(Set the week between Xmas & New Years)
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Prompt 10 (Winter Star Poinsettias): Poinsettias are common during the winter seasons, so it isn't unusual to see them decorating windowsills and local establishments. What is unusual are the unique Winter Star Poinsettias that seem to have accidentally mixed into the bunch. They look like ordinary Poinsettias reflecting a bit of glow from nearby lights--only, the leaves themselves are emitting a soft, silvery glow. They look like they are covered with a fine morning dew, only with fine silver glitter peppered in to give it a unique sparkle. They seem to have gone unnoticed by most of Destiny City and the landscapers, and it's not clear how these plants were selected, but anyone with a keen eye might recognize them as the catastrophe of Destiny City Botanical Garden's 2016 Winter Extravaganza. Thankfully, these variants are far less dangerous than their counterparts, however, these plants have a strange pollen that acts like an allergen and can cause agitation, oversensitivity, and sneezing to anything with much of a strong smell. Anyone who comes into contact with these plants may also find themselves suffering from flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing, fatigue, and nausea and no medicine will relieve it, but the symptoms gradually fade. The leaves of the poinsettia are sharp and can sting like a papercut, so be careful! ...If you're worried about an all-out attack again, it might be a good idea to destroy these poinsettias--if you can manage to do so without getting caught.
Quinn coughed into his mask, followed by a sneeze, and blowing his nose before replacing the mask. He couldn’t believe he picked up some kind of bug right after Christmas. He knew it was possible, he had been around quite a few people the last few days, but he had felt fine for the longest time. He didn’t start feeling sick until they had finished moving all the plants from the small local church that his mom liked to go to. She kind of roped him into helping the staff set up and take down the festive decorations that were used for a local party. He was pretty sure it was there that he picked something up since he wasn’t the only one sneezing. There were at least three others who were apparently allergic to the poinsettias and other greenery.
He had been offered one of the bright red plants but he turned it down, explaining that he had a cat at home… the things were deadly if ingested for a cat. While this was true he just didn’t want whatever glitter was on them to spread everywhere. Especially since it was pretty much just him and his folks at their house for the next week and some days. Most of the staff were given the long holiday off and other than a few who volunteered, and were paid handsomely, Quinn, his mom, and his dad were on their own. So no… he didn’t want glitter to end up infecting the whole house any more than it was already from the few sparkly ornaments that have shed. Isis, his cat, was already having a field day with any trinket or bauble that wasn’t secured against kitty curiosity. Luckily she had mellowed out quite a bit due to her age. Poor girl barely even looked up to glare at him as he sneezed again, shaking the bed they were both on.
“You ok dear?” His mom asked as she came to a stop at his bedroom doorway. “Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks,” He croaked out. He didn’t want to get up from where he was tucked under the covers. Mainly because he was still pretty tired but he also didn’t want the nausea to possibly come back. Sitting still was really the best option. That and his cat was currently curled up on the bedspread as well. “You should go, I don’t want to get you sick either.”
“If I haven’t caught it by now I doubt I will. But ok, just give a call if you want something.” With that she wheeled away down the hall and Quinn went back to playing on his phone. He might feel a bit like death warmed over but he still wanted to make Annalise smile so he sent her a meme he had just found. He had been sending her random pictures and memes for the last few days, the whole relationship still so very new to him. Who would have thought he would have a girlfriend after this many years? He was both glad and sad that they didn’t get to see each other this year…. Glad that he didn’t get her sick but also sad because it would have been nice to spend at least a little time with her.
There was always next year!
