#halcyonmind

from here!:

Scrape

Scrape

Scrape

A more plain proclamation had never been spoken. 'OUT' was as clear as he could make it without severing each individual limb from her twiggy body and tossing it piece by piece down the rusted corridors. His instructions would have been followed without predicable complaint then, though her consciousness would have ceased to comprehend events as they transpired.

Humanity simply couldn't adhere to the words written boldly in front of their faces, so compelled by their own justifications, greed and motivations as they were. They could not DREAM that anything existed to challenge their stance in any given situation, simply could NOT be deterred from the path they had chosen once a course was set.

Unfathomable!

"Reclaiming my brethren."

Knives strode further into the room with its flickering emergency lights, pale eyes focused on the pods. That the chill was still successfully settled in the air told him how much had been sunk into funding the preservation of the Plants inside, how much the humans who had once commandeered the ship had trusted in the process. The Plants endured while the humans had wilted into nonexistence.

And while it was true humanity was often prepared for challenging obstacles ahead, they didn't always deal with the threat with the speed necessary for survival.

Their greed was too powerful for that.

A trail of knives dragged behind him, hanging like gory ribbons from his back.

"because we are the same." to prove her point tesla lets the plant markings appear on their face. "I thought I felt a plant here - I thought maybe you owned a private plant. I wanted to make sure that my sister was not suffering... I didn't expect an independent"

she stands there, eye darting back to the window. maybe they should run for now since it is rather obvious that the woman did not expect nor appreciate any guests but...

"...you aren't hurting them, right? the baby I mean. if... if you need to know anything about independents I can tell you. just don't hurt them"

Watching her settle into a mild panic he couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle his hand clutching at his aching side carefully. Vash had been through a lot worse than this so if there wasn't any ice it wouldn't be the biggest issue in the world. What did catch his attention was what she mentioned about the water.

he walks until he stands in front of a closed door - he knows what is behind it, knows it will change everything and that he does not want to see it. he does not want to see her. but he still opens the door, hand small again...

vash sees the tank and as always he screams and as always the figure is changing, sometimes it is tesla, sometimes his brother or himself, an accusatory stare directed towards him 'why do you side with them? why do you protect them?'

before he can answer he wakes up with a jolt, having felt the touch of soft fingers against even softer feathers. blue eyes stare at mona in shock. he presses his back against the tank behind him - he feels her more than he sees her, the plant leaning down, probably worried for her brother in distress and vash knows, he knows that now the markings on his skin begin to glow, mirroring the being hovering above him.

"mona..." he mumbles before reality snaps into place and the realization of what just happened. "mona! I am so sorry!" he's on his knees already, arm outstretched towards her but he hesitates when he sees the markings and feathers. "I... I am so sorry" he repeats. "...please let me explain"

There is a mix of relief, delight, and disappointment as the woman speaks. If she knows of Knives, or at least the man the townsfolk describe, which she believes to be him, then Rem's search is going in the right direction. She cannot help but feel disappointed the woman doesn't know any more than that, however. At least, there is nothing else she is willing to tell Rem. She doesn't miss the way the other shields the baby from her view; there is an air of protection there sharper than what she could consider to be normal. It is enough for Rem to decide to fall back, she would tread carefully and watch the woman for a while.

"No, please, it's alright! You've already helped me enough. I thought I might be crazy, looking for someone who didn't exist. Sorry to bother you. I'll be on my way now, thank you," Rem gives her an apologetic smile and walks away, down the street and around a short corner. She truly was sorry for what she was about to do. Rem had never spied on anyone before; she knew it was wrong, but there was no other way to get what she needed here. A million theories were flying through her mind, but Rem knew she couldn't dwell on any of them. If this was going to work, she had to think clearly and be quick on her feet.

Rem peers around the corner, watching the woman walk away. She couldn't see her face anymore, so she quietly and as casually as she could began to walk after her. Rem politely ducked her head as passersby meandered their way through the market.

It felt like she had been following the woman for hours before Rem felt like giving up. The twin suns were high in the sky, and even under the protection of her linen cloak, she felt dizzy with heat exhaustion. She still has not adjusted to the climate of this planet. Maybe she had imagined the baby after all... Rem stops, much to the annoyance of the people behind her. She is still looking at the woman; just as Rem is about to turn around and find shade elsewhere, the woman bends to grab something low from a market seller. A flash of metal greets her, a silvery blade in a shape all-too familiar to her.

Rem's heartbeat speeds up and her breathing becomes quickened with panic. She wasn't imagining it; that child had to be related to Knives somehow. There was no way Rem could ever mistake a knife like that; it had to come from Knives. It had to.

A bump of another's shoulder into her own causes her to jolt out of her anxious state. Rem had to be careful. She got as close as possible to the vendor and the woman without being seen, tall boxes of dry and canned goods aiding her quest. She could finally hear the woman as she spoke to the vendor. It wasn't perfectly clear with the noise from the market, but she could make out just enough...

"...so, how are you and your husband fairing lately? 'S been real hot, y'all takin' precautions against the heat with your little one?"

Ha ha, I'm really like the least cool person on the face of the planet- I'm always screaming about something or other, or crying.

It really makes me happy that you enjoy my writing, it honestly wouldn't be what it is without my mutuals being amazing partners. That's why I can't ever seem to drop RPing, no matter what negative things might have happened- I feel like I've met so many great people through my hobby, it far outweighs the odd jerk or two.