Pathstone Mingle

[onlyanapple]

Who: The crew of the SS we don't know what we're doing Pathstone.
Broadcast: Maybe?
Action: Pathstone/ The docking volcano on Mor.
When: Any time post shuffle.

[EVERY DAY IS A FUN DAY ON THIS SHIP]

Comments

[killedwithlove]

I'm not human.

[Just in case she's forgotten that. He wears a human shape, but he's not a human.]

I'm not mortal at all. I'm a spirit. Mostly. My inside is mostly spirit, but my outside is a person.

[dawnwillcome]

Do you never feel hunger, then? Even though the outside bits are human?

[They never really got to the how to care for your now slightly more human Cole bits, so she really isn't sure exactly what kind of things his body does need.]

[killedwithlove]

No. I don't feel hunger. I know hunger. Heavy, hollow, crawling my throat and pulling my belly to my spine. It aches, aches in my bones, like I'll be sick but there's nothing left.

[As he's spoken, he's started to fold over and maybe for a moment, he seems that bit more frail and pale.

Then he stands up straight again and it's just Cole.]

No hunger. I sometimes sit quietly for a while and let my body rest. But I don't sleep.

[dawnwillcome]

[Well, that's... certainly a thing, but Jove just nods and reaches out with the intent to put her hand on Cole's arm.]

We'll skip the pudding, then. Shall I show you those yellow flowers you asked about instead?

[killedwithlove]

[Cole perks up completely, his whole body lifting.]

Yes. I like flowers. I don't understand why people cut them off the plant and put them in vases.

[dawnwillcome]

[And that settles that pretty much immediately. She leads him down the hall and towards her room, watching him over her shoulder as she goes.]

Did you know it's possible to replant cut flowers?

[killedwithlove]

No! I didn't know. How do they grow without leaves or roots?

[He does know a bit about how plants grow.]

[dawnwillcome]

It doesn't always work, but sometimes the stems can sprout and take to soil. It takes a lot of care, but a lot of times it can result in a perfectly healthy plant.

[killedwithlove]

I like that idea. I never understood why people chopped bits off and put them in a vase. The plant needs them more than the people.

[dawnwillcome]

As long as it's done in a responsible way, it isn't so bad. There are ways to take leaves or flowers from a plant without killing it, and sometimes those parts go on to heal people. Here.

[They've reached her room and she motions for him to go in first. There aren't many surfaces that don't have a potted plant on them, and even the floor has a fair number of larger pots placed around. Ivy and flowering vines crawl up the walls, covering almost every bit of metal. It's about as close as you can get to a forest while traveling in space.]

Any time you're feeling overwhelmed you can come here, Cole. Even if I'm not in at the moment, you're welcome to stay.

[killedwithlove]

I understand taking flowers and leaves. I don't understand then putting them in a vase on a table.

[It reminds him of the Emerald Graves in a way, all the greenery and warmth that they generate.]

It's nice in here. I like it. How did you get your own room?

[dawnwillcome]

When I first arrived there weren't many people on the ship, and the ones who were here tended to stay in other areas. I sort of just took this room over for my own, I suppose.

[And now half the people who were on her ship when she first arrived seem to be missing, leaving the Pathstone feeling more lonely than it should.

Well, it's less that with Cole in the room. She moves to pick up a small pot with yellow wildflowers planted in it and hands it over to Cole.]

Yellow was your favorite, right? You can put that in your room if you like.

[killedwithlove]

There still aren't many people on the ship.

[He takes the pot carefully, reverently, and strokes one of the flowers gently.]

Not mine. Bunny's. She liked yellow flowers. I don't know how to look after a plant. Or have a room. What if I hurt it without meaning to?

[dawnwillcome]

[Just based on the way he's holding the pot, delicately touching the flowers, Jove isn't worried.]

You just water it when the soil starts to look dry, this is a plant that's used to not having a lot of specialized care. It's strong, and I know you'll be careful.

[killedwithlove]

I'll be very careful.

Won't it miss the other plants if I take it away?