VIII.

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

[Souji is quite busy this afternoon. After accidentally turning her Wild Places-forged katana into a parasol, she realizes she's going to need another weapon for the next dangerous thing that happens here, and preferably one more permanent in nature. Her own knowledge of weaponsmithing is just about enough to turn a fallen tree limb into a passably sword-shaped club, so that means she's going to avail herself of an expert. However, the only expert she knew wanted payment, and there was nothing of value just lying loose in the Gardens. Without a weapon, she can't go spelunking in the Caves either, so her only recourse is now her old friend, the Item Trading Quest.]

1

[Action]

[And that's why she's hanging around the Viridian Pavilion, carefully collecting flowers while making sure they aren't attached to any of the strange, cute plant-monsters wandering the area. She carefully gathers them into two bunches, one rather plain but various, the other more with an eye for color and artistry, favoring blue blossoms.]

[Later, she can be seen heading into the portal underneath the Pavilion, taxonomically-interesting bouquet in hand and a determined, friendly smile on her face...]

2

[And later still, she returns from said portal with a strange-looking clock in hand instead of the flowers, picking up the prettier bouquet from where she'd left it. Immediately, she finds a Vine mirror.]

[Video, addressed to Ymir but unlocked]

Hey Ymir. We were talking about a sword before...I think I've got something interesting to trade you.

[She holds up the weird clockwork device.]

((You can respond to Souji either when she's gathering flowers for her trip to the Isle of Antikythera, or afterward when she returns; I just didn't want to make two posts when they'd both be this short. Indicate which part you're replying to with a 1 or 2, please. Basically what happened here is she went to trade the robots some flowers for a clock that she has no idea what its actual purpose is, and is planning to trade said clock to Ymir for a weapon. Because she's an RPG hero, this comes naturally to her. The purpose of the second bouquet is a se~cret.))

Comments

1

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

Hey, those aren't yours. Who said you could take 'em?

[Souji you are now being challenged by the extremely authoritative eight-year-old scrawny kid. In a lolita dress that is more than a little baggy on her.]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

They're wildflowers. I don't think they're anybody's.

Well, they might be the Queen's, but I don't think she'd mind and I don't really care about her opinion either.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

[On the one hand, that's a good argument, and Laura can sympathize with sticking it to the (wo)Man. On the other, she's not about to just let this adult have the upper hand.]

They're the pokemons'. You gotta ask them first.

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

Oh. That makes sense. Do they understand human languages?

> You almost said "Japanese", but judging from the fact that you're talking to a little foreign girl around Nanako's age with no problems, specific languages seem to be irrelevant here.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

Well? Go on. You also gotta say you're sorry for not doing it at first.

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

[Souji finds the nearest Bellossom, bows, and apologizes]

I'm terribly sorry for intruding on your garden. May I take some flowers?

[When the pokémon predictably ignores her, Souji goes right back to what she was doing, kid hopefully humored.]

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

[She's humored, but still going to be suspicious and bug the intruder.] What're you making two bouquets for, anyway? Are you a two-timer?

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

One of them is for the robots. I heard they like things from the Gardens.

[Souji's not bugged. Having someone to talk to while working at this is actually nice.]

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

Like Epsilon?

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've met Epsilon. I mean the guys...or whatever...on the island under this pavilion.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

And they like flowers? [Are you putting her on?]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

*shrug*

Nothing grows in there, so I guess they like things that are different. Or they just want to add some color.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

[She thinks this over. And then starts picking some flowers of her own, hovering a few feet away from Souji.]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

Hey!





You forgot to ask permission.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

I don't have to. They're my friends. [So nyah!]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

*shrug*

*back to gathering flowers*

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

[And now, there seems to be a sudden shortage of blue flowers. Mysterious, that's what it is! Oh wait no it isn't the kid is stealing them.]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

You're going to give those to someone you like, right? It's bad to pull up flowers for no reason.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

I dunno... maybe I will, and maybe I won't. What're you gonna do if I don't?

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

Is your mom here?

1/2

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

()

2/2

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

None of your business! [The reply is rather more heated than it should be]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

Sorry, sorry.

Well, since I can't tell her, I guess I'll tattle to a bear.

[runawayalot.livejournal.com]

You... snitch! [And she lets out a kick at Souji's shin]

[sistagonist.livejournal.com]

Ow.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't threaten that. You're just playing with flowers, it's not something I'm gonna get worked up over.

Now, the flower queen, on the other hand...