Busy Streets (CyclicalCycal)

Bunbun · January 11, 2017, 03:02:39 PM

"Hah. Me, a good person? It's been quite a while since I've heard that one. You sure you're not thinking of someone else?"

Juliana was joking, of course, but some part of her really meant what she said. It wasn't as if she was a particularly bad person, but she didn't necessarily set out to do good things, either. Most of the time, she was just doing what she had to in order to make a living. At any rate, she didn't want to turn down a gift that Cara was pouring her focus and energy into. Instead, she watched and waited patiently for the gift to be finished.

CyclicalCycal · January 12, 2017, 04:15:14 AM

After a few more moments, the girl had finished her magic, offering the flower to Juliana. "Take it." She implored her, smiling. Her smile was honest, and nice, she thought she was doing a good thing. And it showed.

Bunbun · January 12, 2017, 08:59:04 PM

She gently took the flower from Cara, returning the girl's smile as she did so. Idly running her fingers through the petals, she silently wondered what she was supposed to do with it. It was certainly pleasant to look at, minus the strange glow that seemed to be emanating from it, but she had no way of preserving it without actually being at home. There weren't any practical uses for it either- at least, not that she could tell- but she definitely wasn't going to tell Cara that.

"Thanks. It's a very... thoughtful gift. Do you make these kinds of things very often?"

CyclicalCycal · January 12, 2017, 11:43:51 PM

As she took the flower, she felt something change. She heard whispers, quiet and distant, and in all ways opposed to each other, coming from all around her. They sounded human, or at least humanoid, and all seemed to be speaking to nobody in particular. Worse, still, was that due to the busy streets around them it would be difficult to discern to where these new voices were coming from.

"Nuh! I don't need them!" She responded, ever slanted towards happiness.

Bunbun · January 13, 2017, 10:51:09 PM

Juliana's movements came to a halt as she suddenly became aware of a multitude of voices coming from... somewhere. What they were saying was completely indiscernible, as were the origins of said voices- even when she looked around her at all the different people, none of them seemed to possess the voices she was looking for. If she hadn't had strange experiences with voices before, she probably would have concluded that she was just imagining things, but she knew this was real. It was downright sickening, the way that her senses refused to cooperate with each other.

"...I don't understand. What's it supposed to do? Is there some kind of special use for it?"

CyclicalCycal · January 13, 2017, 11:35:46 PM

"It lets you talk more! And hear more! Like...you can...hear the...things that. The...other people around you...that are all quiet normally. Well, only if you're..." Cara tried to explain, fumbling with her words. "Like...the plants. It lets you...listen." She got out, nodding. Clearly, she thought that this one was sufficient and that it required no further exolaination, a contented grin crossing her face.

Bunbun · January 15, 2017, 05:56:37 PM

"Hey, don't get so worked up about it. Slow down, breathe, and think about what you want to say before trying to speak. That way, you won't get all your words jumbled up. Now... let me get this straight. The flower lets me hear things that other people can't. Like... plants? Those are what are causing me to hear all of these voices?"

She frowned slightly, looking down at the flower and turning it over in her hand. Cara had previously mentioned that she could communicate with animals and the like, which would explain why she said she 'didn't need' one of these flowers.

"I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with it, though. I mean... the flower's gonna die eventually, right?"

CyclicalCycal · January 15, 2017, 09:12:40 PM

"Yes, but...you could plant it and care for it and grow more. But I don't recommend that. I don't think you'd be good at it and also bad things can happen!" Cara said, with a definitive nod. "The plants will be hard to hear but if you keep listening it'll get easier!

...just don't talk to animals." She warned.

Bunbun · January 15, 2017, 10:53:52 PM

"...Fair enough. I'm not gonna try to make more of them if it could be dangerous to do so. Besides... I don't have anywhere to plant it, anyways."

She wasn't offended in the slightest that Cara had little faith in her ability to cultivate the plant, mostly because her concerns were well justified. Juliana had almost no experience when it came to dealing with plants, and this particular flower probably needed to be cared for in a specific way. That wasn't to say that she couldn't learn to do it, just that she should avoid it for now. That being said, though, she had no clue what benefit being able to listen to plants could possibly provide. She didn't imagine that they had much important to say, but then again, she'd never listened to a plant before.

"...I'm curious, though. What's wrong with talking to animals?"

CyclicalCycal · January 17, 2017, 06:55:22 PM

"Well, if you went to talk to a wolf, it wouldn't understand you! Cause it doesn't know the language! Then it'd eat you, and you'd be dead." Cara explained, in a jovial manner, as always. She then looked around the area, again, before nodding. "But the plants can hear. They can hear and they can speak and they can't hurt you. Unless it's one of the eat-y plants, so if you hear one trying to tell you to go closer you shouldn't." She warned.

Bunbun · January 19, 2017, 12:13:22 PM

"...Uh, yeahhhh. Remind me again why the forest is supposed to be 'better' than the cities? I don't know about you, but personally I'm not too fond of the idea of living in a place where everything wants me dead. I'd rather not spend my whole life being afraid of getting eaten by some random wild animal."

She paused for a moment, sliding her thumb down the stem of the flower and staring into the forest before going on.

"...But I guess it wouldn't hurt to test it out, before the flower ends up dying. I'm not entirely convinced that plants could have anything interesting to say, though. I mean... they're plants."

CyclicalCycal · January 21, 2017, 01:46:02 AM

"They cannot see, or smell or hear but they can sense things. They're different! It's nice to listen to things that are different!" Cara elaborated, nodding to herself as if confirming the statement. "I mean-it's not like a flower's gonna leap up and attack you, is it?"

"...is it?" She asked, slightly befuddled, memories flicking back to that one time...

Bunbun · January 21, 2017, 10:40:04 PM

"Hmm... well, there are ways that they could harm you. A lot of them could poison you or make you very sick if you ate them. There's also quite a few that are protected by thorns, which could result in some nasty cuts. As for actually attacking people, though, I very much doubt that's possible. They can hardly move at all, let alone enough to strike out at someone. Besides, I don't think they would have much reason to attack people."

She held the flower closer to herself, as if to prove her point. As far as she was concerned, plants could only be dangerous when someone mishandled them. Even ones with mysterious powers such as this one shouldn't pose any threat as long as she didn't try to create more of them... probably.

CyclicalCycal · January 22, 2017, 01:44:55 AM

"Right. Plants don't attack people!" Cara replied, with a stupid grin. "Especially when you're not being a...nevermind." Whatever her thoughts were, she seemed to be switching off to some other thing. "I think it's time for me to go..." She prompted, nodding slightly. Cara was apparently preparing to go , unfurling her cloak and letting it drop to the ground, nodding once more as if confirming it to herself. "Yes."

Bunbun · January 23, 2017, 01:26:14 PM

Juliana raised an eyebrow when Cara suddenly decided to change the subject again, curious about how the thought would've ended had it not been interrupted. She wouldn't have particularly cared if it was something derogatory- if it was, chances are that she'd already heard worse from other people. That was just something she'd learn to ignore over the years.

"Like I said, I'm not going to try and stop you if you really want to go back out there. If you need my help with something, though, then you'll have to tell me now."

CyclicalCycal · January 25, 2017, 05:32:38 AM

"Nuh! I don't think so..." She paused, again. Cara nodded. "Goodbye!" The girl turned on her heel, before going to begin to trek off towards the woods, her long coat dragging behind her. However, Cara stopped. She twirled around, giving Juliana a quick but rather enthusiastic wave, before making to continue her journey.

Bunbun · January 26, 2017, 07:48:47 PM

"...Alright. Well, be careful out there, then. Hopefully everything will work out okay with your father, and all that. You should keep yourself out of trouble if you can, though."

Juliana crossed her arms, watching as Cara made her way back into the forest. She gave a wave of her own when the girl turned around, hers being noticeably less energetic. She stood there for a little while afterwards, waiting until Cara had completely disappeared between the trees before finally turning and rejoining the crowds of the city.

CyclicalCycal · January 26, 2017, 09:23:46 PM

As the child faded into the forest, it seemed that the woods twisted and moved as she wandered into them. It was a dull movement, but it was there, though it soon faded as she wandered in, fading away into the green that she was so accustomed to.