Yuuka's Garden
Yuuka's Garden had blossomed in more ways than one, growing into an attraction well-known around Whalestrand. While a bit of a trek out of the city, folks considered it worth it for a couple peaceful hours admiring careful arrangements of colorful flowers and soaking up their sweet fragrances.
Today, amidst the flowers swaying in the breeze, visitors admiring the flowers in silence might just pick up on the soft sounds of paper flapping in the gentle breeze - though not because someone had brought a notebook and allowed the wind to rifle its pages!
No, the source of the sound was no absent-minded journalist, but rather a young woman with… a receipt… affixed to her face. Well, while some tourists may have found it odd, those from Whalestrand hardly bat an eye at Sabriye Nevrin as she walks about the garden, stiff movements betraying her nature as she peers down at a collection of vibrant pink camellias.
"Shit's pretty," she idly comments to her companion and fellow undead, one Justine Lanchester, "but not too exciting. Could use a spark or something."
It really was impressive how much Yuuka had been able to, in the long run, leverage the incident with the Pink Revenge. It had drawn more eyes to her, rather than less, and had turned it into a minor attraction for those of Whalestrand.
However, it didn’t seem like the woman herself cared much. Oh, she appreciated the company, happy to talk with anyone who asked her questions and wanted to know more about her flowers. You could even get lucky and be invited to tea with her, if she took a liking to you. It was more that she simply remained the same Yuuka as before, the casual, slightly strange lady who simply liked to have a flower garden.
Not that Justine is very concerned about that, as she bends down to get a closer look, tying one of her ever-present bandages up. She didn’t need them the same way she did when she was first resurrected, but they had grown so comfortable for her, she couldn’t imagine going about without them. “I dunno, I think it’s nice. These are all imports, I think? Non-native. It’d be different if it was flowers I saw on the road.”
"Eh, yeah, I guess." Sabriye may not have sounded too convinced, but still she persisted in looking over the plants, turning her gaze towards the winter daphnes nearby. These were interesting, poisonous to people apparently. Direct contact could even irritate the skin. Of course, that didn't concern her at all. Only for the plant's sake does she not reach out and brush her fingers against it.
She had the pallor of death about her, and movements that couldn't be described as wholly natural, yet her outfit, strikingly casual and modern, suggested nothing at all was amiss. "At least it's something new… and free." Cheap diversions were always welcome. "Still think it's too bad we missed that plant rampage. That'd have owned."
“Yeah, I could have probably tried one of the new serums on it. Can you imagine using the warp one? I’m still not entirely sure if I’ve got this one right, though… at least I can’t warp into objects. Eesh, that’d be messy.
So whatcha thinking after this, concert?” Justine asks, only to notice a man approaching. Unlike the others, he has a face of business, and dressed in a sunhat and with thick gloves and a green, thick uniform, he simply darts a glance at the plants by the two women.
Seemingly satisfied Sabriye didn’t touch the plants, he prepares to move on.
"Sure, I'd go for one. Might want to change first. Wouldn't kill me a second time to pick someone up tonight. It's been what? Fuck, three weeks?" She's quite clearly distracted as she responds to Justine, looking up from the plants to keep an eye on the man who had started approaching them. He had an odd look to him, something kind of mismatched. He didn't look like the gardening type, but his attire suggested otherwise…
"Hey, you work here or something?" She pipes up and asks him directly before he gets too far off. "Give out any fun facts about the flowers?"
“Hey, I bet you’d get ‘em with the just-got-dirty look, haha!” Justine says, before noticing the man, also curious about him. As he turns around, she rubs her chin, thinking. Oh, wait, is that it? No, he looks too sharp-faced for it, but he’s not Cleve Sharpe…
“Huh? Yeah. Gardener apprentice.” the man says, looking a little irritated, but less because of the interruption and more in a way suggesting it was his natural state of being. “Been here a few months now.
Fun facts, fun facts… lesse. Y’know, you can actually eat some of the flowers here. Not those ones, those’re poison. But the bunch she planted down the west face, they’re all themed as ones good for garnishes and salads.
I don’t recommend picking them and doing it, though. You never wanna make Ms. Kazami mad.”
Huh, that lady intimidated a guy like this? Something about her demeanor did quietly suggest you didn't want to get on her bad side… Even so, it seemed kind of strange. The humble gardener, a force to be reckoned with, apparently. "Yeaaah, think I'll take that advice. I don't want a beef with her, and I'm not the fruit and veggies type. Thanks." With that, she turns her back to him. He'd done his job - technically more than his job, seeing as how they weren't promised any little facts - and he didn't seem troublesome, so why not let him go on his way?
As the man leaves, Justine snaps her fingers. “Ohhhh! I remember. That guy was Yuji Endo!
So there was this whole thing I was kind of on the periphery of, I mostly remember it because Wolfgang got caught up in it. Something about Calamities and changing history… point is, this one guy was trying to prevent them with some hired goons, and he was one of them. He caused the whole Pink Revenge incident to happen.
Then he and the other two goons tried to stomp on everyone with a giant robot, and they got blown up? Or something. …I guess the garden master is the forgiving type, huh?”
"No shit? He was part of that?" She casts him one last glance, half-considering calling him back over to ask him about the whole shebang. "Giant robots too, huh? More flew under my radar than I thought. Then he's in some kind of work release or something, I guess, huh? Wonder if she vouched for him or if they asked her to take him…" Well, it didn't really matter, did it? Either way, she made the call to take him in after all that. She was something else, alright. "It's good to be back in the city. I'm sure I can poke my head up from writing long enough to actually see some of this excitement."
“Hell yeah! You were missing out last year. Like, come on, you even missed a concert fight! I’d never have expected you to miss a concert fight.”
Justine taps her finger against her chin for a bit.
“Then again, nothing stops us from making another concert fight.”
"Pft, yeah, I'm real sure we could get in a fracas up against fucking circus witches and whatever that… fish… Buddy… thing was," she retorts, giving Justine a light-but-literal ribbing, bumping her elbow into her chest. "Bet we could have taken the jokesters that actually dropped in down, though. You've got enough of those injections from your boss. Get me a workout mag or something, we could've tossed 'em around a bit."
“I’m surprised you’ve never tried them yourself outside of the test runs, actually. Not comfortable? Or just like the talismans better?”
She doesn't exactly properly shrug her shoulders, but they do rise, just a bit. "Bit of both. The talismans work, y'know? The injections are whatever, but, look, your boss is cool with me swinging by and all, and I'm down with him, but if he wants data from me, I'll need to see some cash. Besides, something about them always makes me want eat after I use 'em, and see the whole not getting paid deal for why I don't feel like grabbing a snack. Would need to find somebody who'd let me feed off 'em, and that's a whole deal."
“Thaaat’s fair enough. Well, maybe if-”
Before Justine can continue, there’s a beep. She pulls out her phone and looks at it, passing it over to Sabriye. “Oh shit, check it out! Won the VIP standby roulette. That makes two of us!”
"Oh fuck, what are we waiting for? Let's blow this place and go."
It doesn't take much convincing, the two girls doing a quick pat-down to make sure they've left nothing lying around before they head on out, making tracks back towards Whalestrand.
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