[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]

[ 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.

[graftage]

Do whatever I can.

[He lets out a short, bitter laugh.]

I'm already neck-deep in this conflict. I can't exactly step back and let others do the work.

[tousei]

[ Julius merely tilts his head. ]

Who will you save?

[graftage]

It's not about saving.

[He smiles. It's not a very nice smile.]

It's about retribution.

[tousei]

And then after that?

[ Julius, as with always, looks oddly calm. ]

[graftage]

I don't know. Haven't thought that much about the future. I mean, it's highly likely I won't have one.

[He says, almost a little too casual to be comfortable.]

[tousei]

So you wish to become a martyr.

[ It's an interesting perspective, all things considered. ]

Your faith is to take other people's pain on your own. But how will you do it? Do you think the Quad can be changed? Or is revenge your only goal?

[graftage]

Eh, not exactly. I'm not the kind of guy who wants to be held up as a symbol of rebellion or anything. If I die, I die. That's just how it is.

[Steinbeck laughs.] You make me feel like I'm in the middle of an interview or something. I mean, I would like to think the Quad can be changed. But nothing can be done towards that until I punish the people responsible for all this suffering.

[tousei]

[ So it is just revenge. That makes him better than someone who's in it just to be seen. ]

I wish to know you better.

[ They'll probably never be friends, but he would at least like to see some more perspectives before he dies himself. ]

I too would like to think that the Quad can be changed. But it is a difficult task. I do not have the freedom to go where I please; the Company may kill me for any sign of stepping out of line.

[ A pause. ]

I know someone else who wishes to raise a revolution. To change this to a planet where people can live without being exploited. It is... very difficult, definitely. But would it be the same as your vision as well?

[graftage]

Yeah, you've got quite the target on your back, huh? Since you're their tool.

[That's the bluntest way he can put it.]

That sounds similar. Really, all I want to do is live in a world where my family doesn't get used by people who throw around money.

[His vines move around his arm, his fists clenching at his sides.]

I don't want my family to suffer, anymore.

[tousei]

[ Steinbeck says the truth, so there's no reaction from him. ]

Do you know of him? Sion Astal, the director. If you speak to him, you may find efficiency in cooperation.

[ He has his hands tied himself so he can't do much. ]