[closed] plant friends gotta be plant friends

[tousei]

Who: Julius and Steinbeck
Where: On the ship Fenrir
When: 10D3
Summary: Plants being plants.
Restrictions/Warnings: Will probably delve into some body horror later on.

[ Things are changing.

Julius' tasks have leaned more and more to outright manslaughter as the weeks moved on, and it unsettles him - though it's not something easily told to others. The accident that befell his work partner gave him some reprieve, as the Dog cannot go without a Handler (or colleague, Julius insists). Since Sui Feng did not have any other important tasks to him, he has oddly a day off.

Time, rare in this tumultous place. ]

Hello, Steinbeck. This is Julius.

I would like to meet you to speak about plants.

[ A simple message, the best he can muster being a person who did not text outside of duty. It's well-encrypted and from a civilian source instead of directly tagged to the Company. Hopefully this works. ]

Comments

[tousei]

I can will myself to bring forth branches without leaves.

If you wish to see it, I am afraid it will have to be in person. I cannot trust the network anymore.

[graftage]

[This COULD be a trap...but Steinbeck is admittedly too curious to meet someone as alike as him.]

alright. where do you want to meet, then?

[tousei]

I have proofed my ship from prying eyes. If you will consent, we can meet there.

[ Look, he's... paranoid to some extent. He's already crossed the 30% human line and any loss of his position could be detrimental. ]

[graftage]

alright. i'll head over as soon as i can, then.

[He really hopes that this is going to go well. Inviting someone to their ship, where nobody can see...but then again, Julius saw him that one time, and hadn't turned him in. Maybe he could trust him to do the same thing again.]

let me know where i can find it.

[tousei]

[ The reply is prefaced with a set of coordinates that will lead Steinbeck to a nearby Leith estate. ]

If anyone accosts you, tell them you are coming to see me. I have been stationed here.

[graftage]

sure thing

[And with that, he'll make his way over. With his hood up, Steinbeck doesn't attract too much attention - it's hardly like anyone will try to poke their nose into the business of a Scarback.]

[Eventually, he reaches the door of the estate. He looks over it, clicking his tongue slightly as he admires it. Though...is he supposed to find a ship, or see who lives here, first?]

[He'll take a chance and knock on the front door.]

[tousei]

[ The door is opened rather quickly, not by a servant but by Julius himself. In fact, the entrance hall seems to be quite empty. Where are the house owners?

He gives Steinbeck a nod by way of greeting. ]

There is a ship garage concealed between the fields. I have been authorized to use it, it will not raise any alarms.

[ He's still in his Company uniform, his sword by his side. A patrol would not be amiss. ]

Shall we?

[graftage]

Uh. Alright.

[That is strange. Steinbeck peers over the other's shoulder, seeing if there's anyone else, but...it's rather empty. Weird. He looks over his own shoulder momentarily before he nods, willing to follow.]

Show the way.

i'm just kinda winging it here HUDSHGUDSH

[tousei]

[ It is eerie, but most of the workers have either gone on strike or went home to Westerley. Julius is here merely to guard the almost-empty house. ]

The owners have gone to seek refuge elsewhere. This is empty property. I was appointed here to guard and search the forest.

[ There is a nearby forest, which is visible at the edge of the fields. After a short walk they come to a clearing with no crops and a small shed in the corner. Opening the shed door reveals a console, and interacting with it causes a trapdoor to open, leading underground. ]

This way.

[ It seems well built for a mere estate, but then again Leithians can be sneaky with their money.

The Fenrir is docked in the hold, a small-sized ship with the logo of a stylized wolf painted on the side. The hold is illuminated by floodlights when they walk in, but there seems to be no latch or panel to open the ship's entryway.

Julius takes a deep breath and holds out one hand. A white branch appears from the ports on his back, coming into view once it exits his shirt by one sleeve. The slim branch plugs itself into a small port by the hatch's side, and the pneumatic doors slide open with a hiss. ]

IT'S OKAY

[graftage]

[He's been on several estates such as this one, since even rich people do love their religious blessings, but this...this is new. An underground area? Huh. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised, with how the Leithians like to live.]

[He follows Julius down, pausing momentarily to stare at the ship. His attention is suddenly caught, however, by the branch coming out of Julius' back.]

..You don't need seeds? [Is the question he blurts out, his tone awed.] That's...wow.

[tousei]

[ The hatch closes behind them, and the lights of the ship come on automatically. It's easier to fall back into his old routine of interfacing with the ship instead of pressing buttons. ]

They are inside of me. I believe... I may be becoming a tree myself.

[ There are small patches of white bark on the walls, similar to the texture on the slim branch that retreats and coils itself around his arm. It's not a lie, what he just said - but not the complete truth either.

He will force himself to become a tree if it means not becoming a monster. ]

[graftage]

[I may be becoming a tree myself.]

[Steinbeck would laugh, if he wasn't altering himself to become more plant-like as time went on. Still, the way Julius talks about it makes it seem like it's something out of his control.]

[Steinbeck steps up to the bark, running a finger over the samples before turning back to Julius, his eyebrows furrowed.]

So, uh...is it nanos? Or like a disease? Are you in control of it.

[tousei]

[ This is classified information. While offering the truth may be useful for fostering a more positive relationship, he cannot do so unless he's run it past the person who helped him master it. ]

Do you know of bioweapons? That is my fate. I can control it, but it will not cease.

[ Better to give the story that was more well-known. As if to emphasise his point, three more branches come out from his back, while the first one retreats. All four of them fan out of his collar in a fashion somewhat similar to wings.

we are not so different. ]

[graftage]

Bioweapons?

[So he's a weapon? Steinbeck gapes at him. Did the Company do this? Not only did they lord over others using money, but...they experimented on people/ Turned them into monsters?]

[He steps forward into Julius' personal space, reaching out before pausing, giving Julius a questioning look.]

Can I see?

[The branches, that is.]

[tousei]

[ Julius nods, moving one of the branches closer to within Steinbeck's reach. The tendrils do feel like bark, cool to the touch and grained like proper wood would be. Yet they are spindly with a certain tautness to them that may be more reminiscent of tendons than stiff branches. ]

The Company experiments upon humans and turn them into tools for their use.

[graftage]

[He runs his finger over it carefully, his thumb brushing against the ridges of the bark. He's never seen anything like this before.]

[Somehow, this makes him like Julius all the more.]

That's horrid. [An angry look crosses his face.] And they did this against your will?

[tousei]

[ For someone who was caged in a laboratory for almost ten years, Julius sounds oddly unperturbed about it. But it's all in the past now. ]

I had no will to make a decision.

[ Serve or die, and a minor didn't have any say in the matter. ]

I serve the Company not because I wish to, but because I had no other choice. I hope you can understand.

[graftage]

...

[It was so easy, to think of everyone in the Company as evil, maligned and twisted individuals blinded by money. Sometimes, he needed a reminder that not everyone who was working for them was doing it out of their own free will.]

[Like now.]

...I do. [He sighs, finally releasing the branch.] Anyways...did you want to ask me how I can make this stop, or what?

[tousei]

[ Julius says nothing at first, letting his branches retreat to curl around his arms, a visible reminder of how they were not so different. ]

I do not think the change can be reversed. What I wish to ask you is of what you can do with your green, so I may find ways to develop mine. [ His is entirely biological, but he could control them to a terribly detailed level. It's much like having raw material with little direction. ] With the unrest that happens now, I can compensate for your time with joy or assistance.

[graftage]

My green...? [He pauses, before reaching into the confines of his robes, pulling out his bag of seeds, along with a knife.]

Assistance would be nice, but... [He can think of that, later. He finds a good spot on his neck, slipping the tip of the knife against his skin. As blood drips from it, he pulls out a seed and pushes it into the wound. Within seconds, the seed grows, roots winding their way through his skin. The plant bursts forth, vines stretching out with bustling leaves, burgeoning bundles of dark red grapes coming forth here and there.]

I can do a lot of things with them. [He says, when they finally stop growing. The veins on his cheek pulsate.] Can you feel things with yours?

[tousei]

[ It seems Steinbeck has a good handle on what he's doing, so Julius decides to not interfere in case he makes it more difficult for the other man. He watches the pods sprout and grow without as much as a single change in expression, tilting his head with a slight air of curiosity. No revulsion, only acceptance, as if this was as normal as grass being green. ]

To some extent, yes. They allow me to interface with technology, in their current state.

[ The vein looks a bit dangerous. ]

I can look into that, however. [ And - ] Does it hurt you to use them?

[graftage]

Technology, huh? Mine can't do that. I can feel lots of sensations along them, though, since they're connected to my body. It's kind of like having an extra arm.

[An extra arm that grows out of your neck. Yeah. That makes sense. The bundle of plants shifts, like reacting to a nonexistent breeze.]

It does, yeah. I've gotten used to it over time, and besides...I'm a Scarback. [He shrugs.] My pain tolerance is better than others.

[tousei]

I understand how that feels. I intend to improve my perception as well.

[ With his branches, he can siphon information if it's in digital form. ]

However, would you wish for the pain to be lessened?

[graftage]

Not really?

[He shrugs. It's honestly not something he's thought about.]

I guess I've accepted it for what it is. My faith, you know, is all about taking on the suffering of others. In a way, this ability is an extension of that faith. I did it to myself willingly.

[tousei]

[ But do all Scarbacks truly believe on the faith? ]

I see.

[ Then there's no more use lingering on that topic. ]

What will you do now? The unrest is set only to escalate.