight. Do you think we should go find that dragon guy tonight or meet up again tomorrow?”
It wasn’t that late, and he’d pulled plenty of all nighters that even if it was, he could still power through. She had so much energy, he didn’t want to wear that out. Or overstay his welcome. He was still learning how to make friends again, anyway. Better safe than sorry.
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